August at it's best...

the sunny days spent crafting.....the colors of summer.....



the baking.....the positive hope for Harry's recovery......



the joy of seeing Claire.... the love of of our family and friends....




the blessings of my life shared with Jim......missing Alexander...

They aren't just words

Quotes and saying can add so much to your life...this is one my friend Layne shared with Frosso and I while we walked to dinner...It will stay with me for quite a while......Thank you Layne and Frosso for a wonderful evening filled with love and friendship and the odd G&T!

3 generations....

These are the days that I wish my Mom and Dad were still living...to see my son Jeremy become the special man he is today and to have met Claire..We talk about the relationship that Jeremy had with his both sets of grandparents and how much they influenced his life....I hope to have the same positive effect on Claire and make all kinds of memories with her!
She is 8 months old today...thanks for taking these photos, Julie...

Morning Light....

I love getting up early...I don't want to miss a sunrise in our beautiful Okanagan Valley....and I think the early morning light is amazing.... to capture it perfectly is difficult but to me that is not as important as just seeing it unfold.....These are the views from. our deck....

Sunrise starting over the bell tower at Mission Hill Winery.......





Early morning light on the golf course.





On the hills and wineries across the lake....such a wonderful place to live.

Joy and Happiness....

Off to the park we went...a perfect day in Vancouver....hot and sunny....Claire thought being in the swing was just so much fun..then we went for a long walk.... she slept for 12 hours...what a happy little girl...when she smiles at me, she melts my heart. It was a good day!

Waiting.....

Today I am heading down to Vancouver to see Jeremy, Julie and baby Claire.....while I am there, I will have my blood work done to see if I can be a suitable bone marrow cell transplant donor for our brother Harry...It will take 15 days after they receive the blood work to see if the needed 10 DNA markers match...please pray that one of us six siblings will be a match...it is all my family can think of at the moment while Harry is in the Calgary hospital fighting for his life and getting treatment. His wife Jill is with him and he is able to have family and friends come to see him by this weekend.

So....while I wait for our LIVESTRONG wristbands to arrive..I wanted something on my wrist to remind me many times during my day to send love and positive thoughts out to Harry...here is what I made......

Smile at someone today...be a bit kinder and sweeter...it will make a difference.......

Thank you Jim darling.....for your love, understanding and support thru this, I could not do it alone.

Fresh Peach Cake

This is how my fresh each cake turned out...oh my goodness..it was moist and yummy..I doubled up the amount of peaches....totally filled the middle and then the top.....took 55 minutes to bake..
Here is Ina Garten's Barefoot Countess recipe HERE




This is her photo here....

ironstone pitcher....

On our walk yesterday we met our neighbor who was downsizing and giving away things...I saw some ironstone jugs and commented I would love to buy a couple if they we selling them...next day I got 2 as a lovely gift....today I will bring over a couple of slices of fresh peach cake....playing it forward.....

Some of my family

We are pretty close, this family of ours...and we are brought closer together this week..My brother Harry (standing in the back) has been diagnosed with Leukemia.....we are all waiting to be tested for a bone marrow transplant...missing from this photo are my other 2 brothers, Werner and Steven...7 of us along with our families and friends all have him in our thoughts and prayers for a good outcome...
BTW....Happy Birthday Werner....miss you......

Crafting time...

Happy 13th anniversary Jeremy and Julie..your first year with your darling little Claire!

Spent yesterday making a few new brackets...sitting on the deck..in the sunshine or at times under the umbrella.....to wear and give as gifts...the colors are soothing, stringing them together adds joy to my day......

Down at Cindy's beach

Cindy cooks down at the beach...I asked her to send me some photos of her wine barrels filled with her herbs and flowers...what a treat to cook outside and snip your fresh herbs......and then eat your delicious meals.









her newly found old container....holding some of her primula's that are still alive over the summer...what a find her carrier is!




BTW...Happy birthday to Larry...my wonderful brother in law....I hope you and Caroline have fun playing in the backcountry with your quads today!

Peaches....

The sweet smell of tree ripened peaches...just makes my mouth water.....











These amazing peaches are in season now........tomorrow, some of them will become this recipe...There are all kinds of farm stands selling fruit on the driveways of our country roads..I got these 10 lbs for $5.00....I hope they will turn out as well as Martha's does!



Peach Cobbler...from Martha Stewart
For The Filling
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and cut in half again crosswise (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For The Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
Directions

Make the filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add peaches and lemon juice; toss to combine. Divide filling evenly among four 8-ounce custard cups (or one 2-quart baking dish); transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

Make the topping and bake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until a dough forms. Drop dough onto peaches, using about 1/3 cup dough for each custard cup. Sprinkle dough with remaining teaspoon sugar. Bake until fruit is bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes; serve warm.

Stitching.....

I have taken up my needle again and started stitching......such a pleasurable way to spend a few hours....Here are some things I am working on...this first piece I bought from Pam Garrison HERE...{ hers is the completed piece for reference}.......






















These rabbits are Kaffe Fassett piece that is one of my few UFP! They will be finished this year and become a pillow.






A small piece to carry in my bag and work on when I have time...just adding a few stitches at a time...joy and happiness in creating small things.....

Summer pleasures....

"These are just a few of my favorite things".....doesn't that just make you want to break out into a song?

Mud Frog Studio

My 2 darling sister's, Evelyne and Caroline along with their friend Karen have started working with clay and free forming bird houses, platters as well as various garden critters...thus "Mud Frog Studios" was born..they have had Karen as their teacher...even give a pottery class.....the day the kiln is opened it is always like Christmas...you never know how things will turn out! So far only a lid has been cracked...Good work girls,I am so proud of you for following your bliss!

{vintage} gardening tools....

A collection of {vintage} gardening tools collected over the years...made of heavier metal..they just look better and feel better than the new ones I have.

away from it all....

We were invited to our friends hand built log cabin by the river for Sunday brunch...how peaceful this wonderful property is. Complete with all of their personal handcrafted structures, birdhouses, seating areas, as well as a place to target practice with a bow and arrow....felt like Miss Robin Hood!
Meeting their friends and neighbors....seeing yet another small piece of paradise in this beautiful valley of ours here in BC. Thank you Norm and Marilyn for this lovely shared day with you......
On a side note..but just as special...Happy Anniversary to Carmen and Brad..celebrating their 2nd anniversary! xox