same old, same old

MMJ day 22, wearing a familiar suit, seen here during SSS.

The best part about this outfit (besides the fact that I love it) is the shoes. I think maybe my lil'sis gave them to me? They are sort of like tennis shoes, but made of linen. The toe has what looks like burlap on it, and the sides of the soles have a braided jute trim. The sole is very stiff, so the shoe always feels like it wants to pull of the heel when I walk, but as long as I wear proper-fitting socks, everything stays where it should.
I feel like they complete the outfit, and I always get compliments on the shoes.
Pattern for this suit was NL6840, but not the current one. There was also a shirt just like the one I'm wearing, but as I already had this RTW version in my drawer, I didn't make one. I should make this pattern again, though. It was so easy, and I do wear it a lot. But, what color?

Day 23, more of the same, previously seen here.

I left this photo wider than usual, so you can see the abundance of roses I'm enjoying. Best gardening decision ever!

I don't think I said much about this suit the last time you saw it, so maybe a little detail is in order? This is actually just two pieces, not three. The "top" is just the front piece, sewn in on the sides and shoulders, under the "vest". Then the same fabric as the top is used for the sleeves, to give it the feel of a vest over a top. Cool, huh? Makes for easy dressing in the morning.
Or it would, if I didn't have to iron this.
I may have widened the pants a bit. I can't recall. They are just a tad short now, but I wear it anyway, and hope that nobody notices. As I said before, I love this suit, so I really don't care what anyone else thinks of it.

Well, I may have run out of "new" stuff, but I have plenty of me-mades left to get me through the rest of the month, even if it's boring. So there's that.

In Bloom and Buzzing

Spring Rain

Spring

Pretty Flowers

Next month, in RS, I'll be teaching a little class on flower arranging. So for this month, I thought, why not practice my skills by making centerpieces for our tables.
The idea is to take an ordinary bunch of flowers from the grocery store, and make that into a nice centerpiece.

We used 3 bouquets,

And we got 5 flower arrangements 

The only thing we added here was some trumpet vine leaves from the back yard (second from the right). And a little bit of something mom had dried a few months back (in the tall one).

Helpful Neighbors

This was a bit of a shock to me.

My son says they must have done it yesterday during the day, but when I got home last night, it was dark, and there were cars parked on the street, so I didn't see it. I did notice a strong scent of lavender in the air, but I didn't investigate.

This morning, as I backed out of the drive on my way to an appointment, I had my first glimpse of the devastation.

When I returned, I had to spend 20 minutes or so cleaning it up off the parking strip.

The last time one of my lavender bushes was pruned this vigorously, it did not survive the winter.

 I hope this one fares better.

SSS outfits from week 4

From Thurs, Sept 23: I love this little wrap-around skirt. I've never actually sewn the buttons on, I just pin through the shank of the big wooden button that shows, and pin the underside. Made this during my short time working for Mini World, a children's clothing company. They bought this fabric as a sample cut, so they sold it off cheap when they decided not to use it. Skirt: M6528 (from the 90's). Top: can't recall. Necklace & earrings: Lia Sophia. Black stone ring: Charlotte Russe. Beaded watch: made for me by a fellow Bookette. Shoes: Metro7, (Target?). Overgrown containers on my porch that I water every morning and evening: planted by me, with plants from Cooks Greenhouse in Lindon.

 Fri, Sept 24, away from the office for a firm retreat. We got to go to Zermatt Resort in Midway, UT. The braids...I'd recently watched To Wong Foo again, so I was doing sort of a "Say Something Hat day" and channeling Noxema Jackson at the same time. (Do you like my nails?) I was worried I'd be the only one there in a skirt, it being a casual thing, but one other gal wore one, so I wasn't the odd one out. Skirt is same pattern as denim skirt from 11th/12th. The blouse is the one shown started here, and finally finished Thursday night. (Yes, indeed, that is the self-same big floppy hat my friend borrowed that night.) I want to do self-bias for the sleeve ties, but I couldn't find the leftovers, so I went with ribbon for now. You can't tell here, but the blouse fits really well, looks very shapely. Crocheted the mini-shawl a couple years ago. Also wearing bracelets made for me by a friend.

Later that evening, settling in for the night up at Zermatt. Yo, these are my fav pj's!

Also spent a fair amount of time in my bathing suit, which I did not make.

Sat, Sept 25, off for a day of shopping and eating and whatever in Midway, Heber, and Park City. I can highly recommend the Sidetrack Cafe in Heber. Also the Dairy Keen in Heber, where we ate the night before. This wild paisley knit top needs to be taken in a mile or so...(I've got it knotted in back just for the photo)
Incidentally, speaking of To Wong Foo, we passed by Snyderville on our way to Park City. We took the old road, which winds over the mountain (and takes much longer), and from there, from the residential area of Park City, the road leads you past Snyderville. (Hey, mommies, I got us a ride into Spiderville.)

Sun, Sept 26, wearing the dress and earrings I made for my sister's wedding back in January. The earrings are easy: they make a kit. It's a wire form that slides into the shank of a button, and that's it, instant earrings! I need to find a couple more of these kits, so I don't have to wrestle my buttons on and off just to wear a different set. (I've not seen any for years, so maybe they don't make them anymore?)

After church, I changed into jeans and a self-stitched plaid top, and went over to mom's to help B* get started knitting a hat for Ms P. It was late when I got back home, so no picture. (I will add one if/when I have one.) (Took a picture when I wore it again 10/1 - so here you have it.)

Mon, Sept 27, in one of my old favorites. I made this back when I first started back to work after the Twins. The pattern also had a full-skirted version, which I considered making. Might be why I can't locate the pattern.

Only a few more days to go!

Container Garden reprise 2

How it looked in June, the morning after planting:

In the heat of July, early evening:

And now, in August (in really strong morning light):

Can you get past those and get in the door? (Barely)

Sheesh - you can't even see the containers anymore! (I had to pull the gargoyle out of hiding)
There were other things in there besides coleus (the dark stuff) and sweet potato vine (bright green), but those have taken over big-time. I don't remember ever having my coleus get that tall before.

I'm gonna have to re-pot the hanging one. I fed it, and gave it a couple weeks. Up close, it looks like it's doing so much better, so many more flowers. But when I see it here, (casting that serious shadow) I can see it's still not anywhere near what it was when I got it. My guess is it's almost all roots in there.
(um, I think maybe I need to change out my door decor...)
Just in case you're wondering, or thinking that maybe I'm just good at this whole garden thing (ha!), all I do is water them twice a day. At first I thought, ugh, that'll happen. But then, this gal that was teaching the class, she says that she just waters them as she leaves for work, and again when she comes home at night. Totally works.
(Also, when you plant, start with fresh soil every time, I use a variety called Moisture Control, and a liberal sprinkling of Osmocote.)

the other cushions

Finally got a picture of this in daylight. These took forever to cut out. Seriously, FOREVER. The floral fabric was a large loose weave, so I couldn't just rip it to get nice straight-sided squares, I had to cut along the threads. Then, for the check on the sides, since that was printed, I couldn't rip that either, in case the print wasn't on grain, so I had to cut along the checks. Worth it, though. I love how these look.

I need something different for the cushions at the back. I'm thinking large squares, either in the same check used for the sides, or a maybe a plain denim? I still need to make the bolsters, too. I cut them out that same evening, but I had so much else to get ready, I stopped once I'd done the seat cushions. Maybe I'll get back to those this weekend.

I also need to make button tabs so these cushions can become a flip chair like this one. That way, when we have to take the cushions inside due to rain or whatever, they're a useful seat instead of just a stack of cushions taking up space.

(And then there are the 3 others, for the love seat and chair that match this sofa. Also cut out, so at least I don't have to endure that torture again. So much still to do.)

Container Garden reprise

You know, I water these every morning and every night, so it's not like I don't see them. I guess it happens so gradually, you don't realize just how much growth there's been until you step back. I was just looking at that other post, now a month old, and that's when I realized, it was time to take pictures again. I was in a hurry this morning, though, so I didn't have time to get close and capture each in just the right way. Took more pictures after work, so now we can see all of them, close up and pretty.

We seem to have a bit less color than before. I think it's the heat. Or maybe it's the time of day. Or both.

That's a new pot overturned under the stacked set. I finally found something I liked that wasn't too pricey. I think the added height is a good thing here. (Not the best shot of the teacup, I'll have to try again later.)

And here's the teacup. The white flowers didn't seem to like it here, but the silvery vine, the flowering cabbage, and the curry are doing just fine. Maybe a little top-heavy.

And here's the urn, much more filled out than before. One of the sweet potato vines is reaching towards the door, more every day. I'm not sure if that's just warmer than the brick, or if maybe that section gets a little more light, but that vine is much more ambitious than the one nearest the rooster.

Yikes. Those are really not great pictures. I should have just waited until after work today, but I wanted to show off just how much they've grown and changed in only a month. (new pictures taken after work, same day, much better now.)

Just for fun, here's the before and after:

(up close, I swear the hanging basket has a lot more color. But I can see there are fewer flowers than before...maybe it needs to be fed as well as watered?)

Fabulous 4th (er, 3rd?)

Here's the full-on-decorated patio, all gussied up for our BBQ:

Didn't my SIL do a fabulous job with the lights? I love the way they swag along the bunting on the fence.

I wish I could always have my patio looking this cute!

(note: in the back, to the left, yet another piece of furniture with new cushions! made by me, of course)

have a seat

I have this great patio. It came with the house, and the only thing I've done with it so far is have one of my brothers dig up roots and re-level the bricks. In one place, the roots were too close to the surface, and too close to the tree to just cut off, so we had to leave that. I generally park a table over that spot so nobody trips on it.

This patio is shady, and has a privacy fence at the back of it.

I love this patio.

(Hmm, those umbrellas make it look like it's not naturally shady, even though it is, most of the time. Really. Sorry you can't see the massive tree that shades my whole back yard here. Plus, this picture only captures about 1/3 of the space.)

I am always on the look-out for great furniture for it, which means I have a lot of outdoor furniture. But I also love a bargain, which can translate into a piece of furniture that "needs work".

Yeah, I have a lot of that.

Finally, this week, I managed to make the cushions for one of those pieces.

I'm so excited! Okay, the fabric is nothing exciting (in fact, it's downright boring), but I'm just so proud of myself for finally getting some of them sewn up, zippers and all, instead of wrapping the fabric around the bare foam cushion like I seem to do every time we have a get-together.

I am not going to let the fact that there are several other pieces (ie: couch, love seat, 2 chairs, chaise, bench, the wicker set, etc.) that need cushions take away from my excitement here.

Nope.

I'm just going to have a seat and relax on the one piece that finally has actual cushions. Even if it does still need paint/stain. (And is desperately in need of some color.) So there.

Oh, and the best part? Now that it has real cushions, instead of one long piece of foam wrapped up in fabric? We can take the cushions away with us to the front yard when it's time for the fireworks.

Sweet.

empty nest, everything gone

Not talking about me, here. I'm referring to the little nest of quail's eggs by the front steps. A few nights ago, I came home to total nest devastation. Feathers everywhere, eggs scattered about (didn't take a picture, sorry). I hoped the mama wasn't dead, that she might come back, so I scooped the eggs back into a pile with a piece of broken pottery.

Then, Sunday, I notice all but one egg was gone. Just gone. Something likes eggs, I guess.

Monday morning, even that last lone egg was gone.

I'm sad about that.

I know quail can be a nuisance, that they eat the greens in your garden and pull up baby grasses when you're trying to fill in those dead spots on the lawn. But they're also pretty cute, and I'm sure they eat bugs as well.

Nesting

Remember the container garden? Of course you do, that wasn't all that long ago. Well, you couldn't see it in those pictures, but right behind the stacked pots, just to the right up against the side of the steps, there was a small clutch of eggs. I felt bad after I'd pulled all the weeds and plants, exposing the nest, but I was careful not to disturb it further as I planted and positioned my pots. I left it as sheltered as possible, but I worried I'd already done the damage.

Saturday, as I was pointing out some of my favorite plants to my sister, I just about fell off the steps when a quail suddenly burst out from behind the pots, flapping and fluttering. It flew all the way up into the maple tree on the other side of the driveway, and quail just don't generally get much height when they fly, you know.

That poor thing, it scolded us for a good 20 minutes, at least.

The next day, I could see there were more eggs in the nest (I counted at least a dozen).

(big thanks to my brother for this great picture of the eggs!) So, obviously, not abandoned, but no sign of the mama.

Monday night, returning home from work, as I approached the front door, there she was! It was all I could do not to startle her, I was so excited to see her.

Can you see her there? I drew arrows in red, but they're hard to see. Let me give you a close-up of just the bird:

can you see it? (yikes, that's blurry!)

Isn't that just the coolest thing?

Sorry the picture quality isn't better. In an effort not to disturb the nesting mama, I tried to get the picture without getting too close, but I don't have telescopic zoom. Plus, these guys are pretty good at camouflage. She chose to nest here because it's out of the way, and she can blend in with the cement and dirt. My Twins think it's not the best spot for a nest, but the bird had other ideas.

She's still there as of this morning. And she was there last night after that sudden rain, too.

Container Garden

I went to Cook's Greenhouse after work yesterday. I love doing the containers for the porch, but some years, I just don't seem to get the time. When I found out they had cancelled the Hidden Garden Tour (apparently, forever), I felt compelled to brighten up my front stoop (because, really, it's not a porch) so I could enjoy some kind of garden. (The hanging basket of flowers is a gift from Cam, his thank-you to me for the play.)

I didn't think I'd put it all together last night, but, as I had the soil, and the containers were right there, and I'd just spent $50 at the nursery, with no other free evening in sight until Saturday, I went for it.

In the dark.

Because when I got home, just after 7pm, I had to still get up on the roof to see why the swamp cooler wasn't doing so well, and I was up there until about 9pm, replacing the filter basket for the pump, and cleaning the "spider" so it could send the water over all the panels. Yeah, that was fun. I played with the float to adjust the water level, and now, if it's not actually turned on, like at night, we have a little drip. Not much, but I'll have to get back up there and adjust the float again. It's cooling much better, though, so, time well spent.

Anyway - the planters:

I love my little teacup.

I worry about the plants - small planters need more frequent watering. But if it seems to suffer, I'll move it more into the shade, or I'll re-pot them in something larger. For now, I like this arrangement of flowering cabbage, curry, and, um, I forget what that other silver-green trailing stuff is.

My urn! (and gargoyle!)

This is a lightweight plastic planter, not the heavy stone it looks. So I can move it even when it's full. More flowering cabbage, sweet potato vine in a couple of colors, some velvet black coleus, and a trailing something with pale lavender flowers. (I'm really good with the plant names...)

And, the stacked planter.

I had to pull some weeds and yank out some fever few to give this space. The crumbled bits underneath are from a shallow bowl planter I put it on a couple years back, which suffered in the snow and cold. I'll get a new one, but the "look" of it doesn't bug me, for some reason. I'm into that "natural" look in a yard. (translation: I don't love yard-work, and a few leaves and pine cones are normal, natural elements, right?) I used a lot of coleus here, and lots of sweet potato vine, more of that silvery trailing stuff, then finally added some color with those cute red, um, teensy flowery things.

(I tossed all the little plant tags. Oops.)

I kinda wondered if I'd come out in the morning and wonder what the heck I thought I was doing out there in the dark, with only the porch light to guide me. But I think they turned out well.

I'll take pictures again in a few weeks, when they've had a chance to grow and fill in a bit more. I usually crowd my planters pretty good, and I thought I had enough plants, but then, I added the smallest one on the stack, and I don't know, I didn't seem to have as much as I thought.

Look! It's a Monkey!

I made a monkey!

And took pictures of him in my garden!

Why is the monkey climbing the rose bushes? No idea. But he's as happy as I am that I'm not at the office.

What? Did you say something about other projects? Something I'm supposed to be working on for some "challenge" or other? Ummmm. Mumble mumble....

Look! Monkey!

Missing...

One steel and wooden glider.

(Not the kids, or the dog. Though the dog, Valentine, has long since left this world, and the kids are now in their teens. So, I guess I miss that they're not kids anymore. That's my niece Stesha with the long blond hair, and the two curly-tops are my Twins. For real. Seriously cute, right? Twin2 seated on the glider, Twin1 in the foreground showing you the top of his cute curly head.)

This photo shows the glider/swing in it's former home, my mom's back yard. It has resided in my front yard for about 5 years or so. Until last week.

Taken from my front yard, sometime during the day Tuesday. (You'd need at least two people to carry it away, maybe even a truck, and yet, nobody saw it happen.) The owner of the currently-for-sale house next door had mowed that day - I called him in the hope that he'd moved it, maybe left it in his garage for some bizarre reason, or maybe he'd seen it "walk away" - but, no. He noticed it was gone when he mowed, but figured I'd moved it.
I'm fairly certain I would have noticed it was missing when we left the house Tuesday morning. I know for sure it was there Sunday afternoon, because we were admiring the first rose buds on the bush right next to it, while I contemplated how best to prune said roses. (My yard can get out of control.)
I was on the verge of replacing the rose bushes that used to be where the glider has been. But, I don't know, I guess I figured I'd put the glider on the (soon-to-be-built) porch after that. Or even just move it to the side, make myself a nice place to sit, surrounded by roses.

I felt really silly reporting the theft to the police. But the officer was really nice about it, said that if it were him, he'd have reported it, too.

Mom gave me that glider.
I don't understand what makes a person steal something.
And why a glider?

I've considered other possibilities: Someone thought it was theirs. Someone saw one listed on Freebay, and got the address wrong. Or, the highly unlikely, "someone thought they'd refinish it for me as a surprise, and it will come back later". All those options occurred to me at first. And not just to me. My brother E came over Sunday, and asked if it was at all possible that some guy I was dating had taken it to refinish. It was weird to hear someone else had considered the same possibility, even if mine was more along the lines of "my VT or HT" instead of "some guy". Since I'd have to be dating someone for that to be true, and I'm pretty much not. I still wish that were the case. But I'm sure it's not.

*I hesitated on blogging this. Some paranoid part of my brain suggested that maybe someone out there was trying to see if I was who they thought I was, as in, "if she blogs that she's had this stolen, then I'll know who she is and where she lives." Because, you know, I'm just that important. There was another Utah blogger who recently had her lawnmower stolen from the driveway, so that fueled the paranoia.*