my new friend

After MANY years of longing, I am finally the proud owner of a bicycle! A few weeks ago Michael came to me and showed me a few he found on craigslist. This was my favorite and I was so afraid that it had already been sold. When we lived in Atlanta, good deals on bicycles went really fast, but I guess that is not the case here. Yay for me!

Many years had passed since I had been on a bicycle, so I have been slowly venturing further and further out on it. I circled our driveway for quite a while before getting brave enough to take it around the block. Then I took it to the library about a mile away. I have to be honest, I still feel a little afraid when I hear a car approaching from behind!

This past weekend, I finally took my new ride to our local farmer's market, which is one of the main places (along with the library) I have been wanting to take it. The ride is only about a mile and a half and it is a lot of fun. I even stopped at a yard sale on the way home! Speaking of the yard sale...$5 for hardback books?! I know they were hardbacks, but seriously? No thanks. Anyways...

I think the basket is perfect for fresh fruits and veggies...

This may not be the biggest news that you read today, but it is pretty big around here. I am still downright giddy about it. I just love the feeling of riding..more so the downhills with the wind in my face. The uphills aren't so bad, just not quite as relaxing ;).

linking up with

insta-friday

{Started the week off with some yummy peach cobbler}

{Time to clear out and switch out books for the new school year}

{Thrifting and antiquing with my girl}

{Followed by a silly lunch}

{Followed by more antiquing and a milkshake stop}

{This morning's new reading from the library}

{Bracelets made by my girl for all of her friends}

linking up with

right now(ish)

It has been a busy week for the sewing room. I hope to have some things to share soon. As a matter of fact, I need to be finishing up a few things right now. In the meantime I thought I would copy this idea from Eren over at This Vintage Chica. Simple but fun. So, here we go...

Right now(ish), I am...

listening to: Amelie soundtrack

watching: this (it is fantastic)

reading: this and this by myself, this with larkin, and this with lucy

eating: honey nut cheerios with almond milk

planning: a day of sewing and crafting

needing: some girl time

thankful for: my new bicycle

praying for: direction

drinking: organic coffee with half and half and sugar (but hey, I have cut back on the sugar)

feeling: inspired

waiting for: motivation to shower

wondering: why my tomato plants aren’t producing

catching up

{My sweet boy serenading the passersby}

With the exception of my Easter post and my one last week, my posting has been, well pretty non-existant. And to tell you the truth, that is not the way I want this blog to exist. You know, to sink and sink and then come up gasping for air when I throw it a lifeline like once a month.

In the past few months I have been thinking about the blog and exactly what I want it to look like. I feel that my "taste" in blogs has changed and it has made me look differently at mine. I mean, my taste hasn't changed drastically, more like a smidge. Still, I want this blog to have more purpose or direction or something (as you can see, I am very clear on this mission).

Apparently, when I have all these thoughts going around in my head, instead of continuing to blog, I just freeze with panic. OK, maybe panic is a strong word. But I do freeze.

At times I have even wondered if people even read the blog. (It is kinda hard to read if I'm not posting. Hmm.) But then someone will say something about my blog that encourages me. And I realize people are reading even if they don't comment.

Anyway, I feel like I am about to start rambling. So, I will just cut to the chase. I am back. Hopefully, now that summer is upon us and school is out, I can really try to resuscitate this blog and give it purpose. I know you all aren't dying to read the words flowing from my head, but I still have a need to put them out there. I enjoy documenting life...capturing the simple everyday bits that make it so special.

In an effort to make up for lost time, I thought I would just give you photos that kinda document the past few months. And yes, they were all taken with my phone. The Instagram app is just too addictive and easy to use. But as I type, the battery for the real camera is charging.

{A little thumb war with Grandpa}

{Date night with the most amazing husband and father}

{Learning how to make salves and tinctures with my fellow farmgirls}

{A bit of resourcefulness}

{A whole lot of trips to the library}

{Blooming calendula (good for all sorts of things)}

{My little ballerina waiting her turn}

{Vintage girl wearing a dress that belonged to me}

{Some good ol' Rice Krispie treat making}

Oh, by the way, since I am trying to give the blog more direction, if you think of something you do like about it, feel free to tell me!

checked out and returned

I am not really sure where the weeks have gone. Somehow, without meaning to, I have unplugged a bit. I do know that I have been busy, even if I don't have much to show for it. Inspiration left me for a bit and I haven't felt much like writing about anything. I haven't been keeping up with my usual blog reading either. It is funny how I can feel so inspired reading about things other people are doing and then sometimes, when I am already feeling completely uninspired, those same things can make me feel quite inadequate. Tell me I am not alone here.

During this blog "time-out" I have had a lot of time to revamp our homeschool days and I am really enjoying where things are going and how much smoother our days seem to be. I have also focused on getting some of our household chores under control. Does anyone else find that sometimes, out of nowhere, the house seems to explode...laundry piled high, toilets needing to be scrubbed, the dog seems to shed at least three small animals and the kitchen seems to breed dirty dishes? And then you go out of town for two days and even though no one was home, somehow there are more things to clean when you get back? Well, I am happy to report that I have gotten it back under control and I am beginning to feel like myself again.

Over the weekend I finally got some inspiration and have something fun to show you, but at one of the smalls' soccer games on Monday, my camera was in the bag with a leaky water bottle and it soaked up a good bit of water. I am still letting it dry out, so no new photos to share, hence the random photo I took earlier this summer.

And just so this post isn't completely useless, I thought I would share a random list of loves with you. A list that doesn't warrant a post on its own, but needs to be shared.

Cameo apples :: I sure do enjoy living in apple country. If you haven't tried a cameo, go do it right now.

Flower Patch Farmgirl :: I found Shannan a few months ago and have been completely smitten with her blog. She is funny and she is real. Check her out...you won't be disappointed.

Library book sales :: We just had one here this past weekend. A room full of books at $3 a bag? Or if you are lucky, $1 a box! Yes, please. This link has a list of them!

Goat's Milk Soap :: I just discovered this when we moved to North Carolina. The link is a local farm that sells it and they are so great! The Strawberries 'n' Cream is unbelievable. It is by far the best thing I have ever used to wash my face.

Simplicity :: No link for this. It is what it is.

I hope to be back soon with a dry camera and a bucket full of inspiration!

sunshine

Thanks to those of you who said my parents are adorable. They really are quite swell if I do say so myself. We had a great weekend together. They left on Monday afternoon and Michael left that morning for a retreat, so what did I do? Well, after I was pouty for a bit, and shed a tear or two, I pulled myself together and made mac & cheese and popcorn and enjoyed it on the couch with the smalls while we watched some old episodes of The Pink Panther.

It is a rainy day here. Nothing new with that as it has been raining since Sunday, with a bit of a break yesterday (not exactly great for a girl who is missing her family). However, the little bowl up there has brought me some sunshine. My parents just took a trip to St. Augustine. Yes, they went without me, which was a little bit difficult seeing hows I love that place so much. But, knowing me so well, my mama brought me some treats from my favorite city. The little dish came from one of our favorite shops. She used to sing that song to me all the time as a child and now I sing it to my smalls.

She also got me a charm to go with the schoolhouse charm I got on our trip earlier this year. It is a charm of St. Augustine's city gates. Isn't it cute?

Another thing that is bringing me sunshine on this otherwise rainy day is the fact that my sweetheart returns this afternoon. Yay for me!

wordless wednesday

i'm over here

At any given moment this week you can find me under a pile of homeschool books. If I'm not there, look and you will find me in a dark corner hunched over my computer with a wild look in my eye as I try to find the very best deal on each of the books I have left to order. People, I have it down to the penny. Just go look at my spreadsheet. On second thought, don't. I'm not even sure it makes sense to me. And let's not get started on my process for planning out the year. But you know what? I absolutely love it. I can hardly wait to get started this year.

If I am not under a pile of books, or hunched in a corner, you can find me if you look for the blur going through the house as I prepare for a visit from a very special lady. My friend Cindy and I decided that when we moved here with our families we had to start our own Mary Jane's Farm chapter. And tomorrow is our kick-off meeting. We are calling it Simply Farmgirls. We are so excited that Mary Jane will actually be here with us! We are going to have a blast...I just know it.

what blogging looks like with a headache

So, today I have had a bit of a headache. As much as I love the rain we are having, I don't always enjoy the pressure changes that bring on migraines. But I didn't want you to think I had disappeared.

We had some dear friends in town over the weekend and we were busy, busy, busy. And I managed not to take many photos. Go figure. However, I managed to catch a few things that made me smile yesterday and today (in spite of the headache).

{Proof that these really are the best cookies ever}

{He tweeted today "About to explode with love for my daughter." See why I love him?}

{Our first Better Boy of the season}

{It feels like I waited months for these to bloom}

{This guy spent all afternoon trying to get into the kitchen through the windows. Very entertaining.}

I do need to get in gear because I have much work to do for this before we leave. Here's to a good night's sleep!

fun with labels

Since I love vacation so much, I think I will post about it one more time. Sort of. For over 20 years we have spent our vacations in St. Augustine, Florida. It is a place I hold near and dear to my heart. The photo above is a necklace that I got this year while we were there and I think it sums it up pretty well for me. St. Augustine a beautiful old town (the oldest town in the U.S.) and it is chock-full of history. The most historic area of town still has cobblestone streets and a lot of original buildings including the oldest wooden schoolhouse. While we were walking through one day we stopped into The Old Drugstore. I remember going when I was a little girl but did not remember anything about it. As we walked in I was amazed by the walls full of old bottles of elixirs, tonics, tinctures and beauty products. I could have spent the whole day just reading labels. I wanted to share a few with you...

What would you do with these? I can't even begin to imagine.

I'm thinking that something that requires me to take a dessert spoonful three times a day has to work. I mean, really, how could it not? Plus, it is famous...

Does anyone else have a problem with the word "tincture?" I sounds like it hurts.

Hemaboloids? Arseniated? No thanks.

This one wins for clearest instructions ever!

The middle bottle boasts that it prevents hair from falling out. I wonder if that is still true.

What exactly is hair dressing? No matter, the packaging is perfect.

Who wouldn't want to be Polly Peachtree? She sounds splendid.

This is isn't from the drugstore, but is a little charm of the oldest wooden schoolhouse (kinda fitting for a homeschool mom since our "schoolhouse" is old and wooden). Isn't it adorable?

homemade laundry detergent

Isn't that the prettiest soap you have ever seen? Sorry for the missing end. I forgot to take a photo of it before I started doing this...

Yep. That is soap being grated in my Kitchen Aid mixer. And can I just tell you how much fun it was to grate? Much more fun than cheese. And let's be honest, cheese just isn't this pretty when grated...

So, why all the grated laundry soap? To make my own laundry detergent! I have been wanting to try to make some for quite a while now because it is less expensive than regular detergent and a greener way to clean. Well, I finally got around to it. I first learned about it from my friend Karin. I also knew that I had heard about it through Mary Jane's Farm. After a bit of a search, I found the the recipe I wanted to use at Beehive Cottage. And look how pretty it is!

I tried to take this photo on several different days with different amounts of sunlight and they never come out at pretty as it is in person. Trust me. It is really pretty! We have been using it for a few weeks now and I really like it. I have replaced many of our cleaning supplies with natural cleaners, and I have a few more that I want to try to replace. I think that dishwasher detergent may be next. Stay tuned...

taking care

Not much has been going on around here other than continuing to get back into the school groove. We are finally settling in and I am thrilled to report that I am finally organized! I took the time to sit down and make a weekly schedule that I can customize for our lessons each week. It can be hard to keep up with what we are doing in all the subjects...which library books should be read and when, what supplies we need for various projects, etc. But now I have it all at my fingertips (I have always wanted to say that!) and I finally feel like we can get the most out of our school time. Yay!

The photo above really has nothing to do with this post, I just found it especially sweet to watch Lucy care for her baby doll. (And I figured a photo of my weekly schedule would not be all that exciting.) I just love how helpful Lucy can be. She loves to clean and take care of things around the house. I wonder how long that will last...

unexpected

Wow. I guess May was an unexpected blog break for me. I had no intention of taking a break; it just happened. And I guess I needed it. May was a busy month around here. We wrapped up homeschool for the year, went to the beach for a week (don't be jealous...it rained rained five days out of the six we were there for a total close to 24 inches of rain...I'm still not over it...let's move on). And now we are back home trying to transition from school mode to summer mode. I have several things to post about from the past month, and I plan on getting back into full swing next week. I just wanted to pop in to let you know that I am still around! Happy Weekend!

snow, snow, snowy sunday

It is the first day of March and it is finally snowing here. I have waited patiently and had actually given up hope when, as we were leaving church, it began to snow and the closer we got to our house, the heavier it came down. Now I know that this does not compare to what some of you see in winter, but this little family of four is quite excited today. And I can't stop watching it! Happy Sunday to you!

february inspiration

1. Butterfly collage, 2. christmas eve dress in the winter sunshine, 3. Red gingham edging on the shelves, 4. Mushroom House: Red, 5. little red riding hood, 6. Red and White, 7. fabric wreath in browns, blues, reds and pinks, 8. red & aqua doll quilt challenge, 9. Red and white cupcake apron, 10. red windows pouch, 11. red owl and bird cupcake box, 12. Untitled, 13. red loops pouch, 14. 4 slumbering matryoshkas, 15. Redwork Mama Cat, 16. pincushion