Friday Flowers - Take Stock

Smells like Snickerdoodles!

Netflix Stars - The Decoy Bride

3.75 stars - This turned out to be a delightful rom-com.  Set in Scotland with the beautiful scenery, David Tennant, Kelly MacDonald and Michael Urie make it fun to watch and ride the plot's twists and turns.

Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul. ~ Luther Burbank

Turnera ulmifolia

A great reseeder, this one popped up about two feet from where I originally planted it years ago.  Perhaps all those oak leaves hid and protected it from the hot and cold temperatures.

It helped inspire my color choices for my Boston Marathon quilt block.
Pictures and story to be posted as soon as I recharge my computer battery!

Love is in the water

This is my new swim cap from TYR.   I found it at Academy for $6.99 and it is also available online.  They are donating a portion of the sales to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I like the TYR fit and style so much better than Speedo.  These stay on my head, unless it drops out of my swim bag, ahem.

Bonus I have the perfect pink lipstick to match, both in and out of the pool - Nars Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil - It stays on me, too!  It's a perfect fun summer color that looks great on everyone.  I found mine at Sephora.
(Tip:  It fits the ~$1 NYC brand makeup pencil sharpener at Target)

Love is all around Phoenix...

...and these Palo Verde trees!

This is the May cover of Boston magazine, made of shoes worn in the Boston Marathon.

Image by Mitch Feinberg

Here's the thread, here's the needle. . .

Love is in the Air!

Thursday Tea Time

Mmmm-Mango!

Mango Green Iced Tea from Wildflower Bread Company in Arizona.
Right next door to my new favorite bookstore, The Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix.
Even if you are not in the Phoenix area, do check out their website for great leads on great reads!

Tic, Tac, Cupcake!

Love the Earth!
Love the cupcake (from Love Baked Cupcakes in San Marcos, Texas)
Love the bonus heart carved into the table in the top square behind the cupcake!

Some of my best ideas for projects start this way. . .

Sewing Elements

Love this!  From the Scientific Seamstress. . .

Happy Mother's Day!

Any Day Really is Good For Baking Around Here. . .

Friday Flowers - Walking Across Texas

Alas, this Walking Iris snuck-bloomed the other day, so it's on the downhill - but aren't the colors still gorgeous?

(Neomarica gracilis)

Thursday Tea Time - Double Chocolate Down

This week - The Republic of Tea Double Dark Chocolate Mate

Cost:  $10.99 at Central Market and Whole Foods
Number of teabags: 36
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Herbal/Yerba Mate
Steeping time:  7 minutes
Add ins:  Fat-Free Half & Half and Sweet Bliss
Tea fragrance:   Dark chocolate chips!
Ingredients:   Organic roasted carob, organic roasted yerba mate, organic natural dark chocolate flavors, organic natural cocoa, natural cocoa flavor, organic natural chocolate extract and organic chicory
Opinion:   Wow!  I've been wanting to try a Yerba Mate and I sure picked a good one!   Not only is it good tasting, but good for you with all the antioxidants, and we all know that chocolate is good for you, too.  This tasted great all by itself without any sweetener.  A splash of fat-free half & half just made it even better.   I'm glad (and surprised) there are 36 teabags for the price.
Rating:  5

Of course!

Choco-love!

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

I love 2002, and when I woke up the other day, this song was playing on Pandora.  No big surprise, I practically give the thumbs up to all of their music.  So I decided to go swimming and put this on my iPod Shuffle.

2002 - "The Sea At Night" - 5:02

Wednesday Work in Progress!

I love these embroideries - I'm trying to collect the Wednesday - Mending/SEWING! and Saturday - Baking ones.

Cool Ways To Tie a Scarf!

Here's a link to a great set of YouTube videos from Cost Plus World Market
with some interesting ways to tie a scarf!
I especially like the Carmen Miranda, Criss Cross, Challah and Side Style Braid (pictured).  I've seen the last three actually being worn on people and on the displays at Nordstrom.  (My apologies to the associates there as I tried to see how they were tied, fortunately I caught the mannequin in time before she crashed to the floor!) There's also the Classic Nouveau, Forget-Me-Knot, Urban Cowgirl, Girly Windsor and Wrap Around.

http://bit.ly/17JnJrg

Garden Update

Here are the figs!  They get a little bigger each week.  The tree branches are  now spreading towards the back fence.

My beautiful orange and yellow two-faced rose!

Wow!

Kelly Rae Roberts

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

Sew & Save - May 5/11
50% off all buttons
5/$5 Simplicity patterns

Super Weekend Sale - May 10/12
$1.99 McCall's
$3.99 Vogue

Friday (Wild) Flowers

Wine Cup Mallows and Wild Purple Prairie Verbena wildflowers outside Wimberley, Texas - April 2013

Thursday Tea Time - "It's a Lovely Winter we are Having this Spring"

This week - Twinings Winter Spice


Cost:  $2.99 at Cost Plus World Market
Number of teabags:  20
Caffeine:  No
Type of tea:   Herbal
Steeping time:  5
Add ins:  Just a teeny bit of sugar
Tea fragrance:   Fruity cinnamon
Ingredients:   Camomile, natural apple flavor with other natural flavors, cinnamon, cardamom and clove
Opinion:   Might as well take advantage and review this tea while the cold front is blowing through!  Glad I did, and you certainly don't need a crazy Texas Spring to enjoy this.  It had a nice flowery-fruity-spicy flavor, with an apple-flavored kick at the end.  Not overly apple-y, not over-cinnamonized, the cardamon and camomile help hold it together quite well.  I really enjoyed it after supper last night, and the fact it was herbal and caffeine-free made it even better.  I plan to drink this through the Spring, iced as soon as our weather will be hot again...and look forward to getting another box this Fall/Winter.  What season is it again?!
Rating:  4.5

Bonne Fête du Travail!

  Convallaria majalis

May Day in France is celebrated by giving loved ones a bouquet of Lily of the Valley for good luck!

How perfectly fitting it is also the birth flower for the month of May.

I remember how Coty had a perfume which was only available in the Spring - Muguet des bois.  Oh, how I loved the scent!  It smelled just like lilies of the valley!  The drug store I worked at carried it.  I used my employee discount - 20%, and it was still a coveted luxury for a teenage girl.  I was able to afford the push-up solid stick.  The spray, was aspirational.

Too late for my birthday, too early for Christmas present

I tried to make it last until the next year, but I loved it too much!

Remember this ad?

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

Van Morrison - "Into the Mystic" - 3:28

Actually, into the deep end...of the pool!
The front was starting to come in and the wind was gusting to over 30 mph.  It picked up my basket holding my towel and flip-flops and tossed it, everything!  Fortunately flip flops float (say that 5 times!) and the Vera Bradley beach towel was so fluffy (and absorbent), it still had enough air bubbles to stay on top of the water.  The basket, alas, sunk to its 12' bottom.   And the Girl Scout in me had an extra towel in my locker.   But trying to wring out that towel was a fun adventure.  It wouldn't fit in the swimsuit water extractor, so I got in an extra bicep/tricep workout using a shower towel hook to twist and wring some of the water out.  

LOVE this craft fair!

If you are in Austin, or planning to visit Austin May 18 & 19, check out the Austin Renegade Craft Fair at the Palmer Events Center.  Lots of fun, lots of creatives, lots of crafts.
Visit their main website for other cities and other dates this Spring/Summer and Winter - www.renegadecraft.com