Birdhouses and More!

Finally, we found a use for the birdhouses that the boys have made in cub scouts. They have been moved a dozen times in our basement over the past few years. Recently I saw a picture of various birdhouses along a fence and got an a-ah moment. Put the boys to work, Dad dug the holes and presto new decorations for the garden that I'm working on.

The boys had a good time at camp. My youngest thought it was the best thing since sliced bread...but of course he would, he's my no-rules man. Constantly pushing the limits to see what he can get away with. My oldest is the opposite. He is the play by the rules guy and when others don't, it disturbs him. Camp for him was difficult when the rules were not being followed. Not sure if he will go again. Overall, it was a great experience for both boys and I'm glad that we gave them the push they needed to try it.

Knitting is happening around here and hopefully, I will have socks to show you in a day or two. Which leads me to the blue sky picture. I need to catch it while I can, because I'm not going to see it again until Sunday afternoon. More rain is on it's way, which means more indoor activities, which means my socks get completed.

Buddy sends you all a big smoochy kiss and hopes you have a great day!

Blue sky and Buddy picture courtesy of Matt.

The Paper Pusher is Back

Shasta daisy from my garden

The Mad Mad Housewife has affectionately labeled me as a paper pusher... well when the shoe fits you might as wear it.

I discovered Suann over at Jane's site and quickly went to visit her at etsy. Suann is creating beautiful letterpress paper.

I ordered this:

and these.

Both came quickly and wrapped beautifully. She even added in some extra notecards and pencils. She also has a wonderful blog called Simplesong. Add her to your shopping list and blog roll. I think you will be glad you did!

So there's your fix for today. Thank goodness I'm pushing paper and not the wacky tobaccy that Mary Louise Parker is pushing in Weeds. I finally finished season one and can't wrap my mind around everything that happens. Maybe, because I can actually picture the whole plot happening in our town. And that's, about all I will say on that subject!

Happy Monday all!

Let's Get Twisting!

Bonnie by Fiona Ellis

pattern can be found at twist collective

It's been talked about for a while out in knitting blogland and it's here. Check it out. There are some great patterns designed by some great people over there!

Happy Friday!

Quiet

It is sooo quiet here. We took the boys to camp on Sunday without any disasters. Both boys are bunking with a friend so anxieties were lessen when it was time to leave. Having boys means no kisses or hugs goodbye. It was high fives and pats on shoulders. Way too cool to have a kiss from mom or dad. Although, as I was walking away, Ryan came running down the hill for one quick hug and a kiss on the cheek...then he turned and called over his shoulder, "see you in a week!"

I can see how "helicopter parenting" can quickly develop as parents are so connected to their kids these days. I miss them and wish I could watch their fun and independence develop but know that this is part of growing up... I know we all heard it when we had our toddlers..older parents would tell us "don't wish away these years, they go too fast." But it was difficult to believe, when meltdowns were occurring and you were stuck inside with little ones for days on end because of weather or various illnesses. But man, it does go sooo fast and then you realize that time is growing shorter as they enter the middle and high school years and off to college they go...

Enough of the melodrama and mother angst...let's get on to bigger and better topics!

I finally finished my Ribbon Lace Scarf by Veronik Avery. I absolutely LOVE it. I started this way back in March and have been knitting on it off and on. I love the colorway and the subtle differences in blues. It reminds me so much of the Gulf of Mexico and our trip to Florida every year. I will wear this a lot! And probably make more as gifts! Hopefully, the next few won't take five months to complete!

Specs:

Lace Ribbon Scarf

Veronik Avery

Schaefer Anne

colorway-not sure but let's call it Gulf of Mexico

picture via The Sartorialist

Okay...Love everything about this outfit until you get to the shoes. I can just picture bringing these home to my husband..."Honey, I bought you some new shoes..." Actually, this is my husband's standard outfit...minus...the shoes...and with a few more pounds...I'd better stop while I'm ahead.

Enjoy the day!

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program

Picture from The Parent Trap circa 1961

to pack for camp!

Very busy this week packing for sleep-away camp. First time for both boys and both are excited and a wee bit nervous. Probably not as nervous as my husband. I bet he's called me ten times to make sure I pack the appropriate items. I would say he would be the parent that they are describing in this article.

The blankets and small stuffed animals went into their sleeping bags this afternoon (to be hugged and held at night...yeah who am I kidding, they will probably come home a muddy mess!) and clothes and necessities are being labeled. I have no doubts that they will have a wonderful time...

Now if I could only figure out what to talk about with my husband for a whole week!

Feist on Sesame Street

This is for my friend Joslyn and her daughter Millie. Millie loves this song!

Summer Adventures

These would be raspberry muffins. The first batch was eaten before I could take a picture which goes against everything I've said about nobody eating any bake goods that I make. The second batch...that would be the batch that is pictured was eaten by the dog this morning.

Paper and all!

I learned a great tip from Martha years ago about muffin baking. Twelve or more muffins can be a lot for my family. So I bake one half and freeze the other. I place the batter right in the muffin tin, freeze for a few hours and then pop the frozen muffins out of the tins and into a freezer bag. Add a little extra baking time and you have six fresh muffins in the am.

That is if your dog doesn't get to them first.

Yes, this is my cat...way up high! I first heard him crying in the woods so enlisted my oldest and his friend to help find him. I was afraid a fox or a coyote had injured him. To get to this tree we needed to walk through pricker bushes, overgrown grapevines (which I made a note of, since I'm always looking for grapevine in the Fall) and over fallen trees. Finally, Matt's friend spotted the cat in the tree. As I quickly looked to see if he was all right I told the boys that he would come down on his own. No problem they said as they took off for the house( they were loosing precious gaming time) leaving me in the prickers. Coming out of the woods I had to climb over an old root ball of a fallen tree. (note: I was not a happy mom at this point and the cat was crying hysterically as he watched me walk away.) I looked back, under the rootball and thought to myself what a great place for a rabid fox, raccoon or skunk to live...that's when I fell! Falling at age 46 is a whole lot different than falling at age 26. Swearing, I picked myself up and headed to the house, not caring what happened to the cat!

Ten minutes later I checked the tree and the cat was down...but not at the house. He didn't show up until 9:30 last night! It was if he had vanished into thin air. In fact, I actually googled "can hawks or eagles eat cats? ( I had visions of that scene in the Wizard of Oz when Toto gets carried away by the monkeys) "Which at this point I was hoping they did...and you know what they can! But our cat seems to have nine lives and came home to provide endless entertainment for our dog.

Enjoy the hostas! The deer have been good to them this year. My lilies..not so much!

Lovely!

photo courtesy of KT Jeans Design

If I had to do it again (and believe me I wouldn't) I would wear this. Just beautiful. AND you can get it on etsy....See this place is unbelievable!

photography courtesy of gogoabigal
And then I saw this over at A Cup of Jo. What a romantic idea. It wouldn't work here as we have a lake across the street from us. I probably would get a bouquet of milfoil each week!

Our weekend was busy with fishing, boating and golfing. As the weekend came to a rainy close we went to see Walle. What a great movie for all ages. It astonishes me how people can think this stuff up! Just amazing.

Here's to a good week!

Friday Round-up

We have been very busy over here at Upper Pond this week. The TV has been turned off and many new things have been discovered. Paints have been pulled out, rooms cleaned and sounds of "hey mom! Where did I get this cool snap model of an Apache helicopter? (received two Christmases ago) Can I get more of these? were heard.

More baby goodness was knitted for a friend. I think that's it for awhile which is good because I have a few big projects in the queue for fall.

Chocolate crinkles was the cookie of the week. A term coined by Leslie. Again, I'm the only one eating these and boy are they yummy. I got the recipe from this book. I think that this is one of my favorite MS cookbooks. I like how all the cookies are pictured in the beginning so you can actually see what the cookie will hopefully look like when baked.

What we're reading:

Me: Thought this looked good, but now am reading so-so reviews. I guess I will stick with it.

Matt: Ever since Matt was a pre-schooler and saw a poster in the library of Treasure Island he has wanted to read the unabridged version. He would get it out, cart it home, look at the pictures and wish. Well, this is the summer that he has tried to accomplish his goal. He has read the abridged version so that is helping him immensely.

Ryan: Ry is my binge reader. He won't read a fiction book for a long while, then he picks up one and sits and reads the entire book in one day. Magic Tree House is a popular choice. I think he likes it because history is often times infused into the storyline...and Ry is our history buff.

One of my favorite new discoveries. Love this stuff! It makes my skin feel so soft and smooth!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Friends!

picture from The Sartorialist

I absolutely adore this picture from The Sartorialist. Not sure what exactly makes me enjoy it so much. To me it reminds me of two old friends that have met up to have a wonderful, peaceful girls' weekend without the kids. I love the black, I love the dress, I love the bag and the shoes are fantastic! (although, I would be sure to wipe out wearing them!)

Maybe it's because my mom friends are not even in this world of dressing. Khaki shorts and t-shirts are our staples and on a good day we might throw on a summer skirt.

Either way it's a delightful shot that makes me smile!

Tired!

It was a long, long weekend full of many activities. The boys played golf, went tubing and water skiing, multiple times, watched a parade and socialized at two parties. One party was a kid's paradise. As we walked in, all I could hear were shouts of glee as children leaped in the jumpy house, played football and ran around the yard with candy necklaces around their necks.

Dinner for Ryan on the evening of the Fourth consisted of four servings of cotton candy. No, I didn't realize this until we were leaving the party. Yes, I know, bad, bad mom!

At first, all the boys were too cool to have their faces painted. But, Ry was the first to step up to the plate and go for it. In the end, he hated how itchy it made him feel and he wiped it off in our host's bathroom. Again, didn't know this until after we left. Bad mom!

Matt entertained us with his paint job as only an eleven year can.

Oh yes, again, I'm a bad mom because this kid needs a haircut!

I'm ready for the lazy, hazy days of summer. The ending of school and the Fourth's activities are over so we can now fall into our summer routine. It will be good for all of us to take a break and relax a bit.

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of my secret desires is to own a paper store.

I love what I see out on the Internet which, I think is bringing my plan closer to reality. We'll see. Anyhow, I also bought my SIL these pretty notecards for her birthday. I have ordered from ilee before for my own needs and absolutely love her. She has a great letterpress desk calendar that she prints around October. They are great to give as gifts at holiday time.

That's it...wish there was more...but I've got mountains of laundry to fold! Blah!