the sky is pink

A bird in our flag bunting. Joe said one flew away (over his head). This one stayed. I had a feeling something was living in them. They are noisy. And check this out. I boiled some of our eggs and this one was a double yolk. I've never seen anything like it. I asked the kids who wanted to eat the egg with two half-yolks (everyone wanted a half). Jackson replied, "Do you mean the whole yolk? Two halves make a whole." Funny little smart kid.

So here's the skirt that took weeks in the making. Well, the actual making didn't take weeks. It was just a long, slow process. I cut out the skirt and did nothing with it for weeks. Then I inserted the zipper and sewed the side seams and did nothing with it for weeks. And then when I finished the skirt, I realized it had a horrible mistake . It was like the skirt was not meant to be. This skirt, like too many in the past , did not fit. I made the A-line, side-zipper skirt from Sew What! Skirts . It's a book I really want to like, but I have found that all of the skirts I have made from it (excluding the wraparound skirts) have been grossly large on me. By inches. After the zipper was sewn in this skirt, I tried it on. I ended up taking an inch off one side seam (because I was not going to take out that zipper). The skirt was doomed from the start. After the skirt was finished, I noticed the zipper . And then I tried it on again, and it was so big around my waist that I co...

On Saturday morning I was going to go for a short run. I told Joe, “just two or three miles, depending how my knee feels,” and out the door I went. I wanted to get in an outdoor run before the Saturday rain hit. I started my iPod and started my watch. I thought it was impossible, but it happened again. My left ankle gave out on me (which it usually does in the same spot every run) and I did not recover (like usually do). I fell. Yes. Lera fell. Again. Go ahead laugh. I’d join you, except that I pulled a muscle in my chest and it hurts any time I try to breathe, laugh, or move. It happened so fast that I couldn't even think “not my knees! NOT MY KNEES!” Before I knew what was happening both knees were on the road and my mind was screaming , “not my face! NOT MY FACE!” And I threw my hands down on the ground. And I did a major, major push-up action. Well, I didn’t really push up. I just landed that way. Like I was going to do a push-up, if I could do a push-up. My nose came within...

when the only thing holding your son's trumpet together is some super glue and clothespins. But, you're a little classier when you have trumpet-case fur sticking to it, giving the trumpet some extra bling. (For the record, Carter's mouthpiece was stuck on. As we tried to remove it, the trumpet fell apart. It was Sunday night or so. Joe glued it and Carter took it to school on Monday. As the band teacher tried to remove the mouthpiece, it fell apart again. Poor guy. He was probably sweating bullets when it broke. We glued it again. And then again. And now, the mouthpiece is stuck again. It will probably stay attached until his new one arrives. Any day now.) So, I ask: What's holding your trumpet together?

too early in the day to eat pumpkin roll? I think not. Pumpkin Roll: 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup pumpkin 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. cinnamon Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together. Grease and flour* cookie sheet with sides or jelly roll pan. Pour in mixture and add nuts, if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle paper towel (or clean kitchen towel, I use a dedicated "pumpkin roll" flour sack towel) lined with powdered sugar and roll cake in towel. Let cool for 1/2 hour. Beat together: 8 oz. cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar 4 T. butter 1/2 tsp. vanilla Unroll cake roll and remove towel. Spread mixture on roll and roll up again. Refrigerate. * Pam cooking spray with flour works wonders. I do not suggest Bakers Choice. It's crap. Now ... what to do with the leftover pumpkin ... Suggestions?

Yesterday morning, I fell. I was in the chicken coop and somehow I must have stepped on a branch (that we use for a roosting bar) with my left foot, tripped over the branch with my right foot (those toes were trapped under the branch), and then fell on top of the branch. Thankfully I was wearing pants because, even though it still scraped up my leg, it could have been worse. Oh, and the pants protected my legs from all that chicken poop that I landed on. It could have been worse. The area that was swollen (and actually only slightly bruised but hurts so freaking much) is longer than my pointer finger. And I have long fingers. It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but it hurts. Oh, it hurts. It hurt to touch the mattress last night and it hurt to move it. It hurts when I stand up from sitting. It hurts when I'm sitting. I can't cross that leg and let it dangle. Apparently I'm just a klutz. Since I fell in July I haven't been right. I'm still sporting a s...

During our rainy Saturday I had the chance to sew. It is a rare thing to sew on a Saturday. We usually have three soccer games that last all day long. And, while they usually play in the rain, it had rained for three straight days and it was decided that they didn't want the fields messed up with cleats, so all games were cancelled. It was bliss. We just all hung around the house because it was too cold and dreary to do anything else. Carter had a friend spend the night and so everyone had their own thing to do. Peacefully. I sewed. I had a list a mile long of things I've wanted to do and haven't had time to do. I tidied my long-neglected sewing area, mended a few things, embellished a few things, and sewed a few things. One of the shirts I embellished was this $4.20 clearance special from Target. I bought a second shirt to cut up and ruffled away. Total cost = $8.40 + tax and a few minutes of my time. Here is a closeup of the ruffles. The color of the shirt is "m...

Think anyone will notice??

When I saw this bag advertised in a magazine, I fell in love. Before I even knew it was designed by Marimekko. Thankfully, the bag is inexpensive and benefits a good cause. You can get yours here . (I bought two. And my sister bought one. We aren't sure if we have enough, so you better act quickly.)

When I was buying school clothes (back in August), I picked up a plain striped tee for Spenser. I knew it would need something special for it, so I never gave it to her. And then I forgot about it. Well, she found it on Sunday and I knew the time had come for me to do what I had originally planned. A ribbon flower. I cut several strips of ribbons (I did 9" each) and sewed them in a loop. Then I machine-sewed the loops together to form the flower. I added a pin back so it removable (for laundering or wearing on a different garment) and then attached a complementary fabric-covered button. Voila! However, I think the next time I'll make the strips shorter. It's a little floppy when upright. (Wired ribbon might work nicely, too.) *On Saturday morning Carter wanted desperately to give me a birthday present. He ran into his room and came out with a "wrapped" gift. When I opened it, I was puzzled. I pondered it for a moment, trying to figure out why he was giving me...

I cannot allow the day to end without posting. Today I turned 40. Yes, forty. As in 4-0 . Even though I've known it was going to happen for a few years, it's still something for which you cannot prepare. It was a good day. Filled with a morning run with Joe (and unfortunately seeing lots of dead animal carcasses along the way), two winning soccer games, buffalo wings and cheesecake. This morning I had the awful feeling I should check the local newspaper online. And, not to my surprise, there it was. An ad placed lovingly by my parents, brothers, and sisters. So, yes, my face blared through not only the online newspaper, but in black and white print. For all the world to see. Announcing my new age. It did make me smile. After I grimaced . A couple of people recognized me from the newspaper today. Well, they already knew me, but they made sure I knew they saw it. One was our bishop (and his wife.) Another was the mother of one of Carter's friends that we saw in the s...

On Tuesday I went with my parents, three sisters, two brothers, one sister-in-law, five nephews, three nieces, Spenser and Sawyer to Lancaster for the day. We hit Roots first, which is an auction/flea market/farmers market all in one. It's really a place you can get lost in. Quite easily. There wasn't a lot of time to go through each vendor carefully, so I used my best Lera-radar to scan the area. Two of my most treasured finds of the day were the vintage cookbook and the cheater-cloth apron. The cookbook, Cooking by the Garden Calendar , has recipes separated by month. It truly brings home the "eating in the season thereof" theory of eating fruits, veggies, and grains in the season they are harvested. (Never mind my frozen strawberry use for the strawberry butter .) The other adorable cookbook was actually a reproduction of a vintage cookbook that was given to me by my sister, Kate. Our favorite part is this, "Have on a pretty apron, and is your hair looking...

So I know that strawberries aren't in season anymore, but I couldn't resist a large, inexpensive bag of frozen strawberries at the wholesale club last week. I just had a feeling it was a canning-kind-of-weekend and strawberry butter was the first thing that popped into my mind. Made similarly to the blueberry butter that I made this summer (and subsequently the cherry butter that I made and never blogged), this might be my most favorite one yet. It is seriously good. And since I use apple juice and only a little sugar, it's healthier than most jams.* Right? One six pound bag of frozen berries yielded 3 1/2 pints. And I'm not sure if that will be enough. But since they are frozen and available throughout the year, I might be able to resist making more. For now . *I used approximately 2 cups of apple juice and 2 cups of sugar for 6 pounds of strawberries.

Okay. Not really. (Well, actually, probably really in our basement, but let's not talk about that.) Last year I bought some black craft foam in hopes of making some rats and mice to decorate our outside steps. And, well, it never happened. This year, it has happened. I got the idea from Martha . I decided to use foam (instead of paper) so I could use them on our front steps. The kids are really excited about them. And I see I need to add more. The pumpkins all came from our yard . Some from our herb garden and the largest ones from our front yard. (So happy to have finally picked them.) The two pumpkins we picked back in August started to rot, so we fed them to the chickens. And they were entirely loved. And I have a pumpkin on my dining room table (which I stole from the bottom step last night) and a little pumpkin on a bench on the front porch. I guess that makes 11 pumpkins total. Not to mention the little baby white pumpkins and gourds that grew accidentally in our garden. So...

The air has turned cooler. And this non-coffee drinker was looking for new options. Apparently, so was my mother. A few weeks ago she ran into the store to buy some herb tea and stumbled upon her friend who was buying herb tea. Her friend recommended rooibus (pronounced "roy-boss"). My mother loved it. And then my search to find it was on. I went to five different stores before I found it. And, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. And I'm so happy that I like it, because I bought four boxes. I always like to try new things, but I am often hesitant to go out of my comfort zone. So, tell me, what new things are you trying? (And for your laughing pleasure: This morning I threw a tee shirt on after my shower so I could pack lunches. When I went upstairs "to get dressed," I put my bra on over my tee. I seriously do not know what I was thinking, except that I was totally not thinking. And Saturday at soccer Sawyer had to go potty. Even though there are port...