Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away

I'm not typically the type to leave a project unfinished and come back to it. That's probably why I don't take on too many big projects. It's kind of like unwrapping presents; I've never been patient enough to wait. I get too excited to see my finished result that I can't just let it go. Hence the reason I pulled an all-nighter last night. I couldn't stop, and granted I should be a little faster at this by now, but alas I am not. I'm loving the result and am hoping that the recipient will find it the perfect sailing companion. Notice all the internal pockets plus a cell phone pocket on the outside... I had no idea how much I liked making pleats until this project! Now if I can rally another all-nighter, I might get to have one too.

Back in Business

We finally got our new camera. Ultimately it was a blessing in disguise. This new camera is an upgrade - for sure- and luckily, we didn't lose any pictures from our old camera since I had just transferred them all (phew).

Now, back to the busy-ness... One of the things I love about living in a "city" is all the free activities, especially during summer. This was a really fun weekend. The City of Aurora puts on KidSpree every year, and it is filled with fun and excitement, and completely free. They have all the standard festival stuff, plus booths like "Musical Petting Zoo" where you get to put your hands (& mouths) on instruments, Tot Town where you get to paint your own cardboard house, and a big maze to wander through (that was MY favorite).

Then, we enjoyed another night of Jazz in the Park. It doesn't get much better than live music, picnic blankets, pasta salad, cherries, white wine, warm air, and a whole community hangin' together.

But now that the weekend is over, I have to get to work. On my list right now is a big shoulder bag to accompany my mother on her next two sailing trips, and my first quilt. This will be probably the world's simplest quilt. We have so many receiving blankets that I've decided to make a quilt of just big blocks of each to turn them into something more useful. I have no idea how to quilt... I'll just wing it... Cross your fingers that it turns out okay (eek).

Camera Coming

We had an incredible 4th of July weekend, including two art festivals, fireworks, and jazz in the park...BUT, we also managed to lose our trusty camera.

I was extremely excited to win the one I wanted in an eBay auction, and after my paypal payment was completed, I received this message from the seller... sketchy!

"hey look im really sorry i know you were looking forward to the camera, but i opened it to make sure it works and the battery doesnt charge and i dont want to sell u a bad product im sorry"

So, a new camera is finally on order from the well-trusted amazon. It will be a short while before I have pictures to share with you again, but please keep coming!

Singin' in the Rain

An interesting summer so far. We've pretty much been able to count on the afternoon thunderstorm every day. The days are gorgeous, getting up to the high 80's and 90's, then sometime in the late afternoon/evening the dark clouds roll in and we are treated with bright bolts of lightning and loud, cracking thunder. The storm only lasts about half an hour; enough time to cool things off for a comfortable night's sleep.

Well the clouds haven't made their appearance these last few days, and we've all found ourselves missing them. Tonight, however, they did return, and we decided to make the most of them. At the first crackle...crackle...BOOM..., out we headed in our raincoats to jump in puddles and sing and dance Gene Kelly style, for the whole whopping 15 minutes of it!

Until, again, the sun shone, and in we headed to play that famous scene. "I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain! What a glorious feelin', I'm happy again!" Just in case you lost your copy, send thanks to YouTube. :)

Cold in the Summer

Catching a cold in the summer makes no sense; why do they call it a "cold" anyway? At any rate, that's where I am right now... blech! On the other hand, maybe I caught a cold because I finally got to try a spicy Kohlrabi Curry recipe I've been eyeing. There is nothing better than spicy food to clear the sinuses.

Our CSA treated us with two kohlrabi (kohlrabis?) this week. I hadn't even heard of this vegetable until I came across it on another blog recently, and I was so intrigued I hoped we would get some from our farm. And what do ya know, there it was in our box. Kohlrabi not only has the coolest name out there for a vegetable, it is also scrumptious. If you haven't discovered this nutritious, tasty veg, check it out at your farmer's market or local whole foods store, and add it to your repertoire.

The kohlrabi are those two bulbs on the left, and the curry turned out fab!

What I Wouldn't Give...

To Go See This Show!

Or visit Jacob's Pillow in general.