A Day at the Pond

This weekend Paul and I spent some time at his parents' house out in the country, in Mt. Pleasant. I always love going back there. In only a 45-minute drive from the city, we're transported to a quieter, simpler existence, as we watch the landscape outside the car window go to green. 

We spent most of our time outside, since it was one of those last cool days of the dwindling Spring. There was time under the trees in breezy hammocks, bottles of homebrew, backyard ping pong games, and fishing at the pond. We also smoked up some chicken, salmon, and pond fish for lunch over a pile of hickory sticks, with an armful of lemons thrown in for a smoky lemonade with tea-infused whiskey.

- - - x x - - x x x - - x x - - - 

If you are a country girl at heart, like me, here's a little list of inspiration to create your own day at the pond...

1. a pair of shades

2. a good read

3. a cool hat

4. a breezy skirt

5. lots of cold beer

6. a tasty dinner with the day's catch

a quick word...

Spring has been a busy time for both me and the world of Verabelle. There is something about a change in the season that reenergizes me and makes my mind burst forth with new ideas and inspiration. This also makes it hard to find time to sit down and write, reflect, and catalogue these new memories. But I wanted to let you know that I'm still here, creating away! From road trips to our friends' wedding to picking and canning, springtime has been filled with adventure. And I promise to find time very soon to sit down and share more of it with you. But in the meantime, here's a lovely quote that I heard from my friend (and previous Verabelle intern), Kimi. She discovered this on the Smart, Pretty & Awkward blog by Molly Ford. Seemed quite relevant. I am proud to say that this is the way I live my life, and that is the best thing that I can wish for you too!

"Build a life so uniquely yours that no one can imagine anyone but you living it. Make your choices so intentionally and specifically tailored to your personality and your goals that it is impossible to conceive of anyone but you living the one specific life that you live. Your life should not be interchangeable with anyone else’s – and that’s a good thing because it means you are listening to your own specific heart, mind and values." 

A 1920s Weekend

This weekend, Paul and I threw a stock-the-bar speakeasy party for our friends who are getting married. I just love a good themed party! We went all out with old-timey treats and DIY drinks, and I even turned my dressing room that I use at craft shows into a photo booth! Yes, you had to take your own photos using my camera, but it didn't make it any less fun. And afterwards, I turned them into photo strips for everyone. Below are a few of my favorites from the night that I'll share without getting too many of my friends in trouble. :) On the left, I'm with Paul and one of my very best friends, Sarah. Then when Paul and I were cleaning up the next day, we decided we'd take a few photos with the dogs. (The chihuahuas, Lola and Biscuit are ours. Emerson the beagle we were watching for a friend.) Later this week, I'll share some food and drink recipes with you and a few more photos to go with them.

          

 

a place for everything & everything in its place

Who doesn't love the promise that a new year brings? I don't think I've ever started out a new year with quite this much deliberate intention, taking the time and energy to really prepare myself and my surroundings for what I intend to accomplish. I have spent the first days of 2012 cleaning out and clearing my head, getting ready for the rest of the 365 in front of me. I've cleaned out and done away with my storage unit, filed away stacks of papers and receipts, organized bins of supplies, finished little projects around the house that I've been putting off, and given away things that have been setting around gathering dust. It's so refreshing to have a desk cleared, papers tidy, a room readied, all the what-nots and do-dads put in place, and everything I'm not going to use out of sight. 


I started realizing early last year that when my home and work space became too cluttered, my to-do list always somehow seemed more overwhelming, like my mind couldn't cut through all the clutter to just simply think. This feeling was confirmed when I read this month in Whole Living magazine about a finding by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute: "... Having a disorganized work space makes it difficult for people to process information efficiently. Objects scattered around compete for your attention and disturb concentration." Precisely! 


Last year I instated a 10-minute cleaning habit that really helped in moments when I just couldn't take it anymore. I'd set a timer and clean or tidy up something (anything!) without stopping. As long as I was moving, it didn't matter what task I was tackling. When something feels daunting, ten minutes seems manageable. And it's always amazing how much you can actually get done in those mere 600 seconds. This year, though, I'm going to try to take my initiative to a whole new level and continue to find new ways to keep the clutter under control! If you have any tips or suggestions, please share them!

a look around my freshly 

organized sewing room...

A cabinet for storing trims & embellishments, as well as smaller projects in the works. I repainted this vintage cabinet that came from a family friend and added the knobs. Lola sits on a crocheted rug I found at the thrift store.

A collection of vintage and natural objects; a painting by me, a pillow by a friend, & my grandmother's ashes

The jewelry armoire my grandmother, Aileen, gave me when I was a little girl still houses all my accessories and sits in front of one of my paintings. Photos of family: Aileen when she was a little girl (middle) and my great-grandparents, Papa & Granny

Read more...

July 4th Memory

When I was growing up, we spent most of our summer weekends at our lake house on Badin Lake. I have many fond memories of days spent there, and one of my favorites was our annual July 4th tradition. Every year, my best friend, Nicole, and I would decorate the pontoon for the Independence Day Boat Parade. We'd all line up at the marina and parade in and out of the coves, as people watched and waved from their piers. Some people even made number signs to score the "contestants," ours always taking a high score! Here are two photos of the pontoon just after we decorated it. I found these in our best friend scrapbook, the page from our eighth grade year.

Nicole & my dad (in the hat) with some family 

friends who joined us for the parade.

Best friends for life! Nicole (left) & me (right)

Happy Independence Day!

Holiday Highlights

I feel like it has been forever since I have been a part of the online world. And, in fact, it has! The holidays really snatched me up this year. Between my own getting and giving, my little part-time job at Amelie's, and trying to get some new Verabelle things made, I feel a little like I fell off the face of the online earth. But I am back and ready for a new year! I am getting started on new designs (even an animal or two), and I have some exciting things planned for 2010. Here's a little photo recap of how it all ended in '99.

Fourth Ward
Above left: Picking out our first tree together! Above: Paul and I had a nice afternoon walk through historic Fourth Ward and then grabbed a beer and a board game at the neighborhood bar, Alexander Michael's.

more from this month

What's better than a cup of afternoon tea and a little blogging...

I feel like things are finally getting back to normal after all this name-change hullabahoo. My brain is little more awake now to what's going on around me instead of only what is whirling around inside me.

I spent my first full day in my sewing room (I guess that'll be the name of it, unless I think of something I like better - suggestions are always welcome!), and it was soooo nice. I have so much space now and feel like I am in a little happy nest of all my favorite things, creations, and sources of inspiration. Lately, I have liked just standing at the door and looking in at all of it. It's so warm and happy! Once I get all those last tidbits put away, I am going to take pictures to post. I can't wait to share!

T-shirts & freckles. Here's a photo of Paul and me relaxing in the back of the pick-up after moving all the furniture around this past weekend. We're enjoying the cool wind from the storm that was brewing above us.

So here's a bit of what's been going on when I haven't been wiling away the hours, working...

Our furniture wears dirty socks.

We got the furniture moved around our house. My new sewing room is all set up. All the things are put away inside the wardrobe that is now serving as our desk. Then I looked down and realized that our furniture is wearing socks. 

I just cleaned out and reorganized my sock drawer, so we used the pile of mismatched socks to cover our furniture's feet so as not to scrape the hardwoods during the shuffle. We got so excited about the new set-up that we forgot to take off the socks before we loaded the cabinets down with pounds of computer, printer, books, lamps, records, etc. Oops.

Ode to Fall

August has just barely begun, and I am already ready for fall. I've spent the afternoon curled up in bed with a cup of tea and a book, secretly pretending that there is a brisk chill in the air outside my window. I keep eyeing all the crisp fall tops and cozy sweaters in my closet and have been longing for my gray suede boots. My new red lipstick is going to go perfectly with all those rich, jeweled colors. Already, I've looked up corn mazes and picked out a new one for this year and thought about the pumpkin bread (I made one loaf this week.) and cider I want to pack in the car. I started planning a "Cabarrus County Day" for all my nonlocal friends, to take them an hour away to my hometown to explore the country and small-town life I grew up in. This entire day is, of course, centered around a fall festival at the grist mill. At least I have the county fair to plan for, only one month away. Paul's mom has talked me into entering the pie contest, and I think I'll also enter a piece or two of sewing, and Paul is going to do a few photographs from his big backpacking trip out West. I suppose the leaves will have to keep their green for a month or so longer, and I will just have to keep on waiting in my summer dress and sandals...

Some highlights from last fall, and what a beautiful one it was!

Taking a stroll through the big graveyard, downtown.

On a Thanksgiving hike in New Hampshire.

On a day with my best friend, Nicole, in our hometown of Mt. Pleasant.

At the state fair in Raleigh. I love the chicken barn and could stay there for hours!

My favorite turkey

Maddox, Nicole's son and my "nephew," eating an ear of roasted corn from the fair.

Picking out pumpkins at the farmer's market.

After our first carving - me on the left, Dustin, and Sarah.

These are our scary Halloween poses.

What we do to keep warm - dance parties in the living room!

Me on the left, Sarah, and Corrie Lynn

Afternoon walk

Sigh...