summer surprises

Yesterday brought me two sweet surpises.

I received a Beautiful Bloggers Award from both Lori of Thrums and from Virginia of Virginia is for…. If you haven’t seen their sites before, you are in for a treat. Both ladies write from New York, and they share (along with heaps of gorgeous knitting) such interesting vignettes of the city, scenes that make me want to hop on a train and go there.

Thank you, ladies, for making me feel like I’ve received a great big unexpected bouquet of blooming peonies. So very delightful.

In the spirit of the award, I am supposed to share 10 new details about myself and then nominate 10 more beautiful people. In the spirit of this space, I’ll tweak it a bit.

First, understand that I won’t list immediate friends or family here, because I am a bit paranoid online and protect my boundaries. Second, I like a lot of writers/crafters, some of whom have a very large readership and wouldn’t know me from Job. So here’s to a little exploration and 10 beautiful people:

mairuru : hand crafting (Japan)
a place like this : whole living I aspire toward (US)
foxs lane : crafting + organic farming (Australia)
fryd + design : loveliness (Norway)
melbourne epicure : cupcakes + craftiness (Australia)
luscious : Lori’s food blog, nummmm…. (US)
tiny happy : inspired embroidery (New Zealand)
moonstitches : crafting + pretty pictures (Japan)
apple & eve : delightful embroidery & sewing (Germany)
lilla lotta : love her illustrations (France)

Next, here are my 10 things:

1 : unlovely : Ironing.
Ugh, yuck. We hates it precious! Which always kicks a bit of yuck into my sewing projects. Because you have to iron or things come out wonky. Thus my projects sometimes/often come out wonky.

2 : lovely : Chocolate.

3 : unlovely : Mopping floors.
Another loathesome chore. Ever want to instantly become my friend? Bring a mop and clean my floor. I have made housing choices directly influenced by how much mopping would be required in that space. Seriously.

4 : lovely : Painted toenails.
It’s like easy jewelry for your feet! Instant adornment: mine are usually blood red, shiny purple, or sparkly green during the summer.

5 : unlovely : Summer illnesses.
I realize that warmth + humidity + crowded public spaces = germs galore. But COME ON! It is so wrong to be coughing and wheezy and sniffly when the world outside is so completely gorgeous. BOO. I hate being sick…

6 : lovely : We were driving somewhere the other day and saw a car license plate that read, “PRSNKTY” (= persnickety). Once we figured it out, it made us laugh. That should be my license plate, I am weird enough for it.

7 : unlovely : Bread headaches.
How bizarre and unfair! Only with fresh homemade bread – so either I’m allergic to the yeast or I eat too much bread at once and get dehydrated. Anyone else know what I’m talking about? Advice?

8 : lovely : Babies.
The 2010 documentary/movie, I mean. Lots of fat-cheeked cuteness from other cultures.

9 : unlovely : The Lottery and Waiting for Superman.
More 2010 documentaries. And by unlovely, I mean the topics they address, not the documentaries themselves. I’m passionate on the topic of educational reform in the US public school system. That’s the work I came from before Bebe. I don’t know what’s wrong with our society in that we deny or lose focus on the very center and goal of our lives: the support and development of young people to become caring, intelligent adults.

10 : lovely : Peonies.
Gigantic, light pink, ruffly blooms with that delicate fragrance. My favorite flower, and the very first ones that Mr. P ever gave me, way back in the day, on a very cold winter night in DC.