A Novice to Gardening

Last year I had my first ever deck garden. Due to all the wedding plans and chaos of the summer, I didn't get much of a chance to sit out and enjoy the atmosphere of the flurishing flora, and I only had minimal opportunities to harvest my herbs.


This year has already been different! Robert and I enjoy sitting out there with breakfast on the weekends or taking a break for a few minutes to get some fresh air. So far we have our rosebush from last year, which is bursting with buds and smelling heavenly, two kinds of sage, Italian parsley, cilantro, basil, marigolds, petunias, a begonia, a fuchsia, some catnip that my non-junkie cats avoid, and Rob's Japanese Maple.



I've already managed to use the herbs already in caprese salads, focaccia bread, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.


The only downside this year is that my plants are getting ravaged by insects ... particularly aphids. Late this winter I also had an indoor aphid outbreak, which ended up claiming more than half of my most robust plants and really jeopardized a few others.



Even though I loathe insecticides and chemicals, I felt like I was running out of options. I tried to get the most environmentally friendly product, and then I staged an aphid apocalypse.

All in all, it seems to be effective, and my little bundles of joy are really blossoming in the late June sunshine we've finally been blessed with.


All these hobbies and crafts in the summer! My goodness, I think it's time for a cat nap...

Sewing with the "Albatros"

I decided many months ago that I wanted to teach myself how to sew. Despite my tendency towards absent mindedness, I figured that with enough determination, I could succeed.

But, it was daunting when I received my sewing machine. It's an old Singer from the '70s that belonged to my Grandmother Mary. My mom had it tucked away in the attic all these years, and after a tune-up at the sewing machine shop, it was here just waiting to be used.


Yet, I was nervous to use it, and I kept thinking about my past attempts and failures to sew. It didn't help that the machine didn't even come with a manual. So, I procrastinated, I looked at it, I dreaded it. It became The Albatross.

"Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung."

But, I couldn't harbor resentment and superstition against my contraption. Just remember what happened to The Ancient Mariner! This machine could signal good luck, clear skies, and beautiful handmade textiles ahead! Well, I had to try! And, unfortunately, due to low enrollments at school, I was laid off. For a month, I had nothing but time to struggle through a few sewing projects. It also gave me a nice way to distract myself from my disappointment with the current job market.

"The selfsame moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea"

The first thing to do is set a long-term goal. I want to make a beautiful, detailed dress. I drew a few sketches and tried to figure out how many pieces of fabric I would cut, and how it would all fit together. I plan to use some of the fabric I had bought while traveling in Mozambique. But, the dress that I want is an ambitious project. I decided before I could achieve that goal, I would have to do a few smaller projects to get the hang of my little Singer called Albatross.

I need to practice: straight stitching, curved/diagonal stitching, button holes, zippers, shaping textiles, linings, and how to take my ideas from a drawing and make them work. I prefer not working with a pattern, and instead trying to reason out a pattern and plan of action in my own mind. Furthermore, I constantly have to remind myself not to get too frustrated with my current lack of perfection. Mainly I've just been using fabric that I've found at Goodwill, so it's not too expensive or irreplaceable.

My first project was pillow shams for the couch. Two matching ones with button holes and two matching ones with zippers (and a few other touches that are TBD). It seemed like a good place to start -- I could practice some straight lines, a few diagonal lines, button holes, and eventually zippers. Since I only got the proper zipper foot today, the other two pillows will have to wait a few more days at least.

"Sometimes a-dropping from the sky
I heard the skylark sing;
Sometimes all little birds that are,
How they seemed to fill the sea and air
With their sweet jargoning!"

Despite the imperfections, it was a thrill to see my ideas literally take shape. I was ready to gradually tackle a more difficult project: the purse. I really wanted to work on sewing different fabrics together, creating something that keeps it's shape, and improving my attention to details.

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I can look at these projects and note most of the mistakes, but I feel like I've learned and improved a lot in the process. Next on my to do list is to finish the other two throw pillows, a poofy slip, and a top. And that's not even considering the jewelry projects I have in the works as well! She's crafty and getting busy!

And most lucky? I don't have to suffer through death, being lost at sea with a zombie crew, and seeing all sorts of ghastly sights through an opium haze because I've learned a thing or two from Sammy Coleridge and my own redemptive imagination!

"He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all"

Black, white and everything inbetween

The June rain has been really bumming me out. I've been in dress-mania! Case in point, I just picked up a really simple brown dress, and a pretty little green one from Goodwill yesterday. All these summer dresses and no where to go but rain puddles.

To somewhat console myself, I've taken to planning my summer outfits and doing a little mixing and matching, so no matter what occassion (really formal to super casual and everything in between) I will be dressed for success!

Enter the formal outfit. I love this fitted bustier style top. It's so comfortable, flattering, and classic. My favorite combo is with the black skirt, but I think it also looks smashing with a pair of black slacks.

The skirt and pants are both from Goodwill, and I've had them in my closet for a while now, as they are good classic pieces -- the best part is I paid $5-8 for each of them. The shirt was a little pricier as I got it at a consignment shop, it was $25, but this seems like an investment piece.

I had wedding attendance in mind when I purchased it, but it would also be suitable for nice dinners, the theater, and other places where I want to look crisp and classic. Oh and the shoes! Another Goodwill find, at $9.99, they were a bit of a splurge for me, but they were unworn and I love the little front strap.

But, what if there's an event that's sort of fancy, but you don't want to look over-dressed? Enter the sun-dress with coordinated shrug and heels. I was disappointed with the pictures of this dress, you can't see the beautiful navy color of the shrug and shoes -- they match amazingly well.

I'm picturing a busy day: tidying the house, going to the grocery store, getting an oil change for the car, shopping at Goodwill for more dresses, etc. But, after this busy day I'm meeting with a friend for a nice dinner. Well, I'll wear just the dress and flat sandals during the errands, and throw the shrug and heels into my purse. When it's time for dinner all I need is a quick change and voila, I'm ready for an evening out. One of the best things about the outfit is everything is from Goodwill: shrug: $2.99, dress: $5.99, shoes: $4.99.

As I've said, I love dresses, it makes getting ready so easy. There's just one piece: the dress and maybe a few accessories and a sweater. Wham-bam-done. When you wear a shirt-pants combo, you have to make sure your pieces match, fit, and look good together. Dresses are simpler in my opinion except: (A) It's hard to find one that fits properly (B) They can be chilly. At Goodwill I always make a b-line for the dresses, because no matter how many you have, they almost always come in handy.

Case in point, I found this blue dress on the same day that I found the dress just pictured at Goodwill. Two dresses in 1 day? Is the price right? Is the fit right? Then sold! It was mid-winter, so I had to tuck them away in preparation for summer, but at $5.99 each I can't really complain. Plus, I found this shrug on the same day for$3.99.

I like to style this one a bit more casually. Oh, and I love my big clunky wedge heels. (Yes, another Goodwill find at $5.99) They are surprisingly comfy and I'm not kidding. I walk around in them for hours without a murmur of regret. Plus, my Napoleon complex is soothed as I am almost as tall in these as I am in Matilda.

Some variety and experimentation in the wardrobe is a good thing. My friend found this very funky skirt at Goodwill one day. I don't have many high-waisted items in my closed, and the few I have are rarely worn because they are so hard for me to pull off. But, I loved the colors, the poofiness, and the unique look of it (even though it's just a run-of-the-mill H&M skirt).

I think when I wear this skirt I'll wear more bangles, and more beads around my neck. The skirt was $3.99, so I nabbed it. I've had these sandals for along time, they're Paolo's that I found at Value Village, and they are really comfy and versatile.

The frequent wardrobe changes and running around the house made Lexi confused. With all this discussion about Goodwill hunting, penny pinching, dress hoarding, accessory coordinating, and wardrobe changes...I'm sympathetic....

Giddy-up, let's hike!

One of my goals this summer is to do a lot of hiking. I'd like to average at least 3 hikes a month (but hopefully there will be more!) From May through September, that means 15 hikes.

Living in the Seattle area means there are so many mountains, with so many trails, it won't be hard at all to find places. Maybe a little harder to find the energy...especially for my Rob. But, as an infinite benefit to me, I can experiment with a new category of fashion and to layer, layer layer: grungy tank tops, flannel, windbreaker, and hard core hiking boots. I feel so...so...RAWR!


So far , we've been going strong. We did a minor hike on Tiger Mountain near Issaquah. I can't even remember which trail we took as it wasn't a terribly memorable hike...it was just a way to get out and get used to trecking up a hill.

Also, Rob and I bought some fancy hiking boots (thank you REI sale!) and did an epic 3 hike weekend.

We did a quick and easy hike on Saturday to Twin Falls. It was a nice hike with rewarding river and waterfall views. Unfortunately, we didn't take a camera, because it was pretty rainy that day. My primary goal was to break in our hiking boots for two more challenging hikes on the next day: Lake 22 and Heather Lake in the North Cascades.



Robert was not particularly pleased with being brow-beaten into two 5-mile hikes, but I did a lot of cheer-leading to get him onto the trails, and a little bit of groveling on the way home as we nursed our sore feet. I still think it was worth it. I always love a good challenge, and we saw some amazing sights!


I would recommend either the Lake 22 or Heather Lake hikes to just about anyone. Both are very well maintained trails that feel safe and organized, but still outdoorsy and natural. Lake 22 is a bit harder, but in my mind it's a nearly perfect hike. Along the way you're treated to stunning old growth forest, waterfalls, rivers, and then the crystal clear lake and snow capped mountain view at the top.
The main con with Lake 22 is that it got to be pretty crowded by late morning/early afternoon. Heather Lake is a little easier -- it's shorter and the terrain is less rocky. Also, it's less crowded than Lake 22.

While we saw some hikers, we mainly had the trail and the view points to ourselves. We even saw deer on the way back!