Catching up

i'm putting into practice an article i read on posing for pictures. don't stand full on, lean forward and put a leg behind. whatdayathin? had appointments today and the boys ran with me... met an amish farmer on the corner of 68 in wilmington who sold us some tomatoes picked from the vine this morning and some corn. after talking to him for a few we realized his farm is actually closer to where we live! so another good contact since our garden is not producing this year.

i finished The Merlot Murders by Ellen Crosby for book club this month. not much rivals reading in a hammock on a summer evening. It was a good summer mystery and especially appropriate since we met at The Murphin Ridge Inn for our meeting and had such a wonderful discussion on the side porch. I need to finish up some other books I've been working on this summer but I'll probably go ahead and start The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney for the next meeting so I can pass it on when I'm finished. I already read Dead Until Dark our alternate choice. I'll be glad when our next meeting comes and we stop this two books a month nonsense. It leaves little time for reading independent choices.

i spend a lot of time at my sister's (and her fabulous pool) in the summer. she is a city girl so we lay out in the sun, go in and craft, lay out in the sun, go explore the city... last saturday we took our mom to Peachy's Health Smart cooking class, then ran around all day until the U-Swap that evening. the above picture is from a   tattoo parlor in Northside. how cool are those origami cranes? we stopped there on our way to check out Slim's restaurant. it was hard to find but once there it was packed and only running on prix fixe for $50. a person. we weren't that hungry so we went to Honey. Yum.  Honey Fries, Asparagus Salad, Sweet Pea Ravioli and liquid...

We had smoothies at The Loving Cafe in Silverton... they feature raw, organic, local foods. Nest is in Oakley and as much as i love their gift and decor selection these two guys were my favorite in the store. my mom was carrying popcorn from some salvage furniture place we stopped so they followed us begging. their eyes are so soulful... we made our usual stops at Anthropologie and DSW at Rookwood but nothing... oh! Nordstrom's Rack had Eclipse, Twilight and New Moon jewelry on clearance. i'm talking $3 for necklaces, bracelets and key fabs.. score! my students are going to appreciate these accessories :) We bought some loose tea at Essencha Tea House and Fine Teas...

ok the USwap... lots or blog postings out there about the first time event. i didn't take any pics inside but here are some of the Whirly Girl stand out front. I've been searching for macaroons for some time and these were to die for.. rose flavored. and lavender lemonade just so refreshing because it was a gazillion degrees in the swap room.  

as for the swap, it was fabulous. 

Pros: no line to get in (we got there at 7), some good stuff, everyone was civil, saw some bloggers, the organizers were pretty laid back.

Cons: it was hotter than hot, some really crappy stuff.

my sister and i brought the maximum 10 items folded in a bag. at the door they gave us hangers and didn't even look at the stuff. once in i realized i could have brought those boots and that hat but not a lot of info was out prior to so oh well. all that fretting over if my stuff was good enough or artsy enough. no matter. there were racks to hang your items then you just cruised around and checked out the racks. chose some items and tried on if you could peel your clothes off. seriously 110 degrees. there was a gorgeous selection of some vintage items that the bringer had pinned a story of his history to each item. honest. but then there was the girl who pulled her stuff out of the bag and it reeked of smoke. or some stuff i wouldn't give to goodwill. most people though followed unspoken etiquette and brought things on par with what they selected. my sister scored Cole Hann black leather boots. i found a few dresses, shirts and a cute skirt. i didn't take pics but later when i post pics i'll credit the swap. overall i really hope this becomes an annual thing. it wasn't in the best part of town but really we had no problems. i was driving the tank and parked on the street across from the art gallery it was being held in and it was still really daylight. i mean if Whirly Girl can pull her trailer up there and hang out without being oogled or a gang of guys stealing her lemonade then hey i thing we'll make it folks...

my sister got a new rescue dog. henry. he's 7 lbs of precious cuteness. his underbite is adorable. here you can see just how small he is compared to marina girl. bless her heart she loves the little firecracker. 

this is our lunch feast of grilled salmon, fresh tomatoes, salsa, and corn. whew. we eat. alot. too frequently actually... which may be the reason my summer slimdown isn't so much down...

i took some goodies to our book club out at Murphin Inn. my sister brought the liquid refreshments...

we stopped at Miller's Amish Bakery and Bulk Foods for some temptations. cherry sours. creme horns, apple turnovers, fresh soft pretzels (not pictured :) ), banana muffins, fresh peanut butter, oh my...

last week while on my monthly scraparoma

check out this cool display of old postcards...

i am such a sucker for a chandelier...

i have one of these old record boxes in the basement. I should bring it up and cover with pretty paper. 

I am in desperate need of a cake stand. I like these from oh hello friend made from old candle sticks and pretty plates. although what i really need is the glass top. 

a beautiful mess posted about marc jacobs new line. i love this vintage look. it reminds me of that old show the avengers. 

another cute pic from oh hello friend. this is a gorgeous creation of glued together old jewelry pieces.

from poppytalk a cute container garden....

off to bed~