Thanks Caren for letting us know about picnik! It is so much fun!

hung by clothespins, on a ribbon, stretched from one wall to another..

Since my heartsick-for-a-studio episode last week I have been getting more creative with the limited space I do have to make and store my art and my ton of supplies. This is one simple way to dry wet paper so the cats don't sleep on it and the baby doesn't tear it into pieces. It is a little strange in our living room, but, it is kind of fun too.

two abnormal events tonight

It was hot (maybe 95?) and muggy when Alex, Lili, and I sat down to eat a delicious and artfully prepared dinner by my darling husband tonight. (It involved black beans and Swiss chard that was from our garden) Thunder had been rumbling in the distance for a bit, and just as we were sitting down it started to downpour. ..THEN~ it started to hail. At first one little hail bouncing by the fig tree, then a flash of white mixed in with the rain over by the rocks, then the heavens let loose and they came pelting down. I don't think I have ever seen hail like this~ and on a day that is SO hot. There is a good reason why I know a couple of people addicted to the weather channel. because weather is just fascinating.
So after all the hoopla about the hail we settle in to eat when out of the corner of my eye I see a movement above Alex's head. What on earth??? It is a snake wiggling in our window.
Yes indeed. probably to get away from the hail, our resident black snake crawled up our window. If anyone had any doubts about us living in the boonies- this probably crushed that.
The good news is A: the snake was not IN my house. and B: Black snakes are not poisonous, and they in fact deter the poisonous Copperhead snake from coming around.

Down by the river on a hot day.

SUMMER

= Grill.

or at least that's what the guys said when they persuaded me that we needed a grill. We have a long term vision of having an outdoor kitchen with a hand-built brick oven, a sink/counter area, and a grill. So... "We are only bringing that dream one step closer..."
Well...
It was a joyful evening breaking in the grill. And I will admit, since we didn't turn our stove on, it was much cooler in our house.

A Glimpse

NeNe taught Lili how to shake her head yesterday... I am enjoying it now before it means NO.

so many hip grandparents... here are two of them...

Go to The Five Carmonas blog for a fun description of my mother-in-law's (NeNe to Lili) and step-father-in-law's (Papa Randy to Lili) visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains this week.

all good things in all good time...

i keep telling myself patience.
i keep telling myself all good things in all good time.
and yet... i find myself longing for a space to call my own to create art in. i hesitate to even think all this, let alone blog about it, lest i seem ungrateful for all that i have, and or make my dear husband feel guilty that he hasn't build me a studio yet. (as if he sits around doing nothing!) so today after a little painting at the kitchen table i thought maybe if i looked at some other people's studios maybe i would be inspired in some way. i went to good ol' google and typed in "artist studios" and spent the better half of Lili's nap day-dreaming. oh... the yearning...
but as i said, all good things in all good time.
back when we were living in a school bus, i said this to myself about a home to live in, and look where we are.
here is a sampling of some studios that caught my eye...

CLAMBAKE

I wanted to shower a little extra attention on the clambake that occurred at the beach.

See, the clambake is a family tradition of my grandmother's family. Her grandparents and parents were from Illinois, and had clams shipped in from the coast in order to do this special and festive meal. Needless to say, it was a big event for them...There was a little confusion as to the proper and best way to do the clambake as we didn't have all of the traditional materials such as seaweed or the exact type of clams. We were however using my great grandparents giant copper pot to cook in. (It is my understanding that traditionally clambakes were cooked directly in a pit dug in the sand.) What should we use instead of seaweed? Should the clams go on top or bottom? If they go on top will the broth be infused with the clam taste? Here is what we decided to layer in the copper pot:

• gallon of seawater
• corn-on-the-cob in tinfoil
• whole potatoes also in tinfoil
• whole chicken legs and thighs
• clams
• and corn husks in between the layers

We got the charcoal grill extremely hot and carefully placed the full pot atop the bed of coals. We secured the lid and waited for the whole operation to turn into a steaming heap of infused and intermingled flavors.
Mostly it was my Dad, Papa, my Uncle Glenn, and Amy making this whole thing happen. Being a nervous-nelly, I stopped by to help here and there, but all the steam and hot metal and the whole thing precariously on a grill with skinny legs- well- the baby and I just helped keep the rest of the guests entertained.
Despite several doubts (mine included) the clambake was SO good. I wasn't sure I even liked clams honestly, but they were delicious. The clams open up when cooked. You pull out the clam, and wag it in the infused seawater broth(the pink bowl shown), then dip it in melted butter- Pop it in your mouth... Yum.

BEACH VACATION and my GRANDPARENTS 60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

This past week we have been at the seaside, enjoying the vast horizon, the seafood, the comfortable beach-house my dad and my Aunt Bonny graciously let us stay at, the after dinner card game "oh shucks", and lots of quality time with my paternal family. This year was special however, because we celebrated my grandparents' (Mayme and Papa as we affectionately call them) 60th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we had a very special brunch, an afternoon ride down the inter-coastal waterway in a pontoon boat, and an adventurous dinner in which we made a clam-bake! I am so blessed to have grandparents who have been married for 60 years and still love each other more every day.

Here are a few shots of our time:Lilikoi's first dabble in the Atlantic Ocean...Mayme's mother's plate set that Bonny brought for the guests of honor.The anniversary brunch.Mayme and Lili relaxing on the porch.Mayme, Aunt Bonny, and Cousin Dane , making mimosas in the beach house kitchen.Dad and Amy...

Lemon cake (with lemon cream cheese frosting) that Alex made for Mayme and Papa

Mayme and Papa cutting the cake... finishing off a wonderful day.

I found this for you Alley...

I found this card on Etsy.
You can purchase it here.

A Sad Bear Comes to Play.

I spied a very sad little yellow carebear that the big kids left behind in my yard yesterday. I ran to get my camera to document the spotting, then called out to it "Hey little carebear, do you want to help feed my baby?" Two little ears perked up... It nodded it's head and came running... And stopped at my door, looked up at me, and waited to be let in... To cheer that care bear up I let it feed the baby... Lilikoi's response to this: "I just LOVE it when big yellow carebears come to play!"

The DROOL has been nonstop... could she be getting more teeth? That seems to be every new parents question/explanation...
someone at work today dubbed her "slimer"(like ghostbusters)

GOOSEBERRIES

We are very lucky to have several berry bushes near our house. They are yummy for us of course, but they also draw in neighbors and hoards of children. Here you see Michele and her daughter Kessy lured in and eating from the gooseberry bush:We have mountain berries (my personal favorite) blackberries, raspberries, and gooseberries. We have had this particular gooseberry at the head of our garden entrance for 3 years now. The first two years it did not bear ANY fruit. Last summer it had a total of 3 berries. Alex gave this thorny bush an ultimatum last year that if it didn't start producing, it would be dug up. And behold all of this fruit! This is about 1/4 of what it gave off this year. Alex turned these into a tart and buttery gooseberry pie.