A Walkbout the Yard

to see what's blooming today...

From top left around:

Dahlia

Butterfly Bush

Daylily

Hydrangea

Pond Plants

Monarda

Cleome

Knockout Rose

Basil, Parsley, Oregano

Red Hibiscus

Seed pods on giant bush

Trumpet vine

Sedum

Hydrangea

Pink Hibiscus

Impatients

My favorite whites:  Hibiscus, Phlox and Daisy

Linking to the 2010 Garden Tour @Notes from A Cottage Industry

and

Claudia's Finding Beauty @ Dipity Road

And joining for the first time, Tootsie Time: Flaunt Your Flowers 

Show and Tell ~ Porcelain Tidbit Dish

For Show & Tell this week, I thought I'd share a pretty piece that I display in my dining room.  I love this little serving dish because of the soft aqua/robins egg blue tint and the sweet painted flowers.  It is smaller than it appears.  The bottom plate is just 7-inches across and the top, just 5-inches.  I wasn't able to find much information about it other than the 'Renii' signed on both plates and a 'Japan' label on the bottom.

Joining Cindy @My Romantic Home for another fun Show & Tell Friday!

It's Summer!

Heat, humidity, drought ~ now heavy, sheeting rain and flooding!

Drenching rain didn't stop this tiny hummingbird. (seeing lots of hummers now whizzing to and fro blossom and feeder.  The bottom photo show this female perched in our Eastern Redbud tree) 

Joining Susan @A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday! 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

The recipe I made was the Streusel topped version and was full of locally grown berries.

Blueberry Struesel Muffins 

From Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Makes 20 muffins

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, shaken
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (2 half-pints)

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and blend with your hands.  In an separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and eggs.  Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with at fork, mixing just until blended.  Fold the blueberries into the batter.  Don’t over mix!  With a standard (2 1/4 inch) ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cups, filling them almost full.

For the topping, place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces.  Pour into a bowl and rub with your fingers until crumbly.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the streusel on top of each muffin.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Linking to

Muffin Monday @Talking Dollars and Cents

Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum!

Mosaic Monday ~ Raider's Breakfast Dance

Here are just a few of the unique antics of our much loved

miniature schnauzer:

* He has an internal clock... he awakes each morning at almost the exact time (within a few minutes). No alarm clocks needed here!

 * After rousing John & I and heading down stairs, he heads to the kitchen where he begins his spinning ritual as his food is being scooped from its container.  It's two circles around then leaping and skipping to his bowl. He takes his first bite and stops until he hears the opening of the dishwasher (which is unloaded while he eats and prior to his first walk of the day). Only after the click of the door opening does he resume eating his bowl of food.

 * He loves popcorn and sits, staring intently up at the microwave while the popping occurs. He sits at attention, staring intently at those eating popcorn hoping for the occasional piece tossed his way.  He is able to snatch most pieces in mid-air even though some family members with sadistic tendencies make him do acrobatic maneuvers for each kernel tossed.

* He LOVES fruit! Even when he is alone in the kitchen he will stand by the counter where the bananas are stored making strange throaty sounds indicating his desire. No matter how quietly I take the vegetable peeler from the drawer, he comes running from the far reaches of the house in hopes there will be apples or other fruit peeled and shared with him. He loves all fruit with the exception of citrus. He also loves carrots.

* He has lots of toys but his favorite is a little cow that vibrates when it's string is pulled. Raider holds the end of the string with his teeth and shakes his head until he pulls the string and causes the moving action. When told to go find 'cow' he will usually find it and bring it back to play.

* He does 'rolly-polly' by rolling on his back for belly rubs.

* He is a great traveler even on long trips. He does not, however, like the toll takers and snarls most unkindly at them.

* He gets more comfortable that any other creature I have known. He seeks out all pillows and has been known to squeeze his little self precariously on the smallest of  them. If there was a stack of pillows he would do all in his ability to get to the top. 

*He likes to play "hide and seek". One of us hides and he seeks. I think he uses his sight more than his sense of smell because sometimes he has a hard time finding the hidden person.

♥
did I mention how much I love this dog!

Linking up with Mary @Little Red House for her fun Mosaic Monday!