Lantern Festival

We are extremely fortunate to have such a variety of cultural events available in St. Louis. There is always so much to see and do. This summer, MO Botanical Gardens is hosting the Chinese Lantern Festival and it is spectacular! By day, the colored fabrics are vibrant and beautiful, but by night (when the lights come on) they come alive! While I know pictures and words can't do it justice, I want to share just a very few of the many shots we took.

 

 

 

 These elephants were made entirely from china cups, saucers, bowls and ladles. It's amazing!

Seeing these colors against the dark sky is breath-taking! The entire exhibit is made from 102,300 feet of treated silk, flannel and velvet cloth.

 

More than 12,500 light bulbs were used to illuminate these amazing exhibits.

 

These flowers were among my favorite! The bright colors just popped. Each flower stood about six feet tall.

While it's hard to recognize in this photo, the lights at the bottom of the frame are actually reflections on the water!

 

The workers, from China, came to the area to assemble the exhibit. They worked hard to create these marvelous creations. Their chef created their meals while they were here. He made one ton of rice for their consumption during their stay. We are appreciative to the 28 artisans, welders, silkers, carpenters, designers and engineers for their work for us to enjoy! It inspired a tablescape which I will share tomorrow.

A "Pressing" Project

I still have my childhood ironing board stashed in the basement. It stands about two feet tall and folds flat for storage. It looks like the "real deal" and I remember playing with it in our playhouse. We spent hours in that cute little  A-frame which had a shingle roof, its own porch, a dutch door and an operational window. It was fully furnished with child-sized furniture and a complete kitchen. It was a happy place!

 

 

I plan to redo our laundry room down the road (probably in the winter when it's cold outdoors) and so I  held onto this "antique" because I want to incorporate it in that space when I give it a new look. At a yard sale, I found this pretty quilted pillow sham...for 50 cents.

 

Hmmm...it looked like it would fit the top of the ironing board to serve as a new cover.

 

 

All I needed was my sewing scissors and hot glue and I was able to complete the project. Now I can't wait to use this, somehow, as a decoration in the same room where my real ironing board is stored! :)

 

 



 

Shrimp Plant

 

 

Not long ago, I was zipping into our local produce market when a display outside the door stopped me in my tracks. Shrimp plants! It took me back to my childhood and made me think of Great Grandma who had one of these. In fact, we gave it for her as a Christmas surprise after buying it at MO Botanical Gardens. She had a green-thumb and I remember a variety of little plants lining the windowsill when we visited her. The plants at this produce stand were healthy, blooming and on sale so I knew one was coming home with me.

 

 

 

Tropical plants, originally from Mexico, shrimp plants now grow in FL but won't survive in our zone. They can, however, winter inside and I am definitely going to try to keep mine going in the solarium over the cold months.

 

 

This close-up shows how the plant gets its name. The little coral-colored blossoms do look like shrimp! They are supposed to bloom yearlong. We'll see how mine does!

 

 





Quilting 101

It is a goal for me to learn to quilt and I am on my way. Our friend, Lu, is a master quilter and she is teaching me. She and I recently had a lesson and this is how far I am. In a few weeks, we are going to attach the batting to the back and then we will (machine) quilt it.

 

 

The birdhouse pattern was shared with me by the cafeteria cashier at school and it is, obviously, a wall hanging size. Stay tuned! Down the road, I will share another picture as I make more progress.



Tuesday's Tablescape

This post is late since I was out having fun all day! A group of retirees and I celebrated not going to the first day of school.

 

This table idea was inspired by this beautiful bottle of wine that Uncle Wayne sent us. I love how the bottle is shaped like the lighthouse! Since we toured this beacon when we were in St. Augustine, it's especially meaningful. Not only is it lovely in person, but it has very nice grounds and shows the home where the lighthouse keeper lived.

 

 

It makes the perfect centerpiece for our lighthouse dishes.

 

If you ever have the opportunity to go to this Florida lighthouse, you should consider a tour. It's well worth it!



 

 

 

A Getaway

Last week we enjoyed a nice getaway. Instead of spending the week in professional development, meetings, work days and "Meet the Teacher Night", I was on a road trip. It was a switch since this is the first time in 30 years that I haven't been going through those preparations and while I was  mindful of my school family, I am happy with the transition and had a great time. We went to southern Indiana to see Lincoln's childhood sites and Santa Claus!

 

 

The NPS has done a terrific job of creating an interesting place to learn about the years Lincoln and his family were in that area. They offer displays, a museum, historical movie and more. The property also houses a living farm and the graves of some Lincoln family.

 

The living farm is outstanding. Guests walk the fields, grounds and buildings while volunteers (dressed in period clothing) teach visitors about what it was like in Lincoln days. They even have animals on the farm including this authentic cow (yes, she has horns) because she is a devon and that is the breed which would have been common in Lincoln's days.

 

She has a sweet calf. See him by the corn crib?

 



 

Directly across the street, is the lovely Lincoln State Park where we stayed. It's a gorgeous setting which houses additional Lincoln sites.

 

This is a handsome Lincoln bust in Bicentennial Plaza in the park.

 

 

 

We stayed by Lincoln Lake which is a small, but pretty, body of water.

Lincoln Park is heavily wooded, peaceful and quiet. It was our first experience of staying in a state park and we were very pleased. At just over $20 a night, it was a bargain.  Best of all, it is so convenient to everything Lincoln! We were able to walk everywhere and covered many miles doing so.

 

Santa Claus is Lincoln Park's next door neighbor, but too far to make it on foot.  So, we drove down the road to visit the Santa Claus Museum one day. This 22 foot tall statue of the jolly elf has stood since 1935.

 

 

The museum contained a lot of good local history. The former Post Office building stands on the same property and now serves as a center where children can write Santa a letter to leave for him.

 

 

The original Santa Claus church is also there and is open for people to walk through. A permanent, decorated Christmas tree stands in the corner. Of course I would think that is a perfect touch! :) This complex was right next door to Holiday World--the United States' oldest amusement park. We found the history of that particular establishment interesting, but did not care to spend the day at the park. It is highly popular, though, and the parking lot was crammed with cars!

 

 

I will leave you with last week's "Tuesday's Tablescape"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday Girl

 

Look who's celebrating her 10th birthday today!

I snuck up on this sweet little girl while she was napping

on her favorite Sherpa dog pad. If you notice, there are

little treat crumbs lying around her (it's surprising that

her sister didn't eat up those crumbs!). What better way

to spend your special day than to munch on

your favorite snacks and relax!