Paige got an early Christmas present...her sister came for the weekend!

Visitor in the Back Yard

Normally our grass dies off in the winter, but this year we decided to plant some seed so we can have grass in the wintertime too. This consists of watering and the birds partaking in an early Thanksgiving. I don't know how they know-word of beak I guess.

I came home the other day, earlier than normal, and went to the backyard prepared to see hundreds of birds feasting on our newly laid seed. But there wasn't a bird anywhere. Then I noticed a larger bird playing in the puddles on the grass area. I grabbed my camera and shot this video. If ID'd it right, I think it is a Coopers hawk. He got down in that water and then managed to get his rump up on the top of the wall to dry off in the sun.

I havent' seen this guy before in my neighbhorhodd and wanted to share. He stayed a good 30 minutes or more. He knew I was there but it didn't phase him.

Oh yeah, and you have to turn your head to the left to watch it. I can't seem to remember how to shoot video on my phone the right way! Enjoy!

A BIG Accomplishment

I know, it's been a long time since I've posted. And some of you may have given up hope. But, I've missed it. So, I'm back.

When the kayak's aren't in use, they reside on the garage floor. In order to give us more space and keep them safe, I researched the idea of installing a pulley system on the ceiling to store them. At first I thought to hang on the side wall, but it would limit us pulling two cars in once we cleaned up the other side.

I found a pulley system for cheap on Amazon. And by cheap, I mean $14.95 a piece with no shipping and handling! What a gonga!

A good friend of mine came over and we picked up the rest of the supplies that we would need. Some lumber, rope and screws. It took us most of the day on Saturday to install thanks to not having a backup battery for the drill. I think the hardest part was finding the studs. We didn't obtain a stud finder from the neighbor until we were half way done with the second pulley system.

Let me also add, these are no small kayaks. D's is 12.5' and mine is 9.5'. We had to make sure we cleared the garage door when it was open, and didn't interfere with any other things happening in the garage.

All in all, the entire project was about $25 a pulley system. Not bad! But, the real test will be to see if I can get them back up there once I take them down the first time! D reassures me that they aren't going anywhere, but I still open the garage door every morning to get the dog food and hold my breath to see if they still are on the ceiling!!!

Every time I pull into the garage I see our handy work. Now I feel like an official kayaker. LOL

Hummingbird Chillin'

I have been relaxing at D's sister's pool to help ease the heat wave we are experiencing. Their backyard shares a lake with others and is home to all kinds of wildlife. Fish, ducks, egrets, herons, Canada geese and hummingbirds. I have a hummingbird couple that reside in my backyard and one has taken residence in theirs as well. They told me that it sits up top on this brass wind chime they have hanging. Sure enough, one day when I was there, it perched itself up top and sat there looking around. I grabbed my cell phone and snapped a quick shot. I decided to paint it for them. They don't know and all I have left is a clear coat of finish and then I'm going to surprise them with it. I hope it makes them smile long after their visitor has moved on.

High School Graduation Day for Kyle

D's son, Kyle, graduates today from Mountain Ridge High School. The ceremony will be at the new stadium in Glendale. I guess football field ceremonies are a thing of the past! He's come a long way in the past few years that I have been a part of his life and has grown up to be a very bright young man with a promising life before him.

Congratulations Kyle!

Mother's Day with the Mom's

D and I decided to take the Mom's out Friday night to avoid the rush for Mother's Day. We decided on The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and then a trip to The Wrigley Mansion for maybe a drink and a tour around.
Turns out my mom has already been, but D's mom hadn't. We read the walls about the history of the mansion as well as visited the balcony that D proposed.

The balcony where D proposed.

I think the Mom's had a good time. Such a tiny guesture compared to all that they do for us on a daily basis.

Love you Mom's!

Been meaning too...

I take all these wonderful pictures of my plants and tend to them every day. I have been meaning to bring in some cuttings to work to have at my desk-and finally I did. Nothing makes a day brighter, than flowers you grew yourself. Oh yeah, and a little help from Mother Nature.

My Weekend at a Glance

I bought this little three tier lantern at a garage sale for four bucks. Then I found these battery operated tea lights from Walgreens that go inside and flicker. So cute at night!

D's Mom had these heads at her house and I loved them so much! I came home one day and there they were in my yard. They are one of my favorite things! I bought this carnation plant when I was visiting Val in Flagstaff at one of their local nurseries. It has really taken and it has been blooming profusely. It's like I have my own little flower boquet right in the front yard!

I love these little soft airy buttercup flowers. I can't remember what they are but they really took off this year.

These are two of my four four leaf clover plants. I love the purple variety! The little flowers it gets are even a pale lavendar. I got one from Trader Joes before St. Patty's day and the other three were clearanced at Fry's the day or so after.

Rose bush is in full swing! D got this for me for V-day the first year we were together. Little did he know he created a green obsession...

Got a new little metal plant holder for $12 at Biglots!

Caught Bella in a yawn. I was the only one up at 6am. Paige is still sleeping and it's 8am.

My plumeria has come out of hibernation and is starting to get leaves again. Maybe I'll get a flower this year. Also, Val's goldfish plant is loving it by the front door.

Lavendar buds I harvested from my plant. I love lavendar! It does so well here in the Arizona heat. I planted some in the two pots in front of the garage last weekend. So far, it looks like they are taking!

Picked up another book from the library and got a new library card because I lost my old one.

April Garden 2010

I've been working in the front and back yard all day long today. Wanted to share a few photos after a hard day's work.

March Garden Madness 2010

Spring is in the air. Plants that were desolate have started to grow back their leaves. Plants that I had been checking every day have started to pop up out of the ground, like the tulips from my friend Ella in Holland. My lavender have sprouted new blooms, despite the fact I didn't cut them back when I should have. And the rose bushes are started to come back after the hard cut. I can't wait to see everything fill back in and bloom!

Dumpster Diving

David was driving around the parking lot when I ran into the Kmart to see what they had in the Garden Center. I've been on a hunt for lavender. Instead he found this sitting neatly next the garbage dumpster. We made up all kinds of stories for these flowers...but they are beautiful nonetheless. And I have been enjoying them.

C'est fini !

The different backgrounds give it a different take, I think. Still not one of my all time favorites, but it's a start. Go Here to see it as it progressed.

A Good Day Off...

We all went to the lake last Friday, me, David, Jim and Hoss. We've had crappy weather, but it all went away so we could enjoy ourselves, kick back and relax. We fished, kayaked and ate the best hot dogs in the world. What was going to be just a morning thing lasted the whole day. Good times had by all!

Feed the Dogs, Cats and Humans

You can visit this website CLICK HERE every day and whether you get the answer right or not, they will donate 10 pieces of kibble to participating dog shelters.

They have another one just for cats CLICK HERE that does the same thing.

This one is a little more challenging. At least it was for me. If you go to CLICK HERE, they will donate 10 pieces of rice to the United Nations World Food Program for every vocabulary question you answer right. There are some really hard words on here.

I think you can even sign up for an email reminder to be sent every day.

Taylor May

Taylor May is my first little niece. She was born a little over a year and a half ago. I don't think I've posted any pictures since she was born and boy has she grown over the last year. Go here and here and here to see pictures from when she was even littler.
She gets so excited that I think fireworks are going to shoot out of her head, hands and feet and lift her right off the ground. I can't wait to see her grow and be there for her like my aunt was for me. She's always smiling and giggling and it can't help but influence your own mood.

Paige and I worked in the front and back yard all, and I repeat, ALL day today. I trimmed all of the rose bushes in the backyard as well as anything else that needed trimming. I planted that Gerber daisy that I had at my office temporarily. Weeded. Weeded. And will still be weeding more tomorrow. That was just the back yard. The front yard is a different story. I trimmed all of the lantanas that were beyond the point of needing a trim. I had to rake out underneath them all. I planted a tree like item that we dug up from my mom's house that she didn't want. Not sure exactly what it is yet. I finished up the little white picket fence along the main walkway and mulched it heavily. Deadheaded all of my petunias and snapdragons. Snatched up a few of the weeds that had started to grow.Carried all of the debris to the front of the house and made a pile for bulk trash pick up starting Monday. I probably bored you with all of the details, but this is why I won't be able to walk tomorrow, in case you ask. :)

It was a great day and Paige was right there with me. She laid at the front of the house like a good girl with no leash. Even remained when two little dogs went by with their owner. At one point, I laid down on the concrete sidewalk to rest and she got up and sauntered over and laid down right at my head. Hers touching mine ever so slightly. Anthropomorphic or not, moments like those are priceless. It was like she was saying, "Life is good mom, life is good." And you know what? She is right.

She looks like she is in trouble, but she really just hates having her picture taken.

Mom is right, she does look like she's smiling in this one. :)

Work in Progress

I've just came across a bunch of realizations about art recently. None that I will get into right now, but perhaps some of these revelations will help me out of my creative rut. I started this picture, I should say I forced this picture into life to help me out of my rut. Just do it! Right? Isn't that what people say. Just start.

Well, I started. And it's not too bad. But then as I continued I began to hate it.

And then even more. Which is why it is sitting face down in the bird room waiting patiently until I just finish it and put it out of its misery. Which I will. Because I hate leaving things undone.

It is for a friend of mine, and I need not worry that I will spoil the surprise because she never checks my blog no matter how much I would like her to. Heavy Sigh.

Makeup Newsflash!

Alright ladies, there is only one thing I love more than CLEAN SHEET NIGHT, and that's new makeup purchases that leave your old used up bottles in the dust.

I recently ran out of foundation and started to use an old one I had laying around. There is a reason why it was laying around, but it wasn't until I ran out of concealer on top of it that I figured I'd better get some more of both. I was watching TV and saw and ad for this 24 hour staying foundation and thought "good grief! that would be fabulous!"

A little something about me. After lunch, I always touch up my makeup in the bathroom before I start the second half of my day. I also carry a small bottle of BBW spray with me to revamp the senses. I can thank good ol' Norma from Valley National Bank/Bank One. She was a teller that I worked with who had legs like a gazelle and always freshened up after lunch and came back smelling so good. I've never forgotten that and somewhere along the line I incorporated the same ritual. If you don't already, try it. It will energize you for the rest of the day.

So, here it is. I have been wearing it now for about a week and I must say, I'm hooked. I bought the concealer and have noticed that I don't have the bags at lunch like I used to. They are still hidden below and out of sight when I used this product.
Next is the foundation. Be sure to apply it to your jaw in the store and see how it sits on you. Put it on and then finish your shopping and come back and see what looks best. I say this, because I applied it to my wrist, two different shades, and went with the lighter one. Then I went back and applied it to my jaw and finished my shopping. I liked the darker one better on my face than I did on my wrist. So try it on your jawbone and then make your decision.
I still apply powder because I do not like a shiny face. But I noticed today that all I needed to do to freshen up was touch up my powder to some oily spots and layer on the chap stick to moisten my lips. For lipstick, I love the L'oreal Infallible Never Fail Compact. It stays on all day and all I have to do is put my chap stick on to keep them moist looking.

Voila! Happy primping!

Breathe a Little Easier

I love my office. As much as you can love a place you spend most of your life at. When we remodeled the office, I was fortunate enough to get the same exact place that I had before. And I'm so glad I did. I am one of the few that have a window. Sure, it may face the back yard of the shop, but at least it's not four walls. You may remember an earlier post about the hummingbird feeder I put up outside my window. It's a miracle that they come, but those little birds found it and come every single day. It is my favorite part of the day, watching them.

When I got back into my new office, I put a lot of thought into what kind of ambiance I wanted to project and work in. I brought in several candles to be able to change with my mood, I have a picture that I change out on my desk of all the fun things that D and I do. And the important part is to keep all the old pictures in there so I can go back through and change them up if I need too. It's a reminder of all the fun we've had and will have. Lastly, I bought a plant. Now, this was in the beginning stages of the green phenomenon took over my life.

It started with one. Then another was given as a gift. Then another caught my eye at Home Depot or Fry's, etc. You get the point. Before you know it, I have plants all over. I have the Christmas cactus that was given last year, one of several African violets that I have-purchased from the dollar store, and several more. The dollar store is a great place to get plants if you have a little bit of knowledge and know how to kill those tiny gnats they sometimes have. But that's a different post for an other time.

Most of them are grouped together, but this one stands alone. It is constantly getting pushed around because my boss will come in to talk to me and put it back so he can lean on my filing cabinet. And then I have to go back and pull it forward again. It's a good sport despite the abuse.

This is my newest. It isn't a permanent one to the group though. D bought this one for me for our anniversary. He surprised me and took me out to lunch as well as bought this beautiful Gerber daisy for a splash of color and cookies for dessert. Gerber's don't seem to do so good inside for me. The last one I bought was on it's way out and for grins I planted it in the "mosh pit" I have in my backyard. A plethora of plants, some put there to rest clinging to a second chance at life, and others that will die back but hopefully return the next season. The other Gerber I had is thriving there and has had several blooms since! Gerber's have the cutest flowers when they are growing. The little flowers come from the base and have their face pointed down. But as they get taller, their little face points upward as if saying "Here I am! Hello!" They are such beautiful plants. This one will join my other Gerber in the mosh pit at home after a bit. But until then, I will enjoy the color and breath a little easier in my office of green.