Where has the summer gone? It seems to have flown right by. We have not been on vacation (yet), having been occupied by various SUMMER DIVERSIONS here at home. I also reached a PERSONAL MILESTONE that I’ve only recently begun to process (somewhat). So as we head into fall, I thought I’d take a moment to catch you all up on what I’ve been up to and to share some of what’s COMING UP ON THE BLOG.
Alrighty folks, LET’S CATCH UP!
REACHING A MILESTONE
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Turning Fifty
Earlier this year, this blogger turned FIFTY! Yep, the big five oh. Half a century. Yikes.
While I don’t ‘feel’ any different (except for the unpleasant perimenopausal symptoms and unwanted weight gain – double yikes), it’s definitely a significant threshold to have crossed.
But to be honest, I’ve never been one to overthink the aging process or what one number means or doesn’t mean (no party hats, balloons or confetti required); instead, I’m ALWAYS LOOKING AHEAD to what else I’d like to do or achieve, whatever age or stage I’m in.
SUMMER DIVERSIONS
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Sweet & Sour Delights
Speaking of the seasons of life: Summer has ALWAYS been my personal FAVOURITE. This summer, we managed to stick around close to home and it’s been a joy to watch the season unfold all around us. I love seeing the beauty of nature as it takes root and flourishes in OUR OUTDOOR SPACES.
Whether it’s witnessing the playfulness of the many birds, rabbits, chipmunks, or ducks (YES, DUCKS) who have come to feed, sleep, lay down, or just visit us in our backyard…
…or see the beautiful growth and progress made by our newly-planted Russian sage and Sedum (aka ‘stonecrop’) in our frontyard…
…or experience harvesting our cherry trees FOR THE FIRST TIME, which gave us an amazing bounty of SOUR CHERRIES that we were able to share with family.
…I’ve loved every second of it.
All-in-all, it’s THE LITTLE THINGS that have given me the greatest joy this summer.
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Our Newest Pet-Friendly Plant
On one of hubby and my summer excursions, we brought home this PET-FRIENDLY ‘PRAYER PLANT’ – the first live plant we’ve had indoors in years.
Our previous cats had either CHEWED, LICKED, EATEN, LAID ON, or CLIMBED UP any living plants we’ve brought home.
But after seeing how little interest our CURRENT CATS have had in fresh bouquets of flowers, for instance, I decided to take the chance on this ONE plant. So far, we’ve had one cat – Fritte – take a bit of interest, licking the new plant on a couple of occasions, but that’s about it.
So far, so good…
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Nature Weaving & Other Craft Adventures
Of course, what’s a summer without a little nature crafting? As a weaver, I’ve been OBSESSED with exploring the idea of collecting, preparing, and incorporating nature into my weaving practice. I’ve shared some of my EARLY EXPERIMENTS on both my Instagram accounts (in my Insta stories here at A Pretty Fix and here at Loom & Fibre) as well as in this blog post (which includes a nature-weaving tutorial for beginners).
Behind-the-scenes, the cats have kept me company – sometimes quietly, sometimes MAKING MERRY MISCHIEF – along the way.
I’ve also taken time to organize my GROWING YARN COLLECTION using my new yarn swift which has cut down an incredible amount of time (and frustration) when it comes to winding yarn into small, usable bundles.
It’s WILD just how much this inexpensive yarn tool has truly changed the game for me!
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In the Works
While I am determined to enjoy the rest of what’s left of my summer, I am also looking forward to what comes next.
This includes several home updates and craft projects THAT I PROMISE TO SHARE ON THE BLOG, including:
Home Updates: Remember our bedroom update plans? and our basement lounge room progress? I’m looking forward to continuing to work on these spaces as well as to make a few other small changes in our home.
Decluttering, Organizing: High on my list of priorities are more decluttering and organizing plans, including a VERY MESSY CRAFT AREA with all sorts of odds and sods that need sorting. It’s amazing how easy it is to accumulate more than a space can comfortably fit!
Product Testing: Recently, we purchased a couple of new products that I’ll be testing (and sharing my thoughts about on this blog), including the Bissell Green Machine furniture/rug spot cleaner and this pet urine detector (good for those spots that cannot be seen by the naked eye). Both products have very good reviews online.
Seasonal Crafting & Decorating: And, of course, I always love ushering in the season with MORE CRAFT AND DECORATING posts. You can always count on these to be on the blog agenda!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope this has given you a taste of what I’ve been up to this past while. I don’t know about you, but I’m DIGGING IN MY HEELS, determined to take in every last bit of summer we have left. There’s still more to see and do before the cool, crisp days ahead.
Until next time, my friends 🙂
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