ukulele girl

Goodbye piano. Goodbye violin. Hello ukulele! This girl of mine is incredible when it comes to musical instruments. She has an amazing ear and can pick up any instrument and play it. My dad gave her a quick lesson on the ukulele and she was off. Now she can't put the thing down! A girl obsessed with the ukulele . . . She makes me smile.

yes, she is on the roof . . . painting and harnessing the spirit of her great grandmother who must be up in heaven cheering her on

a little masking tape and a few index cards

Being currently unemployed (and saving all of my pennies to start a new business) I'm finding thrifty new ways to get my craft on without spending too much on supplies. Trying my best to use up what I have (must say I've stockpiled quite a bit) and get creative with other things in my desk. This mini album is made from index cards. I hole punched cards and cardstock and put it together with a couple of metal rings. I'm loving masking tape lately . . . for journaling on, holding things together, painting on, coloring on, adding depth, etc.

wild things

We saw Where the Wild Things Are yesterday. It was visually gorgeous but otherwise a bit disappointing. I'm not really sure what the intended audience is. Despite being based on a classic children's book, it really isn't a movie for kids. It's about a boy whose parents divorce and the monsters seem to represent all of the feelings that he's dealing with. It was a little boring. I hate it when you're looking forward to something and it falls short for you. On a side note, Leslie liked it more than I did. Maybe she is the intended audience!

like michigan, but with spanish moss

We spent yesterday in Mount Dora and if I squinted my eyes half-closed and pretended not to see the Spanish moss then I could pretend I was in Michigan on the most perfect fall day. It was only about 60 degrees (thanks to a cold front blowing in) and leaves were actually falling off the trees! We walked around town, stopping to watch the train go by, drifting into antique stores (where Leslie scored a great leather jacket and an amazing little purse), drooling over cute little bungalows and imagining what it might be like to live in this hilly sweet town in central Florida. We eventually found ourselves in our favorite restaurant, The Goblin Market. It was appropriately decked out for Halloween. A perfect ending to a really nice weekend in Orlando with Char and Carlos.

This morning I have all of the windows open for the first time in our new house. Leslie didn't have school today so we got to sleep in a little and I'm still pajama-ed and having a relaxing slow morning, watching Ellen, doing laundry, and loving that cool "Michigan like" breeze blowing in. I'll enjoy it while I can - I hear it won't be around too long.

We can't wait for Halloween . . .

autumn reading

normal people don't live like this by dylan landis

the gift of an ordinary day: a mother's memoir by katrina kenison

to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

ounce dice trice by alastair reid

the center of everything by laura moriarty

jen- this post is for you

Apparently my husband feels he is in some sort of wacky "Martha Stewart" competition with you. This morning I woke up to breakfast in bed and a photo of his Dutch Baby on my camera!

Whip It

We loved this movie. Ellen Page is adorable. Love the girl power vibe. And how cool is it that this was filmed in Michigan?

Okay, now I remember why I live here . . .

Perfect afternoon on the water. It seemed like we had the entire Gulf of Mexico to ourselves. The humidity and heat of summer lifted for the day. The skies were free of their afternoon rain. The 3 of us were together, laughing and singing and dancing on the water. Perfect.