A busy June is flying by. This week, we are sharing a garden update, as well as a great baby gift idea. Outdoor temperatures have started to rise, so we’re reposting one of our favorite cool salads. Check out Martha Stewart’s rainbow cakes – they are perfect for Pride Month or any time!

THE NAME FRAME

When a friend or family member welcomes a new baby, we create a special frame with the newborn’s name. To do this, we decorate a flat frame with good quality stickers. You can find stickers with many themes. If you know the decor of the nursery, the frame can be customized. We have made frames with jungle themes, beach themes, balloons and more. If the proud parents have e-mailed pictures of the new addition, print your favorite on photo paper and insert in the frame. We created the frame below to celebrate the birth of a friend’s granddaughter. Our example is without the photo we used out of respect for the family’s privacy. For this frame, we chose a garden theme with 3D flower stickers and butterflies. We also put a sticker on the glass that says: “Love at first sight!” (That’s not a water stain in the bottom right-hand corner, it’s photographer Kevin’s shadow!)

Money saving tip: These stickers can be a little pricey. We usually buy them at Michael’s or Joann’s. Check the store’s websites – they often have coupons!

                                                                                                   

COOL FOOD

Now that warmer weather is here, we are trying to cook and eat cooler foods that are light and refreshing and won’t add too much heat to the kitchen. Our BOW TIE PASTA SALAD, first shared in our Academy Award post, “OSCAR! OSCAR! OSCAR!”, fits the bill!

BOW TIE PASTA SALAD

Ingredients: 1 pkg. bow tie farfalle pasta (we chose a vegetable variety for extra color), the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons Italian salad dressing,         1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 3 chopped plum tomatoes, 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn,         2 tablespoons chopped chives. Prepare the bow tie pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and refrigerate until cool. Combine lemon juice and zest with oil and salad dressing. Mix chopped tomato with corn, toss pasta with dressing combo and parm. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with chives. Chill and serve.

THIS WEEK’S PRIDE MONTH RAINBOW:

We continue our celebration of Pride Month with a collection of wonderful rainbow cakes from Martha Stewart.

http://www.marthastewart.com/1058558/rainbow-cake?socsrc=soc_fb_2015_06_08_Food_Scale_Nocost_L_Topic

And click here for some information about events at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, NY, in 1969, widely recognized as a defining moment in the fight for LGBT rights.

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/gay-pride-stonewall-riots/2015/06/10/id/649796/

GARDEN UPDATE

This week, our crop of baby cherry tomatoes has doubled from 3 to 6! The tomato plant is shown at the top of the page. We also continue transplanting our seedlings, re-potting some marigold plants into our original toolbox planter and our new painted terra-cotta pots, which were featured in our Mother’s Day blog. The remainder of our seedlings will be transplanted this weekend. There are some concerns about our pansy seedlings – looking a bit scrawny at this point. We would appreciate any advice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A welcome addition to this year’s garden is this cute flamingo watering can, which we bought in memory of our beloved friend Sondra. She loved gardening and pink flamingos!

“The Earth laughs in flowers.”                                                                                                                     – Ralph Waldo Emerson (Source – goodreads)

Next week: Father’s Day!

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin