Random Round Up: Abandoned

We took a day trip to visit my parents this weekend and ended up walking the now-abandoned golf course I grew up playing on. It was one of those sad-yet-beautiful moments: Huge old trees and fields that used to be fairways for the dogs to run through, inverted mole hills that used to be the cup everyone was focused on. Even front steps with no structure behind them. Weird. Eerie.

Walking the cart paths.

Tucker loved the trek.

Former fairways to the left, center, and right.

It's protected land right now, and I'm hoping it is turned into some sort of public park or nature reserve as it runs alongside a bay of saltwater. A new twist on a beautiful place where I've spent a lot of hours, and hopefully will get to spend more.

Quick Craft: Modern Earrings

Jewelry making always sounds intimidating, but if you dig a clean-and-modern look, some pieces are pretty simple to produce.

Take a fun pair of drop earrings I made in under 10 minutes last night...

Need:
Jewelry Pins (straight on one end with a stopper on the other)
Beads (at least two - I got these pyrite chunks at Michael's)
Earring Hooks
Jewelry or Round-Nose Pliers

Step one, put your beads on your pins.
Step two, use your pliers to make a small circular bend at the opposite (straight) end from your bead. Leave it open enough that you can fit your earring hook through the opening.

Step three, slip your earring hook loop into your drop loop. Pinch the drop loop all the way closed.

Step four, rock it.

It's that easy. Happy weekend!

Random Round Up: Eye Pleasing

Sometimes things are just pretty.

Nate captured this sunset - NO FILTER - at a Sounders game. Amazing.

Berries & Brambles. 

Pretty table flowers at a friend's wedding this weekend.

Even the bathrooms at the rustic wedding venue were flower-drenched.

And now, a little brag. I've been looking for a vintage saddle just to have in my home as a piece of art, for about ten years (I grew up riding whenever I got the chance). Let me tell you: People USE saddles. Those things do not come up for sale often around here, and when they do... cha-ching. Nate took a solo trip to North Dakota to visit some extended family, and a week later, this shows up at the door:

Amazing. Feeling like a pretty lucky girl. THE luckiest, actually.

Cheers!

30 Days: It's Do-Able

A little over a month ago, someone in my Facebook feed signed up to be a part of a 30 Day Ab Challenge. Intrigued, I clicked the link and was taken to the website 30DayFitnessChallenges.com

It's just what it sounds like - a series of 30 day fitness challenges - but also offers tutorials on how to do each exercise called out in each challenge, as well as healthy living recipes. What a find!

I completed the Ab Challenge in June, starting on the 1st and ending on the 30th. The incremental rise of intensity allowed me to build strength and made completing the challenge achievable... do-able!

I'm on day four of the LBD Challenge, a more full-body challenge. Use them as a workout supplement or if you're just starting out, these 30 day plans are a perfect way to get up and moving. Seriously, it takes about 5 minutes a day when you start out. 

DO-ABLE.
Join me!

Random Round Up: Summer

First things first: Do you know that for the month of July you can make a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation when you pick up your run-of-the-mill Walgreens purchases? From one dollar to ten, you choose the amount at the register and with the click of a button, your errand has just become a charitable mission. So please, drop a dollar or two in the virtual pot. It means so much to me and to all those touched by T1D! Click here to learn more or donate online here.

Now, on to your regularly scheduled programming. The running joke around here is that summer starts on July 5th. This year proves the validity: After rain on the fourth, an extended stretch of eighty-plus degree weather has me loving the world right now. It's summer!

I keep re-styling the shelf we built. Love having abundant backyard flowers!

Chop chop! Six inches gone.

Mango sticky rice - My new Thai food love.

Book. Bun. "Pool". Sun.

Sunday morning beach walk time.

Have a great week ahead, peeps!

Someday Has Come

Remember that room I've been calling my "someday sewing room"? I hope so, I've been calling it that for two and a half years.

........

That was a cringe break. I know I needed one.
I called myself out waaaaay back on June 13th of 2012 when we were about 5 months into living here and everything we moved in and didn't know what to do with immediately got dumped in this room. It was a white carpeted, junk-filled nightmare. Remember?

It evolved from there, especially when we had to clear the place to get our new floor, but was never truly functional as what I wanted. But now, oh-ho yes, now it looks a little something like this:

Yes, that's a small kegerator. Yes, I'm an awesome wife. Thanks for noticing.

Now excuse me while I go craft/sew-something/stare-googly-eyed at my clean room (that last one is the most likely option).


*Notice the desk-like tables? The larger table with the cutting mat on it is the former dining room set up. That makes two pieces of the former dining room at home in the sewing room: The light and the table/chairs. Yay for using what you've got!

Random Round Up: Working the Weekend

I was feeling motivated and ruthless this long holiday weekend - The perfect combo to deep clean and organize things. Two days spent on what I've referred to many a time here as my "someday sewing room" and - wonder of wonders - it's now a fully functioning room! I'll show you that later, but for now, a few snaps from the weekend:

Completed this 30 day challenge back on the 30th but forgot to share. Proud!

Nate was away - Hooray for FaceTime (even if we do only make faces at eachother).

'Merica

Green, slugs, and rain: The fourth of July in Western Washington.

Unearthed a long lost-and-searched-for jewelry box... Tried it all on.

Hope you had a safe and relaxing (and/or productive) fourth!

Happy 4th!

From sea to shining sea...

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Happy Independence Day!

Random Round Up: Weird Week

That title 'bout sums it up. It's been a weird week: A vacation day, retirements, birthday celebrations, family visits, trips to the airport. But that happens, that life stuff, so delayed is just what I am this week here in the two-dimensional world.

Serious SCORE: 1940's mini sewing machine from a local antique fair.

Birthdays are pretty.

Summer. Delicious.

Retiring: Not such a bad gig. Congrats to BOTH my parents-in-law!!

Listening to the USA World Cup games was infinitely more stressful than watching.

It's Independence Day tomorrow - Have a safe and happy one, America!