Just a quick peek...

TDIPT will be updated late Sunday night. Here's a glimpse of what's coming...

I wish each of you a wonderful holiday weekend! Enjoy these final days of summer - savor them.

Blessings, Patti

Live in each season as it passes,

breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit..." -H.D. Thoreau I've always lived by this philosophy. Enjoy each moment. Savor each season. This applies to my creations as well. I love to work on patriotic creations on the 4th of July. Pumpkins at Halloween and turkeys at Thanksgiving... I usually end up finishing a project on Halloween and putting it out that day or finishing it a few days later and saving it as a new decoration for the following year.

My issue is now that I am selling my creations online, I'm realizing that doesn't work so well... People want to buy Halloween items before October 31 so they have time to enjoy them themselves :)

On vacation, I found this glimpse of the coming season. When we returned, I found that our pumpkin had prematurely turned orange. Maybe these glimpses will help me get in the mood for fall.

Any ideas on how I can savor the season while creating for the next one? I would love to hear from you!

Blessings, Patti

Recharged

We've returned from our wonderful week on the Lake Chippewa Flowage in northern Wisconsin. We're recharged mentally and emotionally. A little tired physically, but a good tired. The Chippewa Flowage is over 15,000 acres of water with more than 140 islands. Most of our time is spent kayaking from island to island exploring, swimming and fishing. In 1949, the world record musky was caught in these waters 63.5 inches long and weighing in at 69 lbs. 11 oz. We, however, were just fishing for panfish :)

This beautiful rainbow greeted us when we arrived. At the end of our only rain. The nights were chilly, but warmed up by lunchtime for wonderful 80 degree afternoons. The boys favorite adventure is looking for (and sometimes gently catching) wildlife, identifying it in their guidebooks, then letting it go right where they found it. This trip we found a painted turtle

bull frogs, wood frogs, mink frogs, and leopard frogs. Other finds truly inspired me... I have so many photos that I would love to share, but they will have to wait for another day... My favorite souvenirs are memories and photos, but I did manage to purchase a few treasures as well. I also found a vintage velvet table runner. It was perfect for me - full of holes so that I don't mind cutting it up. It begged that I do something with it immediately, so it turned into this pumpkin before I came home:

"The use of travel is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." - Samuel Jackson

Well, I had better turn in... tomorrow is a big day at our house. Our oldest son is starting high school at the same school that I attended. Our youngest son starts his final year of elementary school on Tuesday. I think that this is the beginning of a new life stage for us. Where does the time go...

Blessings, Patti

How I spent my birthday

Last week I celebrated my birthday with a delightful day. The boys and I spent the day at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Created in 1868, LP Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the country. This free zoo is located very close to the heart of the city. We began our day with a paddle boat ride in the lagoon (something I've always wanted to do, but never made the time...)

The boys did all the paddling, while I enjoyed the ride.

Next was lunch at Cafe Brauer built in 1908 in the arts and crafts style. Finally the animals... Both domestic:

And wild:

This forlorn gorilla was sad that the boys wouldn't share their icecream...

I received some money as a birthday gift and decided to spend some of it on this incredible work of art! (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

Isn't it just incredible?! I have a small collection of folk art Adam & Eve in our master bedroom and think this is the crown jewel! La Donna Welter is an incredible artist in scherenschnitte and vintage photo-oil and hand grains her frames as well. Her blog is featured in the list to the left. You can see her website here:

http://www.ladonna-welter.com/

Saturday starts my favorite week of the year - our week in the northwoods. I don't call it a vacation, as it feels more like going home. It's a week for the four of us to reconnect with nature and with each other. An eight hour drive northwest of Chicago, we stay at a resort nestled between National Forest and the Lac Court Oreilles reservation. We are without telephones, both landlines and access to cell phone towers. The lodge has one landline phone for emergencies. It is a half hour drive from town and the area is pretty remote. We've been going to the same resort for eight years and have stayed in the area for 11 years. I just can't wait!

"Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted, but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known." -Garrison Keillor

I'm off to start packing! Blessings, Patti

Blessings

Isn't this photo incredible? I took it in my garden today and was so happy with how it turned out! It expresses exactly how I feel today full of smiles and thanksgiving for all the blessings of my life.

The garden continues to grow and thrive The indian corn is starting to appear and the tomatoes are ripening.

Today my youngest son and I visited a Country Fair at the Des Plaines Methodist Campgrounds. This gem is less than 15 minutes from my home and I am sorry to say that this is only the second time that I have ever been there. This campground was built in 1859 and has remained largely unchanged over the years. Many of the cottages have stayed in families for generations. It is built along the Des Plaines river and has been flooded many times. Some of the cottages have been kept up better than others. At the center of the campground is Waldorf Tabernacle, built in 1903 (replacing the canvas tent used for many years).

Today there was a craft fair, quilt show, car show, and a Civil War Encampment. The hotel was built in 1882. It no longer houses guests, but today it was open as a pie bakery. It was such a perfect day that I don't want to go to bed and have it end. But wait... who knows what tomorrow will bring?!

"Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed: Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see All the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be." -Shirley Erena Murray

Blessings, Patti

Oops! I almost forgot to mention... One of the cottages is now a resale shop to raise funds for the campground. I have to share my $3 worth of purchases:

The breadcloths are in perfect shape and are reversible. The baskets look like wicker, but are actually heavy gage wire. Aren't they great?! I don't think I've seen anything like them before.

Head on over...

Pam is having a blog giveaway! Head on over and leave a comment and she will enter you in her giveaway too! There are three chances to win...

Soft in the Head Blog

Head on over and tell Pam I sent you :)

Blessings, Patti

More vacation photos

We had such a wonderful time that I had to share a little more. Living on the outskirts of Chicago, we have seen urban sprawl move out farther and farther. You begin to wonder if there is any open space anymore. It made my heart happy to travel through so many open areas (not far from major cities). I think cityfolk really need to connect with nature as much as possible to feel grounded and in synch with the seasons. Or maybe that's just me :)

Can you guess what city this is?

Should I give you a hint?

I always find old cemetaries wherever I go...Such incredible works of art. I love old churches too.
This probably gives you a better idea what city we are in... O.k. I guess I'll tell you with a single photo:

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I was surprised by how much I enjoyed NYC. I could never live there, but it was so much fun to visit that we are already talking about returning.

This is probably what most people think of when they think of NYC:
But I'll think of this: "Deep in my heart I do believe that we shall live in peace someday." -Anonymous

Blessings, Patti