After the Storm

leftover rain drops welcomed Tuesday morning.

after 4 1/2 inches of rain in under three hours... 

*****

first day  back to work after our trip to Costa Rica.

conquering the "back to reality scramble."

*****

three cups of coffee.

a visit to the acupuncturist.

and lots of puppy love breaks.

bonus:  sitting on the patio with my Sunshine at Teo with coffee and oreo gelato.

*****

when is our next vacation?  

Strawberry Jam

It's Saturday. 

We walked the dogs to the park - me holding a cup of coffee and walking Noah ,

Josh working on training Cole to heel "all the time and not just when he wants to... which is never."

Brunched at Hillside Farmacy.

Stopped by the Farmer's Market to pick up Strawberry + Rose Petal Jam.

Josh made basil chicken, sweet potato, avocado, queso fresco, and summer squash "tacos" (we use huge lettuce leaves instead of tortillas these days).

Got my first roll of 35mm film back today.

About to brew another pot of coffee and blissfully zone out over the above mentioned film (see pix in last post).

Plans to dine at Elizabeth Street Cafe tonight... maybe grab a few macaroons... 

Hello Saturday. 
You are beyond amazing.

Happy Weekend!

xoxo

Smitten

First roll of film from my Yashica TL Electro camera.

Ok y'all.

I love polaroids.

But I may be a little smitten here.

*****

Happy Weekend!

Frameworthy

Left the frame on today.

Gen 2 Impossible Film - loving the tones.

*****

Weekend was filled with adventure

Film photo walk

Licha's Cantina

Yashica TL Electro

Agfa Optima III S

Juicebox

Long chats with dear friends

Perfect weather

Sweet pups

Rats

Ferrets

Laughter

Onyx Coffee 

Tree limbs falling on the house

New Printer

Roses

*****

Grateful for my friends.

xoxo

Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed

Breakfast of Champions - Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Muffins

My favorite at the moment.

I have one left... 

Planning on savoring every last morsel tomorrow morning.

Trying some new coffee brew too.

You know - gotta start the morning off right and make it great!

Oh.

I ordered two swimsuits today in preparation of our trip to Costa Rica.

Bikinis.

BUT.

I'll be wearing a short sleeved rashgaurd.

So almost like a tankini with short sleeves.

Hmmmm...

Did I mention I like muffins.

And I bought bikinis today?

Those don't really go together...

Gracefully at least.

Ahhh well.

*****

Hi May!

You're gonna be epic.

56 Degrees

Soooo my scanner kicked the bucket today and I had to use my iphone "scanner app" - which doesn't work so well in low, crappy lighting.

That's my excuse/ disclaimer for the poor polaroids above...

*****

So it's the end of April and it is currently 56 degrees this evening.

I'm by no means complaining.

Just find it funny.

Our crazy Texas weather.

It was pushing 90 degrees about three days ago.

C.R.A.Z.Y.

*****

In other news...

I haven't decided if I like the round frame on polos or not.

I've had a vicious migraine that lingered most of Monday, attacked with a vengence Monday evening, and has proceeded to linger some more all throughout Tuesday.

Blah.

On a brighter note...

We took a walk this evening to the dog park and got to enjoy the over cast skies and cool weather.

Noah was frisky like a two year old crazy puppy (ahem, Cole).

We all had pep in our steps - and the wildflowers are still blooming!

I bought a "new to me/ vintage" Yashica TL Electro X film camera and plan to take that out this week for some shooting....  

Did I mention I have slippers on and it's 56 degrees?!

Intoxicating Good

So for some reason my anxiety has resurfaced.

Probably due to health stuff going on, but either way, it sucks.

I've gained some weight because I'm stressed.

I'm dealing with eczema on my face.

It hurts.

It's raw.

Itchy.

Red and blotchy.

Each day I head out and always feel like I'm not all there... or that I'd rather be home hiding...

Acupuncture is definitely helping.

So is the cicada allergy drops (so gross but it's helping!)

I adore my skin products from Marble & Milkweed - they make my skin feel almost normal again.

Normal.

As if there ever where a normal.

My normal just means I can feel pretty again.

It sounds so superficial.

But seriously.

When you don't feel good about yourself it's hard to be confident in anything you do.

I also don't know why it's so hard to just walk the dogs every day.

Or practice yoga...

I enjoy both of those activities but it has been so difficult to find the motivation.

So I'm taking super tiny baby steps.

One day at a time.

Today I took 10 minutes and enjoyed warm chai tea,

and admired the jasmine vines growing along the front fence.

The smell.

Intoxicating.

Slightly overcast, a little breeze.

The dogs barking at the construction workers across the alley.

I know I can get better.

I know I can be healthy (loose the pounds).

I just have to keep taking those baby steps.

Just had to write this all down.

On a lighter note.

I'm so happy I'm shooting film again.

It's definitely light in my darker moments.

Hoping to look back upon this post and smile.

And give this sad gal a big hug and say, 

"You've got this - just keep your chin up - your prayers daily - and cherish those moments - 

make ALL those moments count toward something real and something good."

*****

Flutter

Circle Turtle Ranch in the Spring.

wildflowers.

butterflies.

blue skies.

shade trees.

worry free.

family gatherings.

southern living recipes.

home cooked meals.

rosemary lemon shortbread.

morning and evening walks.

story telling.

baking.

coffee.

all the grand pups.

good times.

genuine laughter.

*****

thankful for a weekend getaway with family and friends.

xoxo

Snapshots

Little snippets of the past week.

From rambling roses and blurry cupcakes, to coffee and fresh farm eggs.

One damn delicious chocolate cupcake...

I savored every last morsel... even thought about scraping the chocolate off of the wrapper!

Should I admit that?

*****

It's been feeling like Seattle lately, except for the humid mid-80s temperatures.

The sun keeps playing hide and seek with the clouds.

I'm sippin' on some Argus Ginger Perry (Pear Ginger Fizzy Adult Beverage).

Laughing about crazy Cole and his chewing fetish...

You know to the point of shredding not one, but two wayward balls that found themselves in our yard by the neighboring children.

Good deed for the week award goes to Josh for replacing the shredded nerf football and making a kid smile.

Brownie points for the exact nerf football replacement - color and all.

*****

Happy Sunday!

Garden Views

Still a work in progress, but my little herb garden is coming along quite nicely.

My handsome built the raised garden bed and then I got to work.

Lots of weeding, digging, dirt shoveling, and a couple of trips to the local Shoal Creek Nursery and "little herbz" were welcomed into our world.

I'm smitten.

Current plans for this new herbz garden are:

-  iron arbor and fence to the entrance to make it feel more "secret."

- lounge seats and vintage metal glider

- redefining this once lost back area of the yard and turning it into my yoga retreat and meditation spot, so the more zen the better...

-  some kind of water feature

- more tidbits to come soon!!

xoxo

PS - check out my new "in the round" impossible polo film - adds some extra whimsy to the traditional square!  

Close Your Eyes

First things I notice when I close my eyes.

birds.

mainly doves.

but there is this little song bird singing a happy tune to my right.

that happy tune must reflect on the day.

What a day!

I know you can't tell from the polaroid above, but the sky was magnificent!

When I open my eyes.

vibrant green leaves dot endless blue skies.

the little song bird - a mockingbird - copying tunes I'd imagine - but lovely none the less.

a twitchy squirrel casts unintelligible curse words at the dogs, while dangling from a tree branch safely beyond reach of Cole the known killer.

*****

Date night with my handsome this evening.

An ole' favorite wine - Syrah from Toulocay - to accompany.

We will dine under the twinkle lights tonight.

*****

xoxo

Spring Roses

The skies were brilliant blue today.

Big puffy clouds.

Fresh, bright green leaves on trees.

While on the road, it felt like a dream.

Like I was in one of those paintings.

The ones that show rolling hills, horizons for miles, and landscapes dotted with color.

*****

Our little rose bush is blooming.

Showcasing bold, fuchsia buds.

I brought one inside to adorn a little bud vase I purchased a while back from one of my fav local spots, Spartan.

Planning on only displaying my greenery & blooms in that little vase.

One of my current projects is a raised herb and flower garden.

My handsome fella built the raised bed.

So now I'm tending to soil and planning a layout.

I hope to include wildflowers and all kinds of culinary herbs.

My little secret garden, tucked in the far corner of the back of the yard.

*****

I stocked up on some fun polaroid film this past week.

My little SX-70 whispered that it missed spending time with me.

So I obliged with a whole heart to never let it feel so neglected again.

Which means...

More polaroids to share on my ole' blog!

I'll raise a glass to that.

Until next time...  (which will be in the very near future)

Adventure Before Noon

We hit the road at 6 AM.  Destination, Enchanted Rock.  Watching the sun rise over the Texas Hill Country is pretty spectacular to witness.  My polo film wasn't in its best form on this trip - the gusts of wind while hiking on "the rock" probably didn't help... oh and my neglect to check the exposure setting... I was kind of distracted.  Blue skies for miles, crisp cool air, wildflowers, the hubs, dog and myself on a family adventure.  Hello weekend, oh how I love you. 

Flower Dog

 A day at the park on a cloudy morning.  Dog in tow (or more like Human in tow), aimlessly strolling through the fields of wildflowers.