The last days of Summer...

I know this is tad late for an "end of Summer" post but.... well you sweeties that journal know the dilemma of running a little behind and I truly wanted you to meet one of my little visitors at Wren Cottage this summer. It took me all summer and ALOT of treats to get this close to Benjamin, and the weeds, well, it's not that I am lazy ;), you see, Benjamin loves chewing on certain wild grasses and white clover, which we have an abundance of. So I left a few little patches for him. It almost looks like he's smiling for the camera, teehee :)



And a few garden pretties that made it thru the heat of the Summer...

Autumn Sedum...



First time growing the Hyacinth Bean vine. I didn't think it was going to take, so I didn't bother putting a trellis around it. But then all of a sudden it bolted! And it just climbed on anything it could get it's beautiful tendrils on...My sweet friend, Kitty in Pennsylvania sent me pictures of how beautiful hers were too and sent me seeds to grow for next season. I can't wait to grow them next year on a proper trellis or an arch, wouldn't that be lovely.





The end of Summer also bloomed with Tokens of Friendship!! I know, I am really, really blessed but I am also soooo very humbled and grateful for all the beautiful friends that I have made along the way here. I have never seen so much kindness and thoughtfulness in my entire life!!

My sweet friend Dee that I met thru flickr, surprised me with this adorable parcel filled with such beautiful objects that are soooo Wren Cottage :) Thank you Dee!! And you are right, Linnea with her bright, cheery face brought us together, what a wonderful moment that was! You are a DEAR and I couldn't LOVE all of them & you any more!! xoxox



Beautiful Charlotte Brown Transferware... a sweet, sweet button card she made herself, and the sweetest Wren....she is darling!!



Another beautiful handmade item... a lovely sachet filled with lavender, yummm... and a beautiful illustration that she transferred onto fabric, to show our mutual love for gardening. It is soooo beautiful!



and look at this!!!! a Wren on a coin!!! A farthing!!! How cute is that?!



And last, but in no way least, a parcel from an Angel Friend ~*~**~* Sandra from flickr said she wanted to send me a little something... I had no idea what a treat I was in for...



She is unbelievable!! A hand made fabric rose, I think she uses scrim, it is simply amazing... I am speechless!



And I truly believed that this adorable sachet was an antique! But no, she crochets and made it herself!! It is just precious...



Thank you Sandra!! Your items are heirlooms!! They will always be treasured by me and your kindness has touched my heart so much!

Now, do I dare to go on and share vacation photos? Are you still with me? hehehe...
We got a chance to take a weekend and go to Charleston, SC, which we loved! Here are a few pictures that I hope you will enjoy...

Our outings are always planned around gardens and nature { and of course, a little shopping :) }so we went to Magnolia & Plantation Gardens...








Had a wonderful lunch here...









We stayed here at this beautiful B&B for one night..



The gardens on the property were gorgeous!



that's my honey tip~toeing thru the garden with his camera at hand ;)



The Parlor... the entire home had a very unique and eclectic decor with amazing collections and pieces from all around the world...



Of course the Lace Collection got my attention... these are so pretty the way they were arranged in a hanging display box...




and then we retired to a very beautiful and comfortable room... it was all most delightful!



And the next day... a little shopping :) This Whole House Tea & Gifts






Thank you so much for fluttering by today, it is always a delight to see you~*~*~* I sure do hope that you are enjoying the beginning of Fall... As for me, I feel a quiet nature walk calling me...

To these gardens she gave...

'Tis she that to these gardens gave
that wondrous beauty which they have.
She straightness on the woods bestows;
To her the meadows sweetness owes.
Nothing could make the river be
So crystal pure but only she.
She yet more pure, sweet, straight and fair
than gardens, woods, meads, river are.

Therefore what first she on them spent
They gratefully again present;
The meadow, carpets where to tread;
The garden, flowers to crown her head;
and for a glass, the limpid brook,
Where she may all her beauties look,
But since she would not have them seen,
The wood about her draws a screen...

Andrew Marvell ~ 1621-1678

I am so excited that Fall is here and to see how everyone is celebrating this wonderful time of year and I am also looking forward to your visit at Forget me Nots From Wren Cottage... See you very soon!! xox

"Parcels Between Friends" Swap

Hello Lovelies! Thank you so much for stopping by! There's been alot of fun going on at the nest the last few weeks! Friendship and pretty gifties galore! I've been a tad spoiled from previous parcels that I just shared on the last post and then the fun continued! I want to share them here as a token of my thanks to the sweeties that took the time to play with me and for their friendship :)

Kitty from Reflections From The Stone Nest suggested a swap way back in May, so with "no pressure" we began gathering and hunting for each other, pretty much all summer. As the anticipation built we were giddy with excitement! And I was giddy afterwards as I opened all the sweet treasures Kitty so lovingly picked out with me in mind... Shall we take a peek?....

She made this AMAZING banner that I'm soooo in~love with!! Is this not me? hehehe, I love it Kitty!! She even posted a tutorial with great hints on how to make your own, what a sweetie!



Look at this little morsel or should I say morsels of loveliness, teehee :) She filled this beautiful bluebird casserole dish with beautiful surprises!




and an adorable bluebird creamer.... cuteness!!




And is this not sooo very clever?! Music sheets sewed into pockets then embellished with
jewelry bits, seam binding, glitter and millinery! Then filled with ephemera and other treats! What a fabulous idea Kitty! You and Heather are so creative!!





And these lovely jack in the pulpit seeds dried in the sweet little plant itself... I can't wait to grow these at the bottom of the garden, the fairies will love them ;)



Beautiful bling a sweet, sweet spoon and a lovely sepia photograph...



Sweet vintage books... I think the word is out that I love Pooh ;)!



All the gifties were wrapped so beautifully with these gorgeous tags, each with a special and inspirational word!



I LOVE redwork and this is sooooo cute!! I love her :) and in the background you can see a really sweet green flocked hankie and a lovely lace that actually looks like brown transferware with its' brown outline...



Another love of mine is transferware and this gorgeous green plate is right at home with my brown transferware!



I had such a fun time playing with you Kitty, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for making this such an adventure... you are a dear and so very generous, with your gifties and with your sweet friendship.

And to all my friends ~ I thank you for fluttering by today and for being so patient about my posts, I wish I had more time to post more and visit more, but I want you to know how much you all mean to me, even if you don't have time to leave a comment I know you are there and am very grateful to be able to share with you!

This is a bit late but here is the September/October page of the Forget Me Nots Calender....



I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of Fall and are getting your nests ready for the season!
I'll be doing one more post here, then I will pack my little suitcase and will head on over to my Fall Journal, Forget Me Nots from Wren Cottage. It's not too far, just tap your little red shoes ~*~*~*, click here and you are there! The door is always open to greet you dear friend... the fireplace is lit, the tea kettle is on and Tea Time is always at 4 o'clock with scones fresh out of the oven and you must stay for Story Time!

Sweet, sweet surprises ~ There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder. ~Charles Morgan

As the seasons move forward, personal seasons as well, in the form of birthdays and new chapters in one's life, sometimes there is a re~awakening of the senses and for truly "loving the moment".
Beautiful surprises take on a deeper and special meaning as you take them into your heart... such as small miracles...







colorful surprises that make your heart dance~~~



and the dearest and most precious friends with their sincere desire for you to know that you are loved, show you the only way they can because they are so many miles away...
I have never felt so doted on as I have since making such precious friendships here amongst such unbelievably sweet and talented ladies...some thru their words have made my heart soar on so many occasions... some have added an additional dimension by sending me tokens of their friendship, lovingly handmade, lovingly gathered, lovingly shared with an open heart and hand.
I share with you some of these beautiful gifts from the heart that have been sent to me recently by such spirits... time seemed to just flutter and hover as I opened each individually beautifully wrapped gift, sensing the joy of the giver and the love...

kindred spirits, beautiful Nightingales, from an ocean away sent me a new friend to love...Winnie! Yes, dearest Pooh, and they have so cleverly and beautifully added forget me nots and little bees because, as we all know Pooh will do anything for honey, sweet ol' bear... Thank you girls for ALL the sweetness you bring into my life!




and my sweet, sweet friend Paula...I am speechless and touched by your generosiy! She sent a boxfull of treasures which her dear Adam shipped for me, thank you so, so, so much!... all your pretties will adorn Wren Cottage and be treasured always...

She made this adorable little box, which I totally love, but of course ;)!


and this one with the stylish ladies and the creamy ivory paper, love the contrast the ladies give to this one, sooo pretty!



beautiful tarnished silverware tied up so luxuriously~~~~



there were hidden surprises in all the boxes... beautiful Autumn brooch, WOW, what a beautiful piece!! A lovely 2 handled sugar bowl in some of my favorite colors...and there you can see how beautifully she embellished even the bottom of the box, details, details...



A sweet vintage cottage plate.... I love the blue roses! just beautiful!



Oh and she sent Bling... really pretty bling! mixed in with other lovelies in my favorite pallette...



A bluebird of happiness...I LOVE IT sooo much, you are a dear to let me have it... awwww... it is precious and the little box you made for it, I love your little pieces of art so much!... and the sweet eyelet scrap, thank you for sharing your special pretties with me xox



This bottle is soooo pretty! I loved the way you embellished it Paula, it is so beautiful!!


I cannot love this anymore...and it smells heavenly, I have it hanging on my cabinet next to the bed and it has been lulling me to sleep... doesn't it look just beautiful?!


I love the way she uses vintage and antique lace, buttons and ephemera on this pillow... and the creamy whites I LOVE! Isn't it GORGEOUS?!!!



Paula's pillow and sachets belong in a Posh boutique, the handwork and the combinations she creates are just perfect!



This little sachet is so, so, so CUTE!! I have a chenille throw on my couch and so she will stay in the livingroom on my wicker chair...



I love the yellow/mustard velvet ribbon, another one of my favorite colors! and the forget me not fabric is just amazing, so many pretty details on it, and pretty, pretty lace! I will have to make something really special with this beauty!


More of my favorites millinery, ephemera, forget me nots, along with 2 beautiful embroidered place mats with the basket pattern which I love!


Thank you dearheart for such a beautiful gathering of treasures from your heart and hand to mine... xox

Thank you so much for visiting today, your thoughts and visits mean so much to me!!
Make it a day filled with surprises and all things loving!

"...let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher

Oh! the places you'll go! ~ Dr.Seuss

One of my favorite things about blogland is the adventures I've had peeking into friends' travels. Some are to faraway places and some are just to their favorite shops or yummy places to eat.
Since I don't get out much, every new place is fresh & exciting to me! I had a chance, while away on a business trip, to visit the charming town of Mt. Dora, Florida. A super sweet fellow blogger and super duper shopper ;) was so kind to give me ideas how to make the best of my one day. Kim from Dear Daisy Cottage guided me in the absolute right direction, thank you Kim!!

So, off I went at 4:30 am and drove 3 + hours and the first thing to get my attention was this beautiful and relaxing view...









Beautiful streets lined with trees draped in spanish moss...ahhhhh...



Cute shops and tea houses, yes plural, tea houses!!










I LOVED this sign!! I have to make one for Wren Cottage :)



While I waited for the little town to wake up, I spied this magical little place, The Garden Gate Tea Room I peeked thru the gates of the courtyard... and a sweet older man stopped and was jotting down the phone number. He was going to call and order lunch to bring home for his darling wife....awww.... isn't that so sweet? He said that the chicken salad was so, so good. Perfect, I am so there, I'll be back at 11:00 :)








So, I drove and walked around this adorable little town and even stopped by an antique flea market and did a little browsing but I couldn't wait for the Tea House to open :) I arrived back and there he was, so sweet, chatting about how much his marriage meant to him and of his precious bride of 56 years...so touching...

And as I walked in, I was stunned... I knew that this would be a cute place, but my jaw dropped! I'll let the pictures do the talking, I wish I had taken better ones... but if you are ever in that area you must stop. The staff was amazing! My waitress, a friend of the owner, was so sweet. Since I was alone she made it a point to sit and chat with me, and they let me take pictures and look at every room!! But the lovely house filled up quick and I felt bad walking around and disturbing the other guests, so I did the best I could.









Adorable vignettes, baby dresses and amazing lace draped everywhere!



Collections...







Another gorgeous room...












Adorable signs...









And I sat in this cozy and sweet corner dreaming of sharing it with you... and how I want to have you all over for tea!!





I was so excited I forgot to take a picture of the salad, but I did slow down enough to take one of the dessert ;) this peach cobbler was soooo good :) and the tea was wonderful too...



This is looking out the window where I was sitting...through the courtyard and up the little steps, another discovery...




A bridal area... filled with vintage bridal gowns... swoon...





The only thing I regret is not going to the powder room, especially after all that tea ;), I can only imagine that it was beautiful too. Oh and if they had a gift shop I think I would have had to rent a moving van, hehehe :)

Now I am so dreaming of having a tea house of my own....

There's something so very special about being able to share with you sweet gals, thank you for joining me on my little field trip ;) and for your visits and sweet, encouraging comments, they mean so much!

Hope you are all enjoying these summer days and making the most of them!

HUGS to you dear friends!

"I do not know what you have been doing this morning;

for my part, I have been in the dew up to my knees." ~ Madame De Sevigne







Partridge Pea ~ host plant for the Sulphur Butterfly



Thank you Annabelle for the four o'clock seeds, they really like it here at Wren Cottage :)
They are so cute with their flower surprises! We love them!










Eastern Black Swallowtail catterpillar on Fennel...




14-15 days later, I'm blessed with a beautiful flying flower ~*~*~*~*




Billowy and fragrant Provence Lavender and Silver King Artemesia ~ ~ ~ ~





Thank you sweeties for fluttering by ~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Wishing you happiness and sunshine ~*~*~*

Oh Happy Day, Fortunate Day....

A little giftie for my sweet friends ~~~~ Thank you for your visits and encouragement!



Forget-Me-Not where e'er you be, and I will ever think of thee!

Wishing you Showers and Sunshine!
XO

"Nearly eleven o'clock", said Pooh happily;

"You're just in time for a little smackeral of something. ~ A.A. Milne

Had a few sweeties over for two of my favorite things Tea, food and books, oops, that's three favorite things!

I had the honor of hosting the first meeting for our local Book Club and I had a great time and what makes it even better is to be able to share it with you... so here we go, grab a cup!



Tea Sandwiches... The pink spread is made with Harvard Beets, cream cheese, gorgonzola cheese, garlic and toasted ground walnuts. The orange spread is made with carrots, green onions and cream cheese. Sprinkled with chopped Parsley from the garden... Really easy to put together and very yummy!
Then we have a little twist to the traditional cucumber sandwiches, wheat french bread rounds with herb cream cheese, cucumber slice and a little nest of fresh sprouts on top! And the little cups are phyllo dough shells filled with Curried Cranberry Chicken Salad, everyone loves them :)



Fresh, Homemade, Baked Scones... Oh, so tender, served with Double Devon Cream, Elizabethan Pantry Lemon Curd ( out of this world!! ) and the fruitiest Raspberry Preserves!



And this is the sweetie that started our little book club! She is a state certified Bee Keeper and is working relentlessly in helping our little friends, the honeybees.
So, remember, no pesticides in the garden. Pick the bugs off or use organic means to get rid of pests...not to get on my soapbox, but truly this is serious stuff :)...



We had loads of fun chit chatting and eating! In the end we chose a book called "Clover" by Dori Sanders and to my surprise she is a local peach farmer! Curiousity got me on Saturday and I took a drive out there. She was there, a humble southern lady and as sweet as can be and was thrilled to hear that we were reading her book for the book club. She told me how she came up with the idea of Clover's story, and I was totally captivated by her story telling... I'll try and paraphrase how it went...

"I was sitting right here on a really hot day, just like today... and a funeral procession of cars began to drive by, I noticed that most of the folks were black in the cars. As they slowed down I saw a little black girl in one of the cars and our eyes met, so I waived a little waive to her but the little girl, she waived back but not a normal waive, her waive was like a scooping motion, and I thought, like she was trying to scoop the sadness & grief out of the air...

Then on another day, a hot day, just like today, there was another funeral procession... but this time most of the folks in the cars where white.... as the cars slowed down... I caught a glimpse of a pretty white lady and she was crying, I shared and felt her grief and shed a tear too, the pretty white lady wiped her eyes with a pretty white handkerchief.... So, I got to thinkin', seeing that death is universal and all, what if that white woman took in the little black girl, then I thought, maybe a little twist on Cinderella? hhhhmmmmmm...."

I was stunned. To hear her was amazing. She was there, at that moment, she was living it. She saw the details and shared them and brought me into her world. I was captivated and honored to share that moment with her. So, this little book club, has been quite an adventure already and I haven't even begun to do the reading, hehee :)

Oh yes, and I just had to buy peaches, lots and lots of peaches, hahaha! :)

Well, I got a little off track... back to reality...

A few of my pretty things on the kitchen counter...



Of course we had to take a peek outside...

Come on ladies, let's go into the garden my flowers want to see you!



Zinnia's from seed ~ Renee's Garden, I think they were called "Grandmother's Garden"... they do really well in the clay too and the Goldfinches will love the seed heads here in a few months...





Bees lovin' the Zinnias...



Bachelors Buttons poppin' up here and there...



Love this one, sooo lacey, reminds me of snowflakes....



These soft little lambs love the heat and our clay, thank goodness! Baaaa :)



Gifts from one of the girls from her own garden! She and her mom are amazing gardeners! And they love to share knowledge and plants :)...



Still working on the blank wall on the back of the house that faces the garden...I would love to find a really big blackboard so I can write different seasonal quotes, still on the hunt...



And as if I didn't have enough indulging on Friday, I had to go and make a peach cobbler using the recipe from Dori's book with the peaches I got at her Peach Farm!Yummo, with a little dollop of Cinnamon Ice Cream ( Just took good vanilla ice cream and sprinkled some cinnamon and mixed it in, that's all ) Easy peasy, peach cobbler too! Will be glad to share the recipe, just let me know!



Someone please help me eat this!!



For those that requested the recipe, here is the link... I used about half of the sugar in the recipe and it turned out great (thanks Paula, for that tip).
Enjoy!
Dori Sander's Peach Cobbler

Thank you girls for being so sweet and visiting me today and reading this really long post! Next one will be shorter, promise.

Hope you all have a beautiful week! Don't forget to daydream, it's a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon, don't you agree? :)

"All the most wonderful smells in the world seemed to be mixed up in the air around them ~ the smell of roasting coffee and burnt sugar and melting chocolate and mint and violets and crushed hazelnuts and apple blossoms and caramel and lemon peel...."
~ Charlie and The Chocolate Factory