Modern Prairie Girl

 Okay, so it’s not exactly the weather we were hoping for on the last day of school yesterday..but I’m not giving up hope!

These are some of my fave summer things…

Sleeping with the windows open and a breeze skimming the top sheet gently.

Via MrharrisTweed

Donning a frock and riding a bike through town like a little french girl.

Via.

Summer weddings..preferably in small chapels (that could…if squeezed..fit in my backyard).

Via.

Making a mess in the driveway with paint and having an exhibit.

Via.

Porch decorating…

Via Veranda

Alfresco dining in style…

Pie, pie and more pie…

Via.

Summer nights at a county fair

Via Flickr.

Popsicles every hour on a hot day…

Via Flickr.

Leisure time on Whidbey Island…

Via.

Fires on dark forest nights in the back nine..

Via.

Barefoot everywhere…

Via.

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Speaking of “summer delights”—what is better than having your kids have a blast at an art camp while you get some free time? My pal (and co-leader on the “Ignite the Heart” retreat) is Elida Field, artist and art teacher. Here are some of her awesome classes she’s offering:

Under The Sea: Monday, July 12th-Thursday, July 15th  9:30 am – 12:00 pm Come join the adventure as we swim our way through different mediums and discover some of the most amazing treasures that the deep sea offers.

Fantasy Fun: Monday, July 19^th, – Thursday, July 22^nd, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm Fairies, Giants, and Dragons…Oh my!  Monsters, Unicorns, and Elves….Oh boy!  Fantasy characters are some of the most creative and fun to explore in art.

 Birds, Bugs and Butterflies: Monday  August 9^th – Thursday Aug.12^th, 9:30 am – 12:00 Students will explore bugs, birds, and butterflies as well as all other garden items and aspects.  Twigs, leaves, dirt and rocks will be included in our discoveries.

Into Deep Space: Monday August 16^th – Thursday August 19^th, 9:30 am –12:00pm Painting planets, building spaceships, creating claymation aliens….all are the makings of a wonderful art experience.

Cost: $125 per week (includes all materials). Location TBA in Camas.

Register with Elida Field by emailing:  elidafield@yahoo.com  OR www.elidafield.com   There’s limited space!

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One or two spots left in our retreat—email me soon if you don’t want to miss out! (lara@larablairimages.com)

Happy weekend, lovelies~

OX.

Leah the Fabulous is busily working on her clothing line Belle Blanc—

Believe me, you will be dying for these clothes when she’s ready to roll. We (meaning the crafty girls) are and are bugging her to get them out there for the world to love. Leah enlisted everyone to make some fabric embellishments—with champagne (of course!), gourmet eats and some very entertaining conversation. Me, being the turn-into-a-pumpkin-at-2:15–to-pick-up-my-kids-girl that I am, had to leave early, but the festivities went on for two days.

Leah’s fab dining room bustles with craftiness~

One of the many treats that I might as well slap right on my tush…b/c that’s where they’ll end up!

Michelle and Leah–reluctantly pose for me.

My fave canine muses, George and Simon (Marco, the pug, was banished b/c he was stinky)~

Kimberly, of Mimi Charmante fame, came down—the ultimate treat for me. I don’t get to see this lovely face enough.

Embellishments galore…

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Okay, friends…now we get to my favorite part~taking portraits of people I admire and enjoy…

First, Leah (“I just can’t take a good picture) Brown is my first victim. I set up a make-shift studio with my new lighting toys up in Leah’s bedroom..which was like taking a bull for a walk in a china shop, btw…

This lovely Frenchie girl has the most lovely half-smile..how fun to finally get this girl in front of my camera!

Kim and offspring…look at the eyes on this little guy.

Joy,joy,joy! Still intoxicated by this woman’s laugh..hard to believe she can be this serious.

Isabel, our mysterious and exotic European woman of the group…

Lisa, is one part of what I refer to as “The Wonder Twins”…see below…

Leah, being the bossy gal that she is (and we love you for it, Leah!) always grabs my camera and forces me to sit…a very uncomfortable feeling, I might add…hats off to all of you who sit for me. Thank you.

This was so much fun for me, lovelies…it’s such a privledge to capture people in this way.

Here’s a teaser for the next post…

very excited about a session that I did at Rach’s barn on Thursay—BAD A@# Cowgirls and lots of artistic horsey shots. A total blast and can’t wait to share!!!

Happy end-of-school to all of you moms~

OX.

Red dresses to frolick in surrounded by wheat.

Via Flickr.

Small churches that could fit in my backyard…

Via.

Via.

John Dowd , an artist who had a painting featured in a design glossy—I was drawn to it like a moth to the flame…Edward Hopper is one of my faves, and this guy has a similar style.

I’m completely obsessed with the Ian Falconer’s talent, creator of the “Olivia” books—just wanna jump right into some of those drawings!

Felixdoolittle.com and their mini fab letterpress cards…I’d like mine with a vintage camera, please…

An Eco-friendly felt camera case (seriously! How cute is THIS?)

From ClaraJuribe on Etsy.

Fresh salsa of any kind with wheat thins (yes, strange, but chips go right to the derrier—I just really need a vehicle for shoving ridiculous amounts of this nectar of the God’s into my piehole.)

The dream of parking my rainy-day-tuckus in a bistro chair on this little street in South Beach, Miami~

…..ooorrrr….the dream of knocking on the door of this South Beach home and declaring my guest-ish-ness for the week/month/summer (kids in tow, of course).

Via.

I’m intrigued by (not necessarily “loving”) how fads become fads…like these little doo-dads (that look like they cost 2 cents to make) that haven’t made it our way yet from the East Coast (thank you, Sainta Maria, for the link on this)~

Silly Bandz (?)  Anyone got kids who can explain to me what this is all about?

Could be a little reminder of this devine style we had going on circa 1983—hoo-boy! Not one we want to repeat.

BIG windows to let the light in a well-designed room…

Via Elle Decor.

A new show (to fill the void until Nine by Design comes back on—even my girls are obsessed! Where do you think the birch tree madness came from?!) is called “Selling New York” on HGTV is pretty darn entertaining…especially since we used to stay in my aunt and uncle’s swanky apt. in the city and we know what things cost…total FantasyLand.

…and yet another Bravo show, “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist” looks intriguing—I’m recording it, anyway. There’s a quirky photographer from Seattle–that’s reason enough for me to sit in front of the boob-tube and fast forward through the commercials.

This is what we do in the Northwest…get all of our TV-watching lined up with thoughts of rainy afternoons spent with the kidlets looking longingly out the window…

okay, so I’m kidding–but I’m frankly getting a little nevous about our summer weather—the Farmer’s Almanac is not rootin’ for us this year.

What yummy/fun/fab design finds do you lovelies have these days?!

Share! Share!

OX.

P. S. *For all you beach-cottage-lovin’ gals, this post on Urban Farmgirl will knock your socks off.*

Leah the Fabulous hosted the crew at her new abode…she actually bought the house across the street!

Her old one is here…

Beach house is here….

and this house, dear friends, is even more fabulous than ever. It’s just a wash of white and all the shabby trimmings that go with it.

Leah is a painter and this is her space until the little studio out back is finished…let me tell you, she is going to have one incredible little spot to create….how fun for her!

I totally want to do this with shutters—I love, love this look. That’s Julie from The Withes in the window

Self-portrait-haha…

Lisa and Isabel…in Leah’s clothes…shhhh…it’s top secret—she’s got a line coming out that will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF…stay tuned.

Julie brought these gorgeous flowers….I love these colors in the white room..

Lisa and Isabel, looking very happy with their mimosas…we all were happy with our mimosas, in fact. ha!

Robin and I have sort of a little thing going…gotta take that image in the mirror—our second attempt was so much better. Leah has lots of GIANT mirrors for us to go around the room doing this little ritual.

Cindy, looking very glamorous…just like all of her gear.

Mr. Joe, our one representative from the male species, came out to play. Their sale was so incredible last weekend. If you didn’t make it—gotta get out for the next one!

Good eats and lots of it…so much for the all-protein thing I’ve been doing at lunch…When in Rome..

Leah’s boy, Marco, is one of my favorite canine subjects. I just love  this little guy–time to get some fresh air.

Her beautiful backyard had this very funny bluejay who was torturing the cat—-I mean dive-bombing it. Probably a nest nearby. He did stop long enough to get a shot of him.

My sweet friend…

Sitting like a gentleman…

Natalie’s gorgeous daughter who also came out to play…sweetest face ever.

Well, lovelies…what a wonderful day it was. All of Leah’s houses make me feel happy inside.

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Different topic….

My friend Krista, who is a future breast cancer survivor, has an amazing article in our local paper…they’re following her through the journey. She’s my her0.

Have a super weekend! Off to Seattle with the kidlets for some Gammie time.

OX.

Via.

Food.

I love it….

and then I fear it.

I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m emptying my entire cupboard into the trash and ripping up the backyard for a garden.

Green thumb I am not.

But…

That’s no excuse.

Via.

I don’t know how many of you have seen the movie “Food, Inc.”, but it’s scary enough to ward off anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. It may cause you to rethink the state of the innards of your kids (not to mention your own).

Movie trailer:

The Blairs don’t do pop (or soda, for you East Coasters and Midwesterners) anymore.

We don’t do white bread anymore.

It’s whole wheat all the way.

Buuuut…the occasional Twinkie (gasp!) makes its way into our snack stash.

I know, I know.

Gross.

What’s the shelf life on those things?

If twinkies were found in King Tut’s tomb, could we still eat them?

sigh.

So, dear lovelies! I am feeling inspired.

I know my pal Minda of Eat Well, Be Well fame has been waiting for me to come around. To be serious about the food I feed my family.

I have been embarrasingly afraid to do show-n-tell in my kitchen with Minda—what on earth would she say in the wake of my convenient snack shelf that buckles under the ridiculous amounts of packaging?

Truth is, she’s a friend without judgement.

But good grief, there are Ding Dongs and Cheet-os (baked, I weakly add in my defense) in there!

Yikes.

I think I’m ready.

Via.

I got a timely email from a pal who is doing a food co-op in my area called DanDee Farm—supporting a local farmer in this quest for good food is exciting to me. I’m realizing that you don’t have to be a stereotypical pleather-shoe-wearin’-vegan-PETA member to be responsible with what you you’re feeding your fam.

Via.

BABY steps.

That’s what I intend to do.

Just yesterday I made the commmitment to not buy packaged cookies anymore and to make chocolate chip with whole wheat flour–I’ve done it before, but groused about how many dishes I dirtied—-ready to be done grousing. The kids like them and even asked for them to be put in lunches. I also think we’re done with the yogurt-in-a-tube thing…looks more like toothpaste than food.

I’m a digestive nightmare (could be TMI, sorry) with IBS and violent intolerance  for all dairy.

Sigh again.

I think it might be down to bread (whole grain of course–haha) and water sometime soon. Making two meals each night (one for fam, one soy/vege/grain for me) is getting old….and I really hate being a high maintenance guest, so I usually suck down the the Levsin digestive pill and suffer in silence when going to people’s homes for dinner. Italian and Thai don’t offend, so I’m always thrilled when either of those are on the menu. Those of you with iron stomachs—cherish what you’ve been given. I’m envious!

Any of you lovelies making changes on your fam’s diet? Anything working for you? Tips? Tricks?

Love to hear them! As always, I love, love, love your comments.

OX.