Blogger Showcase

Welcome to my first weekly blog series showcasing other blogs. One thing I love to do each morning is read other people's blogs. I find so much encouragement, real-life living in these blogs, and would love to share some of what these fantastic folks are doing with you. Some of these blogs will most likely be familiar to you, as many of us run in a similar circle. Others, I hope will be new to you, and will help us all open our circles to new and wondrous ideas and thoughts.

This week, I am showcasing 5 Orange Potatoes.

Lisa, over at 5 Orange Potatoes is such an inspiration to me. Mother to her two Little Ladies, she dreams up ever-fascinating ways to keep the dreams of childhood alive and well. I have often wished I was present in her household by the way she describes the fairy-sewn leaves in her yard or how she finds just the right vantage from which to watch bees sleeping. Daily, she has new and exciting ways to encourage her daughters to explore and discover the earth and all the marvelous aspects of it - things that we often take for granted, now being adults and oh so far from childhood ourselves.

For example, in this post, she helps the girls explore Queen Anne's Lace flowers, to see who lives inside them. Now, I have these flowers in my yard. The first time I saw them come up, about 8 years ago, I was enchanted. When I mentioned how lovely they were to my landscaping friend, she snorted, "Oh yeah - they're great, for a noxious weed". Yikes. I have since discovered how annoying they can be if left untamed - they took over my yard with their loveliness - and happen to be listed on the intrusive weed list for Massachusetts. But to see how Lisa explores the QAL with her daughters is just perfect. It made me smile and hope that I hadn't pulled every single flower out of my yard, so I could go out and look inside them. And here, she shows how they used dye to make 'fireworks' out of QAL - another reason not to completely quell the overgrowth in my yard!

And here, Lisa gives a recipe for Lavender Chocolate Cake. Lavender cake!!!??? Oh yes. Divine. And I can vouch that it tastes as good as it looks. I think lavender is one of my favorite herbs. I had never had the courage to cook with it before, only using it for scenting oils, soaps and cleansing waters. But pair it with chocolate, and all of a sudden, cooking with lavender sounds tempting. Scrumptious, even. You have to try it.

Check out Lisa's Blog, 5 Orange Potatoes. She is a beautiful crafter, and has lovely ideas for how to keep kids busy on long, hot summer days. And tune in next Tuesday to see if your blog will be featured here!!