Beg Bicycles...I'm in love

There are moments...when I close my eyes...that I can feel myself riding through a field of bright green grass and wildflowers, wind blowing through my hair, sun shining down through the clouds.  And when I am doing this...in my head...I am riding a Beg Bicycle from Cambridge, England.  I am absolutely in love with these bikes.  For a long time now, I have been completely enamored with vintage bikes, and now there is a company that makes the most beautiful bikes that feel vintage but are brand new.

bella bike

betty bike

Can you imagine riding to a fresh market and then heading to a nearby park for a mid-day picnic?  I would be in heaven.  Of course all of this would be made a little easier if we lived in Cambridge : )

(*all photos were taken from the Beg Bicycles official website)

Hydrangeas: my absolute favorite!

My mom has always had the most beautiful hydrangeas.  She planted her first hydrangea over 30 years ago and it is absolutely gorgeous.  It is brimming over with the most beautiful lavender and cornflower blue blooms.

Most of the blooms are at least eight inches wide. 

A few years ago, she planted another hydrangea on the opposite side of the driveway.   As it has grown, the blooms vary in color from a cobalt blue all the way to a soft pink.

 I have never seen anything like it. 

I have planted a couple myself...and they subsequently died quick and horrible deaths, either being baked by the sun or being so deprived of sunlight, that they withered up and dwindled away.  I am determined to have beautiful hydrangeas like my mother so...

...I have done some investigating and here may be a few of the keys to my mother's overwhelming success with these beautiful and often temperamental (at least with me) plants.

1. Mom plants her hydrangeas at gutter downspouts.  They get plenty of water and when we do have a dry spell, she soaks them sporadically with a hose.

2. Plant your hydrangeas where they will have full sun either in the evening or in the morning, but not both. 

3. Last, but I am positive, not least- my mom trims back her hydrangeas every Fall but she does not trim back every branch.  The years she has trimmed them all back, she has not had as many blooms the following Spring.

I have a strategy now, and I am hoping for the best this time.  I think the hydrangeas are too : )

Wantist...I'm in love

I have been on the hunt for the perfect Father's Day gift for Jason...something not predictable...not cheesy...not more for me than for him (because, don't we sometimes do that more often than we should? ).

Well, in my search, I came across Wantist.com , and I am now in love with online shopping once again. 

With the simple phrase 

" I'm looking for something _______ for someone_______." 
 the world of catered gift giving has been opened up. 

What I absolutely love:

you can look for something "clever" for someone "athletic"...

or, something "quirky" for someone "geeky"...

or, something "edible" for someone "sophisticated".  

The combinations and the possibilities are endless.  The possible gifts that pop up are always interesting and I have never had so much fun looking for gifts before.

Right now... I am in love with the Boxsal Picnic box   ($25) - 

I love this idea!!!  Big enough to pack a full picnic...absolutely eco-friendly and entirely original. 

"Each Boxsal is roomy enough to pack a bottle of wine, some hors ‘douvres, some nibbles, some sandwiches and more. They also come with fully compostable utensils, plates, cups and napkins."

 "All Boxsal picnic boxes come with one Eatin’ Tool Set that contains the following items:

• 4 Compostable trays
• 4 Compostable large bowls
• 4 Compostable small bowls
• 4 Compostable utensil sets
• 4 Compostable cold cups
• 8 Recycled napkins
• 1 Compostable trash bag

Boxsal Picnic Boxes come in three designs: Urban Picnic (the one that looks like a boombox), Today’s Date (for a romantic paint-by-numbers picnic), and Office Escape (for a workday rendezvous). "

I will stay quiet about the words I use when looking for Jason. Let me just say... I think he is going to love this Father's Day. Here I go again...onto another person...and another adjective : ) 

( *photos and Boxsal product information taken from the Wantist.com website )

I'm in love with...Instagram

When I started to see these awesome photos pop up everywhere, I knew I was instantly in love.  Instagram is the one app you have to have.  It is absolutely amazing that these photos were taken from a phone!

 Here are just a few of my favorite Instagram photos from around the web: 

Pinterest: a sweet addiction

{ a mouth-watering strawberry cake recipe }

Okay...so I have to admit I was slow to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon.  I did not want to like it.  I actually wanted to hate it.  In fact, I tried very hard to do just that.

But now...big sigh... I am truly addicted. 

Here are just a few of my favorite Pinterest finds this week:

{ Seriously...I have to have this ring! }

{ How could you not be happy in this room? }

{ Coconut mango mojitos !!!! Have you ever heard of such a thing? }

{ a perfect Mother's Day gift }

{ I will always have a soft spot for Chuck Taylors }

{ summer hair ideas }

{ succulent wall garden- beautiful and low maintenance }

{ So simple...why have I not done this before? }

{ Love a good tutorial ! }

No matter what your interests, Pinterest has a board for it.  So, get to pinning!