We seem to have skipped spring and gone straight to mid-summer. The last few days have been full of heat, humidity and haze.
Today at the Maine Fiber Frolic, we watched this angora bunny get shorn. There was a haze of rabbit fur all around her.
Coffee should not be allowed to boil while being made or after making, but should be kept piping hot. This is best accomplished by placing coffee pot on absestos mat or in pan of hot water over a low heat until served. Grounds should be removed as soon as coffee has dripped through, as they absorb aroma. Allow coffee to ripen 5 to 8 minutes before serving to develop a richer, more mellow flavor.
—How to Make Good Coffee, published by Maxwell House, 1937
Every morning. First thing in the morning.
Today I took four twelve-year-old girls to the mall. It was fun. No, really! It was crazy, but it was fun.
Once Mother’s Day arrives, it’s pretty much a given that our local nursery will be packed with people shopping for items promising to beautify their yards and their lives.
If I had to enumerate my strengths, perseverance would top the list. Thanks, in part, to perseverance: I still attend Mass each week with all six kids; Dennis and I survived years of physical separation while dating to stay together and eventually marry; I’ve been homeschooling for about 13 years now; and I continue to see and capture the simple beauty around me every, single day.
Remember when I posted that picture of the calendar? And how I was whining about how busy things were? Well, the next two weeks are the culmination and it feels like someone just floored the gas pedal! To make matters worse, my car didn’t pass the safety inspection (thanks to a stupid airbag light that flickers on and off) and now I have fifteen days to fix it and get it re-inspected. Just when I need it the least. Perseverance will be the only thing that will get me through to June 11.
This is the second time that the $10 garage sale piano that sits in my basement has been featured as my C&R contribution. Score!!
I had my wedding gown custom made of ivory dupioni silk. When I could find Alçenon lace only in white, my seamstress suggested I dye the lace with tea. It worked perfectly.
One of these days, Stella’s hair will stay put in a ponytail or barrette. Until then, her hair will fall into her face, and she’ll continue to manage just fine.
The icon is a gift from my father who brought it back from a long-term assignment he had in the Sakhalin Islands of Russia.
I was at the zoo today when I got Cheryl’s tweet that my original call was a duplicate. Since it was Memorial Day, I thought red would be an easy call — grab a shot of a flag and call it a day. Well, almost. I couldn’t find a single flag at the zoo.
Luckily red is my favorite color and I have lots of kitchen tools that would be cooperative subjects.
For all those who have died in the service of our country, we pray: Raise them up, O Lord!
For all those who have perished as innocent victims of war, we pray: Raise them up, O Lord!
For all those who have lost their lives as military non-combatants, we pray: Raise them up, O Lord!—Intercessions for the day from Magnificat
Yesterday, I dug out Mom’s old Remington Travel-Riter. I’d like to have a working typewriter at hand for art journaling and scrapbooking. Now, I just need to find a new ribbon for it.
These blocks are part of an applique wallhanging that I had planned to make. The top left square makes sure I’ll never forget how long it has sat unfinished. The bottom right square is our first house — a cute little blue cape cod. The flowers represent Texas: bluebonnets, indian paintbrush and evening primrose. I use to do a bit of ribbon embroidery.
What is the weight of a shadow?
It’s been a long and full day. My son successfully finished his Eagle Scout project and my daughter celebrated her twelfth birthday. In between we had baseball. But the weight of the day is over and it’s nice to sit back and relax finally.
If I could get ALL of my artsy stuff on a scale, I wonder how much it would weigh.
For weeks, we were teased with gorgeous, sunny days. Now it’s just rain, rain, and rain.
Yesterday evening, I sat at the Little League ball park basking in the warm evening sunset. Today, I sat at the same park, wrapped up in a blanket and wishing I had a hat and gloves. Isn’t this Memorial Day weekend? What happened to our warm? Ugh, the weather can be such a tease!
Danny was nursing and napping on my lap this afternoon. There are a million and one things that I ought to be doing while he naps. But that would involve putting him down on the bed and he is just so comfortable on my lap. And I am so comfortable with him there. The million and one things will have to wait.
This evening, Stella asked for bubbles in the tub. I obliged, and she giggled with glee, as she tried to scoop them all up.
I didn’t eat much for lunch, so when teatime rolled around, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this Milky Way Simply Caramel bar.
I left the house in a rush this morning after breakfast and didn’t return until dinner time. That’s why I was greeted with a sink full of dirty dishes. How depressing.
My grandmother was raised in the Great Depression. My father, her oldest son, claims he was too. I, however, did not inherit the frugal gene. I wish I had…but I am way too frivolous with our money.
On our way to church, we pass a house with pots of lilacs in the driveway and a sign that says, “Lilacs $10.” I’ve become too frugal for even that deal, though. Instead, I pruned the heck out of the lilacs out front (the ones that just wouldn’t bloom) last summer, and the results have been worth every penny.
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create, …
from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
I’m Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She’s been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn’t have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I’m her eighth old man, I’m Henry
Henry the eighth I am
—you’re welcome!! : )