Water

Have you ever seen those pictures

of pets with their respective look-alike owners?

I've often wondered...

did they inadvertently choose a pet

that had similar characteristics

OR...

did it happen gradually

over time?

A what came first, the chicken or the egg

conundrum.

Regardless, I've seen the phenomena

first-hand.

No, I will not name names...

it's a matter of self preservation!

Disconcerting.

(As I look at Zoe and Buddy)

I've noticed something frightening

about myself

this past week.

I'm starting to resemble my

PLANTS...

I will spare you the picture of myself.

You're welcome.

Suffice it to say...

the heat and humidity

are taking their toll...

and not in a very pretty way.

We're talking wilty around the edges...

kinda droopy...kinda sad.

Let's face it...

just plain ol' ugly.

I gave the plants what I knew they

needed most...

Water.

Refreshing...

life-giving...

water!

Since it worked for them I thought,

what the hey...

it just might work for me, too...

Ah...

Water.

Refreshing...

life-giving

water!

Beautiful.

Seek the Water.

My Theater Purse

Take me out to the movies...

because it's too hot for a ball game!

With temps hovering near 100

life is like the great escape...

finding fun ways to escape the heat

and flee to wherever

the AC is working!

Friday night...

movie night!

I've already checked-out show times

at the Maumee Indoor Theater.

A theater with old marquee charm...

and cheaper pricing!

Tickets are 4 dollars...

but you can still drop a pretty penny

at the snack counter.

Theater Purse to the rescue!

I made this purse last year

so I can verify its success in handling

this covert op.

Sturdy repurposed denim...

reinforced stitching throughout...

cute in a big bag kind of way.

Inside...

completely lined in a fun polka dot print.

It easily conceals 4 pops and 4 snacks...

plus all the other female paraphernalia I can't be without.

I decided to turn it inside out

so you could see

she's not only beautiful on the outside...

she's beautiful on the inside, too!

Tonight's movie pick

X-Men : First Class

Tickets: $16.

Snacks: Pass...Okay, maybe a popcorn

"What? There's nothing hiding in this over-sized bag!"

(so inconspicuous)

Sometimes it's fun to be sneaky!

FYI: Wednesdays are cheap-o days at Maumee Indoor

$4 will get you a ticket, small pop and small popcorn!

Enjoy the show!

Could It Be? // Garden Finds

The Dog Days Of Summer

When you step outside

to water and weed...

and you come away looking

like you've been caught in a downpour.

Pretty Sight to behold.

Wet, dirty, and irritated after 5 minutes work.

I was about to call it a day

when I saw something promising

out of the corner of my eye.

Could it be?

I thought I saw a cherry red tomato.

I did...I did...

I did see a red cherry tomato!

I ran for my camera to capture the moment.

The humidity is so high here

it fogged my lens!

I waited a bit and blew my hot breath

on the lens...

cuz you don't want to miss this!

Thar she is!

Hiding low to the ground.

Oh...I plucked it...

admired it for its beauty...

And popped it in my mouth.

Ah...

A Real Tomato.

Nothing says summer like a ripe juicy tomato.

Delicious!

First Zucchini Of The Season

I swear just yesterday these were like 4 inches long

Now they're the length of my arm!

Zucchini Bread...Fried Zucchini...Zucchini Soup

...Zucchini Cake?

Nothing is impossible with the zucchini!

I walked to the road to get the

newspaper...

contemplating all the joys the zucchini

would bring and I saw this.

I wish I could add a sound bite here

it'd go something like...

bum-bum-bum-BUM!

(a little Beethoven-ish)

What? you may ask...

it's but a bush.

A Burning Bush to be precise.

Look carefully at its cap...

do you see the pink haze?

Then I saw it.

Bum-bum-bum-BUM (again)

Go away...go away...

I'm not ready for you yet.

I'm going to blame this on

Susan Branch.

I absolutely love her Summer Book.

Loaded with great stories, ideas, and recipes...

But she is the one who made me

aware of this early happening and I

find I almost wait and watch for it every summer now...

Hers is dated July 14, 1994.

Mine is dated July 20, 2011...

which is rather appropriate because it is my

Dad's Birthday as well.

Why appropriate?

Well, every year at Solstice, my dad would say,

"This is the longest day of the year...

and they start getting shorter

from here on out."

(or something to that nature)

It'd bug the crap out of me...

and now I find that I relay that story every year

to my kids.

Yikes!

Could it be?

Could I be growing more and more like my dad with each

passing day?

Why thank-you...

thank you very much!

Rhythm of Life...

slow down the beat!

Amen?

Constant Cravings

The Man...

Sawyer Alexander.

Consider yourself forewarned...

"Staring at an Alexander man too long is like staring

at the sun. The image becomes imprinted. You can

close your eyes

and still see him."

I just love that line by

Sarah Addison Allen

in my newest summer indulgence...

Even more intriguing is what Sawyer

has to say of himself...

"I'd have cake all the time if I could...

You know how some people have a sweet tooth?

Well, I have a sweet sense.

When I was a little boy, I could be playing

across town and know exactly when my mother took

a cake out of the oven. I could see the scent,

how it floated in the air.

All I had to do was follow it home."

I have much in common with Sawyer.

The sense of smell is ridiculously acute.

It is said that the sense of smell is the strongest

in rekindling memories...

or in some cases cravings.

A quick family foible.

My niece, Ruthie (sorry, had to call you out...

love ya), had a Stampin' Up party

at her house a few years back.

The smell of chocolate brownies filled the air...

unfortunately, she didn't have anything chocolate

to serve the guests...her snacks were of the salty variety.

Now, I love salty too, but when brownies are

surrounding you, a brownie you must have! "Oh," she exclaimed to her perplexed guests,

"you must be smelling the candle I'm burning."

All I remember is going home and searching the

cupboards for something

chocolate.

With Sawyer's revelation...

Julia Winterson bakes up hope

in the form of cakes.

Butter Pecan Cake, Milky Way Cake,

Apple Stack Cake,

and Hummingbird Cake.

Cakes, cakes, and more cakes!

I gotta get me some cake!

So, while at Target, I found myself

not only venturing down the baking aisle,

but searching on-line with my new Smarter Than Me Phone,

for a Berry Poke Cake recipe.

Mom had just told me how

sweet Donna Lennex had made one for a funeral dinner

and it was so refreshing in this heat.

SOLD!

This recipe can be found in nearly

every down-home cookbook ever made.

As old as the hills...yet I have never tried it.

I'm feelin' the need...

the need for sweet.

Bake up that cake as per package instructions.

Once cooled,

have a little fun poking it with the end of

a wooden spoon.

Prepare the jell-o as directed...

1 Cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water

Pour over the cake and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Some top with Cool Whip and berries...

I topped with vanilla frosting

and Redi-Whip.

Store in the frig.

I've said it before and I will say it again,

Mom is always right...

cool and refreshing.

I may not know what I'm having for dinner,

but cakes are on tap for dessert.

Stay cool my friends.

Old Desk :: New Table

Another Roadside Pickers Story

I was with the boys on a rainy Saturday

when out of the corner of my eye

I saw an old desk

along side of the road.

I saw potential...

my loving husband said it had potential

to start a good bonfire.

He disassembled it before I could get my camera.

Imagine...

a desk with two drawers missing... decorated, by a future designer, in every color

magic marker.

I had a vision.

Converting one side into a small table.

All the pieces were there to pull it off.

Fortunately...

my brother Tim shared my vision.

Tim has a handy hobby...

woodworking.

He took the needed parts home with him

and brought this back

within a day.

Time to

Sand :: Prime :: Paint

Right after I decide on the perfect color.

It took me longer to do that

than it took Tim to

splice the table top.

Finding hardware was a bit tricky.

I went to an exclusive (i.e., expensive)

shop that sells replicas.

I only had one knob to work with...

no luck.

The next day I visited a garage sale

right around the corner from me

and found these...

Not the original...

BUT

the same brass color

PLUS these were actually old and cost

a whopping 2 dollars total.

Yippee!

Thank you Tim for making this possible.

I haven't forgotten the steak dinner I promised you.

I promise.

My Wildflower

Born To Be A Wildflower

A pillowcase turned sundress.

When my little wildflower came to visit

wearing only a diaper...

I seized the opportunity.

Wildflowers like tattoos.

So after rubbing this on she let me put the dress on her.

Bribery?

Of course not!

She ran outside to show mama.

I had visions of a curly-haired lass running

through a field of wildflowers.

Or...

stopping to sniff a bloom in

grandma's garden.

Stomping out of the garage...

looking like she was about

to complain about something

never entered my mind.

She knew I wanted that perfect picture.

Two-and-almost-a-half-year-olds

don't do perfect.

Not mine at least.

A Little Later...

she got to teasing her grandma.

She discovered how easy

it was to take off and put back on again.

She wanted to do it all by herself.

Almost there...

wait a minute...

what's that grandma's holding...

a camera?

I don't think so.

She decided to wear it as a hat.

With lots of satisfied-with-herself

giggles.

Very versatile...

the dress can also be worn as a skirt.

Top...

optional.

Kierstin's day was now complete.

She had managed to get a big laugh

out of everyone in the room.

Including Grandma!

I should have known...

being that I am one...

Wildflowers can be very unpredictable!

Banners :: A Family Project

When Joe turned Sweet Sixteen

I turned to our trusty birthday banner

for decorations.

As you can see

this banner has a few miles on it.

My "go-to" for every birthday...

which explains the crimped and gnarly look.

reduce :: reuse (use again and again) :: recycle

that's my motto.

The boys have never complained.

It waits in the drawer for James' big day in October.

Moving Forward...

I have been tinkering with an idea for a while now.

Tibetan Prayer Flags.

Traditionally hung in the Himalayans...

where the breeze can carry the prayer

far and wide.

PEACE is...

Using muslin and old scraps of white sheets...

I asked James to draw his

interpretation of

PEACE.

He sketched a few prototypes

before taking his Sharpie to the fabric.

I designed a panel as well.

While he finished his creation

I cut-out a few banners from a box of old

calicoes someone had given me.

(Thanks Lynn)

Scraps of fabric that looked like they were

going to be a quilt someday...

but never got past the

cutting stage.

(I have a few of those unfinished projects myself)

Attached James' design with buttons and embroidery floss. Strung together...

hung outside...

spreading PEACE with the wind.

My (OUR) version of the

prayer :: wish :: hope

flag.

A Family Project.

Can be used to celebrate a birthday...

decorate a room...

dance in the garden.

Available soon in kit form at Harmony in Life.