It's a SUMMER LOVE FEST!

Have you noticed how Lisa Leonard redoes her mantle every season/holiday? She has some really neat ideas and great pops of color!  

Great summer feel right?

Well I do something similar with my dining room table (and usually the buffet, but I'm not super pleased yet.).

white table cloth, pretty place mats {placemats is two words?}, chip&dip bowl, juice carafe with flowers. nice and bright!

Of course I'm loving hula seventy's 100 things to love about summer. 

some favorites: 1. daisies 6. lightning bugs 7. sidewalk chalk 10. sunflower fields 20. carnival food 31. barbecues 66. the scent of fresh cut grass 54. roller coasters   and 55. ferris wheels

And it's Friday, so it's time for!

 props to prego (yay!) Lauren

1.   My plans this summer include  birthday weekend, then our first TOTALLY free weekend since April, BOAT WEEKEND, then it looks like a relatively free and easy August. Not that every weekend hasn't been lovely in it's own way but it's overwhelming to have plans every weekend for MONTHS! 

uncle's Wedding Invitation Photo/the big red boat's first summer on the water. Summer 2006.

2.  The best summer I ever had was I still think back to the summers growing up on the lake, seven or eight, I loved that time, playing mermaids all day, bonfires at night, boardgames on rainy days. lovely. I think this summer is shaping up to be a pretty solid one though too, in love, lots of fun (even though we're kind of busy :), and yeah. It's just good. 

on the ferris wheel last saturday. can you tell how f'ing hot it was? poor kid was miserable. <3we soon left the park for beers and appy-apps.

3.  Summer is  my birthday, fireworks, boat rides, days at the lake, outdoor dining, SUNSHINE, love, green and blue, everything, what we survive Michigan winters for, dresses, FLIP FLOPS. 

 flip flops on a Lake Michigan beach. summer 2010.

4.  My favorite summer food is ribs, corn on the cob, green beans slightly charred on the grill, hot dogs, S'MORES, burgers, TOMATOES, mmm Summer. 

 let's hope they make an appearance before October this year!

5.  The best way to quench a summer thirst is with  crisp beer right out of the fridge our cooler. I'm particularly loving Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat, there's a hint of blueberries. mmm. I'm definitely looking forward to margaritas on the dock tonight at tikitaki. non-a, lemonades and iced tea please.

 pannekoeken & raspberry mint lemonade. summer 2011.

6.  My summer uniform consists of flipflops are such a staple, I'm telling you as long as I have flips on, I'm happier. Skirts, dresses, shorts, the ushe.

7.  The best thing about summer is  the sunshine, the freckles, the more carefree, let's take it slow attitude it brings, and of course the good summer eats. <3 so much love for and about summer.

freckled knees. summer 2010.

mindful eating

{Notice of Rambling Ahead. This is the post that I should have been writing after I made up my list of 25 before 26, not four days before my deadline's up. lesson learned.}


15. research eating locally and seasonally / 18. cook something new once a week

Fortunately, both Matt and I really enjoy cooking, but other commitments tend to get in the way. We're working to make meal plans, use leftovers and all the food we buy from the grocery. I've got to get him convinced to start taking lunches more often. I could stick little notes in his lunch, how sweet would that be.

A little blast from the past : When I first started blogging in 2009 I started a post about trying to meet my recommend daily value of fruits & vegetables.

In January I read about this blog, One Dollar Diet Project, when it was covered by the NYTimes. I appreciated their efforts for surviving on one dollar a day as so many people do in this country. One of the sacrifices they noted early on was a lack of the daily nutrients that we need.

It got me to thinking about how many people actually eat the recommend daily fruits and vegetables. I know I don't. I rarely eat fruit, consider it an achievement if I get one veg, and my carbs and fats are high. -April 18, 2009

I never did it, but wouldn't it be intriguing. Since then I'd say I've been eating healthier though. It's always something that takes work. I'm seriously such a glutton, I love food. I can't imagine a restrictive diet. Actually, the few times I have imagined it, I've rebelled against before I even started!

I've had these thoughts before...

There are things that I can do to be more mindful and seasonal about my eating. I just have to apply them everyday.


sheena of the little red house has blogged some really solid ideas about food. She cooks, "simple recipes with as many real, whole foods as I can cram in." Sounds good right? I like that she takes such pleasure in growing her food, teaching her readers, and challenging them to take steps to a more basic life. Don't worry, she's not afraid of a good burger!


If we're more thoughtful with our meals, use our leftovers and somehow avoid styrofoam but still go out to eat (love, love, love). (seriously people still use that junk?! surprise me every time. Would you carry your own 'tupperware' into a restaurant?) 

Blog reading is great opportunity to find seasonal recipes. I've posted this one before,  spaghetti with lemon and olive oil.

I'll leave you with this, which sort of applies.

via

1/8/25

go find yourself, but you may have already

via NeonGypsy

If you're looking for inspiring words regarding finding yourself or happiness, I recommend Neon Gypsy. Also, Brunette Bombshell Meg please check out her words, they are breathtaking. This quote she shared, read it.

2. spend a weekend away, just me

No, I didn't do this. In September, the summer foolishness ended and then in October this one made his appearance. So no, I didn't get the chance to RUN AWAY and FIND MYSELF in little hotel on a big lake. But he found me and it made me RIDICULOUSLY happy.

5. road trip with no destination

I still love this idea, but I also love making plans. Matt doesn't love road trips as much as I would have hoped my dreamboat [dreamboat? yes, dreamboat certainly works here.] would... that he would bring that side out in me. And I'm happy with the time on the road we do have.   So no, no go here but maybe this also goes back to #2.

11. journal every other day more / 19. start & finish style school & tell your story

See 2 & 5 - I learned almost as soon as I started dating Matt that I don't journal when I'm happy, I'm too busy being happy and spending time with the one who makes me happy. I still would like to Art Journal, chronicling moments that are special or normal. I've got the supplies hoardedstockpiled.

via.

Don't get me wrong, there's definitely a draw to the idea that you could take a drive and find a bit of yourself, to come home a more complete you. Vivienne McMaster tells that beautiful story. I have always wished I had a bit more bohemian in me, but maybe this quote from Francesca Lia Block sums it, and me, up quite well.

"I wish I wasn’t a girl who needed so much but a little free creature that slept in deserts and ran on clouds and lived on lilies." — “Violet & Claire” Francesca Lia Block

via.

via. (we're hitting all the tumblrs for this one.)
1/6/25

write letters

21. write letters / 23. send postcards to strangers

Sorry friends {and strangers}, I promise to do better. I really want to bring letter writing in my life. Do you want a letter? I think I'd love to send you one. Leave a me a comment and I will!

I found this great blog that's appropriately called, Send More Mail. What an inspiration.
There are such great reasons to write letters, the special feeling the person you're sending it to gets, the chance they might write you back and, of course, the beautiful stationery {There are even Projects with stationery.} and postcards and stamps. {Do you think stamp collectors secretly wanted to pick special people in their lives to send their stamps to? To send them out into the world?}

I think a nice set like this from Renegade, Yellow Owl Workshop may be in order.

1/2/25

a lovely assortment for your friday [it's still!] morning!

July: one. be diligent about getting workouts in, at least three a week.  two. oh budget, hello there. three. enjoy every moment, especially because it's my birth month. three. walk to get ice cream at least once. four. eat at tikitaki. five. manage my magazines. six. comb the cats every other day. seven. wear a pretty dress once a week. {some fun, some usual, one challenging. trying to keep it simpler.}

1.   The best news I ever received was probably that I got the job at Delta, everything else has fallen into place after that - home, kitties, Matt.

2.  Something I'm looking forward to is this month, mostly planned but a free weekend out there, and all good plans that make my little life quite special. (fireworks, birthday, friends/great lake Huron, chain of lakes on the boat) Bring it on July.

3.  Something I would never do is, well I'm sure there are things but I'm totally drawing a blank right now. Or maybe I'm feeling very open today...

4.  If I could choose someone to be my life coach (famous or not, living or dead), I'd choose my train4change coach, Carla Murphy. She lives with such an open heart, she's a beast at triathlon, she's an Ironwoman, she has a great family, and she drinks beer and always has a burger when we're out to eat. My kind of woman.

5.  If I had to put a label on my style it would be colorful and cozy.

6.  One should always  follow your heart/laugh/as Lauren said, be kind to others.

7.  I want to get some things on my tangible to do list accomplished today, as much as I also want to just stay on the computer all day. Why am I so damn lazy?

now you.

: red

Rouge- crimson, pomegr... TCaponePhoto $30.00

33% Off SALE Red Flyer ... Raceytay $20.10

Photograph: Red Chilis... LeighsPhotosAn... $75.00

Georgia red peony 8x10 ... mistflowerphot... $21.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

Summer Colours Week : yellow / pink / blue / : rainbow

Aw, it's the final day. I'm obsessed with making treasuries now. Imagine that. :)

: rainbow

14. participate in a blog or flickr challenge 1/25

I did reverb10 five days out of the month. I'm definitely looking forward to that one again. Oh and I almost forgot, sevensix days of love.

Oh hey, look at this. I'm doing my own little version of Poppy Talk's Summer Colour Week. I think that fits right in with the rest. Guess what time of year it is... eleven days til my birthday!!! Expect some exciting reflective posts over the next few days!

My summercolour treasury in : rainbow

Monsieur IV print blancucha $30.00

Spring Daffodil Sideswe... onegarnetgirl $362.00

Send me a postcard...I ... SusannahTucker $25.00

Poor Pitiful Pearl Baby... poorpitifulpea... $85.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

Summer Colours Week : yellow / pink / blue  

safe

beautiful dance from week one.