jbs mercantile: nowhere

i created a layout just for fun.  and used the jbs mercantile june papercrafting kit as i was trying to use up the last bits of it and that is also fun to me.  there is something so satisfying in expressing myself with photos, paper, and just a few words.  and using up the very last of something makes my ocd hum a very happy tune.  so, yes.  this was a doubly satisfying project.  :)

 

the journaling reads, "i grew up in the middle of nowhere, and my childhood couldn't have been any better."

 



florida photos: four mile creek

this is how we began our celebration of independence day.  the swimming hole is where the locals go when there are too many tourists at the beaches.  we need a little extra elbow room when we worship the sun.

good blog reads

i've been finding a treasure trove of blogs to enjoy lately.  some of you may be wondering how in the world i find the time to read them all.  i will say that i just don't watch television, so this is my entertainment if you will.

these are all plant focused, from the casual backyard gardener to serious homesteaders and landscape artists and everything in between.

http://nittygrittydirtman.wordpress.com/

http://www.modernmia.com/

http://gwenniesgarden.wordpress.com/

http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/

http://www.suffolkpebbles.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.secondandedgemont.com/

http://natalienoack.blogspot.com/

http://www.linnacresfarm.com/

http://waywardspark.com/

http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/

http://saipua.blogspot.com/

quality literature: uglies (pretties, specials, extras)

these were good beach reading for our florida trip.  not as good as some dystopian i've read, but definitely enjoyable.  i think part of my not gushing over them may be due to the fact that i lean more towards fantasy fiction rather than science fiction and these definitely had a bit of a techy vibe.  also, while i do think that humans are an infection on planet earth, i do not think we are all the idiots implied every time the word "rusties" was spoken in these books.  just sayin'.  i mean, i am doing my part in growing my garden and all.  and i do have a couple baby trees growing along the fence line.   anyway, enjoyable, but not profound.  easy, light summer reading.

oh!  also, i must tell you that the first three books are a trilogy.  the fourth is an extension very similar to growing up with the first three indiana jones movies and then watching the fourth.  oh my!

and now i must get some serious reading done!  i've just started one book, and two more of my library holds have shown up on my kindle.  ack!  read, read, READ!  :)

jbs mercantile: pagemaps

jbs teamed up with pagemaps this month to share some fun inspiration pieces based on sketches provided to us by the pagemaps team.  you can find the other designers' fabulous works HERE.

we all know that i am sketch challenged, therefore, i am shockingly pleased to share that i did not embarrass myself in public with this one.  a layout based on a sketch by ME that i truly like.  will wonders never cease? i guess that means these sketches are GOOD, so you should definitely check them out!

yesterday chelle came over for a visit and i got a little scrappy action going.  it was nice to have chelle there to chat with and keep me motivated.  plus, we are having a bit of a heat wave, so it was really too hot to go out and pull weeds anyway.

here you can see i got the facing page to the pagemaps page done using the same set of supplies, my june jbs mercantile kits.  the june kits are really so me.  great warm colors, florals, a bit of travel.  love. 

north carolina: natahala outdoor center

gotta get my north carolina pictures finished, so i can get my florida pictures started before we head to texas!  we seem to be touring the southern states this summer!  on our last day in north carolina, we had a photo op with a butterfly instead of the moths that visited us earlier in the week.  pretty, pretty.

tada!  here we are!  at natahala outdoor center on the ocoee river.  my sister said it was the site of the kayaking games of the 1996 summer olympics.  cool!  or should i say cold?  the water was very cold.  i waded in for a few minutes, but these two played together in it for a long time.  it was actually a nice reminder of how little children need to be happy and have fun.  we didn't even think to bring swim suits and they were only in about twelve inches of water, but they had a blast.

meanwhile, little bit napped in her skinny jeans.

and here are several pictures of g enjoying the water.  i love his expressions.  he was SO impressed with how cold it was and the fact that he was brave enough to (more or less) immerse himself in it.  i need to find him a polar bear plunge to participate in this winter.  he would get a kick out of that.

 

what a great smile!

time for dessert!  my sister and i chose blackberry cobbler and we chose well. 

 hollyhocks!

very tall hollyhocks!

my boy has reached an age where he thinks he is way cool.  luckily, he just thinks he's way cool, but not in an "i'm better than you" or an "i won't do that because it's stupid" sort of way.  thank goodness he will still do dorky poses with his little girl cousin.  i'm a lucky scrapbooking momma.

beautiful.

white coneflower.  goodness.  there are just so many flowers that i need in my garden!

now i saw this one on the camera and couldn't even imagine how i'd gotten such an awesome sun flare without even trying.  i mean, it was the right time of day with the early evening lighting, but still.  later i realized that i still had my iso bumped up to 800 or so from the night before when i was taking pics in the almost dark.  interesting.  i will have to remember this trick the next time i want to intentionally take photos with cool light flares in them.

and a pose that my niece jessica set up.  she's a closet tree hugger like her aunt doris.  and look at these two good sports putting up with the eccentricities of their parents.

have you hugged a tree today?  ;)

seasonal flower alliance: zinnias

a bouquet or two of zinnias for the mantel.  yes, please!  these are from homer's farm.  next year i hope to grow enough at home that i can bear to cut a few for the house.  flowers, flowers everywhere!  that's what i long for.

linking up with floret flowers seasonal flower alliance.  if you haven't yet checked out her blog, you're in for a real treat.  she lives and works on a flower farm.  oh my!  her blog is so very gorgeous.