of the river, St. John's in Jacksonville
Books I'm Reading, this week.
In the morning I sit in my chair with the sun streaming in through
the windows - read the local paper, peruse the many trade magazines that seem to come in every other day, and then I start in on my gardening books. Some days these books can give me just the inspiration I need to go and open the gates at the nursery when the wind is blowing 60mph, snow is falling and the temperatures might not get above 30 -like this last week has been treating us to.
the windows - read the local paper, peruse the many trade magazines that seem to come in every other day, and then I start in on my gardening books. Some days these books can give me just the inspiration I need to go and open the gates at the nursery when the wind is blowing 60mph, snow is falling and the temperatures might not get above 30 -like this last week has been treating us to.This morning I choose a new book that was introduced to me from a friend and fellow gardener, Alice H. The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide by Stephen Albert. A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia, I am hear to tell you, it is a book that no serious gardener or chef should be without. From the soil to the plate, this manual is straight forward and easy to follow. It provides answers to basic and in-depth growing questions. It includes how to plant, how to grow and care for crops, how to harvest, how to store, and how to prepare vegetables and herbs. From asparagus and beet greens to Belgian endive and strawberries, this book helps readers organize a small garden close to the kitchen that offers their favorite, fresh-picked-at-the-peak-of-ripeness small crop. My own juicing garden is getting some revamping this coming season, and with this book in hand it will not only make it easier to plan and plot, but it also is inspiring me to try some new things.
Another that has just came into the store from my buying trip to Atlanta that will be added to my pile at home, What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?), by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth. This book is an EXCELLENT diagnostic tool. I actually bought it for the store so it will be at the information counter if you want to take a look. It breaks down into very simple, easy to read diagrams how to diagnose your plants ails, and fix them organically. Written in Microsoft's famous style of "Did it fix your problem- go to page 120, if not see below", it is a book that all of us can benefit from. (Rose already told me after she unpacked it and had a chance to glance through it, she wants 3 copies)
Got any new books that have inspired you this season? I would love to hear about them. Remember, only a few weeks till Spring is Sprung!! ahhhhhhh, Susan
A day, or two, in my life.....
I’ve been slightly busy this last week doing my best to keep up with my amazing 3 year old grandson, Cash. We have made mud pies, explored a few different bike paths (he on his new bike, me running alongside trying my hardest to keep up), fed the snapping turtle in the pond up the block from his house, gone camping in the front room, had a slumber party, planted some seeds and pruned some mums – and laughed and giggled till it hurts. My newest grandson Carson is just now 6 weeks young, and I can’t wait until he can join us in some of these
shenanigans. For now though just having him tucked into the crook of my arm brings me such a sense of peace and joy. The kids have created an amazing life here in Florida, and I am so very thankful to get to enjoy a piece of it with them. Off for a bike ride, see you soon, SusanThe Fog rolls in......
The fog rolls in, both literally, and figuratively. My mind is a jumbled mess as I try and remember all the booths, all the vendors, all the new product, all the new food, all the...........
Today was our last day at Americas Mart and I left there feeling pretty great about what I had accomplished. By about 6pm I was done!!! My feet and mind couldn't take anymore. After 5 FULL days of running at full speed though I feel pretty excited about the trip. Now if I could only remember everything I ordered, when it is coming in, did I order the same book from 2 different distributors - who cares....it must have been good if I did........ and etc.....
A few shots from today:
I spent some time over in the "Cash & Carry" jewelry area today. This is where a lot of the surrounding areas of Atlanta must shop for their boutiques because you can drop in for the day and purchase just what you need for the month and take it home with you. No shipping, and you can actually pick up the pieces, not just buy from a catalog. There was a feeding frenzy going on in this booth . . . so I had to drop in and see what all the excitement was about....the displays were phenomenal (check out how they hung all the necklaces off the dolls legs), the entire booth was filled with old vintage pieces used in really creative ways....only picked up a few pieces of jewelery here...wish I had more time.....
We use old doors and windows a lot ourselves. I loved the way they did actually place settings on these. Not sure it would be practical for the back patio....but pretty never the less......
Yep, no excuses now.....get him to hang up that picture after he opens his beer......
Think of the possibilities with these "write on chalk mugs".
We use old doors and windows a lot ourselves. I loved the way they did actually place settings on these. Not sure it would be practical for the back patio....but pretty never the less......Yep, no excuses now.....get him to hang up that picture after he opens his beer......Think of the possibilities with these "write on chalk mugs". "Honey, please pick up the milk after work"
"Please stop by the ? on your way home"
"I love you"
Another artsy sculpture I enjoyed..........I can think of one friend that would love this bike sculpture on her back wall in the garden....
Another artsy sculpture I enjoyed..........I can think of one friend that would love this bike sculpture on her back wall in the garden....And the fog did roll in........................we are on the 53rd floor, and when we got back to our room we were greeted with this beautiful vision of the city of Atlanta. A nice way to end the trip. Tomorrow morning it is back to the kids house in Jacksonville, and I CAN'T WAIT to see them again. Melissa will head back to Susanville, Ca, and I will settle in to being Nana again for a few more weeks. It has been a great trip!
Another productive....and fun day!
Running on full speed today to try and catch up .....we have been finding a lot of new people to buy from, touching base with some of our steady suppliers and searching, searching, searching for that something NEW and exciting that will be the perfect fit for our stores. A few shots from today................
New "Younger" scent in Sonoma Lavender. Look for these at Red Zinnia soon.........neck wraps, booties, and the softest robes I have EVER felt.....
Melissa had bought a baabaazuzu hat when we were at Park City a couple months ago on the nursery tour. She has gotten so many compliments on it she wanted to see if we could find them to place an order. The owner/designer was manning the booth this day, absolutely sparkling lovely women, her name is Susan, but she goes by SuSu, and all their hats, scarves, jackets, bags are made in the North East out of recycled, reclaimed wool items. Hence the baabaazuzu name. Great time at their booth, and the order of our hats should be at Red Zinnia by the beginning of the month.........
of course we tried on everything.....
new fire pots coming to Flower Tree......and yes Bob, I will be VERY careful with them...
there was an entire floor devoted to "all things birding" this year. a new huge category ....found these yellow REFILLABLE nyjer feeders.....sure will last a lot longer than the seed socks for those that fill them every day......and did I mention, THEY ARE YELLOW!
more great new bird feeders, or you can use them as planters.......
finally......a well made, guaranteed!!! solar birdbath dribbler.....
didn't order these....but they sure where unique......
No I didn't buy these, but came across the booth and was transfixed by the creative artistry in them - plus ....see the blue canister about mid-way down the middle doll....I have the exact same one at home...........my Mom kept her tea bags in it and every morning when I was little I would get to open it up and get one for her..........you find memories in the strangest places don't you?
New "Younger" scent in Sonoma Lavender. Look for these at Red Zinnia soon.........neck wraps, booties, and the softest robes I have EVER felt..... Melissa had bought a baabaazuzu hat when we were at Park City a couple months ago on the nursery tour. She has gotten so many compliments on it she wanted to see if we could find them to place an order. The owner/designer was manning the booth this day, absolutely sparkling lovely women, her name is Susan, but she goes by SuSu, and all their hats, scarves, jackets, bags are made in the North East out of recycled, reclaimed wool items. Hence the baabaazuzu name. Great time at their booth, and the order of our hats should be at Red Zinnia by the beginning of the month......... of course we tried on everything..... new fire pots coming to Flower Tree......and yes Bob, I will be VERY careful with them... there was an entire floor devoted to "all things birding" this year. a new huge category ....found these yellow REFILLABLE nyjer feeders.....sure will last a lot longer than the seed socks for those that fill them every day......and did I mention, THEY ARE YELLOW! more great new bird feeders, or you can use them as planters....... finally......a well made, guaranteed!!! solar birdbath dribbler..... didn't order these....but they sure where unique...... Just plain good food.......
No Starbucks anywhere close, but I remembered how much my daughter Sara liked Dunkin Donuts coffee when she lived in Maine...............gotta admit, they know their way around an espresso machine................and then we hit the ground running...........lots of floors to cover today...mostly gourmet food/cooking supplies/wine things etc...
I had purchased a few of these Salt Boxes for friends for Christmas at Fox & Obel's in Chicago, imagine how happy I was to find them on the gourmet food floor. Now you will find them at Red Zinnia.....
Cat Cora, only female winner of Iron Chef was on hand for demonstrations
Gotta have something to grind the salt in...
all things wine............exciting huge showroom...
exquisite diamond cut glasses.....Made in USA! this pattern sure appealed to me, reminded me of Stillwater Wildlife Refuge.....and Bob.....
ok all my artsy welding friends, how about making me one of these....
we made it out of the showrooms about 9:30, everything is staying open late because of the storms at the early part of the week. When we had dinner the other night we were waiting for our table and struck up a conversation with two women that were from the area. We asked them where their favorite restaurant was in Atlanta and they both exclaimed "South City Kitchen!!!!!!" in Midtown. We decided we deserved a treat - called them to make sure they were open and see if we needed a reservation - all set - we plugged the address in the GPS when we got back to the car and 10 minutes later we were parked on a side street and sliding into the front door of an old house. No time to go into ALL the details, but all I will say -
I had purchased a few of these Salt Boxes for friends for Christmas at Fox & Obel's in Chicago, imagine how happy I was to find them on the gourmet food floor. Now you will find them at Red Zinnia..... Cat Cora, only female winner of Iron Chef was on hand for demonstrations Gotta have something to grind the salt in... all things wine............exciting huge showroom... exquisite diamond cut glasses.....Made in USA! this pattern sure appealed to me, reminded me of Stillwater Wildlife Refuge.....and Bob..... ok all my artsy welding friends, how about making me one of these.... we made it out of the showrooms about 9:30, everything is staying open late because of the storms at the early part of the week. When we had dinner the other night we were waiting for our table and struck up a conversation with two women that were from the area. We asked them where their favorite restaurant was in Atlanta and they both exclaimed "South City Kitchen!!!!!!" in Midtown. We decided we deserved a treat - called them to make sure they were open and see if we needed a reservation - all set - we plugged the address in the GPS when we got back to the car and 10 minutes later we were parked on a side street and sliding into the front door of an old house. No time to go into ALL the details, but all I will say - IF YOU ARE EVER IN ATLANTA - GO HERE!!!!!
Started with Fried Green Tomatoes with goat cheese, red pepper coulis
Melissa had the She-Crab Soup, with fresh cream, sherry
on to my entree.....as a vegetarian I sometimes do not get the same gourmet experience as those I am with....not this time....check out their "Vegetable Plate" Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, garlic collard greens, fried okra, mac-n-cheese - OH MY .........
we wanted to try a particular wine, and only wanted a glass but it was only offered by the bottle, no problem the wonderful waiter exclaimed.....we seal them up for you! No "open container" problem in this state.
as Melissa said on the way back to the hotel, "That was more than likely, the best meal I EVER had...", I agree. Tomorrow morning we move from our lovely room to an even better location right next door to the Americas Mart. No more driving for the next three days, unless of course, we need to go back to South City for dinner again.
Melissa had the She-Crab Soup, with fresh cream, sherry on to my entree.....as a vegetarian I sometimes do not get the same gourmet experience as those I am with....not this time....check out their "Vegetable Plate" Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, garlic collard greens, fried okra, mac-n-cheese - OH MY ......... we wanted to try a particular wine, and only wanted a glass but it was only offered by the bottle, no problem the wonderful waiter exclaimed.....we seal them up for you! No "open container" problem in this state. as Melissa said on the way back to the hotel, "That was more than likely, the best meal I EVER had...", I agree. Tomorrow morning we move from our lovely room to an even better location right next door to the Americas Mart. No more driving for the next three days, unless of course, we need to go back to South City for dinner again. Overwhelmed.....and Overwalked.....
We started the day buying scarves, moved into indoor accoutrement's, added in more scarves, bought more books, visited with a few celebrities, found more books, more hats and then CRASHED for the day at 10pm. It is off and running again tomorrow...........
Just to cute....... 
another incredible display piece.........
this mirror will be at one of the stores in March....... 
these chandeliers will be at Red Zinnia, and MY HOUSE.....
6' HIGH - Gorgeous vivid red....
Mary Lake Thompson, one of our FAVORITE vendors, Made in USA towels etc, now has developed, JUST FOR US! Red Zinnia !!! Thank you Mary
Melissa, Mary and Me
Loved this display, look for this one somewhere at the store. Recycled newspaper on rope hangers.
Twelve days of Christmas, Lucia will be able to copy this and change it up with her own ideas...
Nice display..........
Awesome! Display
Loved these lights.........
Then we got to meet another of our favorites, The Cake Lady herself, Ann
More scarves..................
so excited about these caps.......they will be at Flower Tree for Spring!
and me............yep, this sums up our day! Tickled Pink!!!
Day 2 Atlanta Gift Show continues....
3 Buildings
58 Floors
6 days.........What's a girl to do?
SHOP!!!!
The journey to the first full day at the gift show started with a freeway packed - icy, "skating" adventure. We are staying in Marietta, which is about 10 miles north of downtown Atlanta. We waited until the sun was shining pretty bright before we drove in, hoping that the roads would be a little clearer and most people would already be on their way. WRONG! But we made it, got checked in and received our buying badges and we hit the ground running. A few pics from the first day, much more tomorrow.
6 days.........What's a girl to do?
SHOP!!!!
The journey to the first full day at the gift show started with a freeway packed - icy, "skating" adventure. We are staying in Marietta, which is about 10 miles north of downtown Atlanta. We waited until the sun was shining pretty bright before we drove in, hoping that the roads would be a little clearer and most people would already be on their way. WRONG! But we made it, got checked in and received our buying badges and we hit the ground running. A few pics from the first day, much more tomorrow.
books - books - books..............today was book ordering day! a kid in a candy store, that was me.....
gobs and gobs of fun colorful gorgeous new aprons and textiles will be arriving soon.....
Michelle, owner and developer of www.mangiocatti.com and me at her booth. I have been looking for something that I love to take the place of the Burt's Bees that we used to carry. This new Home & Body line will be arriving at The Flower Tree in March.
saw some great displays today, this one is for you Michelle!!!! few ideas for your retirement.
Ended the day at Azio, our absolutely favorite little Italian restaurant downtown. It wouldn't be the same if we didn't end our first day here with a wedge salad, Florentine raviolis and a nice bottle of Malbec. Day 1 in ICY Atlanta
First stop on our journey north from Jacksonville was for lunch in Valdosta. You've no doubt seen the bumper stickers that say "We stop for yard sales". Well Melissa and I should have one that says "We stop for Historic Districts" because they seem to call to us from the interstate. It was lunch time when we ventured into Vadlosta and we drove around the blocks to find a parking space and ended up in front of this little diner, Kings Grill. There were other modern little bistros located up and down the street but I said to Mel "Come on, let's go for the local experience". My oh My, were we glad we did. Built in the 1800's, the diner itself was started in the 40's, and the original family is still serving up some good southern hospitality. Melissa went for the full experience, Southern Fried Chicken, creamed corn, broccoli casserole, okra with stewed tomatoes, cornbread and SWEET TEA. From the satisfied look on her face, I would say she enjoyed it!
We made it into Atlanta later on in the evening, on icy roads with crazy drivers, but we are here safe and sound. It is off to the show first thing this morning, more later!!!!!!!
wow
Shelves throughout the diner filled with memorabilia from the last 75 years. Lucia would have LOVED this diner.
We made it into Atlanta later on in the evening, on icy roads with crazy drivers, but we are here safe and sound. It is off to the show first thing this morning, more later!!!!!!!
wowShelves throughout the diner filled with memorabilia from the last 75 years. Lucia would have LOVED this diner.You know you are in the south when the salt shakers are filled with rice. Had to explain this one to Mel, it is to keep the moisture out of the salt.
Amazing little vintage shop....fun and great new ideas to look for at the show.
Amazing little vintage shop....fun and great new ideas to look for at the show.
All About Michelle......
The week started with Michelle's Mom's 80th Birthday party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARION! and then continued on to her last day of full time work at The Flower Tree and Red Zinnia, ended with our annual End of Season party at my house. Lot's of laughs, a few tears........it was a wonderful week, perfectly suited for two of my favorite wonderful women.
