kitchen weekend

We made a quick trip to the local Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, and that sealed the rest of my weekend plans.  I baked 4 pies, made a casserole or two, made fresh salads, and let Rowan eat up half a pint of blackberries.  That last one may have been a bit of a mistake.  So in short, I spent my weekend in the kitchen.  With a brief dip in the pool here and there.  Now I have a lot to catch up on this week!  It's going to be a busy one.  Hope your weekend was great, friends!

past in picture: may, 2001

In May, 2001, we had been dating for over a year.  Brian was spending the year in Korea, teaching English.  I had fallen in love with a man with serious wanderlust.  Me.  The home body.  So I chucked my job, and joined him for the month of May, spending every second that a tourist visa would allow.  I even taught some classes at his school.  Learned that teaching is NOT for me.  Learned that living abroad can be an adventure, especially with a fun man with wanderlust.  I ate food I couldn't identify, got touched and photographed by curious Koreans, and left more in love with the most adventurous man I've ever known.

flowers + fletcher

Last weekend at my parents house, I took a million pictures of my mom and dad's gardens.  They are beautiful gardens!  And I shot a few pictures of Fletcher for his 4 year pictures.  I haven't carved out time to do more, but I'm hoping to finish taking his pictures this weekend. 

Flowers + Garden:

4 year old Fletcher:

I call his hair "boy band" hair, and I've been really procrastinating getting him a summer cut because I love it so much!  But he's a sweaty little monkey in the summer heat, so it's time.  Sadness.  I'm sure I'll get over it.

the ten.4

1.  Rowan is turning into quite the artist.  I've gotten her steered away from here:

and over to here:

And her masterpieces are getting better and better!

I know.  I have mom eyes, but I love each one!  I could paper the walls with her pictures. 
2.  On our trip back home, Brian and I started listening to the book (audio book) Beautiful Ruins.  We were a little optimistic about how that trip would go, I guess.  But the few hours we DID listen to were so sweet and funny!  We both laughed the whole time.  Can't wait for our next road trip to hear some more.
3.  I've been craving salads a lot lately- probably due to the heat.  I do love a hearty salad.  One of my favorites that I've found is an Avocado Black Bean Salad and this Watermelon Salad looks amazing- I'm going to try it (found this lovely lady through a mutual friend- she has a very tasty blog, indeed!).
4.  I have a weakness for white eyelet on little girls.  And I know a little girl that would RUIN the crap out of a white eyelet dress.  But I still like to look and say "awwwww...."  So sweet.  On a little girl that never moves, that is.
5.  My goals for the weekend don't really match up with our plans to stay home and relax.  The stay at home part, yes.  But I'd like to plant some seeds (late), work on a little indoor project, and also get a little painting done.  Oh!  And I have some (self-imposed) back orders on embroidery.  I'm looking at you, new baby Jackie!
6.  I'm catching up on Girls on hbo go right now, on the recommendation of a friend.  It makes me laugh pretty hard because of all the inappropriate humor.  It's highly inappropriate, which makes is all uncomfortable and hilarious at the same time.  True. 
7.  I love watching my children sleep.  It's not stalkery when it's your own children, so don't worry.  But.  Rowan sleeps like I do- lightly.  You creak the door an inch and she is up and talking a million miles a minute.  But Fletcher.  He sleeps like a ROCK.

Brian took this picture, and at the time, he was pretty paparazzi.  But Fletcher didn't even flinch.  He's a cutie, right?
8.  Same friend as the Girls recommender introduced me to Pacing the Panic Room.  If you are a parent, go read it, starting here.  (hand-bra, ha!)
9.  My neighbor keeps bringing me produce.  I can't keep up with all the vegetables!  I'm going to make a huge amount of soup and then freeze it I think.  There are only so many ways to make zucchini!
10.  The other morning when Fletcher woke up, he came into my bed and we both looked out the open window.  I asked him what he could hear.
Fletcher: Birdies chirping.  And the leaves laughing.
Me: Why are the leaves laughing?
Fletcher: Because the wind is tickling them!
I need to start carrying around a recording device to capture all the amazing/funny things he says!

family vacation

Brian had a few days off last week for the 4th, so we decided to go back home to visit family.  And if you didn't notice, I haven't been posting on Mondays.  Call it summer hours, I guess.  We just jam our weekends with so much, I barely have time to catch my breath come Monday!  This weekend *might* be less hectic, so Monday might happen.  Might, I say. 

Anyway, I'm about to do a photo dump on you.  Of our families.  You're welcome.

Rowan and cousin Mckenzie at the piano.

Rowan and Fletcher with cousins Mckenzie and Connor: who is the tallest?

Snuggling/reading with Grandma.

All 4, and all 4 with Great-Grandma!

Rowan loving on Great-Grandma's cat.  This picture kills me.

 Saying goodbye.  Biting?

Fletcher learns about all the fun stuff Grandpa has in his shop.

At my parent's 4th of July party.  You can see how they react when I tell them to stand together and pretend they love each other.  They are cute, no?

Hope everyone else had a great holiday, too.  Ours was full of family, friends and fun!

the latest loot

I have definitely found a place I like to frequent in our town for thrift/antique goods.  And I definitely love to share it when friends and family come to visit.  So of course I took my friend, Jo, when she and her family visited last weekend!  We only had one problem- we have similar taste.  Ok, we may have had another problem.  We encouraged each other to buy stuff.  Which is FUN!  At one point I held up a slightly rusted egg basket and we both admired it. 

Me: But what would I USE it for?
Jo: Um... holding stuff!
Me: Like?
Jo: Uh, toys?
Me: Well, it's a bit rusty, so unless I want the kiddos to get tetanus...
Jo: Uh, you could use it outside?
Me: For?
Jo: Hmmm.  Gardening tools?

You can see how we operate.  We like it.  We want it.  We ask the other person to talk us into it.  It works for us.   {Full disclosure: I didn't get it.  Now I regret not getting it!  Cause I might get chickens, right?  Jo!  We forgot about using the egg basket for eggs!}

Onto the stuff I DID get.  One of my favorite finds was this pristine chenille bed cover.  I don't think Brian is in love with it.  But I told him it was for him:  Captain and Chenille.  Get it?  Cause he's a Captain... and the blanket is chenille... it sounds like Captain and Tennille...nevermind.

I love that green.  And it is in perfect condition.  Next up, a couple children's books.  The first because I love me some Danny Kaye (not to mention the darling illustrations), and the second because I thought Fletcher would get a kick out of a book about a dog named Fletcher.  He does, by the way.

I got a small embroidered table cover, and a handful of hankies for an upcoming project.

I loved this Pepsi box for extra storage, and I found a great, sturdy as all get out pastry cutter.

I grabbed this little chair for Rowan, and she's currently dragging it from room to room to use it.  I think it's a hit.

This beautiful crewel pillow cover will look great with the new chenille bedspread, no?

And I love amber glassware.  Add hobnails, and I'm a sucker for it.

I thought this little tapestry clutch with the tortoiseshell handle would be perfect for date nights.  I usually run out at the last minute with my mom purse.  Nothing is sexier on a date with your husband than diapers falling out of your purse. 

And when I admired this rooster bell, Jo bought it for me as a hostess gift.  So nice!  I can't wait to mount it by the back door.  And she gave me a sweet memory of her own with the bell.  Her family had a bell outside their door that she and her sibling got to ring when something fun/proud/successful happened in their lives.  I think that's a great idea, and our little rooster is going to be our new "something to crow about" bell.  Fletcher is already taken with it!

I did get one other GREAT gem that I will share with you maybe next week, when I put it to it's re purposed use.  Is that a tease?  Good.  Jo got some great treasure, too, but she took her stuff home with her.  Darn!