The digital random thoughts of Flowergardengirl for Copper Top Cottage

When Flowergardengirl was considering the colors for Copper Top Cottage she thought of her favorite colors of fall and paired them~~~with ~~ this of all things–

~~ a rotating egg~~The above image actually spins on her computer and was created in Gimp using photos from the scenes from her back yard but WordPress will not allow that application and too bad for you~~~~Autumn is her favorite time of year. The image above allows her to look at the colors against the teal from every angle. Teal is the color of her Copper Top Cottage.

Soon the lace curtains will go up and all the treasures she’s been gathering for 50 years will purposefully be placed in every nook and cranny of her little shed. As I’m reading this back to her she’s saying this is getting way too quaint like and intense so and I should lighten the mood a bit. She says that although there’s a cute quiet side to her , she’s also a riot and that sometimes she wears her Tuesday underwear on Friday.

Copper Top Cottage will be filled with hopes of rows to hoe and gardeners to know. There will be a comfy reading chair by the stained glass window that was purchased at a salvage yard and always a red geranium in one of the windows which has nothing at all to do with the colors she has carefully planned for the space. But red  geraniums were her grandmother’s favorite and so it shall be.

The paint selection for the outside is in the  Natural Splendor line called Biltmore Estate: She’s loving the name  which is~~~‘Hidden Spring’  by Olympic Paint and is talked about in an article she wrote about HERE. One of her favorite color palettes is that of teal, deep peachy orange, and deep golden burnt umber. You can only find that in her back yard during Autumn . Right! Or does this happen in your yard too?

And she never buys a plant without considering it’s aged beauty. And she would never marry a man without considering his retirement plan.

Alaska nasturtiums are considered a bit hard to grow but they do well  in her front beds as there has never been any grown in her back beds. They love this time of year. They like the cool weather  unlike most nasturtiums which would rather see long hot sunny days I suppose~~ do you suppose?. Flowergardengirl likes the speckled leaves of the Alaska variety. She likes any speckled leaves.

Today is the first day of November and it’s so gloriously chilly. Flowergardengirl’s home is filled with biscuit breezes and the aroma of a roast in the oven. Would you like to see the leaves that have fallen and her roast in the oven? And will you please watch her later on tonight at Garden World Report. She’d appreciate it. Here she is now just before the show at her home in NC~~~~

Trucking right through the night gift topper

Trucking right through the night so that the little ones and you don’t stumble, is this exclusive night light offered by Gooseberry Patch. I cruised on over there cause their products brighten my day and I always find something to match a floral arrangement I’m doing. This is so Autumn isn’t it? And I’d love to use it as a tie on for a birthday gift. I’d use green and white gingham paper with thin strips of white, yellow, and orange ribbon. When I’m wrapping a gift, I try and find something fun to put on top. Anyone would love this little treat.

Add to the festivities with this cotton tablecloth from Provencal Tablecloths at Tablecloth Collections

I might would even wrap the birthday gift in this green gingham tablecloth from Amazon.com The tomato and lettuce are cute. I guess they come on the napkins. Add a good bunch of brownies in a basket and refreshments—wa–la–a great gift for the kitchen gardener

Sugar Tip, Blue, and White Chiffon Rose of Sharons

Blooming beautifully in my garden are Proven Winners‘ Chiffon series of Hibicus syriacus. I also have Blue Satin in the front and back of my house. They are all long bloomers which cover the bush from top to bottom. They grow quickly to approximately 12′ in just a few seasons. Hardy in zones 5-9. I like White Chiffon the best because it shows up so well from the road for great curb appeal.

You can click on any picture to enlarge it!

Blue Chiffon Rose of Sharon

Sugar Tip Rose of Sharon

And why did I put it by my back steps like this—long story—It was moved from our former home and survived sitting in the middle of our yard for 8 months of no watering and not attention while the house was being built. Then I moved it here May of 08 to give a chance to recuperate. I suppose it will be trimmed and moved again this Autumn. Just where I’m not sure yet but it is worth the effort. As you can see from the sidewalk that it has already lost lots of blooms that have dropped and it’s still going strong!

Lastly Blue Satin which has a bunch of eaten up leaves which is proof my garden is organic. Even with these poor leaves, the blooms have been beautiful. My other Rose of Sharons were not affected so badly. I can highly recommend PW’s cultivars. I would say that I have purchased about half of PW’s in my garden and PW has sent me the other half asking that I test them and then write about what I think. They do this for several garden writers and I’m appreciative. Just this week I got the new 2010 catalog and it’s fantastically beautiful. I think it’s the best one yet!

You can go to http://provenwinners.com/ and look up plants for your zone—get color ideas, arrangement inspiration, and see their new online magazine. I was buying PW’s long before they ever showed interest in sending me any. I worked at a PW nursery for 6 years off and on and loved seeing the new plants come in. My passion is new cultivars and so far—-PW leads the way. I hope you will start asking your local nursery for them and be specific. A nursery would love to know what your desires are for 2010. You need to start asking now cause they are already making plans for what to order.

I’ll be making a list soon of my favorite and must have PW’s to share with you. I’ve not done that in the past and found it hard to locate the many I suggest to my friends and those I do arrangements for. This year I’m trying to get the word out so you can ask early and help your nursery get prepared. And how is my garden growing today…………

That crazy Senorita Rosalita cleome on the right—split in half, mended itself, and keeps on blooming like a fool.

Just in front left is the new Ipomoea by PW that I’m going to write about next! And my Knock Out red roses are doing well this year but not blooming as much as last year. We’ve been on the cool side except for yesterdays heat wave.

Look at my cut cockscomb vase—huge!

Ok—more in a bit…….hugs to all!

Rooster Rug

After being in my home for just over a year now, I finally purchased some area rugs. I ordered them from JC Pennys and they have excellent service. What do you think of my rooster rug? I like the colors. The green on my walls is called Svelte Sage.

Jewel Tone Alabaster Eggs

Tuscan craftsman have hand carved these alabaster eggs exclusively for Williams-Sonoma. At their site, you can see several sophisticated and classy glassy ideas for Easter. Isn’t the glass basket below a nice piece for the Spring table? I really like announcing Spring at my house. If I get excited then everyone joins in. Did you know happiness is infectious?

And no Spring table is complete without little bunny candle holders don’t you think?  Every year, I collect something for each holiday that will never go out of style and last for many generations. I can picture my grandchildren and great grandchildren unwrapping the items for their family holiday and remembering how grandma use to have it on her table. Make traditions for your family. More than ever, we need a sense of family.

An Easter Nest of Blue Eggs

This a repost as I was waiting on the approval from Williams-Sonoma to use the photos. I had read and then reread their copyright rules and just wanted to make sure I was in the clear to use them and just received that confirmation from their public relations office. Thank you Williams-Sonoma. Please enjoy everyone as I think these are awesome! I have a thing for Robin’s egg blue. I may use this color in my family room with the tobacco road and just a hint of red just as you see in the nest.

It’s a beautiful nest with robin eggs inside.

Or, put your eggs under the glass!  All items can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma

Or how about in a glass bunny? I love them all.

My Craftsman Home

My Craftsman Home

I designed and  built this house. The colors inside are Svelte Sage, Tobacco Road, and Plantation Beige.

If you saw my house the end of December 2008, then you have seen all the pictures. No new updates since then.

I’m in the process of updating photos over the next week–below is a sneak peek at a few of the finished rooms. Took me a year to get my rugs but I got what I wanted.

Above and below are some of the most current pictures. I’m updating the link above to the whole house.

A Recipe From The Past

Recipe from My grandmother and her story. Please enjoy!

Please give, Adriana Salvia Founder at Passeddown.com and Jennifer Mondoux, Editor, a visit and find out what is cooking. Now you don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner!

http://www.passeddown.com/recipes?item=100&thanks=1#comment-56

This is reprint from their website. I submitted my story a long time ago and here is what they wrote—Great job you guys!!!

Moravian Chicken Pie

Posted by Jennifer on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 in Main Courses :

When we launched the site on Monday, my friend Irena – a great writer and a smart, smart cookie – mentioned our site on her gardening blog, http://myrootsrundeep.blogspot.com. She also challenged one of her regular contributors and fellow gardener (and gardening blogger) Anna, who lives in North Carolina, to submit a recipe. What came back to us is an amazing tale of family history and food. I’m still a bit blown away by this story and by the detail! Lucky for Anna, and good on her, for knowing her roots (pardon the pun) so well.

And hey, talk about Six Degrees of Separation – my father was a fighter pilot in the RCAF (the Royal Canadian Air Force) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. And guess where he was based at one point? Zweibrucken, Germany, the birthplace of Anna’s ancestors, whom you’ll read about in the fascinating account below. It’s a small world Anna!

Check out Anna’s blog too, when you can. She’s at: http://flowergardengirl.wordpress.com/

And thanks Irena for passing along the word about PassedDown!

Anna’s Story and Recipe

Abraham and Catherine Staudt/Staud were proud of their children. All had been born in their home town of Zweibrucken at Gimpweiler Germany. All had grown restless and desired a new life in a world free of religious persecution. A brother had preceded Anna and her two married sisters to the new world. The brother had arrived in America and was in an area known as The Great Swamp of Pennsylvania. Some say it is a low lying area rich in farmland because of its loamy soil and others say the name Great Swamp refers to a gathering place of people from all over the world seeking religious freedom and new land opportunities. My studies have led me to believe that both is true. It is fertile land and it was a great gathering place.

Anna, her two sisters, the children of the two sisters, and a brother in law departed for the new land in the 20th year of her life, 1738. They departed with great hope and dreams for their families. There was joy and tears and they left family and cousins behind with talk of the others joining them once things were settled. There must have been massive amounts of luggage and family keep sakes. There must have been several crates of the necessary needs to keep the little group supplied with basic needs for the trip. It took several years to plan for such a trip.

During the mid to late 1700’s, there was a horrible flu epidemic. Most people had taken to wearing masks for protection from the stench of this sickness and for protection. During the voyage, one by one the members began to get deathly ill with this flu outbreak. Anna describes in her own words that she called upon the religion of her upbringing for her strength. The illness slowly took one life after another. She saw her sisters, their children, and her brother in law die among the many who couldn’t overcome this madness around them.

Most of the crew and the captain of the ship all died. The ship’s wheel was secured in place. The wheel was lashed as described in those times. Anna would say that only the Lord guided them through this time. For four weeks the ship drifted, guided only by the Almighty-as described by the few who survived. Anna grieved and feared for her life wondering if leaving her homeland was so wise after all. Finally it was decided that the carpenter of the ship would take over the wheel and take the fate of the few in his hands.
He was the only skilled man left upon the ship.

They sailed the wreck successfully to shore and all survivors arrived shaken and mournful but thankful to be on land. Anna went to live with a brother who was a potter in The Great Swamp. Anna was a skilled and prepared helper of the house. She took care of the family needs and cooked for them until she met the young and handsome Jacob Muller. She won him over with her many household talents but also with her determination to continue living in spite of her great trials for such a young woman.

Jacob helped to build the town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His memoirs tell of him clearing the land and becoming friends with the Moravians. He and Anna moved to Maxetanien, Pennsylvania and opened a place of lodging. Anna cooked many of her famous recipes. Their Inn was known as a kind and loving place for the passing brethren. Many an afternoon was spent speaking with these brethren who were on their way to the new Wachovia Tract in North Carolina. Even though the trip was long and required they pass through Indian territory, it was tempting to Anna and Jacob who were adventurous by nature.

The area of The Great Swamp was getting crowded and land was at a premium. Anna and Jacob had joined the Moravian Church. They were interested in some land purchased by the Moravians in NC known as the Wachovia Tract. Today this land is known as Bethania, Bethabara, Old Salem, and areas surrounding Winston Salem, NC. They moved to the Wachovia Tract in 1771 and settled one and one half miles from Bethania where they attended church and fellowshiped with others. They were married for 50 years and had 11 children. Eight of those children were still living when Anna died in 1790. She is buried at Bethania.

In Anna’s life, she was known as a wonderful wife, mother, and home-maker. It is well known that the Moravians are famous for their home baked goods and hearty meals. I have mentioned before that they cook, stick to your ribs food. Anna was most likely famous for her yeast rolls and chicken pie. I’d like to share with you one of those famous recipes passed down from my blessed grandmother Maria Anna Elizabeth Muller. My name is Anna Marie. There have been many Annas. I am proud to be one of them.

Moravian Chicken Pie

Given to me by my Great Aunt Anna Perryman

Please visit the Passed.com site to see the recipe and a picture of what the pie looks like!