Thursday, March 29, 2012

My new little toy!

Lately I've been jealous of the fabulous food photos I see on different blogs. I know, that's really weird! I for some reason take lots of pictures of food. Whether I'm cooking or in a restaurant. I also have always loved photographing flowers. Close up. Well, a macro lens is totally out of my price range forever so I bought this fun little 50mm...

Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.8G
It's going to give me a really nice background blur. Here's a flower pic I took with it this morning.

I'm really hoping to have time this summer to learn how to use my camera without it being in auto mode! Seriously, I haven't even scratched the surface of it's capabilities :(

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Can you say "ACCESSORIZE"?

Emmy is at that fun age where she likes to wear stickers on her clothes, lots of jewelry, bling headbands and sunglasses! Anything goes!
Every day is something new and fun with Logan and Emmy. We were hanging plastic Easter eggs on bushes in the front yard and Logan found a tiny little egg. Emmy came up to me batting her little eyelashes and said she wanted a cute tiny egg too. So, we looked in the bag and found one. It was pink and Emmy said she wanted a purple one. I said and I quote "sometimes we have to make do". Well!!!!!!!! Logan's head whips around and Emmy gets wide eyed and asks "how do make that"?? Logan says "yea, MiMi! How do you make DO?" I couldn't stop laughing!!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom would have been 83 today. I miss her terribly. I kept thinking that her birthday was last Friday and the Friday before that, so this morning I didn't even realize it until my sister emailed me that she had been crying this morning, thinking about my mom since it's her birthday. Well, I'm not going to beat myself up about forgetting. I know I think about her every day and miss her so very much.

My mom in 2004

My mom and me, 2010

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Spring has sprung!

Yep! It's beautiful here in N.E. Ohio. The past week the daffodils are blooming as are the crocus and hyacinths and the birds are chirping, dancing and fluttering all over the place! I'm pretty excited to start decorating for Easter. It's nice to have the windows open ALL the time right now and with the cool evenings comes perfect sleeping weather.
I think this coming weekend I'll try to find time to help Paul in the yard a bit. The wisteria and roses need to be cut back desperately. Last year the wisteria didn't even want to bloom-I think it felt choked by all the little feeder branches.
I'm feeling much better but I still have a little cough and that makes me not want to run. I'll have to start slowly next Monday I think. Logan hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days, poor little guy.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Sedona

Today I was feeling much better. I took a tiny 1/2 tsp of the cough syrup this morning and we drove to Sedona. Beautiful area. I'm enjoying our visit to the desert but I can tell and feel it in my bones that I'm still a beach girl at heart.
We hiked 3 miles around the outskirts of Montezuma Castle and Well which is in Red Rock State Park. I felt really proud of us. I don't think we'd be able to do it if we weren't in some kind of physical shape for our age. It was tiring but fun. Didn't see much in wildlife, just one little lizard. I think it's still a bit cool here this time of year for the critters.
Did some shopping at the little local shops. Fun!

Montezuma Castle
Not sure of the spelling of the castle. Here at the hotel the internet speed is at a crawl so I'm not going to upload any more pics from here. I'll try again tomorrow night.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

We Made It

It's been good/bad day. Not good having to leave the house at 5:00am to catch a flight. Not good when I've been struggling to get rid of the flu, which I think is finally making it's leave but my body is kind of freaked out at the meds I'm on. If I hadn't been so tired and had been feeling better, I would have gotten some photos of the gorgeous airports, both Detroit and Phoenix. Hopefully I'll get some on the way home. I also forgot my journal so my "outside voice" might be my stand-in.

Phoenix around the airport is beautiful! Not so much where we are in the hotel so when we come back to Phoenix (going to Sedona tomorrow and Monday) on Monday night, Paul has booked us closer to the airport. We'll see.

We went to The Desert Botanical Garden. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, clear blue skies and 70 degrees. Ahhh. I got some nice pics and Paul brought the P&S and had some fun taking some too.



I love the little critters I saw. Not sure what this guy is although Paul thinks he's a desert squirrel, works for me.


Now this little bird was just making all kinds of racket. Chirping up a storm.
So, tomorrow we're off to Sedona to do some exploring. I'm not going to take a guzzle of the codeine cough syrup I have that's for sure. I walked around loopy and nauseated off and on. So, it was a strange day. It's only 8:00 and I'm off to bed.

Friday, March 9, 2012

It Can't Just Be The Flu!

I can't believe how sick I've been! I started to feel a little scratchy throat on Monday, by Tuesday I was in bed with chills, body aches, my head hurt so bad my eyes were hot?, not too weird, when I coughed it felt like someone had shoved sandpaper down my throat. Not to mention the disgusting sinus and throat stuff. So, I dragged my sorry butt to the doctor on Wednesday and after a throat swab, nose swab and chest xrays..my doctor comes in and says "good news! you don't have strep or pneumonia!". I'm thinking..that's good news? I have to have something horrible to feel this bad! It can't just be the flu! Don't I have to be hospitalized, or on some "special" medication that you have wait for them to actually concoct? No?  So, he sent me home after a shot of antibiotics and a prescription for some as well as cough syrup.

I've been in bed for most of the last 3 days. This is the first time I've actually sat at my computer for more than a second! Paul has a business trip in Phoenix and asked me if I'd like to go along. Our flight leaves tomorrow morning and we'll be gone for 5 days. I'm trying to not get too overwhelmed with the thoughts of everything I need to do. I've been working on a Dead Fish Hat for a cyber friend of mine and I want to get it in the mail today. I don't want her to have to wait until we get back. I have lots of work to do at the office and I think I might go up there later (wear a mask) and get a mailing done. I have another mailing to work on but I think I'll bring my laptop on the trip and work on it when Paul's doing his thing.

Before I close I have to say what a blessing Jenn has been. Both Jenn and Steve actually. Jenn has done my babysitting duties the whole time. I hope Eric and Jess are showering her with appreciation! And then there's Steve. Checking in on me morning and night to see 'in his words' if I'm still alive in there LOL! Then yesterday he went to Perkins to get me a mega fruit muffin. I'm blessed I tell ya!!