* autumn findings in my father's bowl by Heather Smith Jones (now in her shop!)
** my target tote
*** my coffee and the book.

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* Can this dark blue-green be my Fall color, please? It was Heather's photo that did it. I decided when I first laid my eyes on that bowl, it should be my color for the season.

** I've been wanting a larger tote to hold my stuff which usually includes two cameras, so when I ran across this bag on super clearance at Target I took it as a sign that it was okay to break our newly imposed No Unnecessary Spending Rule. I'm calling it a business expense.

*** It's a wonderful book indeed and a wonderful gesture from a dear friend.

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It's Tuesday and that means a new set of collections will be up at Echoes later today!

Posted by Alicia at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Meet my new Apple Picking Skirt. I always get the itch for new clothes when the seasons change, so I went digging around in my fabrics and found this old XL men's shirt I thrifted way back. It reminded me of that cute Target dress that I loved but didn't fit me right. An hour later I had myself one really comfy little elastic waist skirt. It was so easy.

Why the Apple Picking Skirt? Don't you think it would look just perfect poofed out around me on a quilt with a basket of apples nearby? If the weather is warm enough Wednesday, we may just find out.

Happy, happy Monday. : )

Posted by Alicia at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

Happy Friday to you!

Yesterday I was feeling oddly weepy. Then someone did something sweet for me, and it made me weepier- for totally different reasons.

But today is a new day! I had a good night's sleep and a tasty breakfast with hot coffee. It's Friday. I have a stack of things I'm working on. I have that sweet surprise to look forward to. The weather is amazing. Friends are good; life is good.

I had this crazy friend in high school named Merrill. Every Friday he would hop up on the table in the ceramics studio and holler, "Woooooo Hoooooo! It's Friday!" And then he'd dance around up there to this song. It was the best, complete with that "we're young and invincible and it's nearly the weekend" feeling.

I have just a bit of that feeling today.

I'm off now to dig out my old scratched up Steve Miller Band cd. Happy Weekend!

Posted by Alicia at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Thrifted books from 1963 that I picked up yesterday for a quarter each. They're very olde time (and that is pronounced oldee timee.) Normally I don't even look at the mess o' books, but these were in a neat little stack off to the side and I couldn't resist. I behaved- they were all I got.

Maw Maw (Brian's mom) got this pumpkin dress at the Scholar Shop where she volunteers. It isn't all that well made but it is handmade and I like that. Plus it's so darned cute on her. I wish I had the pattern. I'd make her a few more.

Buying second hand makes my heart happy.

p.s. Several of you asked about the "financial guy" that I mentioned yesterday. I think I might do a little quick post on that soon. It's a put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is kind of thing. ; )

Posted by Alicia at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

about which you may or may not care to hear. ; )

A long-time mural client asked me to girlie up this sweet little table and chairs. Of course N wanted to test its tea party compatibility. Her verdict? It's good. Real good.

I've got the Fall cleaning bug. We cleaned out the garage Saturday. My car fits in there again! I cleaned out the pantries yesterday only to discover a lot of my rice and pasta was infested with tiny little black bugs. Ick. So now I need to go to the grocery store too.

The station wagon is full of Goodwill items, which means a quick stop inside that store as well. BUT the financial guy was here yesterday which always prompts me to tighten things up the purse strings even more, so I must be careful. Yes. VERY careful.

The bathrooms are gross. They need a good cleaning. And what to make for dinner- always problematic. Although yesterday I made a big batch of biscuits and gravy and cut up some fruit. Now that was a nice, easy comfort meal.

Good thing that pesky cold and lethargy is gone. My to do list keeps growing and growing!

____________________

Yesterday was Echoes day. I think it's a good one- go see.

And don't miss this interview with Heather. She is the sweetest, most hardworking artist (friend) I know.

Posted by Alicia at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

It's no secret I'm having a hard time giving up summer this year, so I'm trying to embrace Fall's small gifts. The first little bits of loveliness I've seen: warmer colors and sideways evening light.

Oh, that evening light.

Happy first day of Autumn, my friends. (or Spring- you lucky devils.)

Posted by Alicia at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

bunny sunning himself.

Yikes. This photo reminds me to:
wash the slipcover on the couch.
clean those filthy windows.
pick up toys.

but not right now. The weather is just too perfect for cleaning.

Posted by Alicia at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

with a cold.

Tuesday = Echoes day.

Shari's photo fills my lungs with air. It might as well read, "take a deep breath." Now isn't that a wonderful sensation?

Posted by Alicia at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

More *free* apples.

I'm feeling super busy, a little sniffly and a lot quiet, so I'm just going to post photos this week. Hope you all are well!

We'll visit soon. xo.

Posted by Alicia at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

just feeling a little blah and bored. I think it's the weather- too much rain. I've done fun stuff and have good plans, but I'm having trouble feeling very excited. All I really want to do is stay home, bake brownies and clean out closets. SO weird.

I owe a few emails, but my computer is freaking out. The dashboard keeps frantically appearing on its own, rapid-fire style, open close open close, dink dink dink dink. It makes that noise when it does it. I gave up this morning and made an appointment at the genius bar and poof! the problem stopped. Kind of like when I was 8 days overdue with J and just scheduling the induction made me go into labor.

Well not at all the same, really.

Posted by Alicia at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

because we were camping we drove to our favorite trails for a hike

until it started to rain on us, so we went home for a nap.

Posted by Alicia at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

except that she loves her too-big sparkly shoes. and also that I still love film.

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SO... we were planning a quick nearby camping trip for the weekend. But the weather has suddenly turned very Fallish. This morning it was 49 when we woke up, and there's a chance of rain all weekend. To perk up their disappointed and drooping faces, we may instead watch a dvd on the the side of my mom and dad's garage, eat take-out in front of the fire pit, and sleep in the tent in their big back yard. At least if it does rain or gets too cold, we can make the speedy dash home. (Have I told you we live two blocks from my mom and dad? We do.)

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Also unrelated, I didn't mention here that we're switching things up at Echoes for the Fall. Go check it out. We're excited!

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I am hoping to add some items to my shop over the next few weeks- artist aprons maybe, a couple of paintings, maybe even some small works on paper inspired by the original idea at Echoes. I won't set a date- that's too much pressure- but I'll let you know if I've added anything.

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Can anyone teach me how to knit those cool fingerless glove wrist warmers? I want some. Are they difficult? Would they be an awful first knitting project for me? I was thinking a large scarf/wrap/shawl thing might be easier, but I can't find a pattern for what I'm looking for. I want simple, plain, like a large rectangle with a strategically placed button or two. My friend Penny wears a similar one that I've got stuck in my head. Any suggestions? Leslie? Jen? Anyone?

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Well, it's taken me all morning in little bits to write this mostly worthless post. I better call it quits.

Happy Weekend!!

Posted by Alicia at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

We have been watching these apples grow. We've monitored and tasted them. Unsure about the variety we wondered when they turned a bit pink, and now they've started to fall.

We borrowed my mom's old apple picker and filled a big canvas bag. Sounds quaint, huh?

Now imagine the scene with carn horns and gobs of traffic, an office park to one side and a major parkway on the other.

Here's the thing. This tree? This tree is not ours (um, don't bust us, please) and it is on land that probably belongs to the city. No one maintains, sprays, prunes, or eats from this tree. Obviously. It's on an embankment at one of the busiest intersections in our neighborhood. But this family MUST NOT let this fruit go to waste.

And wouldn't you know. Right on cue, the weather today is cool and rainy and now we MUST make an apple crisp. (and when it stops raining, take a walk down for more apples.)

Maybe Fall won't be so bad.

Posted by Alicia at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)

the end of summer.

I'm having a hard time letting go this year. Must go drown my sorrows in left-over brownies.

Seriously, it's not that bad. We had the best weekend ever. And I am looking forward to just a little bit of free/work time. (Someone tiny starts preschool today.) Plus it's already Tuesday, so we've got that going for us.

But I'm not kidding about the brownies.

Posted by Alicia at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)