Hello and wow. I started this post on Friday, and now it is suddenly a new week. I survived what was being called the "hottest week of the Summer". Phew. Our house is pretty bearable for having no air-conditioning, but there were a few days there that I was pretty pathetic. I hope we're over and done with that. My brain fries in this heat and humidity.

Because it's been awhile, a few favorites and discoveries to share with you!

The butterfly traffic in my garden. I keep wanting to pick some blooms to bring inside, but I hate taking them away from the butterflies and honeybees.

Seeing my oldest on the soccer field.

Petite Pattern Book - Simple & Natural
and Free Style Scraps - Girlie

--books from RAM publications.

They are great little books full of patterns and drawings--and each book comes with a CD tucked in the back cover, so all the designs and artwork are yours to use! (for personal use only, of course)

Make stationary, design your blog banner, create cute labels for your child's schoolbooks, print onto fabric. The ideas are endless. Such a great little resource to have tucked away. I love mine.

Penny Leaver Green sewn pictures.

Bird Jam : I've written about it before, but it still is getting a lot of use in this house.

A new food blog : Under the High Chair

Vroom Solo: Okay, I have to confess, this was sent to me for a review. But if I didn't really love it, I wouldn't share it here. It's like a miniature central vac for any room of your house. It tucks under your counter, inside a cupboard, wherever is convenient, and has a retractable hose. I have mine in our upstairs laundry room/bathroom. Between the lint and junk that falls out of the dryer, the number of haircuts that I give in that room and all the traffic, it's probably one of the places I vaccuum most often. And of course, the vac is never close by. This is such a convenient little gadget (with incredible sucking power). I really, really like it.

A Cetacean Study by enormouschampion

A good reminder, for me, for all of us.

Happy Monday, friends!