A Week in Pictures (#23)

This was a forgotten blog draft written back in May - I was scrolling through the posts to see what I have posted and found this (along with another). I'm just going to publish this. Week in Pictures will no longer be done due to a variety of reasons; but, I will continue to share pictures I take from time to time.

QuiltCon, Austin, Texas 2/22/2013

In case you missed it, I blogged about the quilt show here.

Loot from QuiltCon 2/23/2013

The charm squares and mini-charm squares were freebies. The magazine was only $1.00 and it is no longer in my possession.

Zelda! 2/25/2013

I started playing this game again. However, Since the beginning of March, Dan and I have been watching Bones. We watched the TV series from the very beginning all the way through Season 6 which we finished on April 13th! Six seasons in about six weeks. I suppose I can pick up this game once again now because we do not have Season 7 in our possession yet.

Concordance, "I shall not want" 2/26/2013

Reviewed and studied in depth Psalms 23.

I ddi not any pictures for the rest of this week as I was busy packing and getting ready to travel to see my mother for her birthday. Her birthday is February 28th and she turned 79 years old. We actually traveled on March 1st to see her that weekend. It turned out we ended up seeing her at the hospital instead of the nursing home.

A Week in Pictures (#24)

This was a forgotten blog draft written back in May - I was scrolling through the posts to see what I have posted and found this (along with another). I'm just going to publish this. Week in Pictures will no longer be done due to a variety of reasons; but, I will continue to share pictures I take from time to time.

{All pictures shot on our 1+ acre land.}

Prairie Flax 3/1/2013

Unknown (milkweed?) 3/4/2013

I believe I have shots of this plant unfurled at a later date. I also think this is not a milkweed plant. I have yet to figure out what they are. The bees and a few butterflies love these things though. I have to tell you that I think they are ugly in full bloom! Ha!

Make a Wish 3/6/2013

These are from the false dandelions. The flowers bloom in the mornings and by afternoon, they are in this form. It is both amazing and weird to see many yellow flowers in the mornings and then a bunch of these seed forms by afternoon.

Texas Squaw-weed 3/7/2013

Unknown (cactus?) 3/7/2013

We do not have many of these on our land; but, I find them a little beautiful with the white curlicues grass like parts.

Found Egg (3/7/2013)

I was exploring the land and discovered this egg on the ground near the back of our property. It was broken; so, I do not think it was viable. However, I left it alone. I found the egg totally broken apart a few days later.

A Week in Pictures (#22)

Wildflowers from the Phlox family with a Pipevine Swallowtail 2/15/13

I was out with my cats when I saw Swallowtails stopping at these flowers in our yard. There seems to be more of these flying flowers now. I assume this means Spring (Summer) is coming. Hurray!

Junk Shop Finds 2/17/2013

{To see a larger image, go here

I had a hankering to go exploring for antique and junk shops nearby. We did not find many; but, there is a nice decent one in Seguin, Texas.. I do not remember the name of the store and I am not sure if we could find the place again. Ha!.

Anyway, we found these items for cheap. I absolutely loved the cat pictures frames. Mostly, I loved the mats with the paw print cutouts. I figured I could leave the existing pictures or replace them with pictures of our own pets. These were $4.50 each which I thought was a decent price. Dan found the book which was $8.00. It is copyrighted 1958 and the comics (drawings) are definitely old – they do not look like the modern Snoopy and Charlie Brown you see today. The china saucer is a little darker than the picture indicates and was $2. All of the items are all positioned on a mirror that Dan spotted and it was $6.00. It is the size of a full-length mirror; but, extremely thick quality glass. I thought it was a bargain considering Wal-Mart cheap full-length mirrors were crap and cost a little more. Dan will be making a frame for the mirror. I have a specific spot in mind for this item.

Overall, I’m real pleased with my haul even though I only found one item I am specifically looking for which was the mirror.

Gracie 2/19/2013

Chessie Begging 2/20/2013

{To see a larger image, go here

We give Chessie wet cat food twice a week due to her digestive issues. Dan is the one that usually gives the cats their food in the mornings. Well, he has gotten her to “beg” before he sets the dish down on the floor. Usually, she just sits up and begs like you see dogs do. But, on this morning, I messed up with taking a picture; so, we had to get her to redo the trick. As you can see here, she got impatient, Ha! Anyway, I love this pictures because her coloring shines through.

Chessie 2/21/2013

A Week in Pictures (#21)

A Hole in the Ground 2/8/2013

I went outside and discovered a humongous fresh hole in the ground by the garage. I was curious to see if I could capture a critter inside. Imagine me freaking out upon opening up and zooming into this image. My imagination got away from me. You do not see it? Here, let me help you:

Eyes. It got eyes! Ha! 2/8/2013

Actually, I do not know why this jumped out at me. But, I believe the clumps of dirt are weeds and whatnot that fell into the hole as it was being made by a critter. We do not know yet what makes the holes and clumps of dirt all around the yard; but, I am determined to find out soon. There is a nursery out back that I plan on visiting and maybe the kind gentleman (owner) will tell me what is what. It is because of these (among other reasons) that I have not started on gardening. We are going to make beds and whatnot; but, I will not get started on any type of gardening until fall.

Wildflower from the Phlox family 2/10/2013

These are popping up everywhere on the land. I just hope the ice/frost that occurred several days later did not kill them off.

A Scrawny False Dandelion 2/12/2013

I love these and prefer them over the authentic Dandelions. In fact, I often will pull up the real Dandelions because they are insidious, tend to overwhelm the yard and kill off other plants.

Dotty Dotties 2/13/2013

I have been folding up tons of dotty fat quarters fabrics that I purchased from Fat Quarter Shop at 50% off quite some time ago. It just thrills me to have all these dots. I am wanting to make a quilt all with dots! It will be challenging and fun!

Partial Lazy-Boy Loveseat, Recliners/Rockers 2/14/2013

We purchased this last Saturday and Dan picked it up on this day. It had a middle console at the store; but, we opted to not get one as we want to cuddle up from time to time watching a movie or whatnot. It is not the prettiest thing; but, it is functional and we are both content. I am currently reclining with the laptop watching TV and blogging. Gracie wanted to get up with me; so, I got an old beach towel and put it down for her to lay on. She is happily sleeping beside me. It certainly is going to be a heck of a lot safer for us both because she used to sleep on the back of Daddy's recliner whenever I sat it in the chair. There has been times when I forgot she was there catapulting her onto my back and she would hook me with her dewclaw drawing blood.

A Week in Pictures (#20)

I feel like I am losing my touch. I have not been able to take decent pictures for several weeks now. I think it is due to the fact that it is winter time and I have not felt like taking pictures. Hopefully, my desire, and consequently, good pictures shall return soon. In the meantime, here are the pictures that I managed to take this past week.

Meadowlarks 2/1/2013

{To see a larger image, go here.}

I looked out back and discovered some Meadowlarks close to the house and decided to try getting some pictures through the kitchen window with my macro lens. The pictures are not all that great; but, because of these, I am really wanting a telephoto lens! I do have a better picture that I am saving for Macro Monday.

Monster Daring Jumping Spider 2/3/2013

{To see a larger image, go here.}

I was out removing screws from the cheap fencing right beside the driveway while Dan painted some casings for the doorways and windows. Let me tell you, that was hard work. Anyway, I managed to remove a section of the fencing while doing this chore and showed it off to Dan. We both agreed that it is so much better without the fencing. He proceeded to help me remove a tiny section right by the garage and this monster was inside that section of fencing. I mean, it was a MONSTER. I have never seen a daring spider that big. I would estimate that it was over an inch long. I felt bad because we basically destroyed her home in the process. But hey, the fence is going to be gone sooner or later. She better move along and find a new home. By the way, I am assuming it is a female because it was rather large and females are typically larger than males.

Closeup (Macro) of Yellow Wildflower 2/4/2013

Another silly wildflower showed up recently and I decided to try taking a picture or two in spite of the gloomy weather. I believe this may be a scrawny Golden Corydalis.

Blondies 2/5/2013

I meant to take a picture of the blondies I made for Super Bowl Sunday; but, I totally forgot. I decided to take a picture of what we had left today and then they rapidly disappeared. The recipe can be found here.

After the Rain 2/6//2013

It rained on this morning and both my cats loved being out on the back porch in spite of the rain and dampness. I spied this plant with water drops and decided to try taking a picture when the rain stopped. These kind of look like Bluebonnet plants (leaves); but, I do not think they are due to the number of leaves per stem. {I believe Bluebonnets have five whereas these have seven.}

A Week in Pictures (#19)

Newest Bracelet 1/25/2013

I went into the city on this day with Dan and ran errands and even went shopping. I purchased this bracelet for $3.99 at Michaels and am very pleased. The picture does not do it justice. It can be for both formal and casual affairs.

Painting {Living Room} 1/26/2013

We started painting the living room and hallway and finished this project in two days. I never realized the original wall color had a yellowish tint until we painted. It is amazing what a little paint can do to lift your spirits.

Putting Up Casing (Living Room / Hallway} 1/27/2013

Dan started putting up casing between the living room and hallway. Both the kitchen and hallway entrances never had any casings or whatnot. I have always liked the look of casings even when there is no door. He has a lot more to do besides this one – front door, three windows, and the hallway of many doors (eight altogether).

Wedding Sampler Hung 1/28/2013

We hung up the wedding sampler my Mother made and put the china saucers back up in the kitchen. We still have four more “pictures” to hang up and I think the kitchen is done until we do the cabinets (which will be awhile yet).

A Favorite Magazine Arrives in the Mail 1/29/2013

I do not have very many magazine subscriptions (probably four altogether) and this is my current favorite magazine. Can you guess what it is?

Day Two of struggling with Headache bordering on Migraine 1/30/2013

‘Nuff said.

Gracie Hunting Birdies 1/31/2013

This is the only picture I took today. I was in “my” room messing with fabrics (putting them onto bolts) when I spied Gracie swishing her tail like a squirrel does which is very fast and jerky. Whenever she makes this kind of movement with her tail, I know she is either annoyed or excited. I then looked through the window and noticed the birds. So, I went off to get my camera and came back to take some pictures. But, by the time I took this one and only shot, the birds had disappeared.

By the way, Dan and I spied these birds in the fields several days ago and were amazed at how beautiful they are when we used the binoculars. They have yellow front (bellies). I had no clue to what they were; but, Dan managed to identify them with the help of the internet. They are Meadowlarks - most likely the Western Meadowlarks; although, it is a distinct possibility that they are the Eastern Meadowlarks. I am champing on the bit to get a telephoto lens because it would have been awesome to snap some pictures of these birds.

A Week in Pictures (#18)

Painted the Trim 1/19/2013

I actually painted the trim on the 18th; but, I forgot to take a picture for this day until the morning of the 19th. So, this picture is really for the 18th. Ha! And yes, I know it needs a little touch up here and there.

Trim is Up! 1/19/2013

Dan put up the trim that I painted and it looks mighty nice. The trim is slightly darker than the wall and I believe that is due to it being wood (different material from drywall). All in all, I am pleased with our efforts. Now, we just have to hang up some pictures and put the saucers back up on the wall. We have also moved onto the living room and hallway.

Yardsticks From a Flea Market 1/20/2013

I had a hankering to get out and go shopping for certain items such as a table or cabinet to use in the entry way and a new dresser for Dan. I did not want to buy anything new. I wanted to buy used and fix it up. So, we went to a couple of flea markets. However, I did not find anything that would do. Well, we stopped by an antique store that had the perfect old cabinet to use; but, they wanted too much money.

Anyway, we found these yardsticks at Bussey’s Flea Market in Schertz, Texas. This flea market is a good one to go to once in a blue moon. I have been collecting old yardsticks for eons; but, I have a two dollar limit per yardstick which makes it difficult to find any as a lot of places sell them for four dollars or more. I was thrilled when Dan spied these yardsticks and discovered they were two dollars each. Perfect!

By the way, the other place we went to was Flea Mart; but, it was horrid unless you love kitschy imports. I did not feel comfortable being there due to these times. So, we left before exploring the entire place.

Beads {Bracelets} 1/21/2013

I made quite a few bracelets over the years and these were dumped into a pile to snap some macro shots.

Tthe Kitchen Island is Freed! 1/22/2013

My sewing cabinet and cutting table was returned. The crate up in the top right is where the sewing machine lift is located. I am happy to be using the cutting table to put fabrics onto “bolts”. The kitchen island is now freed up to spread cooking supplies and whatnot.

Some recently fabrics I put onto “bolts” 1/24/2013

These are ancient fabrics I have no information on such as manufacturer and designer. They are quarter yards (nine inches wide) from a scrap bag bundle. For some odd reason, I thought these four fabrics would make wonderful four patches if cut up. What do you think?

PS I did not snap a picture for 1/23/2013 as that was a bad, bad day for me. I have decided from now on to just post pictures that I have taken and not mention any of the days that I either forgot to take a picture or was not doing well.

A Week in Pictures (#17)

Ungraceful Gracie 1/11/2013

Gracie will often lie in the hallway just outside our bedroom. As many of you know, she is a tripod. She will use the wall as her fourth leg and bathe herself.

In Progress - Kitchen 1/12/2013

Putting up all that frog tape around the casings and baseboards was a pain-in-you-know-what. This is why we are going to paint the walls first in the living room, hallway and the bedrooms before putting up the casings and baseboards.

In Progress - Kitchen 1/13/2013

Finished the painting! The walls just need a little touch ups here and there. Painting the trim and putting them up is next. And then, we will be done with the kitchen (with the exception of the cabinets)!

No Image 1/14/2013

I got so busy and totally forgot to take a picture on this day.

Raggedy Ann 1/15/2013

I am not happy with this picture; but, it will have to do for the moment. I took this picture for two reasons. I took a picture of my Raggedy Ann for a family friend on facebook that made similar ones last year. I also wanted the rocking chair to show up; but, due to it being dark, you can barely see the rocking chair itself. Both items are my childhood things. I will have to do a post in the near future on them as I have pictures of me as a kid with these items.

Kitty Heaven {Chessie} 1/16/2013

Chessie was in pure kitty heaven when Dan devoted a little of his time to her. She absolutely loves Dan and he is her person which really disgusts me considering I was the one who chose her. (Dan picked Calvin who passed away in 2009; but, Calvin liked me best.) Anyway, I took a series of pictures of her with my Macro lens and will have to post some favorites in the future as it is rare that I am able to get pictures of this girl.

Raggedy Andy 1/17/2013

I took this picture for the same reasons I took a picture of my Raggedy Ann. By the way, what is Raggedy Andy doing with Kanga and Thumper? Where is Raggedy Ann? Shame on Andy! And, shame on Thumper for sitting on the table! Ha!

I do not have many stuffies; but, the few I have are sentimental. I have a hard time tossing them out to Goodwill or the trash. Kanga is actually my first birthday gift from Dan and she has a small kanga in her pouch. Thumper was given to me by a brother and sister-in-law when they came back from a trip to Florida. The table and chairs are also childhood furniture of mine and as well as the Raggedy Andy doll. I will have to do a future post on those two as I also have pictures of me as a kid with the furniture.