Funny Magic

Merry Christmas!

Well, it may be a ways off, but I have been stocking the cupboard with impending Christmas gifts:

I preserved some strawberry-rhubarb jam for gift-giving this year. How's that for preparedness? (Not to mention that it's pretty darn yummy.) In other news from my part of the world:

• I finished stripping all of the "Hey, Diddle Diddle" wallpaper in my son's room while he was away at camp; now it's ready for some paint. 
• Baseball Season for said son has ended, and his team won the Championship for their age division. !!
• I'm currently reading this book, because seriously, we've still got a lot of summer left and the sibling bickering is at an all-time high. Like, as I type they're going at it. Ugh.

Life is good, but I've lost my blogging mojo; I'll visit this space at least once a month for now.

Thanks for stopping by,

Paige

It's Official

Cold-brewed iced coffee in the making.

Sun tea brewing in the garden...

...and iced 24 hours later. (Recipe found here.)

Oh, and a few more plants for the garden because I just couldn't live without mint, lavender, and Sugar Baby watermelons this year.

Hello June, late spring, impending summer, ice-cold drinks, bare feet and fans. It's so nice to see you again!

Happy day,

Paige

 

A Turnaround

Hi there! So I came across the cutest little tutorial for a girl's skirt the other week, and dropped everything so I could make one for Juliet. It's was so much fun to make, and I love how it turned out so much that I just had to share. (Not only could you make one of these for that special little girl in your life, but also for yourself - cool, huh?)

The icing on the cake? When my girl was packing her bag for her (very first!) overnight at a friend's house, she included this skirt to wear the next day. Now that makes a mama feel darn good.

More soon, I promise!

Paige

At Last

The warm weather is here, and I am so happy.

Happy for open doors and open windows. Happy for dirt and Asters and Alyssum.

Happy to lounge on our front porch again.

(How's that for candid? That would be me in the morning, puzzling over my knitting and wearing a pair of new jammie pants that I sewed last week.)

I hope you're happy, too.

Paige

 

I Have Been...

*reading, for today is Turn the Page :: Tuesday.

Last month I procured The Hunger Games from the shelves in my son's bedroom; he's read the whole series and loved it. Plus a number of people I know have read it and raved, so I figured it was a sure sign that I oughta read it, too....and I'm glad I did. It was absorbing, adventurous, and I'll certainly be reading the two sequels once I finish the book I currently have my nose in.

*listening to Stash-n-Burn podcasts and sewing pajama pants for summer. Because even though I still had on my WINTER COAT yesterday, I know warm weather will be here. Someday. *sigh*

*getting ready to do some planting later this week. C'mon Spring!

Ta-ta for now, and go here for more TTPT goodness.

Paige

Finished Knits

A hat for honeygirl, some mitts for me, a scarf...and it's cold enough out there to wear 'em all today. (These knits were finished back in Feb/March but I hadn't gotten 'round to blogging about 'em.)

While waiting for warmth and sunshine and lilacs I hopped the bandwagon and am currently knitting a Sally Cardigan:

Isn't the design and fit and color combo fabulous???!!! So far my Sally looks like this:

I was inspired to cast-on as part of a KAL on Ravelry (go here if you'd like to join). I mean, what the heck else is there to do while waiting for Spring??????

Have a good weekend,

Paige

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to Natalie for pointing me in the direction of Wordless Wednesday....

Turn the Page :: Tuesday

My latest read did, indeed, come from my own bookshelves here at home; I'm glad I finally took it down and dove in.

A poignant tale of a once-proud Pennsylvania coal town destroyed by a mining disaster, Tawni O'Dell's second novel, Coal Run, follows its wounded inhabitants as they try to come to terms with what is gone and what remains. "The Great Ivan Z"--Ivan Zoschenko--is a mythical football hero who, after being injured on the eve of a promising professional career, heads for Florida (and the bottom of the bottle) for a decade before limping back to Coal Run and getting a job as deputy sheriff.

I really liked this book, and was rooting for Ivan throughout it all. Plus, I was happy to find out that her next book takes you back to the coal mining country of Pennsylvania, this time with the protaganist being a tough-talking female cabbie in a small town; now I'm totally looking forward to reading all of O'Dell's books. (Did anyone happen to read Back Roads?)

For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Adrienne's place - happy Tuesday, and happy reading to you!

Paige

Love Notes

One day last week my littlest one surprised me by making my bed (!) and leaving a surprise atop the blankets. She's in this very sweet/loving/smoochie-kinda phase right now. And I kinda like it a whole lot.

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Do you have a favorite poem? I have bunches, and I'm going to share some faves this month; I feel like I've got my blogging mojo back, and it feels good to be here.

Bye for now. Hope you're having a great weekend.
Paige

Farewell, March.

 

 Welcome, welcome April - bring on your showers and snow-melt and poetry. I/we are ready.