La Honda, CA

La Honda is tucked in the mountains 30 miles south of San Francisco. There on Memory Lane (it is actually on Memory Lane, adorable and fitting) sits a beautiful home on property bought by my great grandfather Lehner. My dad's cousin still lives there and I am super jealous. It really is like being in paradise. I haven't been there in probably ten years. As soon as we got there all those memories from my childhood sprang up. Not a while lot has changed aside from trees growing wider and taller and the bushes getting bushier. It's such a gorgeous place. It used to have finches, rabbits, horses and chickens. But these days chickens and doves are the only creatures housed on the property aside from the deer, blue jays and other  wild beasts roaming around.

It was great to see some family that I hadn't been around in ages. Most of these pictures are just of JoAnn at the house but Sandee was there too. The Blue Jays there are pretty serious about scavenging but they are some of my favorite birds on the planet. That color just doesn't seem natural in nature. It's so beautiful. And perfect. Here are tons of pictures, enjoy.

My favorite thing to look for around La Honda when I was a kid were, banana slugs. Turns out, still my favorite thing to hunt for. And, they are everywhere.

Pins & Needles

I made this pin cushion for my friend Lola. She collects them and I thought a cute little cactus in a pot would be a great addition. I love him. I wasn't even sure if what I was sewing would end up as a sphere and it did on my first try. I was pretty stoked it worked out. I saw these cacti originally but then saw these and liked the idea much better. You know I'm a sucker for cute things.

What would you name him?

I really like his little flower. I probably should have done two different colors from the petals but all I had was the light pink. Yes, that pot is full of rocks and weighs about a pound. You can't tell too much from the pictures but the side panels are a darker green with green tinsel. It's super cute and makes him look a little spiny. I'm pretty happy with how he came out. 

P.S. I think I might be starting a little DIY section called "Megan Could Make That." Playing off the whole thing of my mother saying I could make pretty much everything I wanted her to buy me as a child. So I'm taking some suggestions. If there is something that you really like that you think could be made but you don't know how, send me a picture or a link in the comments. I'm not sure how frequent it will be but I really want to try it out!

Survival

Sometimes I wake up and think. "Take that yesterday, I made it!"

Image via The Best Movie Ever

No Face

Ripley has had this bear since we got her in January.

She likes to make out with it.

Lesson of the day, don't make out with Ripley.

Due to an unfortunate accident Bear has now lost a foot.

She's a Lady

Whoooaa, whoooaa, she's a lady!

I constantly get the question, "is it a girl or a boy?" when I'm on a walk with Ripley P. Eyebrows. With a very androgynous name like Ripley and the mentality that "dogs are boys and cats are girls" people do not readily know what Ripley's sex is. And I'd like to fix it in an obvious and sparkly way.

Cue pink rhinestone collar! I'm on the market and I've found a few awesome ones. I like this straight forward pink sparkle collar. The thing that's annoying is I like the teal one better...buuuut that kinda defeats the purpose.

Via Dazzle Dog Delight or this cheap version on Doggie Vogue


I like that this one could potentially have her name on it.

Via Paliette


Pink on pink? Is that a clear enough message?

Via Bark Bling


Who spends $140 on a dog collar?! I saw another that was over $340K. No joke. Real diamonds on a dog collar. Insane.

via Calling All Dogs


What do you think of this resolution? I mean my own mother glued a bow to my head when I was a baby since I was bald til age three. Yes, bald.

James Deam

Sometimes I wish my husband dressed a little more like James Dean and a little less like a high school student.

He does, however, give me this look every time I take his photo. That or a big hand in my lens.

Great Grandparents Quilt

I found this amazing quilt of someone's grandparents and it made me want to make a quilt with my mother's paternal grandparents. I'm revising my list.

via ragged cloth cafe

How awesome are these photos of Dorothy Victorine and Eugene Van Horn?

Photos circa 1936. Aren't you loving Eugene's sweet mustache, Capree?