The Prettiest Thing

Here is a glimpse of the studio curtains, a tiny corner of the rug, and the new palm plant...also from the Saturday sew time with mom. We are so close and yet so far from finishing the studio. What's left to do: waiting for the arrival of George's chair, sewing cushions for the matching Barney Miller chairs, table skirts, slip covers and pillows for the two guest chairs....and finding a solution for my ugly black metal shelves. Decoupage anyone?

Saturday Kitchen

Somehow the kitchen became a priority this past week. The dishes were attacked and the floor scrubbed. Even the trash can received attention. Mom came for the day on Saturday to sew curtains for the studio and the kitchen. The colors of robin egg blues and scarlet reds are taking over the kitchen. The apple and pear curtains are just perfect for the new color pallet. The table was gussied up with the recent additions of an embroidered table cloth and turquoise salt and pepper shakers. I just inherited the floral dishtowel from mom (it used to be Grandma's), and mom picked up the apple and checker glasses for a quarter at a church rummage sale. My African Violet was in need of love and was re potted too. Note: Yes, that is a watermelon still visiting from our Fifth of July picnic.

The Land of Nod

Ah, my new favorite place. There is where I have been for the past ten hours or more. Such a pretty thing to feel well rested. I even went to the gym on my first morning off from work. A new habit has formed. When I am at the gym I must have the treadmill directly in front of the giant television that broadcast the Martha Stewart Show (with closed captions). If the spot is already in use I find my self to be miffed. The person using that specific mill is totally missing the cheesy fun of the Martha Stewart Show. I instead get stuck in front of the sport center television. Who knew I would be territorial in a gym and about my quality time with Martha Stewart? And please note to: the amazing quilt pictured was made by my mother as our wedding present.

Ring Ring Ring

Working the zombie shift is tuff. Respect is due to all those who roam the earth during the night policing the streets, changing bed pans, mopping floors, and baking donuts. My days and hours blur together. Trying to make contact with me is difficult. My sleepy ears ignore the phone. If per chance some one does get a hold of me, my communication skills are very primary and monosyllabic. My family had great "family" news. And I was the official last to know person. *sigh*. I am off for the next couple of days. Perhaps, after I sleep over the next few to ten hours, I will arise and become a member of the waking world that hears the phone ring.

It's in the Details...

In the beginning:

1.) We forgot to bring a spatula to flip the burgers

2.) No one brought water to drink, but two people asked for it and the dog needed it.

3.) We were asked to leave the pavilion we chose due to a family that had reserved it for their family reunion.

4.) Mosquitoes found me. They even bit the flesh of my eyebrows.

There was minor family grumpiness.

But:

1.) George and Chris took a special warp speed trip back home to retrieve a spatula and any other missing items.

2.) We drank tea instead and the dog was given water from the fountain by the restrooms.

3.) We moved to a different pavilion after our hot dogs were done.

4.) The scourge of mosquitoes still found me.

I was not the perfect hostess but my wonderful family somehow always makes the best of things. So our Fifth of July picnic in the park was a good one. I am sure our laughter and good cheer could be heard through out the park (and by the family reunion that booted us out of the pavillion).

Map of My Heart

Tah-Dah! Here is a little view of what is happening in the studio on my husband's work side. Paint and Ink (Alison Whittingtontured) is the featured artist. The complete name of her studio is : The Interimaginational Institute for Fantastic Exploration and Cartography. I posses an affinity for maps---real and imagined. Any book with a map on the inside cover, or even better, a fold out map, typically finds it way home to my library. (Favorite Maps: Harry's Marauder Map, The Goonies Map, Maps that come with Wes Anderson movies that are drawn by his brother, and the maps found in books by Shannon Hale and, of course, Tolkien.) So when I discovered this work I felt my inner-pirate heart say "ARHH" and had to comply. These paintings are destined to inspire on the new periwinkle wall in the studio. Shiver me timbers.

R/W/B

I am going to admit something today. Something terrible and quite anti-Fourth-of-July. I am not a fan of the summer picnic. My family may already sense this as I always fall short when it comes to planning and participating in formal picnic environments. I love the family, the food, and having the day off. But I always feel the pressure for it to be memorable. So this year I am trying to take my husband's advice to just "go with the flow" and to not become overwhelmed by the details. I pledge to avoid stress about the following: 1.) selecting the right heavy duty paper plates and deciding if we need plastic spoons as well as the plastic forks, 2.)if we have a big enough variety of sodas for everyone because I might forget who needs diet pop or caffine free, 3.)whether I will be attacked by mosquitoes, or 4.)the location of the picnic table in relation to the closest available restroom. My family is picnic-ing on the fifth instead of the fourth. This gives me the "freedom" to spend the fourth of July painting the studio, cleaning the house, seeing that I still have a husband, and sewing with my Mom. To note: I do adore picnics in the autumn and winter. Yes winter. My mom used to take us to a state park during the off picnic season. We had the park to ourselves most of the time, sans bugs, and the food just tasted better with a chill in the air...