A Trip to Kauffman Memorial Garden

  Dear Friends,

We recently went on a family excursion (it actually wasn't raining that day!) to Kauffman Memorial Gardens, in Kansas City. It's such a beautiful place and makes me think of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Would you like to come along with us?

 

There is a beautiful conservatory with palms and orchids, and a lazy cat.

 

Tasha brought her sketchbook along to record the wonders around her.

 

This cheeky little elf just enjoyed running here, there, and everywhere!

 

. . . Until he fell down.

 

Someday we'll have our own picket fence with pink roses on it!

Thank you for coming along with us. I hope you were inspired, as well!

Love,

Marqueta

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"Sometimes since I've been in the garden I've looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden - in all the places.” 

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

A Very Merry Birthday

Dear friends, 

We recently celebrated the double birthday of the oldest and youngest of the girls. We are excited for Rebecca turning five, but we're not so sure we like the idea of AnnaMarie being a legal adult this year! Why can't they all stay little?

How good to see them grow and flourish in their own stages of life!

May all their wishes come true!

Love,

Marqueta

 

"Happy Birthday Happy Birthday just for you.
Happy Birthday and may all your good dreams come true.
When you blow out the candles, one light stays aglow.
That's the sunshine of your smile where ere you go."

 

(From an old radio programme)

The Garden in May

Dear Friends,

We have been having fun with blue paint around the garden, wanting it to look like the South of France. We may not have a stone mas to live in, but it does look prettier than before!

We splurged on these allium bulbs last fall, and now they are the queens of the show. Even the foliage is attractive, with big, strappy leaves.

The girls have been practicing to perform at the local farmer's market, and our cat Ginger made sure that the bodhran was properly tuned.

Hickety Pickety decided to check out the chicks' pen whilst they were elsewhere, to make sure it was properly outfitted. Doesn't she look lovely amidst the irises?

Radishes have been our best crop in the garden so far, other than the wild greens that are running rampant throughout the yard. These are from Tasha's personal garden spot~

Hyrum just keeps growing and growing (as does his bushy hair). He loves being out on the trampoline!

The peony in back is now in bloom, and it complements the irises perfectly. We put in four more peonies out front, and will have a hard time waiting till next year for them to bloom.

Peony bud.

Last but not least, we planted this catmint and false blue indigo next to each other last spring, not knowing that they would match perfectly this year. I love it when things work out this way, seeing the faeries at play! Now where are all the bees and butterflies they are supposed to be covered with?

Until next time.

Love,

Marqueta

"A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly."

-  Rhyme from England

"Bound and Bordered in Leaf Green..."

"...Edged with trellised buds and flowers

And glad Summer-gold, with clean

White and purple morning-glories

Such as suit the songs and stories

...unrevised in text or scene..."

--James Whitcomb Riley

Dear Friends,

Our summer has been unusually cool and nice; which means we have been able to be outside more and jump on our trampoline. (And draw with chalk!)

Evangeline doing a flip~

Our Black Swallow-tail caterpillars have all turned into beautiful butterflies and flown away.

The garden is in full bloom and looking lovely.

These little hobbits found giant cabbages and eggplants in "Farmer Maggot's" (aka the Farmer's Market) crop.

Have you ever seen the likes of those cabbages and eggplants before? They are huge!

The heat has been turned up lately, with temperatures around 100, so now it is starting to feel more like a real Missouri summer! We do love the singing insects at night, as well as the fireflies on a sultry evening, and will miss them when they rest this fall.

Many blessings to you all.

Love ~ Marqueta

An Anne of Green Gables Birthday Tea

Dear Friends,

For Tasha's birthday yesterday we hosted an "Anne of Green Gables" tea party with a friend of ours.
It would have been wonderful to have had you there as well, but, since you weren't, allow us to show you what we did in pictures. . .

For the centre piece there was a freshly gathered bouquet of Queen Anne's Lace blossoms--so perfect for the occasion!

 Tasha setting the silverware before we began.

 There were many delicious things to eat that we mentioned in the Anne books including:

 "Anne Shirley’s 'Unpoetical' Sandwiches"

"The girls sat down by the roots and did full justice to Anne’s dainties, even the unpoetical sandwiches being greatly appreciated by hearty, unspoiled appetites sharpened by all the fresh air and exercise they had enjoyed."— Anne of Avonlea

Plain old cherries.

And plain old peaches. 

"Susan Baker's Monkey Face Cookies"

"In a very brief time everything had changed. Walter was in bed, warm, fed, comforted. Susan had whisked on a fire, got him a hot cup of milk, a slice of golden-brown toast and a big plateful of his favourite “monkey face” cookies..." —Anne of Ingleside

More "Unpoetical Sandwiches".

"Diana Barry’s Splendid Lettuce Salad"

“Oh, Anne, mayn’t I help you cook the dinner?” implored Diana. “You know I can make splendid lettuce salad.” — Anne of Avonlea

In the back of the plate can be seen a good-for-you "Anne Shirley's Lady Fingers:"

  "I’m going to have the daintiest things possible. . . things that will match the spring, you understand. . .little jelly tarts and lady fingers, and drop cookies frosted with pink and yellow icing. . ."

— Anne of Avonlea

(What we really ate were coconut-date rolls)

And now here we are going to the party. . .

As a present, our friend brought another bouquet of other beautiful flowers!

 

Hyrum stole a lot of attention with his adorable looks and handsome overalls.

We all donned tea party hats—fancy and un-fancy alike—which added to the party.

After we were finished with the tea, Audrey gave us recitation of "Music" by Percy Bysshe Shelly:

 

"MUSIC, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory;
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.

 

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heap'd for the beloved's bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on."

Our hostess "Anne". . .with almost the hair colour that she wanted. :)

It was such a lovely party and we did have a splendid time.

Thank you for stopping by and enjoying our tea party through the pictures.

Blessings,
Marqueta (. . .and Tasha, who write this post!)