Things I want to do in New Jersey this summer...

It's official ~ the tickets are booked!  Luci Belle and I will be spending the entire month of August in New Jersey, and Steven will be joining us for two weeks in the middle.  Bye bye, horrific Texas heat!

So I've been making a list...

Things I want to do in New Jersey this summer:
All photos from last August 2011

* Spend lots of time with these zany folks.

* Meet up with long-lost friends such as Lauren and Allison.  The last time I saw Lauren was in 2006 in Philly when I was on tour with Matt Wertz for Mocha Club.  Unacceptable.

* Go to lots of local Farmer's Markets - Madison, Chatham, and Morristown, to name a few. 

* Go hiking again at Jockey Hollow.

* Swim at the Madison Pool.  Of course.

* Visit my favorite Jersey Shore town - Point Pleasant - for the day, so we can swim and play in the sand and walk barefoot on the boardwalk and eat vinegar fries at Jenkinson's Pavilion.

* Perhaps also visit Cape May - I've always wanted to go and see those Victorian houses.

* Eat again at Fresh in Basking Ridge.  I've been waiting approximately 297 days to have this ice cream sandwich.

* New York City trip, take 2.  Last summer's trip was...interesting.  Let's just say that quick daytrips to the City are quite different now with a small child in tow!  Poor Luci Belle was teething badly that day and developed a 102 degree fever while we were there.  She threw up on me and Steven at the Union Square Farmer's Market, and he and my cousin Colleen had to buy all of us new clothes at Filene's Basement. 

This was taken when we arrived first thing in the morning, fresh and clean and non-thrown-up-on:

The following photo sums up the 15 minutes we spent in Central Park.  I was so excited to show her the park, one of my favorite places on earth and where her mommy and daddy got engaged, and as soon as I put her down on the grass she burst into tears. So sad.

So let's hope for a better trip this time!  We're planning on staying overnight in the City so that should help.

* Feed the ducks at Loantaka Pond, one of my favorite places growing up. 

* Go to Alstede Farms in Chester.

* Do a lot of walking around the neighborhood and sitting in this grass, enjoying summer outside, as it should be.

Can't wait!  And I can't believe how wittle my Jersey girl was last summer.

Garden progress.

The backyard homestead is progressing.

We've got zucchini!

And tomatoes!

{Well, a few less tomatoes since a certain someone thinks it's funny to pluck off the green ones...}

And a tiny, funky-looking pepper that was so hot it made my husband do a little circle-dance in the kitchen after tasting it...

And loads of herbs, apparently.  Bouquet of fresh oregano, anyone?

Or how about some sage to brush your teeth?

It's true, you can brush your teeth with a sage leaf.  The Italians do it all the time!  Just rub the leaf all over your teeth and you'll see the grimy residue on the leaf, and your teeth will literally be squeaky clean.

So, that's hardly enough food to feed two people much less an entire village, but at least it's progress!

This moment.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual.

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama and my Instagram friend Aimee

My Belle at 21 months.

My dear friend Erin Fletcher snapped these photos of our daughter a few weeks ago.  She had her finger in her mouth for most of the photos – BOO 2-year molars!  But as Erin said, "It's just the season she's in -- poor little teeth. So, you've got that documented now."  True!

Her sweet smile and precious spirit melt my heart.  I am one grateful mama.

I'd say this project was a hit.

I recently saw this simple, free toilet paper stamp idea on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect to try with my little toddler. We gave it a whirl yesterday, and I'd say it was a hit...

Paint in the hair always indicates a good time, no?

We used an old canvas I already had, with the edges painted green with craft paint.  When the painting dried, I coated it with glossy Mod Podge and let it dry.  Then it was time to hang!

I thought it would give a nice burst of color in our dining room, on the collage wall with other mementos like Luci Belle's name plaque, our engagement and wedding photos, and a photo from her birth.  Love it! 

Got any simple, free craft ideas to share?

Hiking is my love language.

Photo credit: gowaterfalling.comOne of my favorite hikes of all-time is at Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee.  I used to visit several times a year when I lived in Nashville.  Oh, how I miss it.

You hike down winding, steep, rocky pathways and stairways, past cliffs dotted with rock-climbers.  You can hear the falls before you can see them - quietly roaring, its mist fills the fresh, crisp, green mountain air.  Everything smells like moss and earth. 

At first sight, you cannot get there fast enough. At the base of the pool that leads to the falls, you strip off hiking shoes and socks and sweaty shirt and shorts until all that's left is a bathing-suited body that's eager to tiptoe into the frigid water.   Go ahead - wade out onto the boulders, or perhaps just sun yourself on them for awhile.

Photo credit: swimmingholes.orgWhen you're ready, venture out further...waist-deep...shoulder-deep...then let your feet go.  Let them slip from underneath you, and make the commitment.  Neck-deep, you let out a little shriek.  Paddling erratically, then stroking smoothly, you make your way towards the rocks.  Feel the mist on your face, tickling your nose and eyelashes, until you reach the falls and swim under the pounding water as the icyness pours over you.

Goose bumps,

shivering,

refreshed,

ALIVE.

~ ~ ~

What's one of the best places you've ever hiked or swam?

Bangs!

My last experience with bangs was in the early '90s and involved a very large can of Aqua Net.  Remember "the claw?"  I was all over that.

After mulling it over for awhile, I decided to go for it again and get the more sophisticated adult version of bangs.  And last Friday, I did it!  So proud of myself, since I am a girl who does NOT like change.

I love them!  Why did I wait so long to do this?  Bangs, where have you been all my life?  Apparently hiding, hoping never to be the victim of Aqua Net again.  And they won't be.  I promise.