A walk on the beach.

It's nice to be back to walking a bit more after hurting my knee back in January. I usually always find a heart rock or two on my walks, but not last night, just this.....

In the garden this morning...

Rhodies.

I'm going to say it again.... This is a beautiful time of year in the Pacific Northwest.

collection #8: glass milk bottles

My whole collection is actually packed up in the storage locker, but I've just found these new ones at our local grocery store. I love them...especially the ones filled with chocolate milk. The little ones make darling vases!

No more are home arts prized like rubies...

Just came across a fun blog via the LA Times, A Bloomsbury Life, to share with you. Obviously one talented woman, Lisa has a show at the ACME in LA and her home featured in the LA Times right now. One of the many reasons I love blogging...discovering people like this!

Remembering...

Kathy at Pink Chalk Studios has a giveaway on her blog today and you have to share a favorite handmade baby gift. Well, without a doubt this was my favorite gift. My mom made this cute, cute bunny quilt for my son, her first grandchild. We used it all the time when he was a baby and then it hung on the wall in his room for quite awhile. Now it's nicely packed away. One day (many years from now please!) maybe he'll give it to his first.

Working on a quilt...

The pattern is "Bento Box" from Tracey Brookshier. I just finished the top yesterday. I really like the way it turned out. It's for my daughter's bed in her blue & green room. She really liked the last quilt I made in pinks and browns, but boy did the colors clash in her room. This one will look much better.

A gorgeous evening.

This one's for you Mary Ann. I had to run outside and snap a picture of this weird cloud formation at sunset when we were on the phone this evening. We get a lot of great sunsets, but I've never seen such a strange looking cloud...it almost looked like a spaceship!
Also, a little earlier, the rhodies looked gorgeous in the evening light.

Sweet Sixteen.

Happy Birthday today to my wonderful daughter!

Vancouver Island Regatta.

I traveled with the team up to my daughter's regatta on Vancouver Island this weekend. The weather was really horrible both Friday and Saturday, but this is what it looked like at 6:20 in the morning Sunday as her eight was launching before their last race. A gorgeous sunrise and a whole day without rain!

More spring please.

Our beautiful tulip magnolia always puts on a show....

New bed.

You know how I'm trying to clear away my clutter and how I try to steer clear of all yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, etc. Well, I slipped. I could see this bed from the street and was a goner as soon as I stopped the car. It needs some work...needs to be completely sanded and repainted, but it's gorgeous and I've been wanting an old iron bed for a long time. I could put it in the garden just as it is, but I'm putting it in the storage locker for now while I make a plan.

Lilacs.

I have to enjoy these beautiful lilacs from afar. Unfortunately I have a serious allergic reaction if I cut them and bring them indoors. I do sometimes cut them and put them in a vase on the patio table, but I still can't get too close.

I love springtime.

I want to touch the earth,

I want to break it in my hands.

I want to grow something wild and unruly.

~Dixie Chicks

Happy Earth Day!

Yes, I know today is not Sunday.A few years back (in fact, the last time April 22nd did fall on a Sunday) I took a letterpress class. I loved it. One of our assignments was to typeset a bunch of letters into a shape. So I decided to do the earth. Setting the type for this very simple circle took me hours!!! Something that would have taken me 15 minutes on the computer. It gave me a new appreciation of old books, newspapers, etc.
I do wish I'd left off the Sunday part so I could use it every year because I printed a bunch of copies. I'll have to wait to use them again until 2012...not too long.

PISSY.

You gotta see Kathy's post this evening on her Pink Chalk Studios blog.

There he goes.

Not the greatest picture, but I quickly snapped this as my son was leaving our driveway trying to catch the 7:05 ferry Sunday morning. He's been working on this 1969 VW Bus for months now and it's finally ready for the road. First stop U of Idaho to visit a friend, then off to Montana to see more friends. He's been calling from the road. So far, so good with the bus. He made it to Bozeman.

Smile.

Good Morning. Sorry I've been out of touch. I started a new job and I'm hating it. I haven't been this stressed in a long time. I'm getting headaches, clenching my jaw, biting my nails. I tried quitting last week, but they asked me to reconsider. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking. I'm not one to give up, but it is becoming more and more obvious what I need to do.

Friends.

Michelle, back row second from right, has a wonderful post about friends, these friends in particular, over on her blog. We all went to high school together 32 years ago if you can believe it. During high school we always had our lunch together, usually in Mr. Lum's classroom, hence we became the "lunch bunch." And we're all turning 50 this year! We've all taken such different paths, but as Michelle says, we still have our friendship in common. It was so nice to see everyone....thank you gals.

New fabric.

Look at these gorgeous fabrics I just ordered from Pink Chalk Fabrics. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet, probably a quilt, but I had to have them. Are they not gorgeous? They're by designer Louise Cunningham from Metro Café.

I'm finally getting into a routine with my new job so I'm hoping to have more time for all of my projects.