Moving On.

...to WordPress!

That's right, y'all ... with a huge shoutout of thanks to Kat (and Steve) for encouragement and technical support, I have launched my very own WordPress blog

mere-et-filles.com

I'm sure the transition won't be 100% smooth ... and I obviously have a lot of work to do - still. But I'm excited about the opportunities that WordPress offers and hope you'll stick with me through the process.

Happy Tuesday!

posted on my new blog today

Weekending.

Looking back on my photos from the weekend, Friday night seems like ages ago (maybe because I've had two solid nights of sleep since then?!)

Yes, I got to spend the evening with my two favorite little guys ... who are full-speed non-stop ... until they fall asleep. I then had almost two hours to myself at their kitchen counter. a pleasant change of pace from my own. as was the pizza salad Katie ordered me for dinner ... and the espresso that I had after the glass of wine. The TV show is The Brief on Amazon Prime. sadly only eight episodes (and I still have one to go).

The rest of the weekend was almost all about the knitting.

The top row was Saturday - with friends, on my own, watching a new Triple Crown winner. And then about 4:30 yesterday ... bound off ... and a little later, Holly-approved.

This morning I wove in the ends, then washed and dried (in the machine!) Super pleased with the results, but you'll have to wait a few more days to see.

Despite what these photos say, I really did not spend the entire weekend inside. The weather was nice. We had blue skies and clouds, a run and a walk (and two rounds of golf). The butterfly bush in our front yard is full of blooms and bees ... and I can only hope the butterflies get the memo that we're ready for them.

Happy Monday!

Cheers | Frosé.

Did y'all know that tomorrow is National Rosé Day? I didn't know that when I started planning today's post, but I'm quite pleased with the timing!

I'll admit that when I first heard about frosé (frozen rosé), I rolled my eyes. But after a few weeks of seeing it over and over in my Instagram feed, I decided to investigate. Turns out there are lots (seriously, google frosé and you get nearly 1,000,000 results!) of variations. Freezing the rosé ahead of time, adding fruit, adding simple syrup, mixing in other liquors ... long-time readers probably know that "make ahead" is not my favorite kind of cocktail and I don't go for sweet. I also love to use more than one bottle from my liquor cabinet.

After a lot of searching and a little experimenting, I think I've found one that meets all my criteria.

Frosé - serves 2
(inspired by Southern Twist)

6 oz rosé (nothing expensive ... think like you're making sangria)
1 oz vodka
1 oz St. Germain
1 oz lemon juice
6 strawberries, hulled and halved
3 cups ice

Add everything to the blender and blend until smooth.

Cheers! and have a wonderful weekend!!

Three on Thursday | Shopping Plans.

I'll be in New York next Thursday and while Sara works, I have plans to meet up with Diane for lunch and shopping at Purl Soho. Purl is one of my favorite yarn shops, but they sell fabric too. I've never spent much time in that part of the shop, but this trip, I will!

Thinking that Sara's blanket is going to leave a nice big opening in my suitcase, I'm planning to buy yarn and fabric. These are the three projects I have in mind:

1. Uniform Tunic, View A, in watercolor linen.

2. Lotta Jansdotter's Kiomi Dress (from Everyday Style) in a Liberty print.

3. Terrace Wrap in Cattail Silk.

Truth be told, I have a couple of other projects floating around in my head (maybe a long-sleeved tunic like View B, or two more skeins of Cattail Silk to knit Sayer) but it's Thursday, so I'm limiting myself to three. We'll see what happens next week!

Head on over to Carole's to see more three-fer's!

Unraveled Wednesday | The Blanket's Tale (part four).

Joining in with Kat and friends to share what I hope is the final in-progress update on Sara's blanket. I leave for New York next Wednesday and my plan is to have the finished blanket wrapped and packed on Tuesday!

As long as I don't lose focus, I should be fine. That row marker (7 repeats into the fifth and final color) tells me I have 23 repeats to go. I was averaging five repeats a day until this past week (when I slowed down a little) ... and if I can get back to that pace I'll finish with a couple days to spare. A few of you asked how big it would be. I'm guessing about 43" wide and 55" long, but the yarn is super wash and it could be bigger (which wouldn't be a problem). I have one more skien of the main color ... the end is definitely near!

The slower pace of knitting was partly because there was less TV (and we still haven't seen the latest Patrick Melrose), but also because there was other cool stuff to do.

Like a pedicure.

same color as last time - a coat of OPI's Frenchie Likes to Kiss topped with a coat of Bubble Bath - new summer favorite!

Two visits with my friend Deena

Deena's knitting Sunset on the Plateau ... it's gorgeous and has us both very excited for Kirsten's upcoming MKAL

and her dog Roxie.

yes, it felt very weird to have another dog on my knitting ... but I know Sara would love Roxie!

and two meetings of the author selection committee for this November's book festival.

I couldn't knit during the meetings because we moved quickly - reviewing over 60 books in the two two-hour meetings! - and I was taking fast and furious notes. But Deena is the co-chair of the committee and had to be there early. No problem, I said!

At the end of last night's meeting, each of us got to vote for our top 22 books. The first 15 or so were easy choices for me ... but the last few were tough. The committee leaders meet tonight to review all the votes; the final slate, taking into consideration the authors' schedules will be available in August. Some of the books I loved are already out and I plan to start reading as soon as I can track them down (these are books I will likely buy because I will - hopefully! - have a chance to meet the authors). More to come (since of course all of this is still confidential!)

I'm pretty sure Sara would enjoy a few of the books, too ...  maybe curled up on her sofa with the blanket!

I hope you're having a good week ... and sharing at least a few good experiences with your knitting!

Looking Back | May.

Today I'm looking back at May ... one last time ... through the lens of my daily photos.

I expected the blanket to dominate, so I was surprised to see a lot more than knitting! ...and a lot more blues skies than I remember (but surely my photos don't lie). I also realize I completely forgot to share an FO with y'all - Sunday the 6th, I debuted Bateaux Mouches.

The finished piece is just what I hoped it would be - a light, airy cloud. The girls in my knitting group are divided about what a great knit this is ... I love the endless rows of garter stitch and that it's one ball of yarn. It's perfect for traveling and for all those times your brain needs to work on something besides knitting, but your hands need something to do, too. I know I'll be knitting another one!

Happy Tuesday!

Early June Weekending.

Hello and Happy Monday! Thank you for all the great feedback on last Friday's post, especially about mixing up our workouts. I added in weights and Pilates after this morning's walk ... and it feels sore in that good sort of way 😉. Now let me tell you a little about our weekend.

Marc played in the club's Member Member tournament. I have no photos. He did share that after Saturday's round they were in 2nd place and yesterday they played the team that won.

I think my weekend was a lot more fun!

The tournament actually kicked off Friday evening (players only), so I enjoyed Friday night snacks on my own.

I got an early start Saturday morning (with a speed-limit drive!) to meet Katie and the boys back at Ponce City Market and the Beltline. We had a ball ...  coffee and donuts (for the boys), a one-mile walk to Piedmont Park to the playground, then back to the market for a picnic lunch. After lunch, we walked another mile to Krog Street Market, where the boys enjoyed Jeni's ice cream, and then back again. Charlie fell asleep on the walk back so we walked around Ponce City Market to see if Sam would nap. And he did ... finally! 

at Jeni's

Katie and I both agreed it was the kind of day our husbands would hate, but we're definitely going to try it again ... soon!

Sunday morning, Holly and I walked down to the lake. She actually walked the whole way there (it's about 1-1/2 miles); I carried her home.

Then church and that big meeting I'd been planning for weeks. We installed the new team and took a photo.

In spite of that continuing open spot, I'm feeling optimistic about this upcoming year - because this is a great group of ladies!

Marc and I watched two more episodes of The Americans (we're now well into Season 5) and then we went to bed. This last photo is time-stamped just after 8 pm... and this morning my bookmark was on page 25!

I'm glad it's Monday ... I need to rest.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

TGIF.

seen in our front yard on Tuesday morning

I've been a long-time fan of #blueskyblooms ... I think I'm going to start #rainwashedblooms (which apparently is not a thing already ... how can that be given the "spring" we've had?!)

But this post is really about Friday - which came super fast this week!

Thinking about ... June, and what I'd like to say "yes!" to this month.

Grateful for ... generous friends who have offered me help, support and suggestions about so many different things this past week - working around Blogger's comment notification fail, thinking bigger about my blog, balancing our women's ministry financial reports, making copies, punching holes, and simply listening.

Inspired by ... this crazy stormy wet weather to re-think my workout routine. I love getting outside for a walk/run, followed by a little Pilates or yoga, pretty much seven days a week (I tend to skip the extra stuff on Sundays). But maybe a little time on the treadmill mixed in with some other stuff (weights, Pilates, yoga) would be good. (and weatherproof). Oh my - I might even end up with completely different workouts on different days of the week. That was certainly my routine when I worked, mostly because I couldn't work out every day. but non-working me has gradually evolved to more or less the same thing seven days a week. Curious - do you mix up your workouts?

Fun ... Katie and I have made plans to meet back at the Beltline tomorrow morning with the boys. playground. picnic. coffee. ice cream. I can't imagine we won't have a blast!

Here's to a wonderful weekend!

Three on Thursday | The Beltline.

My two favorite little boys didn't have school yesterday. So I had the privilege of joining them and their mom at a new-to-me place in Atlanta - Ponce City Market and the Beltline. Same as last week, today's post doesn't quite fit into Three on Thursday, but I'm going for it anyway!

1. The drive down was awful.
2. It was totally worth it.
3. I'm looking forward to our next visit (hopefully on a weekend!)

Point 1. (and the actual was even worse). 

Thankfully the trip home was much better (see point 3).

Point 2. Where do I start? The cityscape views were amazing ...

headed north before lunch - Ponce City Market is ahead of us

headed north after lunch - the market is behind us 

too cool! Charlie knew about this and made sure I saw 

here's the door more "actual size"

but the up close shots with the boys....totally priceless!

even their mom couldn't convince them to smile!

but hotdogs could!!

Marc loves hotdogs. I don't. I texted him those photos and I think he almost wished he'd been there. (almost. it wasn't raining at home either. and golf.)

Point 3. ...maybe this Saturday.

Short weeks do fly by! I hope you're almost to the end of your to-do list ... because tomorrow is TGIF!

Unraveled Wednesday | The Blanket's Tale (part three).

Joining in with Kat and friends to share yet another update on Sara's blanket.

The most exciting thing about this week's story is that I'm now halfway through the fourth (of five) section; the end is creeping into view!

Along the way, we finished reading Paris in the Present Tense with the Kindle propped up on the counter. It was only the last 100 or so pages, but it was a great ending. We also finished A Tale of Two Cities. I listened to this more away from the house (walking, running, driving), so I'm guessing the story was a little hard to follow. Still, I gave both books five stars and that certainly counts for something!

There was still plenty of time with Holly.

But a lot more TV than usual - thanks to all the rain and our current obsession with The Americans. We are now nearly through Season 4 and I've knitted through every single episode so far!

We're also caught up with Patrick Melrose. As I expected, the third episode is a lot more hopeful than the first two and I'm looking forward to see how it wraps up (there are two more episodes to go).

And on Monday, we even watched a little HGTV. Sara and I share a love for all the shows ... and there was a marathon of Beachfront Bargain Hunt on that afternoon. We didn't guess right once; hopefully once the blanket lives with Sara, it will do better.

Happy Wednesday!

P.S. one more WIP shot - of the blanket's backside. The gradient is easier to see here!

Memorial Day Weekending.

It feels late - even for me! - to be writing about the weekend when it will be Wednesday before many of you read this. But this Tuesday-as-Monday has been more like a Monday, except without my usual  knitting with friends in the afternoon and with a bunch of to-do's for this weekend's Women's Ministry leadership team (still without a Vice Moderator) kickoff meeting. It's honestly not very often that I cross things off my list on MondayTuesday, so at least that feels good!

As does looking back at the weekend:

We FaceTimed with our favorite little guys more than once. This is from Friday night's "goodbye". Sam is blowing a kiss and Charlie is getting ready to make a bubble (and next time I see him I'm going to have to ask what the bubble has to do with goodbyes...because now we can't remember).

Our weather forecast turned out to be wrong a lot - in that it did not rain for 96 straight hours and we saw some sun. Marc played three rounds of golf and I went to the lake three times - two times running and once walking. Sunday morning, I snapped that photo of the flag at the lake. It was a good reminder of why Monday was a holiday.

Running twice was a big deal. I haven't made two back-to-back runs (even short three-mile ones) in a couple of years. I'm sure the second one was better because I got new shoes!

That stack of books middle bottom is my "next up" pile. The bottom one and top two are not library books, but still - I need practice managing my hold queue! The good news is that the loans aren't due until June 23 and I'm actually thinking I might be able to read them all.

And finally, lower right, a three-day weekend means two two snack nights! and (not pictured) pork tacos. Marc is still the pro with our Instant Pot - we had a pork loin in the freezer (which he thawed) and then "slow" cooked it in about an hour. I added the guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. This is definitely going on our repeat menu and I'll take photos and share the recipe next time!

I hope your week is off to a good start!

(Blogger is still not sending me emails about comments, so I apologize that I'm not replying if you've left one. Please know that I am reading - and enjoying - every one of them and I value the community this exchange has created in my life. Thank you!)

Cheers | Frozen Negroni.

First, to all of you who've left comments on recent posts and haven't heard back from me - I apologize! Apparently, Blogger has stopped notifying me about comments. and ugh, I'm not sure how to fix this. Please know I appreciate all of you and I hope to get back to personal replies soon.

And now on to today's topic. In honor of the first weekend of summer, I have a frozen cocktail to share!

I started researching summer cocktails a few weeks ago and quickly found one to try first - my favorite Negroni, blended with fresh juice and crushed ice.

The first time through, I followed the recipe as written, including squeezing blood oranges and chilling the liquids prior to blending. It worked beautifully.

The second time through, I didn't have any more blood oranges, so I substituted ruby red grapefruit juice (not even fresh-squeezed) and didn't wait to chill. It worked beautifully. And for my taste, I actually liked the grapefruit better than the orange.

Frozen Negroni - makes 2 drinks
(inspired by Kitchn)

1 oz gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz red vermouth
3 oz ruby red grapefruit juice
1-1/2 cups coarsely crushed ice

Put the ice in the blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Cheers!!

and have a wonderful long weekend. I'll see you back here Tuesday!

Three on Thursday | Atlanta Botanical Garden.

My mom and I spent the day at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and I had planned to make that today's Three on Thursday post. You know, along the lines of three things I loved, or three new-to-me plants, or three favorite photos ... but the reality of the Garden. in May. on a day when it's warm but not hot, with a cloudy morning that gives way to beautiful white clouds against a bright blue sky. after days of rain. and an incredible special exhibit called (most appropriately) Imaginary Worlds. well.... here's what my photos looked after I went through them

It's a good problem to have, for sure! so here are three of the my favorite parts of today's visit:

First, the Garden ... the hydrangeas are in full bloom (which my mom tells me is because they've loved all our recent rain. I'm glad to know something is thriving) and my mom spied a bright orange daylily that she'd left behind in Florida (a souvenir planting from one of our many visits to Callaway Gardens).

Last year's White Garden planted around that blue and white Chihuly (middle right) has been replaced with zinnias and poppies. The white was beautiful, but the color this year is more my style. I was also surprised at all the varieties and shades of hydrangeas. Beautiful.

Second, Imaginary Worlds. We've both seen a lot of ads for it, but in real life it's even better. There are twelve parts to the exhibit and we saw ten of them. Every single one of them was delightful, but these are my favorites.

This is the first one ... a most fitting beginning! and there's a glimpse of another topiary book resting on its side in the lower left.

The Mammoth.

The Phoenix.

I was surprised he had a really sweet face. the eyes ....

The Shaggy Dog,

with another very sweet face!

The Dragon.

here's a detail shot of his "scales".

Pegasus.

and the Camels.

and third, the chance to experience all of this with my mom, who is now most complimentary of my selfie skills 😀

Linking up with Carole and friends and wishing everyone a Happy Thursday!