I know its a little late for Friday, but I do have some favorites and an update for you...The past few weeks have been hectic, but productive and fun. The weather has been a nice mix of summer heat and thunderstorms and just about the time we were melting from the sun, the rain would arrive. The reverse living feature, with the bedrooms on the lower floor, is a definite bonus, and our apartment has stayed quite cool and always feels refreshing when you come in from the heat of the mostly glassed-in stairwell.

This weekend is already off to a good start, other than that I seem to have caught whatever bug Martin brought back from Latvia. Last night we had a great Indian dinner and visit lakeside, and it was nice to head to bed knowing we could sleep in a little bit before church. This afternoon the clouds rolled in and now we are in for a few days of cooler weather. Tomorrow I hope to get the watering system setup on our terrace and, as you can see above, it is already getting greener and we have tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, many herbs, and peppers on the way. And if it doesn't rain the whole day, we can enjoy our new outdoor lounge furniture which arrived just in time for our string of summer guests. In a few weeks my family arrives and then Martin's parents are coming just as my family leaves. We're excited about all the visitors, and I'm really excited that I'll have some time off from work and lots of space around the house for everyone.

So, now to my favorites from the last few weeks:

• We probably don't have the space on our terrace anymore, but I still would love to find a spot for this hammock, which looks like vacation to me.
• India isn't necessarily at the top of my travel list, mostly as we have so many places in Europe still to visit, but I would love a vacation on the Indian ocean and an opportunity to find some beautiful textiles like these from Rajastan. The silk pajama set, yes please.
• We are finally hosting a housewarming/Fourth of July BBQ party next weekend, and I'm thinking of adding of these vegetarian grill ideas from The Chalkboard to our menu.
• Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Jessica Parker drive a classic station wagon and get coffee in another funny episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
• And finally, David Sedaris and his FitBit love affair.

I hope your weekend is off to a sunny, wonderful start!