Hello Summer!

Weekend Wrap Up

Hey gang. How goes it? Hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I enjoyed mine.  Friday night we didn't get to have a campfire as it was a bit breezy, but lovely just the same. So we sat out on the patio and some of the neighborhoodlums wandered over, Gerry and Sandee to be specific.

Sandee headed home because she was beat after a long day and a road trip, so G, Gerry and I headed inside for a little youtubing. We played some serious throwbacks and great craic!

Saturday, we spent some time in the yard and then I headed to my niece Cait's baby shower. She has a little less than a month to go before baby Olivia Marie arrives.

It was a perfect day for the festivities.

I even won a prize. We had to cut a length of ribbon as long as we thought Cait's baby belly was around. Well, first everyone was telling me I was going way too long so I went short. Then they were all chiming that I'd gone way to short and it would never fit around. Lo and behold, mine was bang on!

My niece Maddie (on the left) came in second with only a tiny gap.

I got to take pictures of some pretty cute munchkins at the shower, including baby Teddy, our niece Nicole's (center above) best friend Abby's latest cherub. We've watched Ab grow up and now she's a mom twice over. Where does the time go.

Cuteness alert! Just look at these toes!

When I got home it was a still a beautiful evening out.

 
G had cut down our dead (insert sad face here) apple tree. It was completely hollow inside and we had milked it as long as we could. So, G built a campfire and threw some of the trunk on.  The flames shot right up through the middle.

Sunday was another glorious day. I spent it working on the pool, which I predict I will be in by the end of today. When I wasn't doing that, I was in the garden. Planting two more potatoes, doing some more mulching, mounding up around my potatoes so they produce more spuds.

Everything is looking good, including the beans.

The cardboard and leaves combo is doing a great job of keeping the weeds down. Can I get an amen on that one?

The weekend ended with great World Cup match against Portugal, who is ranked higher than the USA.  Well, we let them score on a weird bounce of the ball off our defender's leg as he was trying to clear it away from the goal. That was in the first 5 minutes. Bummer. We didn't let it bring us down though. We played great, and our player Jermaine Jones came back and put one in from 64 feet out. It was monstrous. Then, we score another great goal, a real team effort ending with Clint Dempsey hip checking it in. It was classic. We were looking good. We were looking great. And then came 5 minutes of injury time added on. Down the the last 30 or so seconds and we couldn't stop Portugal from scoring. Talk about deflated hearts. That close to a big win. Ugh. But at least we came away with a tie and not a loss.

Then there was sunset meadows to soothe my woes. 

Ah, that's better.
And all was right with the world.

What's on your plate for the week? Mine has lots of collateral design, ad design, some email marketing design and revisions. Full plate for sure.

Make it a good one!

Ciao for now,

Freeform Friday

The Back Forty

It's just so gorgeous out this week. A little cooler than usual for August, but nothing to shake your head at. So, we're taking advantage of that tonight and having a campfire with friends. 

I'm going to make this:

via Katrina Runs

Um...............YUM.

I'll let you know how it turns out, though I'm pretty confident it's going to rock. I'm going to replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock to make it vegetarian and gluten free for a couple of my pals. I will of course, have the bacon bits on the side because, that's the way I roll.

My Dad and I used to stop at Bennigans for a soup like this after our yearly visit to his Boston eye specialist. Then Bennigan's closed. What a bummer. So I'm pretty excited to get a fix of this stuff.

Speaking of lunch and Dad, we did lunch on Monday and I had to take a picture of my fish and chips because the chips were served in the cutest way.

Guess I didn't have my phone camera quite in focus, but you get the picture. My own personal chip basket. Can you stand it?


Freeform Friday

To get your Friday off to a rockin' start, a favorite of mine. This stage is filled with amazing musicians. Can I just tell ya........I LOVE Fats. He is just the sweetest and while everyone else is grabbing the limelight, he plays his heart out banging those keys. Click here if you're reading via email.

 

I'm off to run errands this morning and then back to my desk to design an email for my clients Top Drawer. Love those ladies. They're the best.

Have a great day. It's Friday. Time to do the Snoopy dance!

Ciao for now,

Beauty And The Beast

Noses & Roses

Have I told you lately that I love..........Saturday? Gotcha. Didn't I?

I love the slow, don't have to do anything pace that Saturday brings. Well, some of the time.

Today is one of those Saturdays.

The hound is busy doing what he does best. Napping.

Dang I love his nose. In fact sometimes I call him Nose. And Meem (don't ask because I will not be able to give you any reason for this).  And Cotton Ears (that one I can explain...because sometimes he has to stick cotton in his ears to prevent ear drum damage from my bad singing........no, no, no....not really........his ears just feel like cotton).

Those of you with pets will confirm (please. pretty please?) that it is completely normal to have at least 50 nicknames for your pals, half of which make no sense at all.

Anyways, like I said, he's busy sleeping. Well, he was. I swear.

Lucan only opened his eyes for a nano second just to try and prove me wrong, then he went back to napping.

On the opposite side of the room, twenty feet away from the beast.........beauty.

Cue the music......."He still brings me flowers..........evermore".

Yeah, I know those aren't really the words. Just humor me, OK?

Did I tell you that due to the constant noodging and nudging of Ms. Cari-Jane Hakes of Hybrid Handmade fame (sorry Mrs. Mojito, I couldn't resist), I signed up for The Sketchbook Project this week? Yup. It's true.  I signed up. The part about the noodgery isn't exactly true, but kinda sorta.

You see, my pal Cari-Jane has participated in The Sketchbook Project before and blogged about it. Then my other etsy pal, Ashleigh from Bleu Oiseau Photography facebooked that she had signed up as well and was pulling her sketchbook together. Then Cari-Jane blogged that she had yet again signed up for this year's Sketchbook Project. So, you see, there was no way I could not take all of that as I sign that I too should participate. Follow? Sure, it might be a stretch just like any 6 degrees of separation, but my three-degrees-to-sign-up ensured that I did. Sign up that is.

If you haven't heard about The Sketchbook Project it is very cool, or like, oh my god, totally tubular if you were a Valley Girl in the 80s.  People from all over the world participate, it is not juried. It's all inclusive.  Sketchbooks are sent out, people fill them up and send them back, then they (the sketchbooks, not the people) go on tour, and finally return to their new permanent home at The Brooklyn Art Library. Click here for a little video about it, if you're reading by email.



The Sketchbook Project, London 2012 from You and I Films on Vimeo.

I can not wait to get my sketchbook. I've got all sorts of ideas running through my head.

Not that that is anything new.

Last night the neighborhoodlums had an impromptu campfire. Cold? Who cares when there is a campfire involved. I layered up.......tank top, t shirt, flannel shirt, fleece vest, warm sweat shirt jacket, two pairs of gloves, winter boots, Bruins hat, scarf and I was good to go. It was toasty warm by the fire.

What's happening in your corner of the world?

It's cold, but not freezing today. There is snow melting off the roof. However, it is wicked windy. Later, some Italian Chicken Soup from the freezer that I will add some dumplings too. At least that's the plan.

Have a good one.

Ciao for now,

This Week: Quick Review

What's Happening in My Corner of the World

Happy Saturday. Oh how I love Saturday. Wish I could say I took advantage of one of the good things about Saturdays and slept in, but I woke at about 6:10 and was not going to go back to sleep so I got up around 6:20 am. I reserve the right to take a nap later if I want.

This week was packed with good stuff. You gotta love that. 

My husband bought me Calla Lilies for being his best friend. Yes, he can be quite sweet. He's been buying me flowers since we first met. Usually roses, but he wasn't happy with the roses at the store so he opted for Calla Lilies this time. I have to say, "Good call Gar." Simply gorgeous. Plus, they still look fabulous. Of course, Calla Lilies always make me think of Katherine Hepburn in Stagedoor. Have you ever seen it? Classic and full of famous actresses just starting out in the careers, which mirrors the story. When Katherine Hepburn says, 'The Calla Lilies are in bloom again', is at the end of the movie and it's quite emotional. I won't tell you why in case you've never seen it. Put it on your list.

Of course, Calla Lilies always make me think of Katharine Hepburn in Stagedoor. Have you ever seen it? Classic and full of famous actresses just starting out in the careers, which mirrors the story. When Katharine Hepburn says, 'The Calla Lilies are in bloom again', is at the end of the movie and it's quite emotional. I won't tell you why in case you've never seen it. Put it on your list.

OK, back to my week.....I made time for crafting and jazzed up a clipboard. Yes, I just said jazzed again. I know, I'm out of control.

Shipped packages to customers, both vintage and prints.

Enjoyed a night with my Champagne/Bookclub ladies.  We had a little champagne, a lot of water and a plethora of delicious food. Plethora doesn't get used nearly enough, so I just thought I'd throw that in there one more time. Neither does copious. Depending on how you look at it, there was either a plethora of food or a copious amount. Ha!

It started to look like Fall. 

I hosted a party where we all got know each other better. In fact, I'm still hosting a party.If you have a shop or blog, link up and you might find yourself featured as one of my picks on Monday.

I shared the second part in a series on Making the Most of Craft Fairs.

[via emma lamb]

Last night we had a campfire and it looks like the weather will cooperate tonight as well.  

I'm working on things at my desk right now, including this new design. I may have some tweaking to do. I usually have to walk away for a little while before I decide if something is finished. Isn't the Scandinavian proverb wonderful?

I've also been pulling together the next giveaway....great sponsors so far. You guys are going to love it.  There are a couple of spots left if you're a shop owner and would like to participate as a sponsor. Just drop me a line and we'll see if you're a good fit for this one. There's an email button right below my profile in the righthand sidebar.

I'm going to make an Italian Chicken & White Bean Soup later. No recipe. Just winging it. The beans are soaking now and I'll throw the leftover rotisserie chicken in the pot to boil. It's gonna be good around the campfire. No doubt about that.

What's happening in your world?

Enjoy the weekend,

Thrift Takes & Weekend Wrap

Learn Something New Every Day

I snuck away on Saturday to do a sweep through Goodwill and Salvation Army. I wasn't up and at it early, so I beat the morning rush by missing it....yippee for that.  Sure, I probably missed some things I might have had to have, but I was pretty happy with what I did find.

My thrift take included the sweetest little nippon dessert plate. I've opted not to put it up for sale in Bates Mercantile Co.'s vintage selection and instead I'm going to include in the next giveaway. In case you're wondering, I'm currently pulling together the giveaway, have some awesome stuff already and it should be set to begin next week.

For now a sneak peak of one of the prizes.

See what I mean about sweet? Some of you may remember me mentioning this before, but see that first picture? The one where you can see my hand through the plate? That's how you can tell bone china. It's translucent when you hold it up to light.

I also found a piece of ironstone I couldn't leave behind.  This will be going into our shop.

Beyond the floral design, I lave the pretty pattern and crimped edges.  It does have a spot or two of discoloration but I find this happens a lot with ironstone. I think it adds to it's charm.  It shows a piece has been used the way it should be.

I also scored this lovely Rorstrand porcelain bone china serving bowl. I had never heard of Rorstrand and had to look it up to find out some info.  Rorstrand has been manufacturing china in Sweden for more than 300 years, and continues to do so to this day.  They have some romantic patterns like the one I found, but also some really great midcentury patterns that really fun.

Once I picked this up, and felt how soft and silky it was I knew it was coming home. I'm planning on putting this in the shop as well, though it might be a tough call.  It's so very lovely.

So as usual, while researching a vintage piece, I did in fact learn something new. Am I the only one who had never heard of Rorstrand? 

My mother found a pretty little sugar/jam bowl last week, but I'll save that for the next Thrift Takes.  Oh the things you can find.

The Weekend Round These Parts

We didn't get the campfire in on Friday night, but we did on Saturday.  Friday was a pool fest at the end of the day with our pal Charlie bringing his granddaughter Makenna over to swim with our visitors Leah and Harry.  We had a ball. Then neighborhoodlums Tom and Joan showed up with lobster appetizers to share. Honestly, I don't know who they think they are to just show up with lobster like that. (Insert sarcastic tone). 

We let brother in law Niall, aka Chef Bates, cook dinner for us which included stuff portabellos.

We did get a little youtube dancing and singing in later, well at least Gar and Niall and I. We're still not sure how the kiddos and sil Caragh slept through it, but they did. Solid as a rock.

Saturday we did enjoy a campfire. Caragh opted for lobsters while the rest of us enjoyed some swordfish kabobs and chicken kabobs. The brothers worked on World Peace at the campfire.

My husband looks like a lobster in this picture, but he's not really that red.

We had a good view of the Blue Moon. I liked this shot even though the moon isn't as crisp as I'd like. It looks like it's emanating a blue force field of sorts.

Enjoyed more pooltime.  Just ignore the tilted picnic table with the umbrella balancing on it in the background (it has to get moved when Gar mows), my hairclip on the pool edge, the styrofoam box that has no reason to be sitting next to the pool. Life can be messy.

Picked our first tomatoes. Yay. Isn't that a beautiful yellow color?

The chitlins even got in a little Mommy & Me time.

Yesterday we were across the street to Tom and Joan's annual Labor Day Cookout. Missed a family cookout, but you can't be at two places at once, can you?  We obviously need an appointment secretary.

Sunset Meadows

The sun continues to dazzle us with its Summer show.

I hope your weekend was as chock full as ours. Today, even though I'm not 'working per se' I am sneaking in a little time at my desk.  The plans for later include more pooltime --- who would have guessed?  Picking some green beans and getting them into the freezer. I think there's more tomatoes that need picking too.  Generally speaking, the afternoon is reserved for some chill-axin'. How are you spending this Labor Day? Hope you're getting some downtime.

Ciao for now,

Family Time

Fun Time

Yesterday was the last day of The Bates Of Clonsilla's visit. We took time off to just enjoy the day.

My sister brought our grandniece Sophia over for a swim and my brother's daughter came over again to chill with our Irish nieces. 

Luckily it was a perfectly wonderful pool day at the Bates Estate.

Sophia loved the pool. We all pulled her around.

And around, and around.

She can be a bit timid with new people but she loved playing in the pool with Ali and Caroline.

By the time we got out, we were singing Sir Mix A Lot....'I like big butts and I cannot lie'.

Luckily our family had a late flight so they were able to enjoy the whole day before heading off the airport.

Of course, I had to get our 'traditional' leaving shot of the girls in front of the lilacs. I've been taking their picture like this when they leave since they were very little.

Do not adjust your monitor. That is Carolina's real hair color. She's a Ging. No denying it. We chalk that one up to Granny O'Toole, who nobody knew had red hair because it was gray. That was until one day when Garrett was making fun of the girl next door with red hair and Granny O'Toole set him straight, telling him she had beautiful flame red hair when she was young.  Which he found eventually for himself when his beard grew in red. Just his beard. Weird, huh?

Back to the visitors.

They were all sad to go.  Lucan was sad to see them leave.

Goodbye for now Bates of Clonsilla.

The Bates of Lucan will be arriving on Wednesday for a longer stay.  Yup, Bates of Lucan. It's a town just outside of Dublin's city limits. That's where the hound got his name.

Oh, I almost forgot. The girls got to be the first to put their John Hancock's on our new chalkboard wall. Stay tuned for the chalkboard reveal in the coming days.  Either tomorrow or Tuesday. We'll see how the chips fall.

Monday's post will be my picks from the current Gotta Have It/Gotta Blog It Link Up Party. If you have an online shop or blog, be sure to link up your stuff. If you don't, you're still invited to the party. Have a look around, you never know where it might take you and what you might find.

Sunset Meadows

I've said it before and I'm sure to say it again. We're so blessed to have the most beautiful sunsets right at our front door. I never get tired of them.

What's hot for your Saturday?  I'm doing laundry and general prepping for the next wave of Dubliners. I'll be heading into the pool later, then we're planning on a campfire and burgers if all goes well. Doesn't get better than that.

Ciao for now,

Almost Silent Sunday

Campfire Saturday Night

Despite the rain that came in yesterday, we had a campfire last night.  Figured if we had been camping we'd still be round the fire.  We put a grate over the fire and cooked up some dogs and refried beans. We don't have hot dogs often, which I think makes them taste even better when we do have them.

Gman, looking a little frazzled from the rain, but ready to enjoy the hot dog regardless.

Then he dropped mustard on poor Lucan. Just not right.

Lucan knew there was something there, but couldn't reach it.  I did him a favor and wiped it off.

Our plans are: mission organization. Whoop whoop. It's still raining so it's a good day for it. First though, I'm going to jump in the pool. Yup. Who cares if it's raining. It's muggy, so in the pool I go.  Got any plans for the day or are you just chillin' like McGillian?

If you're participating in the next photo challenge, be sure to get me your submission today so it can be included in tomorrow's post.

Happy Sunday,