Well, it is now confirmed. I have some very smart blog readers. Thanks to everyone for telling me about the swallows. Since they eat flying insects, I’m going to let them stay. Eggs have most likely already been laid, and I don’t want to disturb them. Once they leave, I’ll probably knock down the nests, because they are right above the door to our shed, and stuff is dropping, and by stuff, I think you know what I mean. That wouldn’t be a huge problem, after all, I dodge chicken poop all day long since our chickens are spoiled and get to free range around the entire yard, but this is over a door I walk through several times a day, and I don’t want to be pooped on. Also, it’s still kind of creepy when they come pouring out of their nests and circle around and around above me. Silly birds, I was here first, and if I bug you so much, maybe you shouldn’t have built you little swallow colony above a door I go through several times a day. Doh! Also, there is a lot more bird poop on my car, and I think we all know who to blame that on as well.

Let’s change the subject, shall we? Sheesh, it was hot this weekend, well over a hundred on Saturday, and today a much cooler 98 or so. One good thing about summer, at least, is all the delicious fruit. So I made a lovely, cool fruit salad. This is a great recipe, because it works with whatever fruit you have on hand. I’ve made it with all sorts of different combinations and it’s always delicious. The only things you really have to have are oranges and fresh mint.

Today’s version had strawberries, red grapes, nectarines, and a french-kiss melon that I got at Trader Joe’s. It looks like a small cantaloupe, and it was so sweet and delicious. So here’s my fruit salad secret: cut the peel off an orange, so there’s no white pith-y stuff left, and hold it over your fruit salad bowl while slicing out each section, again, leaving the white membrane in between the sections behind. Once all the sections are cut, squeeze all the juice out of what’s left of your orange. Then chop up some fresh mint and toss everything gently. It’s just perfect. I’ll be eating lot’s of variations on this theme all summer long.

I managed to get a couple more curtains done, but my sewing room is our little guest house, which has no air conditioning, so I didn’t make as much progress as I had hoped. Instead, I decided to start on something cool and cute to wear.

Inspired by this smock/dress from Noa Noa (and really everything on their site is so pretty and inspiring), I got some white cotton/linen on sale at JoAnn and this pattern (view D), and thought I’d add a little embroidery to the front band, and make it wider. So I sat in the cool, air conditioned house, and did a little stitching with red perle cotton.

I said there would be sewing and knitting again on this little blog, and so, here you go! I’ve had this fabric for quite a while, it was an eBay find, and it’s old and I’m pretty sure it was originally intended for pillowcases. Doesn’t that just look like a pillowcase border?

And while it would, in fact make very charming pillowcases, I don’t currently have a room decorated in yellow and lavender in need of pillowcases. What else could I do? I had to make a skirt. So I just cut off a bit to use for the waistband, sewed a seam at the back with an invisible zipper, pleated it up, and stitched it to the waistband. Easy-peasy!

I did want to mention that I’m feeling pretty brave with this picture. I appreciate all the comments about the 20 pounds lost, but as you can see, I still have quite a ways to go. Not that I’m belittling those 20 (now 22!) pounds, I’m darn proud of myself for accomplishing that kind of weight loss, especially since I’m doing it in a healthy way, and very slowly, but it’s just the beginning, and I’m working on getting rid of another 40 pounds by the end of the year.

Oh, and I also had to mention, the long-sleeved t-shirt? In the exact same shade of yellow? I found it at Old Navy this past weekend for $1.99! And I also found a green one for $5, and the two together perfectly match my completed Lace Ribbon Scarf.

This was a fun scarf to knit, until the last third. At that point it seemed to stop getting longer, and the ball of remaining yarn stopped getting smaller, and the knitting just went on and on and I got irritated and then made a series of mistakes which required unknitting several rows. Of course it did end eventually, and I rather like it. Even though it’s wool, it’s rather light-weight, and perfect for this crazy Spring weather we’re having. I was so looking forward to this past long weekend, but it was cold and grey and rainy the whole time. Of course Tuesday morning, when I had to go back to work, was all bright and blue-sky-ed and lovely, which put me in a very cranky mood. We’re almost to the next weekend, and I’m still bugged about the whole thing.

I better add something cheery to end with. This is my dog Winston, who likes to snuggle. He gets in bed with me every morning around 5:00, and then doesn’t want to get up when I decide it’s time to get up. He won’t budge and I have to physically push him out of bed. Silly boy! Doesn’t he look comfortable?

He doesn’t have his Summer haircut yet, because of the yucky weather. I just can’t let it go.

Thank you all for the best advice ever. How could I not order the shoes after 14 comments telling me to get them. And I even took my mom’s advice and thought long and hard about whether I would be able to wear them for a long time or if they would go out of style too quickly to be worth the price. BUT, since they aren’t really trendy, just unique, I thought I’d be able to wear them for years and years. Alas, there has been a tragic outcome to this footwear fairytale:

Dear Nordstrom.com: Camper’s size 41 does not equal size 11. Not even a small 11. I don’t think it’s actually more than a 10. A small 10 at that.

I was able to squeeze my feet in there for the 52 seconds it took to take this photo, but there’s no way I’ll be able to wear these puppies. It’s so sad. So, it’s back to the store they go. I guess I’m going sandal shopping instead. And I really do need some sandals. I’ll fill you all in on the adorable sandals I’m sure I’ll find, because despite this shoe tragedy, I’m still an optomist.

Mr. HeyLucy even thought the shoes were cute, and brought me tulips to cheer me up (okay, not really. He did bring me tulips, but they had nothing to do with the shoes, they were just on sale at the grocery store, and he knows I love them).

Next time, here at Hey Lucy, there will be knitting! and sewing! But for now, I leave you with a picture of Winston, who will be getting a haircut this week. The poor little guy seems to get hot quite easily. At least I think that’s why he jumps in the geese’s water dish and gets his feet wet, and then runs through the dirt so they’re good and muddy, and then doesn’t understand when I get mad at him for jumping on the bed.

I was trying to take a picture of that big white iris you see in the upper right corner, but someone kept getting in the way. 

I know there was a post full of cuteness a little while ago, but I’m about to up the ante. Don’t worry though, I’ll ease you into it. Remember my size 11 shoe dilemma? I’m happy to report that the cute shoe dry spell seems to be ending. I found some awfully cute shoes at Macy’s on the clearance rack the other day. Macy’s never has size 11 shoes. They do have a bit of a heel, but I don’t care.


I don’t exactly know what I’m going to wear them with. I could use some fashion advice. They look cute with jeans, but I don’t have many opportunities to wear heels and jeans. I know that miss-matched colors are very stylish right now, I’m just not sure what colors to wear these with.

And now for the super cuteness. Are you ready? A few of the Buff Orpington hens went broody recently, and I thought I’d just let them set on some eggs and see what would happen. I got home Friday afternoon to a very worried looking Golden Retriever (he’s the Mama Bear around here). Bear kept running over to the chicken coop, so I went to see if everything was okay, and as I got closer I heard the unmistakable cheeping of a baby chick. There were a couple already hatched and running around, and another one on it’s way out of it’s shell. Two more hatched this morning. I kept them with their mama for a little while:


But I’ve since moved them to their own box, with their own food and water. There are still a bunch of eggs left, and two hens sitting vigilantly, so I’ll give them a few more days before I start shooing them out. The three older chicks are eating and drinking like crazy. The two new ones are still a bit wobbly, but they’re pecking about, and growing stronger by the hour.


I’ll set up the chick photography studio again this week, and get more pictures. It’s so fun having a few babies again!