Today is Adam's 30th birthday. Have a fabulous day!
Here's the birthday card I sent him. It's a close copy of one I made for Matt's graduation last year and a lift from one I think I saw on Heather Nichol's blog.
All the materials are from Papertrey Ink except the buttons which came from my stash.
Two of my friends and I have birthdays within six weeks of one another. We decided to celebrate by taking a road trip on Saturday. We drove down the west side of Cayuga Lake, stopped at the Ithaca Farmer's Market (no great photos), and went on to Aurora. We had lunch at Pumpkin Hill and then visited the shop, grounds, and home at MacKenzie Childs.
Pumpkin Hill is a delightful restaurant.
The inside.
The food is wonderful, and there are so many special touches. Here are the menus.
Karen's salad came in a colander.
The dessert menu comes on an old rolling pin.
Another group of women were hosting a surprise birthday party. The table and the favors were really lovely.
I'd never been to the MacKenzie Childs Estate. Everything about it is beautiful. I love their products, although they are a bit expensive for my budget.
The shop.
And some photos of the beautiful setting for this place.
And one of the beautiful flowering trees. As you can see, it was a picture-perfect day!
I love to read, but often don't give myself as much time as I need to keep up with the many books that are on my list, shelf, and on our book group agenda. Vacations always seem to be a great time for reading, and our trip to California was no exception. Two cross-country flights provide extended reading opportunities to say nothing of the layovers on the way. I've finished six books in the last several weeks, and enjoyed most of them.
My favorite was Little Bee. Sarah had a library copy on her table that she had not yet started, but after reading the back of the book I was intrigued. It is beautifully written and thought-provoking. I can't wait for Sarah and some of my friends to read it so we can talk about it.
The Help was also a compelling and interesting read. It was one of the fastest reads I've done in quite some time. I heard a very interesting discussion of this book on the Diane Rehm show a couple of weeks ago. I would characterize Love and Other Impossible Pursuits as a better than average "beach book." The story was not one that will stay with me, nor do I think it would be fodder for a good discussion, but it was an enjoyable vacation read.
The Middle Place has been on my shelf for over a year. Kelly Corrigan's You Tube video was sent to me by several friends, and I had seen a Border's interview with her as well. It's a memoir, one of my favorite genres, and well-written. I gave a lot of thought to father-daughter relationships as I read this book. My relationship with my father was certainly very different than Corrigan's, and I wondered how Sarah would describe her relationship with her dad which I see as much more like Corrigan's than mine.
The last two books are both books for our couples book group. Replay is a sci-fi, time travel book (definitely NOT my genre). I found it easy to get into, but mid-way found the plot a bit tedious. Tracy (who had already listened to it) encouraged me to keep going, and it did improve. Nonetheless, it's not a favorite, and I wouldn't recommend to anyone unless they enjoyed that kind of book. (I did like The Time Traveler's Wife, however.) The Saint on Death Row is another thought-provoking book. This was definitely worth reading, though I didn't find it as moving as
Picking Cotton or True Notebooks (one of my all-time memorable books), two other prison stories that have
stuck with me over time. It's a remarkable story of resilience and
courage in the face of American injustice. A fair trial is something we
think we all have a right to; this story proves otherwise. In a courtroom,
money and power are far more important factors than your rights as an
American. Sad story.
If any of these are familiar to you, I'd love to hear your thoughts about them.
The big brown truck pulled up in front of our house this afternoon and left two copies of the new Papercraft magazine (May/June). Inside is my first published card. Interestingly, I did not submit it. It was one of three cards I created for a Moxie Fab challenge. Several months afterwards, I received an email from Cath Edvalson asking if I still had the card. Fortunately, I did, and here it is published. Quite exciting, actually, even though being published wasn't one of the things on my "To Do" list.
And here is a card for a challenge on Kim Kesti's blog, another sketch from the Go To Sketch magazine. This was a really quick card, but I like it a lot.
Cardstock: red and black from scrap file, PTI Kraft; patterned paper: Pink Paislee Bayberry Cottage 6X6 pad; sentiment: Savvy stamps; flowers from stash; brad: Making Memories; Cuttlebug embossing folder; I drew the lines on the sentiment strip with the new "no bleed" Sharpie marker.
I've been working on the last three prompts for Think Spring. The first one for April 6th is one of my all-time least favorite "assignments:" a self-portrait. Tracy gave me a remote controller for my RebelXsi for Christmas so really, I have no excuse. I put the camera on my gorilla pod at one end of the dining room table and sat at the other end. I'm relatively satisfied with the photo, and did some photo editing techniques I learned in Jessica Sprague's Wacom Tablet course.
The prompt for April 7th was pastels. I really wanted some Easter M&Ms, but couldn't find any. I settled on some malted chocolate balls.
Then I saw a bottle of Papertrey Ink buttons sitting right in front of me so I scattered them for a photo.
The Pioneer Woman's actions have just been converted for PSE. I got them uploaded this week so I spent some time playing with them. Here's the Soft & Faded action.
And the Colorize action:
Today's prompt was to capture the sparkle of spring. It rained last night, and I found water droplets hanging from leaves on our holly bush. I quickly took a couple of photos before I left for my volunteer job. Unfortunately, I took them quickly and wasn't happy with the focus on any of them. Tonight at dinner, Matt and I were talking about it. He suggested taking a photo of some water droplets in our old washer tub in the basement. The photo certainly doesn't qualify for the "sparkle of spring" prompt, but it was fun to do. We're supposed to get rain again tonight so perhaps tomorrow I will have another chance outside. (Of course to get sparkle, we will also need sunshine. That may take a couple of days if the mete0rologists are correct.)
And the Sephia action from Pioneer Woman:
It's been surprisingly difficult to get back in the groove with crafting. The last couple of nights, though, I've been up late watching the men's and women's NCAA basketball championships and have finished several projects as I watched. The first two are for this week's CPS challenge.
Here's the sketch:
And my interpretations:
Cardstock: PTI Hawaiian Shores & Select White; patterned paper: PTI Green Boutique; Cuttlebug embossing folder; AC Dear Lizzy crocheted flowers; silk ribbon from Ellen Huston; pearl: Michael's; stick pin unknown.
Cardstock: PTI Pure Poppy & Vintage Cream; patterned papers: October Afternoon Thrift Shop; ribbon from stash; AC Dear Lizzy crocheted flowers; sentiment: A Muse; Nestabilities: long rectangles.
Now a card from a sketch in the newly released Go To Sketches by Papercrafts. The sketch I used is on p.142. I'll be using this publication regularly. So many great sketches and interpretations.
AC Dear Lizzy patterned papers and phrase sticker; ribbon: Michaels; cardstock: BoBunny
This card is a lift from Debbie Olsen, one of the very best in the industry. My friend is a wonderful seamstress so this seemed like a great choice for her birthday card.
Cardstock: PTI Pure Poppy & Vintage Cream; patterned papers: Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl;" twill: PTI Vintage Cream; buttons: PTI; safety pin from stash.
One of the things I'm enjoying about this class is taking the time to be more observant. Today's prompt was to get down on ground level and take a photo. I've spent a lot more time in our yard this week, and each day new flowers have burst into bloom. I'm seeing them when they are so fresh and new. I'm sure I've missed seeing any of it in previous years. Here's today's shot of just opened primroses, the first flowers (always) in my perennial bed.
Since I do my Weekly Gratitude pages on Saturdays, I needed to do three when we got back from vacation.
They were all easy to do.
Happy Easter! We had a simply lovely day–a fabulous Easter service and then family dinner with Tracy's family in Hemlock. The food was wonderful, and it's always good to have time to catch up with the family.
Today's prompt was "look up." Our sky wasn't very interesting today, but as we went to the car to leave for Hemlock I took this shot of our budding tree. Tonight I decided to play around with a black & white version, but ended up liking the "antique" effect in iPhoto which I then enhanced a bit in PSE. I like the blue sky the best, but it's fun to play around.
Today's prompt was to take thirty steps outside and photograph what you found. I found lots more to photograph than I expected. This is the diptych I posted on BPS for class. We've never seen our helleborus bloom before. Probably it's because it's not warm enough to spend any time outside. Today we even got yard work done that usually is done in mid-May. Sadly, the blooms of the helleborus face downward, but when you turn them over they are just beautiful.
Right next to the helleborus is a brick walk and the pretty blue flowers are popping up all over it.
Walking toward the front yard, are the daffodils. In just one day they've gone from bud to full flower.
When we arrived home Wednesday night there were few signs of spring. In just three days, there's been a wonderful transformation!
It was another amazingly hot day. The thermometer outside our bedroom window registered 90° as we got ready to go out to dinner. We met friends at a lovely restaurant on Consesus Lake and sat outside on the patio. It was just like summer, except for the bare trees. That won't last long if this keeps up. Our daffodils went from tight buds to full flower in just one day. When I drove past Highland Park this morning you could see the lilacs beginning to bud. The annual Lilac Festival doesn't begin until May 14th this year, so I'm sure the festival organizers are praying this heat wave will be short-lived. I, on the other hand, am perfectly happy with the warm weather. It was very warm, but certainly did not feel like 90°.
Today's prompt for Think Spring was to capture the start of your day. I took several different photos, but finally settled on this one of my Eggbeater omelet and a catalog I was browsing while I ate. Tracey Clark took her photo with her wide-angle lens so I got mine out. It hasn't been on the camera since last summer. It's good to try new things.
I decided to enroll in Tracey Clark's Think Spring class at BPS. I'm already glad I did. I really needed some motivation after the trip to take photos, and the inspiration in the class gallery is wonderful. Each day we'll be getting an email with a photography prompt. Today's was "Beginnings." We don't have much to show for the beginning of spring in our yard, but these lovely little purple flowers magically appear year after year.
We arrived home safe and sound last night. Since I am not a fan of flying I am always grateful for smooth flights which we had both ways this time. It was over 80° today, warmer than any of our days in California, but there is no green yet.
Sarah asked if she could have her birthday gift early this year. She and Adam rent a lovely little house in Livermore. They have a huge paved patio and a remodeled room in the garage, but very little actual yard. She really wanted her own garden. Since Tracy and Matt are both expert gardeners, it seemed like perfect timing. (I hope it's all doing well in August on her real birthday!) She found a lovely nursery nearby and picked out a combination of vegetables and flowers for her containers. She also found a great book called Grow Great Grub which I have ordered from Amazon. We're still waiting to hear, but are hoping to get a plot in our Community Garden this year.
The Alden Nursery. The people here were very knowledgeable and helpful.
Sadie was thrilled to be able to go on an outing!
Just behind Sarah's house is a lovely path along a creek. Matt and I took Sadie for a walk one afternoon. The path is paved on one side of the creek, and appears to go for many miles.
Sadie was a very happy lady.
We spent a lot of time just hanging out, playing games, doing crosswords, and reading. It was so good to just be with family.
Adam had just gotten this new game, Corn Hole. The guys really enjoyed it.
We are all big fans of Sadie, but Matt is especially fond of her. She slept on the couch with him every night.
BananaGrams: lots of fun, but it could be pretty frustrating as well.
In addition to his job as pastor for youth and young adults at a Methodist church, Adam also works as a social media person for the Wente Vineyards in Livermore. He twitters for them and keeps them active on the social media sites. Tracy and Matt were the lucky recipients of a round of golf at the Wente golf course. They had a beautiful day for it.
We've only been to California in the summer before this trip. The hills are always golden by then. They are a beautiful green in the spring.
I still have photos to edit from the last few days of the trip. Today just flew by with unpacking, grocery shopping, organizing, and ironing. I really thought I'd get a chance to play with some new scrapbooking & stamping goodies I brought back with me. Maybe tomorrow.
