In a Hurry

We are well into the last month where the average temperature can be 100 degrees or more. By this time of year most people are proud of surviving another summer in the valley of the sun. It can still be 100 or more and that is still bad but if you have lived in the desert awhile you can tell the difference between 100 and 110 and that difference feels good. 

I am a person in a hurry. We here in the Phoenix area know that we have lived through one of the hottest and driest summers ever. I want to hurry up and get past this time because I know that the cooler times are coming. By the time November comes around and lasting till about April, we remind ourselves that this lovely winter is why so many of us are here including the snowbirds. 

Not having anything else to post about today I chose the weather. I have written something every day since June 16th, nearly 3 months. That is the most consecutive days for a long time, and I feel good about this accomplishment.

I played with Bing's Image Creator today to create the image for today's post about weather in the desert. Have you ever played with this or another AI image creator? 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

Summer Is Great for Dresses

I lived in the Phoenix area for about 5 years before moving away. Now I am living in the Valley of the Sun again and going through a summer here as a full time resident after 10 years away. Clothing and hydration can do a lot to keep you comfortable when it is 110F outside and the indoor thermostat needs to be at 78 or 80 to keep the bills affordable. A nice casual dress can take me from home to the grocery store and back again and maybe even out to dinner if  I refuse to cook and heat up the kitchen.

I find that when it really heats up during the summer the most comfortable clothes to wear are dresses. Do you feel the same way? What I look for are best boutique dresses. I look for short or maxi boutique dresses with a flowing skirt rather that something more fitted. For me lighter colors and fabrics like cotton or rayon work for me too. Interesting details are always a plus as well when I choose what to purchase and wear.

Check out the great summer boutique dresses I found to share with you below.

I don't think you can ever go wrong with a pretty floral print such as on the dress above. The tiered skirt is a detail I like a lot too.

The tied sleeve and the back yoke are the things I like best about this dress. The elastic waist detail will make the fit a bit more forgiving and comfortable. Comfort means a lot to me when choosing a dress. If the fit bugs me then it becomes a hanging closet decoration and we don't want to do that do we?

See the pin tucks on the bodice of this one? So cute, am I right?

Now for one that I think could work if you are attending something a little more special than a backyard barbecue. Check out the lovely lace!

So what do you think? Summer with no pants? Other ideas on how to thrive and enjoy life when it is over 100 outside? Please share in the comments because your comments make me so happy. (Well I guess you know that I mean the non spammy ones.)

The content in this post was sponsored (but I really do like the dresses I shared with you).

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Use My Guy Services

I am in Arizona for a bit and Jim is working in Wyoming. I had a dripping bathtub faucet. I wouldn't even know how to start on a repair like that so I needed a handyman. As most of us do these days I started looking with a Google search. Use My Guy showed up in the results and have many very good reviews. 

My first contact with this company was pleasant and informative. I was set up with an appointment. Texts were sent by UMGS so I understood what would happen and when. John showed up at my door on time and solved the problem. He replaced the cartridge and the spout. The payment process was easy and I was emailed a receipt. 

The whole process was so easy and pleasant. Whenever I need another honey-do done, these will be the folks I call first. 5 stars to Use My Guys Services. If you are in the Phoenix area you may want to give them serious consideration too. You can call 602-316-9187 or contact them through the website http://usemyguyservices.com

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Glad I am not.....

Glad I am not moving anytime soon. I have moved a couple times with full service when Jim was in the Navy. No packing, no driving a truck and getting it delivered and set in place for you at the new home. I am very glad as well that we did not have to pay for it because moving services are very expensive and one of our moves was from Guam back to the United States and involved bringing home a car. Every once in awhile we talk about moving on from here in Phoenix but the next place is going to have to be very special to go through the moving process again.

Jason's Birthday

Happy Birthday Jason!

(my son-in-law, married to oldest daughter Tammy and father of Kaycee and Tristan)

Jason is shaking hands with Kasey Kahne. He also got him to autograph a car. This picture was taken at PIR, the Phoenix International Raceway in November of 2005. Jason came down to Phoenix from Utah to go to the race with my husband Jim. This driver is one of his favorites. He and his family are racing fans. I, however, am not and had to look up the driver's name so I would know for writing this up.

Soon To Be In My Shop

These two scarves will be in the shop soon. I need to measure them and get descriptions written. I wanted to share their pictures with you today.

I am feeling better about my pictures lately. A lot of that good feeling comes from using tips found in the etsy.com forums. I have a nice Nikon D70 camera and am learning new things about how to use it every time I take pictures.

When my husband bought the camera he got an extra light to go on the top of it. When I first started taking pictures for etsy I used that light source inside because he said it would be all I needed. Somehow those pictures were never ones I was really proud of.

Over and over I kept reading that the best shots were taken outside in natural light. I tried this on the last several things I have photographed and have seen a huge difference. To tell the absolute truth, I am not really happy about needing to go outside though. You see, I live in the Phoenix area and it is so hot all summer that it is not much fun going outside. Even early in the morning it can be closing in on 100 degrees by 9 or 10 am. When it gets cooler in the fall and winter I am sure I will be more enthusiastic about it.

Grandkids

I have no idea who said it first but "If I had known being a grandparent was so much fun I would have done it first". So true.

These guys brought their parents for a visit a couple weeks ago and got to stay for about a week. The picture shows them enjoying a morning rain. I don't know how anyone could make it through a Phoenix summer without the monsoon rains. I sure enjoyed having them here. We just did simple things spending time together. We took a dinner cruise on Canyon Lake, went to an old mining town and took a drive up to Roosevelt Dam, down to Miami and the back to Apache Junction.

Today another grandchild is arriving for a one week visit. She will be here this evening and I don't know who is more excited her, Grandpa, me or the dog. I am looking forward to lots of card games, book sharing and shopping. I'll try to keep up with adding pictures as the week goes by.