It will Break my Heart.

This is where we spent our vacation last summer. The beauty was unbelieveable! The sand was amazing, the water so clear and the colors, oh, the colors, just breathtaking.

(that is a dolphin in the water)


The oil spill is heading their way. It makes me sad.

Sunday Funny

This was a little comedy show we watched this morning.

It has only been this year that we have seen squirrels in our neighborhood. The neighborhood is around 11 years old, and it has taken this long for our trees to mature to provide food and shelter. A cute squirrel discovered our bird feeder this morning.

He was happy to find a fresh breakfast and adeptly helped himself. We watched, entertained, and after my husband fetched my camera, I snapped a few pictures. My dogs, trained not to chase little creatures on my bird feeder, obeyed properly and sat close by. After about fifteen minutes we decided that the squirrel had enough of the birds food and told the dogs to get it. (I knew they wouldn't hurt the animal.)

So the play began....

First, dogs running and barking....

then the squirrel...


back to breakfast.

Then more dogs....

Then the squirrel,

back to breakfast.
Then more dogs, running and barking.

Then the squirrel,


back to breakfast.
We really didn't think we would win, we had to get ready for church.

We went in and, fourtyfive minutes later he was still eating. What a piggy little squirrel.

Troublesome Tomato

It seems every year one of my tomato plants goes crazy. Usually it is a grape tomato. I didn't find any this year (yes, I am a cheater and buy baby plants) so I chose another tomato. The stake is gone...don't know where..so I can't tell you what kind it is. But what I can tell you is that as HUGE as this guy is, there is not one tomato on the plant. Not one!

There have been blossoms but they dry up and fall off. I water and fertilize this one the same as the other plants I have, but nope, no tomatoes. This is a first. Even though my grape tomato was huge it continuously produced fruit, usually more than we could eat.

(** as a side note I have to say how proud I am of my daughter. Every time they have free dress at school she chooses this shirt to wear. I'm so proud of her being happy and secure in her faith. okay, back to the tomatoes....)

Thankfully my other dear sweet plants are producing. I have a cherry tomato, see this lovely hiding way deep in the plant?

and the promise of more:


And a Roma tomato. This is the first time I have grown one of these, but this is our favorite tomato we buy from the store so when I found this little beauty I had to get it. It is producing lovely little gems, too.


Well, maybe it won't be too much of a giant before we get some tomatoes, unless it sprouts legs and starts ravaging the neighborhood!

(couple of little lovelies: this is my oregano plant blooming.


and a lovely little purple flower...don't know what it is..

Tutorial Play

I found a lovely blog this week. Rebecca Sower She has been inspired by red thread and has inspired me to create a few things of my own.

First, here is a little fabric bucket I made. I used my machine to embroider two little lines of red filligree. I have a very old machine so this was the only pattern I could get to work, but I thought it was pretty.

Second was the crocheted necklace. I love turquoise with red, and I had some beads so, here is my interpretation of her necklace.


She suggested to use lobster clasps as closures, but since I didn't have any, I started with a large bead and then, at the end, crocheted a loop for a closure.


I also made another with some vintage beads, vintage pearls, a few carved animals, and glass beads. I thought it would end up more shabby chic and feminine but it looks more tropical and beach-y.
but I still like it.

Please Don't let your Children Act Like Children...

Okay, that is said a little sarcastically. I just finished reading an article stating that Silly Bandz are now being banned in schools. The kids are (omg!) fiddling with them and (oh no!) trading them. And, worst offense of all the kids can (heaven forbid!) get their feelings hurt if they don't have the right ones!

PUHLEEZE! I am so tired of schools trying to make our kids into robots. Where they aren't allowed to be children. I am so tired of schools telling elementary kids...prepare for jr. high, and jr, high kids, prepare for high school...and so on and so on. Then we turn right around and tell them don't grow up too fast! EEK!

As a mother of one grown daughter, one almost grown, and a middle teen I can say, LET THEM BE KIDS! Let them fiddle, trade, and get their feelings hurt! It makes the grow, become better people, helps them to deal with others. No matter how we try to robot-ize the kids, once they get into a real job they are going to wonder why everyone doesn't play fair, why people don't like them just because, and why lots of other things!

Now, please don't think I am cutting down teachers. This couldn't be far from the truth! All of the teachers I know (I have tons of friends who are teachers) feel the same way that I do, but the institutional system, teaching to the test, everyone be the same, comes from administration. I know it.

So, my rant now over here is the site for Silly Bandz and I encourage you to buy your kids TONS of them! Encourage generosity, encourage collecting, encourage creativity...these are tools your kids can really use in their lives. But, if your school is banning them, make it a fun neighborhood activity!