Woman in Real Life

I had an appointment in a nearby town yesterday. When I'm in another town, I think, "different thrift store..." So, after my appointment, I headed to this other town's Salvation Army Thrift Store. And it did not disappoint. I felt like it had a lot more interesting, unique items than our local Salvation Army Thrift Store. My theory is that the folks who make up the mix of people in a town look for different treasures at the thrift store than folks in other towns do. And they donate different treasures too. Does that make sense?

When I found out that DK has an entire book devoted to energy bites (it's called Energy Bites, haha), I was intrigued. I love a healthy, tasty portable snack more than anyone probably should. But seriously, how great is it when you have nutritious and delicious little bites of energy in the freezer all ready to grab on the run?

The material that we (the participating #12monthsofdiy bloggers) chose for this month's project is Mod Podge. Funny thing though, my diy this month also incorporates two materials from previous months - namely Fusion Paint (seen on the table in this post) and another thrifted, secondhand item (like the lamp and bookends in this post).

Plaid Enterprises was kind enough to send me some Mod Podge for this post. Can you believe I had never tried any of their products before? I bet you my next project will have Fusion Paint, a thrifty treasure, Mod Podge and whatever our next material is!

Seeing as we just enjoyed the most beautiful, sunny long weekend, I am loath to bring up Christmas. But here I go anyway. We visited my mom and dad on the weekend. (Dad recently celebrated his 89th birthday!) I always come home with a box of some vintage something or other. This time it was Christmas albums.

I can't resist a Christmas album. As long as it's December. Not November. Not October. I'm not going to buy Christmas gifts super early just because the stores start rotating Christmas tunes in the fall. Although I really should shop earlier...

Summer is great for so many reasons, not the least of which are road trips, camping and cottage vacations. Whether you're chilling in the passenger seat of the car, hanging out on the dock in a Muskoka chair or kicking back poolside, you'll want to take along some books.

These fab creative books from Quarto are perfect not only for occupying free time, but also for bringing out your inner artist. Not to mention the fact that they are useful for keeping kids busy in the car or on a rainy day! In this post, I'm sharing a selection of creative books that suit the interests and ages of my family members, but I really think that all of these books work well for a range of ages and for any sex.

 
Is there ever a bad time for pancakes? I don't think so. I crave them on the regular. As I said in this previous WIAW post, I have been digging Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Whole Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix of late. It's a quick solution when you don't have time (or the inclination) to make pancakes from scratch. All you need to do is add non-dairy milk and a flax "egg." Plus, blueberries. Loads o' blueberries!

I'm taking a walk down memory lane today. I have this Hardy Boys mirrored framed photo on the wall in my basement. Because where else would I put it? I figure the basement is a good place for whimsy. By rights it should probably be discarded in my 4-month household declutter. But I can't do that - I'm a mother now, with all the (many!) responsibilities that entails, and I figure I can use a reminder now and then of my inner child. Like, "Oh yeah, there was a time when I actually explored my own interests..." Like Shaun Cassidy. He was an early interest.