Monday, April 30, 2007

Day #120 - Lush succulence...

One of several sedums we planted a couple of years ago to fill in some bare spots. They're definitely doing what we intended - spreading like crazy and coming back healthier and greener each year. A nice, low maintenance plant, this one gets pretty, little yellow flowers later in the season.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Day #119 - Here birdie, birdie, birdie...

It's time to pull the garden accents out of storage and clearly this little one has seen better days. The elements have taken their toll but a thorough cleaning and some cosmetic touch-up might make it a more inviting basin to take a dip in.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Day #118 - Dogwood flower - petals of pretty...

I got this beauty at K-Mart in 1980-81 for a whopping $8. It took years for the silly thing to bloom - seems it was getting too much nitrogen from the lawn fertilizer and had to be mega-mulched - but it finally figured out what it was supposed to do and has been rewarding us with it's loveliness ever since. Now it's priceless.

Not wanting to get my camera (or me!) wet in the drizzle today, I took a quick close-up instead of putzing around trying to frame the whole tree for a full shot. Maybe when it's dry outside, I'll try again.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Day #117 - Under Construction...

That's not trash...
that's building material!

This is an ongoing project by one of our fine feathered friends, who can't seem to make up his/her mind whether a nest on our porch light is really the best location. Haven't seen the critter itself, but it sure is making a mess in the process of building a cozy little egg drop.

I dunno, seems to me one of the many nearby trees might be a bettter choice, but what do I know - I don't have a bird's brain (that's not up for debate!)


Thursday, April 26, 2007

Day #116 - Tomato Time...

For no other reason than that it was pretty... and it was there.

Lew is a tomato man; he loves his "mater" sandwiches and sliced tomatoes with dinner. I, on the other hand, not so much. I like the juice, like the soup, like the sauce... just not crazy about the solid form. I'm getting better - love salsa - but not happy about chunks of the stuff in my soups or sauces. Go figure, huh?

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Day #115 - Warning - Bug Ahead...


Bug

|

coming

|

up


It's an ant... an ant who has no business being in MY house... in MY kitchen... on MY counter!! Ucck!

Now it's a dead ant...

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Day #114 - Cherry Delight...

The long wait is over and Spring is finally busting out all over in my yard. DC's Cherry Blossom Festival has come and gone and their blossoms have all bloomed and blown away, but ours are just starting to dazzle us with all their gorgeousness.

Aren't they just to die for?? :)

Monday, April 23, 2007

Day #113 - New life...

Gazing from inside windows and seeing nothing but deadish, brown bushes around the deck, I had pretty much written this baby off as winter wound down. Along with two of her buddies, who didn't look much better, I figured they'd gone to azalea heaven and we'd have to replace them... again. (We haven't had much luck with azaleas and the deck - I don't know why.)

Imagine my surprise and delight when, whoosh! - after a couple of sun-filled days, they all of a sudden greened up and burst into bloom!


I know better - next time I'll go outside and look at them up close and personal before declaring them a lost cause.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Day #112 - Shades of Purple - 7

My baby girl's hair and other things still live in a drawer in the dresser in her room at my house. My baby girl is 21 years old now... but it doesn't seem so long ago...

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Day #111 - Shades of Purple - 6

How many purple buildings do you have where you live?? LOL! One of the many interesting old buildings in downtown Frederick, this one's been on this corner since 1886.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Day #110 - Shades of Purple - 5

We went to a party with my brother and sis-n-law the last time we visited and the hostess passed out Mardi Gras beads to everyone. I forgot I had them until the other day when I was looking for purple stuff to photograph - how convenient for me!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Day #109 - Shades of Purple - 4

What's more purple (and stains better) than good ol' grape juice.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Day #108 - Shades of Purple - 3

I've recently gone on a decorating color-kick... from my years-long love of pastels to more vivid and brighter reds (kitchen,) purples (bedroom) and blues (bedroom). This is one of the shades of purple replacing the peaches and cream that used to be in our bedroom.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Day #107 - Shades of Purple - 2

After crawling around on the ground and getting nothing but wet, cold, and blown about for my trouble, I opted to pick a few of my grape hyacinths and bring them inside for a picture instead. *sigh*

Monday, April 16, 2007

Day #106 - Shades of Purple - 1

Okay, I'm running short on ideas here... maybe another color challenge will get my juices flowing. Sooo, this week I'm going to do purple stuff... or shades of purple.

Lew brought this little guy home from work for me awhile back - I think it was a business promotional thing. It's cute cuz it's purple... it even has purple staples!

C'mon, ladies (and any gents peeking!) - pick a color and join me! :)

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Day #105 - Reading material...

Whee! Got my Amazon order yesterday! This must be the week for books - I've noticed book photos on a few other blogs in the past couple of days.

Anyway, besides my regular favorite mystery series writers - Patterson and Kellerman - I've recently added Davidson (Goldy Bear culinary series) and Lehane (the Mystic River guy - I realllly like him!) to my list of likes. Throw in a couple of novels for a change of pace and these waiting unreads oughta keep me busy for a few.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Day #104 - First cut of the season...

This was a fun one to take! Laying in the grass with the delicious smell of new-mown grass all around?? Fun stuff! Makes up for my frustration of yesterday! :D

Friday, April 13, 2007

Day #103 - Second choice...

Grrrrr! This one is out of pure frustration! I must have taken 50 shots (well, maybe 40) of some stupid plastic figures I have and not one of them was share-worthy! At least this one's clear. Now I have to figure out what I was doing wrong... erg!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Day #102 - Number 3 6 5

They had a challenge over on Flickr a while back to take at least one photo during the year of the number 365. I thought it was a neat idea so here's my "at least one" using UNO cards. I'm hoping to find something more natural and less staged as the year progresses.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Day #101 - Water...

Having not idea one for an original photo today, but wanting to try to duplicate TNChick's (Photo Hunters) water photo, here's my attempt. Not as cool as hers, but not too bad for a first try. I love the stop action of the water!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Day #100 - Starting over...

After years of talking, planning, retalking and procrastinating, we've finally committed to redoing our family room. Our two chairs were picked up today and will be reupholstered in the brown microfiber fabric; the fireplace wall will be covered in the glass tiles and have a mantle added; the window and patio door will have the faux wood roman shades; and we may use this wood for the TV/storage unit cabinetry. We still need to choose flooring and other odds and ends, but we have action!

I'm so excited I'm 'bout to tinkle in my britches!! It's been a looooong time coming...

Monday, April 9, 2007

Day #99 - Dessert anyone??

Oh, yummmmm! Strawberry cream cheese/marshmallow fruit dip makes strawberries so doubly delicious you just don't care about the calories!

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Day #98 - They're baaaack...

...finally!

Well, they started these final episodes off good - it'll be interesting to see how they end the series.

(this is a shot of the TV screen just as they flashed the title after the theme song - I'm surprised I caught it!)

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Day #97 - On the road again...

Loading the car...

My 3 guys...

And

then

there were none...


*sniff* :-(

Friday, April 6, 2007

Day #96 - All good things must come to an end...

Well, our week of play is winding down. We enjoyed a last game of Monopoly before dinner and the boys have gotten their things collected and packed up. Lew's done kitchen clean up and Dad has ducked out for a bit for a quick visit with a few of his school-days buddies. My guys will be heading back home in the morning... but I've just been called upstairs for another game of Uno!. Wheeee!

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Day #95 - Games people play...

From generation to generation, we've been a game-playing family, and my grandkids enjoy playing with some of the games that belonged to their Dad when he was their age. Here's a sampling of what's been keeping us occupied this week.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Day #94 - A night at the movies...

Tonight was pizza and movie night at Mommaw's. Meat lover's, plain, and pepperoni pizzas were on the food menu, while Happy Feet, Pursuit of Happiness, and Grease are on the movie marquee.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Day #93 - Boys and their toys...

A beautiful, sunny April day, a quiet residential street, 2 boys, 2 bikes - it doesn't get any better than this...
...make that 3 boys, 2 bikes. ;)

Monday, April 2, 2007

Day #92 - Sleep, sleep, sleep, how we love to sleep...

All the game-playing has apparently tuckered my little guy out. Michael catching a quick snooze after dinner tonight.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Day #91 - Aaarghh... never trust a pirate!

Four of my favorite guys enjoying a friendly game of trickery and deception - Pirate's Dice, as seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.