{ tara frey }:: typing out loud

Summer Lovin...

   

   Really it should be summer "lazing"...since we're already enjoying the start of the long lazy days of summer. The kids have just started sleeping in a little later since school let out.  For a few days they were waking up at 6am.  Hello?  go back to bed!  Right now I am lovin' the pops of color in our garden, hearing the sounds of the kids home all day and the slam of the back screen door at least 30 times a day (ask me again in mid July and I may change my answer) But for now, it's summer lovin' around here.  There's even a new toothless grin from our daughter.  She was the last 7 year old on earth in class to lose any top teeth, and she was excited to lose both on the same day.  So many sprinkles of joy come in the summertime?  Her hair will soon be turning that sun-kissed light blonde (the kind of color us mommies pay big bucks at the salon to achieve) and she and her brother already have started on their dark bronze tan (a gene that they definitely inherited from their daddy!)  It's nice to enjoy this time before summer kicks into gear with camps, vacations, and I once again become a taxi driver, pool lifeguard, master of all sunscreen, picker upper of wet towels, keeper of calamine lotion, movie escort, lightning bug jar getter, referee, tutor, lunch maker, etc..

But here is what I really should be doing: cleaning up my studio disaster area, take a look...

    I tell myself that cleaning and chaos will always be there, but the lazy days of summer come and go too fast.  So I hope you all are enjoying some bit of laziness too and maybe even a toothless grin of some sort?~ xo

Purr...

     Did you all get your new issue of Romantic Country Magazine?  It just keeps getting better!  And with this issue, they have started inserting subscription cards.  WHOOP WHOOP!  Now normally, I really can't stand when I open a magazine and things start flying out.  But I know this will be the answer to many readers wishes prayers!  I can't tell you how many people have emailed me asking if subscription is available...now I can say "yep!"  (ps:  can you imagine how many emails Fifi has received about it? )  Bravo to Miss Fabulous for another eye popping issue!

     Janet from Shabby FuFu is featured this month in a whopping 8 page spread.  Her Miami home is so beautiful.  Congrats Janet!

     Also, now that the magazine is out on newsstands, I can share a few photos of the inside of Susie & Mark's store, The Cat's Meow , that I snapped on my visit to Venice Florida!  Their beautiful shop is featured this issue, I took these shots the day after the photo shoot.  It makes you want to purr, doesn't it? Obviously their store is appropriately named. ~ xo

   

She *smells* Sea Shells...

     So here's the story.  My daughter collects sea shells. Lots of them. Usually she buys a bunch at the flea market, or totes home a sandy bucket full from every trip to the beach.  Here she is showing off some of her favorites while wearing an apron courtesy of the oh so talented miss Anna Maria Horner ...

     k.... so on a trip to Home Goods, we saw a bag of starfish that I thought would be perfect on the kitchen counter under the glass cloche...(and she took some for herself)...  Cut to 2 weeks later and everyone who entered the kitchen asking "Oh my God, what's that awful smell?!"  After sniffing around a bit, our noses detected the source...the super smelly starfish!  ACK!  I almost died when I lifted the glass!  Anyone have this problem?  They looked so pretty on display, but we had to throw them all away.  Advice please? (I know.. I know...maybe...don't buy cheap starfish at Home Goods and then smother them under glass, perhaps?!) ~xo

Here are pics I took when we first displayed them and I was going to blog about how pretty they were.  Now I can only tell you how darn smelly awful they were!

Trash duty...

     My husband's business partner found this old sewing desk/table on the side of the road headed for the trash...he instantly thought of his "junk collecting" friend's wife (ahem...that would be me) He snatched it up and threw it in the back of his truck.  I was so excited when my husband brought it to me!  I found the perfect spot for it at the end of our upstairs hallway.   Everything about it was perfect... size, shape, aged color, etc.. Nothing to do but give it a good wipe and plop it down in it's new space.  There are little drawers inside and each had hidden treasures, from the handtyped instruction booklet to old bobbins and such.  Perfectly chipped in all the right places too!  You never know what you'll find on the side of the road (and it's always nice to have others on 'trash duty' on the lookout for you too!)~xo

 

Your home safe now little table...where you instantly went from trash to treasure!

Dad grills, kids chill...

     We're having a heat wave.  What else to do but cook on the grill and let the kids go nuts with the hose?  Definitely too hot even for the swim club this weekend.  We spent most of the day at Natalie's dance dress rehearsal, getting ready for the big recital next week.  This year they are dressed as little old men with canes and do a tap number to "This Old Man"...super cute.  Her dance troop went to travel competition this year and placed gold in their category, so she is excited to bring home some trophies and ribbons!

     Some of our croggers were at the Farm Chicks event this weekend.  I so wish I could have met up with some friends at this exciting and fun show... *sigh*... but mommy duties called so I will have to pretend I was there and live through their blog posts! (hurry girls!)

Stay cool croggers!~xo

Goosebumps...

     Thanks Typepad!  How super cool to be featured as their spotlight blog of the day !??  And thanks to some comments and emails you wonderful bloggers croggers sent me, I took a peek and there I was!  I can't imagine how many blogs Typepad hosts?  So it's incredibly flattering to say the least (and sort of made me look behind me and say, "who me"?!) 

     Other notes...went to see the Sex and the City movie first thing Friday morning with my sister and coffee in tow.  Oh! the fashion, the labels, the laughter...I so missed these four girls. I had goosebumps the entire movie... which is mostly all about friendships, love and forgiveness.  If you saw it, let me know what you thought!  If you want to see it....hurry up and GO!

       Also, my friend, Shighla, will be on the Rachael Ray Show show July 16th. More goosebumps! Her segment is about "mommy tricks" and since she has twins, you know she has a few cool tricks to share!  I'll keep you posted as it gets closer, but here is her picture with her beautiful twins (and handsome hubby- who happens to be my hubby's best friend) so when the show airs, you know who to look for! ~xo