Roses are red, and pink, and peach, and orange...

I came home from work yesterday, to find this on my counter:
Roses from my hubby! What I like about my husband is that he, unlike most men, never buys flowers for an occasion or to apologize. He gets them randomly. And he is not a mushy type at all. When I asked him why he got them, he mumbled "I saw them and thought of you". Awwww... that's love to me.

Mystery plant munchers

Something (or someone) is eating my plants. Every single one of my plants is missing its top half. So frustrating! Didn't have this problem last year. So what I ended up doing is blending 15 cloves of garlic with some water, strained the liquid and put it into a spray bottle. Then I sprayed all my plants. They stink and taste bitter, so I am hoping whatever has been eating my plants will be taught a lesson. Don't get mad - get even!

Most of my Wednesday evening was spent ironing clothes while watching "So you think you can dance" (fascinating - those dancers are not human) and "Wristcutters: A Love Story" (quirky and morbid movie with a happy ending). Entertained and productive! Before I knew it, I had freshly pressed clothes on hangers and folded in the basket. See?

Me and my Shark are steaming machines!

Craft night

Last night, I got together with my sisters to start our weekly craft night series. One day of the week, we will get together, and do different sort of crafts - whatever floats our boat.

This first night, we taught ourselves to thread the sewing machine and do a straight stitch. Then I showed Z how to increase and decrease stitches, and helped M cast on. It was awesome. I must add, we spent hours at the fabrics store, deciding on different fabrics for our first project, but ended up buying some cheap remnants at the last minute - we didn't want waste pretty fabric with our (yet) unskilled hands.
I must make a note that while my sisters and I spent our time acquiring new skills, my super-mom took my car keys and deep-cleaned my car. She is a champion of cleanliness and order. I don't think my car has been this clean since I bought it. Thanks, mom! I'll try to maintain it.

When I got home, I decided I will turn my husband's unused study desk in the guest room into a craft corner. Can't wait to get it all organized. That's my Crofton sewing machine (it's a mystery manufacturer - I believe an Aldi private brand), which I received as a gift. It works pretty well so far. It's been tested by various seamstresses in my family, and they all gave it thumbs up..
I had a $10 gift certificate to Borders, so I got this book by Lotta Jansdotter. It has simple, cute, IKEA-like sewing projects for home. We are starting our sewing "class" with placemats (with pockets).

And then I also found this gem: a zine dedicated to various crafts - knitting, sewing, crocheting, building stuff out of things lying around the house, etc. It's absolutely fascinating. And the projects are pretty nifty, too.

I'll definitely be devouring this one. Maybe we can use one of the projects for our next craft night.

Congratulations baby sisters!

On Sunday, my two baby sisters graduated from high school! Both ended up in the top 3 percent of class - and they go to a very large and competitive school. I am soooooo proud!I remember your first day of school as if it was yesterday...Here they are, both on the stage at the same time (and we had some sweet seats):And here is my whole family. It is hard to find a picture in which every single one of us looks good. Photogenics are not in our genes.
Congratulations, my little sisters! May you always be as sweet, smart, successful as you are right now. I wish you all the happiness in the world! I am proud of you and love you more than life itself!

I'll always be there for you. You turned this lonely only child into a perpetual baby-sitter. :)And boy, am I glad you are not leaving far for college. I must always have a grip on you. :)

May is one of my favorite months

On Saturday, I decided to spend a good chunk of my time outdoors. So I weeded and tended my little garden...Removed some bushes and little trees growing around the big trees...
Here is a shot of my yard...
And here is our little shed that Jeff's grandfather built... I found lots of flower pots and garden tools in there that needed to be washed and restored.
I love how the afternoon light illuminates our kitchen. There is my hubby, going to put up shelves in the office (that project is still in progress... I will post a before and an after photo once it's done). Also, once I have some money, I will buy pieces of art on Etsy to hang up in the kitchen. The walls are pretty bare right now.
And then I also started to make some cuff bootees for the Neff's upcoming brand new baby.
Overall, a beautiful and productive day.