My Summer Romance

. . . . . has it really been that long?
And in case you've forgotten me, I'm going to let you in on a little bitty secret.
I've been having a hot romance!  With summer!  And my three favorite people in the world!  My kids! :-)
Here is a smidgeon of what we've done since May:

(See her flippers?!  LOVE this picture!)

(Library books during the 3 hour daily swim practices!)

(Swimming championships at Miami University)

(We lost electricity for an afternoon--the 3 of them playing a game together!)

(Napping!)

 (Eating at one of our favorite restaurants, The Taste of Belgium)

(Body butters, deodorants, lip balms and farmers' markets every Saturday!)

(A little bit of dressing up.  The best we can!)

(First day of school.  Three different schools; three different start times!)

I'm absolutely certain I've had time to blog about my daily happy.  I'm certain I should have made more time for friendships, near and far.  I should have picked up the phone and called.  I should have knitted more.  Sewn more.  But my summer romance was a whirlwind. I blinked and it was over.

I spent every waking moment that I possibly could with my three favorite people. We were swimming every day, both for fun and for competition.  We played games, watched movies, grilled outside.  We stayed up late and took afternoon naps.  We savored.

Because just yesterday my first baby was born . . .  but I turned, kissed him on the cheek and sent him with a car full of teenagers to find his way as a Junior in High School.

And just yesterday my first daughter was born . . . but I turned, kissed her on the cheek and walked in the dark to the bus stop with her so she can rise above mean girls to be a seventh grader.

And just yesterday my baby-baby was born . . . . but I turned, kissed her on the cheek and sent her with the neighborhood car pool to find herself as a fourth grader.

I blinked.

But . . . . with summer over and school starting, I have time.  My house is quiet and I am listening to opera with a dog by my side.  And I'm blogging again. And planning sewing projects and socks to knit.  I am mixing up new fragrances for body butters and perfume sticks.  Thank you for my summer romance; let's enjoy each other this fall!  :-)

Happy-ness is this quiet peace I have after a wonderful summer love!!!

April Showers Bring . . . .

Ahhhhhhh Happy-ness!  May you enjoy your fields of May flowers today!

XOXO

Spring Knitting

Hello, dear friends.
I've admitted to you before, I am a most terrible knitter.  Slow.  Painful.  I am not sure if I'm a process knitter, one who enjoys the rhythm of the knitting, or a finished project knitter.  Or not really a knitter at all, but a knitter-wanna-be. Or maybe a little bit of all of that.  At any rate, I'm not highly motivated to finish a project.  And I do enjoy having a bit of knitting in my hand; but if I'm not knitting, meh, I'm okay with that, too.
Anyway, I have been knitting this silly sweater for too long.  I bought the yarn years ago.  For the middle child.  But now, it will have to be for the Pipsqueak.  I find it boring.  Tedious.  But I want it finished!  This is my year of finished projects and inspired knitting!  I decided to sit under my favorite loverly tree and, well, knit.

But it's beautiful outside!  And there were distractions.

And I felt like I was being watched the entire time.

Hmmmmmmmm it's loverly knitting in the spring sunshine and fresh air.  I think Keeper is in the right frame of mind!!  And I did manage to knit . . . . a few rows, anyway!

Happy-ness is distraction and playing!!
Go outside and enjoy your spring romp! Now!  Go!
XOXO

Sometimes Sadness

Hello, dear friends.
This has been a week of sadness.  A day of defeat.  I meekly stand and wave my white flag of surrender.
And....
I put on my favorite jeans.  And a favorite white linen shirt.  And I turn up the Italian opera music so loud even the neighbors can hear it.  And I make tea.  From a tea kettle given to me by my most favorite person.  A birthday gift.

And I mourn the loss of friends and loved ones with Buckeyes.  Not very pretty Buckeyes.  But therapy. Remembering.  Wishing.

Happy-ness is one more day. To love.  To be loved.
XOXO

Be True!

It has been too-too-too long since I have posted anything!

I have been busy.  And lazy!

There was a trip to Atlanta, Georgia to visit family.

Spring Break.

A few sick days.

Lots of sewing.

A little knitting.
Wine drinking.
Dinners with best friends.
Lunches with good good friends.
And a business launched.
You can see me here on Etsy.
I have always been about the natural body, home, lifestyle.  In this day of ultra conveniences and throw-away mentality, I embrace the simple even more.  Clothes drying on a clothesline.  Books borrowed from the library.  Handmade (everything!).  Fresh (air! food! everything!).
I have been making my own deodorant for years, I have been sewing since I was about 9, which is not so many years ;-) and I have been using essential oils to freshen (the house, the laundry, everything!) and to cure what may ail the body (the big teenager had a very big, very nasty blister on the bottom of his foot; so nasty and big that it was making me woozy just to look at it!  I used the magic combination of essential oils to soothe over the blister and it was gone the very next morning!)
So . . . . . when my friend (and business buddy!) approached me about starting an Etsy business, I don't think I hesitated even a fraction of a second.  I jumped up, gave a war cry and ran with it!  And, me being me, she did all of the leg-work/prep-work while I did all of the cheerleading!  And some sewing.  Stephanie is fabulous!  Her cafe mocha sugar scrub is out of this world!
Visit our shop!  Check us out! Support two moms with a love for the all-natural, healthy, holistic, simple lifestyle!!  You will find my deodorant, Stephanie's sugar scrubs, eye masks that relax with lavender or soothe a headache (hangover?!) with peppermint.  I have an indulgent body butter that I will be adding; new things are being made and added daily!  Leave your comments; let us know what you think!

Happy-ness is being a mom; a woman business owner; empowerment; doing and being the person I'm made to be!  Be true to yourself today!!
XOXO

The Hope Of Spring

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. 

Charles Dickens

Happy-ness is the hope of Spring and all that it brings.  Flowers.  Fresh Air.  Clothes blowing and drying on a line outside.  Skirts and flip-flops worn with a favorite schleppy sweatshirt (which has been my Spring wardrobe for a week or so now!)  Summer in the sunshine; winter in the shade.  May you enjoy your Springtime!

Rrrrrrruffles!

I found this ruffle fabric at my favorite sewing store and decided the Pipsqueak needs skinny ruffle capris.  I found this pattern book, also at my favorite sewing store.  The pattern book is fabulous!  And my requirements for any pattern, book or otherwise, are really very simple:
1.  The pictures have to be awesome.
2.  I need to understand the directions.
3.  The directions need to contain no sewing grammar at all.  Patterns need to have words that I understand.  Also words that make me feel like it is speaking directly to me.  (Read:  dumbed down.  A lot.  For me.)
4.  I need to feel confident that I will use several of the patterns in a book or that I will use the pattern over and over and over again.
5.  Dumbed down.  A lot.  For me.
I love to sew.  I love to sew.  Probably more than kintting.  Which is saying a lot.  But I don't have a lot of confidence because I don't know what "bias" means.  "Basting stitch"?  Why bother?!  I also hate to cut.  I hate to think that I spent money on fabric and before it even gets to the sewing machine, I have ruined it by cutting it wrong.  "Cut on the grain" . . . . . ????  And quite honestly, my method of sewing would make my mother cringe.  I mostly wing it.  I can see it in my head so I usually just skip a lot (A. LOT.) of the steps in written patterns to get to that finished piece.  Not so with the skinny ruffle capris!!  5 steps.  That's it.  (And, since it's me, I did it in 4 steps!!)
It took me 90 minutes.  Including running out to Michaels to find a white t-shirt to applique the cute little heart with the extra ruffle fabric. 90 minutes from laying out, cutting, sewing, running to Michaels, appliqueing to finished.

[Side note #1: So tickled with myself, I took pictures with my iPhone and showed them to everyone at work.  I showed the pictures to one of my favorite friends, Jason.  He is a 35 year old single man, never been married.  Only goes to the grocery store when he runs out of laundry detergent or toilet paper.  Love him to death and have knit socks for him and given him soups and casseroles just because.  As I was showing him how cute (!!!), I said, "I wish they made them in my size!"  He laughed out loud.  Belly laugh.  And said, "Did you seriously just say that you wished they made them in your size?!?!?!  YOU MADE those pants!!!!" *giggle*]
So in love with this outfit are we, I went out and bought more fabric.  Just one more color.  It had to be orange.

(Blurry photo?!?!  Ugh. . .)

[Side note #2:  Pipsqueak is days away from being 9 years old.  I used the size 6 pattern.  She's a . . . well, pipsqueak!  I teased her that she will have Big Bird legs in her orange ruffly pants!  Because, hey!  It looks like legs that Big Bird might wear!  And she said, "The great thing about Big Bird is that he's . . . . . BIG!!!"  Poor little Pipsqueak. . . . ]
Happy-ness is RRRRRRRuffles!!!!!!