feeling beachy

I've been feeling rather beachy lately. {I'm actually at the beach right now. (isn't scheduled posting great?)} John's home holding down the fort (as well as Molly, the dog!) The kids and I will be back later this week. In the meantime, I thought I'd show you some of the things that keep me beachy when I'm not at the beach.

I've said it before, I'm a seasonal freak. I love to change out some of my decorations to correspond with the seasons. Awhile ago, I had finished this Summer Row cross stitch and it just sat in my stitching basket waiting for a frame. (that never happened) So, I turned it into a pillow for our bed. Remember this spring when I perked up our bed with an embroidered pillow? Well, now we've got a summerfied version going on! It's those little things that can make a big difference. Here's some peeks around the house at some of my other summer decorations.

on top of our jelly cupboard::

in the living room, on the end table::on my new shelf in the entryway.....welcome::another end table in the living room::What do you like to do to celebrate the change of seasons at your house? I'd love to hear!

reminiscing

When I was growing up we went to the beach every summer. This photo was taken in 1975. That's my family. Don't you just love the zinc on my dad's nose? We always headed to the beach for a week and we hung out by the water all day. Sometimes we would come back to our place for lunch, but some days we would get burgers and fries from the boardwalk and eat on the beach. (Everything tastes great when you're eating it on the beach.) The mark of a good vacation was how dark your tan was when you got home. I've grown wiser now, and I make sure we use an spf of 50, but I'm still a beach bum. My vacation of choice is the beach. I'm actually in between beach trips and I've been reminiscing about my past beach memories. All this reminiscing is because my mom was cleaning out her basement. She found this old diving mask that my brother and I used to use when we would go swimming. She thought my kids would want to use it. (They cracked up at the thought!) Can you see the elastic that she used to repair it when it broke? I wasn't sure what to do with it, but I knew it was too special to throw it away. I had it sitting on a shelf with some shells and then the idea hit me to turn it into a picture frame. I searched my box of photos from when I was a little girl and I found the perfect one! This is my brother and me in 1979, I was 11 and he was 9. I am obviously freezing in that pool water. I'm tickled with my new photo frame and I'm so thankful for the memories my parents gave me as I was growing up. I'll be heading back to the beach sometime next week....with my spf 50.

an epic...finally completed

I finished my epic cross stitch. It's not really called that, but it's taken me so long to finish it that it has felt like an epic undertaking. I started it two years ago after summer vacation. Of course I haven't worked on it exclusively for two years, but whenever the urge would strike I'd stitch on it and then it would go back in the basket while something more exciting would pull me away. I'm really happy with how it turned out. My honey is going to make me a simple wooden frame to go around it. I'm thinking of painting the frame a distressed brown....we'll see. I have no idea how many hours are invested in this piece of cross stitch. I just know that I've learned some simple things as I reflect back on my time while stitching on it.

1. Life is like stitching...you can only get it done one stitch at a time. You'll end up with knots if you try it otherwise!

2. From the beginning of the project til the end, my feelings about it changed....somewhere in the middle I was tempted to quit. I'm so glad I didn't, I wouldn't have this creative piece to hang in my home.

3. I really like stitching with certain floss colors (I despise that cream color...it seems to twist on me) but the piece needed the darks and the lights for it to turn out well. I guess that's life too....we need the darks and the lights to make us into who we are.

4. When I started this project, I started it with a friend....I'm ending it without that close friendship. But, as sad as that is, I realized, I'm OK. I've grown and changed just like my cross stitch and I'm learning to move on and treasure the memories of the past and make new ones in the present.

5. I can't have too many big projects going on at once (in life or in the crafting basket)...the pressure of finishing too many big projects overwhelms me. 6. And finally, I've learned that all the hard work really is worth it!

Thanks for letting me share. Now, let's hope it's not going to take as long to get it framed as it was to finish it! The pattern for those who are interested is Snapperville from Bent Creek. Have a great day today...taking it one stitch at a time!

home again, home again, jiggity-jig

We've been on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the week. It was a wonderful time spent with friends the family kind. The weather was gorgeous all week long! We couldn't have ordered better weather! We relaxed, laughed and had a wonderful time catching our breath! Here's a glimpse of some of the souvenirs we collected from the week. Trust me, this was just a glimpse...there were 4 adult photographers with cameras all week long. We took a seriously huge amount of pictures. But I guess that's what memories (and digital cameras) are for....capturing! Hope you captured some memories this week too. I'll be back the beginning of next week with some stitching to share! In the meantime, I've got some catching up to do around here!

summer days...flying by

The other night, my guy and I were sitting out on the deck just visiting. He was playing Lego's and I was working on my epic cross stitch (which is now mere stitches away from being done!) "Why does summer go by so fast?", he asked, as he reached for another Lego. I wonder the same thing! I can't seem to soak it in fast enough. Our days have been filled with:

::visits from friends

::neighborhood games that last until dark

::enjoying fresh off the vine cherry tomatoes

::starting a new project, thanks to Larissa!

:: holding sweet, sleeping babies

:: and enjoying the beauty that is around us!

I hope that you're enjoying summer...no matter how fast or slow it's traveling!

All American

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Thanks just doesn't quite seem to be enough to say to all the men and women who are serving or who have served to make this nation safe and free! As we enjoy our picnics and fireworks, they serve and risk their lives. I'm truly grateful for the freedom that they keep for us each and every day. Say a prayer for them today for protection and for their families that have sacrificed just as much. We're celebrating tonight with a cookout. Today is also my parent's anniversary. They have been married 46 years. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I love you both so much! My dad likes to joke that when everyone else was celebrating their independence he was losing his. (course, mom could say the same thing...she's just more tactful than him!) He picked out the menu for tonight's meal. We're having hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, watermelon and potato salad. I made Gigi's lemon pie for dessert. My potato salad is All-American....it's old fashioned and delicious. I got it from a friend years ago, it came from her husband's grandma. Everytime I make it, people love it.
The dressing is a cooked dressing, but it is so worth the extra effort! I hope you enjoy it! All American Potato Salad

Cook a 2 quart saucepan full of potatoes. (I use red skin potatoes, peeled and cubed). Cool. While the potatoes are cooling mix up the dressing:

::2 eggs beaten ::1/2 cup sugar ::1/4 cup vinegar

::2tsp table mustard (the yellow kind) :: 1/2 stick of butter

In a small saucepan, bring the above ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly and remove from heat. Cool and add 1/2 cup mayo. Add celery seed to taste. Add salt and pepper.

In a large bowl mix potatoes, chopped onions, chopped green peppers (you can omit these, if you prefer), chopped celery and chopped boiled eggs (4). Add dressing and chill. Enjoy! Hope you have a wonderful Independence day!