Sunday, June 30, 2013

Mosaic Monday: Nesting

There's been a good bit of nesting going on at my house lately. I'm in the middle of a little renovation project trying to get new floors in my kitchen. Of course with new floors comes the need to repaint the walls. And the trim. Which means I have to actually choose the new color once I decide on the flooring. And I have no idea how I'm going to match up the trim in the Kitchen with the rest of the house....

But actually, there's been real nesting going on in the ferns on my front porch. I've tried to be as discreet as possible, snapping photos with my iPhone, so the quality may not rock this world, but I have been able to document their growth. 


Right now I'm down to one nest with one tiny bird in it. I think a snake may have gotten the others. *sigh* I really hate that whole circle of life thing sometimes.

With that one tiny, little bird still in residence, I may not be able to hang my July 4th bunting, which I really do like to do.... But if I were that baby bird's mother or father I sure would hate to fly around a red, white, and blue bunting every time I needed to feed my baby. So the bunting will just have to wait this year.

I posted this card a few weeks back, but I'll post it again in case you missed it.


As you might be able to tell, I'm pretty much in love with all of this nesting!

Have a great week and visit the Little Red House to see more mosaics.


 

Saturday, June 22, 2013

The Girls Got Glow....

Actually, I had a difficult time grabbing the glow of sunset this year on the beach. I got the girls out there a little too early, but we took pictures any way. Boy was I hot out there.... Then we realized that the sun and sky were brighter than it was glow-y, so we sat in the car with the air conditioner blasting for a little while trying to cool off a bit. Then we hit the beach again for more glow time.



If you've been with me for a few years, you know that my daughter always takes a friend to the beach, and except for one year when scheduling was an issue, it's been the same one. They've been friends since third grade even though they haven't gone to the same school since they were fifth-graders.


Being able to make good friends and keep them is a trait my husband and his family have passed on to my daughter. And this friendship is definitely a testament to that. I just call her my other daughter....


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Just Beachy!

We're at the beach this week. My annual trek to Destin with my daughter and her friend in tow. It's our little ritual, this trip, and I love it.


Those legs don't belong to any of us. I loved the colors in the swim trunks and on the board, and oh, yeah, the colors of the ocean beyond him. So I was snap, snap, snapping from my chair.

The water yesterday was the most beautiful I've seen it in several years. We often have sea weed in June and that horrible oil mess a few years ago.... But yesterday the colors were phenomenal. All those variations of blues and greens that make me want to paint my whole house these colors were back.

I hope your week is off to a great start....

Friday, June 14, 2013

Birding...

My porch is full of birds' nests. At least three of our ferns have them nestled inside, with birds or eggs at various stages. My husband fusses about them and how much trouble it is to water the ferns without hurting the babies, but somehow or other the birds hatch and thrive and eventually leave their nests. (I think he's more bark than bite, that guy.)









Sunday, June 9, 2013

Adjusting, slowly....

There's something about summer break that takes me a while to adjust to. Having days stretch out before me, unplanned, is such a luxury after working 10+ hours a day during the school year that I just can't adjust to it very easily.

Curriculum is still swirling around in my mind although I shove it and literally kick it back out. I have teacher books scattered throughout my house.... It's difficult to let go, even for these two months.

But I'm trying.

I was in a bit of a funk on Saturday. Even a bit depressed it seemed. I just had no interest in doing anything. Other than sitting. Just sitting. Playing with my phone some. I finally took a walk before bedtime and that seemed to make me feel better.

This morning, I took advantage of the natural light in the sun room and took my camera on a little photo shoot. I had taken pictures of my grandmother's buttons with my iPhone and edited the photos to blur the edges, but today I wanted to try doing the same thing with my Canon's macro feature.

Here's a photograph taken with my Canon, unedited except for the watermark.


The spoons had to get in on the action, too.


I've only been home for summer break for three days, so hopefully I'll start getting into a routine soon. I definitely have projects around the house that need tackled, and I can actually cook some meals for my family now. I'm thinking of lots of vegetables with thick slices of fresh tomatoes on our plates. 

Silver Queen corn
fresh green beans
new potatoes
broccoli casserole
sauteed squash
corn bread
Oh, and freshly brewed tea. 
(I'm totally over the convenience of buying a jug of tea from the grocery store.)

That, my friends, is summer eating....


Saturday, June 1, 2013

I explored the other side

... of the cemetery today. I've always stayed in the more famous section of this sacred spot where legendary musicians are buried and where the chugging of trains cuts a swath between ancient stone steps and the river. But today I went left instead of right and joined a group of photographers for a photo walk on the other side. 

It was a beautiful day.... White clouds dotted the blue sky. At times the sun shone too brightly, beads of sweat appearing on our faces as we peered here and there through our camera lenses. The girl in her black dress and hat appeared out of place when I first drove up. Funny get-up I thought for a photo walk until I realized that she would be our muse today. She didn't just pose for photographs; she became a character in our own stories. 



 We finally made it up a hill and to a huge mausoleum where these next photographs were taken.





Of course, a mausoleum shot isn't complete without a little added texture thrown in.