Monthly Archives: April 2011

Garden Oh's and Woe's

Posted on by
Reply

A peaceful Thursday.  Actually, we refer to it as Friday as today is the last day of hubby’s work week and that = a nice 3 day weekend.

The above shot was from yesterday afternoon after I had finished watering the pots outdoors.

I enjoyed a little break in the garden moments ago.

A break from laundry to visit my favorite rose was a total treat.

Total treat!  I can’t begin to express just how much I love the color of this rose.

But I’m really sad about the wildflowers I planted just over a week ago.  They were doing so good!  They were growing and popping out all over the place.  Until, until yesterday when I noticed nothing.  Nothing I say.  It seems a bird or pest of sorts enjoyed them a bit more than me.  Hubby says I can plant more, but I’m still sad over the whole ordeal.

On the inside, we still have these birds in beautiful bloom from last weekend.

On the inside, I also have a few more household chores to wrap up before the weekend.

On that note, it’s time to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty.

Blessings – Debbie

Pull Chain + Clay = Fun

Posted on by
4

Good evening!  Where did the day go?  That’s what I want to know.

The hours of the day move so quickly when creating is involved.  This bag was crafted with the finest Armadillo Buffalo Wallow clay.  The design was stamped with none other than a pull chain.  I have no idea where I came up with the idea of using a pull chain but the results are fun.  Oh, now I remember.  Once upon a day I recall seeing a pull chain and thought…”I think that would be fun to stamp clay”.  Voila!

After a full day in the studio, I couldn’t think of anything better than throwing dinner on the grill.

Corn on the cob was seasoned with butter, salt and pepper and wrapped in foil.  Chicken was marinated and homemade sweet potato fries were seasoned.  The fries were popped in the oven while the chicken and corn hung out with the grill.  I’d say after a full day of work, we equally enjoyed our sit down meal.

The evening hours are moving right along and I’m ready to wrap it up and call it a great day and night.

Night!

Since I posted/created the piece this week, I’m using it for Behold My Work Thursday hosted by none other than Crystal B.

Blessings – Debbie

A Change Of Plans

Posted on by
Reply

Good afternoon!  It’s a lovely day here in sunny southern California.

An early morning stroll in the garden proved to be a joyful experience.

Buds and blossoms were so pretty in the morning light.

This multi colored rose is my favorite rose in the garden.  There’s just something about those colors…

Today has been one of those change of plans kind of days.  I thought I would start work in my studio this morning.  I went craigslist shopping instead.  It was fun to get out there and see what was available.  I didn’t buy anything “yet”.

Hubby invited me to join him for a nice little lunch date.  I did that instead of playing in the mud.  Dates are always the best choice when given the opportunity.

This afternoon was filled with a bit of laundry from the weekend and getting all caught up on the ironing.  It’s truly a feel good kind of Monday.

Blessings – Debbie

I Love You Weekend

Posted on by
1

Thanks to hubby for bringing in fresh flora from the backyard.   The greenery was cut from the lily.

I love the arrangement + I love his idea to put it here.

I had them in the kitchen but we enjoy them so much more in this area.  Thanks again hubby for suggesting the move out here.

I hope to make this (picking flowers from the backyard) a weekly tradition from now on.

The weekend has been filled with…

  • First things first, Hubby used a vacation day Friday and took off = sweet
  • Planning a party (here at the house in a couple of weeks)
  • Dinner date this evening
  • Shooting pool
  • Backgammon
  • A little future vacation planning – Should be fun
  • Hanging outside while enjoying some music via the outdoor speakers
  • enjoying meals on the patio
  • Planning a future yard sale – Cheers to getting rid of more stuff

I don’t want the weekend to end…

Happy Easter!

Blessings – Debbie

Thru The Spokes

Posted on by
5

I haven’t spent much time in the studio this week but I have spent time behind the lens.

Thru the Spokes is the title of this shot. 

I must have taken 200+ shots of lizards this week, but this is my favorite.  I used the Post-Crop Vignetting in Lightroom to achieve the border.

The funniest part of that day went down like this.  These shots were taken with the zoom 100 – 300 lens, I had to keep a nice distance between me and the subject as to not scare him.  So, while shooting this big guy, he would at times make random dashes here and there.  I was all caught up with him behind the lens when all of a sudden he made a mad (people, this was a MAD) dash in my direction.  I jumped + let out a little scream + felt my heart race + laughed at myself as he was not even close to being in my neck of the woods.  It was pretty funny, if I do say so myself. 

To see what others are doing, check out Behold My Work Thursday hosted by none other than Crystal B.  It’s a place to check out what others are up to these days. Thanks so much Crystal for creating this day, I love it!

Blessings – Debbie

What Drives Me Nuts While Driving

Posted on by
Reply

What drives you crazy when you’re behind the wheel?

The big thing that drives me nuts is this gizmo/GPS holder that’s “supposed” to attach to the windshield.  That thing seems to do everything in its power to annoy me.

I’m not a fan of this resting on the dashboard when I climb in the car or better yet falling off while I’m in route 2 and 3 x’s.  Neither am I a fan of the constant perpetual licking and sticking of the mount to windshield.  Nor am I a huge fan of the messy rings on the windshield.  Small potatoes here, just sayin’.  🙂

I’ve had the urge for this Garmin beanbag for quite a while.  Yay for me I remembered the other evening.  And many thanks to hubby, as he ordered it for me on the spot.  I can’t begin to say how delighted I was when the mailman made this little delivery today.  Yay for no more suction mounts!

I couldn’t wait to check it out.  I have a feeling we’re going to be great driving buddies from here on out.

The other bright spot in my day was a special visit from hubby for lunch.

It’s difficult getting back into the grove after spending a nice 4 day weekend together.  Hubby took a vacation day yesterday to finish up the taxes + we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate + we enjoyed great conversations + had fun talking about stuff and life and how blessed we are to be right here together.

Blessings – Debbie

On The Chopping Block

Posted on by
1

Veggies were on the chopping block this morning.  The mix included 6 little red potatoes, garlic, 2 zucchini, 3 stalks of celery, 6 carrots, fresh Parsley, a red onion and a huge red pepper.

Chickpeas, green beans and frozen corn were added along with some vegetable broth.

At the end of the day we have this!

Wildflowers were planted.

We’ll see what happens.

We had another gorgeous day.  It was too pretty to be inside so hubby and I visited out here a while.  Later I grabbed a couple of magazines and parked it here.

It was one of those nice restful days.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Around the House – Before and After

Posted on by
Reply

The tree trimming crew arrived yesterday morning to start the trimming of the palm trees.

Before

After – This was taken this morning.

Before

After – Taken this morning

They arrived bright and early yesterday.  And wasted no time getting down to business.

He swung from tree to tree (if they were close enough).  What a chore for him to climb.  I have a better appreciation of all the work this entails.

While working around the statues, they took special care to lower each limb.

Coming down

I consider this a heavy duty belt.

By 7 pm last evening, this made load # 2.

 

They’re back again today to trim yet more trees.  It’s looking so pretty around here.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

It's A Fiesta

Posted on by
Reply

Why not get the party started.  In order to kick off hubby’s upcoming 3 day weekend I’m getting stuff done so we can party work!  Hubby mentioned something along the lines of taxes this weekend.

To help set the tone for a party I made an amazing Fiesta Dip.  Thank you Trish! Trish described this Fiesta Dip as a party in your mouth.  She’s not kidding let me tell ya…

Fiesta Dip

1 can (15 oz) Black Beans – drained and rinsed
1 can (15.5 oz) fiesta corn – drained
1 red onion – diced (i only used half of a large onion)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup white vinegar
1 packet (0.7 oz) Good Seasons Dry Italian dressing

3 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
2 avocados – peeled & diced
tabasco sauce or taco sauce to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Combine & mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl; cover, chill overnight.
(or make in the AM to serve in the PM) Before serving add tomatoes, avocados, Tabasco sauce, salt & pepper. Serve with tortilla chips! YUM!

This is still minus the avocados…

Lets Party!

Blessings – Debbie

A New Lease

Posted on by
Reply

Hubby and I get to sign a new lease on the home where we’ve called home sweet home for the last year (since May 2010).

We’ve been fortunate to sell 3 homes (due to job related moves) since 2002.  Last May marks the anniversary of the last home we sold in the Upstate NY area.

Renting was new for us as we’re used to being home owners.  With the unstable housing market, it has proved to give us peace of mind and sweet freedom.

I feel blessed that we get to be the caretakers of this home in this peaceful neighborhood.

There are days I can’t imagine (ever) leaving.

It’s nice having a landlord who takes care of things.  He’s arranged to have all the palm trees trimmed this coming weekend!

We’re looking forward to the trimming of all the trees…

The plan is this:  Take time to smell the roses.

And enjoy the gardens while we’re here, we won’t be here forever.

Just for today, I will enjoy the path and I’ll let the road to the future unfold in due time.

Fond memories we’ve made with friends in the game room.  We’re looking forward to making many more memories right here.  Hubby racked the balls for us last evening but we ended up leaving them and moved to the kitchen where we prepared dinner and played backgammon.

One day at a time is all we have, the future will come soon enough.

I’m grateful for where we are today and that we have a brand spanking new lease.  In His time, we shall move on.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

The Party's Over

Posted on by
2

This morning was one of those let downs after our amazing weekend of catching up with each other.  Hubby even announced that “the party’s over” as he headed out the door.

Sometimes things are done on whims.  So as I sat with my cup of coffee reading Google Reader, I spied what looked and sounded like an amazing peanut butter bread.  Made with the crunchy peanut butter, LOVE!

Perhaps I didn’t want the party to end after all.  So I gathered all the ingredients and got busy creating my very own “monday morning party” in the kitchen.

Batter may or may not have flung from the bowl onto my favorite coffee mug.

This was pulled out of the oven 10 min early.

Butter was generously slathered over this piece.

But as hubby stated earlier, the party’s over.  And it was.  It was pretty dry and not at all what I imagined.  My mind was screaming peanut butter love!  But on the bright side, the rest now lies in the bottom of the trash can and I’ve come to grips that the party is indeed over.

I’ll be off in a few for another eye exam.  Apparently I can’t seem to adjust with my new (two month old) prescription.  My distance doesn’t seem that great so hopefully this exam will bring clarity to my days.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Random

Posted on by
2

It’s Friday and I’m lovin’ it!

Hubby’s coming home today, that’s the most exciting bit of news.  He will not be gone into next week like we thought.  Double like…I’m just sorry he was held up in Chicago for 3 hours.  But he’s on his way home!

Random Facts:

We watch a few shows together like American Idol and Survivor to name a couple.  We record them and watch commercial free.  But the whole time hubby’s been away, the TV, music and anything related to sound (other than the washing machine) has not been turned on.

If it weren’t for hubby, I think I would be a hermit without a clue as to what’s going on in the world.

Or perhaps it’s just not the same watching “our” shows/news alone.

I really miss reclining together in the loveseat.

I believe hubby and I have sent more text messages today than any other day in History.  I would be willing to bet on that statement.

Who knows when smart phones will arrive.  I’m still in no rush, so it will have to be when hubby makes the call.

Unplugged – I’ve totally unplugged from Facebook and there’s no horizon as to if/when I’ll return.

I’ve had a fingernail fetish for the last 20 + years.  A french manicure with white tips or colored tips have been my thing.  Since I started back into pottery, I can’t stand to work in the clay with the nails like I used to.

In fact, I’ve been cutting my fingernails every couple of days for weeks now.  Crazy!  Apparently I’m not loving the tiniest bit of growth.  🙂

I’ll be sleeping on my side of the bed tonight.  When hubby’s away, I like keeping his side of the bed warm.  For whatever reason, I feel close to him there.

Hubby is the better half.  He breaths life into home and makes my world complete in every way.

We’ll both be home sweet home tonight.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Saving The Best For Last

Posted on by
Reply

Good evening (my time) or good morning.  Depending on where you are in the world, it could be one or the other.

I snapped this today during a little misty rain.  For whatever reason, I like the soft hazy tone. 

Q and A

I was asked “how do you make the lines so straight with the drill bit”?  This question came from (Beth) regarding my post Drill Bits + Clay = Cool Designs.

I thought it would be nice to do a little show and tell, so this is the way the straight lines were achieved.

Here we have a little scrap of clay to demonstrate and a massive drill bit.

 

Take the drill bit and simply roll it across the clay, using a little pressure.

It makes precise lines and a pretty cool pattern.  That’s all there is to it.

I tooled around in the studio today and came up with another creation.

By days end I was feeling great with the accomplishments of the day.  I closed the doors to the studio sometime around 7:30 PM and came indoors to chill for the remains of the evening.

I just sat down in front of the computer, when I finished taking that last swig of soda and it hit me.  The colors from my monitor seemed to twirl through the glass and they struck me.  It was an immediate reaction to capture that feeling.  Does this hit you like it hit me?  That is my hand wrapped around my glass and those amazing bright colors are from my monitor.  And that right there floats my boat.

Hence, saving the best for last.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Drill Bits + Clay = Cool Designs

Posted on by
2

Drill bits are fun!  I just used hubby’s huge handy-dandy drill bit to imprint the design into this bag.  How cool is that?

Sometimes it’s just fun to use things for stamping that I wouldn’t ordinarily think of.

These pieces take a good 2 + weeks to dry (I keep them under plastic) but I’m already getting antsy to start glazing.  I’ll just put on my patient cap as I still have quite a few more things to make before I have a kiln load.

And by days end I have another bag creation.  I hope to be right back out there creating again tomorrow.

I wrapped up in the studio sometime around 7 PM and took a little stroll in the garden.

It’s this time of day when I really miss visiting with the hubby.

On the bright side, I have another day down.

I’m getting ready to put on a pot of chocolate raspberry coffee and get to work designing my next handbag.  It should be another glorious day in the studio tomorrow!

Blessings – Debbie

The Streets of Seaport Village

Posted on by
2

Yesterday morning proved to be a rude awakening as we hit the road at 4:30 AM.  It took a while to gather myself, but I did it.  Hubby was off to the airport so I thought I’d spend the early morning hours in Downtown, San Diego.

I stopped at a nice little park and sat in my car enjoying this view (for the most part) ’til the light broke.

I moved the car to enjoy another view while it was still too dark for me to be out roaming the streets alone.

When I stopped to take this shot (still inside the car) the security guard stopped to ask if I was ok.  He prolly thought I was a dork or a crazy person or both.

The early morning hours are magical.

Ah, finally just before 6 AM I was able to comfortably get out of my car and feel safe to start my adventure.

Follow along if you want to see the good, the bad and the ugly. 

But for now, it was all good.

I walked the streets of Seaport Village.

This is what is called the Seaport Cookie Company.  Although the doors aren’t open, they are certainly well on their way.

It’s such a fun village.

And charming to be sure.

Restaurants were so quiet at 6 AM.

As well as the little streets and shops.

Here’s where I make a great big fuss.  It’s still all good, nothing bad yet.

And the fuss about this picture is the sunrise!  I like the camera setting and the way the sun appears to be squeezing in between the buildings.  And those golden sun drops, oh the golden sun drops, love them.

Loved everything about watching the sunrise between the buildings.

The stroll continues…

And this is the part that starts to change.  I think I lingered in and around this little pond a bit too long.

Once upon a time there were 5 baby ducks.  And now there are 3.  How do I know?  Continue on if you must, to see the bad and the ugly.

I witnessed the kidnaping of two, yes I did.

The mean Black Crowned Night Heron, he’s responsible.  But I guess that’s the way the circle of life goes round.  But…but…where was the momma duck?  That’s what I want to know…Ok, the bad and the ugly is over and that’s all I have to say about that.

The cool feature about him is that he/she can really stick out that neck.

See how short the neck looks in this pic?  Interesting…

I moved along…

And enjoyed the splash of color along the way.

Somebody musta ordered a rather large order of pineapple.  Ya think?  Loved watching this shipment head out to sea.

And I conclude that the hours spent here was just what I needed after saying goodbye to hubby.  I miss him and things are never the same when he’s away.  The plan is to keep myself busy, that always helps.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie