Aubergines

Sometimes the simple beauty of fresh summer vegetable almost takes my breath away. These small eggplant came from our neighborhood farm stand yesterday afternoon. I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet, but that's fine because at the moment I'm just having fun taking pictures of them.

When I was a little girl, my mom would make her own eggplant parmigiana. I used to love eating the freshly fried eggplant slices, before they ever got layered with cheese and sauce. I'm thinking I may have to fry these. They are so small though, that they will turn out the size of coins. Ah well, c'est la vie. Can you tell I'm in a French mood lately? And while we're on the subject, doesn't aubergines sound so much prettier than eggplant? :)

Happy weekend, dear bloggers!

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I'm still struggling to get to all your mosaics from last week, but I hope you will forgive me and join the fun again this week. Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30 pm Sunday. There will be no Mosaic Monday on August 9th. I'm taking a week off to recharge the batteries. ;)

Merci Beaucoup

I'm such a doofus. Yes, I know I've said that before, but it bears repeating. I won this beautiful necklace this spring, and completely forgot to share it with you.

The lovely pottery heart, suspended on a velvet cord, was made by Henriot Bijoux of France. Don't you just love the beautiful crackle glaze?

It came with this certificate of authenticity, which I was surprised to find that I could pretty much understand even though I haven't read any French since college... !

And of course, because it's French, even the signature on the back is stylish. ;)

This wonderful prize was part of the first anniversary celebration for the Quimper Club International's blog. If you love pottery and dishes and anything French, you absolutely have to visit!

So, my apologies for forgetting to post about this wonderful prize, and many thanks to the members of Quimper Club International for this beautiful work of art. Je vous remercie de tout coeur!

Mosaic Monday: Gardening on the Deck

First of all, I want to thank all of you who extended their thoughts and prayers for my in-laws this week. My father-in-law has a terminal cancer, and has managed to survive three years when he was given three months, so at this point we are just hoping for a dignified and pain-free end. My mother-in-law is suffering from dementia, and it is hard to see her retreat further into the darkness of the disease. Your thoughts and prayers are so greatly appreciated.

This has been such a hot and humid few weeks here in my part of New Jersey. Saturday, in particular, was truly awful -- about 96 degrees and super muggy. Yuck. But late Sunday afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through, bringing cooler temperatures in it's wake. We were thrilled to be able to have dinner on the deck, amid the flowers. :)

The purple Angelonia, shown in these mosaics, is one of my favorite annuals to plant. It grows well in our climate, and it's spires of purple or pink or white flowers are always upright and abundant. I'm also loving old-fashioned zinnias this summer, especially as I found some large pots of it at our local supermarket on sale for $1.99 each. :) With the heat, I've been watering every day, and although my basil has been fading, the angelonia and zinnias are still going strong. My dear friend Toni has even been growing tomatoes in pots on her patio, and you should see how tall they've grown! Next year, I'm going to try that for sure. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.

Just Saying Hi

Just a quick post to say "hi," and apologize for not being here too much lately. My father-in-law has been back in the hospital this week, and I've been helping out with my mother-in-law who is also ill.

I hope you are all well and enjoying some nice summer weather (or winter weather for my friends down under). It's been really hot here -- 80's and 90's -- and is supposed to be even worse this weekend.

Anyway, here is a flower for you all. Queen Anne's Lace grows wild in our backyard, and I love to photograph it when it is just opening or when it's all curled up and going to seed. :)

Have a wonderful weekend! Hope to see you all for Mosaic Monday. :)

What's Hanging?

I'm always interested in what people hang on their walls... in fact, you might call me a bloggy voyeur. :) I love to browse the decorating blogs, checking out all the great art. Not great, as in Matisse or Dutch Masters. But great as in "wow, I really like that!"

Over the years, I have found that vintage or antique prints seems to work best for me. This is an old house -- a little scruffy -- and anything too precious or polished would look like, well... a sow in a silk dress. So I tend to collect old prints, mainly with a flower theme. Because I love flowers. :)

The prints you see here hang in our master bedroom. The large one was found at a rummage sale for $6. The others came from my favorite thrift store. I think they were $2.50 each. It's driving me nuts that they are hanging crooked in these photos, but I just wanted to give you an idea of the "art" here at Little Red House.

So tell me, what's hanging on your walls? ;)

Mosaic Monday: Summer at the Farm

This week we had our first sweet corn of the season. The farm down the road grows it, and we always try to buy it and cook it as soon after it is picked as possible. I would have taken a picture of it, but the shortest time from field to table is like a religion around here. No time for pictures!

So instead I am cheating a little and using some of the pictures I took at sunset this week, along with a picture from the farm. The temperatures have still been in the 90's here for the past few days, and while we try to stay inside in the heat of the day, it is almost a blessing to venture forth as the sun begins it's slow descent below the trees.

Here's hoping for some cooler weather this week. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.

Brave New World

This is just about the only flower in my garden right now. Seriously. I've been neglecting the beds and weeds abound. Most of my other plants have already bloomed and faded, but this brave little coreopsis soldiers on.

You've gotta love a plant that is so earnest. :)

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Won't you please join me for Mosaic Monday? Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30 pm Sunday. I hope to see you then. :)

simple things, and a birthday wish...

birdsong at sunrise

juicy wild berries

the sun on my face

watermelon

grilled peaches

fresh sweet corn

caprese salad

lounging on the deck

evenings on the boardwalk

holding hands

walking together

soft summer nights

fireflies

whispered prayers

This is my list of summer's simple things. I'm celebrating with the always sweet and very talented Christina today. Her blog is one of the most beautiful and thoughtful I've read -- a place of warmth and welcome and peace. If you have the time, stop by and wish her a happy birthday. :)

May your birthday be filled with the joy of simple things, dear Christina, and many blessings throughout the year!

xoxo,

Mary

My Virtual Picnic

Well, it's been a very rainy couple of days here in New Jersey. I guess we are making up for about a month of sunshine and high temperatures, and yesterday we got a real gully-washer.

So I thought maybe I would dust off these pictures and have a virtual picnic. A roast beef sandwich on whole wheat, an apple and Shakespeare.

Won't you join me? :)

Something to Look Forward To...

It always happens around this time of year. I'm tired of heat. I'm tired of colors. I crave the simplicity of autumn.

I long for cool nights and sweaters and throw rugs over my knees. I want to cherish the last beautiful blooms on the rose bush, and an old favorite novel.

I look forward to feathering my nest with warm golds and beiges and leather and ivory. I crave brown. lol

Now I know that this is just a passing phase. I'm still loving summer, although we could stand a little rain here. But it's nice to have something to look forward to, right?

All items shown here are thrift store or rummage sale finds. :)

Mosaic Monday: Natirar in Summer

Today's mosaic is a collection of photos that I have taken over the past month or two at my favorite park, Natirar. I've written about it a lot in the past -- it's our favorite park to walk in, no matter what the season. In fact, I used several images I shot there last winter as Christmas cards this past year.

There are beautiful wildflowers throughout the spring and summer. I'm not sure what the flowers above are. They look like clover though, don't they?

When the water is calm, the reflections are beautiful. This spot (above) is my favorite for picture-taking. The water in the mosaic at the top of the post is the same spot, taken from a different angle.

So that has been my summer so far -- lots of walks in this much-loved park. How has your summer been going?

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.

Wishing you were here...

I'm experiencing total writer's block here at the moment. It must have something to do with the 100+ degree temperatures we had this past week. At any rate, I just wanted to invite you all to join me for Mosaic Monday. Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30 pm Sunday. Hope to see you then! :)

Summer Reading

Well, with the tremendous heat wave we've been experiencing, this has turned out to be my week of summer reading. I stayed in the air conditioned upstairs at our Little Red House, and read three wonderful decorating books, along with some other non-fiction.

My kids gave me At Home with Wedgwood by Tricia Foley. (Actually, I bought it at HomeGoods and told my daughter to wrap it up for Mother's Day. You do that, right?)

It is filled with gorgeous dishes (well, it's Wedgwood, duh!) and settings photographed in the homes of some famous collectors including Carolyne Roehm, Charlotte Moss and Thomas O'Brien. There is also a very interesting history of the company, from the nineteenth century to the present day. The styling and photography are incredible. For a dishaholic like me, this is a must read. :)

I also found Tablescapes, by Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, in HomeGoods. The author is the founder of RSVP Soiree, which is a "special events company."

There are some huge, elaborate catered parties here, but also some really wonderful smaller tablescapes, especially this beautiful jadeite setting (above).

And finally, Laying the Elegant Table, by Ines Heugel. This one is filled with chapters on plates, stemware, flatware, accessories, etc.

There are wonderful photographs and histories for many of the major historic manufacturers whose designs are sought after as antiques today. Just the photos of soup tureens alone had me drooling. And will you look at these English silver-plated fruit knives (above). Aren't they gorgeous? :)

So, that was a little of my summer reading this week. I found all these books at HomeGoods or TJMaxx for a considerable discount off the retail prices. This is not a solicited or paid review. Just think of it as a public service announcement for those of you who love dishes and tablescaping. :)

Baby, It's Hot Outside!

The temperature here in my part of New Jersey reached 101 yesterday. Yes, that is not a typo -- it was 101 degrees Fahrenheit here yesterday. There is no convenient central air conditioning in our Little Red House, although we do have several window units installed upstairs in the bedrooms and our little family room.

So, no going outside to photograph gardens or wander through thrift stores or visit decorating shops. It was just too darn hot. Instead, I sat inside, in the air conditioned upstairs, and did some reading and some blog hopping.

And I decided to be a lazy blogger, and post some pictures that I took last month when it was cooler, and the daisies were in bloom, and I was feeling inspired. Now I'm just feeling hot.

I did manage to empty the dishwasher, and get a few loads of laundry done, but other than that, it was a lazy day here at the Little Red House. I guess everyone needs a lazy day every once in awhile, but it's beginning to feel like Cabin Fever, Summer Edition. And that is never fun.

So, how's the weather in your neck of the woods these days?

Mosaic Monday: Red, White and Blue

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness."

Erma Bombeck

To all my friends in the United States, happy Fourth of July! To all of my friends from around the world, thank you for taking the time to visit and celebrate with us. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.

Freedom

"Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die."

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

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So, are you guys up for Mosaic Monday this week? Will you have time to post a mosaic in between the parades and picnics and fireworks? I hope to see at least some of you this week. Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time, USA, Sunday. :)