oh happy day!

still here...

Just having lots of relaxing summertime fun... 

Sorry to have been away for so very long...I have been ridden with nausea and fatigue, due to the BABY in my belly! Yes, we're expecting baby number two, and this one is making me feel pretty sick, so I've just been lying low, trying not to barf, and taking lots of naps.

On Sunday , we went to an awesome Earth Angels gallery event in Warwick, NY which is about 1/2 hour away. I got to meet some artists that I really admire, and saw absolutely amazing work. There were tons of people there; Julie Arkell, Nicole Bowen, Jody Battaglia, Nicol Sayre, etc, etc. I was too shy to take any pictures, but I'm sure if you check out Jen's blog, she'll have tons of info and pics in the next couple of days.

I did buy two of Nicole Bowen's critters; They were too cute to possibly resist.

Here is our crazy tree peony in bloom. I think I post pictures of it every year, but it continues to amaze me every year, getting more and more humongous blooms!

 

Unfortunately it rains every year, right after it blooms and some of the blossoms break off, but they look lovely inside... They brighten up my dreaded dishwashing experience.  I HATE most all kitchen activity right now. The dishes make me want to hurl; I nearly wretch every time I open the fridge...blech!

Despite dreading the kitchen, I did manage to dust off my apron and bake something today. Blackberry Crumb Bars from the latest Everyday Food. They're in the oven right now. They do NOT make me want to wretch. The love of baked goods has not been affected!

Getting ready!

The time has arrived! (and this year I am actually looking forward to it) Time to get going with the spring cleanup in the yard & garden, and get ready for veggies and flowers.
We inherited a big 'ol cottage style perennial garden with our house, that someone had put alot of time/money/love into. But it had been neglected for a couple of years, and then when we moved in, we were a bit overwhelmed by it. Then we had Clara, and we neglected it for a couple of summers. SO, this year, we are ready to make it our own.
We're going for a "potager" or a kitchen garden, with veggies, flowers and herbs. We set up a little shelf in our basement with grow lights and we're starting all sorts of veggies & herbs from seed.
We're going to keep some of the perennial beds, but I'd like to take out one, and make it an annual cutting bed, with zinnias and snapdragons, etc. Here are just some pics of the past few days...preparing, playing, etc. And a couple of random shots from the week.

Tree Peony buds...this will be beautiful really soon!

Trusty gardening boots!

Here it is...bare on April 5th. Just finished raking everything out. Still alot more to do. We'll plant some peas tomorrow. Soon some of these beds will be packed with perennials, and it will be a jungle. It always starts growing so, so fast, and before you know it, you're overwhelmed and can't seem to pull weeds fast enough!

Clara's wee rake next to mine... 

She seems to prefer mine :)

collecting

little bunnies in a pot

and some non-garden related pictures:


Clara and Jay and a ukelele

   
Oh, and a cookie. I tell you, I may have a baking addiction. Do I need an intervention?? It's ok, raking burns mega calories. And I just invested in some workout dvd's...ha!

I hope that everyone had a lovely Easter! This was Clara's 2nd Easter, and she was really aware of what it was all about this year. She was an expert egg-hunter, toting around her little basket and squealing wih glee. Very cute. She managed to inhale her chocolate bunny's ears in, oh, about 30 seconds flat. I had to intervene! It was a really nice day. Makes me want to have more kids...She's growing up so fast already! Around the holidays especially, I always imagine a whole herd of kiddies, having a great, rowdy time. Just warm, fun chaos.  We'll see! And here is a last image of baked goods for a bit. I am saying farewell to sweets for a few weeks, to sort of cleanse my body of sugar. Nothing makes me happier than baking. I absolutely love it. But there are not enough people around here to eat what I make. (Another reason for more kids!)  So, consequently, I am consuming all I bake. Very dangerous for the waistline. Needless to say, this is a Meyer Lemon Poundcake. I used this recipe, but reduced the sugar a bit (since Meyer lemons are sweet) and added a bit of vanilla extract. Really, really good. I have never had Meyer lemons (living on the east coast, they are rather scarce..at least at my grocery stores!) So I was really excited when I found them. I'd like to try to make some Marmalade as well. oh, but that would be sugar. poo.

Some random pics from this week...

My new little Erzgebirge figure, welcoming Spring, carrying a pussywillow

First batch of tasty strawberries resulting in a strawberry tart

just a little spot by my desk

Good morning...

oops!!

I made the most ridiculousy silly error. I forgot the fundamental principal of scheduling auctions on Ebay...note that they are in Pacific time!! I was rushing around this afternoon trying to get them all listed, and I goofed!! So they should all start at 9:30 pm EST this evening, and they will be starting 5 minutes apart, so they won't all be up at once. Sorry, to anyone who may have checked and thought "what the heck?"

books are here!

My copies of Sweet Needle Felts arrived today! It will be in stores next week!

All stacked up...

Unpacking...

Perusing...

   

...they make a rather nice seat!

periodical pleasure

Perusing my copies of Country Living and ME's Home Companion, I was excited to find familiar faces!

Home Companion featured a huge spread on Heather Bailey, whose lovely blog I read often and who designs gorgeous fabric. They also did a feature on Ann Wood, who creates charming birds and other whimsical things and who also has a blog that I check out daily. It is so funny how small the world has become due to the internet and blogs. You really start to feel like you know these people, and then, hey, there they are in a magazine, and you're like, "yeah, I know her" even though of course you really don't.

Also Country Living featured Alicia, and of course there's not a soul who hasn't heard of  her blog!
They did a nice piece on Stacey Bear also, whose work I have seen through Earth Angels Toys and whose home is absolutely lovely! It's kind of what I aspire to make my house like. Built about the same time, but not nearly as spiffy as far as the decorating goes!