On the longest day of the year...

Here come my roma tomatoes--summer is here! I can almost taste the salads, salsas, and bruschetta's. We've been known to have nothing for dinner but a crusty loaf of Italian bread and freshly made bruschetta. Ahhh. Happy summer solstice!

 

"If I had to choose just one plant for the whole herb garden, I should be content with basil."

--Elizabeth David

"The love of dirt is among the earliest of passions...Mudpies gratify one of our first and best instincts. So long as we are dirty, we are pure."

--Charles Dudley Warner



The days are long, and the fireflies light up the night. Love it! Summer dreams.

Art of a Woman--Every Inchie Monday

Every Inchie Monday Theme Today: Woman.

Visit www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com.

working on the Inchie

All kinds-a-woman in one-square-inch of art: the hairdresser, the society woman, the bride-to-be, the new girl, the crazy neighbor, the mom--we were backstage and getting in costume for our 2004 stage production of the play, Steel Magnolias, when this photo was snapped. I made another Inchie, a while back, using a photo of me and my fellow cast members. We were not in costume for that session, it was just a fun black and white picture of the six of us. So it was only fitting I needed to do another Inchie of all of us in costume (I played Truvy, second from the right). Steel Magnolias not only celebrates friendship, but really celebrates being a woman, and being a strong woman too. So that's why I had to add the word, "wonderful." I highly recommend the movie! Happy Monday! Hey, I think I'm onto something: "Theatre Inchies!"

"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her."

--Anon.

My little kitty woman, Princess Minnie

Blooming

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

--Marcel Proust

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I could look out the window and see snow everywhere! I'm so thankful that it is June, and the first official day of summer is upon us. I love walking out into the garden in the mornings, wearing flip flops, feeling the sun and the breeze, and enjoying more time at home with my family. 

Today is Father's Day, and I think my husband is the best dad in the world. He's a hard-working, loving, talented, fun, devoted father to our daughter. It doesn't get any better! It is a blessing I am grateful for and never take for granted.

A cross-stitch from when I played Truvy in "Steel Magnolias"

I stitched a flower word once--now I'm in the mood to stitch some flowers! I have several patterns to choose from, and all my favorite floss colors lined up.

French breakfast radishes from my garden--yum

Happy father's day to you all and happy eating, writing, dreaming and stitching!

Tuning In to the Simple Life LOL Style

I bought my first clock radio when I was a young teen. I had saved up the whole thirty dollars, went downtown to the department store, fourth floor electronics, and got my fabulous treasure. It was the late 1970's, and that's what my radio played, non-stop. Seventies music! Woo hoo!

Later on, in the 1980's, I purchased a rather expensive pink boom box--but I have to say the sound quality was amazing. She was a young, very hip, boom box at the time. And that hot box went to the beach, the pool, the park, and filled my single girl apartment with eighties music, disco music, soul, talk radio, and even classical--whatever I was in the mood for. Afterall, listening to the radio is free. My priorities at the time were laying in the sun, and having fun.

Now, all these years later, in an iPod-digital-music-world, that old pink musical girl still has a rich stereo sound. I had her on today while I was reading, stitching, cleaning house, doing laundry, and clipping coupons. Her cassette tape player does not work anymore, and I don't even have cassette tapes. So she is strictly, a radio. But the radio is still free, and on Saturdays, they play one of my favorites: seventies music. And yes, I dance when nobody's looking. I love to dance, and the music makes me feel happy. It made me think about one of my favorite subjects: living a simple life. I ponder on this all the time. There's an LOL (Little Old Lady) who lives inside of me, and reminds me about the pure beauty and happiness of simple things. I guess I can't help it, growing up in cross-era's of simplicity coupled with technology. (I need to write a whole blog about that.)

My old pink boom box, strangely, makes me feel tuned in to simplicity. Just like Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, that kind of happiness really is in your own backyard. I took pictures in my backyard the other day, just to prove this to myself. Try it!
I started with my love of growing seeds. It's so satisfying, seeing my squash seeds grow into fruitful plants, and all my flower seeds becoming gorgeous blooming plants. Everything is growing!

 
In the morning, whenever it's possible, I love to get fresh air and a little sun and have my morning coffee. It feels like I'm on vacation, every time. Simple. Happy. Magical! (and yes, I listen to the radio)

I get a lot of happiness in needle and thread. Especially when the thread is beautiful colors of floss, and I'm painting with it.

I think living simply is being in tune with knowing the things that make you happy, the things that don't, and the things that are just, well, things. They are shallow, short-lived, of no value, highly trendy, and simply not worth your hard-earned money or time. Lately, there are so many fabulous "toys" out there that would be really nice to have. And I certainly have my share of technology in the house. But, always ask the questions, "do I need this...how long will I have this...are there hidden costs."


This is why I listen to the LOL (Little Old Lady) inside...and she listens to the pink radio.

A Sister Is a Friend for Life

My Every-Inchie-Monday creation this week, was stitched with love. The theme is "sisters" and luckily, I found a little "friends" charm in my box of what-nots and after that, I got right to my stitching. Three tiny layers of fabric later, I had embroidered, added a couple of teeny sequins and a button, and lastly, the little charm.

This piece is meant to have a rustic look (not perfect), and yet have layers, interest, and beauty--just like sisters!

My little sister is my life-long friend. But if you don't have one of those, then hopefully you have a friend who is a life-long sister!

Right when I was snipping the last thread, here comes Joseph! He loves to help.

Visit all of the teeny tiny creativity at www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com.

June Is My Favorite Writing Month!

I love June for so many reasons--the sun, the fun, the birthdays and anniversaries we celebrate in our family, and the simple days. I go into the garden, first thing in the morning, check on the latest new squash and flower seeds emerging...make sure the tomato plants are happy, and smell the lemon thyme. I get some sun, and then I'm ready to write for a while. This is how I wrote my script collection last summer, Simply God. And now, in the mail, I received the bound copies from my publisher, Meriwether. Yay! I was oh-so-happy to get these and see my second collection come to life.

I was also thrilled to see that in their new summer catalog they are still listing my first collection, No Makeup Required. Oh, happy day!

This summer I'm focusing on three things: my full-length play, my novel, and a devotional book for stitchers. Something about this time of year, even though I'm still busy, makes me feel more relaxed and joyful.

I think that as a writer, it's good to be joyful. I'm so much more productive when I'm happy. That's why when I was a writer in the advertising world, I couldn't understand it when people tried to stress me out (deadlines, angst, and attitudes)--I had to be happy to write!

First page of the first sketch

There are so many writers in history that we know of as being either raging addicts, so intelligent they are depressed about everything, or, they are just "out there." (Louisa May Alcott, an opium addict; the troubled Bronte sisters; J.D. Salinger's "alternative" medicine regimens; Arthur Conan Doyle truly believing in tiny winged fairies; Emily Dickinson wearing white every single day and refusing visitors...and the list goes on).  

I'm just an everyday girl, who gardens, cooks, sews, writes--oh yeh, and I drink coffee out of a Tinker Bell mug every day. Hmmm.

None-the-less, my writing is part of the flow of life, and I couldn't do without it. So my plan for June: get up, exercise, coffee, garden, write, rest, lunch, and sew all afternoon. 

Of course, we have some side trips planned, and my daughter will want some movie and pool time--just try and keep me from the sun and the water!!! It's summa time!!!  

My new aloe vera from my sweet boys

I don't know how you measure a memory, and I can't move to Florida because I'm afraid of large bugs and hurricanes, but I will need every inch of my summer memories to get me through next winter!

Eat, Write, Dream and Stitch your heart out!