Marie Grace did a post last week where she mentioned me and a few other bloggers as a way to spread the Blog Love, so I figured it’s only fair that I pay it forward and mention some of my favorite reads.  It’s really cool that Marie mentioned me because, as I’ve mentioned to her, she was my “gateway blog”.  Back in the day I was poking around the internets looking for some free knitting patterns and stumbled upon her site.  I was instantly hooked by her wool and child stories and not only became a regular lurker, but branched out to other blogs she mentioned, and others those bloggers mentioned, and so on.  As it turns out, Marie has dome it again by mentioning this past Friday yet more blogs I hadn’t known about.  So without further ado, here is a list of a few of the blogs that have provided me many hours of entertainment and vicarious living, as well as tips. tricks and crafting inspiration.

Marie Grace Designs. Obviously!  She lives on a budding farm in PA with her kids and chicks and geese and goats.  You had to know I’d love that.  Check out her original knitted designs – very classic and elegant.  She’s also the one I blame credit for getting me back into sewing – she mentioned the Favorite Things patterns.  I checked them out, and the rest is history.  My sewing bug came back out of retirement and bit me.  Hard.

The Pioneer Woman.  Not really a crafting blog, but way inspirational nonetheless.  Ree married an honest to goodness cowboy, got married, moved out onto a cattle ranch and had some kids.  The pictures are breathtaking and her stories are always fun to read.  My friend Melanie recently alerted me to her site knowing I would love it.  And I do!

Coal Creek Farm.  Another recent find – she’s mentioned on Pioneer Woman’s Page.  Lots of great stories and pictures.  Her chicken butchering story made me realize I do not want the mess and hassle of raising meat birds.   She doesn’t take herself too seriously and I imagine she’d be a hoot to hang with.  Highly amusing!

Maine Island Knits.  She lives (and knits!)  on a tiny island 8 miles off the coast of Maine and is married to a Lobsterman.  Dudes.  Need I say more?  You know I was a salty New England sea dog in my last life, right?  I just found her thanks to Marie Grace and I am remembering why I am still such a Yankee despite 12 – odd years in Virginia.

Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Blog.   Martha’s Vineyard.  Fiber.  Farm.  Blog.  Sheep, wool, Martha’s Vineyard.  Hudson Valley, too.  That’s all I’m sayin’.

If you check out my blogroll you’ll notice a lot more links to fabulous blogs, some very well known ( you all know I love the Yarn Harlot, and who doesn’t?)  Check ’em out if you’ve got the time.

And now to part 2 – where I salivate over pictures from summer 2007, when I was pregnant with Oona.  Reading the Maine Island Knits blog made me all heartsick for Martha’s Vineyard and I don’t think I’ve ever posted pictures from that trip here.  We only had 2 days – but it was a glorious 2 days without children (except the one in my belly!).

There’s Oona!  Hanging out, about a month away from her debut!  And those stupid shoes, let me tell you.  I got me some Birkenstocks because everyone always says how comfy they are, and don’t they make orthopedic shoes?  Anyway I needed all the comfort I could get at that stage so I bought some.  Not only were they NOT comfortable (still aren’t, despite 3 years of trying to break them in) but during a bout of bad judgment trying to quickly cross a busy street one of the shoes came off and tripped me.  I fell face first into a bush.  On a busy street.  Eight months pregnant.  People stopped their cars to ask if I was ok.  I actually cried of embarrassment.  Not my best moment.  It was the only bad part of an otherwise perfect weekend.

People, this is somebody’s back yard. I kid you not.  Their house is to the left of this picture.  I could just about die of jealousy.  Check out that fog.

It was pretty overcast and grey our first day on the island.  I loved it.  The beaches were EMPTY.  It made exploring and picture taking that much more fun.

Martha’s Vineyard is covered in blue hydrangeas.  They are everywhere.  I wish I could get them to grow all around my house this way.  They must love that salty sea air.

Menemsha fishing village.  I heart Menemsha.

We went early in the day to check out that little nugget of a village when it was still pretty overcast and foggy.  We had heard that it was kind of the “thing” to go back in the evening  and sit on the beach to watch the sunset.

Lucky for us the sun came out right around the time it needed to in order to make it’s nightly descent.

We got to the village with plenty of time to spare – though the beach was definitely getting crowded by then.

I love the boats.  I checked them all out before picking a nice spot on the beach to watch the sun go down.  Families and couples were having evening sand picnics – chilled white wine with steamers and lobster, courtesy of a little sea side shack called The Bite, that must have been fantastic, given the amount of traffic it had.  Had I not been pregnant (and with better planning on our part) I would have totally done the wine and clams.  (We did end up going to the Black Dog Tavern where I unwisely ordered a 3 lb. lobster.  Oy.  )

As the sun went down a fishing boat put out to sea, gulls flocking all around it.  People toasted the end of a beautiful day.

Just about the most romantic thing ever.  When I win the lottery, I am totally buying a second home there.