happy birthday to me

awesome cake pan set from williams-sonoma.

how time flies ....

this past weekend, it actually SNOWED! not much, but it was so pretty coming down. and, it's been so cold since then, it's not all melted away. instead, it's all ice.


in getting things together for christmas, mom and i made some christmas light balls during the thanksgiving holiday. we made the chicken wire balls at her house, and then i brought mine home to wrap the lights and hang.


they are crazy beautiful when i come around the corner at night, and they glow on the porch.


this one is my favorite. i did 2 solids and a multi, and i'm surprised how much more i like the multi colored ball.

when i went to the hardware store for the cords to plug them into, i got the wrong cords. i thought i was buying a cord with multiple plugs in intervals, but instead, i bought a 'value pack' of two 9' cords and one 6' cord. but, as it turned out, that ended up being better. so, happy mistakes!

somedays ....

.......... when you think it's all about you, it's NOT.

planning ahead

once AE begins, and 'til late winter, i don't expect to have much free time. i'm trying to plan ahead, and get some things done while i DO have the time.

i made shark pillowcases for the kids (and mom) when we went to the beach this summer, and thought a different theme would be nice for the holiday season.

i stopped by mary jo's on the way home last time, and found a few fabrics for the pillowcases.







i used the same pattern as before. it's quick to sew, though the pattern does not take into account directional fabrics/nap. i know there's lots of tutorials online for doing your own pillowcase, but i'd rather spend $2 on a pattern and NOT have to think too much about it.

i plan on giving these to the kids at thanksgiving, so they can be enjoyed through the holiday season.

flight

i'm also a sucker for jewery by Fossil.

pandora

putting me in a Pandora store is kinda like opening the box of evils. so many pretty things! and so expensive! and it all fits into a TINY bag!




first clip with cz's.


second clip, solely oxidized silver


retired posey charm with brown cz.

plus, not photographed, christmas surprise for mom!

soup is good food

last sunday, i had a really great time in the kitchen making this soup. i hadn't cooked "for the fun of it" in awhile. i wanted to try something new, and found a nice recipe from one of my crockpot books.


the recipe calls for dicing or mincing all ingredients. i cut up the sweet potato probably smaller than i really needed to, but i wanted to make sure it cooked all the way through during the crockpot time.


and of course, who would had known that chopped up sweet potato would need a bowl BIGGER than the actual sweet potato?!


and, i got to use my garbage bowl. i really love this thing. i know i could use other bowls, but i like this one. it goes with all my other vintage kitchenware, and it's very useful and a time saver.

no pictures of finished soup, but after it was finished cooking, i pureed it with my stick blender.


i swear, these things are the best things ever!

the soup was/is delicious! i would make it again. it's quite filling and full of good stuff =)

perfect way to end the summer

though it's not officially end of summer, it will be soon ... (though, the heat will linger).

last night was the last night of the summer series at the NCMA. i called a few friends (from the 80's) so we could re-live our teenage angst.

the feature of the night was ...


we had dinner at the museum's restaurant before the show. after dinner, we scrambled to find our spot in the grass just before the screen.

we laughed when many others did not. maybe because they hadn't lived it, or hadn't seen the movie as many times as i or my friends had seen it.

hello

"hello" mr/ms praying mantis! hmmm ... i do wonder how one tells the difference between the sexes. it's late, i should be in bed, and i'm not going to google how to tell the difference. so, here's A praying mantis on the sign just above the gas pump on my trip home last weekend.


that's a pretty good shot with my wee point'n shoot camera too!

jibbitz

i got some new crocs last week. they're a very bright green (my favorite color, by the way). and they needed some decorations. now that's all said and done, i realize i forgot to take a picture of the first jibbitz i bought for my crocs ... a shamrock.

but, here are the others. the goofy is for mom for her crocs, but i had ordered a few including hers, so i took its picture too:

love the radio

not the best picture in the world, but still ... a picture. this is/was my wee satellite radio receiver that was stolen at the beach. my dad has the same unit, and he gave it to me. YAY!

i love satellite radio. and i tried out a new station tonight, ... it's called "the bridge". LOL. oldies, but not classic oldies ... instead, a mix of lite & easy favorites from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. and then this john denver song came on, and i was "i LOVE john denver!".

one more beach picture ....

i saved this one to my phone ....

beach 2010

came/saw/went/had fun/got robbed/still enjoyed/mean people suck!

stuart (and lucy's) first beachtrip (in US).

getting ready for the beach!

how does one get ready, other than making a list, checking it ... like, 5 times?! or more?

of course, i decided on "party favors". i mean, how much fun would it be to go to the beach (and rendezvous with family) and bring some homemade pillow cases?

the fabric stores here are lacking. i still say the best place in the world for variety and prices is Mary Jo's in gastonia, nc. but here, all i had was a joann's fabric store.

i wanted something beach-themed, but only found a cotton print with SHARKS.

so, everyone is getting a shark pillow case.




the pattern did not take into account a directional print, and i could not be bothered ... so the sharks swim up&down vs. side-to-side. big WHOOPS.

they were pretty quick to sew. and i will likely make more in the future. they're so fast, and way cheaper than store-bought. plus, you can use ANY fabric/print you choose!

ps.

here are the bathing suits. i kept 2 bottoms (one black, one brown), and one top EACH to coordinate.

i kept the top two. i liked all of them, but could not justify the expense for someone who hides from the sun.

shopping with 75% off

umbrella by totes ... supposedly for mom, but i really like the yellow.

pointy flats from 'lucky brand' ... $18 on sale.

bronze flats by 9 west, $15 on sale.

semi-precious stone bracelet by fossil, 75% off retail.

totally costume, by monet ... 75% off

another bracelet by fossil, 75% off

necklace by fossil, 75% off.

so fake (necklace) , by givincy (sp?) ... 75% off.

butterfly 16" chain by fossil, and my current favorite, 75% off.

ps. did i mention i went to the store to return my excess of bathing suit tops?!

cinco de julio

what a fabulous holiday !!! i went to visit leanne & will, ... just a quick overnight trip. i always have such a good time when i visit them.

highlights: got to spend time with amazing old friends, ate spectacularly, got pecked by a rooster, knitted endlessly on my sock, brought home farm fresh eggs, tomatos, and plums, watched cable tv, slept like a rock, and got a bunny (as seen with food).


see the bunny ?!
dinner (before):


dinner (after):


old mamie loves her box:


and freida is stalking me (he's the one that pecked me)(ouch!)(drew blood):