Summer days around here are so lazy, it’s hard to find much to blog about. Anyone else feeling the pain? I’m pressing on with my beehive UFO — now I’m working on the borders. I took some of my little half-square triangles out onto the patio tonight to trim them up. (Love that little swivel table.)
I love being outside. I’d move my sewing room out there if I could. It’s nice to be outside where I can enjoy my flowers.
Lots of pretty daisies this year.
Oops…ugliness slipped in. More bunny carnage — hostas taken hostage — most of them didn’t make it out alive.
We have a bumper crop of coneflowers this year though.
Thankfully, the varmints aren’t chomping on these little beauties. I think the daisy/coneflower families are my favorite flowers. Although, I do love hydrangeas. And lilacs. And probably some others.
The bumblebees seem partial to the coneflowers though. Those orange buttons are full of yummy, powdery pollen and the bumblebees are picking them clean this year. It’s fun to sit and watch them busily flit from flower to flower.
And look. Another small visitor to my quilt squares. I think she was flirting with the little bee on the right side of the fabric.
Zip. Zip. Turn. Zip. Zip. New block.
Repeat.
Zip. Zip. Turn. Zip. SWAT!
No, not the butterfly. Mosquitos.
I only made it through that little green pile before I had to admit defeat and come inside. ;-(
XOXO,
Anna
Looks so beautiful outside…darn those pesky mosquitoes!
Your photography always amazes me, your pictures in this post are AMAZING!!!
Nothing beats pictures taken in natural light, right???
Hugs – Jodie :)
Your photos of your daisies and coneflowers are gorgeous. Yum, that sounds so nice, sitting outside sewing while bees flit and butterflies come to visit.
I’m finding it difficult to come up with topics to blog about, too. I’m knitting regularly but still working on the same old projects I’ve already blogged about several times. Hope you enjoy your week.
We have stunning roses and hydrangeas this year. I can never get the coneflowers to really GO! Hmm, wonder whats up with those cute HSTs?
What beautiful flowers you have and how fun to spend the evening outside. It’s been way too hot for me and I’ve been hiding inside today sewing. I do get to look out the window at the leftover leaves I still need to clean up after winter (which ended in May)lol. I love you new patriotic header too. Very CUTE!!!!
That butterfly is so sweet…. and your flowers are gorgeous :)
SheilaC
I miss my perennial flower bed in Minnesota! Plant once, years of fun! My favourites were the hollyhocks—always makes me think of the song “In An English Country Garden.” But it looks like an Indiana country garden is pretty gorgeous too! They’ve got gadgets now that you hang from your belt loop, or a button, or whatever, to keep pesky mosquitoes at arm’s length….you should try them!
Love your daisy’s Anna…mine are in bloom too…I must get out there to photograph them! Your pictures have inspired me.
I love to sew outside too and I do set up my featherweight out there often in the spring and fall but now it’s too hot so i only spend early mornings and late evenings out with my flowers….but I do cut them and bring them inside to enjoy:)
Mosquitos ruin the fun every time…i guess you can’t use your slingshot on them…lol!
x
lori
What pretty pictures. Shame about those mossies, I go outside and it’s like yelling out “come and get me”. I now have a lantern that keeps a safe zone around me, works except for when I’m not sitting.
your flowers are beautiful anna.
we have an incense coil hanging from our deck that keeps bugs away, it burns for a week. we also have a bug zapper that electrocutes the ones that aren’t annoyed by the incense. ZZZZt zzzzt ZZZZZttt and then the patio fan also keeps them away…
but we live by the water.
so the ‘keepin’ the mosquitos at bay’ is serious business here.
The flowers are lovely! Pity about the hostas though – bad bunnies!!
Thanks for stopping by. I love your photos!
Your flowers are gorgeous. We have the same problem with mosquitoes. They can ruin outdoor time.
Gorgeous flowers! It is so cold and wintery here I can’t make quilts fast enough.
Your garden photos are gorgeous Anna! Enjoy stitching outside – very envious of your summery weather:)
g’day Annapetal…
our front garden is agapantha’s and gardenias.. both cause I dont have to water those suckers.. they seem to go OK in our hot hot summers.. I love hydrangea’s too.. (love them dried as well) Lovin’ your corn flowers you dont see too many of them over here! my other fave is grevillia’s (aussie native bush) mostly for the parrots and lorikeets that love to visit! I love watching their antics!
Lissa
Australia
Great pictures! Love the coneflowers!
It’s hard to come up with blogging topics when it’s hot and you don’t feel like crafting at all. Not much to show but some flowery or furry friends stuff.
Have you tried one of those Off Clip On insect repellent things? They help a little bit with the mosquitos, esp. if you are staying in one area and it beats having to douse yourself with spray.
I love coneflowers and purple just makes them perfect. Enjoy the slow days of summer — busyness will return soon enough.
It IS hard to blog in the summer….I have a hard time gettin’ to it ~ so I haven’t been, but I should….
Lovely pics, esp. the flirty butterfly :)
Bugs this year are very bad in our area, as are bears and coyotes and all manner of beasties…as my friend’s husband said “The bush is full this year” (Bush is woods in Canada)…
Now this is a rambling comment…Have a good day Anna :)
BEAUTIFUL! You have the most gorgeous flowers!
Beautiful flowers….those darn mosquitoes are the worst! How long have you been working on this quilt? I ask because, with my current enthusiasm to start a hex project, I am pretty much telling anyone and everyone about it. My friend Sherry’s comment was “Ugh, too much work.” My thought is, I don’t care if it’s one of those quilts that I work on for the rest of my life….I’ll just enjoy the process. Is my naivete showing?
Love,
Amy
Purple coneflowers are my favorites. They have such personality, don’t they?
I think sewing outdoors sounds wonderful….all except for the mosquitoes and flies. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never tried it.
Love your daisies and coneflowers.
Jody
Oh, look at your coneflowers! They’re so very pretty.
I have gone into complete hibernation mode at the moment. I don’t seem to have the energy to do anything at all.
Agreed! Motivation is at a low over here. Trying to make myself work on my To Do list but I’m failing miserably! I need to work on my garden but it’s so dang HOT here, I’ve left it to weed. I know. I know. I’m going to kick myself later!
Your photos are beautiful! I love seeing your flowers! Ours are doing so well this year, too—especially the roses. You have turned a boring project of trimming HSTs into a fun thing—-good for you!
Your flowers are wonderful! I’m so jealous that you can sit outside and work on your quilting… I’m afraid that I would melt in our heat.
Jennifer :)
I love to be outside, too, but have to take it in small (very small) doses. It’s too hot here and there are way too many mosquitoes! Your flowers are beautiful. It’s hard to choose favorites. I love them all!
It was all going so beautifully before the mozzy came along! What a shame! Lxxx
I had a session with the camera this morning and took enough photos for tomorrow’s post and for Shadow Shot Sunday!! If all else fails and I have no sewing/knitting to blog about I just take photos of what I’m cooking for dinner!!
i am fascinated by all your “equipment!”…
why not share of post on all your favorites…since i am not a quilter (but potentially may be) i would love to see what is in store by means of tools/gadgets etc….thanks anna!!
Naughty rabbits! I love seeing all these little glimpses into your garden – chewed hostas included! We get lots of midges of an evening – not as noisy as mosquitos but just as and irritating!
You need a night-watch-sleep-outside-cat. Daisy keeps all the bunnies away from our garden and flower beds. That’s the only thing I like about her. ;)
with a big cold windy day here I am not keen to move outside but it would be lovely at times……….when the days are beautiful………..lovely to see the bees and butterflies fluttering around……..
I keep hearing about the lazy days of summer, but I’m not feeling it. At my house it seems to be the crazy days of summer. It’s a good kind of crazy, but crazy to be sure!
Love your cone flowers. Mine are still making buds. Summer has been a long time coming this year.
Later, Anna~
Cassie
Oh how I LOVE daisy’s too! What a lovely post!
It would appear that lazy days are not just the domain of summer, here in Nz it’s the school holidays and there’s a general air of slob around the house and do very little.
Your flowers are gorgeous and your photo’s are perfect. I’d love to move my sewing room outside right now, but it’s a little too hot at 108 degrees today. Ugh!!
Lovely flowers and yes, daisies are also my favorite. What a nuisance about those mossies, they should be banned, I say !!!
We were down state this weekend and then zipped across to Indiana for a graduation party in Pendleton. We came home at dusk…saw about 50 deer and a zillion lightning bugs. They were so cool. Do you have any of those??
love your coneflowers…and so do the honeybees.
It’s so great that you’re able to spend your time outside & enjoy quilting…ehm…cutting… (at least for a while – I would have fled inside not later than the butterfly arrived…too short a distance to me ;o) ).
Your garden is – despite the constant attack of those nasty visitors – so beautiful! I love the coneflowers…I haven’t seen them here except for the botanical garden…
Oh man do I love your coneflowers…I’ll be leaving mine here and have to start all over again planting them in our new home. That’s okay tho, I have plenty of places where I can put them.
I love the flowers in your garden.
From your picutre, I knew immediately that you were outside – good light! I have seen so many butterflies this year compared to usually, but I haven’t been able to catch any with my camera. Maybe I need to work on a quilt outside!
Hi Anna,
After a rough night with my mom and a looooonnng day at work, I treated myself to a look-see at the sewing machine dealer. Well, I have fallen for the Bernina 440QE, it’s got everything I think I need. Do you sew with a Bernina? My current machine is an Elna (20 years old, Swiss made). I just can’t bring myself to buy a “made in China” model, and have heard the Berninas are the best. Please advise when you have time. Thanks, Amy
Your flowers are lovely! I, also, admitted defeat last year to countless(!) squirrels, several chipmonks (all the bulbs didn’t have a chance!)
2 bunnies that grazed day and night…on all the hosta’s, and a few deer that passed through the neighborhood! Come spring this year, I planted mostly in containers, and each morning when I went outside, prepared myself for the devastation. Low and behold…it never came! Weeks later I saw ‘HIM’ and knew he’d come to my rescue! TOM CAT! He lazes in the sun on the property, runs when he thinks I get too close, and I love him to pieces..from afar! I agree with Cindy, an outdoor cat is the way to go!
Good luck!
I’d love to work outside too! The pics were great and it almost felt like being outside there with you!
Amazing photos Anna. Just amazing. Loved them all from the flowers to the outside cutting out. Can’t believe you captured a butterfly on the fabric!
Ah, summer! It should be a time of laziness which makes for excellent relaxation.
I love that you’re working outside. I enjoy doing the same on my back porch and never even thought about just moving my sewing machine out there. What a great idea.
All of your pictures are gorgeous and I’m so amazed at the floral summer display making your world a marvelously cheerful place.
I haven’t sewn anything in forever. It’s too hot to fire up the machine. Plus, I can’t plug it in near the garden and you KNOW that’s where I want to be at all times.
Oh all my favourite flowers are here, especially those coneflowers. Sadly I lose my hostas to the slugs every year. It’s lovely to take your work outside, I love to knit a few rows in the evening sunshine, a perfect end to the day.
As always Anna, your photos are AWESOME. Yes, I too would love to quilt more outside…but Arizona at this time of year…well all I can say to that is “no way”!! We have pretty nice backyard with lots of flowers but I have to view them from inside the house looking out the window because of the temp outside right now. If I want to frolic in the flowers it has to be early in the morning or after the sun has gone down. Coneflowers are one of my favorites!!! We have some that just like yours…not as many but just as pretty.
Hi Anna, we love spending time outside whenever we can too. It’s just been so hot here lately. Your flowers look so pretty, I love the cone flowers too. Have a great weekend!!
Lazy, that is what I am. But I can´t believe that you are. You are allways so ful of ideas and projects.
Have a great weekend
Janine
Your flowers are lovely. I too have trouble getting creative in this tropical weather. The atelier upstairs is just too hot and besides, with the little ones playing outside in the garden that is where I want to be too.
Oh to be able to bring all of the sewing stuff outside, that would be heaven. We are thinking about creating an atelier downstairs, in our garage, though. With doors to throw open when it’s hot. That would be almost the same as sitting IN the garden, wouldn’t it? Oh, I would love that!
That butterfly is so beautiful. I think I should put my computer down now and go outside. :-)
Gosh, no! There’s so much to do on the farm, it’s difficult finding time to play on the computer -grin-.
Today, the basil is ready for pesto and peaches are ready for jam.
Studio time? HA! What’s that, I ask? Although I do have a table and chair on the back porch for porch sitting projects…absolutely divine!
Love your postings Anna. Question, do you intentionally cut your squares bigger & then have to trim/square off each time? It makes me crazy to trim ea. one so I just cut & sew exact so I don’t have to do so. Picked up the book Perfect Circles…cause it’s a great idea :) You always encourage me to enjoy all aspects of life!!! …think I’ll go out & take a pic of a magnolia & then work on my wedding quilt :) Hugs,
Thanks for sharing all the pretty pictures. Next time, get you one of those candles that keep the bugs away…hmm wonder if they keep butterflies away too, that would be a shame. I think Peter Rabbit needs his cottontail spanked for chomping in your garden!
Lazy days, is the beauty of summer. Eat it up and enjoy xoxox Clarice
Oh yes, oh yes! Coming up with posts can be a bit daunting – yes indeedy! Summer seems to consume so much of our time, but I love it. Anna, your flowers are beautiful. I believe I need to plant me some cone flowers. With the bee issues we are having this year, it is wonderful to know that they are thriving in your yard. Mr. Butterfly seems to like the less voracious ones! :)
xoxo
becky
Your flowers are beautiful Anna. Just beautiful.
Really your outside in this heat??? I’m dying over here. The humidity is awful. I wanna be where you are. ;-)
Slow go beats no go on the quilting…life too for that matter. All those sayings…you can eat an elephant one bite at a time, just do it, etc. Push through those days you don’t wanna and LUV those days when the spirit is upon you!
Yeah, I know I’ve already commented but wanted to give a bit of encouragement. We all need it, don’t we? -smile-
your cabinet hardware looks really great – I love the pulls.
pretty flowers!