Happy 4th Birthday American Homestead!

Happy 4th Birthday to the American Homestead

blog!  Four years ago today I started my blogging

journey, it also happened to be my birthday so I 

thought that would be good luck.  I had no clue 

about how to blog, I didn't really know how to 

upload photos from my camera and I think I was

a bit shy about writing whatever I wanted for all 

the world to see.  Oh , how times have changed!

My daughter sent me off to eastern Europe four 

years ago with an index card with a few instructions 

written on it and somehow I figured out how to do it.

Avalon, our American Homestead, has been filled with 

people who have come to visit for Thanksgiving week.

Kasey, our Hawaiian daughter (Kate's former college

roommate) lives on the beach in Hawaii but makes us

happy by spending some of her Thanksgivings with us.

Last night, to kick off my birthday celebration, she made

me Haupia ~ a coconut custard that tastes like a pina 

colada, it was delish!  Thanks Kasey! (And Kasey's Mom

who sent out the mix from Hawaii).

It has been a busy week of movie watching, talking and

feasting.  Photos of our feasts will be sure to show up on

future blog posts.  

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and thank 

you for visiting the American Homestead!

Orioles at Avalon!

This is one of those amazing things that happen 

in my life ~ little things that let me know I am

taking the right path.

Each summer I decide on a theme for the season,

things like the Summer of Pie or the Summer of Fun.

This year I am calling the Summer of Home.

Our kids will be home this summer, BB will be arrive

next weekend and KK leaves for Spain next week but 

will come home to spend the summer with us in June.

KK starts her Senior year next year and BB plans to 

be studying abroad so this may be the last summer

 we will all be together at home before they head out

to their own apartments and beyond.

The past two summers have flown by, I have done 

nothing but work and though it has all been very

exciting, I need a bit more balance in my life.  I want

to enjoy my home and my gardens and have time to

watch the birds in my yard.

Mr. Wonderful was headed out to the home improvement

store this afternoon and I asked him to pick up a few 

thistle feeders because we love our finches.  I then said

we should think about getting an Oriole feeder this year

because I'd love to be able to attract Orioles, which we 

have never seen in our yard in the 20 years we have

lived here.

I went up to the kitchen to get a photo of the

Irish Tea Bread I made today.

I spotted a Cardinal at the platform feeder in the

crab apple tree and had to take a picture.

As I was looking through the view finder of

the camera I saw a flash of orange and thought 

it must be a Robin.  Then I looked out into the 

back of the yard and saw the brilliant flash of

orange that belongs to a Baltimore Oriole.

At first I thought I was going a bit nuts since I

had just had the Oriole feeder conversation within

the last hour.  But no, it really was a Baltimore 

Oriole ~ in my yard!

The only other time I have ever seen an Oriole was

back in June of 1996.  I wrote it down in my birding 

book.  We had friends that lived about 30 minutes 

from us and Orioles spent the summer on their 

acreage.

Mr. Oriole was thirsty and stopped for a 

drink in the birdbath by the lilac.

Someone is saying stop hogging the feeder

Mr. Cardinal!

There were five Baltimore Orioles all together

though I could only get three of them in the

picture at one time.

I called my sister and she could see them from 

her deck, after they flew into the woods, my sister

got her bird song book and we kept playing the

call for the Oriole and they would answer back.

It was so much fun!

I have definitely taken this as a sign that this 

Summer is perfect for the Summer of Home...

Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration can be found in

your own backyard.  Need some color

or pattern inspo ~ look to nature.

Here are a few visitors to Avalon 

today, they inspire me all the time.

For the Birds

Party at Avalon!

The birds that live here at Avalon are very lucky, they had a great Christmas.

A new sunflower feeder.

A new thistle feeder.

A new wild birdseed feeder.

A lost feather in the snow.

The Purple Martin House that only sparrows use.

The Butterfly Garden.

We love our feathered friends and feed them to bring them into our yard.

I am often distracted from work by the beautiful birds that come to visit us.