Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!
Sometimes during the holiday season I feel just like this...
May you all have a wonderful season of bliss!

Happy Weekend!

These are just a few images from a relaxing weekend I had
a week ago! It was at a spa in Calistoga California where the
pools are filled with natural mineral waters from the earth.
The water come out from the earth at scalding temperatures
and they have to cool them for each pool.
Some of the pools were 96 degrees
and some were 104!

They also have volcanic ash mud baths.
I haven't really braved those out yet... maybe another weekend!

Have a Relaxing Weekend!

Happy Monday!

Wishing you a Happy Monday!

A Post Card to London

There seems to be a missing Post Card...
I sent a card almost like the one above (this was just one of the layouts
of my postcard designs, the original was mailed off to London)
and the person that I mailed to hasn't said if she has received it or not.

This makes me sad because I worked hard on this and mailed it out right away.
I don't want this person to think I don't care!
So to let you know what this card looked like I decided to post it for you!
I do hope you get it soon!

Sweet words from Canada on a Rainy Day

My daughter and I are taking a photography class together and the first thing we have learned is to take your camera EVERYWHERE.
So this picture is from our rainy Saturday morning walk.

When we came back from our walk the mail had arrived... and in it was my first Post Card from
the Benevolent Postcard Society! Yay! So of course I have my camera ready for this shot!

It is a card from Canada... and from someone lovely named Casey!
Thank you Casey!
The front says... Hello Friend (just in case you cannot read it from my photos!)
I'm trying!

And as you flip it over it has a sweet quote:
"When I get sad,
I stop being sad and
be awesome instead.
True story."
-Barney Stinson

If you read my blog (which is still trying to find a path, really!) then you might know that this is a very appropriate type of quote. Something I might have chosen!
So Casey, if you are reading this... Thank you!
Oh... and also to Lori who has headed up this amazing project "The Benevolent Postcard Society"... I just wanted to send you a warm THANK YOU! You are totally amazing!
If you are interested in what in the heck this is all about there is a button on the side that you can click on to check it out!!! Please do!

Rainy lazy Saturday. A welcome relief from 95 degree temperatures
this last week!
Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

My Yellow Brick Throw

I can't wait for Fall! It's right around the corner... although Summer is trying it's hardest to hang in there during the days with high temperatures, the evenings have turned cool. Cool enough to pull out the blankets once again! I love all of my blankets! Some of them are old vintage blankets and some are newly welcomed blankets... the one in this photo is from Anthropologies and it is called "Yellow Brick Throw". I believe one can never have enough blankets... I'm so ready for Fall.

Message in a Bottle

Today I went to the beach and enjoyed the weather and the clouds...
and wondered, what would happen if a message in a bottle just washed ashore from
across the sea...

What would it say, how would you know it was meant for you...
what would you want it to say?
I'd probably want it to have some kind words on it...
even if it was from someone I didn't know
sometimes everyone needs a kind word.

So here is my message in a bottle to you...

Zen Weekend

Wishing you a very happy Weekend...
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of a candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. -Buddha

DIY My Way!

I am a total daydreamer today! I decided to do everything but my blog... While staring at the sky I thought about what my blog page should be about. It was so great (in my head!!!). I went to a lagoon today and watched the geese run around, and stared at blue skies, I had a cappuccino! Then I realized, I better get up or this is never going to happen! Time to share what was going on in my head! So off to the local nursery... the above picture is from the nursery, this place is amazing! It is 100 years old! And at Christmas they put up an amazing display of lights... anyway, I am easily distracted, but I eventually bought what I needed.

This is a picture from a Library Book (which incidentally, is way overdue... so if you are a librarian I am in BIG trouble!). The book is called, The New Terrarium By Tovah Marin. The photos in it are so amazing!!! Let's see what I come up with. I love Greenhouses, vintage ones. Terrariums are like little miniature greenhouses.

Things you need... a greenthumb may help (I don't have one!). I pretend too have one. See this picture, don't I look like some mad botanist!? You need a glass jar, or case or a book called The New Terrarium to give you better instructions!!! Charcoal (from a nursery or aquarium store), potting soil, small plants that can survive in a terrarium, moss, water, decorative things. You can put anything in these things! The smaller scale the better! You don't even have to plant anything with dirt like I am if you don't want. If you found a beautiful jar or container you could set a tiny potted plant inside. That looks really cute and low maintenance.

Okay, first make sure your terrarium is clean. Then layer charcoal on the bottom. Just a small layer.

Potting soil comes next... just set a layer of it across the charcoal like me! Cinchy so far, eh?

Now the tricky part, putting in your choice of plants. You must choose wisely because some cases can be very tiny. I did not... I am a good example of what not to do! I love my moss, but my plant should have been taller. Here, look at my next photo and you shall see why. Oh, don't forget, put some water in before closing your case.

Tah-Dah!
Now this should be fairly low maintenance. Many people are doing terrariums now and there is so much information on the internet and in your local library (ahem, just make sure you don't end up with overdue fines like mine or you may as well just buy the book!)

I forgot to mention, my case is called a Wardian Case. Named after Nathanial Wardian, whom in 1830 discovered that plant life could exist in an enclosed case. I think they are simply beautiful.

Enjoy what little summer we have left...
do something for you!

Take a Break

Take a small break for yourself today!
Breathe in some fresh summer air...

The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.
-Claude Monet

Like a New Pair of Shoes...

What's This? It's my new camera!!! Hooray!
This is so exciting...

It's almost as exciting as a new pair of shoes!

It's like seeing the world through new eyes...
even if I'm not fond of spiders!

It even made back-to-school shopping fun!
I looked like a bit of a stalker on the city streets!!!

I have a feeling this is the beginning to a fun new journey!
I hope to learn lots of new words... like, blur and bokeh and what the heck is aperture...
I am looking forward to sharing this world with you.
And yes, all photos were actually taken by me and my fantabulous new camera! (well, except for the first one, which would be taken with my "old" camera!)

Blog Fog

Colorful Kayaks...

County Fairs...

Ferris Wheels...

Enjoying the clouds and contemplating the day...

And Orange Sodas on a hot summer day...

Summer comes to an end and I sift through my photos and wonder what it is that I truly want to blog about... I think I have blog fog in the brain. I have so many blogs that I visit everyday and enjoy so much. Some are like eye candy, others make me laugh! I realized as I wrote my last entry that there is no feeling to mine. I suppose this is like a garden... you need to tend to it constantly and then eventually it will take it's own form. Though I know that can't happen accidentally. I would love for my blog to be full of beautiful photos... and sweet uplifting sayings, but there is so much more to me. So I don't feel that my blog can truly be good if I am not putting myself into it 100%. I feel kind of lost right now.

Here's what I love.. I love to take pictures. But I'm not that good yet. I hate my camera, so the pictures posted today are with my Holga and Diana because I like those! Tomorrow, I am getting a new camera... and taking photography classes! But I hope to write about things too. A little deeper (just a little) than beautiful flowers or pretty rooms that haven't any people in them. I am not a writer by any means, in fact, I stink at it! I once had one of my daughters teachers tell me that they shared my emails with the other teachers on staff because they enjoyed reading them... because I wrote like I speak! I'm not so sure this was a good thing!

I hope you made it through these two torturous paragraphs, if you did... thank you! I feel so much better to get that out of the way.. phew! Like a breath of fresh air! This whole Blogging World is amazing and I do love it... now, if I can just make myself focus!

Secret Lives of Seahorses

Seahorses, Leafy Sea Dragons and Jellyfish...

Seahorses have always held some sort of special place in my heart ever since I was little. They look so fragile and shy, It was just so amazing to see these beautiful creatures close up. They moved so graceful and seemed so gentle. There is a romance to the Seahorse and the way they court. And the Jellyfish never cease to amaze me. I have always found it hard to believe that something that looks so delicate could sting so bad... yet they are so mesmerizing. They seemed to dance in the tanks...

The Secret Lives of Seahorses at Monterey Bay Aquarium was a wonderful experience to see these wonderful creatures up close and personal.

Lazy Summer Days

I find myself scrambling for my camera to grab every last picture I can of summer joy. I can feel it coming close to the end soon and as much as I love fall, I will miss the warmth of the summer sun and all of the colors that summer brings. How about you? What is your favorite season?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION...

If you happened to come to my Blog page out of curiosity... Great! But I am so new to this and will be fumbling a bit and making a few mistakes, so please forgive me. So many of my favorite Bloggers have given me such great inspiration to set up my own and I have finally decided that now is the time! I have so many ideas floating around in my head and wish to share them with you, so I hope that you will visit me in the near future and find some sort of enjoyment in my blog as much as I find in yours. But for now, I would consider myself UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Please, please come back in a week.. as I have many fun ideas in store! Thank you for stopping by!