Cascading upwards
Magnificently confused
A few shy blossoms
Tag: homesteading
This is a Serious Bag…
Serious in that, I decided to go big. Without reservation, I took those brilliant rainbow hexagons and cobbled them into one mother of a beach bag. How big? In the picture above there are no less than three gigantic beach towels tucked inside, and there’s still plenty of room to spare.
Serious? Long handles to swing over your shoulder without worrying about it bumping into anything else that might be hanging there.
Handles crocheted with two strands of worsted weight cotton and doubled up on each other….that kind of serious….
The lining? A repurposed pillow case….because a serious bag should have a seriously competent lining. But mostly I thought it was pretty…and easy….I cut the top off, hemmed it, and stitched it in. Easy is cool…and serious….
This is a vacation bag, and this girl is going on vacation! Have a wonderful weekend and week my friends!
Haiku for the Weekend
They wilt in the sun
Unwilling participants
In this family fun
I’m loving this!
I don’t get to make it everyday, but when I do, I’m very happy. The perfect home-brewed latte. Brew Cafe Bustelo (or your favorite espresso) on the stove top…
Heat fat free milk – I nuke it for a minute or so….the mason jar is a requirement because I give mine a good shake before heating. Your call-if you like a little foam (and I do like a very little foam)…
Then I get out one of my favorite cups-today’s happened to be this mossy Frankoma number….I squeeze a small amount of light agave syrup in first, followed by the espresso (quantity varies by taste-I like mine strong!) and the the hot, frothy, milk. Spoon out a bit of foam and dollop it on top. Delicious!
Independence!
We were thankful for our midweek Independence. So easy to take our freedom for granted. So difficult to imagine the realities of those who have never tasted it.
We embraced the day and gave into a couple of kiddos who couldn’t wait for night fall to pop their treasured fireworks!
Summer-ing…
It’s been an incredibly busy week. We are a household in chaos. Drama camp, Sewing camp, Vacation Bible School, two full time jobs….it’s depleted all of us. The children are fussy, the parents are fussy, the uncut grass is tall, the laundry is piled in a chair, and takeout reigns supreme.
But this morning, I had a few minutes…
To look around…to enjoy things that are beautiful today…in this moment…
The morning glories have overtaken my favorite birdhouse. I love the messy opulence of it…
The illusion of the trailing vines spilling onto the ground…as opposed to their herculean effort of reaching toward the sun.
Zinnias so bright and beautiful that I had to capture them, just for a moment.
And bring them inside with a little Lantana
and Lemon Balm….heady stuff!
Just a few minutes of peace and purpose, tucked in at the end of a flurry of summering.
A Retreat from the Heat…
This week, I opted to play with hexagons. I think I love them….I actually had a pattern delivered to my email inbox that used these colors, and I knew immediately, I must make them…Big, beautiful rainbows….love!
Haiku for the Weekend
…Ode to Diet Dr. Pepper
Water you are not
But you are so delightful
When it’s so freakin hot
Have a refreshing weekend!
Bookmarked…
“Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it”…P.J. O’Rourke
Before I was a compulsive hobbyist, I was a compulsive reader. At any given time, I have three or more books in progress. It’s just how I roll. There have been many times in my life where a book took precedence over just about everything. Have you experienced that wonderful inability to make yourself stop reading?
Today, I thought I’d share what I’m reading now…
We are all about literature for young readers at my house. Sure, sure, it’s because we have a ten year old, but it’s also because Phil and I love adventures!
I recently watched several episodes of the BBC series Merlin, and it stimulated memories of Mary Stewart’s classic Merlin trilogy. I loved these books when I first read them, and Whitney’s looking for her next “series”, so I decided to read them again.
I just finished The Crystal Cave and started The Hollow Hills. They’re wonderful, but not at all as I remembered. I’m not sure that Whitney is ready for them, because you know, lots of sex and adult themes (predictably). Oddly, I didn’t remember that at all. You really do get something different out of a story every time you read it. It also might have something to do with the fact that it’s probably been 25 years or so since I read them the first time.
On the non-fiction end I’m reading on a few different subjects…
In Greg’s Garden, a Pineywood Perspective on Gardening, Nature and Family by Greg Grant is a collection of essays by a well-known Texas horticulturist. The essays are knowledgeable and folksy and it’s a great guide for “native” plant species.
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau – In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and from that group he chose to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies.
Sew Everything Workshop: The Complete Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide by Diana Rupp-I’m actually taking Diana’s sewing class on Craftsy and the book was “strongly encouraged” for the class. It’s a good well-balanced overview/tutorial for sewing, however, and has been beneficial for my sewing “do over”.
What are you reading this week? What’s books are on your reading “wish list”?
Awards are Nifty!
I’m always thankful and moderately amazed to get feedback on my ramblings. I’m still fairly new to blogging, and I’m not sure when you become cavalier about being “read” or “followed”, but I do know that I’m not there yet. I am completely susceptible to flattery. It’s just how I roll.
I’ve been passed two very thoughtful awards this week.
Seasonsgirl forwarded the Sunshine award. Her blog is lovely and certainly brings sunshine to my day!
Marsha Lee at Streaming Thoughts bestowed the One Lovely Blog Award. Her blog is a wonderful blending of her thoughts on blogging and life in general.
The rules for these two awards vary, so I’d like to give both of them to a handful of blogs that are lovely and bring sunshine.
The Giraffe’s Hat-whimsical and colorful
House of 34-stylish and funny
Stir and Stitch-talented and tasty
By Number 19-crochet wizardry
Oh Sew Tempting-amazing patchwork
Chic Envelopements-radical refashioning
They’re all fabulous! Take a moment and check them out.
Now, I’m supposed to tell you guys 5 or 7 or 11 or 600 things about myself. So hard. I think I’ll aim for three. I’m all about setting achievable goals 🙂
1. I listen to NPR whenever I’m in my car. I don’t know when it happened. One day I listened to a wide variety of music. The next day, I had crossed over to all talk radio all the time. I can’t tell you what songs are top 40 and I don’t know who most of the new artists are. This morning I busted out of my rut and listened to Def Leperd, the Pretenders and 50 Cent.
2. I can’t tolerate reality TV. Because of this I’m hopelessly out of the loop at the water cooler. I didn’t even watch Dancing with the stars this season. I have, however, tuned into A&E’s Duck Dynasty twice in the last week. Not sure what’s happening there…it’s kind of like watching a wreck.
3. I have three favorite drinks currently: 1) Latte made at home with Cafe Bustelo, fat free milk, lightly sweetened with agave syrup 2) Dripping Springs Vodka with Fresca 3) Diet Dr. Pepper from the Sonic
What’s your favorite drink this summer?
Such the Like... 