so my fireworks photos didn't turn out...

you'll have to settle for a couple of sunset shots and a full moon shot. we watched the show from the banks of the hillsborough river, with boats going by, under beautiful palm trees and fairly bearable weather conditions. the only thing distraction pre-fireworks was someone in a shiny, tiny bikini. and no, you won't be seeing any pictures of THAT here...i'm still trying to get those images out of my head. we were trying to figure out why someone would need to have a bikini on at 9 p.m.?

more bennett shenanigans to come tomorrow. for now, i'm being summoned to drive someone in a (toy) car around the living room since it's too rainy to go out and play.

a look back at paradise

well, we are back to reality. a day before we came home, aedan said, "mom, i feel homesick, but i don't want to go home." isn't that how it is? it would be nice to be back in your own bed, but you don't want to return to the responsibilities that come with that nice cozy bed? ah, yes. so we made the most of our trip away.

i really can't describe how beautiful it is here. everyone--EVERYONE--should visit siesta key. we stayed on longboat, and it was about a 25-minute drive over to siesta. we made the mistake of not driving over there until a few days before we came home. we had been before, but i guess we had forgotten just how pristine, how exquisite, how powdery, silky-soft the sand is. the kids, who are NOT beach people (i know, right?), took one step onto the beach and said "WE LOVE THIS BEACH! WE WANT TO COME HERE EVERY DAY!"

we couldn't agree more. we might have to settle for every once in a while. but i think it might warrant a few weekend trips here and there. it really is the best beach.

and wow, who would have thought michael and farrah would die on the same day? since we were on vacation and watched more tv than usual, we happened to watch LOTS of old mj videos (and we all joined in making fun of them--the kids wanted to know why he dressed so weird, danced so funny, looked so strange...). at first, gillian said "WHO is michael jackson?" ok, so we had made a mistake in parenting: how could our kids not know who mj is? i guess you just take some things for granted. i have a great memory of dancing in the living room to the thriller album with my parents...who incidentally were only THIRTY at the time...i was ten. wow.

anyway, back to reality...

not so inspiring

so right before vacation (which i'm on, as of today, by the way), i was inspired to attempt several creative projects.

and then i started packing for vacation, which i am now on, and i am not very inspired to share them with you.

but then if i don't share them now, i will never share them...

so here they are. even though i have been advised by my dear hubby to spread them out into different blog posts, i am going to just blow your mind and give them to you all at once. :)

1. i made these strawberry shortcake cookies from martha stewart. i was initially impressed (as i was sampling the dough straight from the bowl). however, after baking them and eating one, i didn't have that overwhelming urge to eat another, and another, and another, like what happens when i bake most cookies. so, all in all, i think i would not make these again. oh, and i saw that several blogs posted about these cookies, and a few even ripped off the picture posted with the link i provide here. however, i would like you to note that i took these pictures MYSELF. ;)

2. i made this skirt, and it looks horrible. at least on me it does. maybe if i were 6 feet tall and 100 pounds it would look incredible. but since i'm 10 inches shorter than that (and a few pounds heavier, since we're being honest about stuff), it just makes me look about 15 inches shorter and about 30 pounds heavier. SO, i will not be wearing this. the upside is it took me about 30 minutes to make. so if you fit the body shape or just want to wear a giant cheering skirt, because maybe you are feeling reminiscent about your school days cheering on those hot football players, then this is a very gratifying project.

3. i bought this dress from target (in a different color, obviously) a while back, after being inspired by this one, which i could just not bring myself to buy, even though it's incredible. i was just worried it wouldn't fit, or wouldn't look as cool on me, or both, or whatever...anyway, after i bought the target version and tried it on again at home (after i had already pulled off the tags and thrown the receipt away, kristi style), i felt like it was too stuffy. and then the hem was weird. it went up on the sides, and i just don't like showing that much of my legs. i have issues. but then again, if you are not new here, you know that already. so i cut the hem higher to make it a shirt dress and then ripped off the seams and used a zigzag stitch (with this yellow jean thread i am currently hooked on; if you are a super sewer please don't tell me how wrong it might be to use that thread on a shirt dress...!) to finish the sleeves. it already had beltloops (with a same-colored belt to tie on the side that, in my opinion, made it look maternity), so i cut off the strings and used my own (skinny leather) belt. i really like it. unfortunately, that particular day i was having an "ugly" day, so these pictures aren't great...but i think the dress turned out really cute!

4. for some reason, i came home with an extra yard of the fabric from IKEA that i just used for the kids' curtains, so i decided to cut it in half and hang it in the kitchen. i love it! now i can still see the trees in the top half of the window but can have privacy on the bottom half at night.

5. unrelated to inspiring, and perhaps the highlight of my week (besides looking forward to vacation!) is that we got a new car! we had been driving a 1999 volvo wagon that was quickly compiling its own list of projects to be done to it, and the cost was far outweighing the value of this old yet reliable car. so we opted to get a new one, which can seat 7 and can be taken on long and short trips without fear that the wheels might fall off (our volvo needed new front axles and tie rod ends, whatever those are...). and the best part? it's been almost 100 degrees here lately, and the A/C in this car ROCKS (unlike the volvo's A/C, which was intermittent at best...ugh).

i will have picture posts soon to update you on vacation. for now, i need to start another movie for the kids and maybe sneak a nap, since we were up a.l.l.n.i.g.h.t. last night with our oldest, who did not like the sleeping arrangements... :(

happy tuesday!

three in a row

in this picture, i was 7. which i can't really believe, because i look older than that i think. but maybe i was *just* 7 or something. my mom had decided that my super long, thick, crazy heavy hair needed to be cut into something more manageable for her, which at the time devastated me (i remember one boy at school chanting, "you look like a bo-y, you look like a bo-y" when i returned sporting this dorothy hamill cut). now that i have a little girl, who is this age with the same kind of hair i have, who also incidentally won't let me brush or wash it often but also has felt compelled at times to use it as a napkin while eating, i completely understand her urge to cut it all off...

my sister is also sporting a short 'do. i love her round cheeks in this picture. and that baby doll is as big as she is!

my cousin carmen sits between us. which is fitting, because she is pretty much exactly between us in age.

and do you think my smile here looks like something aedan would do? sometimes people tell me aedan looks like me, and i can't see it. but in this picture i really do see it!

now, i now i said i was going to make those yummy strawberry cookies, but time got away from me yesterday. so today, take 2. and also, i'm going to see if i have the courage to try to make this skirt for myself (as listed on the handmade experiment, an awesome website i came across somehow recently--i love how she inspires me, especially since i'm so afraid of sewing, despite my mother's mad skillz...). oh, and i also want to try this pillowcase dress for gillian.

so i guess that's 3 in a row. now, let's see if i can keep the kid craziness at bay long enough to attempt these projects...

window dressings

spaceships? flowers? depends on who you ask, i guess. that's why i love this fabric. i think it goes well in a shared boy/girl room, because they can pretend the shapes are whatever they want them to be.

so i finally finished the other 2 curtains today, after a slight scare with 2 baby rats climbing on a tree RIGHT OUTSIDE MY SEWING WINDOW. see, these are the things i do NOT like about where i live. beaches, palm trees, nice weather when it's snowy and cold everywhere else = great. rats (and a host of other things i won't name here) = CREEPY. 

luckily i have a lackadaisical approach to sewing so every time i jumped because of what i kept seeing outside the window, thus causing the seams to be ziggy and zaggy, it didn't look any different from if i had been really focused. :)

speaking of ziggy and zaggy, i used a zigzag seam to finish the edges. i love how it looks in person, but i wish it showed up more. i used this really cool thread that is kind of multiple shades of green. for you pro sewers out there, to make it show up more would i go over the zigzag twice? or use a heavier thread? something simple, please...otherwise, you know me, it's not worth it...

lucky for me you aren't here to inspect these in person, because then you would see how crooked everything is. but that's okay--they get the job done. i lined them with a super cheap sheet from the same lovely store where i bought the fabric. oh, where, you ask? IKEA, of course. :) i was a little disappointed that the sheet doesn't provide more sun blockage, but i wasn't willing to buy more expensive sheets, so that's my own fault. i kind of like how the sun comes through the spaceships (flower petals) anyway...

now i'm off to make these cookies. YUM! i better get another editing project soon or i will keep being creative (and eating too many cookies...).

summer fun

in the week and a half since the kids have been out of school for summer, i have had exactly 45 near-nervous breakdowns...

and although i KNOW you would love to see pictures of that, instead i'll share the good moments. here are a few.

i also made 2 of 4 curtains for the kids' room, to put the final touches on their new space. who, i ask you, WHO, makes 2 of 4 curtains and then stops? me. i am trying to find the energy to make the other 2, and then i will show you. i took pictures, trying to make it look like it was all done, but i think you would be able to see through that... :)

my goal is to have them done before we head on vacation next monday to longboat key for a week. wish me luck! 

when life gives you buttermilk, make...bread

ok, so i had to walk to the grocery store to get buttermilk. but what better way to brighten up the house than to fill it with that yummy homemade bread smell? (and hopefully the end result would be yummy too...)

i got the bread recipe here. a while back my mother-in-law gave me a bread machine, because i had such high hopes of making my own bread. and then it sat on the floor in our pantry for about 6 months. finally i worked up the nerve to try it out, and here's what happened:

i guess the recipe was too much for my little machine.

very unattractive first glance...

the paddle got stuck in the loaf. is that normal?

as you can see, though, the final product was scrumptious!

now, if i can only figure out how to keep the dough from exploding in the machine...it was a rather daunting task to clean afterward...

happy wednesday!

(trying to) look up

sorry i've disappeared from here for a while. (probably just long enough for friends and family to stop reading...)

i'm trying to stay positive, but let's just say that life is kind of tough right now. it goes in waves, as i'm sure you know, and there are some definite shiny spots. but i have a tendency to just really embrace the darkness and allow myself to get swallowed up in self-pity, and that just paralyzes me. 

so you would think after 30-something years i would learn to run, run, run from this pessimism, but i just don't learn. do you have anything like that? i'm sure everyone struggles with one thing or another like this. so this is my cross to bear, so to speak. (oh, i really hate that analogy; i should go back and delete it, but i want to just get through this post and finish watching "bridget jones's diary" on tivo.)

to force myself to look up instead of down the black hole that beckons me, here are some things i can celebrate right now:

1. my kids are all healthy.

2. i have a roof over my head and a car that hasn't broken down just yet (okay, that was on the verge of looking down vs. up, but just give me some slack; i'm trying...)

3. i have lost another 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks, and i have just 10 more to go before rhys's birthday to meet my goal of being back to "normal" before he turns 2.

4. i had a great talk with my mom the other night.

5. i am growing tomatoes in pots on the porch, and the plants are gigantic and full of blossoms that hopefully will soon be bearing fruit.

6. rick will be off for a week toward the end of june to hang out with us. yay!

7. "the hangover" is the funniest movie i have EVER seen. (also one of the most vulgar, so beware if you are easily offended...)

8. my orchids have been blooming for about 4 straight months.

9. i attended a rain barrel workshop and got a certificate for a free rain barrel. of course, i have not picked it up yet, but i am excited about getting it for free.

10. we signed the kids up for swim lessons at our community pool, and for the 2 of them  it cost only $38. TOTAL.

things could be much, much worse, and in fact they have been (as documented on this very blog). so here's to looking up...

p.s. if you haven't seen "Up," you should see it too. it made me feel very melancholy, but it was visually stunning.

time for a change...

just thought i'd share with you my new hair color. :)

i really like it!

now that rick's back (and boy am i ever glad!), i'm back to work, which is why i've been quiet this week.

i am going to a rain barrel seminar tomorrow and hope to post pics of my very own next week. we sure get enough rain around here to fill it quickly, there's NO doubt about that.

happy weekend everyone!

music to my soul

sunday afternoon some great friends had us over for brunch: homemade veggie frittatas, belgian waffles, fresh berries, yummy bread, and, most importantly, wonderful conversation. it's so great to spend time with friends when you can just pick up where you left off. jump right into deep water, skipping the shallow end altogether. i love that about community. 

now, if only we could see them more often... 

the kids played dress-up and then played many of roger's instruments. i wish i had a brief sound byte to play here: imagine total chaos. that's about what it sounded like. and the kids kept asking, "turn it up. it's not loud enough!" while a dog and 2 cats slept on the surrounding furniture. how, i have NO idea.

rhys's huge grin pretty much sums up how i feel. what a great day. thanks, friends! 

aedan's word play

a snapshot of a game of bananagrams yesterday. make sure you check out all the fun words aedan chose (oh, and "batel" is "battle," in case you were wondering. darn that weird English language spelling!).

it's Sunday, and the day is already living up to its name: first time we've seen mr. sun in over a week i think. 

oh happy day!

lazy saturday

i suddenly have more time on my hands with rick being gone this weekend. i would think the opposite would be true. this is not meant to be any sort of commentary about how much i have to work when he's around or anything. i think it's just that having another adult around fills time that otherwise could be spent reading, watching movies, writing blog posts, wasting loads of time on facebook, coveting vintage threads on this etsy site, and generally just being lazy...which is good for about a day and then i get lonely really fast. 

so while all of you are probably traveling, out doing glorious things, i'll be content to sit here at home and enjoy the restfulness while it lasts--as soon as the kids stop playing their leapster gameboy ripoffs...

 

feeling nostalgic

maybe it's because my husband is on a weekend camping trip this weekend with friends from boston. we used to live there, 2 of our kids were born there, and i have some really fond memories of life there.

maybe it's because camping makes me think of all the family camping trips i went on as a child. we camped and skiied at lake greeson in arkansas. at the time, i don't think i really appreciated how much fun we were having. but now that i'm grown, i am really grateful for those times.

maybe it's living so far away from my family and wishing i could see them more.

maybe it's from watching a couple of movies recently that took place around the time i was little (one of them was "bottleshock," in which my husband pointed out, "the star is around your dad's age." and at that time, i was already five...)

maybe it's just a mood i'm in right now.

at any rate, i have these few old pictures that a family member posted online a while back and i happened to be able to snag them and save them on  my computer.

the top one is of my grandpa with my dad (far left,) and his 2 siblings. my grandpa died about 2 years ago. i hadn't seen or talked to him in forever. thinking of him makes me want to be really intentional to be sure my kids spend lots of time with both sets of grandparents, really get to know them. 

here's a picture of me with 3 of my cousins. i'm at the far left. my mom used to love curling my hair with sponge rollers. anyone else ever sleep on those? (mrs. h, if you are reading, i think i remember sleeping on them at your house once--we both had a head of those pink things!) the girl cousin is my dad's sister's daughter, whom i also haven't seen in forever, and the boys are my dad's brother's sons. i don't really ever see anyone on that side of the family, and it makes me sad. 

i love this group shot of the entire roberts family. i don't know who most of these people are, but see my dad? he's down front and center, white T-shirt, with an i'm-in-trouble kind of smile. and those eyes, how he's cutting them. he reminds me of aedan in this picture.

and just look at the outfits! i love them. 

a love letter

dear sun,

we haven't seen you in a while. i know, i know, we really needed the rain. you are the reason i have a garden in containers this year, the reason we can't wash our car at home, the reason we have no grass, the reason forests were catching fire all around, burning things up. you are hot everywhere, but you seem especially, well, let's just say "passionate" about keeping your friends in tropical territory nice and toasty.

but about a week ago, you decided to take a break. and i mean a serious break. i don't think i have seen you once in about 5 days. not even a peek. i don't know: maybe you are on strike, because you got so sick of everyone complaining about there not being enough rain and too much of you. maybe you just got tired of the monotony of your job.

whatever the reason, we miss you and would like a visit from you again soon. preferably before the weekend begins and i'm flying solo while husband is on a camping trip in the new hampshire mountains. you know you don't want to see what my house can be like if you stay on strike until he gets back. things could turn very ugly with a mom, 3 kids, and a dog all stuck indoors for that long. so please, let us see your shining face again soon! 

week in (mostly) pictures

too weary to think to write something witty...edited a book about mice reproductive system and boy, was it enlightening. had a wonderful mother's day. husband made not one but TWO gourmet meals, and wouldn't you know, i got only one picture of the food. and it's not even a good one. in other news, gillian has discovered a new style of cutting arms off shirts and using the sleeves for leg warmers. aedan has taken up his father's pastime of reading comic books, thanks to free comic book day. and rhys has been figuring out how to conquer new territory.

(homemade crepes with ricotta filling and strawberries marinated in grand marnier. YUM!)

(aedan's SNL move--i have no idea)

(rhys decided to jump in the bathtub fully clothed, with a water bottle no less)

(marley being forced to wear a paper hat that aedan made from his dangerous book for boys book)

(rhys set up this composition all on his own...and there's a *bit* of an obsession going on around here with cars!)

(when i wasn't looking for about 10 seconds, little man decided to get right in the middle of things on TOP of the dining room table)

(our big girl's 2nd violin concert. i can't believe how grown up she looks. i don't see her like this through my eyes, but then i see pictures and it makes my heart race...)

happy weekend, everyone!