dirty laundry

while i was out of town last week... our dryer quit working.  we don't know why... my son & my husband think that maybe, possibly, it had something to do with it being overloaded with bedding stuff... maybe. (ok, i think most definitely!)

my local laundry center

so, when i got home there was lots of laundry, and no working dryer.  i decided to wash all the clothes and linens, piled it all into my little mini, and head to our nearby laundry mat for drying purposes.

so many choices!

i had not been to a laundry mat in such a long time.  and to tell you the truth, it made me start wondering why.  why don't we use it more often?  i had 5 loads of laundry and it was all dry and folded in about 75 minutes.  it was lovely. i got to hang out, read a book, watch the others doing their laundry - laughing, talking.

vintage soda & snack machines.

it made me start thinking about how things have changed.  everyone 'must' have all the modern conveniences in their homes.  it is looked down upon by many if you have to go to the laundry mat because you don't have your own appliances or if you walk somewhere instead of driving a car (even if you just WANT to walk).  we miss out on a lot of conversations, meeting new people, and the opportunity to be social with people in our communities.

love these carts!

my husband opened up our dryer, cleaned it out and reattached the connections.  it works again.  but, i did decide that if it did not work... i would probably not buy a new one right away.  i decided that i would rather go to the laundry mat and spend $5, get to read for an hour, maybe make some new friends, and have all the room i need to fold all those shirts, pants, and sheets.

happy friday!

~ julie

an interview... how exciting!

i am excited and honored to have my first interview posted on spry sprout!  miranda graciously asked for an interview... and who was i to turn down this crafty new mother?  go on over and learn a little more about me & my craft.  and learn about miranda, too!

star wars reusable baby wipes by spry sprout

miranda is amazing with all she accomplishes with a little guy just arriving a month or so ago.  her creations for babies are wonderful.  looking for a gift for someone having a baby... this is your shop! or maybe you have a little one at home and could use something for yourself... again, check her shop out. i bet you find something you just must have!

thanks for checking it out.  thanks for visiting my blog.

happy wednesday!

~ julie

inspiration location: little league baseball

keep it movin', keep it movin'...

i was out wondering around my town and looking for a spot to eat a picnic kinda lunch... i passed the little league fields where we used to spend quite a fair amount of time.  those were fun days & evenings. 

can you picture the players all excited about getting up and hitting?

it was empty when i was there... not much happening yet during the day since the kids are all still in school.  but, as i walked through the area, i could hear the kids talking, picking on each other, laughing.  i could hear the coaches helping to encourage the boys & girls to hit a good one or to catch that fly ball.

dugout & parents benches...

i can hear the parents cheering for their children.  jumping up and down when they made a great play.  talking to the other parents about too much homework, the weather, how they spend most of their time driving their munchkins from one place to the other and don't have much of a life themselves anymore...  i miss that.  it was a time when we socialized on a regular basis with other parents because we all wanted to see every great moment in our kids' lives. 

hit it over this fencing... home run, baby!!!

time flies by, and it is hard to believe it has been probably 6 years (or more?) since we spent our evenings eating hotdogs and popcorn at the fields.  yeah, there were times when we thought the coaches weren't playing our kid enough... or when our sons weren't paying attention to the game, or a few parents might get a little carried away with the game... but, these are fond times.  the moments you cherish as a parent... 

i remember when they installed these lights and we got to have NIGHT games!
the players thought they were major league when they got to play at night.

maybe your son or daughter didn't/doesn't play baseball... maybe it was soccer, volleyball, tennis, or swimming.  maybe it is ballet or chess.  but, no matter, we love those moments when we can encourage our children to step out in the world and try something on their own.  when they learn to compete and be a good winner or good loser.  to embrace the game. 

outfield distractions...

my youngest son will be graduating from high school in about 4 weeks.  we still try to go to any event he is involved in.  we hate to miss their accomplishments.  i am not sure what next year will bring for us... but i am pretty sure we will still be those parents who show up at their 'kids' events so they remember that we are proud of their hard work, that we want to see what they are accomplishing. 

a lonely ball waiting for the players to arrive and pick it up

where do you go with your children, nieces/nephews, next door neighbors?  or maybe it is your parents who you go see in art shows, sporting events, plays? 

isn't it funny how these powerful memories can make you smile and shed a tear all at the same time?

happy monday!

~ julie