A New Garden Favorite

Not a new veggie .. just new to our family.  Kale is growing in abundance in our garden; getting picked sometimes twice a day.  I never knew how good it could taste .. and only associated it with the curly variety used as a food prop to pretty up restaurant plates.  I can think of many uses for this hardy green .. such as used in soups, stir-fries, sauteed  ... and even as a delicious topping on homemade pizza (which we've baked up twice this week).

About ready to be picked are our June strawberries .. they're just turning red and have been covered to keep the birds from having a field day.  Lettuce is growing and filling salad bowls .. along with radishes .. which have only had some success.   Some of our onions are not doing well .. and am not sure why .. could be from planting in the raised beds .. as we've never had problems other than them going missing from voles.  Speaking of the pesky creatures, here is a good link on trapping them   .  Looks easy enough to make the trap devices at home .. and will try it later this week.  So far I haven't noticed too much missing from the garden .. and I know the voles are out there.  Our raised beds lined with hardware cloth seem to be working.

Sewing In Progress

 Another little reveal in 'Grandma's Sewing Room.'  After examining my sewing machine, I do believe it's more of a portable model than one that can be installed into a sewing cabinet ... so I found a vintage library/sofa table that is very sturdy, a perfect height, and together with an antique (in good condition) sewing rocker, makes the perfect combination for a sewing table and chair.

It serves double duty when not in use as a plant nursery.  There's even a recessed ceiling light above the bay window that gives off good illumination while sewing at night.

My first night of sewing produced a beautiful linen and battenburg lace addition to the valance in the master bathroom's water closet.  And .. some sachet pouches for my dresser drawers.

I'm beginning to really appreciate this new (almost) empty nest phase of life :)

A few more reveals to come.

New Room .. Just A Peek

vintage parlor style lamp

The new sewing room is being transformed into a vintage tribute to my many grandmothers.  I'm working on getting Grandma Libby's hand pieced quilt squares matched with some coordinating/accent fabric .. (we  have a new quilt shop in town for advice and selecting material:)  Here's a look-see at the lamps I purchased this week.  The parlor style double globe lamp is vintage .. I'm thinking mid century by the look of the cord.  Top and bottom lamps work separately or together.

antique painted rose oil lamp

The oil lamp appears to be an antique .. it may be original or have been made from two lamp parts .. I need to do a little research and look closer at it's design with a magnifying glass. More peeks to come :)