Aiken House & Gardens

Blossom Time Tea

2012-05-26T07:37:00.000-03:00

Happy Pink Saturday!

Today is a special day over at Beverly's How Sweet the Sound as it is the fourth birthday of the popular Pink Saturday parties. So I have prepared a little tea under the beautiful blossoms of our old apple tree. We have a few really old apple trees in our garden that are loaded with blooms this year.

They are white but have a blush of pink.

Our tea cups are called Blossom Time.

We are using various pink china some old and some new.I made cookies with pink sugar on them to go with the tea.

This is in our Chelsea Garden where we are enclosed by the garden on three sides.

I made some whole wheat raisin scones-they are not my prettiest but they taste good.

An old hammock under the apple blossoms awaits in the background after tea.

Some pretty flowers on an old wooden ladder.

My delightful daughter Emily came to join us for tea.

Looks like Emily has beat us to the hammock!

Thank you, Beverly for all the hard work you put into hosting a party every Saturday and giving every pink lover so much pleasure. Check out all the birthday fun at How Sweet the Sound.

Enjoy your weekend and thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

Summer Days

2012-05-25T10:13:00.002-03:00

Good Morning,

Today is another sunny warm day here on the Island. Although it is not summer yet and I am not rushing this beautiful spring away the name 'Summer Days' came to mind for these sunny day pictures.

Last evening as the sun was starting to go down I thought I would take a few quick pictures of the old swing and my bicycle by the tree.

I like the feeling of nostalgia these picture evoke of lazy hazy summer days.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend filled with the joy of the season.

I am joining The Rose Garden in Malevik for Saturday Show-off today.

I will be back tomorrow with a special pink post for Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound as it is the fourth anniversary of this popular party.

Take care,
Carolyn

Sweet Dreams

2012-05-24T15:59:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

It is a beautiful day here again and I enjoyed picking my first lilac bouquet of the season. I have been dreaming of lilacs for awhile now so I am pretty happy to enjoy their sweet fragrance and beauty once again.

I bought this beautiful cocoa pot down in Mount Dora on our trip to Florida. Whenever,I saw it I knew it was perfect for a lilac bouquet.

This mauve and white transferware tea cup looks charming filled with violas.

I bought a couple of new clematis for the garden because you can never have too many!

I love this hand painted teacup with viola's on it.

I I took a little break from garden chores today to play with my camera - I have lots of ideas for photos shoots coming up soon but for now I think I will take a stroll through the garden and stop and smell the lilacs!

I am joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday and The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home and My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday today.

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

Garden Beauty

2012-05-23T08:38:00.000-03:00

Good morning,

We have had such beautiful weather here lately but we do need a good rain as the garden is dry and the farmers crops as well. It is cloudy and showers are expected later-we shall see.

I made a few collages of some photos I took in our garden so you can see some of what is blooming.

I love these colors together.

The bridal wreath spireas and the apple trees have started to bloom.

Apple blossoms and magnolia Anne.

And look who came to visit-little Lila. Lila picked up my hats that were on the bench in the porch and started modeling and as luck would have it my camera was right there so I captured the moment very quickly as Lila does not like getting her picture taken.

I hope you all have a lovely day!

Carolyn

Tea on the Porch

2012-05-22T12:59:00.000-03:00

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying these beautiful days of spring. This is my favorite time of the year when everything is so green and lush and there is the promise of all the beauty yet to come. Our lilacs are just starting to pop so as I walk around the garden this morning I had my first wift of there beautiful fragrance. The song of so many birds also brings so much pleasure on my little tours around the garden.It is always hard to leave the garden this time of the year even to come indoors. This could be why I shed a few pounds this time of year only to put them back on when I move back indoors in the fall!

Anyway, it is tea time on the veranda(screened porch)today and it is so good to be out here on these warm sunny days.

This cup and saucer was given to me and it has the ladies slipper on it -the flower emblem for Prince Edward Island.

This Shelley teacup was also a gift from a good friend.

Some tulips from the garden for a little bouquet.

After tea you can curl up on the old iron bed for a nap if you like!

The pretty pink Angelique tulip-not overly perennial in our garden but some always come back for a couple of years at least. I must remember to get more in the fall as they are one of my favorites.

The other end of the porch is the dining area.

Well, I hope you enjoyed tea on the porch. I must get back out to the garden, as I have some new plants to get planted and it is going to shower tonight so perfect timing!

My husband is up on the roof of the barn painting the steel-I can hardly bare to watch him as I am afraid of heights -fortunately he has no fear!

I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday today.

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

Our First Spring Tour Day

2012-05-21T07:25:00.001-03:00

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful long weekend. We had our first tour of the season on Friday -it was a small tour of twelve ladies from Japan. On the day of the tour I was up at the crack of dawn and watched the sunrise over our pond before getting on with my day.

My husband shot this photo from the balcony as we toured the garden and cottage.

We toured the early spring garden .

The garden is changing so quickly as already since the tour the apple trees have started to bloom-oh well,they will have to come back!

There are lots of varieties of daffodils blooming still,although already the process of deadheading the ones that are done has started.

We checked out the Gardener's Cottage where there were little squeals of delight!

And once again it was the smallest room in the house that brought on more happy squeals.

New to our tour this year is a stroll down to the pond. it was a perfect May day for our first tour of the season. We don't have any more tours until the first of June when the lilacs and early peonies will be blooming.

After the tour it is time for a relaxing moment in Martha's Garden with a cup of tea. The first tour pushes us to get the garden tidied up,the garden furniture and ornaments back out,the cottage cleaned up after the winter and the verandas set up again for summer and did I forget to mention all the pruning done on the roses(aprox.100),hydrangeas(almost as many),clematis etc. So now that all that is almost done, we can while away the rest of the summer on the veranda with a book and lemonade! Ha!Ha!

This is some of the blooms in the garden now.

I had to show you that the garden is not all orange and yellow!

Do you have time to watch the sunset with me?

Thank you for coming along on this our first tour day!

Take care,
Carolyn

Soft Light

2012-05-17T21:53:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

This evening the sun came out and so I grabbed my camera and took a few soft white photos to share with you. The ornamental pear tree is blooming and it just a humming with the sound of bees.I stole a few branches from them to make a bouquet.

I have been getting our little garden cottage cleaned up for the season and since we have a tour tomorrow I wanted to add a nice bouquet.

I liked the soft light streaming in.

A pretty old doll.

After,tomorrow(after our tour) I will have time to take a few pics of the garden etc. to share with you soon. It is supposed to be warm and sunny tomorrow-perfect!

I am joining My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Take care,
Carolyn

Morning Glory

2012-05-17T08:25:00.001-03:00

Good Morning!

As many of you know we have a large pond on our property that was made last year in our field. So this spring it has been a real treat to sit in the early morning and enjoy the peace and quiet and watch the Canada geese.

We had some cool mornings giving a mist on the pond in the early hours.

So peaceful to watch!

But soon the sun comes up and burns off the mist and it is time for breakfast. The heron statue is from Homesense and he has since been moved to the little island.

We feel blessed to be able to enjoy our breakfast in such a peaceful and beautiful setting.

Morning glory!!!

Well,now that breakfast is over the garden is calling to me!

Today,I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday ,The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home and French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

Thank you for visiting,
Carolyn

Little Miss Abby

2012-05-16T11:42:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

I had a special little visitor this morning as our granddaughter Abby had some alone time with me. I had another post prepared but I loved how these turned out so I couldn't wait to share them.

Abby loves her tea parties.

Little Miss Abby is five years old this month.

I think this one just might be my favorite!

Or maybe this one?

I sure did enjoy my alone time with you, little Miss Abby!

Well, I have some house cleaning to do today as Friday is our first house & garden tour and I have focused mainly on getting the little cottage and the garden ready up until today.

We are having lovely warm weather and although it is cloudy today it is still a nice spring day.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Carolyn

Breakfast in Bed

2012-05-15T09:21:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

Before going out into the garden to enjoy the warm spring day I have prepared a light breakfast for you.

This blue and white room has the original pine floors and a toile theme.

It is not a fancy room by today's standards but it has a fresh,relaxed look.

I have had this old dresser/vanity for years but I think it suits the room just fine.

Mirror reflection

A light breakfast of tea and homemade scones.

This little teapot came home with me from England a few years ago and sits out on display.

You can linger in bed for awhile longer if you like before joining me in the garden where there is still lots to do.

I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday today.

Thank you for visiting me and I hope you have a lovely day!

Carolyn

Color in the Garden

2012-05-14T11:14:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We enjoyed a sunny warm Mother's Day here with lots of food and all of our family. It was warm enough to eat out on veranda-I love to eat outdoors whenever possible.

The garden is starting to fill in and the leaves are coming out on the trees and shrubs.

Hyacinths are scenting the air.

The bleeding hearts are blooming.

The snakehead- fritillaria meleagris are blooming and slowly spreading in the garden.

The hostas are putting up their fresh green and cream leaves.

Ice follies daffodils blooming around the old wheelbarrow.

Dainty little narcissus-not sure of their name.

Our tulips are starting to bloom-now I am wishing I had planted a lot more as not all the old ones returned.

These Red Riding Hood tulips have returned faithfully year after year. I hope I can get more of these for the fall planting.

The hillside garden is awash with the beauty of many different varieties of daffodils.

Well,that is what is happening in our garden so far. Tomorrow is going to be a hotter day so things can change pretty quickly in the garden. However, the benefit of a long cool spring is the flowers stay in bloom longer and have a more intense color.

How is your garden doing? I know many of you are way ahead of us here as we are just getting started in our garden season.

Today,I am joining the house in the roses for Show off your Cottage Monday.

I hope you enjoy your day!

Carolyn

Happy Mother's Day

2012-05-12T22:19:00.002-03:00

Happy Mother's Day!

Tomorrow is a special day here as we celebrate motherhood so I wanted to pop in and wish you all Happy Mother's Day.

This is a beautiful little book celebrating the joys of motherhood-it is full of lovely quotes and poems.

I hope you will enjoy your day.

The mother and baby ornament by Global is a treasured gift from my husband celebrating the birth of one of our children.

I love mother and baby pictures and the one above is one I especially love of our youngest daughter and her daughter Lila (a few years ago).

Where did the time go??? This is a picture of me with our seventh child when he was a wee one-I miss those days!!!

Mother's Day is one of my favorite days of the year- as my children " rise up and call me blessed" - right kiddos???

I am looking forward to a family brunch at our house tomorrow and it is supposed to be warm and sunny-yeah!

Laurie at Heaven's Walk wrote the most beautiful touching story on her blog and I know you will enjoy taking a few minutes to check it out. Laurie has a real gift with words and her whole blog is beautiful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Carolyn

A Garden Vignette

2012-05-10T18:31:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

I have been a bit scarce lately as there is so much going on right now. Hopefully,I will soon have lots to share for you gardener's anyway as the garden starts to fill in more and the lilacs etc. begin to bloom. We got some much needed rain the last couple of days so we took a trip to some garden centers to have a look at some new plants. I found this cute little boot at Cool Breeze in Summerside and had to take it home with me.

I planted it up and put it in our sun room for now.

It is a great spot to enjoy getting some new ideas from my garden books.

A cup of tea makes it even more enjoyable.

Take a break , sit and enjoy for a spell too!

I am joining Bernideens Tea Time Blog for Tea in the Garden and also French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

Happy Sunday

2012-05-06T17:22:00.002-03:00

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I finally took some time to take some pictures for you.I like the little garden vignette above but it is still early in our garden for getting good shots but each day we move forward a little bit. We seem to be having a drier spring with more sunshine but the temperature has been cold at night. Now, that the full moon is past I am hoping it warms up a little.

On Friday evening we drove by these lovely barrels full of colorful tulips so I had to get out and take a few pictures of them.

I love these vibrant colored tulips for the spring garden but the rest of the season I am not so much an orange fan.

On another street downtown a small front yard garden was covered with blooming spring bulbs. They must have their garden well layered because it has good color most of the season which is harder to do in a small space.

I spent some time playing with my dishes again.

A pretty bouquet from our garden-I am happy to have some tulips blooming now along with the thousands of daffodils.

I was lazy this morning and enjoyed looking through some old Victoria magazines before church and didn't go for my walk so I am off to do that now before my brother and sister in law come for a visit.

Thank you for stopping in to visit!

Take care,
Carolyn

Early Spring Garden

2012-05-03T21:00:00.000-03:00

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a good week. We are spending a lot of time in the garden getting it ready for our first tour from Japan in a couple of weeks. I took some photos in the garden today so you can see what is blooming now. It is coming along and a couple of weeks will make a big difference,I hope.

It is lovely to have lots of daffodils for cheery bouquets in the house.

I love to eat outdoors as soon as the weather warms up.

Pansies blooming in a pretty bowl.

I love these white and apricot daffodils.

A pretty spring teapot.

Just a few shots of our early spring garden.

I have to admit all this gardening makes me look forward to a good hot soak and early to bed!

I am joining My Romantic Home for Show and Tell today and The Rose Garden in Malevik for Show Off Saturday.

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

White Wednesday

2012-05-01T19:15:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

It was a great day here for doing garden cleanup so we spent the day edging beds, weeding,pruning, and transplanting. So...., no time for playing with my camera again so sorry more previously viewed pics again.

I am joining in White Wednesday today.

My snowball bush from last year- it is just starting to leave out now so it will be weeks before it blooms.

Fluffy white plumes on one of the grasses at my daughters. I like how pretty it looks against a blue sky.

Our little garden cottage.

I love hyacinths and also the little fairies.

I am looking forward to these all blooming in our garden soon.

Another view of the cottage.

Cake anyone?

I couldn't resist adding this tea photo of our two little grandchildren.

A creamy rose with a hint of green.

I hope you enjoyed some of my whites for White Wednesday over at Faded Charm.

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

A May Day Tea

2012-04-30T20:52:00.000-03:00

Hello everyone,

It is hard to believe April is almost over and tomorrow we welcome May. It is still cool here but the weatherman has predicted sunshine and warmer temps for the next few days so the garden will jump ahead now.

Anyway,lets enjoy a cup of tea with a pretty garden bouquet.

Daffodils and hyacinths are pretty and fragrant.Did you notice my pretty little vase from tjmaxx? It goes nicely with the pretty mugs from Winners(tjmaxx in U.S.)

Sugar cookies on a pretty plate also from tjmaxx.

Inexpensive china but so pretty together.

My garden bouquet with some faux blue hydrangeas.

I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday again today.

Happy May Day!

Take care,

Carolyn

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2012-04-29T18:09:00.002-03:00

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. It is sunny but cold here today so I enjoyed a quiet Sunday afternoon tea indoors and I picked up my camera to take a few shots.

And I thought I would share a few with you. Thank you to Becky(from One Shabby Old House) for the pretty teacup-I will remember our time together whenever I use it.

It was a nice afternoon for tea in the sunroom where I enjoy my old cupboard full of pink and white china.

A little fairy sitting among the flowers.

I hope you enjoyed some quiet peaceful moments too!

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn
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A Small Project and Blossoms

2012-04-27T21:18:00.002-03:00

Hello everyone,

It is wet and windy here today but each day brings new growth to the garden and more and more blossoms. I have been busy getting garden clean up done and a few little projects so I missed posting for a couple of days.

We have several different varieties of Daffodils coming into bloom now. I am also enjoying watching all the birds in the garden. The Goldfinch in the centre is so pretty with his yellow spring coat.

It is so good to see the garden centers well stocked again for the season.I will have to get in to see what is new this year.

Now to show you my little project for this wet rainy day. I finally found a new white umbrella and I had a thrift shop bedskirt that was trimmed in crochet lace-so I cut it off and sewed it onto the umbrella edge.

I have always loved umbrellas with the lace edging but have only seen them in pictures so now I have my own romantic lacy umbrella. I still have a little work to do on it as the pole etc. needs to be painted white I am sure you will be seeing a lot more of this umbrella over the summer in several settings! Now as,you can see the garden is just starting to grow but soon it will be filled in with lots of color. We are actually a little ahead of last year.

Our Stellata magnolia is in full bloom and has such a sweet gentle fragrance.

.
I picked a bouquet for you!

Sorry,for the empty post earlier today-The change in blogger has me confused and I thought I was just enlarging some photos on an old post and reposting but I accidently posted an empty post instead.

I am joining My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday , The Rose Garden in Malevk for Show off Saturday and Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage.

I am also joining Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Carolyn

Soft & Sweet

2012-04-24T18:12:00.001-03:00

Hello Everyone,

I just popped in to share some soft & sweet images with you before I go to a photo club meeting.

Breakfast in bed anyone?

Our lilacs are in bud now but these are some from a couple of years ago.

I love pink and aqua-so soft and sweet!

Some white china in the corner cupboard that my husband built for me.

More soft aqua.

Romantic?

Oh! soon we will be eating all our meals out here again!

Soft and sweet blossoms!

I was doing some pruning and clean up in the garden today before the rain drove me indoors.Our grass is getting greener by the minute!

Thank you so much for visiting me today.

Carolyn

Spring Time Tea

2012-04-23T21:43:00.000-03:00

Hello Everyone,

I am enjoying all the spring activity that is going on in the garden as the birds are busy building their nests , leaves are starting to unfurl and hundreds of daffodils are starting to put on their cheery spring show.

It is such a treat to be able to go to the garden and pick a pretty bouquet for my tea time.

This pretty little tea cup came home with me from an antique shop in St. Cloud, Florida. The teapot and matching plates were yardsale finds.

Striped scilla and chionodoxa forbesii are early spring bloomers.

A spot of tea and then back out to the garden-there is lots to do and I am thankful to be able to enjoy getting out into the spring garden and doing some garden chores.

I am joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday today.

Thank you for visiting me,

Carolyn

Our Southern Vacation

2012-04-22T21:43:00.000-03:00

Hello everyone,

As you may already know I just returned home from a trip to Florida and also Savannah,Georgia so I thought it would be fun to put together some mosaic's of our holiday.

My husband and I went a few days ahead of our daughters and their families this year so we took a drive up to Savannah. It is a beautiful old city with lots of historical interest and beautiful architecture.

We took an evening stroll around the city.

We also spent a night in Saint Augustine and took in this colorful parade.

I love Mount Dora in Florida so we spent a night there as well. It is a charming small town by a lake so we enjoyed walking around and taking in the sights.

The Garden Gate Tea Room was a definite for lunch again. We discovered it last year when we went for a day trip from Orlando.

It is so charming and the food is delicious too.

We took a drive through Celebration again as it is a short drive from where we stayed and it is so pretty there.

We enjoyed seeing colorful flowers and Olivia took time to stop and smell the roses.

Our three daughters and their families joined us again this year so we had a great time around the pool etc.-sixteen of us in a lovely big house and pool in Emerald Island Resort.

As I already mentioned in my last post I had another special treat as I met my friend Becky( with the beautiful blond hair and smile) from One Shabby Old House and we had lunch at another beautiful tea room Lavender and Lace in Lake Alfred.We had a lovely time together and of course I loved seeing all the pretty china they had too.

We enjoyed beautiful sunsets-this one in Mount Dora.

And when we came home this is the beauty(above) that greeted me in our own garden.Just as my Mama always says 'it is nice to go away but the best part is coming back home'!

I am so happy to see the garden coming to life again and to be able to get out and dig in the dirt again.

Thank you to all for your generous comments on my last post.

Take care,

Carolyn

Romantic Homes Feature

2012-04-21T09:11:00.003-03:00

Hello Everyone,

How are you all? I have been away for the past couple of weeks (Florida) with some of our family so this is the first chance I have had to share that I have been featured in Romantic Homes this month. I know some of you had already seen it but it was pretty exciting to walk into Target in Florida and pick up my copy of Romantic Homes and see my pictures featured there! A big thank you to,JoAnne Coletti for choosing my pictures to feature in this lovely magazine-I am so honored!

Sorry for the quality of these pics but apparently I shouldn't have left the magazine by the pool with several splashing little ones!

I will share more on our trip later but for now I want to share my very first garden bouquet of the season. It was such a joy to come home and see these little beauties blooming in the garden and know that there is so much more to come!

This morning I woke up to this peaceful scene on our pond as we had a couple of Canada geese and a mallard duck swimming around on our pond in the mist before the sun was up.

Thank you for being patient with me in my absence and allowing me to brag a little when I returned.

One of my treasured memories of Florida was getting to meet my friend Becky from the beautiful blog One Shabby Old House. Becky and I enjoyed a lovely lunch together and some shopping at one of her favorite haunts.We have been writing back and forth for a few years now when we met through blogging and I always enjoyed hearing from her and knew I would enjoy meeting her someday.I am touched by Becky's very sweet post on our visit and hope you can pop in and say hello-Becky has a real talent with words and told the story much more eloquently then I ever could.Thank you Becky for taking the time to meet with me-you are beautiful inside and out!

Have a lovely weekend!

Carolyn

Shades of Pink

2012-04-13T18:32:00.003-03:00

Hello everyone,

It is Pink Saturday today at How Sweet the Sound so I went looking though my photos for some of my favorite ' pinks'.

Our little granddaughter practicing her ballet moves.

Looking forward to warm summer nights but not wanting to rush spring as I enjoy it too.

I love my roses-this one is Heritage an English David Austen rose.

A pink hydrangea in a vintage vase.

Some shades of pink geraniums.

A pretty pink foxglove, alas not from our garden.

Thank you Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.
And
Thank you for visiting me,

Carolyn

Garden Statuary

2012-04-12T16:03:00.001-03:00

Hello everyone,

As most of you know I love gardening and anything to do with gardens.So,one of the additions to gardens that I love is statues so over the years we have collected a few to place in our garden. The statue above is placed in our enclosed garden with a mirror behind her. The mirror is in a shady spot so that the sun does not reflect off it which can be a fire hazzard.There are vines that grow around it and ostrich ferns on the side of it

Now you might notice that our statues get moved around from year to year so this is the original statue called Martha's that really belongs in here.She is a locally made cement statue from J&S in Albany.

Another locally made statue from J&S

Love that face!

As you can see they do get moved to different settings.

This statue is a lighter resin one from Wal Mart-easier to move but not as durable.

This angel statue was a Mother's Day gift to me last year from my children.

This is one of my favorite setting in the garden last year-I am looking forward to it's rebirth.

I think a well placed statue adds so much charm to a garden-don't you?

Thank you for visiting me,

Carolyn