Just One Of Those Days

The sun burned bright and hot this morning. I thought about going for a run. Then I thought about just sitting quietly and enjoying a cup of coffee. That sounded much better than running in the heat.

Early this afternoon, the storm clouds rolled in and covered us in a veil of beautiful diffused light. Then cool, cleansing, refreshing rain fell. Such sweet relief!

These sunflowers were used in a shoot earlier in the week. They stood so majestically on my kitchen counter in a Mason jar of water. I scooped them up and placed them in my favorite shooting area of my dining room and I pressed the shutter. This was a 7-ish second exposure.

I love this capture!

Ahhhh, Summer!

I really love summer. I love to run around barefoot, with capris and sleeveless tops. I love the smell of sunscreen and how the world smells after a good rain shower.

This summer has been a really good year for my hollyhocks. They're just really big and fluffy and perfectly pink and beautiful. I did not even try to grow vegetables this summer. I knew I would be too distracted. I did not even want to try! I bought a few annuals and really focused on my perennials.

Tonight, I got home and sat on my garden swing until the mosquitoes found me. Let me tell you: That was not long at all! I saw a few hummingbirds at the feeders which prompted me to run inside to get my long lens. I got back and sat patiently for about ten minutes hoping one would come by....but I was not so lucky. It was as if thy were playing coy I was pretty disappointed, actually. as the light was gorgeous. I will just have to try again.

Attitude of Gratitude

I haven't made a list of five lately...

Giggly girlfriends

My children

My clothes are fitting better

Stamping Date Tomorrow

Twinkle Lights

Blue

It's been hot. Unbearable, in fact. The kids have spent quite a bit of time in the pool....where it's cool. I am too afraid, still, to shed the street clothes and don a teensy swimsuit so I sit on the patio in the shade of the blue umbrella that was supposed to be red. I really had my heart set on a red umbrella, but by the time I got to the store to get mine, they had blue, black and brown. The blue umbrellas were $20 less. I guess you can figure how difficult it was for me to decide on the blue one, right? Now that i have it home and it is set up on the patio, I am actually quite satisfied with the blue umbrella. I think it's really pretty. Earlier in the season, I picked up some twinkle lights designed specifically for umbrellas.....so of course I NEEDED the umbrella to go with the lights....right? .....and you know just how much I love twinkle lights, don't you?

What You See Is What You Get

It may not seem like much to you, but when I saw these goggles hanging from the curtain tie back, I just knew I needed to record how beautifully and softly the light played in the folds of the tired fabric that hangs in my living room. The Damask texture is so clear and the soft aqua blue in the rubber seals on the goggles. This photo is SOOC ... other than resizing the image for uploading and storage purpose and the watermark, there have been no other edits.

I love that.

Catching Up!

This was such a lovely morning. I was photographing the light and how it reflected off my favorite "Anthro mug" and the pink in the vintage thrift store vase and the daisies and just generally drinking it all in when my big, marshmallow cat, Jitter, arrived on scene. He loves flowers! Really! Seeing the fresh daisies from the garden must've been just too much for him to resist. First he sniffed them, then he licked them. I knew eating them came next. I snapped a picture of him before he made brunch of them. I really love how all the colors pop.

It's been hot the past couple of days. Uncomfortably hot. I have a friend who lives in Arizona who just laughs at me when I whine about the heat. One hundred fifteen degrees is not uncommon at her house. But! I know she wouldn't be very comfortable in our 20-degree winters! Haha! I love you, Nettie!

Another shot of the fresh daisies. I have to say: They just aren't as spectacular as they were last summer. We had a bad storm on the fourth of July and the hail really beat them up. Poor things......

Lovely List

A few things about me that you might like to know: (these items are not listed in any particular order!)

i love my children, i love my man, I love God, i have a newfound love for hydrangeas, i love my camera and seeing photos that come from it. I love sappy love songs and singing them loudly...not necessarily well. I love knitting, crocheting, sewing and quilting. I love wearing swishy skirts, dangly earrings and perfume. I love seeing sunlight through the petals of the flowers in my garden. I love farmer's markets and open air antiques shows. I love thrifting. I love twizzlers, swedish fish and orange slices...(the gumdrop candies). I have an amazing coffee cup collection that I feature in almost daily coffee tags with my cell phone. I am almost 40! i love wearing jammy pants all day long...but not out to the store. I love my friends. I love sharpie markers. i love happy snail mail. I love the beach, the ocean and beachcombing. i love laughing so hard I get tears in my eyes. I love blogs. I love keeping one; i love reading them. I love hearing my kids on the other end of the phone line telling me they love me. I love my mom, my dad and my sister, my brother-in-law and my nieces and nephew, my step dad, and my step mom, my aunts, my uncles and my cousins!! I love my cats: Jitter and Jack. I love the way Michael's and Joann's stores smell. I love my bed. I love sleeping!

Speaking of which....i think i am going to call this good and head off to the land of nod right now!

Nighty night!

xoxo