Shadow Shot Sunday

Well, it wouldn't be labor day without some pictures of tractors. We have been going to S.C.R.A.P. for eleven years now during this weekend. This is the view we see every year. Today, we are participating in our second week of Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sundays....we find that taking pictures of shadows isn't as easy as it seems, and that we are finding ourselves really looking for extrodinarily interesting shadows - not just regular shadows! We couldn't decide which shadow picture we liked best - so we thought we'd show them all......you all can pick! Which will it be?














Don't forget to go visit Harriet for Shadow Shot Sundays - there is so many neat pictures of shadows you'll just love!
Hope everyone is having a really nice labor day weekend! Enjoy the last hoorahs of summer!

Labor Day...

It's that time of year again - we are at S.C.R.A.P. this weekend - we'll be posting some pictures - we are hoping for some sunshine tomorrow so that we can post a shadow shot Sunday post (the sun, er - the clouds, were not cooperating with us today!!)

Bottle It Up

We just love bottles - and they are so hip right now! These new pharmacy bottles came in and we are in love - stick what you'd like in them - fill them up with something fun like acorns, corn, or seeds, cotton balls q-tips or bath beads. Best yet - stuff some candy in them...the list goes on and on!
There are nine different sizes - just perfect for that little spot!

Late Bloomer

Do you ever feel that you're a late bloomer? Things don't happen as fast as you'd like them? Sometimes we get frustrated about the little things....but we should pay close attention to the lesson from this beautiful rose that has surprised us in the garden today....everything else is starting to wither, yellow and accept that fall is just about here - but look, a surprise for the gardener! This late bloomer appears just when we need her - to give us a beautiful reminder that it's about God's timing, not ours!!
Remember when things aren't going the way we think they should, they are going just as planned!!

Shadow Shot Sunday

We've always wanted to join Hey Harriet in her Shadow Shot Sunday posts....so here it is!

It is stinking hot here in NW Ohio this weekend - the fair is going on, football games have started and it is just too hot to want to do anything fall-ish!! So....here we are - a tropical picture to go with the weather - yikes - it's so hot, we just might see some iguanas in the backyard!!

Here's hoping for cooler days ahead (lower than 90 would be great!!) Keep cool by checking out the other "cool" shadow pictures on Harriet's blog.

Fall's Here...

....and it's not as bad as we thought, try as we might to keep it from coming....it really feels good to have fall things out now!! Enjoy the rest of the summer - school starts for us this coming week and things should start getting normal around here again - well, I can't guarantee normal....but you know what I mean!
Look for more fall things featured in a few weeks!!

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler! (Let the Good Times Roll!)

Last week, Karrie and I were preparing a huge garage sale for mom's (and our) junk......in that time we received a package...and not just any package - a winning package! We won "the booby prize" from Natalie at Curly Wurly Gurly - don't you just love that name! Anyway, Natalie had sooo many people signed up for her contest, she felt guilt and decided on giving away a small prize to another lucky winner (what a lucky month for The Summer Kitchen Girls! - see Fun In A Box). Yesterday I finally got to open it up (Karrie's on vacation this week, see, and I need to entertain myself somehow!!)


Inside this festive package was....pure heaven!
Have you ever had beignets? Have you ever had them from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans?? Well, let us tell you......


Here is a picture of those lovely hot and delicious beignets from Cafe du Monde........I can't wait until Karrie gets back from vacation so that we can partake in them (mow them down)!

If they look so incredibly delicious to you, you can hop online and visit Cafe du Monde. Not only can your order the beignets, but you can get their coffee, and lots of other merchandise. You can also find out about the history of Cafe du Monde. They have pictures of the store now, and pictures of it "then" - it's a neat history lesson that you might enjoy!

So - since we are on the subject of one of my favorite cities....let's take a visit, shall we.......

If you are looking for somewhere to eat in New Orleans, check out Mulate's restaurant. Not only do you get great Cajun food - but you get great Cajun music and dancing. This is just a happy place - lots of toe tappin' music that makes you see what being Cajun is about!





George Rodrigue is an artist in New Orleans that we became familiar with back in 1996. We loved his paintings of Cajun life and especially the vibrant and famous Blue Dog. Some day - a dream of mine - is to own a Blue Dog painting - how fun is she? There are so many to choose from. This one is my new favorite - "Falling for You" . If you like Blue Dog - you'll love seeing all of the other works of art - with Blue Dog, and without, at George Rodrigue's website here
Below, in the next post I found a clip when George Rodrige was on the CBS Sunday Morning News - check it out, only be sure to turn the music off on the left hand side here - or you will hear George, the interviewer, and Bing - or whoever else is singing at the moment....which we've found to be a bit confusing!!



St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square is a popular tourist spot in New Orleans. It is also nice because - if you're traveling with kids, there is plenty of room for them to run around! It is a beautiful church, and it still holds services. When people see pictures of the cathedral - they think of New Orleans.
As I was doing some research about our New Orleans post, I ran across this artist's site. Heather Elizabeth Designs has all sorts of jewelry with pictures of New Orleans in it. I fell in love with the cathedral necklace - isn't it cool? I really liked the back of it too.....and then I found out about that writing on the back of that necklace. On her site, she tells about her great great grandparents love letters to each other. It is really a very sweet story and I love how the letters add a nice touch to her jewelry. To read about the letters click here. You will be enchanted - and perhaps, you, too, will have to purchase a "piece of history"......we can be such suckers for a story that is associated with something can't we??






Of course you can't talk about Louisiana, unless you talk about Tabasco sauce. This is a staple at our homes....how about yours? At times I think we need a big ol' gallon sitting in the cupboard - if you do too, pick your own up at Tabasco.com









Last, and defiantly not least - you'll need some music from New Orleans......may the Summer Kitchen Girls suggest one of our favorites - none other than Harry Connick Jr. ? If you like Harry, and have never attended one of his concerts - you have missed the best entertainment of your life! His band is one of the best sounding (and entertaining) that you'll ever hear - really.....you should make it a point.

These two albums were released at the same time last year - we have them downloaded on the store's ipod and play them in the mix. Pop on Amazon.com and play some clips and hear it for yourself......and....don't forget to "Let The Good Times Roll!"

George Rodrigue featured on CBS Sunday Morning News

Porch Pizzaz

Well, the Porch and Patio Contest is over for another year! We had so many fun entries and we are looking forward to what we will see next year! Karrie and I are both working on our porches this year. Karrie got a new floor on her back porch and is awaiting new posts. I am s-l-o-w-l-y repairing wicker furniture and painting it (not as fast as I'd like) one piece at a time. Perhaps next year we can show you what a Summer Kitchen Girl's porch looks like! Until then, we have picked out some of our favorite inspiration porches and patios for you.

You'll have to forgive us - we have collected pictures from magazines and, unfortunately, the scanner makes them too fuzzy for you, and so we resorted to taking pictures of the pictures!! We apologize for the not-so-cool pictures, but we hope that you see the inspiration that we see!! Look at the interesting shutters on this porch - and the color, we just love the color of this porch - it envelopes you to come, sit and relax! How great would it be to have a hammock on your porch - that, alone, says "take some time to sit down and veg!"

Country Living, August 2008
Here we have the cover of Country Living this month. We just loved this table, the chairs and the great pots of topiaries that are placed everywhere. Wouldn't it be great to have an outdoor space that doubled as extra dining for entertaining?





Country Living September 2007
We both are suckers for hydrangeas - they are our favorite flower, both in the ground and in Karrie's arrangements! Tell us that you wouldn't like climbing up your back steps to see this every day? Gorgeous!!












Country Living August 2007
This porch is one of our favorite. All of the different textures, color and shapes make this an easy porch to look at (not to mention that wicker!). The pillows made from vintage fabrics, the books and the bit of yellow from those lemons - well, we could sit ourselves down and stay there for quite some time!!










O At Home Summer 2008
Couldn't you just plop yourself down on that daybed and read a good book? We find these beds on porches so charming - you wouldn't have a care in the world!













Country Decorating Ideas Summer 2008
What we love about this picture, is that it really inspires you to think outside of the box. We love how they took that old horse trough and topped it with an old wooden door for an inexpensive, creative and one-of-a-kind alfresco dining experience! Taking miss-matched chairs and a bench and putting it up next to it - well, who wouldn't want to be invited out to dinner her on this patio?

Need more inspiration? Check out more ideas on Domino Magazine here

Give It a Blue Ribbon

Two weeks ago we received our new cookbooks: "Coming Home with Gooseberry Patch" . These Gooseberry Patch cookbooks are just as lovely as last year's batch! What's great about these is that the recipes are easy to read, plus they have fantastic pictures! Since our County Fair is this week - we thought that we would feature this recipe:



First-Place Apple Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
2-3 tablespoons cold water
6 tart apples, cored and peeled
1/2 cup sugar
1 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl; cut in shortening to a cornmeal consistency. Stir in water. Roll out dough on a floured surface; cut into 6 squares large enough to cover apples. Set an apple in the center of each square. Mix together sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Bring sides of dough together to cover apples; press to seal.

Place seam side down in a greased 13" x 9" baking pan. Pour cinnamon syrup over dumplings. Bake at 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, until golden and apples are tender. Makes 6 dumplings.

CINNAMON SYRUP:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until sugar dissolves.

Enjoy your day!
Karla & Karrie

Congratulations go out to........

...our 2008 Porch & Patio Contest Winner: Kathy Stahl!

Thanks to all the ladies who came out tonight to attend the winning reception to view the entries of this year's contest! We will have the contestants as well as Kathy's entry on display in the store until the end of the month. Take a look at Kathy's entry - and see why the judges picked her as having the "most welcoming porch or patio"!











A big thanks goes out to everyone who entered! The judges had quite a job trying to pick out the winner (Karrie & I were glad it wasn't on our shoulders!!)



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For all of our blog friends - we will be posting next Wednesday, August 20th some of our favorite porches and patios - if you'd like to play along - go ahead a email is with your link and we can have a virtual porch and patio party!!

A Winning Reception

Don't forget - tonight (August 15th) from 6pm - 8pm is the WINNING RECEPTION for the Porch and Patio Contest!
We will announce our contest winner, and you will be able to view all of the other entries. As always, yummy refreshments will be served!

Smile!

Just look what came in - fun paperweights to put your favorite pictures in - we did - don't you just love our mom's smile????

We love 'em and we thought you might too!!


SMILE!

Smiling is infectious,
You catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling, too.

I passed around the corner
And someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile
Then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine
Could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,
Don't leave it undetected
Let's start an epidemic quick,
And get the world infected!

© by Karen McLendon-Laumann

A Photostory Friday

Today we thought we'd join Neutral Dwelling for her Photostory Friday.

This is one of my favorite places for great architectural pictures. It is the San Cristobal Fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There were so many neat architectural elements there. I love the peeling paint, the layered colors, the history - and being right off the water helps....did I mention the gorgeous blue sky?


(My absolute favorite one is on my cell phone....and I haven't figured out how to get it on the blog yet......I could send it over on your phone though - I have figured that out!!)

Remember to look at all the details - they are the best part!

Fun in a Box

No, it isn't Thing 1 & Thing 2 (Dr. Seuss - you know "fun in a box".....!!), it's even better!! Lisa from Lisa's Retro Style informed me that I was the WINNER of her wonderful give-away! How exciting - I LOVE books - especially ones on decorating - and I don't have any books on decorating with china....so when this came in the mail today - "Heaven...I'm in Heaven" - sing it Fred (Astaire)...it is so spectacular, that I had to share some of the pictures in this book for you!

Decorating with China and Glass .....Lisa I must thank you again - it is soooooo fun!!
So...we open the box (I'm sharing the moment with Karrie, even though it was my name that was chosen - sorry Kar...), and the cover alone starts our googling over this book.....I take it out and flip it over and this is what I see....

insert more "ohhhs!" and "ahhhhs!" - we were so excited, because this is what I have at home......






Can you just feel the excitement as we hold the book in our hands, daring each other to open it first??!!
Well, this is some of the beautiful things we saw....

OH - start the singing of Handel's Messiah now please....we love this!! This is my pitiful attempt at hanging plates in my dining room.....









ah, yea, I need to hunt for a few - just a few more plates by the looks of it!!
Love this pattern - I have a set of four in this Spode Greek pattern....so far.....








More fun blue transfer ware (by now we are just sighing at all of the pictures!)













I love the pottery on the mantle - it reminds me of my Talevara vase. I've often thought of incorporating a few more pieces into the dining room - and this picture made me remember that.....it calls for a road trip to Mexico - any takers???

This last picture was such a fun one in the book. It was a bit out of place - most everything else was red, blue, brown or white dishes - this was very fun. I can't say that either of us had seen a lavender table setting before - but we loved it!!

Hope you liked the "book report" - this book comes highly recommended from The Summer Kitchen Girls! (Are you singing Glory, Glory, Hallelujah in the background of this "infomercial" yet???)

Be sure to go over and visit Lisa's blog - she has such wonderful and creative ideas for reusing and recycling old stuff (we always LOVE to see what she will be doing next!!)
Thanks again Lisa!!

Karla & Karrie

By the way - a big thanks to everyone for your kind words about our house tour - Mom loved hearing all of your comments!! Let Julia know if we should do another in the fall.......we know that our vote is a YES!!