Photo-A-Day... Week 4

Today I am publishing the final 7 pictures for Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge.  It has been really interesting and quite challenging some days.  Thanks so much, Kati, for extending the offer to join in with you.  Hop on over to see Kati's pictures at Kati's Little Corner of the World.  She has some great shots for you to browse through, and not just from this challenge.  Click HERE to see my photos from WEEK ONE.  Click HERE to see my photos from WEEK TWO.  Click HERE to see my photos from WEEK THREE.

Day 22... blue...

A neighbor's garage roof.  And as a bonus, a blue sky!

Day 23... my shoes...

I suppose this speaks for itself.

Day 24... bedside table...

In the guest bedroom.

Day 25... green...

A pale green candle that my daughter gave me that turns almost black when the wax melts.  I captured the smoke inside the jar by putting on the lid to snuff out the flame.  I like how the wick looks like a lonely tree on a misty lake.

Day 26... light...

A random ray of light on an otherwise overcast day bouncing off my first crocus of Spring. 

 Day 27... something I ate...

This was a challenging one, really.  My literal way of thinking forces me to ask the question, "How do I photograph something that I've eaten?" Voila!  The remains of my avocado!  And, yes, I eat them right out of the peel with a spoon.

Day 28... sweet

I try very hard not to have treat-like foods around the house, but I do have a jar that is pretty well stocked with Larabars.  They are for when I go out and think I might be tempted to go off my eating plan.  *Note:  Some Larabars are NOT Whole30 compliant.  Read the labels!

Levi and Liam Are 2!

Happy Birthday to Levi and Liam

Mommaw and Poppaw Love You

(To see the twins' first year click here)

 

 

 

Photo-A-Day... Week 3

These photos are for week 3 of Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge.  Make sure you visit Kati over at Kati's Little Corner of the World  I'm really enjoying the search for ways to photograph things differently than what I normally would.  I hope you enjoy these glimpses into my life.

Week 1 photographs can be seen HERE.

Week 2 photographs can be seen HERE.



Day 15... phone...

My phone is practically pre-historic, but it works well for what I need.  Believe it or not, my husband's phone is older than mine!
(And the wallpaper picture...  That's Liam at about 10 months old modeling a new hat.  Makes me grin every. single. time!)

Day 16... makes me smile...

You already knew that this would be a picture of my grandsons, right?  They do make me smile.  A lot!  They like to push these end tables around the living room and sit on them as if they are desks.  In fact we call them desks when speaking to them.  And they love to look at books!  It hasn't taken them long to decide which are their favorites books.  They even have favorite pages.  The "glasses" page in the blue book.  The "duck" page in the yellow book.  The "puppy" page in the animal book.  The seek and find pages in their Highlights magazines.  I'm smiling right now!

Day 17... time...

This clock hangs in my kitchen.  It was a wedding gift.  For my parents.  Both of my parents have passed so having this clock in a prominent place in my house reminds me to think of them often.

Day 18... drink...

This is something I drink almost every day... hibiscus tea.  It is a natural tonic for lowering blood pressure.  And it is a beautiful shade of crimson.

Day 19... eyes...

I decided to go with the dreaded selfie on this one.  I do not like to have my picture taken.  Ever!  But I'm trying to be a good sport about it.

Day 20... handwriting...

This is not my handwriting.  It is my mother's.  Most of the recipes in this box are in her handwriting.  I don't often cook Mom's recipes but I like to look through them from time to time.

Day 21... pattern...

This is the carpet pattern in our basement living room.  It is a bit busy, but it works for us!

Photo A Day Challenge... Week 2

For the month of February I am following along with Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge.  Check out her little corner of the world HERE.  She shares her love for photography, her family, and hymns among other things. 



If you missed last weeks photos, or you just want to see them again, you can find them HERE.  If you don't want to see them, well, don't click that link!

Day 8... the sky

The sky was the color of gloom all day long.  Finally, just as I was about to make supper I saw a little bit of color peaking through the clouds so I slipped on my shoes, ran out the door and climbed into the back of Hubby's pickup.  I wanted to take it from that spot so that the fat telephone wire would be hidden in the tree line.  The skinny wires bug me, too, but not as much.  I was just grateful for a bit of pink in the sky's cheeks!

Day 9... entrance...

Oh, this was a snap and dash photo if ever there was one!  There is just something odd about taking a picture of a stranger's property (not to mention of an actual stranger!) but the house looked somewhat abandoned so the risk wasn't high.  I'm surprised that it turned out as well as it did with my husband's insistent voice saying "There's a truck coming up behind us!"  I got one shot before the window rolled up and we sped away like we'd just knocked off a liquor store.

Day 10... self portrait...

I resist taking selfies.  Kati, if you are reading this, I want you to know that this is the day that almost caused me to not accept this challenge.  I thought about skipping it.  But I didn't want to be a flake so I put my powers of creative thinking to work and came up with this.  Since this is a self portrait and I only spend about 1 and a half minutes in front of the mirror looking at my face every morning, I figured I should photograph the part of me that I see of myself most often.  And lest you think I sit all day, keep in mind that I rarely look down as I go about my daily routine.  But I do sit quite a bit.  Keepin' it real, folks! 

Day 11... something new...

I have wanted one of these babies for years and years but finally just purchased this a few weeks ago because I was planning to try a new recipe that suggested, nay, REQUIRED me to use a mortar and pestle.  Here is my granite lovely on her maiden grind...

Day 12... in my cup...

I'm working on creating my perfect mid-morning summertime smoothie.  A mixture of mango, coconut milk, and chai-inspired spices, I'm currently calling it "Sassy Lass" because it reminds me vaguely of a Mango Lassi that I had at a local Indian restaurant.  But since it is so not authentic I am not calling it a lassi.  That would just be insulting.

Day 13... red...

I looked around my house for something red to photograph and found that I have quite a lot more of the crimson touch than I realized, but not many red items.  So a corner of an item will have to suffice.  This is a small quilt that my Mom made. It is a nice little blanket for naptime!

Day 14... heart...

Okay, okay!  I cheated a little.  I couldn't choose just one so I made a collage.  Go ahead and judge.  I'd do it again.  Except maybe I'd include MORE pictures of my totally adorable twin grandsons.  I've always been rebellious that way.  I bought these window clingy things after Valentine's day last year and broke them out for the boys to play with when we were babysitting.  When they noticed what I was doing (Grandpa had them distracted with one of his Grandpa activities.  Wrestling, probably.)  they were anxious to see how they worked.  And how they didn't work. Liam quickly discovered that his "hawt"  would stick to his face.  Levi liked sticking them to the mirror.  I just love these little guys!

Photo-A-Day Challenge... Week 1

For the month of February I accepted Kati's Photo-A-Day Challenge.  My young friend is quite the photographer, having had several of her nature pictures featured in the local newspaper.  If you follow her blog you'll see that she really enjoys capturing God's creation on "film" with a gentle eye.  Really, check out her blog to see for yourself!  Kati also hosts a monthly photo linky party that you might enjoy joining.  Fun!

Day 1... your view today...

This is my view every morning as I read my daily devotional.  I am currently reading "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.  My son and his wife gave it to me for Christmas.  I had one long ago but I lost it somehow, so I am thrilled to read it again!  This cup and saucer was given to me by my daughter.  I never had a chance to use it because a huge chip happened on the occasion of its first washing.  But I loved the color, so kept it as a container for the balls of ribbon my husband gave me.  So every morning as I ponder God's Word and the words of a man who devoted his life to teaching, I look at these gifts and think of how blessed I am! 

Day 2... words...

"Cowboy Up" is one of my husband's favorite phrases.  When I found this rustic metal sign for a bargain, I couldn't resist getting it for him to hang in his bathroom.  My husband is a cowboy at heart having grown up with horses, lived on a farm in Oklahoma, and worked in a local Western theme park. 

Day 3...  hands...

My grandsons' hands are always busy.  I'm not sure how it started but every time they visit we look for blanket fuzz to play with.  Both boys call it "buzz" and think it is hysterical when I lay a piece of it on the back of their hand.  And sometimes it will "gickle" if I do it just right.

Day 4... a stranger...

How do you take a picture of a stranger?  I contemplated just walking up and asking someone if I could take his or her picture, but chickened out.  So stealth was the way I chose.  It felt a little creepy voyeuristic. 

Day 5... 10am...

I was sitting in a Walmart parking lot waiting with my husband for my son and grandsons to arrive.  Right in front of us was this tree that had really interesting twig shapes.  I didn't even notice the contrails in the sky until after I put my pictures onto my computer.  I think they add a little interest.

Day 6... dinner...

Confession time!  This is not a picture of my dinner on day 6.  I simply forgot to take a picture!  I took this picture of "Green Beef Stew" last month.  It is a Whole30 compliant beef stew that is  filling and absolutely delicious!!! 

Day 7... button...

This button is from a cowl scarf that my daughter made for me while she was home for Christmas break.

Make It New Monday 02/03/14... 2 Projects, a Link Up and A GIVEAWAY

***The Giveaway portion of this post is over and the winner is VEE! *** 

 

Welcome to Make It New Monday here at My Not-So-Empty Nest!  I'm so glad that you stopped by!  Read HERE to find out a bit more about this once-a-month series. 

 

 

 

The weather in this area of the country (and if the reports of my facebook friends are accurate, every area of the country) has been so very cold so it is a perfect time to think about soup.  The first of the two projects in this post is easy-to-make cloth napkins featuring a persimmon and turquoise colored design of... SOUP!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought these really cute dish towels at Dollar Tree.  The soup motif and the colors really caught my eye but since I don't generally use dish towels I decided to buy a bunch of 'em to make cloth napkins.

 

Here is a close-up of the pattern...

 

 

I removed all of the tags then cut the dish cloths in half.

 

 

After cutting in half, I ran a straight stitch to hem the cut edge, then zigzag stitched along all 4 sides.  Easy Peasy!

 

 Next, I decided that the napkins needed coordinating rings.  Enter the second Make It New project...

I gathered up a bunch of supplies that I thought I might need.  Burlap string, buttons, tiny crocheted pretties, paint, paper towel rolls, etc.

 

First, I cut 1.5 inch sections of paper towel rolls, painted them with terra cotta colored paint, then gave them several coats of high gloss Mod Podge.  Then I wrapped burnt orange burlap string (left from another project) around the middle several times, applied a pretty and a button that had been threaded with the same burlap string with glue.  It took a little time to dry between coats of paint, but also an Easy Peasy project.

 

And here is the final product!

 

And now... the GIVEAWAY!  I am giving away a set of 6 of these napkins and rings.  All you have to do is leave a comment here on the blog, answering 2 questions...
1) What is your favorite soup?
2)  How often do you use cloth napkins?
Oh, and make sure I have a way to contact you in case you win. A winner will be chosen on Monday, February 10, 2014, and will have 7 days to respond.  After that, I will chose a new winner.

Okay, now it is time for you to link up!  And don't forget to grab a button for your post.  Thanks so much for joining the fun!

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