First Love

It's high time I made good on a promise (from months ago!) to show you my heirloom silver from Grandma Dottie.

Isn't this the sweetest pattern?! So elegant, yet unpretentious.

And the name...simply romantic...

By 1847 Rogers Bros. I've been doing some research on silver and it appears that this isn't sterling, but inlaid silver (indicated by the IS) which is silver over another stronger metal. Not as valuable, but then ~ I treasure mine for the fact that it's from family. I am also under the impression that this particular set was manufactured (or at least first introduced) in 1937.

I found some other small forks of a different pattern called Parkway in the silver chest. They are just darling, too, I think.


What have we here!? The poor, unsuspecting soul who is served soup with this utensil will be quite disgusted...till they realize he's only plastic. =)

If you are interested in learning more, visit these links:

Martha Stewart's Language of Silver Marks

First Love

Today's Harvest

One little green egg and a handful of carrots. These are the simple things that just thrill me! This is life!

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10b

Tip from Gram: keep your homegrown carrots in a glass of water in the fridge (and oh, if you have clear, sweet Skok Valley well water ~ all the better!).

Winners of the Soap Giveaway!

Thank you all, dear friends for entering my first giveaway! I've had so much fun hearing from each of you; and meeting new friends, too! I hope you've enjoyed the contest as much as I have!

It's been two long weeks; are you ready to see the winners?

Shall we plunge into this bowl of "bubbles"?

Oh, goodness! Someone has heard about the soap giveaway and asked if he might help! He LOVES sudsing up!

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"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." Psalm 24:3~5

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"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51: 7~10

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"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3

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Patience is a virtue... =)

OK, the first winner is...

Tobitha!

And the second winner...

Roo and Wren's Mama!

And lastly, but not least...

Ivory Spring!

Thank you again, dear ones! Winners, please leave me a comment or e-mail to let me know where to send your little parcels. And enjoy a long, soothing soak!

Trail to the Mercer Slough

These are pictures from two trips that we made to the slough. It just amazes me that there are wonderful woodland "playgrounds" hidden away in the midst of the bustling city! It's so quiet and secluded here, you would never know that skyscrapers are just behind those trees.

The sun reflected in the still water. We caught glimpses through the leaves of kayakers as they mysteriously appeared, gliding by almost silently.


A fellow trekker, finding tasty shoots to nibble. He was surprisingly un-shy! Until our tiniest girl attempted to snuggle him.

The sweet local flora, including some gleaming salmon~berries.

Such quiet glades, I expect to see deer.

The lofty over~look from the visitors center. We'll come back to this at the end for a bird's~eye view.

The pathways encourage us to see what's around the bend.

At the end of the loop, we get to see walk out onto the viewing platform to see how the place looks from above.

It's really high!

School's Out!

We were busy, busy with Vacation Bible School last week, but now we're back to our normal schedule. I helped teach the 4~year old's class, so Raegan got to be with me. Pea was in her little 2's and 3's class. She seemed to like it overall, except for leaving Mama in the morning. It was a fun week at Son Rock Kid's Camp! Now to tackle the laundry, ironing, weeding, baking, cleaning...=)

First Anniversary Giveaway

I have been looking for an excuse to have a giveaway since I have so much fun entering them myself. And what better time than a first anniversary? So without further ado, I present my humble contribution to the abundance of goodies being offered:

*~*~Chocolate~Chai Soap~*~*

Homemade here at the Greenhouse using:

saponified palm, coconut, and olive oils

fragrance oils

organic cocoa powder and chai spice tea

I will choose three winners on July 19th, the Greenhouse's birthday, to receive a rustic bar each. All that is required is to leave me a comment and I will add your name to the drawing. And in keeping with tradition, if you would like to tell a friend, I'll add your name twice.

Happy entering! This is good, clean fun, don't you think?!

Prima Ballerina

Raegan's ballet troupe performed The Sleeping Beauty last night ~ I'm still bursting with pride. It's always a little nerve-wracking before the big production, getting every last detail just right, hoping you've covered all the necessary instructions. "Don't mess up your hair (it took too long to put it up in the perfect ballet bun), remember all your steps, don't pick your nose..."


Some coloring and Disney movies to keep busy bodies occupied during the long wait before they go backstage.

My little ruby in a quiet moment before her entrance.

Here we go! Looking quite patriotic in their sweet little costumes. Appropriate for Independence Day!

A beautiful bouquet from Grandpa and Grandma for our star.

We had a lovely evening, enjoying the beautiful story and talented dancers! Everything was just perfect ~ because all the little "imperfections" made it that way.