Photo by Jessica Hibbard When the weather gets sweaty, the sweaty crank up the A/C and haul out the sewing machine. The pillows on this chair got a facelift with some leftover curtain fabric. (The "after" version is on the right.)

You've probably noticed that my blog posts in June were pretty scant. That's because it's summer, and my desire to sit at my computer is at an all-time low.

Not everyone suffers from this affliction, so I thought I'd summarize my recent activities ... Lest you think I'm just sitting on the couch, eating bon-bons, and just generally avoiding my blogging responsibilities for no good reason. Here's a brief list of things I've been doing instead of blogging:

• Taking photos -- I love to snap photos in the garden, and I've also joined a women's photography group that meets monthly for excursions in and around Frederick.
• Gardening -- The weeds and the lawn just keep growing and growing. Luckily, our other plants are doing well, too. If we could just get rid of the hordes of mosquitos, I'd probably never spend any time indoors.
• Visiting friends -- My husband and I went to see my college friends in Madison, Wisconsin. If you've never been there, I'd highly recommend the Madison area for a summer vacation.
• Sewing & reupholstery -- I made new pillow covers for a living room chair, and I'm almost finished reupholstering a set of retro 1970s chairs with a more modern fabric.
• Playing guitar -- At least a little bit here and there. I'll be playing tonight at Studio 11 during this month's First Saturday Gallery Walk. Feel free to stop by if you're out and about!
• Planning our summer vacation -- We're headed to Oregon later this summer, which will be my first visit to the Pacific Northwest. We'll be checking out some great gardens and other attractions, which I'll be sure to share when we return.

See? I haven't been ignoring you on purpose. Stay tuned for an updated "In bloom this week" list and more new posts in the days and weeks ahead.

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard The front door of my own home, right here in Frederick

With the launch of this blog, the FNP officially delves into the world of citizen reporting. I could go on and on about how our local newspaper is embracing the future of journalism by opening its web site to average folks like me ... But there’s a much more exciting topic at hand: Home & Garden.

I’ve always been interested in design and decor, but I’ve been disappointed to find that most “shelter magazines” are geared toward baby boomers with higher incomes. As a first-time homeowner with a limited budget and a penchant for creative solutions, the shortage of realistic home & garden media can be terribly annoying.

In this space, I’ll do my best to share local sources, local homes, and local craftspeople ... For those of us who don’t want to take out a loan just to redecorate. My hope is that we’ll inspire each other. Please feel welcome to email your own home improvement tips and ideas directly to me.

Here’s to that crazy place called home!