now....where were we?

I sure do hope the past few months have treated you well!

I left you right after Sadie's bat mitzvah and Sailor Glam party.

It was perfect. That's Sadie's hand drawn tat (tatt?).

I went from platinum to brunette with a painful grow out period in between.

I lost, gained, lost, gained and am currently losing the same 10 pounds.

I just can't seem to quit you!

In November I took a full time job in addition to being a quilt maker.

Winter 2011! Ya-hooo! We loved our snow and ice days because it gave us

plenty of time for Valentines!

Another year older. If older is wiser, then perhaps my newfound wisdom

led me to the wonders of Jumbo marshmallows.

Alan and I created this fun recycling mascot for a local elementary school.

Cave danger in the Hill Country. Pitch black. Super scary.

My boy Buster has slowed to a crawl....

What have YOU been up to?

sailorglamarama wrap up...

Sailor Glam wrap up posts coming soon!

We had a crazy good time!

top pic - Allison V Smith

bottom - fun in the photo booth

dear dad,

You're the best dad ever! Happy Birthday!

xo, Shari

photos by allison v. smith

on two wheels

Skidding in on two wheels, here are some random shots from our Summer.

Red in Fredericksburg is filled with cool items in every price range.

Fantastic 3-D puzzle. You have to see it up close to appreciate it!

Great Wall O' Cutters. Der Kuchen Laden, Fredericksburg.

The girls love their cousin Karleigh!

The tooth fairy pays a visit to Harry.

Look at that sweet face!

Incredible mirror. Incredible store. Root Fashion and Aura. Fredericksburg, Texas.

Outside a restaurant at the height of Mel's latest outburst. Funny stuff. Austin, Texas.

Giant creepy baby head from a vintage store in Austin. There's a Twilight Zone episode in here somewhere.

City park bridge in Hico. I've been riding my bike, driving a car or running over this bridge my entire life. I finally noticed just how great it is.

Layers and layers of yumminess.

one month countdown

Sadie's Bat Mitzvah is one month from today. Updates over on Sailor Glam.

i am the half blood prince

Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is alive and well in our household. House pillows in Sadie's Etsy shop, rereading the series, collages of favorite movie moments and great anticipation of the November release of Deathly Hallows, Part 1. Here is a magical film that Sadie made yesterday.

The song is alohomora by pogo.

posta

How was your Fourth? I sniffled my way through Toy Story 3 and we enjoyed a nice fireworks show. Over the weekend we also learned to make fresh pasta with an awesome family. It was really fun. Kitchen Aid pasta attachments now top my list of must haves.

You just have to drink great wine when you're making fresh pasta. Great wine is even better when served from a cool, hand blown decanter.

The sauce was fantastic. The recipe was from Marcella Hazan. Here is a terrific link to lots of her recipes.

Bella and Cookie are ready to eat!

Our thanks to the Pasquinelli's for all the fun!

hot dogs + cold soup

Summer officially started just yesterday and BAM, just like that, 100 degrees all week. Feeling a little sluggish? Not relishing the idea of heating up your kitchen? It's time to take a look at all my cold soup recipes again. Although I never ever grow tired of classic gazpacho and I love the avocado cucumber, this spinach and cucumber soup is a unique and very tasty alternative with minimal heat up in the kitchen.

I'd like to thank my sous chef, Olive. Stellar company in the kitchen.

My boy Buster was not so helpful. It looks like he partied too hard last night!

Spinach and Cucumber Soup with Feta from A Good Day for Soup

by Ferrary and Fiszer

2T butter

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

fresh spinach leaves, about 2 cups coarsely chopped

1/2c. fresh chopped parsley

2 c. chicken stock ( I didn't have any on hand, so I used one bouillon cube dissolved in 2c. boiling water)

Fresh lemon juice from one lemon

1 c. buttermilk

salt and pepper

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over med/high heat. Cook scallions, garlic and cucumbers until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add oregano, spinach and half the parsley. Cook, stirring just until spinach wilts.
3. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor with stock and lemon juice.
4. Cover and chill.
5. Stir in buttermilk and taste for salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with remaining parsley and some feta.

my dad

My Dad

I adore my Dad.

He's present and always ready for what's next.

He enjoys his family of 5 kids and 11 grandkids and we enjoy him. Dad is a patient man. He'd have to be with this crew! Chaos? horseplay? constant chatter? endless questions? spilled milk? Bring it on. He loves to be in the mix. As Dad always says, it's not a party until somebody spills a drink!

My Dad is proud of his family and tells us so. He's encouraging, supportive and affectionate. His good, tight hugs are the best!

He was kind and devoted to his aging siblings. They babied him as a baby and he retuned the favor in spades. He gave them the gift of his time and said goodbye to each one. He's a good man.

Dad loves our annual camping trip, playing cards, working with his hands, his cats, a nice round of golf, a good firm handshake, clearing brush and making pies. He even makes his own crust! My dad can do anything.

I love you Dad. I always have.

Happy Father's Day!

P.S. Dad, thanks for getting me out of that jam with Columbia House record club when I was 10. Those 8 tracks were supposed to be free! xoxo

king of pops

Here is the card I made for my Dad. This idea is great for any celebration! Birthday queen, king/queen of best friends, royal kids, etc...you get the picture.

Speaking of pictures, that's where we begin. Blow up a copy of a favorite photo. Dad's handsome photo was used as an ad for a photographer. I love his flat top!

Cut out a crown from construction paper or newspaper or fabric, or whatever else you have on hand.

Sew or tape or glue crown to the honoree.

Since this is for my dad, I decided to top each point with photos of my dad's 5 kids.

These are from varying attractive stages of our lives. My apologies to baby brother David for using such a puny photo of you. I had to make room for my TEETH!

Next, grab some art supplies from around the house. I brought out Sharpies, watercolors and a little glitter. Glitter makes everything better!

Have some fun decorating. Don't get tripped up on how you want it to look. Be loose!

I went a little overboard on his rosy cheeks. No worries. It's still really cute.

Happy Father's Day!