The Best Four Days of the Summer, Part Two

So while I was chillaxin' with my book and a lemonade in the hammock, Karl and my dad built a garage. Or did the first few big steps of building it. I helped for several minute, just long enough to figure out just how hot and sweaty it was and how very weak I am.

We arrived home Monday night to a garden full of vegetables. We have to eat so many just to stay ahead of them. Please come visit me and take some! Everything below came from the garden - my best broccoli yet I think.

And... my first foray into canning. We eat a lot of pickles and I've been spoiled by the ones my mom makes, but I feel a little parasitic taking a bunch of jars home with me whenever we visit. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and put the excess cukes to use. They look good, and I think I did it right, so we'll see in a month!

The Best Four Days of the Summer, Part One

Yes, it was that good. So good I hardly even took any pictures. Swimming in the lake every day, eating amazing food, reading lots, wearing no makeup, very little bathing, minimal underwear - that's what happens to me. I think it might be dangerous long-term, but for a long weekend it doesn't get much better. These are the few pictures I took: breakfast, the yard and porch in the morning. Just the basics.

Sigh...

Just got back from a magnificent weekend at my parents house. I'll post about it tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great long weekend. I'm already counting the days until the next one.

A slightly romantic story.

When the friend who introduced Karl to me (hi Elise!) tried to describe him to me, she told me he was a good skateboarder and had cool t-shirts. Yes, every woman's dream guy. OK, she didn't really know him very well, but it was obviously enough for me to give him a chance. And the rest, as they say, is history. I was hanging out the laundry today and I was reminded of that t-shirt comment. He has a huge collection, and these animal ones are just one small sub-set. There are endless drawers full, which I love, because he can't get on my case about collecting clothes. Thanks again Elise!

At what point...

... does it become a fetish?

Sigh. All I need is a higher pain threshold and a BIG raise.

Shoe photos from:

Jak & Jil

Nature Time

I mentioned a crazy thunder and lightening storm the other night... It was really awesome. The sky was truly this orange just before it arrived. It was amazing thunder and lightening crashing all around. For some reason I really love any extreme weather. Hot and dry, monsoon rains, insane wind, big snow storms: I find it very exciting. I know it gets tiresome after a while, but I'm usually into it long after other people are annoyed. I just love how we're at the mercy of nature.

This little (big!) dude was hanging out on our tree yesterday. I find it strangely satisfying when bugs like our yard, like, yes, this is the place to be.

Barely

I often read local fashion blog Style Symmetry; she's got great style and has a nice assortment of posts (outfits, photos, interviews, news etc.) and I really like this feature she's been doing where readers send in photos of themselves with no makeup on. It's kind of neat, because I imagine many people are like me in not wanting to take photos for an outfit post unless you're kind of made up, or at least looking good. It's nice to see people au natural.

So here's me:

Yes, I know, where are my eyelashes and eyebrows? The magic of being a redhead! It's a little freaky and albino-y, but oh well. I once dumped a hairdresser after he repeatedly encouraged me to have my eyelashes and brows dyed. I'd rather put on makeup every day than change the way I look permanently.

New Drawers

What's a good sign that you need new underwear? How about when you go to hang up the laundry on the clothes line and you are too ashamed to put some of your undies out because they are too ratty for the neighbors to see? Yeah, that happened. I just love some of the old ones and it's hard to part, but the time has come. So I bought a bunch of new ones today, as well as two bras, though nothing matching because as I mentioned before, I'm bad with that. Too cheap to shell out for the sets. But it's great to purge once and a while. Now I can't wait to do laundry to show off all my cute new panties - polka dots, florals, bright pink...

These aren't the ones I bought, just a few cute ones from Polyvore.

cool blue

Too hot to write, just some cool blue ladies from my files to chill you out.

his 'n' hers

Karl's been killing it with the nature shirts at Value Villages lately, and due to his reluctance to try things on I sometimes luck out. I like the wolves!

Also, wolves in music videos are good, obviously.

Elevator lady, lady levitate me...

What a great Sunday. Hot hot hot, breakfast at the place Karl and I met, reading in the shady back yard, Strongbow, Dire Straits, dinner from the garden. You can't beat that with a stick!

Over exposed, but fitting, as the news is forecasting a "potentially deadly" heatwave. Gotta love the hyperbole. I truly love/hate it when the news names weather events - "Heatwave Massacre '09"?

I'd like to introduce you to MAC "Pink Nouveau". It's even more matte then I thought at first, which I LOVE. It's trendy, like Mary told me, so I've just got to wear the shit out of it this summer. I have to say, wearing lipstick is surprisingly easy. I thought it would be all high-maintenance.

New swimsuit, from the thrift store. But it really does seem brand new and unworn. It's like two layers, black holey over nude. I've been wearing it since around one o'clock. By the way, I hate doing household chores when it's hot. Nothing like a sink full of scalding water when it's 25 degrees out!

I've been tired...

Yes, I'm as tired as I look. It's been a long week. I think some chocolate-zucchini cake will help take the edge off. And some Cops. Guilty pleasures!

Anyway, I love this clutch I got at the thrift store. I've never done clutches before; they're a little high-maintenance. But I couldn't resist the floral with leather trim, and the fold-over style. It has a wrist strap, which is helpful.

Mary helped me buy lipsticks today after work, and I'm so happy with them!! Pictures soon.

Crazy big thunder and lightening and rain storm tonight. I love it.

places named after numbers

Yes, the Jessica-Simpson-on-a-KFC-bender jeans return. We went out for awesome burgers at Vera's Burgers tonight - sometimes you have to put the high-waisted jeans to use.

Kind of nice to have one day that's cool enough to wear jeans. Just one though.

Adorn Recommends

Cat modification!!! No, it's not revenge for her scratching me, we just always cut Morgan's tail off blunt. You know, people with fancy little dogs and exotic cats do all kind of purty grooming, but with a DSH your options are pretty limited. I'll credit Karl with coming up with this idea.

Before

Don't worry, it doesn't hurt.

There, so much better.

I like to think that it gives her a distinctive, jaunty look. All the other neighborhood cats are probably jealous, right?

Alight