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And a throwback pic. :) Circa 2010.

This is from last semester. :) I put it on FB back then, but it makes me happy.

Time to Chill.

The first exam is over. Got some time to make something!

I made a few little stamps today, a la Geninne. 
(By the way, her new book--totally on the birthday list. Feel free to consult Mr. Alex G. Kerr for details.) 
And a la me!
And also, a la some mockingbird feathers from our yard. If you forgot from the last post, we have the best yard ever. 
OH, and yesterday the mockingbirds were totally eating the suet. Internet advertising. New believer. Personal story.

The tools! I'm happy to say that I'm functioning under a new philosophy:
use the art stuff I have to make...art.
As in, don't let it OR my creativity pile up.
I like it so far. :)

A Happy Day in the Neighborhood!


Our yard is full of lovely surprises! See how many good things can come from a tiny space when it's dearly loved....

1. Late season yummies: I can't believe it! There are still berries on this bush! Maybe I can't believe it because I don't know anything about blackberries. But I got to nibble about 2 of those little mini berry subunits and it was fabulous!

2. Spongy weird post-rain friends. These babies have been growing over the week's storms. They sort of boing! when you flick them. And the lil ones have tan hats to protect their heads until they grow up.

3. Muscadines. Or scuppernongs, whichever. Anyway, they grow from the neighbors' yard, but we get to eat them since they are on our side of the fence. They've been taunting us ever since we moved in and finally they are ready! De-licious :)

4. The softest, most wonderful blueberry leaves you could ever touch.

5. A mostly-dead rose bush that still made me two roses this week. Of course I plucked them right off and they're in the house. :)
Looks crappy, ... well it pretty much is crappy, but that's okay.

6. Some happy zinnias! (Esther Albright!) No blooms yet, but look how they're growing!

7. Morning glories that have just found the fence. Thigmotropism, anyone? (Elizabeth Hildreth, Esther Albright)

:)

8. I lassoed this piece of machinery into our tree. No really, I lassoed it. There were a few puzzled witnesses on the street, but nothing can stop me from a chance at luring hungry birds into my lair! Anyway, it's from Grandma and it holds suet for the birdies. So far, it has only been feeding ants. Ants, by the way, ubiquitous in our yard 24/7. 27/4. All the time, people. Everywhere. It's weird.
Anyway, here's hoping the birds across town will read this post and hop over to our yard for a feast. Seriously, why don't my birds want this dripping nutty-fat goodness?

9. The last little geranium petal after the storm whipped the rest of them off. Nice green, though. Who's complaining?

10. And finally, just enough grass to keep a man happy on a Sunday afternoon. :) As long as he doesn't bonk his head on the suet trap. Ew.

Here's to more enzymes! One day maybe we'll be prescribing drugs for protein transport deficiencies.

The Last Few Days

1: My great-grandmother's sewing machine. Check it out, Memaw!
2, 3: In the process of making a sleeve for my new laptop.
4: After three meltdowns, a tasty supper by the Stir Fry King who is my husband (I ate on the floor
because I didn't feel worthy to sit in a chair after cutting crooked), and a few failures at the top seam...
I actually like it! I really like it!
Can we say self-esteem issues? Yes, we can. But this little project did a lot for me.
Thanks, Alex. Thanks, beautiful cloth. Thanks, Lord.

Meanwhile, the baby wrens are bursting with excitement to soar out of their nests!
They hop. They flop. They make a lot of noise. But in the end, they spread those mini wings and do it!
You should take a moment to identify with this little guy. :)

This is Dick's Creek. Lovely! We went there the other day.
However, we forgot to bring our cigarettes, so we were unable to join in the festivities
occurring beside the creek.
Next time, guys.
Yeah, anyway, it's fabulous and I don't know if they have places like this in Augusta,
so we'll have to come back and visit occasionally.

Some pretties I got at Gateway Antiques of Dahlonega! Except the spools, which are from the General Store.
Really, people. There are things to do in Dahlonega.
Plus, they have festivals like every weekend in the summer! You say mountain men, I say party animals!

We went to food trucks with Ben and Jordyn! Amazing!
End with gelato and fancy pops for a flava burst o' joy!

We got some goodies today at the Wholesome Earth place in Nuggetville.
The soap is a ridiculously gorgeous, loud spearmint.
Judy, it would probably make you gag, you don't have to smell it.
I love it. Plus, check out the swirls!
We also found some peanut butter powder that you mix with water.
Jordyn was looking for it the other day and couldn't find it.
It's pretty good. Less sweet, more salty, nice texture. Overall yum.
Also, those are sprouts in the jar. 
Specifically, alfalfa, mung beans, broccoli, radish, and something else. 
Alex put them in a jar and rinses them twice a day.
Today, we ate them in our salad, woohoo! Cool beans. (haha. like mung beans. ha. yeah.)

Sprout close-up. Nice!

My soap and some lil thingies I made yesterday.

Another Happy Saturday

Jon and Judy came up and met us at Turner's Corner Cafe. That's "Turner's Corner," then "Cafe." It's not a Corner Cafe. 

Go figure.

It's right next to the creek and they have awesome lemon crunch Bundt Cake. And it's extra good because then the lady says "Okay, I'll bring your butt cake right out!" hehe. Gets me every time. :)

And while you're eating, people on motorcycles are going in and out all the time making a heck of a noise and being as varied as Jelly Belly jelly beans.

One guy rode in with his girlfriend. Also, his tiny fluffy dog. And the bike was covered in leather. I mean, you could only see leather, feathers, beads, and the tires. 

These people don't take originality lightly.

That's all I'm sayin'.

This is us parking at the wrong place.
Sure was pretty. :)

Oh, did I mention we also went to Three Sisters Winery and I didn't bring my wallet? Yeah. Everybody tasted without me. That's okay, I got to sniff it all. :)

Back at the casa, the four of us took a walk.

I brought my camera on the walk. Thus, I'm far enough behind to take everyone's picture. :) And thus, I stood in once place so long taking pictures of the same thistles that I got about a dozen bites on my feet. 

Worth. it.

After dark, we walked around looking at the fireflies. Glittery happy valley.

We're going to miss this lil house. :)

Recent Makes 

Legwarmers from a thrift sweater (felt and embroidery accents).
Dyed ribbon (with cheap acrylic paints and thrifted off white fabric) sewn into ruffles.
A french fry holder covered in cloth.
Happy summer!

Summer Begins!

With the coming of summer this year comes giddy relief--I've finished undergrad! 
(And I mean giddy--I was like, a hyper squirrel at the circus.)

Celebrate with...

The circus!

Flowers in the valley

Veggie Berry Salad!

A new book!

Strawberry Jam (first ever!)

thanks for tuning in.  :)

"And the world spins madly on..." (Weepies)

Off Days

This weekend me and Alex went on an adventure!

He's finally off of work for 2 days, and it's time to go somewhere!

So we went down 400 to follow our noses.

He let me roam the girly shops on Highland Avenue; 

here's what I got:

Lemon spread from the lovely Bella Cucina

(dude, they sell spreads, breads, and bikes! bikes?)

and some supplies of the happy heart from Paper Source.

~melty melt~

$20 well-spent! :) 

After that, we walked around and looked at 

Highland houses, which are unlike any houses you might

find in a place like Dahlonega.

And an AWESOME yard that I should have taken pictures of--

but I always feel a bit awkward when the owners could just look out at you and be like "look at this girl taking pictures of our yard, what a fruitloop" and then you'd be like "oh shoot I look like a fruitloop right now."

AwKward.

So I didn't.

But it was awesome! 

 

Next, our noses led us to Decatur, where we walked around, saw with dismay that our old music store was out of business, saw a dude playing a Hapi drum, and in general enjoyed the funny way things happened to be at the moment.

We ate at Green Garlic. Very Asian. Very nice!

My pasta bowl was awesome--looks like a cartoon soup, eh?

It had coconut cream broth and lil corns and beans and mushrooms.

And check out the weird spoons! 

We refused to use the normal ones and preferred instead the I'm-such-an-American-look-at-me-trying-to-use-this-weird-spoon look. It's very hip, after all (upper left).

 

Also, I just want to mention that I really like to cut broccoli.

And take pictures of the lil cross-sections!

~Introspection Time~

 

Sometimes I realize that I have a momentous choice whether to be happy or not with the circumstance.

And then I realize that it's not just the circumstance at stake, but my life--this is the only moment I have to live! And whatever this moment looks like is what my life looks like.

Like, for example, another crappy rainy day.

But look what it can be!

 

Beautiful!

 

"The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you. And if you wished--if it were possible to wish--you could keep it there. You could send your soul after the good you had not expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; you could make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other.

...

And this, O Piebald, is the glory and wonder you have made me see; that it is I, I myself, who turn from the good expected to the given good. Out of my own heart I do it. One can conceive a heart which did not: which clung to the good it had first thought of and turned the good which was given it into no good." (Perelandra, 1942)

Enjoy the given fruits today! And remember, these things take real practice! Like learning anything. Or unlearning anything. :)

(http://www.absolutelyfobulous.com/2011/10/10/baby-panda-rice-balls-are-too-cute-to-eat/

and

Valentine's at the Kerrs'!)

February Saturday

  Today's the day!

"What day?" you may ask.

The day, I say! The day that is today.

The moments you experience now are the only ones you really have. 

Have them! (What would you like for them to be?)

  

  Saturday is Muffin day. :)

 Also some of our window friends.

These are our frequent visitors!

Until today, I haven't been able to quite get that fabulous blue.

Fabulous.

Also, it was snowing!

Several weeks ago, I drew our blue friends and never got around to watercoloring them:

 

Clearly, our little fatties are the Eastern species. 

The US is split in half because the top one only lives in the Eastern half. Brilliant. :)

Happy Saturday, everyone!