A Real Weekend

 This past weekend was a real weekend for me! Woo hoo! Saturday I spent some time in the garden, tearing out the dead tomato plants and preparing the ground for some winter veggies. We'll see how that goes. . . Our backyard gets very little sun this time of the year.

Winter weather is most definitely here. I'm finding myself planning my outfits around which sweater I want to wear that particular day. Lately I've been hankering to get back to the outfit photos (especially for Wardrobe Remix) but just never seem to find the time. . . and, well, my outfits aren't as cute as they used to be! This is what happens when you work for yourself and the work is never done. I find myself wanting to wear the clothes that will feel

one of my coziest sweater

 the most like pajamas all day long!

Ultimately tho, the blog and outfit posts from other everyday gals are the ones that feel the most real to me. I want to know how the gal who only has a bike to get around town makes her outfits work. Or the stay at home mom. How does she manage it? Or the self-employed artist. I don't seek perfect polish or panache. Outfits that don't feel contrived, or sponsored by clothing and shoe companies. . . Just real gals posting the clothes they wear to go about their very real days.

In case you wondered, some of my favorites are:
* The Girl Who Married a Bear
* Astral Boutique's Blog
* Clothes Cameras and Coffee
* Thrift Candy
* Making Nice in the Midwest

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the more polished gals with the gorgeous style. I LOOK at these blogs and drool over the clothes, the style, but I guess what disappoints me sometimes is that I started following these DIY fashion blogs because it was inspiring what gals were doing with very little money. . . I feel like so much of it has become commercialized in a way that's just not for me. . .

I've been thinking about growing my bangs out. . . 

What I'd really like to see is a resurgence of the "non commercial" style blog. Blogs that are true expressions of the person ( the gal, yes, since I mainly follow blogs written by women) behind it. And I am finding those blogs. Sometimes tho, the internet is such a crowded place it can be hard to find the things you want to find. So, if you know of any awesome, feisty ladies who like to post about personal style, life, politics, food, road trips, etc, let me know about them!

This bag went everywhere with me this weekend

 

Saturday night Jeff and I cooked dinner together. Sauteed some veggies and fish. Also baked an acorn squash with some brown sugar and butter. Mmmmm. One of the yummiest (and easiest) fall foods!

Today I'm working on pieces for my holiday fairs. There are so many of them: fairs and pieces to work on! Having a "real" weekend definitely helps me focus more during the week tho.

Here's to a "real" weekend as often as possible!

As you can see

Exciting things have been happening in my neck of the woods lately. It's been making staying focused and getting work done a bit difficult to say the least! 

But I am lucky, my garden is plentiful. Time for jewelry, time for family, time for cooking. Good times. 

The tomatoes above are from my garden. I'm pleased as punch that my tomato plants have proven so fruitful this year. Especially given the lack of "real" garden space in my yard. But, hey, I have a yard, one that my cats and the squirrels love and appreciate and one that is the perfect place to sit and relax with a good book.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday. Sunday is my favorite day of the week, by the way. My reasons are sort of vague, for some reason Sundays feel like a "no pressure" day to me. Like it doesn't matter hoe much I get done or don't get done, it's all okay. I'm off to my studio in about an hour, time well spent on my favorite day of the week.

Making time to Grow some things

The gardening bug has really bit me this year. In between moving my studio, keeping up on jewelry orders, and working on some relationship stuff, I've been making more and more time to garden lately. It's been pretty blissful.

The above is a shot of one of my tomato plants. I'm doing a lot of container gardening as the home that Jeff and I rent doesn't have a lot of available space to garden. We have a front (very small) and back yard, but the land lady put in a bunch of plants a long time ago that she doesn't want removed.

But! I have found a small little patch in our backyard that was really just filled with weeds. I'm working the soil to break it up. I need to get a couple bags of bumper crop too tho, 'cause this soil seems pretty poor. Whenever I plant things in the actual ground they don't fair nearly as well as my container plants. 

It's funny how you can wish and wish and wish you had time to do something and then eventually the urge and desire to do it just become so strong that life makes room for you.  

This Random Life

This summer I've really been feeling the need to get out more, get outside, go hiking, swim in lakes and rivers, put my hands in the dirt. Explore.

Jeff and I hiked this trail down to the ocean on the coast near Big Sur.

Tomatoes, zuchini, and sunflowers from Jeff's and my garden.

Just the essentials alongside the Yuba River, outside of Nevada City.

I've had a lovely summer so far, with many more adventures to come. . .