Bright Sunshiney Day

It's going to be a beautiful, sunny day here. A little cool, but that's OK with me. I think a walk to the farmer's market for fresh donuts is in order!

One of our sunflowers bloomed this week, and another is really close. These are really fun to grow!

Currently Blooming: Zinnias!

I am really happy to say that the zinnias that I grew from seed this year survived and are blooming! I'm just bummed that I let about half the seedlings die because I never finished putting them all in the ground. I think I'll do these again next year; I just love the hardy colorful blooms. I'm torn between cutting a bouquet and leaving them in the yard. :-) I also love the detail on these; I was noticing that little ring of "mini" flowers around the center...so cool.

I took the ones below in one of the "creative" settings on my camera; interesting the difference in color. I need to learn more about those settings. :-)

Seriously

I am in love with the Little Green Notebook blog. If you haven't been reading, you seriously should. I really love all her ideas, but this post today was great and gives me some ideas for my door monogram idea from this post. I also love her bookshelf; I've been looking for a way to embellish my IKEA billy bookcases, and this provides some inspiration. She has a beautiful blog; wander over and have a look. {images via little green notebook}

Summer Recipe Series: Anne's Macaroni Salad

I thought I'd try to fit a couple more recipes into the "series" before summer's over (can't believe it's August already)!

This picture doesn't do it justice, but the macaroni salad that my friend Anne makes is delish. A definite summer barbeque staple. Lots of chopping involved, but it's worth it. :-)

Anne's Macaroni Salad

4 cups of cooked macaroni (about 2 cups dry)

6 hard boiled eggs

3 stalks chopped celery

About 6 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup sliced radishes (optional)

4 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed

Dressing:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups mayonnaise

2 tbsp regular mustard

Mix dressing with a whisk. Add dressing to macaroni and other ingredients. Chill (will be a little runny at first).

Thanks for sharing this recipe with me, Anne. We love it . :-)