OUT OF PRACTICE!!!

(pic by ACE ~ her Gramma Lana's spools of thread)

"When I work I relax. 

Doing nothing makes me tired."

~Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter

~ TODAY ~

Meetings, meetings, meetings...

Wheww!

ALL productive... but I'm ready for

S P R I N G   B R E A K ! 

Still need to PACK...

(gotta check weather.com)

Gathering collage supplies...

(paper, glue sticks, scissors, pens & pencils)

Reading materials...

(no work-related reading allowed!)

Charging camera batteries... 

(thinking about what I want to capture)

Doing laundry...

(will change my sheets tomorrow am)

Tossing out stuff in fridge... 

(umm... how long has this tuna been in here?)

A N D

Hemming some pants!!!

(Thanks ACE for today's pic!)

O U C H 

out of practice...
have stuck my finger 
with the needle more than once...

"I need to NIX the 

needles at night"

 

 

ADORABLE!

THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME!

I'm linking my blog post to a give-away!

But these t-shirts are so adorable!

 Go to this blog to try your LUCK for the drawing.

http://livingtheswelllife.blogspot.com/

Quote for the day!

"The walks & talks we have 

with our two-year-olds in red boots

have a great deal to do

with the values they will cherish as adults."

~ Edith F. Hunter, author

COLLECTION #4

(pics taken 3/28/10)

"Each item in a collection 

has its own story, its own memory - 

the search, the day you bought it, 

who you were with, the vacation..."

~ Tricia Guild, British fashion designer

March is almost over & 

I've not posted a collection yet!

COLLECTION #4

"CHARMS"

I haven't worn this 

charm bracelet for years 

(actually, I don't remember 
the last time I wore it??)... 

BUT, that doesn't prevent me 

from purchasing charms
that represent memorable events.

 SLE & ACE gave me this

"CHAIR charm"

(crafted by ME = Mary Englebreit)

which I wore on a chain as a necklace!
(it's not your eyes - the pic is blurry) 

 In high school, I WON a sewing contest!

The prize was this charm. 

The scissors actually open & close.

AND -  they can cut paper...

The award-winning outfit =

a navy-blue, polka dotted sheath 

& a solid blue, waist length jacket

with a peter pan collar, fabric covered buttons,

and lined w/the dotted fabric...

HOT! outfit  -  huh?

This lid on this little box opens 

so you can insert a message inside!

My Uncle Larry gave me the 

STATE of TEXAS charm 
(he lived in TX at the time);

the TELEPHONE charm  
(w/red & blue rhinestones);

 & the DACHSHUND 
(we named ours, Gretchen).

Charm bracelets were much more "popular" 

in the Southern states...  so it was a thrill

to get a new charm from him!

The VAIL GONDOLA (third from left) 

was a gift from Lars (my "ex").

We took a ski trip to VAIL Ski Resort

in Colorado (1969).

I bought the

GRAND CANYON charm

to remind me of a trip 

JPE & I took to Sedona, AZ (2004)

and the

SUNFLOWER charm

represents the first garden

JPE & I planted (2002).

Collections

are

MEMORY REMINDERS!

What do you treasure?

TEXTURES, SHAPES & MISC

(pic taken /26/10 ~ Hwy 58)

"The best zoom lens is your legs."

~Ernst Haas, Austrian photographer

 

Took a drive to see the wildflowers...

Talk at work has been all about 

the "fields of COLOR" on Hwy 58. 

Learning to use my new camera! 

Flowers seem easy to photograph! 

  

Check out the fungi growing on this tree!  It was soft, powdery & dusty to the touch - BUT hard like a sea shell where it was attached to the tree bark. It was pretty "gnarly" looking!

I was looking across the field for a new patch of flowers & noticed this "perfect" square tree branch. Upon closer inspection & from a different angle it was actually two different branches. GREAT lesson - change your "position" when taking pictures - you never know what you will see.

 

Beautiful blue skies... no wind... 

lots of people in cars (& on motorcycles) 

coming to capture photos of the flowers; 

to picnic in the fields; 

and enjoy the SPRING weather!  

How are you enjoying SPRING? 

"5 SENSES" FRIDAY!

 (pic taken 3/26/10 ~ "Drooping Tulips")

One of my favorite bloggers 

posts her 5 favorite "senses" 

every (or almost every) Friday.

Find her blog here:  

curiousgirl-lisa.blogspot.com

My "5 SENSES"

{see}

• delicate, drooping, sherbet pink tulips 
• single-handle "ice cream bowls" (from Grandma Jesse)
• shiny, freshly swept bamboo floors
• paper Easter egg (made in Germany)

{hear}

• the quiet of the evening (no TV or stereo) 
• the frogs croaking in the back creek 
• the ticking of the clock
• the creaking of the house (ummm... wondering if we will have an earthquake soon?)

{taste}

• raspberry & vanilla creme bars (Trader Joe's - isn't everything tasty from TJ's?)

{smell}

• smell of burnt microwave popcorn (yikes! had to throw the bag OUTSIDE in the trashcan)
• lavender (to get rid of smell #1)

{touch} 

• fresh, crisp, clean sheets

I think my BED is calling me...

GOOD NIGHT! 

sleep tight!
&

don't let the bugs bite
! ! ! ! !

I'M DANCING!

 
(pic taken in SLO - June 2009)

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. 

Just get up and dance. 

Great dancers are not great 

because of their technique, 

they are great because of their passion."

~ Martha Graham, American dancer & choreographer 

I'm dancing!

Clicking my heels!

Snapping my fingers!

Smiling 'til my face hurts...

Survived several late nights at work.

 So - question of the week?

"Do you RSVP?"

 My dictionary gives the following definition:

"Répondez s'il vous plaît", 

a French phrase that means 

"Please, answer."

Invitations, meetings & similar documents 

are often marked with "RSVP." 

The literal translation from French is, 

"Respond, if it pleases you."

It's a VERB 

which requires "action" !!!

I sent invitations to 20+ families, 

asking for an RSVP!

Only 9 families responded!

I was a "frustrated" planner yesterday!

My event had a few hicups, 

but the families attending 

the History Day SHOWCASE

appreciated seeing their student's work.

  

I'm dancing because this project 

is now completed!!

AND 

JPE & I will see

Lydia over Spring Break!!!

By the way - 

I'm a horrible dancer

(two LEFT feet)...

R U GARDENING?

Comic by Toothpaste for Dinner

This is for all my friends 

who will be spending their weekend

GARDENING!

ENJOY
the Central Coast weather!

GOING GREEN!

(pic from internet - can't believe I didn't have my camera today!!)

"Never iron a four-leaf clover, 

because you don't want to press your luck."

~Author Unknown

JPE & I went to the 4:15 movie 

at the Palm Theater to see 

"The Last Station" 

with Christopher Plummer 

(as Leo Tolstoy, Russian author).

Tolstoy wrote the epic,

War & Peace 

I never read it!!

Beautiful, talented,  
Helen Mirren

played his wife.

Helen Mirren 

was nominated for 

Best Actress 

but lost to 

Sandra Bullock 

(for her role in The Blind Side)...

An 

"apples to oranges"

comparison...

Helen should have won the Oscar!

Anyway, JPE & I loved the storyline - 

I don't understand why the movie reviewers didn't?

Bring your kleenex!

I was a "lazy" Irish daughter... sorry, Mom!

We didn't eat corned beef, cabbage or boiled potatoes.

I hope I'm not "pressing my LUCK"

JPE & I ate a

bowl of Cheerios!!

Happy Pattie's Day!

DID YOU CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS?

 (pic - "random" decorative ornament)

Daylight Savings Time 

T R I V I A

To keep to their published timetables, 

Amtrak trains cannot leave a station 

before the scheduled time. 

So, when the clocks fall back one hour in the Fall, 

all trains that are running on time

stop at 2:00am & wait

one hour before resuming. 

It's been reported that 

Amtrak passengers are often 

surprised to find their train at a dead stop

& their travel time 

an hour LONGER than expected. 

When changing to Daylight Saving Time 

in the spring, 

trains instantaneously 

become an hour behind schedule at 2:00am;

but they just keep going & 

do their best to make up the time.

REASONS

 to appreciate DST...

(DST = Daylight Saving Time)

1. I'm not driving home (from work) in the dark

2.  I exercise more in the Spring

3.  I can spend more time outside in the evening

to dislike DST...

1.  I have a hard time getting up in the morning

2.  I procrastinate more (see #2)

3.  Mosquitoes love me! (see #3)

4.  We eat dinner later!!! 

I'm thinking I should take an Amtrak ride 

to test this trivia fact...

Did you change your smoke alarm batteries?

 

BE-DAZZLING VISIT!

(pics taken 3/12/10 ~ AP's Arcadia Garden)

JPE & I stopped to visit 

a dear, dear friend 

on Friday afternoon.

I snapped a few pics of her flowers

(still experimenting with my new camera)

before the sun disappeared

behind the neighbor's house.

We'll be scheduling a return visit & 

I'll capture some pics of her "garden spaces"...

For now... 

I M A G I N E

chartreuse, emerald & yellow-green foliage

sweetly, perfumed flowers

soft ferns, prickly roses

crunchy, pebbled paths

moist, spongy moss 

a romantically, cozy rattan chair

creating... 

an "intimate" sitting area 

Ummmm - I can't wait for a return visit...

and a glass of ice tea w/lemon slices! 

"Just living is not enough... 

One must have 

Sunshine,

Freedom,

and a little

Flower."
~ Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author 

RED LADY!

(pic taken April 2009 ~ Mendocino)

"Start every day off 

with a SMILE

and

get it over with."

~ W.C. Fields,  American comedian

Did you know W.C. Field's 

real name was

William Claude Dukenfield?

He got his start as a juggler in vaudeville shows!

So what does W.C. have to do 

with the picture posted
for today?

Nothing, actually!

...other than this "red lady" 
makes me SMILE!

...and W.C. authored this quote!?!?? 

What makes you S M I L E?

 

TGIF QUESTION...

(pic taken at Farmer's Market, Berkeley ~ 11/21/09)

FRUIT?

VEGETABLE?

WHAT IS THIS CALLED?

HOW IS IT USED IN COOKING?

IS IT FROM THE CITRUS FAMILY?

Send me an

answer 
to my question. 

"Don't knock the weather; 

nine-tenths of the people 
couldn't start a conversation 

if it didn't change once in a while."

~ Frank "Kin" Hubbard, American cartoonist

HUH? 

IT'S 

R A I N I N G 

AGAIN!

I looked outside!

D R I Z Z L I N G

S P I T T I N G   W A T E R 

????

  

Whoo! Hoo!

TRIVIA ?!!

(pic taken at ACE's 2/28/10)

"A host of golden daffodils;

Besides the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

~ William Wordsworth, English Romantic poet 

HAVE YOU EVER READ...

 

THE FARMER'S ALMANAC?

It's loaded with  

"tidbits" about:

weather

gardening

moon & sun

March 1, 2010 posting

"To remove warts, blow on them nine times during a full Moon" 

nature

cooking & recipes

puzzle of the day

March 3, 2010 posting

"What pierces yet leaves no hole"

answer at: 

http://www.almanac.com/calendar/puzzle 

http://www.almanac.com 

DAFFODILS!

GROWN BY ACE!!!