Five things...

Feeling a little ragged these last few days. Still adjusting to our new fall schedule of school/sports for the little ones, and the long hours of work/school for the grown-ups.

On the upside, this is a busy time for the shop as well, custom orders are fluttering in and I wake every day enthused and inspired.

Without further ado, here are this week's Five things:

The first football game of the season...

Sweet Sadie, my mother-in-law's intuitive and gentle-spirited German Sherpherd Dog who is staying with us this week. I've missed having two dogs!

Who is this child? She needs a haircut.

And someone to squeeze her cheeks.

Sir Rockstar, who has shown me this week that the last 18 months of consistent, hair-pulling training are paying off. He is becoming such a good dog.

(finally!)

The gorgeous glass of Beaujolais that helped glue my sanity back together after my younger child locked myself and my older child out of the house. That is a post for another time, most likely entitled, "How I aged 10 years in 15 minutes".

I'm off in a few hours to enjoy a night out with a great friend, hope you are looking forward to your weekend plans, as well!

xoxo

A little something fancy...

These shawls were a custom order for a special customer and I'm thrilled with how they turned out, so I am including them in my Fall/Winter line this year.

The Urban Shawlette:

I love these buttons - graceful, feminine and sturdy , and they are machine washable!

I will be featuring the Nightshade version in the shop tonight:

This piece is very similar to this wild-child:

Except it is constructed in a smaller stitch pattern, a different fiber (merino wool or sport-weight cotton), and sports that gorgeous vintage pewter button.

I'll have more pieces from my F/W line debuting here soon...

xxoo

~G~

Dogs and Eggplant...

Saturday was one of my very best, most favorite days all summer. After sleeping in (thank you, Chad!), I saw the girls off to my mother-in-law's, skipped into the house, grabbed my dog and zipped out to Dog Days at the Ironwood Outdoor Center in Lumberton. At the end of every summer season they drain their pool until it's about 1.5 feet deep and host a dog-friendly event to benefit one of the local breed rescues. Awesome idea.

Rocky had giant buckets of fun.

Notice how he's never looking at me? Never. Not once. He loves his mama!

Now, don't get me wrong, I miss my girls when they're not home and can't wait to squeeze them when they return. However, every now and then it's nice to have some quiet time with the one member of my family who doesn't ask for anything and never talks back. It fills me with joy when he has opportunites like these to be a crazy dog and do what he does best.

And a sleep-heavy puppy head on my arm during the quiet drive home was exactly what I needed that afternoon.

We arrived home just in time for me to slap together an eggplant parmigiana - my entry for a cook-off that evening.

My secret is using young eggplants with fewer seeds. Fewer seeds = less bitterness.

I also slice them vertically and as thinly as possible so they melt in your mouth when everything is baked together.

Wowza.

We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends, and my eggplant won first place within its category. I was awarded bragging rights and a whippy-dippy lighter/flashlight/bottle-opener thingie that instantly transforms me into a domestic MacGyver.

The best part? Telling my girls all about it the next day.

xx

Five Things...

that helped to fill my week in the best possible way...

Fishing at Newton Lake

Tiny pizzas made by tiny hands

The first (almost perfect) eggplant harvested from our garden (I know - better late than never!)

First day of 1st grade

And something rich and luscious that will find its home in my shop next week.

I hope your transition into the new season has been just as smooth and noteworthy.

xxoo

Gab

Fall anticipation...

Fall is in the air! (And hopefully here to stay). We've had a completely brutal summer here in NJ, so I am thrilled when the morning temp reads 66 degrees (??!!). With a luscious fall breeze, to boot. Truly delicious.

This weather makes me want to:

Pull my boots on
Skip outside

Chase the kids

Run the dog

Light a bonfire

Dance with my man

Do cartwheels on my front lawn

Except I can't do cartwheels. My poor neighbors would have to call for aid, and that could be very embarrassing for me. Or, maybe they would just point and laugh, which would make me proud.

I just received a new shipment of tree branch buttons from lovely Linda, and I can't wait to put them to use.

Aren't those leaves delightful? If you click on the photo you can view it enlarged and truly appeciate the rings of those gorgeous Red Pine buttons on the right. So very satin-y smoooooooth.

I have quite a few of her pretties already.

I am actually quite addicted to her work. I love how each button is an individual, separate piece of nature, enhanced by human hands to bring forth the natural beauty and essence of each tree. I love rolling them around in my hands and smelling them (especially the Red Cedar). Sometime these buttons inpire a new design concept, some of which will be appearing in my Fall/Winter line over the next few weeks!

I grabbed the girls and the dog this morning and met my parents at the local farmer's market for some kettle corn, live music, and Jersey-fresh produce.

It was very breezy and bright, which explains the pained look on Abigail's face and my dad's Mach-3 hairstyle.

This is the expression I was hoping to capture:

Love my little snaggletooth.

The day ended with a spontaneous date with Chad at a restaurant that had a wine list instead of a kids' menu. Bliss!

What are your plans for this long, last weekend of Summer?