Bacon

Meet Bacon.

I knitted him

all by myself.

He was a special request from a friend, 

who cannot knit.

You can buy the pattern and make your own.

The pattern says that this dog's name is Tofu.

Mr. wasn't having any of that.

He says any dog knitted in our house needs a good name.

So, Bacon it is.

Breakfast of champions

 Someone is having a birthday.

11 years old

We like to have cake for breakfast

because it is a special day.

But now we have a middle schooler (Sister)

who catches a bus at 6:38  AM

which is early.

I'm sorry, I meant to say TOO EARLY.

She blew out her candles all in one breath.

I hope her wish comes true.

In case you are wondering, 

this cake was the most complicated ever for the busy week we have had 

(and it's only Wednesday).

Luckily I am a planner and I started several days ago.

It has TWO homemade icings.

And the cake is so fragile and moist (and delicious) that it must be frozen before you can manipulate it.

Just like a peanut butter cup

In case you are wondering what makes an 11 year old heart beat fast...

she was thrilled to receive 

a Petoskey stone necklace

and an iHome for the iPod.

The sleepover extravaganza will be this weekend.

Thankfully, we have George to console us.

And a brand new shipment of capsules.

Country Living Festival

Happy Fall!

I like to celebrate by going to the 

Country Living Festival

Just look at these chenille pumpkins

which never rot.

And I am ALL OVER this ruffled tablecloth,

I will make one for my cottage FOR SURE!

If I had an afternoon, 

I would spend it outdoors

among these lovely pillows

All these colors make me want to embroider

even though I find it exceedingly tedious

Who wants to try block printing?

You can buy these on etsy, but I forget who makes them.

I love these strange and quirky pumpkins

Can you tell I am all about ruffles?

These are from Urban Farmhouse, near Columbus. 

I have never been but it is on my list!

90 degrees

Okay. so it was 90 degrees out today.

On September 23.

School picture day.

High humidity=bad hair day for me.

Second year in a row.

I'm only a little bitter.

Last year when I gave Mr. one of MY school pictures he advised me to get re-takes.

Yeah, we have been married a LONG time.

So, what is a girl to do in this oppressive heat?

READ!

Here are a few I've gone through recently.

Julia Child My Life in France: I loved it.  

I saw the movie Julie and Julia and I found I only enjoyed the Julia part, 

(even though I do love Amy Adams).

I have been to France. 

 I love it there.  

More than Italy.

So I loved this book, and you will too.

Wendy Burton Dead End Gene Pool:  Good read.

I adore the Gilded Age.  

I have often thought I was meant to live in those times

even though I would probably have been lucky just to be a maid.

Wendy is the great Commodore's great-great-great-great granddaughter

and she dishes about the family.

And how there is little money left on her side.

It's a little dark, a little funny and a little sad.  

Kristin Chenowith A Little Bit Wicked: Hmm, light.

Super fast read, not much new information, 

unless you didn't know she was trained as an opera singer.

Judith Matloff  Homegirl:  New York Times writer.

about buying a house in Harlem and rehabbing it, 

with drug dealers hanging out on the front stoop.

This gal's got chutzpah.
It's not at all a romantic story of a house turned into a home.
It's gritty and real.

Carole Raziwill  What Remains:  absolutely tender.
I read Just Jackie recently
and while crawling around on the bottom shelf
I was curious abotu this book, as I know that Lee Raziwill is Jackie's sister.
Carole is Lee's son Anthony's wife.
Carole and Anthony were married 5 years and Anthony died of cancer.
This is the tender story of tragic loss.
Reviews on-line were sometimes mean.
It was suggested that the only readers were interested
in reading about JFK Jr. and Caroline Bissett,
who are also included in the story.

IT IS NOT THEIR STORY.
It is a lovely story, but it is not about them.
You should read it.
I cried.
It is lovely, raw, and sometimes ugly.
Just like cancer, love, and loss.
If I ever see Carole Raziwill on the street
I will hug her.

So, that's what I've been doing.
How about you?

Shrinky Dinks

We made Shrinky Dinks.  

Super cool.

You can use the clear plastic salad bar containers.

We got ours from Kroger.

Just be sure it says it is #6 plastic.

I didn't take photos of this part,

but we scuff the surface a little with steel wool, 

then color on it using Sharpies

or color pencils.

Then  bake in a 350 degree oven for about 2 minutes,

maybe less.

Watch and you will know when it is ready.

Rachel is 26.

She had NEVER made Shrinky Dinks.

I KNOW!

I am totally calling her mom.

She was so excited to watch them shrink.

And here she is with the final product.

We decided to make luggage tags.

Super cool!

If you do it too, be sure to punch a hole BEFORE you bake.

Make sure the hole is big enough to put your pinky finger through.

I bet it would make a superb Christmas gift or party favor!

Where have we been?

Did you know our beloved Mac was put to rest?

Now we have a new one, and it is lovely and cleanly designed.

The keyboard has a low profile.  

The speakers are better.

In short, we are all in love.

However, I cannot seem to load more than one picture onto the blog.

Rats!

I planned to show you a final grouping of our last days of summer.

All you get is Sister's 1/2 eaten birthday jawbreaker,

which shows four days of dedicated licking.

Do you think we should keep a dentist on retainer?