P.........resenting: miesmama!

Creative, eclectic, and artistic, Becky of http://miesmama.etsy.com presents her unique items in stunning manners. She is the Etsy Blogger of the month and deserves the accolades she is accumulating. My "new" favorite piece of hers is a fabric wall hanging, surrounded by embroidery hoops and featuring her favorite flower, the cone flower. If you take a few minutes to browse through her shop, you'll see the cone flower theme in several of her items. This would be an eye catching addition to many styles of decor. Congratulations on being the Etsy Blogger and on your wonderful shop!

W.........edding Part 4

After a lovely ceremony, the time came for the posed pictures of the wedding party. You might notice that the group seems to be looking up. That's because the official wedding photographer decided to perch on a ladder to get the best shots possible. It really wouldn't have bothered me so much, except for the fact that the photographer was my older daughter! She did not seemed worried, but her husband, my husband, my nephew (shown holding the ladder) and I were a little nervous...especially when she moved up two steps. Guess my acrophobia does not run in the family!

Thank you for sharing these moments with me. It was a wedding I'll never forget!

W.........edding Part 3

Another special occurrence at my niece's wedding
was that her younger son escorted her and "gave
her away". Later, he helped the groomsmen give his mother a "lift" after the ceremony. Stay tuned for the last wedding episode tomorrow when you'll see why there is and extra "head" in the first picture.

W.........edding Part 2

The very special flower girls for the wedding were the bride's two-year-old grand daughter and the groom's younger daughter. They were a very sweet part of the procession and sat in the front row to watch the ceremony. Isn't it hard to believe that the bride is a grandmother? It's also hard for me to believe that I held them both as infants. Talk about the circle of life!

F.........amily Wedding Part 1

Most families celebrate the fourth of July with food, fun, and fireworks. This year our family added something special...a wedding! It was the first wedding I ever attended where the bride and attendants were bare foot! They really didn't tiptoe through tulips, but posed for us two ways. The bride's two daughters are on either side of her in the pictures and her step-daughter is to the left on the "foot" picture and the right on the "face" picture. It was truly a lovely ceremony and a great time was had by all. More wedding pictures will follow soon!

A.........nd the winner is:

It's a pleasure to announce that the winner of the mini pine needle basket giveaway is a fellow member of the etsybloggersteam, beadedtail! To the left is a pair of earrings she created out of blue, cat-faced lampwork beads that you can find at her Etsy shop: http://www.beadedtail.etsy.com Proceeds from her shop go to animal causes and as a fellow animal lover, I not only enjoy her animal related items, but also her dog and cat blog posts. So, I was thrilled when my mom pulled her name from the hat to choose our winner. Congrats, beadedtail! Your basket will be coming to you this week!

F.........avorite summer recipe

The Etsy Bloggers Team is sharing favorite summer recipes. So here is mine. Please note that the first two ingredients are the most important:

Ingredients:

1 husband
1 grill
1 lb. of ground chuck
1 small onion, diced
6 mushrooms, diced
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Tell husband he is the best outdoor cook you know.
Have him get the grill started.
Saute onion and mushrooms in butter.
Blend saute mix with ketchup, cheese , salt and pepper.
Make 8 THIN patties of ground chuck.
Place a spoon of mix on 4 patties.
Place other four patties on top of the first and seal edges completely.
Give to husband to grill.

While he is grilling the burgers give him some chicken breasts, hot dogs and/or other meats to grill so you don't have to cook all week!