Out and About! So fun!

Good  morning on this foggy Friday as we say goodbye to July. The first month of summer is almost done, hot and dry [yet humid] but still lovely. I just washed my big windows, rain will no doubt fall within 24 hours. This weekend is the anniversary of my/ our moving to this tiny beautiful oceanfront home. So many years ago, just a young couple in their 20s looking for a weekend getaway.We never had a single thought or worry about where the future would take us, good times, sad and bad times.

The other day L and I got out for one of our Just for Fun girly shopping trips. Out and abouts are few these days, as we are no longer young moms with an afternoon hour to kill before school let out. I cherish each time we do meet up, so inspiring. Happy retail therapy, shallow as that may seem.

Here we go! Where else!

Home Goods was lovely, clean and empty [masks worn]. ALL about Halloween though, more on that in a minute.

They did have some items left of earlier offerings. Only one cute fish,"Coastal"---driftwood inspiration, if only my beach actually had driftwood.

Great very tall planters. "Outdoor". How I wish I could have lifted them to bring home. The big ones

[waist high] are great bec they bring the flowers up to sitting eye level. One fills the base with plastic bottles or baggies of styrofoam peanuts. 

Don't these fun chairs look painful, lol.

And the Boho Marketplace, vintage-y hippy things I love every year. Lots of great pouffes and cushions.

Love these bolsters and also the pouffe below, never even noticed it in the store.

Then, yes, it is Halloween in retail world. 

Wonderful glass pumpkins.

Cute and different pumpkins, like Tim Burton Nightmare Before Christmas designs?

Loved this pumpkin like my pineapple.

Too expensive.

Black scary stuff?

We shopped fast then went on to Trader Joe's for fresh flowers. All so pretty.

I also grabbed a box of heirloom-ish cherry tomatoes even though I promised we wouldn't really take the time to shop..

For a delicious Ina Garten summer salad, so simple but amazingly good with real summer tomatoes.  I used tarragon instead of basil, because I like tarragon better and basil-tomato is a smidge trite. And add a teaspoon of sugar/ honey/ sweetener.

 https://www.instagram.com/p/CgerxKQLuwj/ 

@inagarten               click here

Want to guess what came home with me?

New water bowl for Mo, flowers, tomatoes..

Room spray, because candles are less effective in the summer with open doors and windows. Though FYI Home Goods had a great stock of fall scented candles.

Smallish puzzle for those first dark evenings in October. I am hoping I can do my puzzles again, as my vision is improved though I will have one, maybe two/ more surgeries this coming winter. But at least now I can see the pieces I think.

Poppy red ranunculas! ❤

Blue-lavender stocks/phlox.

The orange bolster! Had to have it. 

Nancy asked me if orange is my favorite color, I said No, but really/ maybe? Yes? I am picturing late October cottage with creamy linen pillows and this accent of orange. 

Soft and sweet, no scary skulls ooor spiders/ ghosts/ skeletons for me this year.

All hand embroidered.

And though I cannot find the photo it was the most adorable pompoms and tassels, [happy sigh].

 Not sure I grabbed the right one though.

I save the TJs bags for garden deadheading as they don't blow away, but I kept this one thinking I will cut out and save the cute old time-y motifs in case I ever start my junk journal.

Mo is still lying by the AC, hope springs eternal in Pug world. I haven't heard from the appliance guys recently though. Don't look too close but you can see where water intrusion [forced in by high winds/ storms, not a real leak] and rust and roadwork dust have damaged the unit and the electric baseboard heaters below.

Something for the weekend!

Enjoy these last days of July!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

one evening, a bit foggy...

Midsummer

Hello, hello, hope everyone is staying cool. Mo and I are set up indoors today, waiting for the air conditioner man to come fix our main AC. But nooooo...he has pronounced it dead!~ Steve the Repair Guy says I need a new AC as sand and rust has clogged mine and killed it. Maybe a new one next week. The bedroom acs work fine so far, so that is where we are staying. And today I have random miscellany to share.

Mo is mad that we aren't out on the hot sunny deck. I told him maybe later when the sun moves away.

He again has ear infections plus annual checkup tomorrow. The chronic ear probs are upsetting. I am hoping the vet has some better treatment to offer us.

This is my little TQC hand sewing project so far. I put it on IG: Which borders should I choose? Which do you prefer? I decided, and will finish the little top soon. Just to mention, I did fix some of the really lumpy poor stitching after photo was taken late one night.

And last post I forgot to show my progress on Winter Marsh. I thought I made more of the smaller stars than I am finding. Usually I'd put aside this machine sewing but if it's really hot I may have to work inside, so I will leave it on the to do pile for now. I need 8 or 11, my notes are unclear. 

                                        

I may hand applique the BIG STARs just to have them in work and done. And maybe I can plan the words I want for the borders, bec I am not embroidering a bunch of song lyrics, eeeew. ''...it's been a long cold lonely winter. Here comes the sun, blah blah blah, here come the sun! And I say, it's all right. lahdi di dah dah.'''

Nancy asked about my little scissors keeper: it is a large antique carved pearl button with actually two magnets glued to the back. One can open the magnet pairs and attach to fabric stretched in an embroidery or quilt hoop. I just stick it on the umbrella pole. Idea from Notforgotten Farm.

My deck pots are doing well. I water twice a day, three gallons of water for three big pots and a few smaller pots. I can expect no rain til late September now. The sun and wind dry everything quickly. The Amazon Potting soil that was supposed to hold moisture has no effect, though the general quality was good. Miracle Grow Blue label. [yes, I know there is a different MG soil that is moisture retaining but it doesn't work for my deck pots, so I tried this one.]

Only the Dollar Store seeds and some random volunteers have grown. Not the fancy Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, nor the saved and swapped seeds. The Costco cannas are growing okay too. Lori [Humble Quilts] says the Mexican Hats bloom late so I am still hoping. We have tried three times now. The beautiful rose campion did not rebloom either.

Nature sketches, lol.

I can see my next week should include some more carefully observed insects! Isn't this the meanest bumblebee you have ever seen! And weighty butterfly!

And silly wasp.

Some cooking! I read on a blog that gets a lot of comments that readers love to hear what bloggers are eating. [is that even true?] So this is something I make when I want a hot meal but it's too hot or too windy to grill.

A stirfry using what was in the fridge: leftover-on-purpose pork loin, leftover corn, aged brussel sprouts sliced thin, scallions, garlic. 

Very quick stir in sesame oil, then I added the Campbell's sauce. You know how I love kits and mixes. 

The sauce was on suggested specials when I shopped online a few weeks ago and I do really like it, uncool, un-'influencer chic' as it is to admit that. The Ingredients are surprisingly inoffensive, the calorie count is rather low, but the sodium is high. Probably not worse than when I make the soy sauce/ cornstarch/ orange juice/ etc sauce myself and much tastier. I found some lovely jasmine rice to go with too.

Yesterday I got my fourth Covid booster, another reason to stay in. No side effects at all, so all the scary ''flu-like symptoms and fever'' stories were just a needless worry. My hip hurts a lot though so I may forgo my evening walk and swim. Tomorrow is another day. 

And a midweek smile: zinnias and bumblebee pugs by IG artist sosunammy.  So precious.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...