Like a Broken Umbrella

I've moved. . . .

2010-08-02T10:24:00.001-07:00

It's official. . . I'm switching over to Wordpress. You can find all of my awesome photos and witty banter here: http://likeabrokenumbrella.wordpress.com/

Une tasse de cafe

2010-07-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a little old world charm while enjoying a cup of coffee and a bite of tiramisu (in a cold shop) on a hot summer afternoon.

You Capture - Play

2010-07-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

What you see before you is hours of play in the making. That, my friends, is my new Toddy. It is busily brewing away a pound of coffee. . . turning it into concentrated caffeine, play inducing heaven.

To see more pictures of play in the works. . . check out You Capture!

Home

2010-07-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was walking through my bedroom over the weekend, and noticed the sun shining just so on this piece of baseboard, and it hit me all over again. I have a house! With baseboards! It's such a happy, content feeling, so I spent some time walking around taking photos of home, and thinking about how peaceful it all is.

Quilts drying on the line outside. . .

A plant enjoying some sun. . .

Sandwich fixings on the kitchen counter. . .

And the baseboard. . . in the house. . . our house. . .

Black and White

2010-07-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

For more Black and White Photography, check out You Capture at:

Because working 8 hours isn't enough. . .

2010-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like going to work for 8 hours and then deciding to go home and whip up a batch of pepper jelly. The things that we do for family. . .

Pepper Jelly

1 bell pepper, chopped fine

4 decent sized jalepenos, chopped fine (about 1/3 c.)

1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

6 c. sugar

6 oz. Certo (or other brand) liquid pectin

Place peppers in a large pot with vinegar and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and add the pectin. Spoon into 1/2 pint jars. The recipe should make between 6 & 7 jars (i.e. enough to share, if you have to). And, always remember to sterilize your jars properly! Safety first.

Silence is Golden

2010-07-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Proof that for at least five seconds, everything was quiet, and everyone was happy.

Vehicles. . . Whew!

2010-07-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

For a little while, I wasn't sure that I could actually take a worthwhile photo of vehicles. How. . . uninspiring to me. . . I thought that I had missed my only chance when I drove past an old, parked tow truck designed to look like Mater from Disney's animation, Cars. (Trust me, the only reason I skipped out on that photo was because it was 110 degrees outside, and I was dressed and on the way to my brother's wedding.)

But then, life happened, and I kept my eyes open, and I finally got them!

Check out more vehicles on Beth's blog, You Capture:

Happy (Belated) Fourth of July

2010-07-06T06:48:00.001-07:00

America. . . and the American Dream

2010-07-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Dream:

The Dream fulfilled:

Check out more posts about America here:

Old Quilting Buddies

2010-07-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

For last week's You Capture theme, Down Low, I took a picture of the treadle on Granny's sewing machine. . . this week, the theme is chairs, and as I'm still obsessed with quilting, and family, and traditions, I decided to post this picture. The chair is an old cowhide chair that's been in the family for eons. And, the cushion on the chair is one that my Maw-Maw quilted. I inherited it when she and Paw-Paw moved into the nursing home this year. They don't have any now, but when I was growing up, every chair in her house was covered with a quilted cushion very similar to this. It gives me the warm fuzzies every time that I see it.

Get Down Low. . .

2010-06-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was thinking, for a while, that I wouldn't get around to doing this week's theme on you capture. But, I finally got around to lowering my old, weary, aching bones down to the floor. Birthdays always make you feel decrepit, don't they? Anyhow, this is what I found.

Actually, that makes it seem accidental, when really I thought carefully about the photo for almost five days before I got around to taking it. I've been on this sewing/quilting kick lately, so a close up of the treadle on my granny's old sewing machine seemed like just the thing. I'm trying to focus on appreciating the machines that I have in my house, instead of the idea of buying an old one that I found while thrifting this weekend. . .

Around Town

2010-06-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

There's not a whole lot that goes around in small towns, so when the buildings suddenly start to grow appendages, it suddenly seems noteworthy.

Just hope that you don't get sick at the library

2010-06-24T11:37:00.001-07:00

Ah, mercurochrome. . . .

The Breakfast of Champions

2010-06-22T07:29:00.001-07:00

As the crazy patrons chuckle maniacally just outside my office door, I close my eyes and enjoy another taste of heaven.

Vietnamese Coffee Jello (adapted from That Winsome Girl's recipe)

2 packages unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. water
2 c. strong coffee
1 can (14 oz.) condensed milk

Mix the 2 packages of unflavored gelatin in a bowl with the 1/2 c. water. Let this sit while you brew 2 c. of strong coffee. My favorite has been with 2 c. of espresso, but the french press also works well (with 8 T. coffee per 2 c. water). Mix the hot coffee with the gelatin until it is completely dissolved. Add in the can of condensed milk and mix well. Refrigerate.

The original recipe can be found here: http://thatwinsomegirl.blogspot.com/2010/04/coffee-jello.html

I want to play along too

2010-06-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

It took several weeks before I decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. . . and what it really comes down to. . . is my desire to have an assignment, a reason to take more photos.

And, fortunately for me, I found it.

This week. . . . water. I moved into my first home this winter, and was surprised and delighted to find out that it came with a Mimosa tree. My favorite. It's even more my favorite in the rain. . .