Grow Your Blog Party

Today I am participating in the Grow Your Blog Party at 2 Bags Full.

I'm also posting this to Open House and Fertilizer Friday.

About Me:

Hi, I'm Beth, and I've been blogging at Beyond The Garden Gate for three years. I'm retired/semi-retired and love that I have free time to pursue my interests of gardening, travel, baking, Nascar-watching, reading, volunteering, and caring for my pets. I'm a Christian. I live in Iowa and retired from a nursing career two years ago. I have two grown children and a grandson.

 Several years ago, we posed on our front porch.

Good friends and the husband and I on an autumn excursion

About my blog:

My tag line is "My Garden, My Table, My Life" - and I blog about gardening, tea, cooking, travel, and my pets. I usually blog about tea on Mondays and gardening on Thursdays - but this isn't written in stone. In the winter, it's less gardening than in spring, summer, and fall.

Beth's garden:

We have a 1/2 acre suburban lot. Most of the backyard is garden (cuts down on the mowing and gives me room to try new plants every year). 

 I am in love with coneflowers!

 Early spring brings daffodils - I have hundreds of them in my gardens.

 I grow nigella...

 ...and lupines.

 Pale pink hollyhocks

 I grow lilies,

 as well as daylilies.

 Clematis 'Josephine' is a favorite.

I like roses too.

Beth likes tea:

 Here I am at Shay's Tea Room. Two photos below, the food and drink at Shay's.

 Tea at my house, using 'Rose Chintz' by Johnson Brothers

 Cooking: Beth's Cakes:

A decorated cake - wrap it up!

 I took a cake decorating class last year. These are some of my beginning efforts.

Fondant, pretty in pink

Beth's travels:

 Australia

 Las Vegas

Mackinac Island

There's much, much more...but you get the idea.

To view my latest garden post, "The day 500 people walked through my garden," click here.

To view my latest tea post, "Tea and Tulips," click here.