Squeezing out the last bit of Summer

Well that's it, I think Summer is officially over. You know, at the begining of September I thought, well I better start putting away the sandles, tank tops and shorts, but the warm weather just stayed, and I loved it. Not to hot, not too cool, just right for me. But today, I saw it, and I yelled to Steve as I looked out the window. It was.... the neighbour's furnace. On and the steam was rising into the morning air.
So yes, it's over... but here are a last few images of the longest, warmest, driest summer that I can remember.

C, getting quite good at her sidewalk chalk

Walking the drive, enjoying the drips of a fresh watermelon.

After a bath, love those pearly whites!
Chillin' on the deck aaaww craftiness, I am still managing to fit some in. But I was more inspired by Bonnie who thankfully invited me to her Homespun Salon. I was needing some creative juices to flow and by having us over for the evening I got enough of my creativity out to keep me sane for a while. And also I am STILL talking about her homegrown, home smoked, home made salsa! I loved it, and now I need a garden, a smoker, and a bit more time so I can make some! (BTW, I didn't even think I liked smoked food, nor was I that keen on salsa before)

This is what I worked on, which I may be doing as gifts this year, so I don't want to show too much !

My nephew turned 5 yesterday. I find it so hard to find inspiration for boys... so I came up with this. He's got a pair of pants to match, and I am excited to see how it looks after a few washes so the fabric can fray a little aaaah, yes another B-day present. Butterflies :)
And what a great segway in to my next topic....

I got out the RIT so I could dye 1/2 of my corda belt for Capoeira! (by the way I have tonnes left if anyone needs anything dyed royal blue) My Proffessor sat down with me on Sunday and told me that I deserve my next belt for my dedication, my improvement, and my knowledge of the martial art. The belt(Corda) system works differently for many groupos but they mostly all move up 1/2 colour at a time. My next corda will be all blue.I have been training for almost 3 years, and I can't imagine what life would be like without it. I find it energizing, extremely challenging and it gives me my 'break' from life many times a week. While I am there for my hour and a half, I dont think about anything else except for what I am doing at that moment. It could be singing, playing the Pandeiro, working the movements, or sweating buckets!

So tonight, I will wear my new colours for the first time, and I am sure my Proffessor will challenge me with a game in the Roda...... and I will be very sore tommorow!

The Clean Up

I've been meaning for weeks to sort out the kids toys. old, new, used, barely touched. I grabbed it all... from all over the house. In the bedroom, in the living room, and ironically in the playroom. I took it all, and I dumped it! Go hard or go back to bed. The kids had a blast laughing and jumping into the piles. We found all the odds and ends. We matched toys that have been missing their other halves for months. And we put them all in their designated areas... toys we are too old for, toys that should go away for another time, the pretend box, the transportation box, the noise maker box.

oh sweetness, a clean room. Doesn't that feel good?