Thursday Already?

Well, it's summer!  Not summer hot, but summer lazy.  I have let Noah lounge in his jammies late into the day all week.  But today, we were up and at em' fairly early to go to the library.  I used to take my children to the library ALL the time.  They all loved to go and check out books.  I have always loved to go to the library.  Our library has a fantastic used book store too.  I have bought many books there over the years.  And donated my fair share also.  But first we went to the kids area to look for Choo Choo Train books for Noah.  We found several of those, and several others.  Then, once he had some things to look at, he went with me to the used book store for my search.  I never leave this place empty handed.  And today did not disappoint.  I got a gorgeous book on garden style porches.  The photos were just beautiful.  I will look at it again and again, I am sure.   After a quick drive thru at our favorite place for Mexican food, we ate our lunch outside on the back patio, then moved to our new cozy spot underneath the big umbrella in comfy seats.  It was a wee bit chilly in the shade, so Noah got comfy underneath a blanket, and got busy with his new books, and I, with mine. (I do not wear my Crocs out and about, mind you, but these are at every door, and I slip them on to go outside, and I LOVE them!)

 This book had picture after picture like this, that made my heart skip a beat!! 

And like this one.....Oh how I want a suspended bed to float on in the cool evenings of summer. 

This is just dreamy to me!!  I do have my eye on a hammock that I want to put on the covered patio, and make it up with a nice cozy quilt and pillow.  Maybe if I do, I will actually use it!!!  Everyone says I never sit, let alone lay down!!!  But I think I would if I had a dreamy place like that to snooze!
A couple of the books we got for Noah were about chickens.  This one was particularly cute. 

This is another one of the used books I bought.  This has the most charming stories in it.  It is a collection of stories from days on the farm of yesteryear.  The first one I read was about Mama's chickens.  Each story is only two pages.  I am going to really enjoy this book!!!

You can see I paid a fortune for these treasures too.  Their prices are fantastic!  They have a superb selection too.  And they always run a special deal where they reduce a select subject or genre to 50% off.  So often times, I purchase my books for 50 cents a piece there.  Can't beat THAT with a stick now can you?  Lastly, from the used book store, I purchased this book on sewing for the home, called Fabrications.  I think that one set me back 2.50, but it was worth it!

And sitting there behind that book is one I checked out for me to read.  Anne Of Green Gables. I have read so many wonderful books as a kid, that I remember vividly to this day.  Little Women.  Box Car Children, All of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  I loved these classics!  But I have not read Anne Of Green Gables.  The story of the fiery red headed little girl, who comes from an orphanage by mistake to live with her new adopted parents, a brother and sister, who were actually adopting a boy to help them on the farm in beautiful Avonlea, Canada.  My sweet friend Kate, from The Garden Bell, who's blog takes me to a beautiful place each time I visit, with her unbelievable photography skills, her lush garden, and colorful crochet loveliness, has spoken of her love of this series, as well the DVD collection.  I had made up my mind to make this a summer read!  Kate also suggested that I try to find the DVD's at my local library, as she did.  So today while I was there, I put a reserve on them.  They had just this morning been borrowed!!  So I also checked out volume one of the series to read.  I am enchanted already!  Though this is considered a young adult collection, I sat there reading it, thinking had I read it as a young adult, I would have neither understood the text, nor appreciated the beautiful way it was written.  I can't wait to devour more of it!  So Noah and I sat underneath the shade of the big umbrella, on comfy cushions, reading away.  It was delightful.   Even though I could have stayed there all afternoon, this was not to be for a rambunctious 4 year old.  "Let's Play GAMMA!"  So off we went to the grove, to share a snack of chocolates underneath the big avocado tree that is everyone's favorite.

I said, " Don't put too many of those in your mouth now Noah" and he did!

I said, "save some for me" and he didn't!

BOYS!!!

A while ago, I bought this great heavy duty wooden stool on casters at my little furniture place I love.  I paid 4 dollars I think.  Anyway, I removed the seat and cushion and redid it, painting it black and covering it in an antique quilt piece I had.  Well, I never liked the result.  The quilt was too worn, and it just didn't do anything for me.  I wound up using that seat in my bathroom at the vanity, and the colors were all wrong for that room too.  Since bungling up my knee I usually sit to blow dry my hair now and it is the perfect seat for that, and for putting my make up on.  I recovered it last night in the same Liz Claiborne fabric that covers the bench at the end of our bed.  MUCH better!

I love baskets!  I use them for everything!  I especially love the heavy duty and unusually shaped ones. I found this tall basket with a lid at my little vintage shop I go to recently.  I stuck it in my sewing room, where I put things I don't know where I will use yet, and then yesterday when I was stashing all of the half eaten loaves of breads and english muffins, it hit me!!!

I will undoubtedly be redoing this sign.  I just quickly scribbled this and tied it with twine to my basket handles.  I buy these wooden signs in all different shapes at the dollar tree for..well, a dollar, and I paint them with chalkboard paint.  I use them when having a buffet to identify different foods.  I hang them with pretty ribbons to the big jugs I use for tea and and other drinks.  I made some in heart shapes one Valentine's Day and wrote my message in chalk and hung them on the front doors where my kids lived.  They are fun to use.  I buy the liquid chalkboard paints from Michael's with a 40% off coupons for my chalkboards.  Great colors!!
My favorite neighbors, Carl & Sue who live across from me have been going through a rough spell with health issues and difficult surgeries for both of them.  They had recently both had surgery, and as soon as they got the ok from their doctors, they went to their other home in Sun City Arizona for a few weeks to recuperate and just returned the other day to a water leak in their house.  Turns out it was the fridge, and it buckled the beautiful wood floor in their dining room.  And ruined their kitchen cabinets too!  So they are getting the leak fixed, and new floors, and new kitchen cabinets, and counter tops!! Their house is a MESS!!!  Their homeowners is covering the whole thing.  GOSH I wish my fridge would leak!!!!  Anyway, I was over today to see the mess, and Carl, tough ex marine, and big burly guy that he is, has always been the one to do all the cooking and sewing in their home.  He made all the kids Halloween costumes, and did cushions for his boats, and all sorts of things.  A while ago he had asked me if I, or anyone I knew would be interested in his Serger.  I have never used one before.  I told him I didn't know if I would use it.  Or even if I could figure out HOW to use it.

I told him I would play with it and see if I liked it.  Then if I do, maybe I would buy it from him.  He made me take it home to play with it and see.  I have never been a garment maker really.  I have made a few simple things, but my sewing is quilting, and for the home.  What do you think sewers?  Would I even USE a serger?  Maybe this weekend sometime I will play with it and see if I can even figure out how to thread the darn thing.
I am SO enjoying this coolish, but sunny and breezy beginning to summer!  In fact, as I sit here in the living room chair by the big picture window, the breeze keeps puffing up my window sheers, and with it, a burst of the sweetest aroma ever.  My gardenias that are in full bloom in the planter that sits right outside this window!  Does a scent ever take you back in time to a particular place?  A certain day?  A time of year?  Gardenias will forever remind me of the summer of my 16th year, when I was a waitress at a little place in my home town, and I had a lot of regulars who came in and requested my station.  This couple, I will never forget them, used to bring me big fragrant bags of dewy gardenias, freshly clipped from their garden.  I usually wore one on my uniform, and we put some in water there at the front of the restaurant.  And I brought the rest home to enjoy and share with my family.  Oh how I love that smell.  It always makes me feel 16 again!
G'night friends.  See you soon with a couple of new blog shout outs, that I have been enjoying ever so much!