rainy sundays

it was the kind of weekend where roast in crock pots and chili dogs on a sunday night feel so right. not much was accomplished but so much really was. i tried to get out and about today to shoot downtown but the rain was not very cooperative. but i thought you may enjoy a few of these.









and one sooc - just for georgia....

your chance!

september 1st is the deadline for people that want to join our shot a week group. the group name is: lens.us.together so be on the lookout for more information as we finalize some details. i'm also creating a private flickr group so we can share for any flickr users out there.

the last time i checked, it looked like about 30 people joined so far which makes about two weeks each to come up with themes or challenges. i'm excited about it.

currently, we plan on making everyone in the group contributors to the blogs so you can add photos weekly, as well as link back to your blog and share your thoughts about your photographs. i'm going work on the list to see if i have the name, blog and e-mail addies of everyone interested and will update the blog as i get that together.

get the cameras ready folks - it's going to be a blast!

and remember - it's not about being anything snazzy or professional. it's a chance to have fun, learn and share. :) i think we will all laugh, have fun and enjoy this. as dorothea lange said (and i paraphrase) - the camera doesn't matter, it's the artist.

remember, it's not wolfgang puck's pots that make him a great chef, it's the chef that creates the recipe.

red sky at dusk

driving deep in thoughts - thinking - pondering - wondering. i look up and the world is aflame with deep reds, purples and blues. the clouds formed layers overlapping and fighting for room. much like the jumbled thoughts flowing forth - an illustration - a path - going my way (i hope)

city lights, wires - trip wires - danger zones of too much worry. stop. convert to twinkle lights of comfort - flickering, beckoning.

man

i had this long post that was oh so very witty about my day yesterday but blogger ate it. dang blogger. here's a short summery

5:30 - wake up, shower, dress
5:50 - oldest niece wakes up, doesn't want to go to school
6:00 - watch ten minutes of disney
6:15 - start trying to get oldest niece dressed, start waking up baby
6:30 - dressing both ensue, chase baby around to put bow in hair
7:00 - breakfast stop, crying over spills, etc.
7:30 - drop off at school
8:00 - drop off at day care
8:30 - go to hospital to wait on brother (minor surgery, no worries - sister in law had to be out of town for work - unavoidable)
1:30 - take brother home, drop off rx to be filled, relax for a bit
2:30 - pick up script
3:00 - oops, timed that wrong - go get coffee
3:30 - pick up nephew, oh great - rain begins
3:45 - pick up youngest niece
4:00 - pick up oldest niece - of course i leave id in car and have to tromp back in the pouring rain with the crying baby before i can pick her up
5:00 - get back to house, children hungry, need car that is at hospital
5:30 - pick up car, children decided what they want for dinner
6:00 - pick up mcd's for children and soup for daddy, get back home, sil in arrives

go home, tired as you know what and with a new found appreciation for mommies. you all are incredible. hopefully this will post and i can catch up with you all.

it seems

part of the reason i love blogs (and blogging) is the old fashioned, standing at the fence type talking it hearkens back to. long before there were blogs, cell phones, texting, twittering, and all the electronica that seems to eat up our lives - there was standing at the fence chatting - taking a pie to the neighbor's house visiting - listening on the party line curiosity - dancing at the grange hall saturday nights and the sunday dinner catch up.

i would fancy all of you coming over for a glass of ice tea on the porch, bringing a dish for sunday dinner, or sitting up playing cards until all hours of the night. that's just the kinda girl that i am. but, miles separate us. duties, obligations, other things pull at us and sometimes unravel us. but i'm always happy when you come back around.

i'm not scared to admit that life has been tough the past few years - mom being sick and then passing away. me being laid off and moving back home. but, in all of that there have been very beautiful things. i've reconnected with a part of myself that i had forgotten - the homemaker, the cook, the aunt, the sister. not that i didn't feel that way before but there is an intensity to it now.

and as i sit and look outside this large paned glass window, life is laid out before me. a woodpecker sits sunning in the chinaberry tree, bees flit in front of the window and the sun is filtering through the leaves as they blow in the wind. just when i think life sucks, i find the strength to cling onto it like the last rock before the cliff. it's not easy - there are days i really hate myelf - which is foolish because if i truly controlled my life (as i'm wont to try to convince myself that i do) i would never push along to this point. so, the truth (to me) is that the illusion of control is so very faint really. we're not in control - we try to make ourselves drive the bus - but, it's rolling along quite well without any brakes most times. the best we can do is grab hold of the steering now and again.

and ... enjoy the happy times when they come along. that's the gift.

what feels like fall may be temporary

we've set record lows around here - the mornings are beautiful and i feel myself just wanting to sit under the tree and read. but i can't, i've been busy working on a small contract, being a carpool auntie and applying for more and more jobs (it seems some are finally opening back up *fingers crossed*.) before, i forget - a fellow "char" interviewed me for tell all tuesday. peek over there and tell me hi. (ps - check out her blog for the spectacular, gorgeous, insanely beautiful mural just completed in the bathroom. i so want one for mine!!)



i went back to the farm to try and take better pictures of the sunflowers but the wind was still blowing like crazy. but it was fun to see them lined up, greeting us and waving their pretty blonde heads. the honey bees were very happy to see them too.



cosmos were scattered around the property - looking like drunken ladies who have fallen on the way home. huge monarch butterflies along with some yellow beauties wove in and out of the flowers while bees droned from bloom to bloom. i wanted to investigate closer but my sister warned snakes have been sighted. nothing makes me scream more like a silly girl than snakes. even when they're not poisonous. silly. scream. very silly.

shhhhh (she said "just one")

this is my sister. she's shy like me...not really, but we're both shy about photographs. i think we get it from our mom - she hated photographs too. my sister is so much my mom made over, it's really funny. but, she's also very saucy and sassy. and has the most gorgeous eyes. honest. she does.

saturday doings

i took some photographs yesterday of my pretty, pretty sister - with a couple, we squealed like little girls because we were happy. we learned the trick to portraits is to let the personality shine through. she's rather sassy and saucy that girl. i'm not sharing yet because she hasn't given me permission. and believe me, i don't want my sissy mad at me.

so, i will instead leave you with some shots of the gorgeous property she manages. i think i'm going back today so i can focus on the flowers. yum.

on the streets of miami

from some past lunch shots you may have figured out that i'm a sandwich girl. one of my all time favorites is a cubano - it takes me back to fun memories of miami, u2 and my friend mellie. miami is a different world - it makes me wish, as i often do, that i was born in the forties so i could still take a trip to havana. in miami, there are churros freshly fried and delish, sold in brown paper bags for a dollar. in miami there are ocean breezes scented with coconut oil, spicy peppers and heritage. this is a signature lunch in miami (well, except the antipasti would be replaced by plantain chips.)

in miami this sandwich is served on sweet, rich, dense cuban bread and is heated via pressing. it seems i can't find cuban bread in montgomery - french baguettes work well, but i had a couple flour tortillas left over from dinner the other night and i gave it a whirl.

so...the southern cubano (charlane style)
1 flour tortilla
3-4 thin slices a ham of choice
3-4 thin slices roast pork (available in the deli section)
3 (to taste) dill pickle slices
2 slice swiss cheese
mustard (i didn't use it because i don't like it, but traditional cubans use it)

lay tortilla flat (cover with a thin coat of mustard if desired) and half cheese slices, lay them to cover tortilla but not overlapping. then place ham and pork slices to cover the cheese. layer in pickle slices. slowly roll tortilla to ensure all sandwich makings stay inside (i used the cheese as a guide).

spray pan with pam (or another non-stick cooking spray, or butter if you're feeling decadent) and heat pan. place sandwich in pan, seam side down. press using either a spatula, or if you have one handy - another iron skillet. (i keep meaning to wrap a brick with tinfoil as that works nicely.) once browned, flip carefully and press again.

it was yummy.

nathan...did we have chemistry together?

today i got a little e-mail from classmates dot com telling me that two friends had signed my guestbook and if i wanted to see who they were, i needed to fork over the dough. seeing the list of classmates that have registered and the timing, it was easy to figure out the puzzle without spending the money. i looked at photographs of classmates and saw the fuzzy lines and changed shapes of faces over the years. these people are just names now that used to be in my yearbook.

i look and only one person that i used to hang out with is in the list with me. i, along with other friends, ran the streets of montgomery in a little orange maverick that mary drove. we had good times.

now my nephew goes to the magnet school in the old neighborhood. the one that i used to ride with my friends. the baskin robins where we had ice cream is gone. the church where beverly got married is now a day care (excuse me, child learning center). ted's house we carelessly decorated with toilet paper now belongs to someone else, the bricks slowly falling in the front.

my nephew stands on the playground talking to his friends while the car pool line crawls slowly. waiting for the kids to notice we're there. taking care not to honk the horn and call attention to the parental units waiting. he's laughing and talking. his dark hair being ruffled by the wind (or his friends). slowly he turns as i wait. he's growing way too fast but yet he seems so very small.

he dashes to car - 'sorry, sorry' as he knows i've waited a bit. i pretend to be irritated but we laugh. he turns up the volume on the radio. we like to listen to the comedy station as we drive. laughing together at some jokes...me flipping the radio suddenly if they're a bit inappropriate. it's a good time really. i'm glad i got to do this - it makes up a bit for the losses i've had this year. it's all part of the little pieces of happiness we all seek for ourselves.

this is a part of his landscape now. the things he will remember - the brightness of the sun - the heat of the pavement - the leather seats in my car and hopefully, laughter. plenty of laughter.

sunflowers by the hour

i went a bit crazy with sunflowers last week . . . they are not really new territory for me. the bad thing about the south is we get spring early and that sometimes summer drags along into fall. the flowers are mostly bloomed out and it's too early for fall leaves and mums. i know, did i just hear a collective sigh?

i have some new projects today that i have to take care of - like real work stuff. so, i have to bee a good girl and get started. here are a few shots from last week. (hope your week is off to a good start - xo)

rockin' saturday on the front porch

today was 'd' day - meaning my brother and i picked today to de-flea the basement, the cat and the dogs. have i happened to mention that my cat is a tasmanian devil (the cartoon, not the real animal) when he's kenneled. okay, thought so but wanted to reinforce that image.

step 1:: bright and early - take the dogs to the vets for a special bath. they get excited - they love the special attention. check.
step 2:: buy foggers and tape up access from basement to upper floors. prepare front porch for three hour habitation. books, box fan, extension cord, new issue of real simple (the one with the dreamy purple bag), water, kitty food and water. check.
step 3:: capture the cat. surprisingly easier than i thought it would be as he was ready for his morning kibble and sitting on the top of the steps. he slid easily into the larger dog kennel. check (whew!!)
step 4:: turn off the pilot light (no ka-booms for us please) and activate the foggers. shut the doors and enjoy a morning on the porch. *thinks to self - wow, this is going really well.* ha.
step 5:: brother asks if i'm going to be ok - yes, yes i am. he deserts me with the cat. the cat begins a mournful meow. clearly he thinks he's related to elsa the lion. (you know you started humming 'born free') i cheerfully fill a bowl with cold, clear water and fill his dish with morning kibble. he nibbles and stares accusingly. i turn on fan. then i suddenly think *i have to pee.*
step 6:: sit back, prop up feet and still think, *this is okay*. cat glares reproachfully. meows become louder and more pitiful. i murmur loving tidbits of kitty loving.
step 7:: for the first hour there is a back and forth conversation consisting of meows and 'yes, yes, i know - i'm a bad mommy.' suddenly the kennel starts vibrating like the shipping crate containing the tasmanian devil on bugs bunny. claws are clinging to the front gate as i imagine him rattling the tin cup against the prison bars. i look in the kennel - oh dear, food and water are everywhere.
step 8:: i take the emergency towel (in case i had to go in the house it was intended to be a redneck gas mask.) i timidly open the kennel door and try to mop up the water that smells faintly of salmon. ick. he takes the opening and tries to squeeze last me. we wrestle briefly as i close the door. he glares some more.
step 9:: completely bored. book is predictable and the magazine is read. cat glares more as he sits pearched on the driest spot in the kennel, the towel.
step 10:: hours pass....wait, it was minutes.
step 11:: brother returns and declares it safe to go inside.
step 12:: we attempt to clean the cat with poor results and a few scratches. clearly cat hates smelling like a baby's heinie. *sigh* we apply the neck medicine against fleas and attempt to spray him to get the current ones. yeah. not fun.
step 13:: we release cat back into wild where he immediately flies for the nearest closet. i'm sure he's plotting my demise. possibly tonight.

i want the good, the bad, the happy and the sad - i want it all

it was one of those days . . . you know?

good: decided to make a poundcake - turned on oven - got phone call to set up a phone call. turned off oven. already sold a print from the shop update yesterday.
bad: position still not open (but, i did get an opportunity for two small jobs for some money - so kinda good). started making cake - didn't have enough eggs. had to go to the store. came home, finished the cake and put it in the oven. oven no longer heats up. time to go get nephew. as i'm leaving, other nephew called - he's locked out.
good: enjoyed the ride with oldest nephew and we laughed at the same jokes. came by the house and picked up cake batter and took it to my sister's oven to bake. youngest nephew pronounces it is 'da bomb.'
bad: summer in the south produces high number of fleas - as a result dogs and cats have fleas. must de-flea animals and house tomorrow. BOO

but that's life, right? ups and downs - good in the bad and sometimes bad in the good. i hope your day weighed in on the good majority.

definitions

emerson defines success as:
:: to laugh often and much;
:: to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
:: to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
:: to appreciate beauty;
::to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
:: to know one life has breathed easier because you lived;
:: this to have succeeded.

i keep this in a frequently used journal as a reminder. i think emerson is pretty much dead on about most of his advice. practical, down to earth and nothing fancy about it.

i've written and erased so much more here. it seems i can't get my head wrapped around it all (in a good way). so i will end on this note.

p.s. i've updated my etsy shop for anyone interested.

the king in search of a throne

i saw elvis today - driving a black cadillac through the streets of montgomery. he took a left onto atlanta highway, heading north . . . in a semi related story, a toilet was abandoned on the side of adrian lane without a lid - i'm not sure how it made it's escape but it's waiting for you if you need it.

*smile*

the dog days of summer have settled in with heat, humidity and afternoon thunderstorms but, as the summer slides into a comfortable lead i see little signs of fall. the acorns growing on the oak tree, the longer shadows, and children laden with larger than life backpacks. august melts into september who then floats on to october . . . don't you dare say christmas will be here before we know it.

seven, lucky seven

psst - check it out...i'm over here too.

there are times in the blog world that you meet new and fun people from across the miles, across the oceans and across the hemispheres. meeting toni from little suitcase was a delightful surprise. she has an easy manner that appeals to me, whether it's picture taking, quilting, her family, or cooking - she reads so calm and relaxed that it makes me happy. so, she sent along this little award - since i've had a long day crafting with one of my nieces and playing carpool mommy, i will take the easy way out and play along with this meme. no tags because generally everyone hates tags lately. play if you like to....or not.

i wonder what i haven't already told you....
:: i was in the court for my senior year military ball - i didn't win queen because it was based on who raised the most money. but it was fun to walk in the lead out under the crossed sabers. i was running a 103 fever that night, but i wasn't going to miss the dance.
:: i have three main doodles that i doodle whenever i'm in a meeting - cube/boxes, flowers, and capital cursive l's. over and over - up and down the sides of the notepad. i'm sure some therapist could make something out of that happening but i'm not sure why i do it.
:: i got married instead of going to college and always regretted that i didn't have the typical college experience with other people my age; however, i deeply believe because i waited to go to college that i appreciate it more.
:: when i was five i told my grandmother that she wasn't a 'real' grandmother because she wore red fingernail polish.
:: i'm a star trek geek and have seen every movie with all the varied casts. i remember going to one alone and being the only woman in the theater.
:: my love life motto is 'if that's the way that you want it, that's the way i want it more' - can you name the song?
:: i grew up loving television - it was always on in our house. instead of thinking it numbed my brain, i think i picked up a lot of interesting tidbits of knowledge and trivia - not everything i watched was trash. i can also sing all the words to 'i'm just a bill (up on capital hill)'

so there is my list, if the people above choose to play along, they will need to...
:: post the logo of the blog love token
:: thank and link to the person who passed it on to them
:: list seven things about themselves
:: pass the token on to seven other bloggers (and leave comments on their blogs to let them know they have been loved).

just the ticket

inspired by julie and julia, i knew i had to try something new and different today. this recipe was in the august 2009 real simple and i thought it would be the perfect summer light supper. i usually try a recipe once the way it's written to get a feel for the flavors and then i start 'tweaking' to our individual tastes. tonight my brother and sister agreed to be the experimental subjects as we watched the movie 'defiance'(by the way - the movie was great - definitely put it in your netflix cue.)

Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons sour cream
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1/4 small cabbage (8 ounces), shredded
* 1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears)
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
* 8 small flour tortillas, warmed

i'm proud to report i used a mandolin for the first time and . . . no fingers were damaged. (victory dance) if you have one of those nifty gadgets, it makes this recipe so much easier! or, you can just buy the pre-shredded angel fine cabbage shreds at the grocery. it being summer and cabbage is so cheap at the market, i went for the whole head. warning: if you haven't handled fresh jalapenos before, the majority of the heat is in the rib membrane and seeds. so slice the pepper lengthwise and clean to your taste. if you like a bit of heat, leave in a few seeds. (i'm a whimp)

corn is also cheap and so sweet right now (though the frozen is very handy and very easy to use). clean it well and slice off the cob. now toss the cabbage, peppers and corn together. in a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, orange juice, lime juice and then season it to taste with the salt and pepper.

this is important: do not dress the slaw (mix the sour cream mixture and cabbage mixture) too long before using. the high acidic mixture of the dressing will wilt the cabbage and you will want all that crunchy goodness in the tacos for texture.

heat the olive oil in a nice heavy skillet and stir in the deveined and peeled shrimp. luckily, we're close enough to the gulf to get beautiful wild caught alabama shrimp. it cannot be said enough - get wild caught whenever possible. if you can't get that, just use the flash frozen stuff from the grocery - it's better than the stuff you get in the grocery fish market which has been frozen twice and has practically no taste. (don't hate - appreciate *grin*) continue stirring the shrimp until they turn pink and are no longer opaque. warm your tortillas, dress the slaw, and spoon a generous dollop over the shrimp. yummmmmmmmmm! - goes great with beer or a nice crisp wine.

my brother doesn't really care for cabbage much, so to appease his appetite, i also made another recipe from real simple for his shrimp. it is easy peasy lemon squeezie.

Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa
Ingredients
* 1 cup chopped fresh or canned pineapple (about 4 ounces)
* 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
* kosher salt

i picked up a smallish container of fresh pineapple, already chunked so all i had to do is chop it into smaller bits and use part of the previously chopped pepper from the slaw. the recipe says one teaspoon of lime juice, but basically i halved a lime and squeezed the juice over the pineapple-pepper mixture. and, the kosher salt makes all the difference in the world. the flavor it brings to the sweet acid of the pineapple and the mild heat of the pepper is perfection.

all-in-all, a very successful supper. the next time, i think i will chop up a few cherry tomatoes into the pineapple salsa and serve it over grilled chicken. doesn't that sound delish?

expectations

expectations can be a dangerous thing. often they set us up for failure as rarely can something meet what high expectations we set. either for ourselves, someone else, something else.... of course, i don't want to go the other way - which is expect nothing so you will never be disappointed, right?

anyway - all of that is much too deep for such a glorious saturday morning. my heart is happy (my unemployment benefits were extended - very unexpectedly) and i'm going to make the most of the day. i went to see julie and julia last night with a dear friend - loved the movie - it exceeded my expectations. it made me love meryl streep and stanley tucchi even more than i already did.

it also inspired me to cook something different tonight. so i'm off to buy fresh ingredients with the same joy that julia shopped the french markets. i may chortle just like her in joy. hope you do too.

oh...what's for dinner? well you will see later.

a wider angle

this week, in addition to playing with my tripod, i forced myself to 'see' a bigger picture than i normally do. if you notice a lot of my photography, i like the details. the tiny bits and pieces that make up the overall subject. i wonder why that is?

you see, according to mr. meyers and mr. briggs (why do i assume they were men) i'm a judger. now before you scoff - not that kind of judge-y mcjudger - but the kind of person that gets bored completely to death if you go into long, intimate details about anything. basically i want the 'big picture'. tell me what i need to know - tell me what you need me to do - tell me where you want to end up. i'm your girl. maybe that's why martha stewart makes me crazy...seriously. i can't make any of her recipes because i feel like i've failed if i didn't garden, process and then cook it myself. but...as usual, i digress.

so, in light of that - why do i like the teeny tiny? so - i wanted to explore that through the eye of my lens. compose on the wider scheme of things. who knows - maybe it will help look beyond myself.

scattered, smothered and covered

no, not hash browns from waffle house...(though they sound rather tasty) today i listened to a lot of radio as i drove to and from birmingham. i went today to take a 'personality' test - my friends and i have been laughing saying they were going to see if i have one. (ha) but it was an interesting test - not unlike others i've taken in the past. the tests always try and validate your answers over and over so it will be interesting to see what strengths and weaknesses are displayed once my results are in.

as always, part of the test asked me to describe me as my friends see me, as i see me and as an employer sees me. always interesting yes? then i read the always lovely susannah's blog and it made me think too. our friends love us despite our flaws, often the love we feel for ourselves is conditional and sometimes spotty or discounted, and then well, few employers really love 'us' but instead love the work that we do. so, the images that came to me were varied as i struggled to answer the question.

then, susannah posed the question - would you love you if you met you? of course, i think most people would answer that question yes. right? and if yes is the answer - then i ask the question, if we like ourselves (or even love ourselves) then why sometimes do we hesitate to treat ourselves better or not forgive ourselves? and i have read your blogs so, i know okay? so, be real.

the other question i have - do you have a different work personality than you do 'home' personality? of course there are professional limitations - we can't be all crazy...but, at work i can be pretty driven and sometimes aloof when i'm crunching on a project. totally opposite of my home personality when i'm laid back and chatty. just stuff running through my brain.

but...the most fun i had to day was going to the gardens - oh how i missed them. today it was hot as hades and humid. (typical southern weather - hot, steamy and sometimes stormy) as i walked into one of favorite sections of the gardens (the reflecting pool) i absolutely gasped. i had forgotten how gorgeous the water lilies an be and this year, they are even more glorious than last year. so i went sort of crazy...snapping that is. here are a few edited so far...







and in case lilies are not your thing...

too much to think

the pugs were boarded this weekend while we were away - they came back all sassy and clean (don't they look happy?) funny how you can miss animals, isn't it?

today i tried to go for a ride but it seemed even on a country road, there was always someone behind me...and if they saw my camera, they feel invited to make comments. *sigh* i did find a cool place for a portrait session.



and a sea of susans smiling brightly at me.



i wish i had more to say, but i will wrap it up here. have a wonderful night - steal kisses wherever you can and smile for no good reason (just to see if you can make someone else smile)

happiness is a shelter in the storm

amazing weekend really. amazing. this weekend, for the first time in like forever my entire immediate family had a spend the night party at the lake. we cooked together, laughed together, dried baby tears, slept, and got caught in the rain. and i didn't take my camera. on purpose. that's right. on purpose.

and because i can't drink it in deep enough for find enough words to tell you about the love that fills my heart tonight:

:: baby curls, "come on", mockingbird, sleepy on the boat, sweet kisses
:: lioness hair, m&m thief, dolphin/mermaid swimmer, giggler, lollypop biter
:: intrepid boatrider, swimmer, brown as a berry, skittle eater, sleepyhead
:: the cusp of child and adult, tube rider, helper, hot wing eater, game player
:: nurturer, funny, cautious, cuddler, exotic-named, love you - mean it
:: strong, caretaker, PETE!!!, babytoter, boathand, driver, quiet man
:: baby bro, wrapped daddy, giver of airplane rides, captain, safety man
:: momma, sweetness and glamor girl entertwined, funny, champagne

all wrapped up in delish memories of hot wings and omelettes (not at the same time), boat rides, patio sitting and raining watching. there were a thousand shots i could have taken (and part of me wishes that i did) but i have them all snapped in my mind.