how about coming to this?

or this?

yesterday was our first day of summer-like heat and humidity. i think it was 84 with over 70% humidity. it felt like 94. i could feel my body trying to adjust to the change in temperature. around midday we took the dog for a walk and matt kept commenting on how slowly i walk when i'm hot. i can't help it! i just don't have the oomph to go any faster.

actually, there are a lot of things i do differently in the summertime. i take at least two showers a day, i eat and cook foods you don't have to heat, i wear contacts most days, and i wear less heavy jewelry.

that last one is something i could make a treasury from. so i did. lightweight, sweaty body, summer friendly jewelry. :)

                                                enjoy!

so this photo describes what happened the last time i made kale salad. make this you will not regret it.

basically, we discovered Carliegh's love of kale. every piece i was trimming she was losing her mind over. the other day matt and i said that Carliegh's ideal meal would be a bowl of carrots, kale, peanut butter and sweet potatoes. such a healthy dog! 

you can come out and see me at two events this weekend. on saturday we'll be at the Brewerytown Spring Festival which is at least twice as large as it was last year. on sunday we'll be at the Punk Rock Flea Market from 10-5! see you soon!

to continue the mother's day weekend theme for a few more days, let me tell you about irises in my family. 

my paternal great grandmother, Cinderella Priscilla Odom (née Overall) was a Tennessee state champion iris award winner. she had rows and rows of the flowers that i remember having to be very careful around when i was a kid. she even hosted an iris show at her farm outside of Murfreesboro, TN that people from all over the nation came to. because of my mom's interest in gardening and flowers, Cinderella and my mom became very close and i remember walking into the greenhouse and the two of them giggling over flower pots. 

so when Cinderella passed away, my mom became the iris-bearer in the family. the deep purple color, called black, has always been my favorite. though i've always associated the lighter lavender and yellow colors with my mom. in part maybe because so much of her wardrobe is lavender and violet. she sent me a dozen or so bulbs when we moved into our house and i planted them last fall per her instructions (handed down from Cinderella). in the last week or so, some buds have shown up and the sense of pride i have for these little plants seems larger than life. i'm just so thrilled that 1. i kept them alive and 2. they're going to bloom!  i'm also proud that i am the fourth generation to grow irises and with a few more years practice i may be able to say that i can grow them well. :)

and because its tuesday, a treasury of irises! 

this sunday is mother's day! 

while Matt and i would like to spend the day with our moms, we live at least 10 hours from both of them. :(

so i'm spending the weekend being a mom to my fur children. saturday we're spending the day in Collegeville, PA at a massive australian shepherd picnic. its the annual meetup for New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue, where we got Carliegh from. its rain or shine and it should be pretty amazing. 50+ dogs and at least that many humans getting together for a day of fun. sunday we will spend hanging out with Gwenevere, doing what cats do. 

what are you doing this weekend?

ok, prepare yourselves for a shock....
i have joined a gym.

i know, this doesn't make any sense from what you know about me. i'm not sure i know what got into me either. i think i was just tired of feeling physically weak and fatigued. it's starting to really hit home that i'll be 30 in a few years and that matt and i could foreseeably start a family not long after that. i want to be healthy and prepared for aging and rearing a family.

so, i'm going 3 times a week in the afternoon and focusing on cardio for now. i've got pretty high cholesterol and a high risk of heart disease so i'm trying to improve my heart health first. so far so good.

i made a fun lady athlete themed treasury to help inspire me this week. after the craft shows this weekend i need an extra boost of enthusiasm. hope you like these great items!


so without further ado, off to the gym i go!

have you seen the list of craft fairs i'll be doing in the next month? (the list is on the right side of this page) 

you've got five opportunities to come out and see my stuff this spring. 

two of which are this weekend. on saturday i'll be at Greensgrow Farms in Kensington for their Spring Craft Bazaar. its a street festival from 9-4 with all sorts of craft goodies and fresh farm fair. on sunday i'll be in West Chester for their May Day Festival of the Arts. there will be music, dance, food, and of course fine arts and crafts. i think there may even be a maypole. its from 11-4 and each hour is packed with performances. 

i'll be debuting my prints from puerto rico as well as some new-ish packaging. now each print will come with a label that includes the name of the print, the location, year, and my signature. so when you frame it (or not) you can affix the label to the back and have some reference to where it came from. good idea? i think so.

see you soon!!

i realized this weekend that i've been in the kitchen for over 20 years. there is a photo somewhere of me at age 4 covered in flour making biscuits. and i've been an active cook for at least 15 years. yesterday my mom and i were talking about how much our eating habits have changed in the last 10 years. we both eat much more healthfully and more openly. for example, i made fried chicken breasts this weekend with olive oil. 10 years ago only crisco and dark meat would have been acceptable. we're more willing to alter traditional recipes to suit our health. don't get me wrong though....i'll still eat your fried chicken no matter how you cook it. god i love the stuff. 

anyway, when i realized how long i've been cooking it made sense why i have a hard time teaching matt how to do the basics. i'm so used to having the kitchen to myself i don't know how to share it. its something i'll have to rectify in the next few years since i want my future children to know how to cook. 

and speaking of babies, my future child will wear this bib. and he/she/it will eat empanadas. i've got a whole pinterest board devoted to my future life with future children and what they will future do. check it out. 

i'm really noticing how the weather has been affecting my mood lately. 

we've had nice warm spring weather for most of the month, but there have been a few days when the temperature dropped and some rain came. i feel quite gloomy and kind of stuck on those days. 

the early part of this week was chilly and rainy but yesterday 
the sun came out and i got A TON of stuff accomplished. weeding, vacuuming, cleaning the basement, sewing, a run to the grocery store, babysitting, and i made dinner. wonder woman! thats what warm and sunny spring weather makes me feel like!

i also feel prettier. i don't know if its all the flowers blooming or the fact that i can wear skirts again, but good weather makes me feel better about being a girl.
 
← girly print of happy spring flowers!!