Category Archives: Local

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Dog Days of Summer

I’m dreaming about my autumn wardrobe, but outside, it is still decidedly summer time. And it was very hot the day I wore this dress:

I was visiting my friend Shelley; she was a vendor at a craft fair that was held at this beautiful nursery. I tricked her into taking a few pictures of me. (I was sweating so much that day! I’m glad you can’t really tell in the picture.)

Coincidentally she was the one who convinced to buy this dress. I’ve had it for a few months, but I believe this is its first debut on the blog. It’s perfect for hot days – linen and super comfortable; I get lots of compliments whenever I wear it.

Here I spiced it up with my pink summer wedges, which I bought for my pair of summer shoes last year, and a belt that I bought when I was visiting my friend Kristin a few years ago. Such an easy outfit to wear, and perfectly on trend for summer.

How have you been surviving the summer heat? 

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The Dead Are Alive!

I bet you thought this post was about Easter. But it’s not!

My über talented friend Anthea has published her second set of short stories today. Refuge: Tales from a Zombie Apocalypse is a set of seven fictional short stories about zombies, of course, but also survival, community, and what it means to be human. I read some drafts, and let me tell you: this is some great stuff.

And you can get it right here. Normally it’s $2.99, but until April 23, you can get it free with her coupon code. If you do, please go back and review it for her. Good karma and all that. :)

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Providence!

We survived our trip! I love traveling to those places that are in your own back yard, so to speak. Going to Providence was the perfect overnight trip for us, and I really enjoyed the city.

Here is the Christopher Dodge House B&B where we stayed. It was adorable! (We had the room to the left of the stairs, with the writing alcove/balcony. It was charming.)

Our room was spectacular. Here’s our four-poster bed. I love the little step to get into bed. It reminded me of the Stanley Hotel where we stayed for our honeymoon but with less paranormal activity.

The B&B was right next to the capitol building in Providence. I have a special place in my heart for capitol buildings. I ran the stairs on this one. It was a great workout!

Part of the reason why we went to Providence is that H.P. Lovecraft had lived there when he was alive. He is even buried there. If you look online, there is a walking tour of Lovecraft sites in Providence. Most of it didn’t interest us, but the Man and I visited his grave. So I guess that’s something.

I really enjoyed the different little districts throughout Providence. My favorite was Thayer Street, which runs right through Brown University. It had lots of cute little shops. I got my eyebrows threaded (cheap!), and we stopped in to a couple of pubs for drinks before dinner on Saturday night. Lots of young people made it a fun area to hang out.

On Sunday, we went to more than one record store. We found some real gems hidden in those crates! But my favorite thing was that Olympic Records had vintage pinball machines. I had a blast playing them, and I am terrible. I would enjoy having something like that closer to home so I could practice my skillz!

All in, we had a lot of fun in Providence. I would love to go back in the summer and see the River Fire. I especially love the colonial architecture, like these homes. Beautiful!

What about you? Have you traveled anywhere interesting lately? Tell me about it!

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Take a guess.

Guess where I’m going this weekend. Providence, Rhode Island! I’m pretty excited for a nice relaxing overnight trip to an interesting city I’ve never visited. The weather might not cooperate, but I think the Man and I will figure out some ways to have fun. I want to take lots of pictures to share with you on Monday!

AND guess what I had for lunch today! An amazing chocolate cupcake, with peanut butter filling, and chocolate frosting. Whoa. It was delicious. And I got it from The Cupcake Brake. AND I was able to donate money to Charity:Water at their food truck. My life is complete.

I will be back on Monday to share some awesome pictures with you. Have a great weekend! Cheers!

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Show & Tell 10/14/2011

Hello everyone! Happy Friday! My day is going very well, thank you for asking.

But what I am really looking forward to is the quilt show this weekend! My quilt guild is hosting the event in West Hartford, Connecticut, from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, October 15 and 10 AM to 4 PM on Sunday, October 16. All of the event details are here if you are interested in attending.

If you attend, you will definitely see this amazing quilt made by me:

Remember when I made this, way back in July? I hope to make another one before the end of the year. I love quilts.

Anyway, if you live near West Hartford, come check out our quilt show! So many people have put in a lot of time and effort to make this a great event. There is a GORGEOUS 90″ x 90″ machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted quilt for raffle along with a variety of quilting baskets.

I am honored and humbled to have my quilt hang alongside so many other amazing pieces. This show will definitely be worth your time!

If you’re looking for me this weekend, that’s where I’ll be. What have you been up to lately? Share your create successes!

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Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop!: Red

Oolala! I love the theme for this week’s  Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop! 

I want to capture all of the changing leaves, but so far there aren’t that many trees that are completely changed. But I photographed what I could find, plus some extra pops of fall red.

(BTW, this project also makes me want to become a redhead. It’s seasonally appropriate!)

This was so much fun! It felt like I was doing my own version of Little Brown Pen’s Paris Color Project, except in Hartford, Connecticut. Any place can be beautiful if you look for it.

Gussy

Thanks to Gussy Sews for hosting this linky party! Super fun, as always. And Hello to everyone who is visiting. Happy Thursday to you all!

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Double Double Toil and Trouble; or, Making Apple Jelly

I had Monday off from work, so I only did things that made me happy!

It was lovely.

I teach fitness classes, so I substituted for a class on Monday morning. It was nice to get up and get the blood pumping early in the morning. Plus the extra cash will be nice.

I came home, made some delicious oatmeal, and got started on my apple jelly.

I used Honey Crisp apples from a local orchard. They’re delicious.

I had a lot of fun with it, until my apple juice boiled over. Yikes!

I think I saved it. Maybe.

The last step is to boil the jars so the lids seal. I love the pop sound the lids make! It makes me happy to know my little jelly jars are sealed properly.

After I made jelly, I watched some Mad Men, bought new towels for the bathroom, and made dinner.

I enjoyed my day off.

So here’s my only apple-jelly-making hitch. My jelly hasn’t set yet. :( It’s been 48 hours. Should I let it go and hope it sets? Or re-boil it and re-can it? I know some of you out there know what to do!

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Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop!: Fall

Fall has arrived in New England. We are having chilly mornings and evenings, leaves falling from the trees, and mums popping up everywhere.

I took on this week’s Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop!‘s prompt as a photography challenge. Whenever I saw something “Fall”, I whipped out my camera and snapped some pictures.

For your eyeballs only, my version of Fall:

We are having a rainy fall. I went into the woods to take a picture of the leaves falling and discovered this waterfall in full force. The sound was deafening. It was beautiful!

Here is the project that’s on my needles right now. I am knitting this man’s scarf based on a pattern from the 1940′s. I am using Alpaca yarn; it feels like a cloud. Look for it in my shop hopefully this weekend!

I was knitting at my favorite coffee shop, where I ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yum! I try not to drink too much caffeine, but if I did, I would definitely have one of these every day.

With the chilly air, I have started rocking my tights. I love these in blue! They really do make a difference.

Tulmeadow Farm has their pumpkins and mums out. Beautiful! I saw yesterday that they also sell huge stalks of corn for fall decorating. I love this place, especially their ice cream. I bought Pumpkin ice cream when I was there yesterday. I love that I live so close to a farm; it is a jewel.

 

That’s my little fall tour from Connecticut. The leaves aren’t in full color yet, but fall has definitely arrived.

Gussy

Do you experience fall where you live? Are you seeing the signs yet? This weather makes me want to knit all day. Thanks for stopping by!