kanye to KO

I grab Sadie's i-pod and head out to run. Her music is MUCH more fun than mine.

It's starting to get hot out and I need the distraction. I plod along. Kanye West, The Dollyrots, The Ting Tings, Vampire Weekend, The Ramones (brother Eric's influence), some familiar tunes, some not. Feeling a bit sluggish. Not as strong a runner as I once was.

Then.............the Theme from Rocky. I smiled. She was obviously moved during that obsession with boxing movies a few months back. In one weekend we watched Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby and Rocky. Just the kick in the pants I needed.

photo: Sophie

summer in a jar

I forgot just how much I love this summer favorite until I saw two jars perched on the ledge of a neighbors flower bed while out running this morning. Summer in a jar. Sun tea.

You don't need a fancy jug with a spigot. A jar with a tight fitting lid will do. Here is a "recipe" if needed. I read somewhere that it should never stay out for more than 3 hours due to bacteria risk. Refrigerate when done. Add your pinks and/or blues and yellows, or an inch of sugar, as many Southerners prefer or nothing at all.

The mind wanders while running. It's a beautiful thing. One fragmented thought leads to another. Sun tea turns to tea in general, then to our seventeenth wedding anniversary, which is today, and finally to this particular page in Alan's sketchbook from our Bermuda honeymoon. He says,

"The tea comes in a tall, narrow glass. Shari can drink the entire glass with one swig of the straw. One glass is all you get if Judith, the waitress, is in the weeds. Shari likes Dallas iced tea, where the glass is never empty." I still do.

big fun at the boat dock

The mosquitoes are famished and the flies have been buzzing about your potato salad since last years cookout. Summer is here. To celebrate, my pal Kalynn invited a few girls to an evening picnic at a nearby boat dock to kick off this laid back season.

I knew Kalynn would enjoy this pincushion ring while working on her summer projects. The fabrics are perfect for her. These cute and practical rings are made by Arkansas based artist, Susannah Rodgers. Her store, Art Nest, can be found on Etsy. I first spotted them on the very charming blog, makegrowgather

Kalynn gave everyone this fun t shirt to wear on the 4th of July.

My new friend, Mary B. next to a boat that happens to share her name.

Enjoy your weekend.

Photos: the best ones were taken by Sadie

blossoms & wine.

I loved this clever combination of wine, oak leaf hydrangea clusters and nandina leaves sharing the same icy cold ceramic vase put together by my two good friends Julie and Dave at a recent dinner party. REALLY cool.

uncle fun builds a treehouse

Uncle Fun isn't the name of a creepy kids birthday clown. That's the nickname given my brother in law Jim, by his nieces and nephews. Uncle Fun just built a VERY cool treehouse for his twin girls using materials recycled from a recent kitchen renovation right down to the cabinet doors.

The only materials purchased were reed fencing, roofing materials, some 2x4's and 4x6's for a total of $200.

Here are some additional details from my sister, Dori.

• It was built over three weekends.
• Jim was able to incorporate a fort previously built for Georgia and Lillian as a first story platform.
• Leftover house paint brightens the interior.
• It is 8'x8'

The treehouse has already been the site of family dinners and an overnight sleep out. The pulley operated bucket sends up goldfish by day for the kids and chilled wine after hours for the grown ups.

They are sure to have great fun in it this summer.

By the way, not only is Jim fun, but he was also voted SECOND most friendly and best dancer in his Virginia class of 1982. As he tells it, the crowd was captivated with his spot on robot. What a guy. Every family should be so lucky.

$3.99 head vise

I found this cute headband on sale at J Crew last week for $3.99. I love the look of it. Unfortunately, it feels like a medieval torture device.

vintage viviennes

From the time they were able, my girls have dressed themselves. They were the ones bounding into lower school with disheveled curls and confidence wearing bold combinations of pattern, color, length and layer. Unknowing Vivienne Westwood's if you will. Sophie once made a "coat" out of unbreathable pink craft felt with a matching sash that she wore out and about on a sweltering summer day. Sadie's second grade trademark was mismatched knee socks pulled high over her knees every day the entire school year. They are committed to their uniqueness.

That said, their current love of vintage clothing doesn't surprise me a bit. Here are a couple of recent finds from their local favorite, Parkerhawn Vintage. Sophie went straight for the silver studded 70's denim jacket and Sadie fell in love with the navy and white spectator flats.

If your kids sound like mine, have them pay a visit to Sophie's fashion blog, Tres Tres Chic, for inspiration.

delightful friday sights

These sightings made me smile today. 

• I saw a man with a life size cutout of Barack Obama riding in his passenger seat.   
• We had a male and female duck hanging out in our front yard.
• My pal Stephanie left a beautiful bag on my front porch with a sweet note, a bottle of Absolut and tonic and a Bon Appetit magazine.
  
• While waiting in carpool line, I watched two little girls playing while waiting for their big sisters to get out of school. They made elaborate Andy Goldsworthy type twig sculptures with a running dialogue.  When tired of building, they would break into frenzied cartwheels and then resume building. Sweet.  

Enjoy your weekend!

I found this festive balloon garland on Design Mom, via Wide Open Spaces, via Tiara Mia.

hello dinner......are you in there?

I go into my kitchen and stare into the pantry... then I stare into the fridge... and finally, I stare into the freezer looking for inspiration. Nothing. I have to tell you....some nights I just don't feel like cooking. Do you feel that way too? All eyes are fixed on me. What are we having?When are we eating? I'm starving! It's a pressure cooker in there. And then, I recalled the locally made italian sausage with broccoli rabe that came out of the freezer the day prior. Now I'm getting somewhere. Finally inspired, here is the hearty dinner salad I put together.

Sauteed sausage over romaine with grape tomatoes, carmelized radicchio and avocado chunks.

It was topped with a basic vinaigrette. The following recipe makes enough for the week.

Basic vinaigrette

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

1 T dijon mustard

pinch sugar

coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Slowly add oil, whisking to combine, or shake all ingredients in a jar.

Add fresh herbs if you have any on hand.

mommy music & makeup

Sleepy eyed Sadie emerges from the bedroom, curls springing in every convceivable direction, violin tucked under her arm. No words are spoken. She tapes a piece of sheet music to the oven door and begins playing Colors of the Wind, my favorite Disney song from my favorite Disney heroine, Pocahontas. That's how my Mothers Day began.

Sophie, my budding MAC enthusiast, applied makeup to my typically bare face and took the photo above.

I'm sporting a BEST MOM AWARD crown fashioned from a deck of playing cards made by Sadie. The girls tricked out the photos for this post.

Alan fought his way through the crowds at the grocery and got us set for the week.

What could be better?

It was a perfectly sweet day.

finding mom's card

It started with a beautiful, fragrant wrapper from a bar of fancy soap. With tiny birds and a slight shimmer, it was just too pretty to throw away. I added the backside of a handmade paper thank you note written by a friend, Sadie's paper scraps and fun adhesive dots left from a recent baby shower. Since I've seen my fabrics end up in birds nests from time to time, the teeny slivers and bits of fabric from last week's quilting project seemed a perfect addition. Once I found the holiday '08 gift tie from Anthropologie and the Colorscope palette chart from Paper Source I knew I had gathered an awesome card for my Mom. Every object looked beautiful together.

I double threaded my machine with two different shades of pink for a richer, more textural look and got to work. I cut a manila folder into an 8" square and sewed white paper to both sides to create a bright background and sturdy card. I began to collage with no particular plan in mind. I used the quilting foot of my machine and tried some writing. The quilting foot didn't love the manila folder but I did my best. The "I love you" initially looked a lot like "I love gou", so I sewed over the "y" again making it a bit more readable. I just trouble shoot as I go. I loved the end result. I hope my mom will too.

A happy day to all you great Moms.

i think i'll plant a salad- part 2

My thumb isn't a smidge green when it comes to gardening. Inspired by Felder Rushing, the Mississippi horticulturist featured in an earlier post, I've decided to try again. Basil, swiss chard and lettuce plants in hand and my girls and their homework close behind, we plant a container garden. We have big, old, wonderful trees in our neighborhood. While we love our trees and the relief they provide on summer afternoons, the shade can be a real obstacle if, like me, you dream of yourself in a cheery floral print sundress and floppy hat clipping colorful zinnias and coneflowers for the table or handfuls of fresh herbs for your kitchen. This way, I'll be able to move the portable container around until I find a spot where the plants are happy.

First, I drilled holes in a plastic bin. Next, I put a layer of shale in the bottom for better drainage. I then filled the bin about 3/4 full with potting soil. Finally it was time to plant.

I hope this works. I think I see a little tint in my thumb already.

20 box tops and she was ours

It was the summer of 1972 and we had to act fast. Our Barbie obsession was in full swing. Dori spied an ad on the back of a Frosted Mini Wheats box. Send 10 box tops and $3.00 to get your very own Miss America doll. Limited time only. Tiara, sash and red fur trimmed cape included. Luckily, our parents owned a small grocery store so we had access to the goods. We ate and ate. It wasn't even our favorite cereal! We ate and ate. We liked Super Sugar Crisp, now called Honey Smacks because that sounds healthier. We ate and ate some more until we had a total of 20 box tops. Teamwork. The wait was excrutiating. When they finally arrived, they were beautiful! Our hard work paid off. We played with those dolls until they were ratty looking, or should I say mine was ratty looking. Dori always had the upper hand, keeping her dolls pristine much longer than I ever managed to.

When we were kids, we made our fun at home. I have four siblings. Built-in playmates for life. Captain Kangaroo, Barbie weddings, re-enactments of the Beverly Hillbillies with a tricked out Radio Flyer as Jed's truck and Tim in the role of Jethro, dogs, dogs, and more dogs. Abandoned chicken coops were our "apartments" and cherry cokes our beverage of choice down at the drugstore where Opal Cole, a sweet lady who favored polyester double knit slacks and cat eye glasses, would allow us to make our own fountain drinks pumping in thick sweet cherry syrup. The good life.

Happy. Simple. Childhood.

simple packaging for bakers dozen

Here is an inexpensive, simple and tidy way to package cookies.

All you need is freezer paper, jute twine from a garden shop and avery denison hang tags from any office supply store. This paper is a very versatile product and gives you the look of parchment paper for less than $2. Roll the cookies in the paper and tie the ends off in twine using small strips of the chocolate chip bag for color. That's that.

if i had a C note.....garden edition

I have $100 to spend in my yard.

I asked landscape architect David Rolston how to spend it.

"Tear out your steel edging, recycle it and create a small trenched edge.

Maintain with an edger or a week whacker and notice all the adoring

comments you receive from visitors. If you can do only one thing in your garden,

have a beautiful edge. The edge is everything in life. This costs nothing if you like

to burn calories."

The home of David and his talented wife, Julie Cohn, can be seen on this months cover of

Metropolitan Home.

www.dallasgardens.com

photos by Jack Thompson for Metropolitan Home