And The Winner Is.....

There were 82 entries. 

And the winner is..... 

Jemm In The Flint Hills.  

Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Vineyard

We took a day trip to a vineyard and winery. 

Mr. Garden enjoyed the wine tasting and brought a few bottles home.

I just oohed and aahhed over the scenery.

Have you ever done this?

* * * * * * * 

My giveaway ends tomorrow!

So be sure to follow my blog and go here to leave a comment so

you can be entered in the drawing.

Good Luck!!

Wild Sunflowers

You know you're in Kansas when...

...you see these blooming everywhere.

I love our wild sunflowers!

(I wish I could share my blue sky and sunshine
with you folks on the east coast getting battered by Irene.)

*  *  *  *  *

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway!

Good luck!

Raggedy Andy

You all know who this guy is!

Raggedy Andy!

This Andy sits on a shelf in my son's room.

A picture of my two little munchkins, playing outside on their tricycles 

with their Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls.

(The photo was taken several years ago. My kids are both in their 20's now.)

(family photos may not be borrowed or pinned)

When I was a little girl, I had a Raggedy Andy.  

I was very attached to him.

This is a sketch my mom made of me when I was young.

See who is in the picture with me?

(family photos may not be borrowed or pinned)

I loved that doll to pieces.  

Literally.  

After years of wear and tear, repeated washings and humid conditions, he wore out. 

My Mom stitched him back together, numerous times.  

And completely replaced a few limbs.  

But eventually the fabric was completely broken down.

I still have this one tiny piece of him

tucked away in a little tin of childhood treasures.

I know he loved me as much as I loved him.

Did you have a favorite doll?

* * * * *

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway!

These pretty embroidered pillowcases, vintage linen notecards, and lavender sachet

will be given away to one of my followers.

Go here to leave a comment to enter the drawing.

Ends at midnight on Tuesday, Aug 30.

Good Luck!

Embroidered Pretties For You!

Thank you so much for reading my blog!!

Garden of Daisies passed another blogging milestone a few days ago.

(Two actually.  200 posts and 400 followers.  Made me happy.)

So it's giveaway time!!

I rounded up a few pretty embroidered pieces from 

some of my favorite etsy and ebay sellers.

(andie52rose @ ebay,  bugsie @ etsy,  and dreamcottageboutique @ etsy)

A set of embroidered pillowcases. 

Notecards made from vintage linens. 

And a lavender scented sachet made from old linens and lace.

For a chance to win:

 be a follower of my blog (old or new) and 

 leave a comment on this post letting me know you are 

interested in entering this giveaway.

ALL followers may enter, old or new.  And I will ship to wherever you live.  

 Giveaway ends at midnight on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011.

One winner will be announced on Wednesday, Aug 31.

Good luck to you! 

I appreciate you and all the kind and thoughtful comments you leave for me. 

Thank you for following my blog!

(PPS-  I should have used the term "long time", not "old".
Thank you for having a good sense of humor.)

Trim

Trying to forget how quiet the house is.

Playing in my box of trim.

I love the daisy lace.

First Day Dresses

School started this week for the kids in our town.   

Brought back memories of my own first days at school.

Two little girls getting ready to walk to school.

I'm on the left.  It was my first day of grade one.

My big sister was two years older.

My Mom always dressed my sisters and I up in the cutest outfits.  

She sewed all our clothes.

I loved this green corduroy jumper and the floral underdress.

(It's not just a blouse. See some of it is peeking out at the hem?) 

 (This photo was taken by my Dad and may not be borrowed or pinned.)

You can see a close up on the fabric of the underdress, because 

Mom made me a little apron with the remnants, and I still have that.

The next year there were three little girls heading off for school.

I'm on the far right and starting grade two.

Matching plaid dresses with green velvet ties, made by our Mom.

Even our lunch boxes matched.

 (This photo was taken by my Dad and may not be borrowed or pinned.)

This one was taken several years later.
 My much younger baby sister was headed for grade three.

Styles had changed a bit by the 70's. 

Look at her Holly Hobbie lunch box!

 (This photo was taken by either my Dad or my Mom and may not be borrowed or pinned.)


Do you remember what you wore on your first days of school?

(All pictures in this post were taken by my Mom or Dad.)


I'm joining the Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday.

All The Little Birds Are Flying The Coop

It's almost empty nest time (again) at our house. 

Our son moved back to college for the year. 

He moved into a cute little off-campus house with some good friends. 

He is really excited about this new experience.  

I'm thrilled for him!  

And I miss him, already.

Our daughter is moving half way across the country in a couple of days. 

She is so excited to be starting on a new adventure.

I'm thrilled she is growing up.

But, I'm going to miss her.

All the little birds are flying the coop.

Being a mommy is really hard.

I know I'll be fine in a few days, after I get used to the changes.

I need a good book or a project to take my mind off of what's happening here.

Any suggestions?

(Embroidered bluebird dresser scarves from my collection of embroidered linens.)

Hostas

The hostas are in bloom.

Can you imagine this blossom 

as a beautiful wedding dress for a garden fairy?

Bluework

 I'm still in the process of washing and taking photos of my linens.  

I know some of you love redwork.  Well, I love bluework.

 Here are some of my blue embroidered tablecloths. 

Some are vintage, but the last one is newer.

I love the little flower bouquets in each corner.

Isn't she a cute little Dutch girl? 

The art nouveau tulip design would look right at home in a craftsman bungalow.

(No, I don't have one of those.)

I love the blue daisy design that fills the center as well as the edges on this one. 

Polkadots are always perfect. 

This one is bigger and it was impossible to get a pic of the entire thing.

Vintage Picaninny Towels

Picaninny dish towels, 

appliqued and embroidered by my Grandma, 

many years ago.

I think they are cute little girls. 

But in today's world would they be considered offensive?  Racially insensitive?

What do you think?

These towels have seen better days. 

There are several holes, stains and some missing stitches.

But I treasure them just the same.

Linking to Vintage Thingie Thursday @ The Colorado Lady

What's For Dinner?

What did you have for dinner tonight?

We enjoy eating vegetarian meals fairly often,

especially during the summer months when so much fresh produce is available.

Sauteed Summer Squash, Red Peppers and Herbs over Chipotle Pepper Pasta
Topped with Heirloom Tomatoes and Basil

I sauteed  a bit of onion and garlic in olive oil.  Then added sliced yellow summer squash, some chopped red pepper, sliced basil and sage leaves, and fresh ground pepper.   I cooked it  just a few minutes, until the squash softened and browned just slightly.  I filled a pretty Williams Sonoma bowl with chipotle pepper pasta (cooked al dente) and spooned the squash over it.  Then  I added a few fresh heirloom tomatoes and more fresh basil to the top.    (You could add some freshly grated parmesan cheese if you wanted to.)

A healthy and flavorful summer dinner in about 15 minutes. 

All the ingredients came from the farmers market or my own backyard. 

Too much...

Ever feel like there needs to be this many of you 

to do what needs to be done? 

Pink Mayfair

My best friend gave this to me yesterday.

Mayfair (Open Rose) made by Hocking Glass Company between 1931 and 1936.

It's so gray and rainy outside the photo makes it looks purple,  but it really is pink. 

A few years ago, my friend gave me a cookie jar in this same pattern.  It had been handed down to her from her grandmother.  Never crazy about  depression era glassware herself,  she gave it to me.  This week she was cleaning out her china cabinet  and found another piece, this plate,  that matched.   So she marched it right over to my house.  I love it!  You know how much I adore pink roses.   Thank you, Miss A.

Speaking of gray and rainy, while it does not make such a pretty picture, we are very grateful to have some cooler temps and a good heavy rain.   Our  grass, trees and shrubs were desperate for moisture.    I hope the weather is cooperating for you too. Blue skies or rain, whichever one you need.

I want to take this chance to say welcome to my newest followers and thank you to those who have been with me for a while.  It looks like I recently reached another blogging milestone, so I need to put on my thinking cap for a giveaway idea.  Look for that announcement soon.  Happy Friday to you all!

Linking to Pink Saturday @ How Sweet The Sound

Embroidered Tablecloths

I love embroidered tablecloths.

I use them when I invite a friend over for a cup of tea and a chat,

or any ol' time I want to add sweetness to an ordinary lunch in my kitchen.

Teapots, birds and flowers are among my favorite motifs.

These make me smile.

Please pardon the wrinkles.

All four were just washed this morning.

(I did not make these.  Somebody, somewhere, spent hours with a needle in their 

hand to create these beauties.  And I thank them for all their hard work.)

Is there something simple you do to make ordinary days special?

Bananas

Do you like Bananas?

I found this fun recipe book the other day while vintage treasure hunting

and had to have it!

Yes, I do like to eat bananas,  

and even have a few decorative ones around the house.

But
the real reason I love bananas is....

(photo courtesy of the web)

Miss Chiquita Banana!!

 She was my music teacher at school for many years.

And I loved her!

Of course she taught us to sing the banana song.

"I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say, 

Bananas like to ripen in a certain way..."

There were several Miss Chiquita's over the years.  

They served as spokesperson's, made appearances and sang jingles.  

Some were more famous than others.   But this one was my favorite! 

Now, while I go figure out how to make Banana Coconut Rolls, 

I bet you have memories you could share about interesting people you knew.