When is it an addiction?

I have always loved bikes. For as long as I can remember, my fondest memories are when I'm on a bicycle. I remember all of them. My first training-wheel bike was orange with black handle bar grips. Daddy clipped playing cards with clothespins on the spokes, so that it made a cool shuffle sound. I graduated into a glittery purple Donnie Osmond bike with a white banana seat and streamers. Dreaming of jumping over 25 cars like Evil Kennival, I nearly rode the wheels off that bike. Back and forth and around and around and around the funeral parking lot, I took it upon myself to patrol the perimeter during funerals. Middle school brought a red 3 speed with handlebar brakes that Mother thought I would kill myself on, but I'm still standing and rode that bicycle to Fairview Park with Debbie Heckman, the Dairy Queen with Suzy Ayers, and even all the way to Nonna and Poppa's house where Poppa would then have to load it in the back of the truck because it would be too dark to ride home. In Coppell, I had my 10 mile Tour de Coppell route that took me past the duck pond, library, rec center, and CVS. After Anna-Jane was born, one of the first things I bought was a green baby seat that fit on my handlebars. I strapped a tiny pink helmet on that bald kid and away we went singing Old McDonald all the way.

The sense of adventure, the calming cadence, the lookey-looing around, the breeze, the smells, the sunshine, the pounding heart pumping up a hill, the swoosh of gliding down the going faster than walking--all together my kind of deal.

Now with Big Bess, my "new" vintage Western Flyer bicycle for two being such a friend catcher, I think I'm hooked. I walked right up to my "new" Thunderbolt (that's what I named her) and it was love at first sight. Snagged it at the White Rock Market. The man even threw on a bell. It's black with red and yellow flames. It says President (Ha!) on the top bar and "Tour De Hood" on the bottom bar. It needs a new seat and Wendy says new tires and wheels, but on the first stroll around the neighborhood, a pack of kids yelled, "Love your bike!". Now that's some awesomeness! Ha!

What I've Been Doing Lately

Sometimes real-life takes over. I'm completely stressed out over testing that's going on for the next 2 weeks. Literally, our little school will administer well over 2,500 tests. It's long, boring, tedious and painful. Thank you, State Board of Education and Texas Education Agency. I appreciate the kindness.

Even the Grass is Edible.

My cousin Suzanne made these for all the kids at Easter. So cute. She is so creative and has a hilarious sense of humor. I love to read her FB updates She's taught pre-K and Kinder for probably 15 years or more, so she gets my R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Lana

My favorite clutches are the ones with a surprise inside. This one for Lana has a quote and a cute patchwork pocket. She grew up on a big farm in East Texas, so she said the red gingham reminded her of fun summers back home.

Emi Harrington

These little slippers are the product of watching a 6 minute YouTube video by Emi Harrington. She has hundreds of videos on knitting and crochet demonstrating just about anything you would want or need to know.

My crochet skills have slowly, and I mean slowly, developed over the course of 20 years. However, I learned more and came to a greater understanding of how it all works in a 6 minute video than I have from any book or online tutorial.

I think she's pretty amazing. She even has her own Wikipedia page, so other folks must think she's pretty amazing too. Apparently, she was one of the first Etsy shop owners in 2008. I'm awestruck because she so well exemplifies how with nothing more than a video camera and an Internet connection anyone can author original content to an authentic audience--the hallmark of 21st century learning.

I believe she was instrumental in growing the handmade market as well. She writes on her website that when she began selling her knit and crochet products, people started asking her for the pattern. This shifted her work to include the creation of simple patterns with few increases and decreases that still retain a high cute factor. She designs her patterns for crafters to quickly master and reproduce for their own local markets and Etsy shops.

I just love women who through their own greatness pave the way for others' greatness as well. Emi, you rock!

Spring Break Yard Crashers

I'm a true Texas girl. My favorite time of year is Easter through Halloween when the weather is warm and the skies are sunny. Shorts and flip-flops are my preferred uniform. Brad Paisley's song lyric," she prefers a campfire to candlelight" sums it up pretty well for me. So, over spring break we built this patio for the firepit. Really Wendy did most of the patio. She's a genius when it comes to that sort of thing--knowing that we'll need 2 yards of dirt, and 2 tons of flagstone--that's her thing totally. But, I was there for the cheerleading, morale support and the heavy lifting.

DIY Sussy

Believe it or not, Walgreens has the best smelling bath salts. The lavendar and eucalyptus combination is my favorite. Light and soothing. It comes in a big bag. Even better. Throw it in a mason jar (I can't get enough of these. I'm a little OCD about mason jars). Finish it off with little crochet medallions on an easy chain stitch ribbon. Simple.