Gathering in June

It is once again time to join Cheryl at Thinking About Home to reflect on the moments of the month.  June was mostly low-key as I finally hit on a good daily/weekly groove.  What can I say?  I like to have a predictable rhythm to my life. 

All of my photos for this gathering have been brought to you courtesy of Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge.  I've been asked by a few people if I actually took all of the photos for the challenge (especially the bird nest).  Yes!  I did!  I used my point and shoot Olympus VR340 for every single picture.  I am especially fond of the macro shots I took. 

I posted the pictures in five separate groupings rather than daily.  A few were taken in advance of the day or after, but most were taken on the day of the prompt.  I really, really enjoyed this challenge.  You should consider joining in if Kati decides to do another one.  A link for the post above each collage.  Enjoy!

Days 1 through 7...

Days 8 through 14...

 

Days 15 through 20

Days 21 through 26...

Days 27 through 30...

Each one of these photos represents something for which I can be thankful.  And isn't that what this time of reflection is mostly about?  God shows His provision and faithfulness toward me in SO MANY WAYS, and in sharing even the smallest of things is honoring to Him.  It isn't a "look what I can do" kind of life.  It is a "look what He has done" way of engaging life.  And I am content.

June Photo Challenge... Days 27 through 30

This is the last grouping of pictures I have taken for Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge for June.  I've really enjoyed seeing others' interpretation of the prompts that Kati provided.  So many creative people who, without knowing, help me think differently about my own picture taking.  So I say "Thank you, Kati, for setting up this challenge!"

The first grouping of my pictures can be found HERE.
The second grouping can be found HERE.
The third grouping can be found HERE.
The fourth grouping can be found HERE.

And now for the finale...

Day 27... fruit

Technically, the star of this show is the chocolate zucchini cake but if you try and concentrate, you'll see that the fruit is there, too.  Black raspberries.  Small but sweet and flavorful.

 

 

Day 28... yellow

I don't think of myself having much yellow around the house but after I started really looking, I discovered that I had more than I thought and had several subjects from which to choose.  This is a volunteer plant coming up in the compost bin.  I'm interested to see what it produces, if anything.  It sure does make the eyesore a bit more easy to look at.

 

Day 29... grass

This furry little critter has been digging a hole in our front yard in an effort, I assume, to build a nest.  Here she is chewing some grass to mix with mud with which she made a sort of thatched roof for the burrow.

Day 30... looking up

The upward view from my front door.

 

 

 

June Photo Challenge, Days 21 through 26

Today I am posting the fourth grouping of pictures for Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge.  Click over to her blog to see her photos (which are really great!) and the several others' who are also participating.  Go ahead.  I'll wait for you to come back.

To view my first grouping of photos, click HERE.
To view my second grouping of photos, click HERE.
To view my third grouping of photos, click HERE.

And now for the next 6 pictures...

Day 21... summer

This is the first bird's nest I've ever found on our property.   I was more than a little excited!  Hopefully there will be 4 little mockingbirds peeping out soon.

Day 22... green

New cones developing in a pine tree.

 

 

Day 23... pair

You knew this one was going to be a picture of the twins, right?  Of course!

Day 24... hot

Okay, I went for spicy hot on this one rather than temperature hot.  I was prepping to make a favorite dish of Stewart's.  Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes.  They are really, really good!

 

 

Day 25... cold

Ice cubes are cold.  Until they melt on hot cement.

 

 

Day 26... thermometer

Checking the water temperature in a friend's pool.

June Photo Challenge, Days 15 through 20

These 6 pictures are for Kati's Photo-a-day Challenge.   Make sure you visit her and see all of her fun photos and excellent photography skills!  Also, go HERE to view other participants' submissions.  I've learned a lot about how people view their own surroundings.


You can view Days 1-7 of my pictures HERE.
You can view Days 8-14 of my pictures HERE.

Day 15... backyard

I bought a croquet set for my husband for Father's Day.  He was delighted with it!

 

 

Day 16... bright

This is my 14 year old Chihuahua, Penny.  She isn't normally the one who likes to soak in the sun's rays, but Maggie, her older sister, just didn't feel like having her picture taken.  She's moody like that.  I suppose that's allowed for little old ladies.

 

Day 17... stripe

I bought some curtains for my kitchen but they have to be altered to fit the windows.  I've had them for, oh, 7 months and still haven't even taken them out of the package.  I'll get around to it.  I promise!

 

 

Day 18... something old

This is one of my Mom's old granny forks. 

 

Day 19... refreshing

Whew!  We've needed quite a bit of cool refreshment for the last couple of scorching hot days.  This is blackberry iced tea with lots of ice.  I was so hot that I didn't even have the decency to sip it.

 

Day 20... book

These books belonged to my grandparents.  One is a German Bible and the other is a book of the Psalms in German.  I have no ability to read them, but I know what they say, and I love that their faith grew each time they looked into the words written in them.  Also, there is a Bible reading record from 1932 that was my grandmother's tucked in the book of Psalms.

June Photo Challenge, Days 8 through 14

Today I am sharing 7 pictures as my next installment for Kati's June Photo Challenge.   You can find the links to other participants' pictures HERE.  There are some really creative and talented people out there in the blogging world! 

If you missed them, you can find my pictures from DAYS 1 through 7 HERE.  It is a fun challenge and there is still time to join in if you want to.

Day 8... childhood

A storybook I remember from my own childhood. 

 

 

 

Day 9... macro

I didn't even know what macro was until Kati explained it to me and now I've been taking macro pictures almost daily because I find them so interesting.  This is a wild strawberry that grows in my flower bed.

 

Day 10... upside down

I stack my small coffee cups upside down because I don't want the inside of the top cup to get dusty.

 

 

Day 11... jewelry

I don't have much jewelry.  This is my class ring from high school.  Yes, it fits comfortably.  I wish I could say the same thing about the jeans I wore in high school.

 

Day 12... flower

A tiny, edible hollyhock atop a boiled egg.  Another macro shot :)

 

 

 

 

Day 13... shadow

Geometric patterns from our patio furniture.

 

Day 14... red, white, and blue

This is the pattern on the top I was wearing this morning.

 

 

June Photo Challenge, Days 1 through 7

Kati has done it again!  She's issued a photo-a-day challenge.  Kati is a great photographer and has had several of her nature photos printed in a local newspaper so you really should check out her work.  You won't be disappointed.  I promise!

In case you missed Kati's February photo-a-day challenge back in February, here is the link to those pictures. It might give you ideas to do your very own challenge.

I'm choosing  to post them in groups rather than daily because, well, I just am.  It works best for me that way and Kati is gracious to give her participants that option.  I dare say that she would even allow you to play catch-up.  There is plenty of time to join in the fun!

Here is Kati's list for our month...

Day 1... leaf

I am trying to root a new African violet after my plant had an infestation of some kind.

 

 

Day 2... favorite color

I don't really have a favorite color but I've been leaning toward blue-green colors for a year or so now.  This is a little more blue than the picture shows.

Day 3... weather

Very, very sunny!

Day 4... on the wall

I don't have much hanging on my walls.  This is a memento/idea board that hangs over my crafting table.  We're getting ready to make changes there so this will have to find a new spot soon.

 

Day 5... sunglasses

I don't recommend leaving your sunglasses on the dash of your car in summertime unless you are in to facial scarification.  In that case, by all means, go for it.  It's a freebie!

 

Day 6... dot

I have surprisingly few dots around my house.  I considered dragging out some old polka dot fabric from storage until I realized that I do indeed have a dotted chair.  So much easier than my original thought.  Some days easier is preferable to better.

 

Day 7... water

Splash pad fun with the grandbabies!!

Make It New Monday 06/02/14... Wooden Boxes to Bathroom Storage

Welcome to "Make It New" Monday!  On the first Monday of each month (limited time only) I will be featuring a project I've done that starts as THIS and ends as THAT, and I invite you to link up with your projects, too.  Any project that re-uses, re-cycles, re-works, or re-purposes qualifies.  Simple projects like altering a recipe to meet your family's current dietary needs to massive, ongoing projects like a total home makeover qualify.  It's just for fun.  No pressure.

This month's project is a result of the merging of two needs.  My needs.  Hubby wasn't all that concerned about it, except that it annoyed me.  He doesn't like when I'm annoyed.  So he was all for getting this problem solved. 

The first, most obvious, need was for storage in my husband's bathroom.  We were making do with the under-the-sink cabinet but the complete lack of organization really bugged me.  No, not to the point where it kept me awake at night but each week when I put away the clean linens my exasperation was evident.  "How in the world does one grown man make this much mess out of a bathroom cabinet?!?" 

The second, lesser need was to do something with those old wooden boxes that we've been hanging onto for so long.  25 years, to be exact. They were just sitting there, collecting dust for no good purpose.  I like the things in my house to serve a purpose of some kind.  I'm staring at something right now that just sits there, doing nothing, and it is plucking my last nerve.  But I digress...

One day I was scanning Pinterest and saw that someone had bought small crates from a craft store, stained them and hung them on the wall to make display shelves and that put me to thinkin'... Crates = wooden boxes, shelves = storage, wooden box storage shelves = something Stewart would like for his bathroom. 

That weekend we pulled the boxes out of their dusty corner, cleaned 'em up, hung 'em up, slapped some clear shelf paper on 'em, and loaded 'em with linens. {Pardon the poor grammar.  I wanted to use some cowboy slang in honor of my husband's aesthetics.}

Problems solved!

I also bought him a small, lidded wooden box for his pocket junk (spare change, pocket knife, odd bits of paper, etc.) for when he isn't carrying them.  Sometimes he uses it.  Sometimes not. Eh, he's still a keeper.

Here are some before and after pictures...

BEFORE 

 

AFTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And that's my Make It New project for June.  Now it's your turn!  Link up any time in the next week.  I'd love to see what you are up to.  And don't forget to join me next month when I will show you something to do with old felt scraps.

 

Don't forget to grab my button!

<div align="center"><a href="http://mynot-so-emptynest.blogspot.com/2014/06/make-it-new-monday-060214-wooden-boxes.html" title="My Not-So-Empty Nest"><img src="http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w646/allshewroteblog/45377e80-1bb3-44c7-a3e3-0c25c1fe4956_zps0666336f.jpg" alt="My Not-So-Empty Nest" style="border:none;" /></a></div>