Category Archives: This & That

I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Mother’s Day on Sunday! I certainly did. The kids lavished me with sweet, homemade gifts and we all enjoyed a nice day together. Drew’s mom and aunt came up for a visit, so it was all very laid back and relaxing.

Laura went home with the ladies for a sleepover, which gave me time to not only grocery shop and run about a million errands by myself, but I was able to hit the thrift shop this morning, too! You can see that I found a few little treasures.

The tray caught my eye as soon as I walked into the shop. And though it’s really nothing special (complete with “made in China” sticker on the back, it’s still pretty and fills up an empty space above my kitchen cupboards. It’ll also be useful for serving, too. Then there’s the little prim tin candle holder. I just love these kinds of things! So cute.

And of course, that old lunch pail (which immediately caught my dad’s eye when he saw a pic on Facebook). Dad and I had just been talking about a similar lunch pail he had in the 70s when he started working. This one is actually a reproduction by a company called Burning Lotus. There was no Thermos in it, but it was so cheap I grabbed it as an impulse purchase.

Then, I found a bundle of 10 cloth napkins. I washed and hung them out to dry, hoping the sun would bleach them but I think I need to do a little more work on them, as there’s still some yellow spots.

This old measuring cup is my favorite item of the lot, though! I think it was like 50 cents and this one is definitely vintage. I think it will look so sweet with some flowers stuck inside. I came out spending less than $10 for all of it, so I was pretty happy.

I managed to get a lot of other things done today, too, so I feel totally justified with my lazy girl plan for the night… tea, crochet, and TV. I’m not working on anything much… just a dishcloth. Mindless enough to work on while watching a show, yet I still feel like I’m doing something.

Well, time to get my water boiling. Hope your week is off to a good start!

I don’t know about you, but my allergies are killing me this week! I’m sneezing like a fool, rubbing my eyes constantly, and just generally feeling miserable until I take a Benedryl. But I guess that’s the price to pay for spring time and glorious weather.

We’ve been enjoying a stretch of truly beautiful, sun-filled, fling-open-the-windows sorts of days lately. I am always amazed how seeming overnight the buds become leaves and flowers and suddenly everything is green again! I think that May is the loveliest month for sure.

I’ve been making good use of my clothesline this year. Don’t you just love how fresh clothes smell after a day in the sun? And my whites are so much brighter — the rays seems to bleach out stubborn stains that the soap didn’t quite remove.

I also decided to switch around our bedding. Drew bought this quilt for me when we bought our first home, but it’s been in storage ever since we moved here (9 years ago!). I thought it was time to bring it back out, so I washed it and hung it on the line and now it’s on our bed. Love it!

Otherwise, I’ve just been puttering around the house, trying to declutter and file away papers that have been accumulating. I still have a stack of flyers, notes, and such from the concert and silent auction. I should probably organize them in printing presentation folders at printingamerica.com.

I haven’t been knitting or crocheting much. I should probably remedy that I started watching “Hemlock Grove” — a Netflix original series. It’s OK. Not really sure if I’ll watch it all the way through. I’m reading An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler and so far I love it! Even though I’m an experienced cook, these reminders of how to make the most of everything are good.

So. What have you been up to? I imagine many of you have kids finishing school soon. We go until the end of June, but these next several weeks are a flurry of activities. All so fun, though! Have a great night! 

Whoa, I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since I last blogged! Time flies, right? Well let’s just jump right back in, shall we?

Things are going well here on my end. The last couple weeks were just busy, busy… The concert I was helping plan was held on Saturday and it was (at least in my opinion), a success. Unfortunate that more parents didn’t attend (after all, it’s a fundraiser for all the 5th grade students), but that didn’t really surprise any of us. Those of us who did volunteer, donate, participate, and attend, however, had a great time! Drew played a few songs, and then closed out his set by playing a duet with Jake. How great were they? (Warning: there is a loud cheer from this mama at the beginning of the video).

There was a silent auction as part of the fundraiser, too, and we won a trumpet for Noah and I totally treated myself to a wonderful basket of Harney & Sons tea and goodies.

Saturday was ALSO Drew’s 40th birthday, so it was extra fun We gave him a Vintage 1973 t-shirt, a copy of This is 40, and a gift certificate to his favorite music shop so he can get a pair of best shure headphones or whatever else he likes.

Sunday we drove down to have brunch at Crabtree’s Kittle House with Drew’s family. His brother and sister-in-law drove up from NC for the occasion, so we all really enjoyed catching up.

This week has been pretty low-key now that those big events are done and over with. Well, until about 6:50 this morning, that is. Drew was just heading out the door to work when the phone rang. Ugh, it was the school messenger service alerting us that the bus drivers went on strike. The poor middle and high school kids were already at the bus stops waiting! A neighbor and I worked out morning transportation because both of our sons had an early morning program and then our 2nd graders of course had to get to school too. So we divided up the kids so we weren’t going back and forth a bunch of times. Yeah, so it was not exactly a relaxing morning!

Let’s see, what else. . .

I’ve been doing a little baking:::

And a little crochet:::

And a little knitting, too:::

I also was lucky enough to win a soy candle in a tea cup from Dagmar’s Home as a UBP13 prize! It’s so pretty, I just love it! Goes quite well with all the Harney goodies, don’t you think?

I’m looking forward to the weekend. Jake and his Boy Scout troop are participating in a canoe derby on Saturday morning (fun!!!) and then I think my parents might visit on Sunday (yay!!!) and the weather is supposed to be nice to top it all off!

Hope all is well with you and I really don’t plan to be away so long again!

Finally we had a taste of spring! I took full advantage of the sunshine and mild temperatures. I flung open all the windows, dug out my flip-flops, and spent as much time as possible outside.

I’d been waiting for a day like this so I could wash my curtains and hang them out to dry (oh, how I miss my clothesline in the cold weather). They were plenty dusty from the winter. Tomorrow I’ll have to iron everything, but… that’s OK.

Laura and I ate our lunch outside on the deck. I can’t wait to make this a regular occurrence!

And of course there was plenty of play time, soaking in the sun. We went from the swing set to the driveway and back and forth about a million times.

Although I had so many chores I wanted to do, it was hard not to indulge my little cutie. Judging from the long-range forecast this is the last super-nice day we’ll have for a while. Tomorrow will still be OK for the most part, but then rain, and then it cools off again.

Nope, I’ll be keeping flannel sheets on the bed for a while longer (even though I am so ready to stash them in the linen closet until next fall). Ah, spring in the Northeast is a finicky thing!

Just thought I’d take a minute and drop in to say hello! This week is already off to a busy start. There are just so many activities going on! Though, once next Saturday passes and this school fundraiser I’m working on is done with… well, let’s just say I’ll be a whole lot more relaxed.

Since my mind is going in a million directions, I figured that today I’d link up with Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather…..
Well that’s one thing — finally some lovely spring-like weather! Today I actually went outside in jeans and a tee-shirt. I was still a little chilly and could have used a sweater, but… I was too excited about temps in the 60s.

Right now I am….
Slummin’ it in yoga pants and getting ready to make a cup of tea, grab a little something sweet, and call it a night. I am beat!

Thinking….
About this fundraiser just being over with already.

On my reading pile….
I’m currently reading Carriers by Patrick Lynch and browsing through The Amish Family Cookbook by Jerry and Tina Eicher. Gotta say… I’m a little disappointed in the cookbook. I don’t know, I just figured the recipes would be a little more wholesome, but there’s an awful lot of canned soup and Velveeta. Even one of the chili recipes calls for “a packet of chili seasoning” instead of their own mix. There are still a few recipes that I’d like to try, though.

On my TV…..
Nothing really. Last night we watched Super 8 which was so, so good. Not really feeling up to starting any new shows, so I think it’ll just be reruns on Netflix of shows I’ve already seen.

Blog hopping (newly discovered blog)….
I’ve been discovering so many fun new blogs thanks to UPB13 — impossible to list them all!

On the menu for this week….
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Mushroom Swiss burgers, pasta salad, broccoli
Tuesday: Chicken enchilada soup, baked taquitos, garden salad
Wednesday: Meat sauce over whole wheat pasta, salad
Thursday: Pizza, salad
Friday: Leftovers or sandwiches
Saturday: Chicken picatta, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, salad

On my to do list….
I actually crossed off quite a few things, but lots of e-mails and phone calls and running around still have to be done.

In the craft basket….
Lacy knit doily (it’s actually a dishcloth pattern, but I’m not going to use it that way, rebel that I am!)

Looking forward to this week….
Friday night — it’s knit night at the library, and though I’m actually working, it will still be fun to see everyone!

Looking around the house….
There are still toys that should be put away, but… I’ll deal with it tomorrow.

From the camera….
What I did while making dinner: noting “to dos” and menu ideas in the planner, as well as things I need to remember.

Hope your week is off to a great start!