RAINY DAY FARM PRETTIES

There was a fierce storm today for approximately 20 minutes.  The thunder was so intense it made the electricity flicker.  And then the sun came out and everything looked magical.

Crazy Texas summer storms.

INSTAGRAM WEEKDAY WRAP-UP

It has been a crazy couple of weeks!  Here's a little summary...

Embroidery / thrifting  /  tiny surprises  /  baby cucumbers  /  crazy Texas storms  /  work  /  more embroidery  /  lounging pups  /  nail-polish funtimes  /  DYI pop-up cards / wine + Morris cat mugs  /  handmade tamales  /  pooch passengers  /  cat butts  /  homegrown squash  /  more embroidery  /  coffee shop work days  /  dinner made by friends  /  spiders (ugh)  /  and super cheap beers.

It's summer, y'all!  Let's party!

P.S. You can find me on Instagram under the username KendallKendall.

LET'S RIDE

Just finished this for-fun, freehand embroidery.

I miss riding my bike.  Last summer Joey and I would ride our bikes to Grapevine Lake every afternoon to swim.  But alas, the roads in East Tex are not great for bike riding.  The country roads are unsafe and the drivers make me nervous (even more nervous than Grapevine drivers, who I though were the worst).

Go ride your bike today and think of me!

OH, HAI!

I see you there, little squash!  These are our first little veggie sprouts.  They're about the size of my pointer finger, but I love them nonetheless.  As I'm sure you have noticed, I'm simi-obsessed with our garden.  I check on it about 10 times a day to see if anything new is growing and to make sure the critters and bugs are staying out.  Joey thinks I'm a crazy person.

Also, I randomly found a blackberry tree the other day.  Minding it's business, growing blackberries.  Nature is pretty sweet.

AND...a group of deer surprised me at work the other day!  There were three of them roaming around looking for snacks.  I could only get a few sniper-style shots from my desk because I didn't want to scare them.

I want to name them, knit them little sweaters, and give them lots of treats.  P.S. I am also running a mild fever, which might explain my delusions...

RECORD STORE DAY

I hope everyone visited their favorite record store on Saturday for Record Store Day!  Good Records (Dallas, TX) was having an all-day shin dig with tunes, booze, art, vintage clothing, and miscellaneous fun times.

Good Records is definitely one of my all time favorite record stores.  Their vinyl collection makes me wish I had more money.

I also received my first (mild) sunburn of the summer.  If you know me at all, then you know how much I avoid the sun sans sunscreen.  Poor planning on my part.  Gotta keep that skin protected, y'all!

There were two mobile vintage setups in attendance.  Sugar Derby - a re-purposed vintage camper...

(Love the astroturf)

...and The Vintage Mobile - a re-purposed school bus.  Love, love, love wooden hangers.  

It is definitely refreshing to see so many people supporting local businesses, and to see local businesses genuinely caring about their community.  

Listen to Lola and shop local whenever possible.  It makes the gods happy.

GREEN THUMBING

This is my very first garden.  My mom has one of the greenest thumbs ever, however I'm fairly certain that it skipped a generation.  I plant things.  And then they die.

But this time...things will be different.  I've been nursing a few little seedlings over the past few weeks and my mom surprised me with a handful of veggie plants to fill out my garden.

We planted tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, jalapeños, broccoli, and various spices.  I'm pretty stoked.

The garden has been in existence for approximately 36 hours and the plants are already starting to hug their surroundings.  The little spiral arms are definitely my fav.  Tiny green darlings.

Now alls I have to do is keep the bunnies, deer, birds, bugs, and miscellaneous critters out of the beds so they can grow.  Sounds easy enough, right?

Wish me luck!

CRITTER SIGHTINGS

This is not the first time my screen printing supplies have attracted critters, but I am 100% OK with it.  Come at me bros!

This little lizard let me take his photo for so long.  What a nice guy, right?

Chubby squirrels are not nearly as accommodating to humans so I had to go sniper-style with this guy from inside the house.  Just hanging out..scoping out a spice garden...munching on some snack...omnomnom.

DIY MOSQUITO REPELLENT LANTERNS

The great state of Texas is well know for its mosquito annoyance.  Ladies also seem to attract mosquito bites more than the gents.  Most people say it's because mosquitoes are drawn to fragrances and perfumes (neither of which I wear).  Turns out they are also drawn to detergents and clean clothes.  The modern-day woes of a dainty lady...

Citronella candles are far too expensive for my likings and I've never been a huge fan of tiki torches.  I had a small collection of old bottles that didn't serve a functional purpose, so I decided to make my own Texas-sized mosquito repellent lanterns!

BEFORE WE BEGIN : Please remember that there is a fine line between oil lanterns and Molotov cocktails.  They should only be made, lit, and handled in well ventilated outdoor areas.  Keep away from areas where they might be knocked over and especially out of reach of kiddos and animals.

TOTAL COST : About $15 - $20 for 3 large lanterns.

1. SUPPLIES NEEDED :

• 3 - 4 old bottles with metal screw-on caps (preferably something heat/flame resistant like copper).  Vintage bottles, empty liquor bottles, and wine bottles all work well.  Clean each bottle inside and out before starting.  Make sure they have metal or aluminum caps.  This is necessary for step 2.
• A bottle of citronella oil ($10 for a large bottle at the hardware store).  Make sure you only use oils that are manufactured for lanterns and tiki torches.  Never use gasoline or other explosive fuels.
• Tiki torch replacement wicks ($2.50 for a two-pack of wicks at the hardware store).
• A drill*.

2. DRILL YOUR CAPS :

• Use a large drill bit to drill a hole in your cap large enough to hold your wick in place.  You want the hole to be large enough to pull the wick through but allow for a little wiggle room for when you need to adjust the wick length.

3. POUR YOUR OIL : 

• I spill everything, so I used a funnel for this step.  Fill your bottles about half-way up.  You want to make sure there is enough oil to saturate your wick.  The oil will work its way up the wick, so you do not need to fill the entire bottle.  

4. SCREW ON YOUR CAP AND CHECK YOUR WICK : 

• Screw on your cap and make sure the outer area is clean of any oil you may have spilled.  The top of the wick only needs to stick out about 3/4" - 1" above your cap.  Any longer than that and your flame will be way too big.  We're trying to deter mosquitoes, not light the porch on fire.

*This asterisk is for ladies who are not yet drill owners.  Go purchase one immediately (or permanently borrow one from your dad).  It will change (and simplify) the way you work on projects, decorate your home, etc.  It is a must-have for any lady and they are super easy to use!  Do not fear the drill.  Embrace the drill.

That's it!  You now have some inexpensive, super cool looking lanterns that will help you enjoy the summer sans mosquitoes!

I HEART ANIMALS

I realize that 90% of my posts are about animals and/or critters.  I can't help it.  I live in the woods and rarely see people (I swear I'm not going crazy though...).

Can you blame me?  Look at how he's sitting.  Cuteness overload times one thousand.

GET A ROOM!

It's only March and the Mayflies have already invaded.  I'm fairly certain that's not what they are actually called, but that's what we always called them.

They look like giant mosquitoes, they're 100% harmless, and they offer hours of enjoyment for kitties.  They also procreate like crazy.  Even when they are flying!  Dirty little bugs.

P.S. We saw a big turtle next to the house.  I think he was lost whilst looking for the creek.  We gave him a lettuce snack.  He was not amused.

FLORALS

Spring has sprung.  I'm a little bummed that winter was so short.  Mostly because this will likely be the hottest Texas summer of my adult life.  And the bugs are going to be out of control (you can take the girl out of the city...).

The up side?  Amazing wildflowers in the front yard.

We aren't going to mow until they are gone.  They are far too beautiful to massacre.

The red ones are Indian Paintbrush.  I can't figure out what the bluish-purple ones are.  They aren't bluebonnets.  Any idears?

We are making the most of the warm weather sans air conditioning.  Living in the country and sleeping with the windows open is sure to be one of my favorite memories.

TOUCH WITH YOUR EYES

We stopped by the Brookshire's Wildlife Museum & Country Store this weekend.  The museum is essentially a super creepy (and amazing) taxidermy museum with an old-timey country store at the end.  Random?  Yes.  But most of the animals were donated by Mr. & Mrs. Brookshire, who were the founders of Brookshire's Food & Pharmacy (a big ol' grocery store chain).  They were definitely meat lovers!

I don't think I will ever understand the sport of killing animals for leisure, but at least they were world travelers?

All of the animals were placed in diorama-esque habitats...with the exception of the monkeys.  They were playing Monopoly.  And wearing island attire.

The museum is tiny and a little old lady kept announcing over the loudspeaker, "Attention wildlife guests, please remember to only touch with your eyes and not your hands."  Crazy ol' lady!

My fav part was definitely the country store.  I wish this is what grocery stores still looked like.

You should definitely stop by the museum if you ever find yourself in Tyler, TX.  It's free!