in and out of focus

I'm a little unfocused today! Hope you all had a good weekend. Ours went by in a nice blur. I want to spend more time this week looking around on-line. It feels like I haven't done much of that lately. Hopefully, I will have some fun links to share after doing some exploring. Happy Monday!

at the window

Yesterday I set out to take some product shots of my pillows, but instead ended up with these photos of my children. Funny how these chance photos turned out to be my favorites of the day. Have a great weekend!

beauty in the simple

Right now I'm loving stripes, flowers, and simple white. Today: sewing, then swimming.

summer is...

strawberries

take-out sushi on the patio

bugs

roses

reading

lavenderstripes

Hope you all are enjoying summer! More sewing today, more blogging tomorrow. Oh, and Esti has drawn my hands! See here how my ordinary hands have become lovely with Esti's artistic touch!

yellow, green

Busy weekend, lots of work around the house, both inside and out: painting the back of the house, painting the garden furniture. Noticing yellow and green. Now today on my list: lots of sewing. I am making pillows to go in my Etsy shop. Stay tuned, I'll show them to you when they are done!

beach day

School's out. We are finding our new rhythm in a less scheduled, less structured day. It always takes the kids and I a few weeks to get used to spending longer days together, but eventually we work into an easy summer pace. My goal this summer: to really enjoy these days with the kids...they are growing up so fast. Slow down, world!

farmer's market

There's a farmer's market right down the street from us every Wednesday during the summer. Farmers come from all over New England. I love it, since I don't grow any vegetables myself. These radishes came from Hanson's Farm out in Framingham, MA, about half an hour outside of Cambridge. They were delicious!

view

Anu tagged me the other day to show the view from my kitchen window. I can see my neighbor's houses. I love looking at the roof lines and the greenery. I'm tagging Artycho and Stardust.
In other news: Esti pulled my name from a hat. Yes! I'm one of the winners of her lottery for her Hands project, and now she's going to draw my hands. Thank you, Esti!

june flowers

More flowers from my garden: peonies and roses. Everyday I cut a few, arrange them and take pictures. The blooms will be gone soon and then I'll have to stop. School ends here on Wednesday and this week is busier than usual. Flowers help me slow down. Happy Monday, everyone.

morning light

6:30 a.m.8:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

In the summer I really notice the morning light.
Looking here, via Poppytalk, via Paperiaarre.
Have a happy weekend, folks.

lemonade party

It's so much cooler today, a perfect summer day. I'm off to enjoy it, but here are some pictures from our lemonade party yesterday, when it was too hot to be outside. The kids set the table with their favorite things.

it's still hot

It's still hot here. This was my lunch today. And my dessert. Hot weather calls for some form of ice cream. Thanks for all your nice comments about the Poppytalk Handmade Market yesterday!

Esti tagged me over the weekend, so today here are my answers:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was working here, in the Special Collections Library. My life was full of books: old books, rare books, and artist's books. I took a trip to Portugal that year, to Porto and farther north. It was beautiful there.

2. What are the five things on your to-do list today?
Go grocery shopping
Take pictures
Think about sewing, but not actually do any
Make lemonade with the kids after school
Weed my garden after dinner when it cools down

3. 3 snacks you enjoy
Apples
Almonds
Cheese

4. 4 Places you have lived
Francestown, NH
Geneva, NY
Florence, Italy
Washington, D.C.

5. 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire
Make sure everyone in my family has a very comfortable life
Donate money to my children's elementary school teachers who are fabulous and don't get paid enough for what they do
Research and donate money to the top 10 most effective world charity organizations
Donate money for climate change research and solutions
Travel slowly around the world, taking pictures and eating good food

6. 6 people you would like to know more about
I'm having a hard time singling people out today, so if you'd like to play this game, feel free to carry on. I would like to know more about all of you! Surprise me and drop me a note if you decide to play. I'll put in a link here about your post.

here comes the sun

Some exciting news for today. I've made it to the front page of Poppytalk! I have been chosen to participate in the Poppytalk Handmade Summer Market "Here Comes the Sun" this month. I'm so excited to have my work included in this great lineup of artists and craftspeople. Check it out here.

In other news: It is SO hot here. I'm melting.

two books

I found these two books at a yard sale last week. Now I want to have a picnic tea party like the one in the picture! I'm working on getting together a big project that should be up on Monday. Hopefully, I can share it with you then. Wishing you all a pleasant weekend.

view from above

Taken in the rain yesterday, here's the view of our garden from my daughter's window. As you can see it's a very small space, yet I've managed to stuff an awful lot of plants in there. Everything is blooming at once, roses, iris, and peonies.

Today is my 100th post. When I started this blog, I really didn't know where it would take me. I wanted an outlet for my creative energy, a place to write a little, and post images that inspire me. What I didn't expect was that I would meet so many wonderful people from around the world who inspire me everyday with their words, photos and ideas. Thank you for being a part of my world and letting me be a part of yours as well. Peace and love.

still thinking about it

Still thinking about Amsterdam. Here are some random photos from there: all windows, looking out or looking in. It's raining here today. I love rainy summer days.

Just discovered: Puhti's blog
Liking: Esti's list of things to do in June