a sunday evening walk after the rain

i took the macro lens and walked in a different direction from my house this time.  there's always so much to see in my little neighborhood.

joining with annie and "how does your garden grow?"

cocoa daisy: making waves

don't you love it when what you see in your mind actually translates well to paper?  i'm so pleased with how this one came out.  it's just so CUTE!  and go me on the stamping!  i just might be getting the hang of that finally.

there are still a few of the main kit up for sale (and the digital cut files are free to subscribers!).  check out what the rest of the design team has done HERE. 

thirty-one

cool bug from my photo walk today.

may has always been a tough month for me on the blogging scene, but i finally conquered it.  yes.  i finally hit my blogging goal in the month of may.  it was tough going for most of the month.  many of these last few posts have been bordering on lame.  still, i'm proud.  sometimes you just have to power through and then start over fresh.  so, yes.  i did it.  thirty-one posts in the month of may.  whew.  and now i suddenly feel rejuvenated.  bring it june.  i'm ready for you.  :)

menu plan

the dinner fairy finally showed up!  woot!  and who knew he looked like my ex?!  pardon me, i'm just a bit slap happy from a late night coke (past 8:00 pm here, dontchaknow).  that and the fact that i don't have to work tomorrow as it's the first monday of summer vacation!  fist pump!  so, yes, g's dad grilled a whole chicken and a whole rack of ribs, and we barely touched it as we were stuffed from a large basket of wings at bww.  we also still have leftover stir fry in the fridge and leftover tortilla soup in the freezer.  oh, and carrier's invited me out for daiquiris at our favorite mexican joint.  looks like i won't have to cook or even grocery shop this week.  g's even taken to baking and decorating his own cookies these days.  life is good.  ;)

quality literature: the absolutely true diary of a part--time indian

at first i thought this might be a book i get g, my 5th grader, to read this summer.  it's written with humor, but deals with poverty, bullying, and stereotyping very well.  then i got to chapter four and decided he wasn't quite ready for it (there are several references to a more mature topic brought to you by the letter M).  i do think this is a really great read for an 8th or 9th grade boy (or girl! but it's harder to find books for boys) who doesn't like to read.  it's funny, very relatable, and written with simple sentence structure and short chapters.  the reader stays involved, and doesn't get bogged down in the text.  there are even comics.  honestly, it's very much a slightly more mature take on "diary of a wimpy kit" only written from a native american on a reservation perspective instead of a caucasion in the suburbs perspective.  it teaches compassion and seeing beyond appearances and stereotypes.  it's a good read.  you might like it too if this is your type of genre.  :)

summer mantel

i finally, FINALLY got my mantel updated for the changing seasons.  it had only been since valentine's day.

i went with a beach/florida/honduras theme.

with the addition of the carnivorous tadpole with bloody horns that my son brought home from 5th grade art class.  he thought it mantel worthy, and i was in complete agreement.

the shell collection is from my childhood, and the bottle collection is from my mother.

this should be good through mid-september, right?  unless i get inspired about independence day in july . . .

magical

so, i was just over at the high school picking wildflowers for my mantel overhaul (photos coming real soon), and it started to rain.  it was just a tiny bit with the sun still shining, so i glanced up to see how much time i had before the sky unloaded and saw this.  not one, but TWO rainbows.  magical.  especially for someone whose favorite cereal is lucky charms.  ;)