FIGS!!!!

Splash!

LOVE this piece by Deb from High Tide Gallery in St. Augustine, Florida

Pretty in Purple!

I had to get a new iPod Shuffle…and new swimming holder from X-1, (formerly H20 Audio) 

This one clips onto the back of my goggles - no more funny tan line on my left arm!

The armband was going on almost 2 1/2 years - exposed to the Texas sun and heat and water.   

It wasn't the seal, but the plastic window which failed - LEAKED!   

My little green iPod Shuffle was swimming like a fishie inside! 

I attempted to dry it in rice, but when I tried to charge it, both the Shuffle and the charger became extremely HOT after only a few minutes when I checked to see if the power light came back on.  

(It didn't).   

Fortunately, at their discretion, Apple will sometimes discount a new iPod up to 10% in exchange for the old one.  And in my case, after hearing the story, they gave me the 10% off!  

X-1's customer service was very supportive and sympathetic.  Even due to its age and the fact they no longer make that version anymore, they gave me a very generous discount and free shipping to replace it with the new and more popular one.

Lime is Key

Love the teacup design!

This was a souvenir gift from the Bahamas from a friend.
What you see is what it is.  Just this front label.  I took a guess and used a generous teaspoonful and let it steep for about 5 minutes.  Gorgeous color!  The scent is flowery and fruity lime.  And the flavor, just like Key Lime pie!  
It tastes great hot and iced.  And I also plan to use it to flavor cookies and muffins.  Maybe even pie!

I really need to get a clear mug, though
the snowflakes are still fun!
And I don't have a lot of space in the cupboards.

My Happy Place

I should change it to These Are My Happy Places!

My blog and my sewing room/art studio!

Love at First Bite

Almost ready!

Unfortunately not mine - after waiting so patiently, the birds beat/bit me to it!



Fortunately there are plenty more on the tree getting ready to ripen.

Love Stock

Just going through my camera roll and found this from the May 31 Friday Flowers Stock petals.

Turn around plan

Super Moon Tonight!

The Moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars - Arthur C. Clarke

This Supermoon is even more super!  Click here to read a great article from EarthSky about the perigee and how it will be visible setting in the West at sunrise.    The next one won't occur until August 10, 2014.

"Spake full well, in language quaint and olden, One who dwelleth by the castled Rhine, When he call'd the flowers, so blue and golden, Stars that on earth's firmament do shine."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hello Summer!

Thursday Tea Time - Kauai-Bunga!

This week - The Art of Tea "Kauai Cocktail"  

This was the tea I tried last week at the Galveston Farmer's Market, whereupon I immediately went to the Oasis Juice Bar and bought a canister!  Fortunately it was just a couple of blocks away!


Cost:  $13 at Oasis Juice Bar and website (Bonus you can try a sample tin for $4 online)
Number of teabags: N/A this is a 3 ounce tin.   With approximately 29 servings
Caffeine:   None
Type of tea:   Herbal
Steeping time:  5 minutes first time, 7 minutes reusing.
Add ins:   None!  It is perfect as is!  If you add any milk-based liquids, it will curdle.
Tea fragrance:   Fruity
Taste:  Sweet and tart and tropical all at once!

Red, she said

Ingredients:   Organic & Fair Trade South African Rooibos, Organic South African Honeybush, Organic Rosehips, Organic Black Currant, Organic Hibiscus, Organic Apple Bits, Pineapple Bits, Natural Flavors

Sneak Peek!

Opinion:   This tastes great iced or hot.  Without having to add anything extra, this drinks alone.  Bonus it's organic.  Gorgeous red color!  I like their new canister style with the "Sneak Peek".
Rating:  4, only because it is a bit expensive.  But worth it.

Today's Favorite Workout Song

Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive" - 3:07
This song was even on yesterday's yoga playlist!

Free Penzeys Spices!

From the Early Summer 2013 catalog --
Berbere Seasoning
Free 1/4 cup jar with a $3 or more purchase
Use Code 12836C when ordering online or by telephone

From the Summer 2013 catalog
Creamy Peppercorn Dressing Base
Free 1/4 cup jar with a $3 or more purchase
Code 26237C
(I use this as a dip for veggies!)

Galveston's Own Farmer's Market

My finds from this morning's Farmer's Market in Galveston!

Mmm, heirloom tomatoes…I've given up trying to grow my own.  I'd much rather support the people who do, than to fight with the birds and bugs.

Kenz Henz eggs!

How could I resist something called "Monkey Jam"?!  Especially when it is made with bananas, coconut and pineapple?  From Jackie's Gourmet - Look for her on Facebook.

The iced tea at the Oasis Juice Bar booth was Kauai Cocktail - look at that gorgeous color…
and flavor - Wow!
Watch for the review this week on Thursday Tea Time.

Happy Father's Day!

Rice, Rice Baby

No, not this Rice!

My iPod Shuffle is in here, hopefully drying out.  It went swimming with me on Thursday.

 I'm waiting to see if it will still work.  Plug in the earphones, cross your fingers. . .

Update 6-15-13 -- Perhaps a little too impatient, it would not turn on nor would any light come on when I tried to charge.
I will give it a few more days. : (

Friday Moon-Flowers!

First moonflower of the season!

Pretty leaf trellis from Lowe's

Pretty 'n Pink

The geraniums are going crazy, too.
I'm enjoying them for as long as I can until the heat finally halts the blooming.

My rain lilies are just going and growing this year.  I've never had so many bloom at once!
I so enjoy sitting at the kitchen table and resting my eyes upon pretty flowers.

To Celebrate Sewing Machine Day, I painted a rock. . .

But I still have another chance, for September 10 is also Sewing Machine Day!

My front garden needed some stepping stones to make it easier to get around to weed and maintain.

Paver rock from Lowe's

Fifteen minutes of listening (trying to) Songza on the iPhone and some Martha Stewart paints. . .

I just need to glaze the top before placing outside.  

And figure out which stations/channels to listen to on Songza.  I do like how they offer suggestions for different times of day.  And they play a very wide variety.  But honestly, I'm still still liking Pandora better.   Songza may be more for my daughter's generation.

Now to see when Paint a Rock Day is!

We have lots of lady bugs!

Update:  It just needed a little extra touch!
And I found the Soft Pop Rock Wake-Up channel on Songza. . .

Thursday Tea Time

This week - Tea Embassy Almond Cookies Green Tea

Cost:  $7.99 at Whole Foods (525 North Lamar, Austin)
Number of teabags: N/A this is a 2 ounce resealable bag.
One teaspoon brews a great mugful.
Caffeine:   A little
Type of tea:   Green
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Add ins:  Just a little bit of honey
Tea fragrance:   Like those Amaretti cookies!
Ingredients:   Green tea, coconut rasps, almond flakes and flavoring
Opinion:  This smells and tastes so good!!!  Follow their suggestion and add just a little bit of honey to bring out the sweetness and flavor, without adding fat and calories from eating those cookies!  Bonus it is green tea and good for you.  And good for keeping you from eating cookies.   My container is half empty already, but my mugs full.  I'm going to get their Jasmine Pearls green tea next time I'm in Austin.  And more packages of this and the C.S. Lewis tea.
Rating:  5

Wednesday Work in Progress - Liberty of London Target Scarf Upcycling Hack

Remember last week's Wednesday Work in Progress?  See the fabric in the upper right corner?  That was the "Poppy Blue" Liberty of London Target scarf, circa 2010.  No, it hasn't been hanging there all this time.  For awhile, yes, while I decided and thought about things.  Life in general and why haven't I made this into the new valance yet?  I loved the colors and the fringe, what was I waiting for...

There was enough fabric to make the valance -- by making it two piece I was able to keep the corner tassels! And so by carefully cutting and leaving the center free, I was able to make a narrower scarf, with a bonus extra row of fringe.

With each step, a flower blooms. . .

"The mind can go in a thousand directions,
but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. . .
With each step a flower blooms."

~ Thich Nhat Hahn

"Giant Double Peppermint" Portulaca from Another Place in Time

I enter this day with a peaceful heart

Grasshopper Mocha Latte from Mod Coffeehouse - Yum!

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

Firefly Frenzy - June 9/15

5 for $5 Simplicity patterns
50% off Sulky thread

June 16/22

5 for $5 McCall's patterns
$3.99 Vogue patterns

Garden Update - Tickled Pink!

The rain lilies bloomed -- a cascade of white in the front garden

This was taken the day before. . .

The petals of the unretouched pink lily from the side garden looks like brushstrokes of paint.
(gotta love my iPhone camera!)

My "Scentimental" rose smells as pretty as it looks!

Cora Apricot Vinca

Not pink, but this looked so pretty - "Diamond Frost" Euphorbia.

It looks nice and cool and airy, doesn't it?  Especially when it is 90+ degrees outside - at home and while shopping at Another Place in Time
When two clerks tell me how wonderful it is, why of course it had to come home with me, too.
This was on their description card, "Clouds of airy white flowers all summer into fall on a 2-3' plant.  Sun/Pt. Sun.  Heat and drought tolerant.  Hardy to 30 degrees.  Have had nothing but positive remarks from customers." 

Fruit From Flowers

What's left of the heirloom tomatoes basket from the Richmond Farmer's Market!

Riding the highs, digging the lows...

Santana, feat. Michelle Branch - "I'm Feeling You" - 4:31
Hit my flips at :42, 1:49 and 2:58 perfectly!

Thursday Tea Time - C.S. Lewis and Me

This week - Tea Embassy "C.S. Lewis Tea Blend"

While visiting the Whole Foods mothership (80,000 square feet!) in Austin last week, I sought and found some interesting teas, one of which was this.  It grabbed my attention, C.S. Lewis tea?!  And right on the label, "Goes well with a book"?!
Sold me!


Cost:  $6.49 at Whole Foods (525 North Lamar, Austin)
Number of teabags: N/A this is a 2 ounce resealable bag.
One teaspoon brews a great mugful.
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black/Assam
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Add ins:  Fat-Free Half & Half and Sweet Bliss
Tea fragrance:   Slightly flowery - "Irish Breakast"
Ingredients:   Black Indian Assam tea blend
Opinion:   Each Whole Foods will carry different products and product lines.  I had heard about this tea and was delighted to see a good amount of shelf real estate space devoted to this company.  This is an excellent, go-to tea when you just want *tea*.  In fact, I plan to go back to Austin and pick up some more!   (It is also available on their website online and by telephone)
Rating:  5+

Moderation...in all posts

Sorry, ya'll -- after deleting 154 spam comments (!!!), I have put post comments on moderation.  I will check on a regular basis to add (or delete) them.

I've also changed my blog email address - see sidebar.

Wednesday Work in Progress

Art supplies organization.  Now I can find everything and be able to grab and go!

Though I think my next project will be to redo the valance with the Liberty of London from Target scarf I threw over the rod months ago!  Funny how you don't "see" things after awhile until suddenly you do!

Garden Update - "I saw my life branching out before me…"

A nice shady spot under the tree, looking up

My Two-Faced Rose looks like a waterlily!

My Quilt Block For Boston Adventure

First, let me add the disclaimer, I am not a quilter.
( I may not have needed to add that once you keep reading)
I covered the Quilt Market for the media, I attended the Quilt Festival over the years, I hang out with uber creative friends…something had to rub off and make my brain and sewing machine needle click, right?

OK, here goes!

The Boston Modern Quilt Guild's Quilts for Boston relief effort chose the colors of the Boston Marathon -- blue, yellow, gray and white.

My original idea of doing something Texas-y would have to be modified.
No Texas flag (no red),
no bluebonnets (no green).

And lately I had been seeing yellow everywhere. . .


Inspiration

Peeps!
 - even the logo lettering is blue!

Tory Burch "Chelsea" shoes -
"Daisy" yellow

My new Gap scarf I wore with a blue dress,
which don't you think would look great with the Chelsea shoes?!
I think so, but dream on…!

Daisies

Turnera from my garden

This pretty angel I saw in a shop window in Phoenix
(Shout out to "A Peace of the Universe")

So I wanted to include yellow for sure.  And blue.
(Let's pause to imagine those Tory Burch shoes on my feetsies, sigh. OK)

Throw down

Assorted fabrics and swatches I collected over the years from Houston Quilt Markets and Festivals.  I cut the star out of the Texas flag fabric.

So sew!

I just began placing and piecing the fabrics together.  I call it "crazy patching"  Not quite crazy quilting, not quite Log Cabin.  Looking good so far!

Whoops!

Hacky-whacky

Wrong shape!   At this point I put down the rotary cutter and backed away from the cutting table.

Back in the sewing machine saddle again. . .

I started sewing the smaller pieces together to make bigger pieces to square everything up.

The Gulf of Mexico

  I thought the scalloped part of the lace looked like waves coming onto the beach.

Blue Bonnets are o'er the border
(Click to play the song!)

And this embroidery - Texas' State Flower - the bluebonnets.  
Actually this is the fabric I used to make my daughter's blouse for her school's Scottish Festival.
(You'll love the King of Laois song, too!)

The finish seam!

A sincere and heart-felt effort for a great cause!

If you would like more information about and/or to make a contribution to the One Fund, click here