A Closer Look at Ottoman

New to Me

A few things that are new to me....

1 & 2. Dragon Fruit: I hadn't heard of this or seen it before, but was kindly offered a piece. It has an odd dry watermelon texture, seeds similar to kiwi, an exterior that reminded me of a fuchsia artichoke, and a flavor most similar to cucumber. I didn't notice any sweetness to the flavor, but maybe it wasn't fully ripe? I'm not sure I'd get it again for what I'm sure is an exotic fruit price tag. I love my local produce! But it was fun to try something new.

3. The Hardy Boys: I've known about this for a bit, but I hadn't known about this children's book series as a child. I got the first book for Boo (the mid-century language may sound a bit foreign to him, but I think that's good), who seems to like a good mystery. This series is the boy counterpart to Nancy Drew.

4. The best chocolate bar (so far)!: this combination of dark chocolate, large and numerous chunks of almonds, and subtle sea salt is simply amazing. Included is a love poem, which I have yet to read. Yum!

Headbands!

I'm so glad that headbands are back so big (the stretchy kind, not the hard kind that fight with my glasses) because they are a lifesaver for my growing out hair. I just put on the headband and throw up my hair with a million bobby pins. Here are some favorites I've been spying:

Turban Headband in 3D Snake Pyramid Print by Thief and Bandit (image by Thief and Bandit on Etsy)

I love that Thief and Bandit headband. And, I'm certain my son will as well. I mean, it has snakes and pyramids on it, need I say more?

ANJA organic hand woven stretch headband by The Royal (image by The Royal on Etsy)

I'm smitten with the unusual-ness of the weaving on this headband and it can be made with your choice of colors (and patterns).

Giza Turban in Peacock... by Bark Decor (image by Bark Decor on Etsy)

I happen to be wearing this headband today and I can't wait for more colors and patterns.

Do you have any handmade headband favorites? If so, do share, I'd love to see more of what's out there!

And, I hope you have a lovely weekend. It's been a bit warm here, I'm not ready for the heat. However, we're supposed to get a bit of rain next week and I'm actually looking forward to it. It's this time of year that I realize that I truly am a shade violet (I guess I just don't like that brutally cold rain in the winter).

Happy Friday!

Easy Summer Supper

This is probably a bit of a common mix-up, but it's so easy that if you haven't tried it, it's perfect for a weeknight meal.

It's a mix of:

1. A can of black beans (or pinto, the black just looks nice here)
2. A small bag of frozen corn (I zap it for a very short bit to thaw)
3. Small red bell pepper diced
4. 1 - 2 avocados diced
5. Juice of one lime
6. Salt

You can mix it up! Try jicama, tomato, chilies, and if you like it, cilantro.

As of Late

I always enjoy posts about what people have been doing lately. Here's a few things that have been going on:

1. A sweet little note found on my typewriter.

2. Food and drink made with care always taste better (and I think they are better for you). A beautiful and tasty mocha.

3. An unabridged dictionary from the 60s bought at a rummage sale. I thought Boo should have some experience with one since they aren't used anymore. We promptly went to work on it with the 70s edition of Scrabble I also got from the sale. Boo is so quick to pick up games, I figured an open game would be fun and he's enjoying learning to spell new words!

4. I love fungus and the images in this book are beautiful and interesting both to myself and Boo. This was also from the rummage sale. Again, this book is from the 60s and I giggled (and blushed) at the "revised and enlarged" bit next to that incredibly phallic fungus!

Oh goodness...I need photos of the more creative bits in my life which sadly have been few and far between. I need to find more available time to make things. I hope to have images soon!

Night Sky Nails

I painted my nails like the night sky yesterday evening. Subtle, but I'm happy with the result.

Pop!

I knew that as soon as the sun finally showed itself, the crabapple buds from a couple of posts ago would pop. And so they have. I took this picture at least a few days ago and already the ground below the tree is carpeted with white petals.

It's windy here today. I think a storm may be blowing in, but maybe the one that caused it to rain all night is blowing out. However, does sunny weather ever blow in? I briefly went to the farmers' market today for some tamales for dinner and the vendors were all having to hold their tents to keep them from blowing away.

It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, but I'm having my doubts. It's okay, I like spring weather, it always goes by too fast.

Color Combo

Hand Printed String Headband in "Flourescent Plaid" by Thief and Bandit (image by Thief and Bandit on Etsy)

Rainbow Teepee Earrings by Scarlet Garnet (image by Scarlet Garnet on Etsy)

I like the two of these together. I'm so ready for spring color.

Have a wonderful weekend. We've had a lot of rain (it's Oregon, we're supposed to), but this weekend is supposed to be sunny and over 80 degrees! I plan to spend time outside and maybe have an ice cream...mmm.

Crabapple

I've been admiring this crabapple tree for sometime. Usually, trees seem to bloom then get their leaves (maybe it's just the ornamental fruit trees?), but this tree is the opposite. The buds are fuchsia and open to a bright white. Then mini crabapples form which are yellow the same time the leaves are in the autumn and last throughout the cold months for winter color. Year-round loveliness.

Giant Pinecone

Jeff screeched the car to a halt for me to retrieve this giant pinecone from the side of the road on our way to Southern California. It's wider and shorter than a sugar pinecone, but I'm not sure what type of pine it came from; they were tallish with rather anemic long needles. The tree just didn't match the heft of these murderous cones.

So, I'm enjoying posting from my phone. However, the photos seem to be heavier than the text as they sink right to the bottom of the post...I prefer them to float. Humph.

Jewel Boxes

A small blog break as we visited family, but I'm back. I'm doing a bit of test by posting from my phone, we'll see how this works.

Anyway, these amazing eggs are ones that Boo and his cousins decorated together. I think they look like jewel boxes.

We had a bit of a thunderstorm today and more is planned for tomorrow. A bit of excitement and it means warmer rain!

The blooms have been incredible. The forsythia is waning, but the daffodils are still going strong as well as some of the ornamental fruit trees and grape hyacinth. The oregon grape is just starting to bloom its vibrant yellow. Boo blowed the first dandelion seed head of the season on Easter Sunday. And I'm glad to have the moss in my Western Oregon pores dry out soon!

I hope your spring is starting out lovely, or fall if you're a reader far South of here!