Ocean City, season 7
We had our regular mid-Spring escape to Ocean City again last weekend. The kids have come to refer to these annual outings as if they were seasons of a TV show. Ocean City, season 7 premiered on a beautifully warm Thursday evening, and ran for five episodes, ending its run on a wet and cool Monday afternoon.
We’ve come to expect rain and cold on these trips. (Remember season 3? Brrrr.) Last year we were spoiled with the most amazing weather, so I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised to see things return to normal: the loveliest days of the week were the afternoon before we arrived, and the day after we left. We had just one good beach day out of the three full days and two half days were were there. There was a lot of fog and drizzle on this trip, but it wasn’t as cold as it could have been, so that is something.
And we had some late-night fun sneaking up and down the boardwalk in our pajamas under the cover of that fog one night. (Sometimes it’s really cool to say YES to those crazy requests from your kids, even if you think you’d prefer to stay cozy indoors watching PBS with a cup of herbal tea. It ended up being a real hoot!)
This time around, we ate a lot less boardwalk food and had two out of three meals in our room with ingredients we brought from home. And we walked for miles up and down the boardwalk, and into town and back. All of that exercise and good-eating, and I came back home two pounds heavier than when I left. Can you imagine what I would have gained if I’d eaten whatever I wanted and laid around for four days? Yikes.
There was a major beach replenishment project happening while we were there, and it was interesting to watch the equipment do its thing. They appeared to be working round the clock. Hurricane Sandy had washed away a lot of beach, and the dunes were having to be rebuilt.
Additionally, the hotel itself was working on replacing the outdoor carpeting in time for Memorial Day weekend. Usually they have that kind of thing completed by the time of our little vacation, but this year it had been too chilly to get it done.
It doesn’t seem to matter how bad the weather is, I always feel like our time in Ocean City is so special and so fleeting. Maybe someday we can take a whole week there. How cool would that be?
Weekend Favorites
Did you know this is our 20th week doing the Weekend Favorites thing together? I’ll be honest – I wasn’t sure I could stick with this, but if I could manage it the last two weeks, which have been totally weird for me, schedule-wise, then I think this series is a keeper. Assuming I can remember what day it is all summer…
On Flickr
Have you seen the new Flickr look? I like it. And somehow, even though I did not spend that much extra time there this week, my favorites mosaic is rather large! I guess there was just a lot of inspiring stuff to be seen.
The mosaic below represents other people’s pictures that spoke to me this week. Be sure to click on the titles below the mosaic, if you want to know more about the image or the photographer behind it.
1. …They’re purse handles., 2. Bohemian Flowers, Flower Collage, Mixed Media Flower Painting by Sascalia, 3. Pyrex Wall, 4. Wonder wheel, 5. today’s colours, 6. mothers day picnic, 7. Building friendship on a flower, 8. Nellie, 9. Landscapes, 10. WIP, 11. Rainbow Bands quilted, 12. boy bunny with a piebald patch, 13. CMYK cushion front, 14. spin me, 15. ferris wheel, 16. The Tivoli Cushion, 17. Ahhh. I’m so in love. Can’t wait to list these in etsy tomorrow. #handmade #kindle, 18. DSC_5087.jpg, 19. I’m going to call this photo “Malodorous Cargo.”, 20. Copperfield, 21. Spools, 22. New Look 6674, 23. Vodka Lemonade, 24. Day 26, 25. Chicopee Hexagon Quilt Top
Around the Web
I spend an hour or so every morning, Monday through Thursday, sharing my favorite crafty links on Sulia (although this week I crammed them all in Wednesday and Thursday nights). And then I repeat them here on Fridays.
Yarn
- File under: Things I Won’t Be Wearing To The Beach. Ever.
- Crochet your own pattern weights using pocket change. From The Zen of Making
- Salt and Pepper Cowl knitting pattern from The Purl Bee
- WEBS recommends, knit your sleeves using the two-at-a-time method you usually use for socks.
Fabric
- Very cool, inexpensive, no-sew beach bag from A Little Glass Box
- Got two tees? Turn them into a nifty beach cover up. From WobiSobi
Feathering Your Nest
- Simple beachy decor from Charmingly Shabby Designs
- Beach photo jar from Fiskars Craft
- DIY weathered beach signs from Crafts by Amanda
- How cool is this? DIY Concrete Pendant Lamps from Ben Uyeda via Brit+Co.
- How to display artwork on the cheap with maximum impact, a tutorial from Wee Design Group
Other stuff
- Make a travel candle to bring to the beach, from Kate Pruitt via Design*Sponge
- Whoa. A functional LEGO® Stargate! by Kelly McKiernan
- Funky shoe round-up: 20 ways to Mod-Podge your kicks via Mod Podge Rocks.
- So, you want to survey your blog readers. First check out this advice from CraftyPod.
- It’s a Stargate kind of night, I guess. Here’s a tutorial for making your own SG glyph foam stamp from Geek Crafts
I hope you’ll be enjoying a nice three-day weekend along with me. I love Memorial Day weekend so much. Have a good one! XOXO
Just the right amount of fanfare
Wednesday, I turned 42. And it was a fabulous day.
Far too often, I find myself feeling a smidge disappointed at the end of a birthday. I know some adults like to be low-key about the whole thing, but I’m really still a little kid when it comes to my birthday, and how much of a Big Deal I believe it should be.
In my house, I am the Birthday Fairy, for the most part. I make the cakes, I plan the parties, and I hang the festive bunting in the kitchen. And when my own birthday comes around? No cake. No party. No festive bunting in the kitchen. Just a vague feeling that maybe the men in my life could have shown a tiny bit more enthusiasm.
Don’t get me wrong! Neil does a lovely job with the gift-giving (he has completely nailed it the last couple of years for me, I must say), and he always takes me out to dinner. But it doesn’t occur to him to pepper the house with celebratory decorations and smells. In the past, this has bothered me, some years more than others.
This year, I decided recently, would be different. I thought about the whole thing objectively, and it comes down to this: if I am the fanfare provider in this house, and only I really know just how much fanfare I require to be happy, then maybe it’s time I take control of my own celebration. I can make myself a cake, I don’t particularly care about having a party, and I can hang my own festive bunting in the kitchen.
What a simple, simple idea, and yet such a revelation to me!
So yesterday, I took myself out to O Bagel for lunch and had my very favorite sandwich (a rare midweek treat for me). In the afternoon, I tied on an apron, played my Pandora shuffle really loudly, twirled around the kitchen, and baked myself some cherry cupcakes. Then I stepped up on the stool and hung my banner over the kitchen table. I spent most of the day alone, and yet it was full of simple pleasures.
Later, Neil and the boys took me out to the Stirling Hotel for supper, and they gave me a super cool birthday present: a 35mm f/2 lens for my camera (I totally love it – it is great in low light, I can get nice and close to my subject if I want to, and the background blur is dreamy. *swoon*).
There is no doubt in my mind now, that there are just some parts of the birthday celebration that I am better taking charge of myself. I live with a man who would be perfectly content with nothing more than a wave and a “Happy Birthday” when his turn comes around. His requirements for a successful birthday are simple, and mine are anything but. It’s not that I want a lot. It’s just that I want things that don’t even occur to him. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t wake up thinking about bunting and cherry cupcakes. But I do. (And, maybe next year I will wake up thinking of balloons and brownies – who knows? I don’t yet, and Neil certainly doesn’t either.)
My new recipe for birthday happiness: let the guys stick with the parts that they are good at (picking out gifts and taking me to a favorite spot for supper) and I’ll take care of anything else I may require, whatever that looks like from year to year.
P.S. Those cherry cupcakes were pretty good, if a little dry. I adapted them from here. The dryness was probably my fault, not the original recipe’s. But I’ll have to make another batch just to be sure…
My space
We left for Ocean City, NJ on Thursday night, and returned home yesterday (Monday) evening. In between, we had the usual great time, which I would love to share with you, except I haven’t processed my photos yet. These are the ones I Instaflicked* this weekend, and if you follow me on any social media, you may have already seen them. I’ll be back later this week with a proper “What I Did on my Spring Vacation” essay. Suffice it to say, four days is never enough!
In other news:
I thought I’d point you to Wee Design Group. Wanda and I were in high school together (although, in true 21st century fashion, I think we’ve probably communicated more on Facebook than we ever did in person). When I saw her lovely Etsy shop, and the bird print she made in colors that were perfect (perfect, I tell you!) for my family room, I bought one on the spot. As you may remember, I’ve been paying some more attention (read: any attention at all) to that room lately and handmade touches are a big part of that. I want the artwork to be personal in some way, whether it be posters from Neil’s magazine, photos I took, or prints from old high school acquaintances.
Wanda has just started a blog series where she features room makeovers from her readers, and my family room got to be Reader Space #1! Cool, eh? Check it out. And while you’re there, have a look around. Wanda has some other cool weekly features. I especially like the style boards she makes based on products in her Etsy shop.
* Instaflick = an instagram-esque way I’ve devised to share my square-format photos, using flickr as a base of operations instead of (or sometimes in addition to) instagram.
Weekend Favorites
Some weeks, you can tell by looking at my Flickr favorites, what has been on my mind. Beach quilts, anyone? I’m getting in the mood to unfurl my own beach quilt on the sand. Soon!
On Flickr
The mosaic below represents other people’s pictures that spoke to me this week. Be sure to click on the titles below the mosaic, if you want to know more about the image or the photographer behind it.
1. Pillow Stack, 2. One of these pictures because it’s this time of year., 3. 20121109_quilts, 4. quilt, 5. Beach quilt on chair, 6. summer beach quilt, 7. orange crush revisited, 8. {HBM} Fox in Sox, 9. reading in bed
Around the Web
I spend an hour or so every morning, Monday through Thursday, sharing my favorite crafty links on Sulia. And then I repeat them here on Fridays.
Yarn
- Whimsylove shows you how to upcycle old cans into knitted vases.
- Granny squares of a million different sizes come together in a lovely way on this blanket by Buscando Comienzos
- Guy-friendly crochet blanket from Facil y Sencillo
- I love the name of this blanket from Crochet Today: The Man ‘Ghan
- Is it a tea towel or a blanket? (hint: it’s a blanket), from The Purl Bee
- Check out this great sweater recycle from LiveJournal’s _anemone_.
Fabric
- I’m slightly tea towel obsessed at the moment, so this project from The Purl Bee really grabs me.
- Analog Me shows you how to fix that too-big t-shirt.
- DIY mason jar sewing kits from Wait ’til your Father gets Home
- Loving this idea for a DIY shower curtain from Brett Bara via Design Sponge
- How to add a cuff to a pants or shorts pattern, from Me Sew Crazy via Craftaholics Anonymous
- Lovely little zipper pouches from Spotted Stones
Other materials
- Turn toilet paper rolls into festive party decorations, from Just Crafty Enough
- Mod Podge clip art coasters from Inspired Ideas
- Painting on rocks from Magsiesss Seaview Hideout
- Make this simple abstract botanical pendant from Mod Podge Rocks
Crafty business
- 5 things Brandi Girl Blog has learned about blogging so far
- 5 more things Brandi Girl Blog has learned about blogging
- 31 Days to a Better Photo from My 3 Boybarians
That ought to keep you busy for a little while. Stay out of trouble this weekend!
