My Snow Story

By the time we have awakened this morning,

we will see something like this scene

outside the windows

at our Little Red House.

We will don warm coats and scarves and mittens,

and venture out into a world

made fresh with white.

And when the driveway has been shoveled,

and the birds have been fed,

and many, many pictures have been taken, ;)

we will stomp the snow off our feet,

and go inside to the warm kitchen,

where we will make hot chocolate,

with marshmallows (of course).

We will sit before the fire,

toasting our toes

and reading,

blankets over our laps.

We will look at the new white world outside,

and be thankful

that we are warm, and dry, and fed,

and together.

the end

Mosaic Monday: My Blue Period

I wanted to show you a few of the fine art nature images that I've been shooting and editing recently. Let's call it my blue period... just like Picasso, except without the incredible talent. lol

I think it is something of an odd feeling when inspiration overtakes you. I remember seeing the sunlight hitting the weeds in the garden, and picking up the camera to go out and see what I could record... nothing more planned than that. When I opened the images in Photoshop, I have no idea what made me begin to edit them with these particular blue tones.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is this -- when you begin an art or craft project, do you have a firm idea in mind, or do you just let inspiration lead you where it may?

Inquiring minds want to know. :)

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

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.

Quiet

Good morning, dear bloggers! I hope you are having a lovely weekend. It's very quiet here this morning -- my kids are still asleep and my husband is in the office. I have several projects pending at the moment, but here I sit, editing a few pictures and listening to the crows outside my window.

Actually, this has been rather a busy week, wildlife-wise, in my neck of the woods. On Wednesday, I saw a pair of pileated woodpeckers in the park; and yesterday, I spotted a fox right next to our deck where I often throw stale bread for the birds. Unfortunately, I did not get photos of either sighting. So I'm going to leave you with a picture of the little pink primrose which is brightening my kitchen counter at the moment.

Happy weekend, dear bloggers! And because I don't say it nearly enough: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy days to visit me here and leave such lovely comments!

*********

It's almost time for Mosaic Monday again. Where did the week go? I hope to see you all tomorrow. The linky thingy will be up by 8:30 pm Sunday. Thanks for sharing your world with me!

Winter White

We always crave white after the wild excesses of the holidays. That's why Victoria magazine always has their white issue in January, right? Well, I think the ladies at my favorite thrift store have caught on. When they reopened the shop after New Year's Day, they had a whole table filled with white dishes.

It's almost as if they knew I was coming. lol

I've been collecting white and cream dishes for my kitchen, and although I already have a few tureens, I just had to bring this one home with me. For $12., it was a thrifty addition to my kitchen decor.

And who can resist a beautiful white beauty like this in January?

My Strange Breakfast

I had minestrone for breakfast this morning.

It could be worse, right? I mean, there have been times when I've had a handful of chocolate covered craisins for breakfast, or a slice of cold pizza, or a handful of last night's popcorn, so minestrone is actually a good choice, right?

After all, I did resolve to eat more vegetables in 2011.

I made the minestrone for dinner last night. I cut a recipe out of a magazine years ago, and I've made it so often that I don't even follow the recipe any more. So I can't really share a recipe with you, except to say that it starts with onions, carrots and celery, salt and pepper, sauteed in some olive oil.

I add a small can of tomato paste and some chicken stock to deglaze the pot.

(Can I tell you a blogging secret? When I took the picture of the stock being poured into the pot, I had my eye to the camera viewfinder and sort of missed the pot. All that steam is the stock hitting the stove's burner. lol)

I add some red kidney beans and zucchini. Then I just let it simmer till it thickens. I serve it with pasta elbows, which I cook separately so that they do not get too soft.

So that's about it. Minestrone for dinner. And breakfast. :)

Mosaic Monday: 2011 Calendar

This is the second year I have done a calendar from the free Shutter Sisters templates. This year, I had some printed up as 5" x 5" prints at Mpix, and I'm offering a few in my etsy shop. I'm also keeping one to use. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, and it's very convenient to display on a bulletin or magnetic board. If you have Photoshop, go grab the template from Shutter Sisters and give it a whirl. It's so easy, and fun!

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for your words of encouragement yesterday. Your comments always make my day, but they are especially appreciated when I'm feeling a little apprehensive about the future. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

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.

1-1-11

Most years, I don't really get into the whole New Year's thing -- making resolutions, turning the page, choosing a word to guide my way... But this morning I woke up to a beautiful, warm and sunny day, and it just felt right to consider where I wanted to go this year and how to get there.

If I had to choose a word for this new year, as so many bloggers have done, I think it would be the word accomplish. There are so many things I have wanted to do, but have been afraid or, worse yet, too lazy to really try to do. But this year, I am making a conscious effort to change my drifting life, and really accomplish some of my goals.

And those goals are both big and small: exercise every day, eat more vegetables, paint my bedroom dresser, put up wainscoting in the kitchen, start a portrait photography business.

Start a portrait photography business -- yup, there's the one that scares the pants off me. I am so not a business woman. But I know that I'm smart, and if I just read and learn, I can find my way forward. I may need to make a trail, follow a path, without quite knowing what is over the horizon -- but sometimes a little faith is called for, no?

So that is what I'm going to do. Walk forward, with as much knowledge as I can find and a little bit of faith to guide me, and work toward accomplishing some of those goals.

Wish me luck!

*********

Don't forget to check out my giveaway, to see if you won!

*********

Are you ready for the first Mosaic Monday of the new year? The linky thingy will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time Sunday. Hope to see you there!