This summer’s warm weather has got me hitting the iced drinks. Lucky for me, all of them are incredibly easy to make and don’t require much thought. A recent trip to the Strawberry fields has me adding sliced, juicy strawberries to my otherwise straight-forward lemonade.

What I’ve really been loving this summer is sweet tea. As part of the population that was not born in the South, this drink was foreign to me for the longest time. Some friends introduced me to it a few years ago but it wasn’t until a warm day this spring that I discovered my love for it.

~Sweet Tea~

3 large (family sized) black-tea bags

2 Cups of cold water

1 Cup of sugar

Place the two cups water in a tea pot and add the tea bags. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let steep for five minutes. Pour warm tea into empty pitcher. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill remaining pitcher with cold water and ice.

Today was one of those days.

Not one of those days, but one of those days that you just kick back and enjoy the sunshine. I have the sunburn to prove it too.

Life has been taking some interesting twists and turns lately. There are times when I want to pull out all my hair in frustration, but seeing as being bald would not be beautiful, I refrain myself. I can rant and rave over the disappointments, the rocky times, and those glorious mountain-top views. I can grow despondent when I slip, when I trip, or when I fall off a cliff. But, I can also choose to make the best of things. As the adage goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Seeing this video made me realize just how much I could work on my attitude. It’s the story of Nick, a guy not to much older than myself, but with a testimony that touches millions.

Check out the video. You just might be seeing things a little bit differently by the end of it.

I’m finally done with post-production of the documentary.

The past few months have been a blur of cameras, long nights, crazy work schedules, and even more hazordous eating schedules. I feel like I have aged, not only because of the bags that now line my eyes but for what I saw while on location. I was the writer for the project, so I had my fingers in a little bit of everything; screenwriting, blog writing (yes, I actually did do some blogging!), PR, and marketing.

I’m ready to get more domesticated. I’m ready to start caring again. And yes, I’m ready to start blogging again.

Lest this blog bite the dust…I’m in the beginning stages of filming a documentary. The most domestic thing I do is make sure that I’m presentable by the time I start interviewing people.

 Peace out until I see you on the other side of production.

It happened.

Somewhere between the trying to be domestic, running around, writing, volunteering and trying to have some semblance of a social life, I got a cold. It’s going on two weeks now and I hate it.

Any suggestions on how to kill the beast?

The very easy dress?

Still lays disassembled in my room. There’s got to be something easier than a “very easy” dress. Perhaps next time, I will just find a thick sheet, cut a hole in it for my head and sew up the sides. I might need a belt of some sorts, and paired with the hair and boots, it just might pass as fashionable.

I’ll admit it. I’ve been very, very lax in my posting of late.

It’s not that my domesticity died–I’m still a work in progress after all–but rather that the business of the holidays killed my blogging desires. You all will be proud to learn that I made two pairs of pajama pants as Christmas presents this year. However; it took me a little bit longer than expected.

The reason? I can’t thread that stupid thingamabobber on the bottom of the sewing machine. I kept trying and just when I thought it worked, something would happen and I would give up in dispair. So, like any crafty woman with too much time on her hands, I decided that I would hand-sew the pajamas. After all, that’s what the spirit of Christmas is about…sacrificing for the ones you love, right?

In went Anne of Avonlea, the 1970’s BBC miniseries in which all the characters have Irish lilts. Except Marilla who sounds like she belongs in Iowa. For six hours, I sat glued to the screen, sewing as quickly (and evenly!) as I could. It wasn’t easy. I can see why some blessed soul invented the sewing maching. But one pair down and one to go.

 The sewing machine ended up getting repaired–good thing Mother’s always know how to thread those blasted thingamabobbers–and the last pair finished late Christmas Eve. When the time came for the kiddos to open the presents, they were suprised and delighted to have (pretty) well-fitting pajama pants. Honestly, I think my brother put on a good show. The teenage sister liked hers however.

And just in case you were wondering, Santa seemed to have forgotten my request for a trained monkey. Perhaps I should have sent the request in earlier? My room looks like a tornado struck with papers strewn all over and intermixed with clothes stacked in piles.

Maybe next year?

The turkey is gone, the last bits of the 20 pounder being gobbled up yesterday or the day before. We’re still eating the extra pumpkin pies. In the flurry to prepare for twenty guests, we made four pies. Some of the guests brought pies as well so there are still two to go!

 My dress has been put away for the moment. The couches from the family room were put in the dining room. The dining room table (on which I sewed) is in the family room, adjacent to the table in the eating area. It sounds rather complicated but it makes the house nice and airy feeling. Why we don’t have it like this for the rest of the year, I have no idea. Maybe this year it will stay.

Since I’ve been so lazy this last weekend, there’s not much to update. I did make a wonderful double batch of fudge. If I don’t eat all the frozen ones, there will be plenty for Christmas!

The weather has taken a turn for the dismal worst. Rain drips, drips, drips without cease and I find myself at a cross between wanting to hibernate for winter and rebelling against it and giving in to my new found Martha Stewart urges. So instead of working on articles or dresses, the last few days I…

* Baked two pumpkin pies

* Made a Christmas wreath

* Practiced my piano (something I haven’t done in years)

* Attempted to clean the house

All in all, the weekend wasn’t a disaster. Pictures of projects will be popping up soon!

This is the pattern that I’m working on. Nice and easy, or so it says.  I’m doing the long sleeve option and it’s in a nice stretchy brown fabric (a picture of which will be uploaded in due time).

So far just the bodice is done and not even the whole bodice. Just enough that I could have gone as a skimpy genie for Halloween had I so desired. All that to say, the dress is going s-l-o-w. I tried sewing the waist/belt piece onto the bodice. A few days ago, I had attempted it and was told that I had attached it too low and I needed to cover some other stitches that I had put in. So today, I tacked it up higher and pushed the pedal down.

This time, I had attached it too high. When I showed it to my mom, she burst out laughing and told me that most people wanted the waist lower than the neckline. (It really wasn’t that bad!)  What’s a girl to do? The stupid waist just doesn’t want to find the right place!

I was reminded that my sewing issues might be spring forth from the sewing needle being on the left-side of the foot. The machine isn’t playing nice and won’t go back to the proper position. If it’s not one thing than I guess it’s another. Tomorrow it’s back to the pins and needles, trying to get that band right.