An Inspiring End to Summer 2008

We just got back from a long weekend, at my husbands families summer place...my son is playing there and having the time of his life, and it is so neat to think that he's the 5th generation of his family that has summered here- over a period of 99 years!!!! This is Anne's cottage- a woman that really fascinates me...so much so that I've knocked on her door twice, not knowing her, and have been invited in both times- and she just talks with me like she knows me.
This weekend I asked if I could photograph her place- I got some great shots that I will use for a special show Lancaster Indie Arts is putting together. a "Home" themed show benefiting Habitat for Humanity, my favorite cause these last couple of years.
Anne's home represents a dream summer home to me. And if you think the outside looks cool, the inside gets even better. She really inspired me this time. I love the clear colors of everything in her house. She is so cool, I can't stop thinking about the whole thing...She's sitting inside wearing a red sweater, eating her dinner, surrounded by the artiest stuff, and next to her are her books, and her flatscreen. A woman after my own heart!
We are really lucky to have a wonderful place like this cottage community to take my son to in the summer. With towering trees and little paths and fantastic porches...no traffic...it is a perfect place to spend summers in childhood.

What I'm into at the Moment:

cottages. cape cod houses. sweeping my whole first floor of hardwood floors, with a broom, autumn, Lowes, beadboard paneling, rainy days, Rice Krispies, English muffins, Green Mountain Hazelnut coffee, reading, www.sesamestreet.org videos, new white socks, white dishes.

www.maggiefrenchfolkart.etsy.com
$150

I'm old, and I like it!

Here's a pic of me and DH last Saturday at my friends gorgeous wedding at the York Country Club!

I've been super busy this week- with German au pair Lena here- but I managed to finish my Night Night Sleep Tight Don't Let the Bed bugs bite end table.

available on etsy very soon!!!!

Today I went to IKEA after dropping off Lena (who is flying to Orange County, Cali!!!!)
Oh I love IKEA! So clean. So modern. But people should pair their stuff with homemade things. This week is art art art...nesting nesting nesting...maybe a little Vacation and lots of time to think about me as an older mom...I want to look comfortable and arty all the time (for those of you in the world that think I'm annoying and insane for wanting to look "arty" go fly a kite!)
My idea of arty is a gorgeous gray sweater and old dark wash jeans, Dansko shoes, and cool glasses. Iwould love to have crazy curly red hair though...but the heavens above gave that to Erica:-)

Paint a Chair with me (and a German au pair!) this Saturday

Saturday, August 16

First annual Eastern Market Tomato Festival from 9 - 2!
Salsa Contest (you be the judge!), Salsa Dancing, Tomato Golf, Tomato Toss, Taste testings and more! Live music by the Main Street Mystics. Tomato-themed chair painting with Maggie French.

I am busy getting this chair ready, and getting Lena's room ready (the German au pair that will stay with me this week) also, my son's 3rd birthday is Sunday!!!!...big party with lots of food, and some decorations from Etsy:-) (cupcake toppers from rockabyeretro.etsy.com.

Arrival of the Big Desk

I am now, officially, the proud owner of the biggest desk in the world. It wasn't really my goal to have such a huge desk...but I wanted a space for my fax machine, and I wanted it to have shelf space on the top of it.
The three boxes it came in, filled up my dining room and kitchen. It took me over an hour to bag up all the styro foam and fold the boxes that would have fit several kindergardeners in each!
Sitting here now at it...I feel like I'm at ski lodge or something in Colorado.
It's very nice, is real wood! (what a concept! :-) )and subsequently, it smells good!

Note regarding photo: Item appears WAY bigger when you get it home!

Hi Grandma....

This has never happened to before, and I rather enjoyed it. For two days, in different areas of my house, I could smell my Grandma's perfume, her hallway, her upstairs, her house, her closets...every time I turned a corner in my own home.
I know it was her, because this hasn't happened before. And it continued and continued. I might as well have been back in her house. Hi Grandma!

I have been busy busy busy cleaning the house this weekend, and fixing up my guest room (a mess since DH decided to install insulation last winter in our crawl spaces, and used the guest room as project central.) In one week, Lena, my German au pair - for - a - week! will be here...transitioning to LA. So Max will have a friend, and I'll have someone to talk to. She reminds me of myself when I was a nanny. Max runs up to the guest room now and chatters, "Me in Ena room, yes, sleep here..."

Sonic

This is one of many crazy and fun things about my au pair job...
I can do things like...randomly take a girl from Switzerland who has only been in America for two weeks, to Sonic at 9pm for an ice cream blast. Her first time experiencing 1950's style car window restuarant service. Too bad the waitress wasn't wearing roller skates:-)
She laughed so hard when I pressed the button to order, and then said, "OH ONLY IN AMERICA!!!!"
It is so fun to experience things through my au pairs eyes. Americans in general don't get to hang out with people from a variety of other countries. Me on the other hand....I get to do this kind of stuff anytime...and just for the record, it's really cute when they accidently start talking to me in their native language. My au pair said, "I'm going to open my own drive-in, in Switzerland!!!" all smiles of course:-)

Back to painting furniture....

I have finally gotten a nice amount of work done on my "Night Night Sleep Tight Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite" bedside table. it's really cool. Pics are coming soon.
I want to finish it in the next couple days and then...get this...start painting an Etsy chair.
And yes...it will be Etsy ORANGE!

Max's Room

i think it's finished...I want to add a few of the
vehicles applique things to the road and hills-
I've been thinking this week, "boy, I really have to do some art, I'm slacking!" and then I remember that THIS is what I did this week :-) I think it's a special thing that I did for Max, and that feels good. He walks in his room and says , "Ta Da!"
it even looks cool from the hall! He doesn't know he's getting a train table for his birthday, it's replacing the little IKEA table.