Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Yellow and Purple



As much as I complain about winter, I love the change of seasons. On these last days of August, the fields around us are filled with purple asters and thistle, and yellow goldenrod. They signal the end of summer, and the beginning of cooler days and nights.

And they are the perfect color combination. :)

These shots were taken last week at Willowwood Arboretum. If you are ever in the area, it is definitely worth a visit. It's a wonderful place to take pictures, stroll about the gardens, or even have a picnic. :)


Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.




Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. Dab of This and That  27. Carol  53. SimplyCHERrific  
2. Candy @ The Little Round Table  28. Shelia@NoteSongs - Changes in the Den  54. Jackie's life in Surrey UK  
3. The Gathering Place  29. M is for Maga  55. 3 Sisters around the world  
4. Lenore@ A Vintage Obsession  30. Missy  56. DailyLiving - Regina, Phil.  
5. Carol @There's Always Thyme to Cook  31. Sandi  57. Cindy @ Applestone Cottage  
6. ldh  32. Bobbi @ The Bead Goes On  58. Blessing Reflections  
7. EG Wow, Canada  33. Lana G!  59. Wandering Thought  
8. Eileen, Md  34. Maura @ Lilac Lane Cottage  60. Texifornia - Buttons  
9. Rajesh, India  35. Sheila@Starshine Through My Windows  61. Lisa Sall  
10. ellen b  36. Ingmarie We/Refugium  62. Lindsay  
11. Bailiwick Studio  37. Heart's Garden  63. Sue-Someone's Mom  
12. A Garden of Threads  38. Molly [sky shots]  64. Thrift Store Goodies  
13. Country Girl Kate  39. Dahlias @ Almota Roses  65. Bonnie  
14. Bernie from Australia  40. Milla  66. villa extra  
15. GardeninginaSandbox  41. Shannara, Sweden  67. Fiona Designs  
16. Christine  42. Anja  68. DawnTreader, Sweden  
17. Cathy  43. Aarti  69. Hyacinths For the Soul  
18. Pat Mille Fiori Favorite @  44. Just another girl's blog  70. Nicole  
19. Snap @ Twisty Lane  45. Self Sagacity  71. Heather  
20. {oc cottage}  46. Dixon Hill Diary  72. Shades of Orange  
21. Cass at That Old House  47. Project Bag  73. Karen, A Scrapbook of Inspiration  
22. Meri @ Playing Along  48. Diana's Photos  74. Maria Berg, Sweden  
23. Riet, Holland  49. Sharing with Sherri  75. Millie  
24. Traci  50. Doni @ faithgracecrafts  76. Sall's Country Life  
25. Sweet Nothings  51. Suzy@Kitchen Bouquet  77. Marsha's Garden Blog  
26. Cindy @ Chalk it up!  52. Ladyhightower's Meme Castle  78. Genie’s FR Sandcastles @ Buttons for Baga  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Friday, August 27, 2010

thank you



Many thanks to all of you who left me words of encouragement on Wednesday. My daughter and I had our cry on Wednesday night (well, really early Thursday morning) and when my husband and I said goodbye and drove away from the campus on Thursday, it was OK.

Of course, all bets may be off by this weekend, but we'll see. ;)

On a completely different note, I stopped at Willowwood Arboretum earlier this week and snapped a few photos of the late summer garden. I'll show them to you next week, but I just wanted to post this one today. Old stone buildings are my favorites. Isn't this one gorgeous?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tomorrow




My daughter is leaving for college tomorrow.




I know it sounds silly, but it doesn't seem real to me yet that she will be gone after tomorrow. But I'm sure that by tomorrow night, it will be all too real, and I'll be missing her like crazy.




And although I know in my heart that she will have fun and learn to live without me, I also know that there will be a big hole in my life starting tomorrow.



Sunday, August 22, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Queen Anne's Lace








After a very rainy and cool spring, we have endured a dry and torrid summer here in my part of New Jersey. Officially, summer continues for the next few weeks, but already it seems like we are looking forward to cooler temperatures and the golden light of autumn.

I've been fascinated by wildflowers this summer, especially queen anne's lace, or wild carrot. If you follow my other blog, In a Soft Light, you are probably sick of the sight of them. lol But I just love the flowers, and especially the seedheads that are so frustrating when they stick to your dog's coat. I think the architecture of tiny struts is quite beautiful, especially when they are all curled up.

So here are a few of my favorite queen anne's lace shots.

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.


Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. ellen b  31. Cooling Blues @ faithgracecrafts  61. Molly [summer skies]  
2. Feathering An Empty Nest  32. Riet, Holland  62. Jackie in Surrey UK  
3. Carol @There's Always Thyme to Cook  33. just another girl's blog  63. Praying Mantis @ Almota Roses  
4. Vee  34. Dab of This and That  64. MaryBeth Stanwood, US  
5. EG Wow, Canada  35. Karen @ Ladybug Creek  65. helena c  
6. Meri @ Playing Along  36. Podso  66. Shannara, Sweden  
7. A New England Life  37. Heather, Vermont Girl  67. suzyq - atthefarmhouse  
8. Rajesh, India  38. Diann @ The Thrifty Groove  68. AnnA, Sweden  
9. A Garden of Threads  39. Shelia @ Note Songs  69. Fiona Designs  
10. Lenore@ A Vintage Obsession  40. Ruth, Asia  70. Puna  
11. Cathy  41. Heart's Garden  71. Carol at Serendipity  
12. ldh  42. Susan@ Simple Pleasures Simple Treasures  72. DawnTreader, Sweden  
13. GardeninginaSandbox  43. Jeri  73. eye of the beholder  
14. Bailiwick Studio  44. Suzy  74. Lavender Dreams  
15. Pat@Back Porch Musings  45. Sue-Someone's Mom  75. Burlap Bag Tutorial  
16. Robin@DecoratingTennisGirl  46. Sweet Nothings  76. Wing Chair Slipcover Tutorial  
17. Karen, A Scrapbook of Inspiration  47. Suzy@Kitchen Bouquet   77. Sherry  
18. Becky  48. Teacup Lane - Arctic Circle  78. Pondside- Waterside Ballet  
19. Lavender Cottage  49. Diana's Photos  79. Cass at That Old House  
20. Blessing Reflections  50. Loui♥  80. Roberta's Birthday Celebration  
21. Wandering Thought  51. Carrie - Oak Rise Cottage  81. Ladyhightower's Meme Castle  
22. Sharon Chapman,Wildflowerhouse  52. M is for Maga  82. Gilding Lilies  
23. Eileen. MD  53. Marblehead Lighthouse  83. SW Mementos  
24. Paula  54. Crop Dusting  84. Crafty Housewife  
25. Candy @ The Little Round Table  55. Milla  85. Coloring Outside the Lines  
26. Christine  56. Life Images by Jill  86. Gunsside  
27. The Gazebo House  57. Ingmarie. Refugium  87. BunnyKissd =:3*  
28. Kathy - Delightsome Life  58. Bernie from Australia  88. Patty's nature joy  
29. Bobbi @ The Bead Goes On  59. Anja  89. Marsha's Garden Blog  
30. Snap @ Twisty Lane  60. Flowers and Weeds  90. glenda  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

I Feel Pretty



Good morning, dear bloggers! Well, at least it is morning here as I write this. I went out for breakfast this morning with my dear friend, Robin. She had the most beautiful bracelet on, and it got me thinking about jewelry.

I tend to like the idea of jewelry, and I'm lucky to have some pretty pieces that my husband has given me over the years, and some vintage brooches and bracelets from my mom. (One of them is pictured above.) When I get dressed to go out though, I will put on jewelry, then take almost all of it off, except for a necklace. I just feel too dressed up. I think maybe that is a habit from my childhood, when I was quite the tomboy.

So my question for you is this: Do you wear a lot of jewelry, or just a few sentimental pieces, or none at all on a daily basis? Inquiring minds want to know. ;)

*********

Please join me for Mosaic Monday, where I will definitely not be wearing jewelry. ;) Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30pm Sunday, Eastern time. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Oh, deer!



First of all, I apologize for the quality of these photos. It was getting dark outside and I had to really crank up the ISO so they are really grainy. But I wanted to show you our resident deer, or at least one of them.




It all started when my daughter spied a three-legged deer on the front lawn. She felt so sorry for it, so asked me if she could throw out some stale bread from our kitchen.




In another week or so, the three-legged deer appeared with two fawns (one of which is shown here), and my daughter was asking for my credit card so she could go to the supermarket and buy bread for the deer.




Now they wait for her to get home from work and she feeds them from the front steps.




What is wrong with this picture? ;)

Edited to add: My daughter will be going to college next week, so the gravy train will be over for these critters. They look upon my garden as their own personal salad bar, so I'm not crazy about them although I have to say that they are beautiful creatures.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Happy Birthday, Honey!



Today is my husband's 54th birthday. I think we'll have cupcakes. :)

Honey, if you are reading this, Happy, happy birthday!!!



Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Down the Shore





I'm so glad to welcome you all back to Mosaic Monday! Last week we took a little jaunt "down the shore," as we say here in New Jersey. For the most part, the weather was beautiful, and I spent a lot of time just walking and enjoying the sights that are so very different from my home.

Three of these shots were taken from the car window as my husband drove, and the beach cabanas and the gingerbread house were taken on a walking tour of Cape May. We spent a lovely afternoon browsing in the shops and having a wonderful lunch in this town with it's beautiful Victorian architecture.

And came home with a few t-shirts and a sunburn. Actually, my daughter also came home with an intestinal flu. :( And it may be my imagination, but I'm not feeling too great tonight myself... but let's think nice positive thoughts...

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.



Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. Sharing with Sherri  32. Kathy-Delightsome Life  63. Yarrow  
2. Lenore@ A Vintage Obsession  33. Pondside - Sand and Surf  64. Suzy@Kitchen Bouquet  
3. {oc cottage}  34. Pondside  65. Purple Coneflowers @ Almota Roses  
4. Lavender Cottage  35. Molly [queen anne's lace]  66. Rosie@leavesnbloom  
5. Podso  36. Life Images by Jill  67. Maggie in Normandy  
6. Eileen  37. Debbie @ Plate Addict  68. Shannara, Sweden  
7. IngmarieWe/Sweden  38. Rajesh, India  69. MaryBeth Stanwood US  
8. Candy @ The Little Round Table  39. Bernie from Australia  70. Becky  
9. Happier Than A Pig In Mud  40. Cindy @ Chalk it up!  71. DawnTreader, Sweden  
10. Meri @ Playing Along  41. Sheila@Starshine Through My Windows  72. Crafty Gardener, Canada  
11. A New England Life  42. M is for Maga  73. Carol at Serendipity  
12. Dab of This and That  43. Vegas visit Claudia  74. Beverly@How Sweet The Sound  
13. Snap @ Twisty Lane  44. Loui♥  75. Neglected Orchids  
14. EG Wow, Canada  45. shirley behind the lens   76. Grafton Village Inn, Ontario  
15. Wandering Thought  46. Missy  77. Susan @Simple Pleasures Simple Treasures  
16. Wildcat woods  47. Covered Bridge  78. Fiona Designs  
17. Bobbi @ The Bead Goes On  48. Betty @ My Cozy Corner - Venice  79. Little Bit of Everything  
18. Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook  49. Sweet Nothings..giveaway  80. Jane AUSTRALIA (bit late sorry)  
19. Feathering An Empty Nest  50. Jackie in UK  81. Bonnie  
20. Sullivan and Murphy  51. Festival of Tables @ My Place to Yours  82. Sue-Someone's Mom  
21. Blessing Reflections  52. Jenn  83. Karen, A Scrapbook of Inspiration  
22. Cathy  53. Heart's Garden  84. Whispers of Grace  
23. Carol  54. shelle @ dancingmatilda  85. Queen of Dreamsz  
24. A Garden of Threads  55. Feed the Birds - Francisca  86. SW Mementos-Pasos  
25. GardeninginaSandbox  56. Milla  87. Cass at That Old House  
26. Bailiwick Studio  57. Head for the Hills  88. Genie’s Quilters’ Mosaic Monday  
27. Traci  58. Teacup Lane - More AK Flowers  89. Texifornia Summer  
28. Riet  59. Sharon Chapman  90. Orange Mosaic @ Flowers and Weeds  
29. Christine  60. LadyNoor  91. Project Bag  
30. Heather T, Vermont  61. Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti  
31. Diann@ The Thrifty Groove  62. Ladyhightower's Meme Castle  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Doing Nothing



Just popping in for a quick "hi" and to tell you that I have been busy doing nothing for the past week. And it's been wonderful. lol

Actually, I've been working on some portrait photography for my portfolio. If I can get enough practice under my belt, I'd like to try my hand at doing it professionally. But that's a long way down the road. In the meantime, I've been rearranging some things around the house, thinking about stripping the wallpaper in the kitchen, and wondering if I can renovate the bathroom. I'd love to get my washer and dryer up from the basement. So strictly speaking I guess I haven't exactly been doing nothing.

Anyway, I'm going to let all these thoughts percolate for another week or so. I'll pop in during the week, and hope to see you all again for Mosaic Monday on August 15th.


Sunday, August 1, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Vintage Summer




Just some vintage summer images for you today -- some from our favorite park, one from a nearby pond, and some from our backyard. This has been a record-breaking summer, with temperatures well above normal for way too long. Hopefully, the heat will begin to break soon and August will be cooler.

I'm honestly at wit's end trying to think of things to post lately -- not sure if it's the heat or blogger's burnout or both -- and I'm thinking of taking a week off to recharge the batteries. So, there will be no Mosaic Monday on August 9th, and I will only be posting sporadically for the next two weeks. Maybe that will give me some time to gather material and come up with some interesting posts. :) In the meantime...

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.



Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. Snap @ Twisty Lane  35. Cindy @ Applestone Cottage  69. Crawling among the Mushrooms - Francisca  
2. GardeninginaSandbox  36. Di @ The Blue Ridge Gal  70. Crafty Gardener, Canada  
3. Podso  37. Aprons and a Clothesline  71. Nicole  
4. {oc cottage}  38. Diana's Photo  72. Carol atSerendipity  
5. Eileen, MD  39. Debbie @ Plate Addict  73. Blessing Reflections  
6. Bouquet with a smile  40. Heather, Vermont  74. Wandering Thought  
7. A Garden of Threads  41. Crystal Cove State Beach  75. Beverly@How Sweet The Sound  
8. Vee~A Haven for Vee  42. Maura @ Lilac Lane Cottage  76. Rosey @ Dung Hoe gardening  
9. Susan@Simple Pleasures, Simple Pleasures  43. Christine  77. DawnTreader, Sweden  
10. Cathy  44. Cafe Chatelaine  78. Southern Living Idea House Kitchen  
11. Bernie from Australia  45. Floral Teacup and Blue Rose Doily  79. linda  
12. Rajesh, India  46. A New England Life  80. Flowerbed  
13. Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti  47. Claudia, DipityRoad, Vegas  81. Sue-Someone's Mom  
14. Pat@Back Porch Musings  48. LadyNoor  82. eye of the beholder  
15. Lavender Cottage  49. Muhammad Khabbab@Garden Geek  83. Project Bag  
16. Puna@LifeSignatures  50. Teacup Lane   84. Summer Flowers  
17. Lenore@ A Vintage Obsession  51. Regina@ DailyLiving  85. Lisa @ Corner of Carolina  
18. Happier Than A Pig In Mud  52. Becky K.  86. Diann@The Thrifty Groove  
19. M is for Maga  53. sweet nothings  87. Aimee @ ...aka darzy...  
20. Becky  54. Ladyhightower's Meme Castle  88. Deb Tea and Photos~ Georgian Bay Canada  
21. Sheila@Starshine Through My Windows  55. Self Sagacity  89. Marsha's Garden  
22. Alicia @ Titere con Bonete  56. Kamana  90. Carolyn @ Aiken House & Gardens  
23. Daylily, QMM  57. New Calf @ Almota Roses  91. Bunches of Fun!  
24. Shelia@NoteSongs   58. Maggie B  92. Gunsside, Norway  
25. Candy @ The Little Round Table  59. Jackie in UK  93. SW Mementos-Clean Up  
26. Riet, Holland  60. Loui♥  94. Connie  
27. Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook  61. MaryBeth~Stanwood Wa  95. Hyacinths For the Soul  
28. Just another girl's blog  62. Shannara, Sweden  96. PatioPatch  
29. Jane AUSTRALIA  63. Suzy@Kitchen Bouquet   97. Porch Days  
30. MARTHA'S VINEYARD COLLAGE  64. Pondside - A Vice Regal Tea  98. Marsha's Garden Blog  
31. Tam @ The Gypsy's Corner  65. Milla  99. Rookie Photographer  
32. Karen, A Scrapbook of Inspiration  66. suzyq - atthefarmhouse  100. Fiona Designs  
33. Genie @ Buttons for Baga  67. Kim  101. Fed Ex and the Birds  
34. Karen@LadybugCreek  68. QCI  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)