Thread.

Patty brought these back for me from her travels.

They're for crafting, more than sewing. 

I'm taking a bookbinding workshop and hoping to use them for that!

More collecting.

I have nothing to say. It's obvious I collect TOO MUCH STUFF!

I'm off to work after a glorious three-day weekend. Hope yours was nice!

Collecting.

The Bonne Maman jars are the best for my little collections. 

And the jam is the best (after homemade)...

Four Fruits Preserve is my favorite!

Up-cycle!

When I'm recycling mens' shirts for quilting I cut off lots of cuffs and collars. Well sometimes the cuffs are quite interesting, like these. They were super long, a great stripe, and the perfect size for going around a bottle. Thanks for the idea Annie!

Hello September!

My favorite month for so many reasons....one being that it's my birthday month and one of these always arrives from Anthropolgie...

On my nightstand...

I gotta get busy!  I wanted to have Jonathan's book done by his talk at Eagle Harbor Books on Wednesday. "Midnight's Children" is our book club choice...read by Sept. 10th.  And I'd love to read Ivan Doig's latest (not on my nightstand, yet)...he's at E. H. Books on Thursday! Ah, the pleasure of reading....wishing I had a lot more time.

Summer bounty.

Otherwise known as "tea at Tina's"....yum!

Overnight in Port Townsend.

I had an event to go to for work last night up in Port Townsend. What a fabulous evening it was. Here's the menu from the party...

And the view from the party...

And the view from breakfast this morning...

And the deer that greeted us when we left breakfast...

And, finally, at the PT Farmers' Market...

Hope to go back soon!

Author link love.

I just got home from a lovely evening in Poulsbo....a late afternoon invitation to a book reading and then dinner!  First, Liberty Bay Books hosted the fabulous Maria Semple reading from her new book, "Where'd you go, Bernadette?"  Then a really good burger and fries at The Loft with author friends SW, CC and SS. Lucky me dining with such talent....hoping some of their success/creativity/inspiration rubs off on me!

Mothering.

Hardest job I've ever done is being a mother.

Going through a particularly rough patch. 

Please keep me in your thoughts.

Thanks.

Looking good...

Looks like a bumper apple crop this year. Can't believe it's only mid-August, these look ready to pick!

Recycled and recyclable toothbrushes!

From Trader Joe's....

Crows in my kitchen.

I found this cute string of black birds, a little fatter than crows, at Cost Plus World Market. I love the way they look over my kitchen sink!

The sweet peas are setting seed....

August bike ride.

I can't believe it's the 12th of the month and this is my first post for August! Here are some photos from my bike ride through Fort Ward and along the south end this morning....

In the garden...

The foxglove have gone to seed...

So have the poppies...

The raspberries are almost finished...

The sunflowers are ready to pop...

And I'm not sure if I'll see tomatoes. I hope so!

More sweet peas!

They just keep coming....