Good Times at our Neighborhood Brunch

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What could be better then old friends on a gorgeous Sunday noon, enjoying a pot-luck Brunch.

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Jim and Eileen have hosted this brunch for more years then I can count---at least 15 years, I forgot to ask. 

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Eileen graciously allowed me to do some photos for the blog--before everyone arrived. Their house is filled with antiques and she used all vintage table clothes for the tables.

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A screened porch held two tables and the breeze was wonderful 

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Simple jars filled with garden flowers. Their lawn slopes to the lake and both the screened porch and deck has marvelous views.

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So sweet, old creamers/sugar bowls, jars used for vases.

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View from the deck, our communal boat, their lake property--our boat.

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Jim built the deck around the tree, each year it gets bigger, I remember when it was a 4" tree.

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Three tables were on the deck.

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Another view of the lake front, and their arbor, Jim built.

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And then they came, most guests are in their 50's to 70's. 

Many are retired, but this brunch is the highlight of the summer season.

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Mimosas for brunch, with fresh squeezed orange juice.

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A Strawberry/spinach/feta/almonds salad with a honey vinaigrette getting tossed in the kitchen.

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Every year, guests bring new items and some old favorites. I brought Pumpkin Spice Crullers, made from garden pumpkin.

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French Cinnamon Toast served with fresh blueberry compote on the side.

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Asparagus ham quiche.

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Love these tiny bruschetta on mini-toast with fresh pesto, ricotta and tomatoes. 

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Greek olives sticks with avocado and cheese.

Metamorphisis Monday

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This was delicious, a chickpea, bread, red onions, peppers, tomato salad.

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Chickpea muffins for gluten free.

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Wisconsin smoked wieners in sauerkraut and fresh tomatoes with balsamic drizzle.

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Meat dumplings (Pelemeny) Russian style server with sour cream in the sugar bowl. Loved this gorgeous vintage tureen.

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this was a pepper sausage egg bake.

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Macaroni/artichoke garden salad

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German pancake, so gooey and delicious.

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Pulled beef and peppers. Some pics were too out of focus, the whole table and a few more delicious dishes and the fresh fruit plate.

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My delicious plate of food. Next to the sour cream you can see the tiny dumplings.

Everything was so delicious...conversations were so interesting...setting so lovely, and host and hostess so gracious---but why can't we do this every week????

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Last picture of Jim and Eileen's yard as we left---Thank YOU!

But, only 364 more days until the next Good Times---Brunch!

Thanks always for visiting. 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!

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Dagmar's Home Link Party

Sandi

Junkin' Finds August 2017

MY OLD NEW GREEN REDO Finds for the middle of August 2017.

 I don't know if I'm getting picky---or there just isn't that great of stuff available right now. So some of these things aren't that OLD---but will still be used for REDO, gifted, or sold.

Here's the grouping---yes, my junkin' is definitely all over the map. 

Favorite treasure was the HUGE ring mold---heavily used, aluminum, no marks. This will make a wonderful REDO 'wreath' for my Christmas kitchen. 

I know, Christmas in August, but couldn't pass this Sequin Snowman appliqué. I have done well on my sequined, 'UGLY Sweater' trims on my ETSY. Have you realized all the Ugly sweaters that haven't ended up in dumps and have created a GREEN industry for them.

This will be a great addition. Definitely the late 80's or early 90's. 

Organization is always an issue. These wide open (2) bins on the right went into our vegetable storage cabinet. We are going to have a bumper crop of squash (the only one) from the garden.

So these airy bins will be great for only 50 cents apiece. 

The super nice NEW measuring set (50cents)---is destined for my D-in-Law, and so is the very lime green ceramic planter (1.99). I think I will transplant some of my herbs in it for her for winter, and it will fit nicely on her skinny counter which goes across a window.

A sequined sheer panel (1.99) new---actually, may become doll clothes or part of  the Grand's bedroom. Unusual fabrics are hard to find, cheap---now, with all the fabric stores closing.

This is a sleeper, I paid $5.99. Until I polish this, I won't know exactly what it is--I suspect what we call nickel silver---with a lot of nickel and maybe no silver.  Couldn't find any marks, but it is a beautifully wrought piece, hand worked and not cast. The handle is cast and has very heavy patina.

This is the underside, and you can see the heavy pressed out Repoussé technique. The artisan pounds the pattern out from the bottom side, usually done on gold or silver pieces. 

Love this, and can't wait to work on it, and try researching. Could be Mexican, French, German---we will have to see if I can find a mark on it. If it isn't silver, it will become a tier in GREEN REDO  fountain for the backyard.

This was a wow, $1.99 antique tin candy mold. A few ? markings, but this is definitely very OLD, couldn't find one similar online. Will keep looking, this could be a bit pricey--$40-50 or higher.

This could also be European, French, or German. I will probably make candles or candy in this for Halloween, and maybe part with it, later. Great Halloween prop.

This is so 80-90's...but it is in softer resin/plastic, a great prop for jewelry photos and was $3.99.

Another picnic basket. I'm planning on using them for projects in the craft room. Right now they are scattered about the house with miscellaneous projects in them. $6.99. I don't even know how many I have now, but there are 6 in the kitchen, lol. Prices on these are going up though at flea markets and fairs. Saw them at Kane County Fleamarket (HUGE show) as high as $60.00, REALLY?

This one is quite nice and very clean inside. Metal ones have gotten even pricey with the kitsch 'printing' fake weaving.

On top is an antique one quart pitcher in a matte blue glaze on beige clay. Ribbed and in spectacular condition, this had to have been buried in a cupboard somewhere. 

Best part is the rich blue---and marked faintly Monmouth USA on the bottom. I tried enhancing the photo so you could see the large print pressed into the clay, but filled with glaze.

Monmouth was one of many potteries that folded into Western Pottery in 1906. Usually marked with maple leaves-some pieces were still marked Monmouth (Pottery), for the plant in Monmouth, Illinois. 

OLD, and from the 1930's, I snagged it for $3.99. 

Listings of this piece vary from $25-$45. For me, it's a keeper. 

I also found a huge batch of Barbie furnishings and clothes---for another time, though.

How has your hunting been?

Thanks always for visiting. 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!

Metamorphisis Monday
Amaze Me Monday
Celebrate Your Story
Talk of the Town
Brag About It

Sandi

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Midwest Gardening July 2017

Normally I have beautiful garden and yard posts for this time of year.

This last month has been....well...WET and more than depressing here in Chicagoland.

I ran out tonight to take these pictures between the storms tonight.

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We did composite decking on the front steps last year, but they are slick with water all the time. 

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Ever since Father's Day---we have been busy with projects, RAIN, more projects, RAIN, family, RAIN, gardening between the RAIN and some insufferable heat and humidity, and more RAIN.

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Hubby has been working at a friend's REDO house, so even when it is nice for a few moments, I'm not outside alone because I'm deathly allergic to bees and bugs stings in general. So dead-heading and trimming have been at a minimum, let alone removing weeds.

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Weeding has been a trek into the jungle. Everything is overgrown, or threatening to fall down from the weight of saturation. This 'crapola' tree swallowing the shelf in less than a month. My June pictures show my garden shelf bare here except for the watering cans hanging.

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The Holly Hocks are wet petticoats, full and tipped over from the wet.

We live on a rise/ridge outlying Northwest Chicagoland. We haven't been really able to go West, North, or East for the last week with all the flooding. Tonight there are power outages for thousands.

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This is our roof addition from two weeks ago, which saved our finished basement. We had a strip of concrete poured all along the foundation almost 3-feet wide, but we still had water.

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Thankfully, it was up when the record 5-6" inches of rain fell in one 24 hour period. 

We had burned-out two sump pumps the week before---because of so much rain, 

and the drainage system just needed help in our 1972 house.

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 Our shed roof was cleaned last weekend. Good thing the ladder was never moved.

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Our new walkway---the spill over the planters, from plugged 3/8" drain holes. 

I have abandoned every saucer under all our planters or pots.

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The church pew is totally saturated, the back opened up and water filled it. I think it may be totaled.

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This was a newly painted bird house last year. 

Thats mold and lichen on it, and the screw has slipped out from 

the weight of the water probably inside. There was a family in there earlier.

It has been over a week now---and the flood waters are still high on the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers--so many people have suffered. The last two nights we had pouring rain again for hours, with the pre-requisite lightening and thunder. And now again tonight. I feel so for those people surrounding us, who are suffering with still high water and more on the way. Tonight my kids are out of power,so we may have houseguests.

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Some plants are ecstatic, especially anything tropical, with the heat, humidity and rain.

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Others don't even want to open. 

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Back where it isn't as soggy, more Holly Hocks are blooming. That's our neighbors' construction mud pile, they are having a hard time with their big yard project. They basically have a swimming pool where their patio will be poured and laid with stone.

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We have mold, everywhere. Hubby dashed out and cut grass yesterday morning--it's sticking to everything, as it rained before we could get it collected.

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This is a huge pot, and the tall fronds are pounded down. I will try and tie them up again tomorrow.

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The entire garden is kinda sickly. Plants are a peculiar yellow green, or lime, 

when they should be dark rich green.

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Spindly from the lack of light. The yellow black-eyed Susan's  have lots of flowers, 

but just as many holes in their leaves.

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Tomatoes are overgrown and stressed. 

Lots of dead material on the lower branches and spotted leaves.

Luckily we grow our tomatoes from seed, and there are a lot of them.

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Zuchinni blooms, we have had only 2 squash and one pickle so far. 

Hubby picked a few small tomatoes today, they are splitting on the vine.

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My dill is 5 feet high, but no cucumbers. 

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My lettuce is only 3 feet high, honestly it was fine on Monday?

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Saturated patio bricks, that crumbled.

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The ditch that wasn't really a ditch before. 

This lily hadn't bloomed for several years, because it normally is so dry right there.

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Our street blocked now by our neighbor's Mulberry. 

The trunk is over twenty feet away from the street. 

We have to take it back or not see traffic. 

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Potato vine LOVES it all. 

Bachelor buttons not so much they are laying down and calling, "UNCLE".

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My front porch lettuce is getting ready to explode, I try and cut tomorrow, just in case. 

I ran outside tonight (Friday, July 21st) to take these photos between the storms tonight. 

I use boot trays only $2 instead of the $7 they want for the saucers for these planters.

But we really are okay, it's just ugly everywhere in our yard.

We just feel-- for all those who are not, okay. 

How's your garden growing?

Thanks always for visiting. 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!

Share Your Cup Thursday
Share Your Style
Best of the Weekend
Over the Moon
Creative Mondays
Amaze Me Mondays

Sandi