Summer Reading 2013

Hello, all, how is Tuesday treating you? We had the welcome surprise of a little rain shower after lunch, very much appreciated.

I thought today might be a good time to offer a few suggestions for summer reading, so here goes.

There are plenty for children and teens. Here are some golden oldies:

 

Magic by the Lake is by Edward Eager of Half Magic fame. Lots of fun adventures for the children spending the summer in a cabin fifty miles from home.

 

Beany and the Beckoning Road is a great road trip novel by Lenora Mattingly Weber about Beany and other members of the unruly Malone family, with a hint of mystery.

Part of The Dark is Rising series, magic on holiday in Cornwall.

Summer fun in the 1950s with Fripsey Summer by Mayde Lee Chastain. 

 

Second in the series following The House at World's End finds the Fielding children largely on their own, trying to avoid meddling grownups and having adventures with animals.

There's non-fiction too, like:

 

part of the Crosswicks Journals by the by the celebrated author of A Wrinkle in Time

.

 

I love this book. It is about the experiences of a woman with five children. After she was widowed in 1926 she spent the summers with them on a boat exploring the wild coast of British Columbia.

 

Of course, we have to eat year round, and what better place to glean ideas than from Louise Andrews Kent in Vermont? If you aren't familiar with her Mrs. Appleyard books, you're in for a treat.

These are all perfectly fine, but most people think about fiction during the summer, so here are a few titles to think about.

 

I'm reading this right now, set in the South Carolina Low Country, plenty of good escapist fodder here.

If you're more interested in distant parts you might try:

 

Some families always go on holiday together, but this particular summer there are complications galore.

Also British, but set in the period before WWII, this is a comedy of manners which no one does better than Angela Thirkell.

Beverley Nichols was a writer who wrote several books about his home and gardens at Merry Hall, as well as the other residents of the village and his animals, a special delight for gardeners.

 

Summer in Provence for Anna and her teenage children with the complications of a marriage gone wrong back in the UK and a captivating stranger brought to visit by her brother.

Three sisters open a bed and breakfast in Nantucket. 

An affluent wife finds new direction and meaning when she spends the summer with two old Quaker sisters and an acerbic nun.

I loved Nancy Clark's first book, The Hills at Home, and this one is every bit as good. You won't want it to end and be forced to leave the Hills after this tumultuous summer. 

Do you have a particular author or genre you gravitate towards reading during the summer months, or re-read old favorites? 

Till next time,

Michele

Mini Monday

Good afternoon, friends, how is your week starting off? I've gotten a few things done, but mostly have been doing remedial work after the weekend, so this is going to be short and sweet.

I grew up with a grandfather who hunted, so antlers and heads were commonplace at the maternal grandparents' house. We just took them for granted way back then, so it surprised me when heads of all kinds started to become popular the past few years. A big disaster means none of those are in our family anymore  (the short explanation: My folks put most of their things in storage while looking for a smaller house to move to; unfortunately, it was in a warehouse next to a railroad track. When a boxcar fell off onto a gas line that exploded, there went most of their stuff, boom.) 

A little  antelope head on a pad in a thrift shop caught my eye. Once pried off with a little glue and a cork coaster this is the result:

Now to get a hook/fastener for the back to hang it with. It's a tiny bow to the heads/ antlers trend, but could be cute on a bookcase or shelf, don't you think?

Off to write some auction descriptions before unloading the dishwasher. It's all about the glamor here!

Take care,
Michele

Friday Finale

Hi, Friends,

Here it is Friday once more, so it seems like a good chance to show you the latest thrift haul.

I'm sorry this is so dark, but the way things have been going today, trying to take another picture would probably make the camera explode or something. I've picked up a few books, a nice wooden hand mirror and comb, some new greeting cards and a pretty holiday silk scarf. Also another ampersand sign to give my oldest dd as part of a running joke, a Mercury glass vase, Marjolein Bastin basket with handle, a little wooden chair for my collection and two huge mugs from La Madeleine restaurant. This pair says "C'est la vie!" on the sides. Those books are mostly for us, but there are a few more already listed to sell. The one in the front middle is interesting. It's a guide to rate restaurants and make notes on what your experience was like, with a cover like an old time diner ticket. There is also a brand new small box with a hinged lid to put a pretty trinket for a bride in. It cost .90 cents, but I just noticed the original price tag still on it for $10.00, so even a better deal than it first seemed. Those are little tennis shoes for a doll on the seat of the chair that came in a random bag of something or other. 

Now I'm off to put away laundry and do a little early dinner prep. 

May your weekend be wonderful from start to finish.

Michele

Leaving home

Hello, friends,

Is school out where you live? Today was the last day here, which means navigating around the Travis Elementary will be much easier for the next couple of months. The children don't bother me at all. Their parents, whose cars line the streets and make it impossible to see if it's safe to pull out, are not in the same category.

Once June arrives many people head off on vacation, going near and far. Mr. B and I don't do much of that; we're not good travelers in general and got out of the habit during the years we couldn't afford to go anywhere. This may be why I'm more of an armchair tripper than intrepid explorer. Still, it seemed appropriate to honor this hallowed rite of summer, so starting with this:

the old globe bank on the right, and adding these:

from the loose toy bin at Sand Dollar. I covered the camo on the binoculars with a piece of map.

to come up with the finished result:

Send postcards!

Later, Michele

Playing House

Hello, folks, we are into regular summer now. I try to do anything outside before noon, then  stay indoors till evening.

While puttering around inside after lunch, I started putting some little bits and pieces of doll furniture together in a divided wooden box from the thrift shop and came up with:

It's just cheap plastic stuff, except for the ladder, but still appealing. 

 

I like the way the drawer opens on the desk and the doors on the armoire and the

accessories, the books, food and dish towels. Not really anything you could call a project or creative, but still a fun way to spend a few minutes. 

Do you think miniatures are enthralling, or are you not a fan? Am I the only one who finds the mixed bags of any and everything in thrift shops impossible to ignore?

TTYL,
Michele

Bye, bye birdies! Part Two

Hi, everyone. I hope you're having a terrific Tuesday.

As promised yesterday, here is more of the cool coastal decor we're using for summer.

The birdcage is again pressed into service to keep the centerpiece unavailable to cats. A cool blue pillar candle and lots of shells does the trick.

Here is the terrarium, mostly holding glass bottles, some with sand and using shells for stoppers as well as the old photo featuring my mother in a family group at the beach around 1926 or so.

The big cloche on the desk holds an urn with a rustic decoration and a scallop shell filled with others.

 Here is a blue tray updated with some shell wooden plaques from a thrift shop.

Here's the tray on an end table by the sofa, utilizing one of my miniature chairs for display.

Here is its mate, holding a starfish on a corner shelf. It looks as if we're set for summer, or at least, the next couple of months. By the time August arrives I'll probably be more than ready to switch to sunflowers, but these add the illusion of cool ocean breezes for now. 

Are you a beach or mountain person? I am wholly beach, which is surprising, in a way, because my beloved PaPa loved nothing better than going to the mountains of Colorado. Not me, though. There would be not a second's hesitation for me to choose coastal every time. 

Have a good one,

Michele

Bye, bye, birdies!

Hello, all, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We enjoyed going to an art exhibit where a friend had work on display, then discovered a new restaurant that evening, so plenty of excitement for these geezers. 

During the day the main chore was taking all the bird decor down and getting out the seashells and beach-related things for the next couple of months. Here's the bookcase:

In my little briefcase is a blue and yellow ball, a straw-wrapped bottle, a candle wound with twine and shells and a picture of brightly colored buoys. The  frame is from Kirkland's, but came to me via a thrift shop. I added a tin pitcher full of pinwheels just for fun.

So far the coffee table is pretty simple, based on the tray we'd had out before. 

What looks like a book is actually a box of shell note cards. On top a cloche filled with more shells.

Outside by the front door, like last year is this:

a string of shells.

To be continued. More tomorrow.

Michele