Clementines

Still in the grip of writer's block here.

I am so BORING.

So, in lieu of any intelligent prose you might expect, here is a bright bit of color that caught my eye in the kitchen. ;)

Happy weekend, dear bloggers!

Mosaic Monday: Spring is Beautiful

I spent most of last Monday morning at Willowwood Arboretum, which is about 20 minutes from my home. It was so beautiful, with signs of Spring everywhere. There were several different hellebores, but my favorites were these lovely rose-colored ones. The vine-covered stone house caught my eye, too. I've seen that vine in summer and, if I'm not mistaken, it is a climbing hydrangea.

The daffodils at Willowwood are spread throughout the garden, with some in formal flower beds, but more are planted in large swathes through the grass. Their cheerful yellow faces turn toward the sun.

We had such a beautiful week for the beginning of Spring, with temperatures in the 60's and even the 70's. The coming week will be a return to March -- 50's and rainy. But this is my favorite season, hands down. More spring pictures to come later in the week. :)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
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.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Cherry Blossoms

Hi everyone! I'm just checking in from my sofa, where I have spent the last few days with some sort of intestinal bug. Not my favorite thing to have, especially as this week has been so beautiful here in New Jersey. Luckily, I got out to a favorite area arboretum on Monday, and caught the cherry blossoms before they fade. :)

I wanted to let you know that I'm still considering doing some sort of photo meme or challenge with a different weekly theme. Or maybe a monthly theme would be more manageable. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to email me at mrcarroll(at)optonline.net or leave them in the comments. I'd love to hear from you.

OK, I guess that's it for now. I have some more lovely spring photos from the Willowwood Arboretum to show you for Mosaic Monday. And I have listed one new cherry blossom photo in my etsy shop here. Feel free to take a peek!

Until later, my friends, have a marvelous weekend!

Mosaic Monday: Almost Spring

I love the tiny blossoms of early spring. Oh yes, I know that according to the calendar, spring hasn't officially started yet. But trust me, it's here. :) We had a wonderfully mild winter this year (thank you, global warming) and this past week has seen the last snowdrops, more crocus and hellebores, and some pretty, tiny weeds growing up in our lawn. As for weeds in the lawn, we are definitely a "live and let live" kind of household. :) Anyway, here are a few of the tiny blossoms around our Little Red House. Happy almost-Spring, dear bloggers!

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
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

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

For You

Experiencing major writer's block here this week... maybe it's the beautiful weather. In any event, here is just a little bit of spring in New Jersey for you. :)

Mosaic Monday: Pretty in Pink

We've had a series of beautiful days here in New Jersey and, although we are nowhere near crabapple time yet, the lovely sunny weather has inspired me to create a pink mosaic this week. After all, what could be more beautiful than pink?

Pink just makes me happy. And the weather this week will be in the 60's and sunny. And my daughter is home for spring break. And that makes me happy, too. :)

Wishing you a wonderful week, dear bloggers. Once again, thank you for visiting Little Red House, and for all your kind comments! xoxo

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
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

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

The Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaway to celebrate Leap Day!

Random.org chose comment #16, which was made by Lisa, of Sall's Country Life!! Lisa chose my misty path image entitled Follow Your Dreams. That's one of my favorites!

Congratulations, Lisa! I will get that print right out to you. I'm committed to adding new images to my etsy shop on a regular basis, so check back often. Thanks so much, everyone!

Just a quick note: I asked if anyone was interested in participating in a photo-a-week meme. I will be working on that in the next few weeks, and will let you know the particulars as soon as possible. :)

Mosaic Monday: Tennyson

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

This last line of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's great poem Ulysses will be engraved in the 2012 Olympic village, to serve as inspiration to the world's athletes when they come to London later this summer for the Olympics. For the entire poem, which is one of my favorites, click here. It is a beautifully written dramatic monologue, in which the now aged hero of the Trojan War, and ruler of the kingdom of Ithaca, looks back on his past exploits and longs for the freedom to explore new worlds. (Yes, I am an English Literature nerd.)

The poem was originally published in 1842. My copy shown here is in an 1873 edition, published in Boston. The pages are thin and delicate, and hard to read. My favorite part of the book, though, is the inscription written on the fly-leaf. I always wonder about Emma and John -- were they friends, lovers? Was she happy with his gift? What were their lives like in 1874?

Of course I will never know the answers to any of my questions. But this is why I love antiques, for the real and undeniable connection to past lives and history. Come to think of it, that is probably why I love literature, too. :)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here! Drawing to be held on Wednesday morning. :)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
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

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.