Popping in for a few to capture some snapshots of current life with the {phfr} ladies!

{pretty}

The gift from my friend Tim that I discovered on my counter this morning as a thank you for letting Brian go help lead a retreat this weekend.  A real honest to goodness soup tureen which is WAY better than the doughnuts I thought were in the package at first.  (Not, of course, that I would mind someone mysteriously leaving doughnuts on my counter either.  But a Polish pottery soup tureen totally beats doughnuts in my book.)  Anyway,  I love it.  I have very few fancy serving dishes (I bet you can guess what color all my dishes are ;) and this one is so pretty.  I have visions of fall soup parties already...

Our coneflower is blooming.  It doesn't last long and the plant is small but the few blooms it does give are so pretty.

{happy}

Behold bird with worm.  The boys made me take a picture as it posed for us.  It made them happy, I guess...

Oh, my hydrangeas.  I love hydrangeas so much but have zero luck with them.  Granted, our shady yard is not good for hydrangeas in this climate but I tried anyway.  Out of my six plants that were planted two years ago, there is one flower that may bloom.  But that one flower is making me happy because it's the best I've ever gotten. 

{funny}

Two of the bushes still look like this: 

and other than the blooms they came with the first year, have never flowered again and must be protected by chicken wire so escaped hens don't peck at them.  I pictured big bushy beautiful hydrangea bushes in front of the porch.  The plan is not working out so well.  (But at least my impatiens seem happy this year?)

And a preteen chicken.  Because that's the best I got for funny today.  

{real}

I'm daring to show you this.  I can't tell you how disappointing our garden is this year.  The plants got in late, the weather has been sucky for gardening, and our broken fence meant that deer have been snacking and destroying.  And then there's me who has done nothing (literally) to help the situation.  This is as close as I can get without getting overwhelmed to tears.  Because that's rational, right?

Linking up at Like Mother, Like Daughter for {phfr}