Summer projects

catching up online...

a few artsy project ideas via 100 layer cake and (opps!)

my laundry room needs some work so i'll be showing this the handy man via Dottie Angel

i think i have some empty frames downstairs to pull this off... and there is a blank space above my computer here...i think this was from knack i need to keep track better and with all my upcoming free time (!!!!!) I will

i need to learn to sew because how cute is this skirt by Meg Mcelwee.

i'm thinking of making some favors for the upcoming reunion... this is from oh hello friend...

these hanging cranes are adorable from oh sweetnuthin...

not sure where i came across this quote but i've internalized this the past few years... found it via dianty squid it's from parker fitzgerald 

and from one of my oldest blog favorites Rosy Little Things a felt memory book...

Retirement receptions- check

Graduation practice- check

Awards Day- check

Graduation- check

next up Teacher Gathering, Last Teacher Work Day, Library Inventory, Reunion

intermission- beach vacation baby!

after graduation yesterday my boss took a few of us out to dinner at Claddagh Irish Pub... yumsters. i had the best baked cod ever covered in cilantro and resting on sliced squash. i will be returning for it.. but will not partake of the bread pudding again. they really did not do justice to that.

and once again... THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! 

and they came back with more maleness seeping out of their pores from all the male bonding this month...

Saturday sanity~

a much needed rest today sandwiched between 2 of my toughest days of the year... appropriating my own therapy with cleaning, gleaning, laundry, and creating.

i have yet to watch an episode of Parenthood without getting choked up...

i can smell the honeysuckle from my deck...

i was taking down the winter wreath (left up so long because of the bird's nest) and found one egg unhatched. a little blue robin's egg... awh that's not good.

I love the "wink murderer" game!
Smile and Wave is hosting a giveaway and asking enterers to leave a comment about their favorite camp song or game. someone posted...
"To play, make a scrap of paper for each person. On only one, write the word “murderer”. Fold up all the pieces of paper and put them in a hat, or the like. Each person selects a piece of paper and looks at it without showing the other players. Whoever gets the “murderer” note, must try to “kill” the other players without being caught. Murder is committed by winking at a player. That player must see the wink. When this happens, he/she is required to keel over and pretend to die. If the murderer is caught winking by anyone other than the current victim, he/she loses and the game is over. " 
i forgot about that one and i love it! i'll have to introduce bubba.

Albatross

Awards Day and Graduation are the albatrosses of my year. today went better than expected in some respects... and worse in others. enough about that because i'm almost through... then summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime, summertiiiimme. ahhh.

this weekend will be very restful and reflective...

another blogging plus+ i realize the generosity around me... today i was gifted with so many compliments and thanks. it really started the toughest day of my school year off right. they liked my dress. my hair. my shoes. great program. they appreciated my energy. my effort. my organization. my clear thinking. it is so nice to be appreciated. your welcome.

Meanderings..;;

Last night I had Mahi fish tacos at Rock Bottom then heard Helen Hunt speak at the Aronoff. Hunt was good but very distant and detached... she said she is very introverted and private but we've come to expect a little more warmth at the series. Her main point was  people with secrets are more interesting... hmm.

two times a year i reassess and set goals... new year's (obviously) and then when the school year ends...
Next Year I vow to +
Look for the Good in Things
Spread Good Vibes
Eat the Same Simple Breakfast and Lunch Each Day
Be More Creative in the Library to Promote Books

you know why i love anthropolgie? they use the word frock to describe their dresses. frock.

tomorrow is it then i get to lay back, take pictures, meander through blogs, read, walk marina and generally recuperate.....

Paddle boarding wannabe

Looks by Lauren Moffatt via Daily Candy's email. loving the ease of the poses...

another summer project to try... i have a gazillion stamps already so this would be a cheapy...

i saw this image of Jennifer Aniston paddle boarding about a year ago and i fully intend to try and track one down on our upcoming vacations bc i think this would be awesome on our lake...OH YEAH! the lady who is renting to us in Fort Lauderdale just emailed to say they have free surfing and paddle boarding lessons on Saturday mornings!! i. am. so. excited!

listening to the American Idol Finale and no grown man should say "i think it was totally dope man" seriously randy how old are you? can't go wrong with either finalist this year i really like them both...

any favorites?

watered my sickly plants today... what's wrong? seriously great weather, drinks served up what is the deal?

i hate that i don't get to read much in may... magazines a few minutes before bed and that's about it. i need to finish 2 books by next thursday for book club and quite frankly i don't see it happening...

i was just thinking... i am a planner. i put groups together all the time. book clubs. lecture series. shopping trips. family vacations. extended family vacations. retirement parties. staff parties. i like doing this because with how busy i am i know if i didn't do this i would just come home everyday and chill. i need to force myself to get out there and make relationships. this i know but what i just realized is that hubby does the same thing. i didn't see it before. fishing trips. fishing tournaments. golf outings. hmmm how 'bout that. for two people who are so different yet another way we are more alike than different...

June 30th

"I'll fight for you Bella until your heart stops beating..." feel like you need a little teenage drama? this should do the trick! ok i'm not a Twilight freak but i am exited and this trailer is the best one out there...

Boys will be Boys?

so my favorite little road again... we see deer, cows, horses, a male pheasant, a hawk and turkey about everyday but this guy is new in the neighborhood... i didn't have my big camera with me but luckily my compact was in my purse so he posed for some shots...

i like this idea for a lampshade on Design Sponge.

picked bub up from a friend's house yesterday and gained 2 more boys... have you any idea how much food 3 preteen boys eat. if not then here is a visual. when we came how with the 3 i set out snacks for them to graze on because i have come to realize most people eat way more than my family does. then about 9pm they were starved from fishing, digging and battling it out on game systems to visited the local Skyline Chili. 2 root beer floats, 2 three ways and 4 coneys later we returned home. this morning we stopped for drinks and donuts on the way to services. afterward we frequented Gold Star where this guy scarfed down a mound, yes mound of 4 cheese coneys and a soda. Before. After. then they swam, lounged in a hot tub, wrestled (one bloody nose coming right up) then we all ended up at CiCi's pizza where the same said kid ate 6 pieces of pizza! man alive. seriously. i sat in 2 restaurants today without eating a bite. i however had tilapia with bruschetta and brie, green beans, new potatoes and corn on the cob. yumsters. 

summer project via Poppytalk. and the earrings below via Shortstack Goods. 

and i have some serious scrapbooking to do with all the inspiration from Tattered Angels...

Saturday sanity~

i missed a few blog days there... once again i forgot how painful may is... so above are some of the creations from last weekend. yes i know mother's day just passed but i consider it early for next year! i'm particularly excited about my beach countdown spinner!

i love that i wake up early (having fallen asleep on the couch at 9pm during our 'romantic evening sans child') and go walk with marina...then realize i get to stay home all day today!

oh and i love when i wake up make my daily trek to the scale and find out i made a milestone! down 9 lbs since jan which is a lot slower than i'd hoped but puts me in a another 10's i haven't seen in awhile.

hubs and i went to our favorite mexican restaurant last night, Acapulcos in Milford. We like seeing the same girl every time and that she recognizes us when we visit. Their chips, salsa and white cheese could be our meal but hubs always goes for the burrito and i skip around the menu. i love their mexican soup of chicken, avocados, rice and broth. yum. last night i had a chicken and spinach quesadilla that was cheesy deliciousness.

Yard Sale Treasure Map looks promising on The Dainty Squid's blog. i haven't yard saled much the last few years bc i'm trying to pair down what i have but i can see the potential of this tool.

hubs and i made our green smoothies this morning after being too swamped this past week...

Marina and i met some neighbors on our walk this morning. of course i took her collar off this morning b4 walking and we meet a man on a recumbent bike and his chocolate male lab... but marina obeyed her lay and stay command and the guy was amazed... on the second pass he stopped to see if i'd let them meet and sniff. sure. until his dog tried to bite marina's nose... anywho those boys can be tricky! but we chatted for a long time and he was a very entertaining senior... those retirees are nothing if not chatty!

i love the word succulents, although i don't really understand what they are. Faux Fuchia had a pic today on her post and i said 'ohh' but still saying the word has to be more fun than growing them... can you believe the word succulents came up twice today (oh, hello friend)

i've been working on my iTunes playlists lately... work, my poolside... cleaned off my desk and swear (again) to keep it that way... did laundry, dishes...

We all have the same amount of time people!

organizing my 20 year high school reunion... very time consuming at my busiest time of the year (award's day, graduation, inventory...) anywho these people are procrastinating and not really chipping in much to find class members... they are all so busy you know... i'm trying to keep from shouting WE ALL HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME PEOPLE. i mean i hold down a full time job, do my own housecleaning, have a child that talks my ear off and needs constant attention ( :) ), a husband and the best dog ever. i. do. not. have. an. abundance. of. free. time. but when something is important you give the gift of your time. (breath) ok so i'm ok. whoever comes comes and i can only do so much.

The boys are back in town...here are some good Lake Sinclair Michigan pics

went to the grocery today and hit the jackpot bc my kroger's had a whole endcase of discontinued organic/healthy frozen foods... squash, green beans, edamame, boca's and all kinds of goodies. quick go to's this summer.

Goals Progress 2010:
oh darn it i'm out of time :)

Basketcase

i listened to Tony Judt, an author/historian surviving with ALS, speak with terry gross on NPR's Fresh Air about how he rises above it. he doesn't believe there is a bigger lesson to learn. he says he focuses on what he can do not what he can't. it's happening to him and he is still writing and using what he has... his wife is a dancer and he still watches with wonder and appreciation how she moves and doesn't focus on the fact that his physical body is limited. wow...

THE BOYS ARE BACK! they were home when i came home today with my camera. hmmm did i miss them or my camera most??? ok them. 4 days gone and i was a busy bee and still missed them terribly. i had big plans to get all kinds of things done. not so much. first words from hubs? "wow you look great babe (yes that is how he refers to me often) that's a bloggable outfit." i love the springy cardi and shoes since it's like 50 degrees today. i have on 4 layers here. two tanks, a tee and a cardi and still froze all day. i'm blogging only after switching into a thermal and hoodie. i love this little necklace. a birdie on a scrabble piece. with ribbon. is there anything sweeter? i have a twilight one, a halloween one and a life is good one. ahhh. 

it's about time for bub's easter baskets to go back on top of the bookshelf for the next season. my mom or i have given him a Longaberger basket for easter every year since his birth except 1999. so on the lookout for that one. i think we started in 2000 and my mom gave him the 1998 one along with this year's current one.  

i've been on a bit of a tartan spree lately. i had the smaller thermos but found both of these throws and the larger thermos over the last few months. i think i've just seen so many beautiful posts with these in the background or as vases i couldn't pass them up. one of my favorite images comes from A Beautiful Mess...

then two of my favorite images lately from Melody Ross

V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N.

not yet but it's coming... and i will be ready. 9 days with kids left and about 25 days of work needs to be done. but still they come in and stand in front of me, "are you busy?mmm? hey guess what?" so i slow down and try to remember they will remember i stopped to listen and those books will still be there June 1st. waiting. patiently.

today my baby boy turned 12... moving on because that just does not seem possible...

marina and i took a ride today to pick up something a few towns over and i was thinking about why i like her more than i like most people.. she smiles all the time.. she is the most excited to see me... she willingly follows me everywhere... i never seem to let her down. all good reasons to love her back- that is if i needed one.

hubs and bubs have my good camera with them so i'm using old pics for the post until they dutifully return my lens. me and Kasmira from What I Wore Today at Saturday's Summit

Goals 2010 Progress:

Meals+ fell off the wagon this weekend but slowly climbing back on. however my mama and papa brought me dinner tonight that was so delicious i had seconds. in front of the tv. watching Drop Dead Diva. Soup beans with mayo, cornbread, salmon patties, greens, and fried potatoes. now i could never make this at home bc 4 out of the 5 things are fried but now if someone brings me the lovely gift of food how could i not obligingly feast i ask thee?

Exercise+ walked marina

Read+ i snuck in about 15 minutes of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at lunch when i locked my door and hit out in my office. shhh don't tell the kiddies i felt a little guilty but my sanity called for it.

Savings Summit etc.~

My sister, my mom and i attended the Locals On Living Savings Summit saturday. this was the first summit and it was worth attending. the first breakout session was with Kasmira of What I Wore Today and Amy Storer-Scalia of Cincy Chic. Kasmira explained online swapping (which i never heard of), thrifting and remixing. Londyn of Blogfashion was her model. So weird seeing 'blog life' people in 'real life'. embarrassing how excited i was to see these people. i so didn't want to seem like a creeper but i did ask for a pic of me and kasmira :) it's on my sister's camera so waiting for her to share those... i've visited Cincy Chic before but now that i hear more about it i'll be visiting more often...

Caitlin Steininger of Cooking with Caitlin did a little demo with THE BEST pbj i've ever tasted. she roasted the grapes. yes roasted the grapes. yum. we will be visiting her third thursday events this summer downtown...

yo is the blondie on the end, then mama, then me in the flower leggings... (photo from the enquirer)

(photo from the enquirer)

Dr. Gary Huber of Healthy Alter Ego spoke at the 2nd breakout session and the best thing i gleaned from his talk was about supplements. i hate the idea of supplements. i love local eating, eating as raw as possible, eating as close to the natural source as possible not taking a pill or a drop of something manufactured. i asked Dr. Huber to explain how healthy eating still requires supplements. he told me i live in a toilet bowl not on a tibetan mountain top. true. very true. so i'll start thinking about that as i drink my green smoothie. 

Then we went to Glendale to return something and just happened to stop by some festival booths for parmesan fries and organic cupcakes- double yum! 

first time i've ever seen a grassfed burger peddler at a festival- duh! We had dinner at Pompilio's (first time!) and it was the end of a good day.

i stayed over at yo's to create some today and saw this went going back to the kitchen for a drink... out pupsters do not like being forced to enjoy the sunshine. 

A Full Day

took a little drive down town to visit a friend in hospital after work. yuck once again glad i can drive for 20 minutes and never pass a car only deer, horses, pheasants and turkeys- or maybe i'm riding with the turkeys- whatever = stressful traffic. anywho important we were there and i'm glad we went... then on to celebrate bubs bday since he will be living the good life on a mini vacation when it actually gets here. note to self- Cici's Pizza should be lumped in with Golden Corral, Ryan's Steakhouse, Chuck E. Cheese, Pizza Hut and other establishments i should close my eyes when a family member chooses to eat ate when it is their birthday choice. seriously $5. pizza buffet = screaming kids, parents who threaten screaming kids and old lonely people who frankly make me want to cry. while eating dinner. but hey moving on. bub was thrilled and i smiled and ran out as fast as possible...

short post late night and early morning.

Blooms~

Elsie Flannigan's blog A Beautiful Mess is beautiful... these new images are inspiring and i love the collection of thermoses...

i thrifted this blouse awhile back... it looks like maybe a foreign school uniform top? idk but i like it... this is one of my favorite necklaces bought at a consign shop

i forgot my camera on our walk so i came home to get it afterwards and walked down to the dock because we could see something floating on the topwater. apparently the wind blew the buds off the surrounding trees... beautimous!

and finally a picture of those sweet smelling honeysuckles... ahhh.....