because it is a l o n g weekend

i'll keep sign-ups open 'til tuesday. so if you want to swap some cool kiddie tunes drop me an email. (see below for more info.)



finally got this up on the wall. and had to share. oh lisa it is beautiful!

enjoy!

Corners of Our Home 26

did i say see you next week. too much good stuff. just can't stay away.



we finally hung this up in our front entry.

i love it. d crafted all of it - the hooks, the mechanism that makes them go in and out, the box that houses it all, and stained it a beautiful water-based yellow. it was inspired by a photo he saw. we originally thought it might go into the "new" bathroom, but in the end felt it belonged here. (closer look here.)

so now a place to hang all that stuff that used to sit on the bench below...

have a great long weekend! (stay cool!)

sign-ups still open for the kids' music swap - details below...

kids' music swap part deux

because you suggested it mama urchin - how about a another kids' cd swap? i so enjoyed this last time... but will keep myself out this go around and just send out the cds i am already committed to. but i am happy to partner everyone else up. the "rules" again:

- it doesn't have to be strictly "kids' music" but can include music that your kids like - just make sure it is appropriate for swapping...
- there is no age limit for the children to participate - but when possible it would be fun to have them make up the playlist
- be willing to ship overseas (fun to hear an international mix of kids' music!)
- have fun with the packaging but no need to send anything other than the cd
- goal is to ship by late september(i'll pin a date down once sign-ups close)
- interested? email me with kid's cd swap in the subject to: t(dot)bartley(at)att(dot)net and include your name, name(s) and age(s) of your kid(s), your blog address (if you have one - not necessary), and your mailing address
- once i see the interest that is out there (please feel free to "spread the word"!)i will close the sign-ups and randomly match the households I will keep the sign-up for the kids' music swap open until the end of the week(Friday 31 August). Please sign up if you are interested! The more the merrier!!

If you would like a button for your website - you can find it here

my back is feeling a little better - day by day - thanks for your well wishes. back to packing for the beach!

from here


to there


put my back out and am starting to panic a bit about all that needs to be done before the return to school next week. did manage to finally get this sewn together. (the fabric a hand-me-down from my sister-in-law.)

off to the beach on friday for (hopefully) a few days of nothing but cool breezes and sunsets...

see you on the return

p.s. if anyone wants a copy of the below listed cd i'll gladly send out 3. (that doesn't include you hannah!) first 3 to request... xo

summer 07 playlist

(or what we are currently listening to in the mini-van)

vacation {the go-go's}
my doorbell {the white stripes}
me and julio down by the schoolyard {paul simon}
movin' right along {kermit and fozzie}
banana puddin' {southern culture on the skids}
it's a small world {maurice chevalier}
it was a very good year {meatcoaster}
summer nights {john travolta and olivia newton-john}
the magic song (bibbity-bobbity-boo) {mary martin}
born to handjive {sha-na-na}
big yellow taxi {joni mitchell}
jackie jackson {franz ferdinand}
mambo italiano {rosemary clooney}
puff (the magic dragon) {peter,paul and mary}
walk like an egyptian {the bangles}
superball bop {jory felice}
mahna mahna {mahna mahna & the two snowths }
rolling home {dan zanes}



what's on your back to school rotation?

car-pool-mom

can't believe summer is almost behind us. it really has gone to quickly. we tried a variety of things with e over the summer. she had 2 weeks up in canada with me her little sister and my mom. 2 weeks (glorious weeks) at home with her dad. a week with a much admired 15 yr old cousin coming to our home. a week with a neighbour and her gramma. a few days with her bubbe. a movie day with her aunt. and 2 weeks of daycamp. i was really pretty unsure about the daycamp. a neighbour recommended it so i looked into it further. it was at a park on my way to work, with our city parks and rec dept and it was very affordable. so i thought i would give it a go. e loved it. arts and crafts. a little theatre. even a field trip. 1 week in july and 1 four weeks later in august seemed to do the trick. part of the appeal is that she attended both sessions with a close friend who lives a block away. (daughter of the friend of mine who recommended it.) and this last week another little friend from the neighbourhood joined in on the fun. i liked too that we got to know some people in our neighbourhood a little better, and so i pitched in shuttling the kids to and from camp (which worked well with my part-time schedule), and after camp care. (d thinks i am crazy but i really do enjoy a house of noisy - as long as they aren't too noisy! - kids. really.)

as i dropped off e and her friends this morning at daycamp - the chipper teen who assisted with the "valet" (gotta love l.a.)service smiled her chipper smile at me and said "good morning carpool mom!".

my heart swelled.

i loved the sound of it. i love loading up the girls, stopping at the two different houses in our neighbourhood, listening in on their continuous chatter, all of us heading into the preschool to drop off k then reloading and making the journey on to camp. and beyond that, i also love thinking that i have reduced carbon emissions this morning by 2/3. in my own little way.

i know you understand.

must run out the door for my last pick-up of the summer... s i g h

have a great weekend.

green{er} thumb

i have this dream about growing chrysanthemums. (alas, these are from trader joe's) the girls have wanted to grow some ever since the early days of reading this favorite. the elderly filipino man who lives across the street from us grows the most amazing spider variety ones in his front garden. i have asked him his secret but could not understand his response. (his english is quite broken - we call him "mr. big mountain" because that is what we think his pronunciation of his name sounds most like. as well as the fact that he is big and strong and has the most amazing smile - this name seems to fit nicely.) they really are the most amazing chrysanthemums i have every seen. the blooms fitting into my two hands cupped together.

i am learning how to work our soil. our dry hard-packed clay soil. the plants we put in this spring are doing well. especially considering the drought and heatwave we have been going through. i haven't lost any yet. and now we are starting to dream of the cooler days of fall. (october - i know you are just around the corner... hellllooo halloween...) thinking about four beds in the backyard to try our hand at square foot gardening. (inspired by this book. i am so loving it - every page gets me looking to try something new. blueberry bush in a pot - yes!)

and more natives around the pool.

and that chicken coop being filled. (we have had a chicken set-back. the chicks we were looking to adopt ended up being all roosters - and this mother hen just wasn't prepared for that. we have a new lead through path to freedom and are hoping to have two - or three - hens soon!)

and mustn't forget. room in the raised beds for chrysanthemums.

happy wednesday!

a little bias

breakfast

moving the plastic off the table (in this case much worn out placemats)


lunch

and replacing it with something homemade. heavy linen and trim choices by the girls. very simple project. which i needed right now.

i finally got around to making my own bias tape for these. i have been wanting to do this for so long. warning - i found it quite addictive. watch out for more... (this tool made it a cinch!)

noodlin'

just kicking back and enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation.

hope you are too!

(while sitting buy the pool we have started to re-discuss buying a second vehicle. would love your input. more info over at sewgreen...)

have a great weekend!

birds of a feather

on my summer "done" list, i included the initiation of a friday happy hour / playdate group. so good. as our neighbourhood changes and new families move in the sense of community continues to grow. i am not the "creator" of the concept we are following. it began between a couple of neighbours, then combined with an idea another neighbour and i had been discussing. our concept was based on one i heard about happening in an eichler neighbourhood in orange county. the concept is that a flamingo on the front lawn indicates drinks being served. so as said neighbour and i kicked back our raspberry lemon drop we logged onto ebay and scored 8 sets of plastic flamingoes in a rainbow of colour combinations. (perfect for our colourful neighbourhood!) they are from the original don featherstone moulds created in 1957 (just 2 years after our homes had been constructed)- important to the mcm enthusiasts amongst us. the birds were distributed last night. as kids played. mango-tangoes were consumed. and good conversation and company made for a lovely evening.

happy weekend!

up for air

things are still hectic. thanks so much for your comment love and understanding!

a little retail therapy is helping too... i don't advocate it but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

dreaming of projects to come...