Good morning! It's summertime! Wow! School is out, the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming! I hope you all are well. We've been busy and I got a new computer last month and have been trying to get all my ducks in a row on it. I knew it would be messy, and yes, it has been messy. I hadn't gotten a new computer is over ten years. I hate getting new computers. I went from a PC laptop to a MacBook Air. The Mac is nice, and I have an Apple phone and iPad and I've had Macs before, so I am not new to them. But there's still been a bit of a learning curve, getting all my fonts onto my new computer, figuring out photo stuff (really different process to upload, etc.), making sure I can access my old files (PC Stitch, which I use for all of my cross stitch designs naturally does not work on the Mac, etc.). Just, annoying stuff. Getting email to work (totally different email programs and I am not a fan of MacMail, etc.). But I think I'm getting to a new place and once all of this kind of yucky stuff is dialed in I will love it, I know. This is the first blog post I have really written on my Mac with all photos resized and color-corrected on the Mac (oh, and I had to get a larger monitor to plug into it because the screen is so small, so I've been trying to manually color calibrate that, because it's a very inexpensive monitor and I'm trying to make it work). I'm lying in bed right now, next to Meems who is watching a Toca Boca (Toca Life World) video. (Note: She typed that last part for me :)) hee hee! She wanted to make sure I got it right.) The first day of tennis camp was canceled today because it's been raining and the courts are too wet to play.
Ahhhhh, sigh. So! Yes. In between that, I have been food shopping and cooking and photographing food (for better or worse; I am struggling with that lately) and cleaning the kitchen and cleaning the kitchen and cleaning the kitchen. That said, we are eating well here lately! My cooking has increased approximately 7,000%. Approximately. I fell down the rabbit hole of watching YouTube videos on cooking Thai and other Asian foods and have been determined to figure out how to make some of my take-out obsessions, including Chicago egg rolls, Thai fried rice, Thai curries, pineapple fried rice, boba tea, Mei fun noodles, homemade bread for banh mi, char siu pork, chicken satay. . . . I mean. . . . We have eaten a lot. I feel proud because these are things I have been wanting to figure out how to make forever. YouTube is amazing. At night I knit and watch cooking videos and during the day I cook and cook. The kitchen is taking a beating, however; cabinet doors are literally falling off, and today I am going to pull out a paintbrush and touch up all of the scuffy marks on the counter edges, cabinet doors, drawers, etc. That is one hardworking galley kitchen, I tell you. There is literally no room for anything. I had the mildly surreal experience of looking at pictures of a pretty house Pinterest the other day and wishing I lived in it and, you know, it was actually my own house, just six or seven years ago, when it was cleaner and tidier. . . .
In between we have been getting out and about to parks and woods and restaurants. The weather has been absolutely spectacular this month, and school ended with most wonderful, beautiful days, inside the building and out. Amelia had an incredible year and an incredible class and an incredible teacher (who won a Major Award this year and we are so proud of her, and have been so thrilled to have been in her class). There were many emotions and tears last week (mostly mine) as school ended! It was an awesome year, and I am just so relieved and grateful for that.
I have a new summer cross stitch design for you and am just waiting for paper patterns to get here and then I will launch it. I am also developing a kid's beginner cross-stitch kit using gingham, so I will show you more about that as I go along. It's going to be cute, I think. We'll see if I can get Amelia to test it out. She "knows how to embroider already," so she tells me (hmmm) so, I will report back after my ten-year-old tester tells me what she thinks. XOXO
It makes my day happy to see your beautiful posts! I'm still working on the Christmas ornament kits that I bought from you long ago. But maybe someday I will progress to your other kits! Andrea
O Alicia! Your daughter is a fairy princess and your photos of her will be wonderful memories that I'm sure she will treasure. All your photos actually~~ a lot of love there~~~~~~ Enjoy your summer!
i love your photos and that dish with the shrimp looks AMAZING!!
happy summer!
love & magicks
~*~
I love the traditional Scandinavian waffles! And it’s so lovely to see Amelia so grown up, it’s been an honour to watch her blossom :)
Oh my, Amelia is sprouting into a lovely young woman! I related to your “…and cleaning the kitchen and cleaning the kitchen….” comment and I’m not even writing a cookbook. I hope that waffle photo is in it!
I realized just how long I have been reading/ lurking your blog, because when I started Amelia was a baby and now she is looking so lovely and grown up! Wow, landslides, they happen.
The photo of Amelia hugging her dad and the expression on his face, ahhh, my heart just grew three sizes.
Looking forward to your cookbook!
Alicia,
I started a new job and it has been stressful and now that I made it through orientation, I’m on my days off and feeling really stuck. I don’t feel like I can do, or focus on anything! I’m wasting my time off too. And yet, there is so much I wish I felt like doing. I got my sewing machine out days ago, my basket as well, I cut out three skirt patterns weeks ago, and more, but it all just sits there. I can’t clean. Nothing. But today, I finally picked up your spring wreath pattern to work on, and I just wanted to thank you for your patterns,(I have most of them.) This small kit is doable, achievable, even being stuck, and is lifting my mood.
I would be THRILLED with a beginner kit for children!! I have been looking for something just like this, and I can't even think of anyone better than you to create it!
Looks like you are having a great Summer! Such lovely photos! The children's beginner kit sounds great! The recipes you mentioned sounds amazing. I am amazed how you have such a picturesque state! Because of your photos I have decided to "force" my husband to take a trip there with me. Thank you for the lovely photos!
I have admired your house since I first discovered your blog back when my daughter was an infant in 2006. No wonder you were taken by your own photos. We actually had a set of shelves, cabinets and window seat built into the eaves of her room based on your images. Game changer. Thank you for all you share. Your world is magical.
And!! That photo of Andy is breathtaking, he loves her so very much. I hope you have a framed copy of that for both of them.
As always, so glad to see your posts and read about all you are doing! Impressive! Wow - the work going into your cookbook! I'd like to maka a "family cookbook" but a simple one. Any chance of a little "peek" of your new pattern coming out? I love the idea of a kit for kids - I've been looking for something like this for my granddaughters. Yay for summer!
Oh my goodness has Amelia grown up! The photo of her looking up to the camera is lovely and the one of her with her dad a treasure for all three of you. Thank you for sharing the pictures with your readers, and for continuing to write and post. I just read the comments--Jeannine, go easy on yourself! You'll get to the skirts in due time. Thanks again, Alicia, for this unique and treasured space. -Jane
Oh those waffles on the perfect plate with those perfect looking strawberries looks so wonderful. I love the gingham container holding the flowers too. I can’t wait to order the new cross stitch kit. I’m going to make myself make a new eye appointment so I can get new glasses and start on one of your kits. Happy Summer!
Oh my gosh! I just caught up with your blog, read from the current post back to “Happy New Year” and you are a powerhouse this year! So busy, so motivated, enthusiastic and excited. Well done, it’s really good reading. I’ve been a follower since Amelia was a baby, I really enjoyed this catch up.
(Also, I’m so sorry to learn of the passing of Andy’s mother. Condolences to you all.)
Oh my goodness has Amelia grown up! The photo of her looking up to the camera is lovely and the one of her with her dad a treasure for all three of you. Thank you for sharing the pictures with your readers, and for continuing to write and post.
I really happy to see it.
I love seeing corners of your charming house. And pictures of your charming family and am only missing pictures of charming YOU! You always make me want to cook more and knit more and make more. I feel like the space is just starting to open up in my brain to allow thoughts of it.
Such a lovely post to read in between all my work emails :) The photos are beautiful, as always. And your daughter is even more so :)
Seeing your photographs of Amelia playing in the stream reminds me of years gone by when my daughters did exactly the same. Many lovely summer hours were spent paddling in streams under the dappled shade of the woodland.
Such a lovely post to read in between all my work emails :) The photos are beautiful, as always. And your daughter is even more so :)
I’m just curious-what is the greenish paint color in the 2nd picture? I just love it!