Dried Lavender

We lost a couple of our lavender plants last winter, but the two that survived did really well this summer.  I dried a bunch to harvest the buds.  I kept some of it to put in a vase, too.  I have really loved growing lavender.  Next year we'll have to plant more!

Rachel and Leah

This month's book club pick is Rachel and Leah by Orson Scott Card.  He has written a Women of Genesis series about various women in the Bible.  This one tells the story of Rachel and Leah and Zilpah and Bilhah and Jacob.  It is thought-provoking to consider the complexity of their story.

General Conference

I liked this picture of the Conference Center, and I'm looking forward to General Conference this weekend.  I hope you enjoy watching and/or listening! 

Rio

Rio de Janeiro is a place that I will probably never visit in my lifetime, but every time I see a picture of it I am fascinated.  The Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I borrowed this picture from Wikipedia - you can see the Christ the Redeemer statue at the upper right corner and Sugarloaf Mountain to the left of center.  So interesting.

Blenheim Palace Trees

I saw an episode of Downton Abbey the other day and noticed some lovely trees on the grounds of Highclere Castle.  They reminded me of some that we saw when we were at Blenheim Palace in May.  I learned that they are Cedar of Lebanon trees - you can see one drooping in the picture below (along with some lambies).  The picture at bottom shows some Copper Beech trees that we learned about while we were exploring Blenheim (the purple ones).  We were fascinated by the way that they grew into such uniform mounds.  One of the unexpected and interesting effects of travel is learning about the flora and fauna of other parts of the world.

Shell Jars

Do you collect seashells?  Whenever I'm at the ocean, I can't resist picking up a pocketful.  After a couple of trips to California and a couple to Florida, I started keeping them in mason jars.  To make them a little prettier for a living room display, I sprayed the lids bronze and printed some labels.  They still have some space left, so I'll have to head to the beach again soon!

Roeselien Raimond Photography

Last week I allowed myself 5 minutes on Pinterest, and I was so glad I did!  It had been a while, but you're always guaranteed to find something great - right?  I discovered the wildlife photography of Roeselien Raimond.  The Dutch photographer captures magical shots of lambs, foxes, and other critters in her homeland.  I think I love the leaping lambies the best.

The Sweet Life in Paris

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading a book that a friend had given me, called The Sweet Life in Paris.  It's by David Lebovitz and based on his blog found at davidlebovitz.com and subtitled "living the sweet life in Paris."  It was really interesting!  Lebovitz is a chef and writes about various aspects of life in Paris.  The book also included a bunch of recipes that look really great.  I'll let you know if I get around to trying any.  Or maybe I'll just have to go to Paris to experience the food firsthand.  (Our Paris experience was a 10-hour layover, so the only food we had was a baguette sandwich on the street outside the Louvre--delicious--and a macaron at the airport--also delicious.)

Flow Blue - Fulton by Johnson Brothers

I wanted to know more about a piece of porcelain that I inherited, so I Googled it.  I learned that the maker, Johnson Brothers, is now owned by Wedgwood.  The Fulton line is from the turn of the century, and the technique used in making my particular piece is a kind of transferware called flow blue.  What I have is a gravy boat - exactly like this one that was offered on eBay here.  It's a rather unique piece.

Barn Fly Trading

I have a shirt that gets commented on every time I wear it.  I liked it when I found it, but I didn't realize how interesting it would be to everyone else!  Barn Fly Trading makes shirts with classic Western prints.  I first saw them at the gift shop at Little America, but they were quite expensive (I think $80+).  So I was excited to find one at Sierra Trading Post for $15!  I have the buffalo print in pale yellow, and I really like this new one with the barn swallows print (bottom).  I'm definitely a Western girl at heart.