Pesto Presto

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Jennie

How does your basil grow this summer? Mine’s pretty much gone to seed and I’m not very good about watering it. Although I like to garden and I love the flowers and fresh produce, I don’t have much patience for the constant caretaking. I know, I’m a bad gardener.

Earlier this summer when it was raining every day, I took advantage of my basil bumper crop and whipped up a bunch of fresh basil pesto. Fast forward a month or so and it’s almost gone, but I had some kale that needed to be used. (Isn’t there always kale left over in the fridge?) I added more olive oil, four more cloves of garlic, some lime juice and the limpish kale and threw it all into the food processor. Voila! A new pesto was born. Continue reading →

Silver in the Garden and on Your Table

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Jennie

Our Chicago suburb has a garden walk every summer as many towns do.

We saw some beautiful flowers…

GotMyReservations Good as Gold Hybrid Tea

Good as Gold Hybrid Tea Rose

…and sat on a lovely front porch in the shade while the garden clubbers handed out cool water and cookies. Continue reading →

Outside Inside Transitional Tablescape

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Jennie

I had a July birthday this summer. Again. I threw myself a party. Again. Since my birthday is inevitable and I love throwing parties, I decided to create a set of linens that would work with my three outdoor tables and that I would love to use on my birthday and possibly other times throughout the year. The Outside Inside Tablescape idea was born.

Continue reading →

Wordless Wednesday: Climbing Honeysuckle

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Jennie

If you build it, they will come.

I built this trellis specifically to hold the New Dawn Rose and the climbing honeysuckle that were already in my hedgerow when we moved in. They are happy campers this year with the weather we’ve been having here in Chicagoland! I have more blossoms on both plants than I’ve ever had.

The individual petals on the honeysuckle are just gorgeous and oh, that pink…

I’m linking up to parties at 5 Minutes for Mom, Create With Joy, and A Room With a View for Two. Please stop by to visit these inspiring bloggers and check out some of the links on their party today!

Wordless Wednesday: The Rose

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Jennie

I’ve been looking everywhere for a Wordless Wednesday linky — doesn’t anyone do this anymore?

I’ve also been working in my garden and on my photography, so today’s post is a combo of my two obsessions. Did I ever tell you I have an obsessive streak — just a tiny one? Both of these roses were already in my garden when we moved here ten years ago, and I’ve spent a lot of hours taking care of them in those years. This year, they are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen them — a combination of a wet and cool spring has made them very happy.

While not quite a wordless post, I have no reservations about showing and telling about my gorgeous roses. I also talked about them last year — here. They make my heart sing.

Happy Wednesday!

P.S. Thanks to a tip from Jessie at Vanderbilt Wife, I’m linking up to Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom. Better late than never!

Writer’s Workshop: My So-Called Garden

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Jennie

Writer’s Workshop Prompt: You were supposed to start a garden this summer…share the fruits of your labor.

I had big plans for the garden this summer. I really did.

I had dreams of lush shrub borders underplanted with flowering perennials that kept my flower vases full all summer.

I had visions of freshly made pesto and caprese salad direct from my organic garden.

I had in my daily planner a dip into a cool summer grass of morning while I tended my yard and pots, but that would require there to actually be dew on the grass, for the morning to actually be cool, and for me to get up early enough to see said dew. And apparently I also forgot to stake the tomatoes in recent weeks.