fine jewels

I had my first experience with jewelry making this week. I was inspired to try it out when I came across this tutorial. It was surprisingly easy! Fun, too. I want to come up with my own design and try again.

promise sink

Today I turned 29.

We went swimming at Promise sink, snacked on wild grapes, and walked 2 miles barefoot in a light rain on the way back to car. It was so cool to stop and really listen to the rain, and watch the leaves dance under the drops. I was happy for the chance to be out in the elements-- I've been hiding out indoors a lot lately to get away from the heat.

Ruben dug up some sassafras root so we can make tea tonight. Also, my family is taking us out to a fancy dinner! I can't wait to put on some earrings and a dress. It's been all yoga pants all the time around here lately.

what a lovely

What a lovely long weekend.

I didn't do all the things I had planned, but I did:

work on linen squares for a pillow inspired by this project

juice limes for limeade

make goat milk kefir

soak in one long mineral bath

read some of this book

take two naps

make pizza with my granny

process muscadine grapes into pie filling

watch this funny movie

visit Thomasville GA for Saturday brunch

rescue a baby squirrel from our cat, and take it to St. Francis

wash many, many dishes and loads of laundry

make a menu plan for the week, primarily from this cookbook

think about making curtains for my sewing room

There has been the tiniest bit of fall in the air in the mornings! Autumn is my favorite season and I feel as if I'm buzzing with excitement when I think about hot chai and pumpkins and red leaves and wearing my sweaters and socks again.

Tonight I'm going to raise my glass to the short work week. Cheers!

purely lovely

My mama (and dad, in the first photo), in the late 70's and early 80's. In North Carolina. I especially love that last shot-- she looks like pure love to me!

It struck me that all those clothes are so stylish now.

mmmmangoes

We got our annual order of mangoes from pine island!!! 30 pounds came to us 3 days ago and they're already half gone. We had planned to freeze them for smoothies, but they are just so delicious that I've been eating mango and avocado salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If we DID have enough to spare, I'd like to make these and these. I have popsicles on the brain.

the building.

Well, I finally finished my dad's quilt. I LOVE how it turned out, and even though it took me 2 years, I still want to make another one. I am trying to decide on a pattern from the Denyse Schmidt book I have.

Anyway, the point of the story is that I am finally allowed to start NEW PROJECTS and the first thing I did was help Ruben build us a bar out of a piece of bowling alley. Okay, that's a lie. I just watched. Okay, even that is a lie. He did it while I was at work. But whatever, it's great!

A few years ago the bowling alley in our town burned down. We went by when they were putting the alleys in giant dumpsters and hauled a few pieces home. We still have several huge chunks left that Ruben wants to use as flooring somewhere, but this is the first time we've used them in a project. He sanded them a lot to get off the smokey varnish and that really lightened them up. I think the bar turned out just stellar (definitely an improvement over the former formica!), and it inspired us to do a new paint job on the dining room walls. Oh, AND I think I've just about convinced him that we really need this table.

the clearing.

We've been doing some cleaning.

Cleaning out the cabinets, dusting off the shelves, trying to part with more and more of our beloved stuff.

I come from a long line of hoarders. For me, clearing out is hard and serious work. I have to keep reminding myself of those pretty magazine pictures that show the spaces I'd really love to inhabit (like pretty much everything on this website!)

yummmm.

I finally got around to making these cookies. The dough gave me fits when I rolled it out and there may have been some cursing involved-- but it's Florida in the hottest summer I can remember, what did I expect? The end result is decidedly worth it. These are very very good. It was my first time using quinoa flour, and I love the nutty-wholesomeness it lends to the flavor of the cookies. I'll be making these again.

mysterious waters

A local favorite. Wakulla Springs State Park

Treasures from an antique store in Hayesville NC. I just got back from a bliss-full week in the mountains. It was so cool at night and I slept like a rock. I swam, I ate delicious food, drank some nice cold beer and went on a very fun train ride with my nephew. Now I am shuttling off again to the coast for a science experiment. Can't wait to feel that salty breeze.