Powell Gardens

Come with me to Powell Gardens.

Admire the blooms.

Watch the butterflies flit from flower to flower.

Wander over the bridge.

See your reflection in the sun dappled ponds.

 Play in the fairy houses and forts. (Yes, that's me in the pyramid fort.)

Breathe the fresh air.

Listen to the birds.

 Chase through the paths in the edible gardens and orchards.

Climb to the top of the silo.

And take a moment to give thanks for a beautiful day.

Memorial Day

We're enjoying a beautiful holiday weekend here

and trying to find small ways to remember and honor those who served.

Polish Pottery

I love this Polish stoneware!

On Saturday we stopped by Renditions 

a wonderful Polish Pottery shop in Weston.

I got to pick out a piece,

but I can't show you what it is, yet. 

Cuz it's supposed to be for the  #*#* anniversary of my 25th birthday,

which is coming up in the sorta-soon-ish-future.

And I'm not allowed to look at it again until that day.

In fact it's all wrapped up and in a bag.

So I'll have to show you later.

Anyway, I don't know very much about Polish pottery,

except that it's all hand stamped/painted in Boleslawiec, Poland 

using the traditional folk art patterns of the region. 

There are so many beautiful patterns and fun pieces to choose from!

Which one would you have picked?

Lions In The Garden

King of the coreopsis.

A whole garden of daisies in bloom across the street.

Another stone lion guards this walkway.

Stray shasta daisies and coreopsis grow in the cracks along a garden wall.

Mr. Garden and I visited Weston this weekend.

Historic Weston is a picturesque, very hilly, old riverport town, 

with wonderful shops and restaurants, antebellum homes, 

charming B&B's, the Pirtle Winery, 

and, as you can see above, delightful little gardens.

Little Red Schoolhouse

Only one more week of school for the kids around here.

And then it's summer!!

YAY!!

I know a lot of you teacher-bloggers can't wait either!

Do you remember these cute "Little People" toys?

My kids loved playing with the Little Red Schoolhouse. 

(We had still have the Little Service Station, too.)

But my kids have grown up and don't play with toys like this anymore.

So the school has been repurposed into a fun 

storage container for supplies in my crafting/sewing area.

(If it's going to stay in my house, it might as well be put to good use.)

Roses For You!

Roses for you!

All photos taken last weekend at the 

Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, in Loose Park. 

Once the site of a Civil War battlefield,

this park is now one of the jewels of Kansas City.

Wishing you a

VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!

Taking A Walk

The weather is perfect for taking a walk.

Mr. Garden and I enjoy a stroll every evening.

Hallmark 1978

These little doll cards like to walk too, and are part of my paperdoll collection.

Greetings, Inc  1950 (I think.  I need a magnifying glass.)

They don't have a wardrobe of clothes to change into, 

but they do have feet that move.

Sometimes attached with a grommet and 

other times with a tab behind the skirt,

these little foot-wheels will roll along a carpet

 and make the doll look like it's taking a walk.

American Greetings 1979

Hallmark

Carlton Cards

Hallmark

I have more.  I hope to get ALL of them scanned

and up on my paperdoll page soon.

(My paperdoll page is at the top of the page, under my blog header.  

It needs to be organized better... One of these days.)

Tiny Pink Fairy Roses

My tiny pink Fairy roses were looking a bit battered
with all the rain we have had this past week.
But one dry day and a bit of sunshine helped perk them up.

What's growing in your garden?

Pizza 51

Oh my golly, this is the most gigantic slice of pizza you have ever seen!

Yummy too!

Pizza 51 operates in a former service station across the street from UMKC.

(I can't think of a better combination than pizza and college students.)

A mural of license plates adds pizzaz to the walls.

If you're ever in the area, you should try it!

(And it's only a block or two away from the Toy and Miniature
Museum in my previous post.)

Toy and Miniature Museum

We visited the Toy and Miniature Museum today.

It is housed in the beautiful Tureman Mansion, 

on the UMKC campus.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside,

but I've scanned a couple photos from the brochure.

I could have spent hours in here!!

Room after room of the most amazing dollhouses you've ever seen!
  Even Mr. Garden was awed by it all.

Mansions, churches, barnyards, train stations, teasets,
harpsichords, miniature dueling pistols.....

If you've ever imagined it, they had it in miniature.

If you love doll houses, GET HERE as FAST as you can!

(The museum is only a block or two away from Pizza 51!)

Sacred Art and Architecture: Spanish Mission Style Chapel

I am fascinated by the architecture and art in sacred spaces.
So I jumped at the opportunity to take photos of this church.

The colorful carved images in the reredos
provide the focal point in the Spanish mission-style chapel.

Look up.  The herringbone latillas, vigas and corbells 

 create a true masterpiece in spruce and ponderosa pine.

Peaceful and beautiful.

Soothing to the soul.

(Visitation Catholic Church, Kansas City Mo.) 

*  *  *  *  *

(You'll find more examples of church architecture and art 

in past posts:  here, here, here and here.)