Pattern

*Image & pillow by Willa Skye

The pattern on this fabric is what I have been looking for in a curtain. I have no idea where I can get my hands on something like this, but I am looking. Decorating my home is not an easy task, especially if what I am looking for does not currently exist or is difficult to find. This will not deter me from looking, it will only keep the blanket my husband stapled into the bedroom window up for a little while longer... Do you have any recommendations for finding great fabric?

Boomers

*Image by jheintz21

The clouds rolled in last night and the humidity rose. It wasn't quite the storm I was expecting, but we did get some thunder, lightning and some rain. The best part about it all is that the lawn is watered and the temperature is down. I can appreciate a good storm, especially when it cools everything down in the summer. Now all I need is a nice chair so I can sit down and watch the sky. Are you a fan of summer storms?

Meat

*Image via MsBlueSky

We purchased a grill over Father's Day weekend and dinners have been charbroiled ever since. My husband is excited to flip a switch and heat up the grill for dinners nightly. Amazingly, that sucker can get up to 700 degrees in about ten minutes (hence the hockey puck chicken thighs we had on the first night). Now that the novelty is wearing off we can grill some vegetables or maybe even a pizza or some tofu. I'm wearing out from the meat. What is your favorite grilled dish? Any recommendations?

Shade

*Image by Noelii

I am glad to have a nice shaded patio in our new home. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll find some well-priced patio furniture. I've been scouring the internet and I'm shopping around locally so that I can entertain people in our yard now. Entertaining is something I love and I am excited to have a space to do it now. Yay for patios and grilling and cool evenings under the stars.

Aces

*Image, cards & magnets by Secret Pocket via 100 Layer Cake

For some reason playing cards have made their way into my decor and onto my walls. I have a few sentimental cards that I have hung onto and put up. One has gone from classroom to classroom with me. Paired with these great magnets I can see these on a fun tin inspiration board. Our new refrigerator is stainless so that means I need to find a new place to hang grocery lists and holiday cards. I could also handle some magnetic paint to make my walls have a secret function. Do you have any fun accents you like to display?

Guests

*Image by cassmolic

Hopefully now I will be able to be a better hostess, having been in Texas for almost a year. The last few times I've had visitors I still felt like a guest in town myself. Now, I have friends coming to town for a stretch of time and I have some destinations in mind, one of them being a pool because it is definitely the time of year to soak outside. I am excited to be in the company of good friends who have been far away for too long. I love this new feeling of confidence in my hostess skills. Now, all I have to do is ready the guest room because it is still full of boxes... What are your plans for the weekend?

Curtains

*Image via Anthropologie

Our dog is afraid of his reflection. At night when he sees himself in the living room window his back wrinkles and bristles and he starts with the low barks. It's really quite difficult to convince him that he's ok and that there isn't some other bulldog loitering in the yard. We do many investigations on the porch, but he's back at it minutes later. I guess this really means I need to get my act together and get some curtains, for the sake of my dog at least. I'm having trouble deciding how to pull my room together but am challenging myself to go for something bold or patterned. This will be my task for the week (and part of next week too because, well - it's Thursday). Any goals you plan to accomplish soon?

Heart

*Image & necklace by Truche via Silver Lining

Wearing a necklace is usually something I do only for special occasions. I think that this could be a daily occasion or something special I could proudly incorporate into my wardrobe. The charm says it all (that is Washington state - for the geographically challenged). Where is your heart geographically located?

Gossip

*Image & print via Keep Calm Gallery

Not being home I miss out on much of the local gossip - not that there is much to miss. I think that this poster would be fantastically appropriate for an 8th grade classroom - or any classroom for that matter. Kids gossip all of the time, and when I am ticked off and one of them has the sense to read my Keep Calm poster back to me (only to a snarled retort of "you don't even know what that means") maybe they could learn by reading this poster. What do you think?

Donation

*Image via Out of Print Clothing

The t-shirt is a basic article of clothing that I cannot live without. I am also highly enchanted by book. The combination of the two is heavenly. Some of my all time favorite books are now represented on soft cotton and I think I know which shirt I'll get first. On top of all that, they had to sweeten the deal by donating a book to a community in need in Africa. So now, three birds with one stone and four, if you count encouraging reading all around. I am a proud geek today and a fan of Out of Print Clothing. Which shirt would you choose?

Father

*Image & card by e. m. papers

Happy day to all of the fathers out there, especially to my dad. Hope you have a wonderfully relaxing day where someone else mows the lawn, cooks dinner, or lets you have the remote all day long. My dad is taking a cheese making class for father's day, what is your dad up to?

Hula

*Image by Neil Krug

This is another place I gather my inspiration. I love the colors of beach cottages and Hawaiian vistas. These tend to be softer shades that inspire relaxation, but who would deny that relaxing at home or on the beach is a bad thing? Put me next to the ocean any day and I will be happy. The closest thing I get to the ocean in my current home is a bath tub or our soon-to-be-purchased doggy pool. What inspires your relaxation?

Bright

*Image via Apartment Therapy

When it comes to bold color I am usually not that brave with my walls. If my husband had his way, at least one wall in the house would be some bright shade of orange. After seeing this wall color and how well it brought out everything else in the room, I got excited. I must remind myself that I do not like to paint, but a wall here and there is something I can get behind. Now I find myself contemplating which walls and which colors as I look around the house. This is a good thing. How do you feel about painting?

Reader

*Image by .dreissig:zehn.

Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I can curl up with a good book and while away my hours reading. When I was younger and on my way to summer camp my grandmother would often buy me a book and then hide it so I wouldn't finish it before I actually left. Yesterday I spent part of my day finishing The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I purposely didn't buy this book until after we had moved because I slacked off and didn't pack for a day while reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. The Stieg Larsson trilogy is one I would, now, highly recommend. At first, I was confused as to why everyone thought that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was so great. Then, I got further into the book and found out why everyone gushed about the plot. When I announced that I had finished the third book my husband sarcastically replied, "good, real life resumes." That pretty much sums up my reading habit. What do you find yourself consumed with?

Sew

*Image & Pattern by Built by Wendy

I have some decorative pillows to sew this summer and I've been holding on to some fabric for a while. I want to make a skirt or fun top. These patterns look simple enough and could be a fun summer project. I have to find some way to occupy my time because reading a book a day cannot continue. (More on that tomorrow). Do you have any crafty plans for the summer?

Gators

*Image by Slingher

Now, after competing in Nationals I am officially a Gator Gal. Before last weekend, I was there for practices and was learning the ropes. Now, after the trip I feel like the induction is complete. We had a fantastic time and our 20+ team played better with each consecutive game. (We weren't expecting to win against those fresh faced 20 year old girls...) Our role models on the 50+ team were amazing and took home the silver after a great game. I've never been so excited to turn 30. How was your weekend?

Away

*Image by Johnnyfez

As quickly as I returned from my moving hiatus I'm off for the weekend. I'm heading to San Diego with the Gator Gals to play in the Water Polo Master's Nationals. This is exciting and it is also making me nervous. The stakes are high because our team is playing in a younger bracket 20+ (vs. the 30+ we had hoped for). This means we probably won't win as many games as we'd like but I'm excited to sport all of the green I can and to have fun. My towels are packed and I'll be back with exciting reports on Monday. Have a great weekend!

View

*Image by sfgirlbybay

I love Victoria's clean style, I think of it when setting up my own work space. I decided to try something different. Usually, I browse the internet and blog from the couch. It's easy when you have a small little laptop, but not so much when you have a bulldog who thinks he's a lap dog. In the new house I have set up my desk in front of a widow with a lovely view of the back yard. I've resisted taking my computer to the couch and will be utilizing my new space. It feels nice. I don't get distracted as easily and can watch the cat stalk bugs in the back yard. Where is your computer located?

Bleary

*Image by δheℓℓy

I am so sleepy today. I tossed and turned all night, had strange dreams and bouts of sleepiness and wakefulness. It could have been the lightening storm or the lack or curtains. Today I'm going to put up temporary curtains (read - tape packing paper into windows). What do you do when you can't sleep?

Return

*Image & jewelry by Finestimaginary

The house is over 50% unpacked and now we finally have internet... is this a good thing? I have to do some tweaking and fine tuning but am pleased with the amount of energy I've had over the past few days to get everything put away. (Almost super-human...) I have been successful at getting the boxes unpacked, flattened and out of my sight. My new office is almost completely unpacked and I am blogging from the desk with a view of the new back yard. Life is grand. I cannot complain about the perfect timing of summer vacation.

Moved

*Image by Man met bril

The boxes have been packed and moved, and unpacked from the truck, the pets have been bathed (to be doubly sure that no fleas make it into the new place) and now we settle in. This is going to be a great week. I'm not really looking forward to cleaning the old place, but it will give me an excuse to visit my neighbors. I am excited to start putting things away and getting settled in the new place. I'm even happier that I don't have to go to work on Monday, but that is a whole other story. Posting will probably be light because we don't have internet at the new place yet, but don't fret - I'll be back.

Home owners

*Image by Siscafoto

We have the keys! We are home owners! I am so excited to be moving in this weekend. This is also a great time to be moving because I am officially done with children and have plenty of time to get settled in and to begin decorating. I'm so excited to go and unlock the front door to my new home. What are you doing this weekend?

So close

*Image by owaief89

No more teacher's dirty looks right? Oh wait, that would be me... Packing up the house and the classroom and closing on the house all within days of each other is quite a week. I may have less posting as I get ready to move out of school and my house. I cannot wait for that final bell to ring.

Neclace

*Image via Anthropologie

I'm not really a necklace-wearing gal. This, or the fashion of wearing large statement making necklaces could help me change my mind. I am also a recent convert to showy earrings and like having noticeable accents now that I am used to them. This could be the next step.