"Makes Me Smile" Monday

A bittersweet post today, as I just read of Tasha Tudor's passing . . . seems it was almost 2 weeks ago, so I guess I'm a little behind here !

I have always loved her books . . her artwork,

her stories, her home, her gardens . . her lifestyle !!

These are some of the books I pull out for

"comfort food" . . . to remind me of the beauty that is all around,

and of the beauty of a simple life.

I still remember reading some of her books as a child . .

finding them again as an adult has been such pleasure,

a coming home of sorts.

A little blurb in Time magazine called her

a "master of rusticity" . . .

. . . . pretty appropriate, I think . . .

and what a compliment that would be !!!!

Happy Rustic Monday !!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Just a picture today !

I found it last night while browsing

thru a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living . . .

just beautiful !

So bright and cheery . . . definitely

makes me smile !

Happy Sunny Monday !

"Makes Me Gasp" Monday

Yes, I truly did gasp when I pulled into

my driveway this evening after work.

Our weather forecast today called for possibly heavy thunderstorms with heavy winds and a chance of flooding . . . storm warnings flashing across the TV screen and all that. So when it only rained for about 20 minutes around mid-day, I chalked it up to yet another "misdiagnosis" by our lovely weathermen. However, a mere 10 miles down the road from my office, some other kind of storm must have taken place, because this is what I came home to:

. . . leaves EVERYWHERE, blanketing our

entire yard so that I couldn't even see grass . . . .

. . . big piles of hail on the ground, on our roof . . .

looking like a taste of winter again . . . . !!!



Remember my beautiful pink geraniums from last week's post ???
Gone . . . beheaded by the storm !!



And all my perrenials and lovely, huge,
ready-to-bloom hostas are shredded:

A few of my tomato plants seem to have survived, though, and the cukes and zucchini are looking salvageable !!! We'll have to wait and see, I guess, what comes back to life . . . !!!! Ho hum !

On a better note . . . .

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Hi, my name is Melissa and I'm an addict . . . .

I'm addicted to the TV show "Prison Break" !!!!!

With the whole writer's strike ordeal and the recent end of the TV season, Jack and I have been Netflixing fools !!! We've been watching all sorts of shows and series . . . old favorites and new finds. This show is our best find, I think, and we are nothing short of addicted !!!! It's so well-written . . . . just the right amount of drama and suspense, humor and sarcasm, and heart. OK . . . and a few of the actors are easy on the eyes, too ! Anyway, if you haven't checked out this show, GO DO IT !!! Can't wait until the new season starts in the fall !!!

Happy (convict-filled !) Monday !!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

I'm smiling today because of the wonderful weekend I had. Weekends are always good, of course, but this was a "Melissa Weekend" . . . I was flying solo while Jack was away in Pittsburgh. Though I always miss him, I really enjoy having all that time to myself . . . some much-needed "me" time ! It was sooooooo hot and humid here that I spent a good amount of time camping out on the porch with the boys, reading and relaxing.

I did actually get out of my wicker chair, though !! I took a drive to my favorite farm market . . . .

. . . . and putzed around the house,

cleaning and arranging and decorating . . . .

. . . . I tried out two new recipes

that I've had my eye on . . .

(Big YUM on both !)

. . . . and I added a little color to my

not-yet-blooming garden !!

So nice to look out my kitchen window and see a shot of color !! Hopefully more vibrant blooms are on the way !!!!

Happy Monday !!!

Mid-Week Beauty

Thanks to a kind patient, I've had this lovely tree peony perched on my desk for the last few days:

I'd never heard of a tree peony before . . . just of the typical peonies (like the ones in my garden that haven't bloomed yet !) ! This bloom is so big and heavy . . . we had to float it in the vase to keep it from flopping over ! And the color . . .

Gorgeous !!!

"Makes Me Smile" Tuesday ????

I'm late. It's Tuesday, and I missed my usual Monday post. I didn't post right away when I got home from work yesterday, like I usually do, and then Jack was working on computer stuff the rest of the night . . . so here I am now !

I planned to post a little sample of some of my recent favorite reads and such, but it seems that something's up with our scanner . . . so that's a no-go ! So I'm left with my stash of pictures to choose from !

And so I'm posting about this guy today:

. . . . Blue Guy !

This is Marty's favorite thing in his entire cat world ! He has to know where it is at all times. He knows where we put it when it's bedtime (because if we leave it out, he'll be batting it around on our bed half the night !), and he waits for us to get it out again in the morning. We toss it around in the morning before work, and first thing when I get home at night. Such an important member of our household !! And he ends up all over the place:

. . . . in my sink, under a huge pile of dishes . . .

. . . in the cats' water dish (and then straight to the dryer for a ride!), and under just about every piece of furniture we own !!! I frequently have to go on a "Blue Guy Hunt" to find him, on my hands and knees with my flashlight checking under everything !!!

But Blue Guy spends a lot of his time in Marty's mouth, getting carried all over the house. We are definitely in big trouble if Blue Guy ever wears out !!! Happy belated Monday !!!!