pizza and sunsets

I've been laying low the past few weeks, well month, I guess...has it been a month already?  March went by quickly, probably because I spent most of it in a cold and flu induced fog.  I still have a cold hanging on, but I think it's the home stretch.  So happy that we're finally getting some warmer weather here! What I've been doing besides going to work and resting up is a lot of reading, some small sewing projects (like pillowcases-easy but satisfying), going to classes (business and Adobe Illustrator), and thinking up ideas for new projects.  Some of the great books that I've read recently that I highly recommend are: Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.  The next books on my to read list are: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Last night, Johnny and I went to August First's Flatbread Friday for the first time and it was awesome! Very crowded, but we got there right at 6pm, and got some seats. It's $12 per person for all you can eat pizza and salad- the pizzas would disappear almost as soon as they put them out.  My favorite was one with sweet potatoes and walnuts.  I snagged a slice of the chocolate chip dessert pizza on the way out and we walked a few blocks down to the waterfront to admire the view...along with many other people.  All in all, an excellent way to spend a Friday evening.  Hope you're having a nice weekend!

new art

Finally, a new etsy listing!  Check it out here: www.julujoy.etsy.com

...and the snowiness that was happening the other day while I was working on it:

That was Friday morning...late morning I ventured out to meet a friend for lunch at August First, and was going to walk around downtown afterwards, but it was so blizzardy I ended up coming straight home and having a movies and popcorn afternoon.  Yay for school breaks!

notebooks

I'm working on a making these little notebooks, here's a peek at some finished ones.  Most of them are covered with old maps and have different types of paper on the inside...more pictures soon!

watch duck

Here are some snapshots from this week visiting family...my parents have this duck that sits on the metal gate pretty much all day, every day, even in well below freezing temperatures!  I think she's keeping watch over the place.

two great things...

...about living here: Sneakers and New Duds =)

sunday morning

custom box

Over the weekend, I finished this custom box using a reproduction of a map from the late 1800's.  It was really fun to put together, especially using materials that would be so meaningful to the recipient: the map shows the family farm and there is a special photo on the inside cover.