Tea For Four At Four

Some may say that attending your first tea party

at the ripe old age of 47 is a crime.

I argue that if you had all older brothers,

then grew up to have 4 sons,

it is amazing you ever made it to a tea party.

So when I was invited to tea with two of my friends

and a new friend from far, far away,

I was over the moon:)

The drive to Elaine's house, over the mountain

and thru the woods,

was a beautiful drive.

A precursor to the amazingly, beautiful afternoon

I was about to spend.

The home of our lovely hostess.

Now the house above may look like your ordinary, two story colonial from the

mid 1990's.

But once you step inside,

you are transported to the French Countryside,

where gently tarnished silver, lovely china,

beautifully worn linens

and

floral prints

charm each and every room.

My dear friend and hostess, Elaine.

Tea parties in the summer,

mean delicious fresh berries and cream,

breads from far away lands,

jams made from sun ripened berries

and pears and nuts.

After tea, it was time for a tour of the house.

Elaine is much too humble to take any credit for the beauty of her home.

She has lived amongst the beauty for so long,

she doesn't see what others see.

Her incredible eye for style and design

has transformed her home into

a magical place.

 For this mom of 4 sons and wife to a hunter,

this home was like a fairytale home to me.

I love the quote by Mary F. Butts in the print above.
Build a little fence of trust around today.
Fill the space with loving work,
and therein stay.
Look not through the sheltering bars
Upon tomorrow.
God will help thee bear what comes of joy and sorrow.

My friend Harrigan has a lovely friend named Nina.

She came to visit from her home in Sweden.

You can see her in the mirror of the photo above.

She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful soul.

It was so wonderful getting to know her.

When Elaine's husband, Ralph, came home,

we had finished our tea and tour and spent some time

talking with him in the kitchen.

He loved to hear Nina talk with her beautiful accent.

Ralph is a lovely man who would talk to you til the end

of time, if you had that long to listen.

After our chat with Ralph, it was time for a little exercise

to counter act all of the cream and berries.

The river is but a short walk from Elaine's home.

And as one would guess, the walk was just as beautiful as her home.

Nina looking out at the water.

Finding seashells on the banks of the river.

Elaine, Nina and myself.

Harrigan walking to the shore.

Is it any wonder we are friends?  She takes as many pictures if not more than I do.



Who would have thought so many shells would wash up on the banks of  the Shenandoah.

And so ends my Tea for Four at Four.
Not so bad for a very first tea party, huh?

The Colors of The Garden

It's amazing to me how beautiful

the colors of the garden can be.

Mother Nature really knows what she is doing

and if we just take the time to notice,

we will see her beauty everywhere.

We have had two days of some very good rain,

and now that the heat is on, the sun shinning brightly,

the veggie garden is starting to burst at the seams.

I couldn't help but notice today while harvesting my veggies,

the amazing colors that were staring me in the face.

What colors does your garden have staring back at you?

I would love to see photos:)

These are this mornings colors in my garden.

This mornings harvest.
Lettuce, green beans, squash, zucchini and Serrano peppers.



Friday Morning Garden Picks

This is a gorgeous Friday morning.

Walking out and around my gardens.

I was inspired to snatch up a few blooms

for a few casual bouquets,

snip some lettuce,

baby kale leaves

and

a few baby spinach leaves.

And of course,

the chickies always leave me little lovely gifts.

The birds are singing,

the sun is warm,

the breeze is gentle

and for the moment,

all is right in my little piece of the world.

Hope your Friday brings you moments

to stop and marvel at all that is around you.

Have a beautiful day filled with plenty of special moments.

My Seven Beauties of the Morning

Left to right:
Kale and baby spinach leaves
Hydrangeas
Lettuce leaves getting dirt rinsed and bug a boos rinsed off
Pretty Pinks for the bathroom
Multi color beauty
Little bouquet of lavender, lilac and Johnny Jump Ups
Beauties from my Chick-a-Poos



The $10 A Week Challenge.......I Can Do It Easily!!!

http://buylocalshenvalley.org/

This is the very best advice I can give anyone who wants to do the right thing when it comes to eating healthy.  When you want to support the people who spend their days and lives, trying to grow foods that aren't loaded with chemicals, aren't using tons of fuel to ship the foods to you, aren't having to pick the produce before it is ripe in hopes of it ripening by the time it reaches your table, then you need to BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL!!!!

Places like this, help one to do that....http://www.mjfarmersmarket.com/index.html.


Our wonderful neighborhood Farmer's Market







Gerald and Tara
The founders of the Mt.Jackson Farmer's Market

Because of the two people pictured above, we have our amazing farmer's market.  Their dream and desire to have fresh, locally grown produce, locally raised and pasture fed meats, homemade jellies, jams, salsas, honey and sauces, handmade soaps and candles, etc. are the reason we have this market.  More and more people like Gerald and Tara are wanting to support the local small farmers who are struggling today to make a living and are more than willing to provide their neighbors with the best possible foods they can.  WHY wouldn't anyone want to support that?  Oddly enough, it seems as if the government sometimes doesn't want to.  But I am not one to get political, as I don't know that much official information, just the very obvious that everyone sees when they go to a big name grocer and can't find a single vegetable or fruit grown in their own state.  Why, pray tell, do I have to buy an apple from Washington state when I live in one of the BIGGEST apple producing states, and areas for that matter.  Hello Food Lion, Walmart, Martins, Kroger, etc, do you not know we have apples right here in Virginia?  Duh!!!!!!!!   Sorry, sorry, sorry.  Back to being positive.

So, because we do have a lot of amazing people in our county who want to do the right thing, a challenge has been set up to make people more aware of what is right here under our noses.  Introducing the $10 A Week Challenge.  Very simply, the challenge is to spend $10 a week on locally grown and raised foods and/or products.  Various growers and farmer's markets are participating to help raise awareness.  Not only will you be helping out our local community farmers, but your taste buds and body will be soooooooo happy.  When food is picked at it's peak or raised in the most natural way, it takes less time to prepare because it needs little help to taste it's best, so there is no reason NOT to put a healthy, fresh meal on the table everyday.

Now I know I live in Virginia, and this is something Virginia is doing, but I bet if we are doing it, then just about every state has a very similar program if you just check into it.  I don't work for this organization or get any compensation for going on and on about this, but I get a huge amount of satisfaction out of knowing I may be making a few more people more aware of what is out there if you just drive past those big grocers and check out that cute little roadside stand or farmer's market.  Usually there are always some great recipes people want to share, and maybe even some free samplings to nosh on while you are walking around checking out the vendors.  And if you are really lucky, you might even get some live music to entertain you while you shop like we have at the Mt. Jackson Farmer's Market.  But without a doubt you will get to meet some neighbors you may have never met otherwise who share in your love of fresh, local food and goods.

So check it out in your area and see what you can do to make you belly happy and promote awareness to the farmers and growers who just want to make a living by bringing a little happiness to their neighbors.  I really don't think you can be disappointed.

Can you accept The Challenge?  I know I can and so should you.

Veggie Plants for you to take home and grow your own.
Ever Green Gardens

Home made Granola, snap peas and radishes.
Ever Green Gardens

Fresh, pasture fed beef and lamb.
Pork and Fresh Eggs
http://www.jlgreenfarm.com/

The best sauces, dressings, salsas, relishes and fruit butters!!!
No, sorry, the cutie pie is not for sale or I would have bought him right up:)
http://paughsorchard.com/

Handmade aprons, oven mitts and other goodies.
Aunt Esther's Attic

Amazing fresh breads and the most delicious Cinnamon rolls.
Six Days Bread

Live music always make for a festive shopping experience

Fresh early veggies to tempt your taste buds.





Letting the pictures speak for themselves

So, I know I said I would write about the 3rd way in which I am trying to find balance.  Basically, it is reconnecting with the earth and nature.  Something I am having much more time to do these days thanks to not being employed (and may i say i am secretly enjoying this way more than i should be).

Because I can't find words to describe the shear joy that being in my gardens and outside with my chicks and nature bring me, I am relying on my photos to express this to you.  I hope you enjoy my day, through my eyes and the eyes of my lens.

And on a side note, I noticed today I have one less follower than I did yesterday:(  Is it so silly that this makes me sad?  I feel like I did something to upset someone or else I am just that boring.  Guess I better go back and read my last post so that this doesn't bother me so much.  Time to practice what I preach I suppose.

Anyway, enjoy the photos and have a beautiful night and a lovely day tomorrow.
xxoo
Debbie

my oldest son Garrett, snuggling Blondie while we let her visit the great outdoors.

trevor feeding the older girls.

blondie and nefertiti.

letting the babies get a little outdoor time while we clean out their brooder.

lemongrass growing happily.

basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, cilantro to name a few.

zinnias that will soon be blooming in my raised bed veggie patch.

the big garden going strong.

blackberries coming on.

wineberries just starting to come on.

wild black raspberries just about ready.

This is why I LOVE my life and where I live.
When everything else gets over bearing,
I sit back and see the BIG PICTURE.