Do you Instagram? I’m finding it to be a nice way to “micro blog” this summer. It lets you share a quick snapshot of the present moment with few or no words. You can follow me there at betzwhite or see the pics if you follow me on Twitter. Leave your Instagram user name in the comments I’ll follow you back!

After living here for 5 years, we finally broke down and joined the pool! It was a big decision for us but this year it seemed to make sense. So far we’ve been almost everyday since we joined, it’s been so hot! I try to get my work done for the day by 3pm then we head to the pool for a few hours before dinner.

Cannonball! The whole family has been enjoying the pool, some with more enthusiasm then others. I’ve been trying to do a few laps during “adult swim” and then I retreat to the lounge chairs to knit and watch the kids. I tell ya, knitting while wearing a swim suit makes me feel like I am truly on vacation.

I’ve made great progress on my sock knitting. One down, one to go. This is my third attempt over the years to knit socks and I think it has finally clicked. I’ve been using Susan Anderson’s basic sock instructions, which are excellent.

Sock #2 on the needles! Since summer mornings don’t require school lunch making, I’ve been knitting with breakfast, too. Ahhh…

Up in my studio I’ve been sewing several different types of projects. This is a remake of my Hex Messenger pattern. I’ll show you the full deal later this week.

Oh, and here we have a special guest at the bird feeder outside our kitchen window. It was so hot this past week, the birds we did see had their little beaks open, panting! I had never seen that before. Both a catbird and a cardinal sat at the feeder with their beaks wide open!

The week ended in a big storm and huge regional power outage. Fortunately, we only had to endure without air conditioning (in triple digit temps!) for about 24 hours. There are many in our area still without power. Fingers crossed for them to be out of the dark and heat soon!

Thanks for all of your color combo comments on the We Love Color Blog Tour post! I loved reading your favorites and found the combos and the reasons behind them inspiring and fascinating. Congrats to the winner, Nancy B, who I’ve already contacted with the good news!