keeping with tradition

i mean if take yourself too seriously, how much fun can life be? i think i could rock those glasses again. i am feeling good today, i would say just about as good as my ten (?) year old self up there. with two feet firmly planted in my thirties i am ready for just about anything. and by anything i mean a spectacular day. took the day off from work naturally. spending the first part of the day with the huffsters and the second part with david. and that sounds just about perfect. hope your day is good too, and all you june babies out there, holla back!!

ps. remember jams? sweet.
pps. happy birthday o!

quick like

it seems like most of sewing has been hurried as of late. i take full blame for this, because obviously i would rather be sitting on the porch eating instead of in my dingy basement. who wouldnt really? right. so two gifts later and i have a little, just a little something to show for it. the patchwork pieces above were sewn into little coasters real quick like as a last minute wedding gift. handmade compliment to a wedding gift, these were accompanied by six glasses and a matching pitcher. i knew i wouldnt give myself enough time for an aftershot, so all you get is a before. i will also fully admit to being selfish. how? oh well the original idea was patchwork placemats, but when i pulled out my linen and started figuring just how much i would need i felt a little sick to my stomach. so downsized to coasters and add some pretty from crate & barrel, and everyone is happy. whew.

and then there is the experiment gift. last time i shirred a dress for collette, i kept thinking i could make a adult sized skirt. my sister had a birthday two weeks ago, so i thought hmmm, perfect time to try it out. she doesnt sew a stitch so i knew she would be pleased with anything even if i thought it was crap. nice huh? use family as guinea pigs, check. anyway, so one yard of fabric turned into a big tube and there you go, skirt. and for the more daring 22 year olds i know (you sis) this can also pass as a tube top of sorts, even though i fully disapprove of said piece of clothing. my thoughts on this are next time use more fabric, but when you procrastinate well then. if this were my skirt (not tube top, ugh i even hate the word) i would want more fullness. my sister was thrilled with it as i predicted and david even said, "i like that fabric". i have a thrifted sheet that i am going to have a go at for myself. anyone else try a skirt yet? erin?

verano

ah summer. so glad you are here. officially anyway. we have been waiting impatiently for your arrival. the pool has made an appearence, but so far no public appearances by yours truly and her zone. thanks for the tips ladies. stephanie, boy shorts = brilliance. we have been consuming fruit like mad. seriously. we are burning through a 4lb crate of strawberries and a pound of blueberries a week over here. i personally am consuming one 3lb papaya a week. ok, arlo helps a bit, but thats it. its just me and my bowl full of goodness. i am happy to say that i got my summer postcard swap mailed out yesterday for the official start of the season. thank you to the wonderful andrea for organizing such fun. i suspect she is a girl after my own summer heart.

fathers day came and went. we had a great time relaxing with david. breakfast and dinner out in the same day. luxury i tell you. his requests were simple, new ku hat and flip flops. i even pushed the flip flops on him more or less. sunday eliot gifted him with a tshirt of his own exclusive design. eliot drew that fabulous cyclops a few months back and it has been hanging over the desk ever since. at one point david commented that it would make a great shirt and the thought lodged itself in my brain. so while david was out of town i spent one evening sprawled out on the floor watching a miami ink marathon and cutting the stencil. it was a female dog to cut out let me tell you. which is why although i think it is a rockin' tshirt and i really want one for myself, there will be no others. dang. maybe one day when i get up the nerve to pick up that speedball silk screening kit like myra. just maybe.

the 7 random

allison tagged me for 7 random things a few days back, and wouldnt you know randomly things have been coming to me about myself. funny how that works. ok, so seven things.
1. i have to sleep with some sort of cover in the summer. or more precisely i need the weight of a blanket on me to fall asleep, just the sheet wont cut it. thank goodness someone invented throw sized down comforters so that i can lay under my blanket while david is all spread eagle over there on top of the sheets. how can he possible fall asleep like that? it is beyond me.
2. coffee makes me feel very adult, especially buying coffee at the store. every time i fill my bag with green mountain organic french roast (uh, yum) i have this feeling of being old. i think because as a kid i hated coffee and always thought my parents were wacky for drinking it, and here i am all old with my own pot, grinder and beans.
3. i have freakishly long elbows. i mean it. they are a force to be reckoned with. just ask my friends. who needs mace when you have these puppies? i mean look at that thing, its like a cudgel.
4. i am death to plants. got some basil from melissa, killed it. yes i did. watched toby's bonsai tree, killed it. just got a tomato plant from a guy at work on friday. yes. it is already dead. i dont know why. i watered it. too much? too little? i dont know.
5. i have more than once been told that i am "bawdy", which is so funny to me because i hardly ever curse. i am willing to discuss just about any bodily function in great detail. a, because i find it fascinating, and b, because after working in the field for nine years as an archaeologist you get bored and talk about anything, usually how and where you found a good spot to take a dump, whether or not the soil was too rocky to dig a hole for it, and what ever you do dont go near that tree about 20 meters that way because i promise you will pass out from the stench. awesome. i also personally horrified all my female friends with my detailed descriptions of child birth, but in the long run i think i did them a favor too. i do enjoy a good joke with just a touch of naughty.
6. on the flip side, i was a virgin when i got married. not trying to make any statement. actually among my circle of friends i am in the majority, but i think that puts me in the minority with the general public. probably.
7. i consistently have what i call catastrophe scenarios running through my head. like what would david do with the kids if i died? my mom is late getting to the house, oh i could kill her, but maybe she got in a wreck and is mangled on the side of the road somewhere. they are brief, just a quick run through of the possibilities and then my brain moves on. i dont consider myself a fearful person at all. pragmatic or morbid? who knows.

i could actually go on and on. i have my fair share of oddities, but who doesnt? i have no will to tag anyone else. do it if you feel like it.

late night sweet

a little late for wendy's sweets party, but i do like to have a little bit of something before bedtime. bad habit? perhaps, but it sure does feel good. would you like a slice of lemon yogurt cake? you know it has to be good, the recipe comes from molly. i had mine with some sliced strawberries, blueberries and the littlest dollop of whipped cream. mmmm. oh and did you see my new sweet? love. good night all.

first time

i am taking collette to get her hair cut today for the first time. ever. ever ever. not one strand of hair has been cut with scissors on this girl's head. whew. i have to admit that i am really nervous. i wonder if i will cry? i'll let you know. i love her hair and i hate it. it is a pain in the butt to wash. once i finally get it all lathered up, she has a nervous breakdown while i try to rinse it out. oh and the combing. that happens once every week or so. i know i know. it wouldnt be so bad if i did it regularly, but i swear to you imagine what it might be like to wrestle a male lion down, wedge him between your legs, keep him there while you try to aim some tangle spray in the right places, and then drag a comb through the knots and snaggles, and let's admit it, food that is in there. that is what is kinda like. plus big crocodile tears and sobs that break your heart. not fun. i mean the stuff takes up a third of her total height! so chopping it all off, i figure that is the way to go. i mean if i am going to get her up in that chair (i hope to god she will sit there) i might as well go all the way. i am taking the camera, snacks, and her best friend margot for distraction, and off we go to the darling room. i think amber might be a saint to agree to this.

to june, a bit late.

i had this whole lovely post planned for june first but the day went by me so fast that i just plain missed it. oh well. i do love june, it is my favorite month for many reasons. i am a june baby (yay shari, happy birthday saturday!) and i love summer. just flat out love it. i am already savoring sun-warmed concrete beneath bare feet, smoothies on the porch in the evening, and the sounds of eliot and collette chasing fire flies at dusk. music to my ears. i wish our june this year would continue at this lovely pace, but i already know it wont. david is off to l.a. for work on thursday, leaving me with a four day weekend with the kiddos. zoo and pool are on the docket, if, and i mean a big if, i can manage to get my bikini zone under control if you know what i mean. and i think you do. ugh. but regardless of the crazies coming up this month (dont worry, they are the good things happening kind of crazies) i still firmly plan to enjoy summer.