summer gingham

This summer is going by so fast. I have been away from home for most of the past two weeks and didn't realize how long it had been since I posted! It really is hard to post away from home. I guess it is because I have been so busy. Last week Michael and I took a couple of days to go to the beach for our anniversary. And this week the kids and I are visiting my parents for Vacation Bible School at their church. And somehow my sister convinced me to help her teach crafts to second graders. OK, you know I am loving that. The kids are so excited every night!

In the few days we were home, I was able to get a few projects completed. I make clothes for Lucy all the time, but I have made only a couple of skirts and pajama pants for myself. I have decided to start making more of my own clothes. I mean, I have the ability, so why not? The other day I picked up several new patterns. My favorite was Simplicity 2593 by Cynthia Rowley. The same day I picked up the patterns, the gingham was on sale 50% off. And I love gingham. So here is my completed top...

For the neckline, you basically have a tube of fabric that you twist and place how you want and stitch it to the tank shell. I have to admit, that part was a lot of fun. Here is a detail of the front of the neckline...
And the back...
I have already worn this top and I love it! It is so comfortable and even after packing, the top didn't wrinkle! I was surprised because it is 100% cotton.

I will have to share the other projects once I am back home in a few days. I will also have a few more by then because I have to make a few things for our family reunion auction. Stay tuned!

garden treats

In early May we planted out little "garden." We planted these tomatoes. The plant is taller than me! I have a tomato cage around it, but I also had to tie it to the porch railing. It is quite the rigged up plant, but I had no choice. The tomatoes have finally started to ripen and that little beauty above was our first treat. 

We also planted a jalapeno plant. It has been producing like crazy for several weeks now. It is currently loaded with peppers. And they are particularly hot. For my green salsa I usually use two regular size peppers from the grocery store, but with this plant, I only have to use one small one and it is still hotter than the two from the store! Every time I cut into one, it takes my breath away.

We also planted some sunflowers, but they haven't decided to show their smiling faces just yet. The flower buds are just started to appear, so it shouldn't be too long before they are blooming. I also planted my first rose bush, but I keep forgetting to take pictures of the blooms. They only bloom one at a time, but they smell divine!

All this talk about my little garden reminds me that I need to go water it before our scorching heat appears. And then we are going to take a trip to the new pool at the park. Yay for summer!

happy 40

My very sweet and amazing husband celebrated his big 4-0 two days ago. We had a great day with his parents in town...lunch at one of our favorite spots, a little hanging out in the afternoon and a Braves baseball game that night. We will celebrate some more this weekend with friends coming over. Have I mentioned how fantastic my husband is? Well, he is. And I think 40 suits him quite well. I love you honey!

scrappy

About two months ago I found a link on Rubyellen's blog for this necklace. I fell in love with it immediately. What a perfect use for fabric scraps! And the colors she used made me swoon. So pretty. I decided to try my hand at it and I really love the outcome. I made each of the strands using the same muted fabrics. But, I love the idea of making more of these using different colors and fabrics for each strand. Here is a bit of a closer shot of the braids. Each fabric seemed to turn to the reverse side as I braided, but it just added to the muted effect.

At the back of the necklace you sew all of the strands together. I decided to also add this button. Because, well, because I love buttons.

She also has a tutorial for a very cute bag. I am going to have to make one of those, too!

why did the rooster cross the road?

One day last week, as we were pulling up to our house, we noticed a girl hanging out of her car window taking a picture of something with her phone. As we got closer we noticed that it was our rooster, Cary Grant. He had gotten out of the coop and the yard and was prancing down the sidewalk. I guess the girl found him pretty entertaining and I must admit, although we have had chickens in the city for several years now, it is still a bit funny to see them out of the yard. And actually, he didn't cross the road...at least not while we were around. We were able to quickly and safely guide him back in the yard and he seemed eager to get there, too!

We had a bit of a bump in the road this week as Lucy came down with a stomach virus for a couple of days. She is back to her normal self today and thus, we are back to the task at hand. Have a great Thursday!

stuff

Don't you love the way I post about coming back to the blog after an unexpected break, and then I don't post for over a week? Yeah, me neither. But, I am back this time. I think it took me a little more time than I expected to get back into the groove around here. And see that photo above? That is the kind of stuff I am working this morning. And rest assured that the other side of the room looks pretty much the same. Stuff is just tossed everywhere in the room. The room stayed pretty much tidy during the school year and in the last few weeks it has gotten out of control. 

I have been slowly working through the house cleaning out the clutter. I find that I am a much happier and pleasant person when the house is clean and simple. We are planning on having a yard sale this weekend. And what doesn't sell goes straight to the thrift shop. It better not even look back toward the house!

Oh, and you probably can't tell, but in the photo, perched on the top of all that stuff, is this book. I checked it out at the library and love it! I am planning on getting my own copy. The recipes look great and the photos are quite lovely. I also love the way the recipes are written...very conversational. Larkin actually asked me to read it to him one afternoon!

OK, off to tackle more clutter. And don't worry, this week is not going to be all about me cleaning. I have some other stuff to post!

unexpected

Wow. I guess May was an unexpected blog break for me. I had no intention of taking a break; it just happened. And I guess I needed it. May was a busy month around here. We wrapped up homeschool for the year, went to the beach for a week (don't be jealous...it rained rained five days out of the six we were there for a total close to 24 inches of rain...I'm still not over it...let's move on). And now we are back home trying to transition from school mode to summer mode. I have several things to post about from the past month, and I plan on getting back into full swing next week. I just wanted to pop in to let you know that I am still around! Happy Weekend!