how does your garden grow?

mine is going to grow in boxes.

{I hope}

a few boxes with trellises from Fleet Farm, two made by my neighbor, a few old crates from Hunt and Gather and my Grandma, and one made by yours truly. (Yep I used the tablesaw all by myself.) Rather empowering if I do say so myself.

All the seeds are in, the little seedlings too.

And now while watching the news they say I might need to cover them up tonight.

But that's okay we had sun today and breathed the fresh air all day long. (I even have a little strip of sunburn on my back end. Guess my pants didn't stay up very well when I was bent over.)

linen

love, love love this blog and their online store.

Too bad the exchange rate between the Swedish Kronor and US dollar is not in my favor. I think the linens are absolutely dreamy.

Wouldn't you agree?

(All photos are from their blog/shop)

Craigslist Craft Hutch

Remember this picture?

And this one?

I found this old hutch on Craigslist and it now has a home in my guest bedroom. Those of you who have been to my house might fall off their chair when I tell you this but I have downsized my fabric collection to fit in this hutch and have moved out the entire contents of my sewing room and pared it down enough that it now fits in this hutch and in a small dresser in the closet. I can hardly believe it either.

But it is a good change. I have accumulated so many craft supplies and fabrics over the years that I no longer knew what I had. My tastes have also changed and some of those fabrics needed to move on and find a new home that loved them. (Which they did. I donates them to a local school.)

I also found these treasures at Hunt and Gather a few months ago and they are perfect for stashing craft supplies. I also bought a few for my office at work. Who wants plastic or metal organizers when you can have beauties like these for half the cost? (and double the charm!) I should have snatched more when I had the chance.

So, we will see if my new found craft digs will inspire some creativity......... maybe not until next winter as I love being outdoors every waking minute.

enjoying......

.... this book

"The pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite --- toujours bon appetit!"

Julia Child

{This book is an absolute pleasure to read.}

his first

setting up

lemon or lime?

would you like a sunny lemon butter cookie too?

ummm, this wasn't exactly a get rich scheme but we still had fun.

even though this was our first lemonade stand I don't imagine it will be our last.

for Mother's Day

i was given a perfect gift -

a handmade flowerpot, the seed is a surprise.

I do not profess to be a great photographer, but when spring comes and the whole world seems to burst with color and life I just want to take it all in and give you a glimpse what I am seeing..........

or hearing, like the songbirds that nest in the cherry trees behind our house.

or the joy of playing outside again. apparently some glow-in-the-dark bugs took out the superhero.

the ducks in the creek love our leftover bread.

everyone has to do their part!

plants are popping up every day

robins have built nests in all of our eaves.

spring salads shared with friends

thats a little glimpse of my spring. how does yours look?

to do list

-must go to Trader Joes and beg for wooden wine crates so I can add this element to my garden this year.

(images from style-files)

More info here.

another forgotten post

April seemed like a never-ending month of birthday parties and rain showers. Not that I mind birthday parties but all that cake is hard on a girls waistline. Especially because Aidan and I prefer the same kind of cake: white with white frosting. I can resist a chocolate cake, but all the creamy, white frosting........ mmmmm.

This year Aidan just had a few friends over for an afternoon of Wii (instead of a big party.) I think low-key is definitely the way to go. He had just as much fun as last year but with about half of the work and stress for me. :)

Kitty Grandma was able to come for the party. She ate her first "walking taco." (Aidan's dinner of choice for the day.) Last year Aidan chose fried rice, orange chicken, green beans, oranges......... most of which ended up in the garbage. I would say that walking tacos were definitely a better choice. What kid doesn't love taco meat, cheese and doritos?

like it was meant to be

a few weeks ago a friend gave me this awesome chair.

and a few weeks ago another friend sent me a little package of TLC which included this fabric.

Looks like they were meant to be together!

Thank you ladies!

(and for any observant readers out there. Yes, the green chairs are gone. I sold them for more than I paid for them last weekend.)

And last I heard the table was going out the door this weekend.

catching up

Someone has had a busy month.

Multiple birthday parties, 4 lost teeth, a program, soccer, and lots of bike riding and outdoor play have filled our time.

We took him to Rainforest Cafe at the MOA for his birthday and he had a molten lava birthday cake. Now.... they do advertise free birthday desserts at Rainforest but what they don't tell you is that the free dessert is a tiny little cupcake (which in most circumstances would be totally adequate.) However it seemed that the day we were there every parent in the place upgraded their childs treat to the big, sparkling lava cake with all the fanfare and so we decided to jump on the "bigger is better" bandwagon. We didn't share that info with Aidan though, he thought all he was going to be getting was the little free cupcake - and he was quite gracious about it as well. So you can imagine his surprise when the staff came out with the giant dessert. (let me rephrase that. The expensive giant dessert) Funny thing is, none of us are big chocolate fans so we pretty much just paid for some sparklers and ice cream.

I would say it was well worth the cost though. Aidan really was a trooper when we explained the cupcake was free so that would be our desert of choice. What a kid! He is sitting on the couch beside me as I write this so pardon me while I give him a big squeeze.

paint it black

I saw some pictures on different blogs of black bathrooms and bedrooms. I know I have been painting most of my house white but I couldn't stop thinking about a black bathroom. In my mind black was a logical step. After all the bathroom started white, then was painted grey so what is next?????? (maybe a really dramatic wallpaper?)

I love it.

(The mirror and the vintage florals were all in my sewing room. They are perfect in the bathroom!)

And every time i think about the bathroom this song runs through my head.

I'm a little disappointed

I'd blogged about it.

The date was marked on my calendar.

I even had a gift card.

But nothing. I found nothing. The anticipation was too much I guess. I had been hoping for some breezy neutrals, but instead I found clothes like this. Some things just don't maintain their quality, even at"Tarjay" and so they seemed like bright, cheap knock-offs regardless of the original designer. I think the problem was I was hoping for clothes like this, and maybe even some linen/white/beach-inspired bedding.

The good news is - I still have my gift card! And now that I no longer am saving it for the Calypso St. Barth sale, I am sure I will have no problem spending it.