add a jot of joy

today is a first day of halfsummer break before the second summer session starts up. the list to do is long and the first on the list is studio cleanup.

packaging up this order from jotjoy earlier was so much fun and will serve as the carrot in front of the cart to unpile the workcounters.

shade and salute

the summer sun has finally shown herself and reminded us why we didn't sit on our porch in the late afternoon. yesterday, i stitched up a shadecloth for those hot hours.

the afternoon porch has been reclaimed.

inspiration deluxe

the creativity of caine is inspiration deluxe.

creating and recycling something out of cardboard should be a weekly class that every kid has to take to graduate from highschool. every adult should be mandated to renew their creative thinking license every six months with a weekend course.

go, caine, go.

for summer reading

for four years, we have been sitting in a turquoise porch swing. it had sentimental value since it had been my grandparents, yet it was not conducive to reading or very comfortable. through those four years of grad school, i wasn't conducive to (extracurricular) reading or very comfortable so we were actually the perfect pair.

since graduation twelve days ago, a comfortable place to read has been on my mind. last week, i knew that a loveseat would find my porch, though had no idea what style it would be. this weekend, i took the porch swing down, mopped the porch, had a garage sale and waited for the place to sit.

it was found in pretty bad shape, although it was sturdy and undamaged. all it needed was a new support seatboard, paint and new cushions. since my screens and screen doors are painted black, i knew that a black stain would be perfect for this settee.



minwax polyshades is a super product which is both a stain and polyurethane. it was super easy to use. drips were easy to clean up, if done so immediately. when it started drying, it became more like a polyurethane and harder to clean up. oil paint scares me. stain does not. i like something that i can wash up with water (yes, messes) and this stain was easy to paint with. the paintbrush still needs to be cleaned and is in the freezer in a sandwich bag, ready for the next project. (crafty wording can make anything less ghetto.)

to reupholster the old cushions would have been expensive. with the garage sale money, i went to target in search of cushions that would fit and would blend with the house.



we are extremely happy with how this project turned out. in a week and two days, summer reading can crank itself up and now we will have a comfortable place to do it.

afternoon creeper

all week, i have been waiting for the rangoon creeper to pop open. yesterday, i turned the corner and it made me catch my breath.

rangoon creeper (quisqualis indica) is a semi-tropical vine that is rumored to be an invasive, but i have never had a problem with it growing out of its spot. it freezes to the ground in the winter and comes back in the spring. i planted it here to be protected from the north wind and so far the porch is doing its job.

except for the sun that it gets from the porch, it is protected from the hot afternoon sun. the fragrance is sublime and reminds me of a fruitier plumeria. growing vines seem to add another dimension to your garden and an established grown-up girlness to your house.

punky rooster

this wyandotte is so sweet. this punky rooster even matches her hunger games electrify nail polish!


the feather-footed black cochins are new to us. i am curious if they will grow tailfeathers.


four out of the six newest chickens are freaking roosters and we have to take them back to the feed store where we bought them. *sniff* tomorrow morning, the neighbors will love us again.

validation

this is for all of the students whom i have had the privilege to teach and to learn from, my colleagues and fellow learners on campus–
and especially for you.