absolutely no diving

This weekend, we had a pool day.  Now I know that lots of people have neighborhood pools or pool memberships and going to the pool is rather ho-hum.  A nice diversion for a few hours when it's too hot to do anything else. 

So I feel the need to clarify a bit exactly what a pool day looks like for us.  For starters, it is a day, not a few hours.  We start in the morning and try to finish up before dinner, but it's really only worth doing if you have a long stretch of time to enjoy it. 

It all begins with the blue tarp.  The tarp goes in the middle of the back yard to protect the bottom of the pool and provide a bit of cushioning. 

Then the pool comes out and gets blown up, level by level.  There are three separate air chambers and, praise the Lord, we have an electric air pump. 

While we wait for it to fill, we make some snacks and drinks to enjoy on our fancy outdoor dishes.  I also gather up books and magazines, because I like to read in the pool.  Or make phone calls and say, "I'm at the pool right now..."

 We spread out towels for sunbathing and drying off. 



And our beach chairs do not have to wait for a week at the beach to be called into action. 

When we've had as much fun as we can handle for one day, we drain the pool, dry it off, and fold it back up. 

At this point, I'm sure you probably have a few questions, so I'll answer those real quick:

     No, no children.

     This is our fourth summer with the pool.

     The neighbors are pretty used to it by now.  They don't even stare anymore. 

My favorite part are the directions printed on the side of the pool that say helpful things like "do not use this pool in a large body of water" and "absolutely no diving". 

I guess I'll have to find somewhere else to practice my forward pike. 

kitchen inspiration

Today I'm linking up with Gussy of Gussy Sews as part of her Inspiration Workshop.  The workshop is such a cool idea and I love seeing what inspires other creative people. 

This week's theme is "kitchen", so I looked around my own kitchen today for some inspiration to share. 

Nothing inspires me quite like my beautiful vintage yellow KitchenAid mixer.  It was a housewarming gift from a bunch of people I love and has inspired the color scheme for the whole kitchen.  In fact, one day I dreamed aloud about having a trash can that would match the mixer and...

Can you believe it?!?  They are literally the exact same color.  I love it. 

Although I do have a lot of yellow in my kitchen, I also fancy other bright colors like red and pink and orange.  In the summertime, I like to line the window above the sink with pretty ceramics. 

The kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in our house.  This weekend, I plan to use it to make some coconut macaroons that I've been craving.  Hope your weekend is equally sweet!

the day has arrived

If you guessed that what I did today was put on my Easter dress, decorate the family room with fabric bunting, and take a million more pictures, you would be right.

If you didn't guess that, maybe you don't know me as well as you thought you did. 

I am super excited to announce that after about two months of prep work, planning, and photography (say that five times fast), the party kits are in the shop*!  Head on over and check them out and be sure to let me know what you think! 

*I promise that, now that I have completed this major task, I will resume regular life activities and stop boring you with pictures of me standing near what are now very, VERY stale cupcakes.  I may even leave the house tomorrow**.  Brace yourselves.   

**In all fairness, I actually left the house yesterday and had quite a grand time, but there are no pictures to prove it.  You'll just have to take my word for it. 

***ps- if you want to see what else I've been up to today, check out this Etsy treasury I created.

same old, same old

It was just another ordinary weekend.  We kicked it off with dinner at the Waldhorn Restaurant and ate German food while listening to a man play the accordion.  He was wearing lederhosen, obviously. 

I know this would be a bit more believable if I could produce a picture, but you just can't make this stuff up. 

Besides, if I were making up a story about eating out, I doubt I would have included a rotund German man in leather shorts.  Even I'm not that creative. 

After such an illustrious start to the weekend, the logical thing to do on Saturday was crash the alumni weekend at a college we didn't attend. 

We were actually trying to photograph the party kits. 

The alumni had many helpful photography suggestions for Steve. 

And a few pretended to eat the large cupcake I was holding. 

I can't promise that things got any less weird when we pulled out wine glasses and pink lemonade and toasted each other over and over on this bench. 

Have you ever tried to stage a party using only two people? 

I think it should be the newest immunity challenge on Survivor. 

And so, after a long weekend of toasting and serving each other inedible cupcakes, I ended up with over 450 pictures and a whole new level of appreciation for my patient husband. 

He deserves a cupcake. 

One he can actually eat. 

With a little luck, the party kits will start showing up in the shop very soon.  When you see them, go ahead and pretend that the pictures were taken at an actual party.  One that was not broken up by the campus police. 

scenes from a Friday

Remember these guys?  They are now spending their days serenading us with loud chirps and waiting for mom and dad to get back with the food.  I think it's a good thing there were just two of them this year because they seem a bit... cozy. 

So today began with chirping birds and my favorite summer meal.  As long as I can remember, my grandfather has been eating cottage cheese with fruit and nuts for lunch.  It's his usual.  And I always felt like that would not be enough food, but he assured me that if he ate anything else for lunch, he would get hungry before dinner, but that the fruit was just right. 

Last summer, I tried it.  Except with plain yogurt.  And do you know what?  He was right.  I wasn't hungry again until dinner.  I guess with 90 years of eating experience, Grandpa's got a few things figured out. 



Today will be filled with chores and errands and admiring my thread, grouped by color.  Throughout my childhood, this shadow box hung in our house, filled with German Christmas ornaments and small figurines.  I have long been wishing for a shadow box to hold my thread, so that I could see every color all at once.  So when I found this old friend in my mom's garage, I brought it right home and cleaned it up and put it on the wall behind my sewing table. 

Note to self: stop buying black thread.  You have plenty. 

Hope your weekend is grand!

let's get this party started

Picture with me: you volunteer for the somewhat daunting task of throwing a party.  Maybe it's a 60th birthday party for your mom, maybe it's a baby shower for your best friend.  Whatever the occasion, you want it to be spectacular.  You want the guest of honor to feel loved and celebrated.  You want people to walk in and think, "Now THIS is a party!"

And then it hits you- paper plates and balloons aren't going to cut it.  You need to take things to the next level. 

Allow me to introduce you to.... the next level.  Plumfield Shop Party Kits. 

I am so excited about this idea that I could burst.  The party kits were inspired by this fabric banner and the fact that we managed to use it three times in one month.   We literally turned a four person gathering into a party, just by hanging the banner and making stuffed mushrooms. 

Each party kit includes a 20 foot long fabric banner, 16 cloth cocktail napkins, 16 cupcake flags, and a flower corsage.  Originally, I thought that the corsage could be worn by either the hostess or the guest of honor, but I have also realized that it makes a lovely gift topper.  The sky's the limit. 

There are also extras that you can add onto your kit to suit your individual party needs.  You can request a longer banner, or extra napkins and cupcake flags.  You can also add a matching table runner or word banner.  (Remember my birthday?)  The best part is that it all matches and it is all reusable!  No more buying a million packs of those tiny paper party napkins and then having six left over that don't go with anything and just sit in your pantry for a year. (can I get an amen?)

The kits are available in four different colorways, so you are bound to find one that suits the occasion.  Or many occasions.  I mean, could you ever tire of navy and white? 

Another fun use for party kits would be to send one to loved one who is far away.  It's like a party in a box. 

The kits will be showing up in the shop just as soon as I can get the pictures ready.  They are sitting here now, ready to go out and spread some party joy. 

Party on.

welcome to weaverville

Little known fact: I once spent a month in Weaverville, North Carolina working as a night cook at a camp.  Unfortunately, preparing meals for 500 people from 11am to 11pm did not leave a lot of time for seeing the town.  On the upside, I did learn how to crack two eggs simultaneously. 

But this weekend, we stayed with our friends who live near Weaverville (just north of Asheville) and had plenty of time to check it out.  I love small towns. 

On Saturday, after checking out the kittens at the Humane Society booth at the farmer's market and buying tons of strawberries, we put the kiddo down for a nap and hit the town. 

Possibly my favorite part of the weekend: parking in one spot and then walking to the pharmacy, pizza parlor, library, and cafe.  And when I say "pharmacy", I mean one of the great ones that you almost never see anymore, with fresh squeezed lemonade and homemade ice cream.  We shared a scoop of the lemon berry swirl, even though it was right before lunch.  We're wild like that. 

In the afternoon, we went to the park and played and watched the ducks. 

Yes, we are wearing the exact same color shirt. 

We've been married six years, remember?  It just happens. 

The grown-ups had a fancy evening in downtown Asheville, complete with live music and lots of seafood.  Lobster mac and cheese = amazing. 

Much to my delight, Stephanie and Jason have chosen to attend a beautiful church that is on the national register of historic places.  The stained glass was lovely and each pew was intricately carved. 

We walked to the cafe after church and ate brunch and I noticed that the cafe is currently hiring and contemplated how fun it would be to work there. 

After saying our goodbyes, Steve and I snuck away for some shopping and an early dinner at our favorite place before heading home. 

The weekend felt very celebratory and I'm still in a celebratory mood this morning, as I fold fabric and do laundry.  My to-do list for the day was divided into two categories: before it gets hot and after it gets hot.  Welcome, summer.  You always show up earlier than I expect and stay longer than I'd like.