June 29 : What's in my bag

|| 1. sunglasses || 2. citronella mosquito repellant & balm || 3. Vaseline moisturizer ||
|| 4. Banana Boat sunscreen || 5. Advil || 6. umbrella || 7. bird guide || 8. binoculars ||

We took a short birding walk at Jetton Park today. It has nice trails, BBQ grills, a beach, lots of trees, mushrooms and birds to be found. I wish I was better at identifying bird songs and sounds. I couldn't really watch through my binoculars because I was holding on to the leash as well. Impatient little Scuffy always wants to be on the go. So, when I stop too long to try get a glimpse of a bird amongst the trees, he tugs repeatedly at his leash as if to say "Let's go, let's go, let's go Mama!"

What's in your bag today?

OMG is it July already?

Happy Friday, folks. July is just around the corner. Can you believe we're in the second half of the year?

This summer, we've got exciting plans lined up. We're headed to West Virginia in a couple of weeks with the family for a short getaway. Then come August, we're going to NYC, and for Labor Day we're going to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina!

I've also recently started PostCrossing after reading it about it on Debie's blog. I love getting actual mail. I used to own a stamp collection as a kid, and had several international pen-pals for awhile (such a nerd). Postcrossing is a nice cross between the two, without the long term commitment (i know, I'm terrible!)
Happy summer y'all!

Birding: June 20 - Cute little baby robin!

I was walking through our garden when I spotted this little fella' hidden amongst the leaves. I don't know what made me look, but I'd seen the mottled orange chest, and did a double take! A little baby robin, perched on a disused fence, looking a wee bit scared. I think it was learning to fly and perhaps was just taking a break when I spotted it. It then tried to sit very still, hoping and praying to its bird gods that I don't notice him.

And what did I do?

I stopped in my tracks, stooped down and started to talk to it. I mean, if someone were to see me, they'd probably think I was crazy, squatting amongst the trees, talking to myself. Actually, I just wanted to do encourage the little bird to fly. I was tempted to reach out and let it perch on my arm, like I did with those orphan starlings a year ago, but this little birdie didn't know me, and I shouldn't get too friendly too soon. And of course, in a minute, I heard its noisy Mama on a nearby branch, chirping and squawking, telling me to leave her baby alone.

I'll let nature do its thing. This little birdie will fly very soon. Good luck and fly safe!

June 15 : From Above -- A day in Blowing Rock

Taken from above in the mountains!
This past weekend, my friends and I made a trip to Blowing Rock for Art in the Park. For one Saturday each month, from May through October, the town of Blowing Rock hosts this event that showcases about 90 artists, featuring handcrafted jewelry, pottery, paintings, photography and more!





Here is a hummingbird mobile I found.
The birds are made of pinecones and leaves, how clever is that?!



A whole array of decorative (and possibly functional?) birdhouses,
dressed up with everyday objects like doorknobs and old license plates.



This is the painting I bought to dress up my plain white walls. It is a painting of magnolias,
for the magnolia trees that flank the sides of our house. I love it!



At the end of the day, we drove to Moses Cone Memorial Park to take an evening stroll in the park. It was such a beautiful day with skies so blue, we couldn't have asked for better weather!

I hope you had a great weekend!

June 12 : 11 O'clock

Currently reading : Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


Here's one thriller I really got into. It's so fast paced I cannot put it down! The last one that captured my attention was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not the whole series. Just the first one.

I'm doing a GoodReads challenge of 15 books this year. Not many, that's only about one a month. I'm giving myself some slack for the weeks I go without reading *die! Candy Crush!* But I'm halfway through. 7 books into the year. Add me on Goodreads so we can share some books and compare some notes! I love science-fiction / fantasy, historical fiction, as well as classics! On occasion, I veer over to the Bestsellers' list. Some authors I adore include Orson Scott Card (for his Ender series), Neil Gaiman, and Oscar Wilde.

What are you reading at the moment?

June 11 : Something funny

Here's a card I picked out for J's dad for Father's Day this year.

J's dad is a funny man, he says things like "Oh no, the Browns are going to the SuperBowl!" when he needs to use the bathroom. Or he turns abruptly to ask you "you know what?" And when you answer "What?" he says "I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy" totally dead-pan and serious. *Face palm*

I think J inherited a lot of that silliness and light-hearted banter that I love. He has certainly made me take myself less seriously, over the years that I've known him. It's pretty apt, because in my daily yoga reading, the entry today says
"The ability to laugh at yourself is a sign of mental health" (in a good way, i suppose!)

June 8 : An animal

For our friend's bachelorette party, we threw her a surprise painting party. There is a place in Charlotte called Painting with a Twist, where they hold painting classes. You pick a painting you like and they teach you how to paint it step by step. Our bride-to-be Jessica, loves peacocks, and her wedding colors are peacock-inspired hues of blues and purples. So this painting was perfect!



I can't wait for her wedding in August! It'll be in Binghamton, so J & I will head on down to NYC after! If you have places to see or restaurants to recommend, send them my way pretty please!

News from the garden : After the rain...

Since my next few photo-a-day entries revolve around the garden, I decided to compile everything into one post, to save you from the agony of my blog-bombing.




June 5 : Environment -- My garden of course.

Clockwise from top
| swiss chard | squash | herbs | mint |



Here's our very first squash blossom! Once they start blossoming, there's no stopping these plants! My marigolds are right next to them, and I'm so afraid they'll be overshadowed by the squash! My marigolds need plenty of sunshine!!





June 7 : Bright

My entry for today is our very first nasturtium! Did you know you can eat the flowers?
But after seeing the flowers, I don't think I can bring myself to eat them.
J is a little less sympathetic. This one he plucked right off and popped into his mouth. :(






June 9 : From down low

Somewhere on the ground, the Swiss chard is quietly growing.
I just love how Swiss Chard looks. Especially up close.
The hues, the patterns of the veins, the contrast of the yellows, greens and reds.





Then finally,
a very uninspiring picture of our harvested green beans.
But they do taste oh so delicious!

That's all folks!

June 4 : After dark ...

One of my favorite shows on TV right now ... So You Think You Can Dance! I just watched an audition tonight of a geeky looking guy that did an amazing contemporary audition piece! I thought he was going to embarrass himself horribly because of his goofy interview before his audition, but man, he wowed all the judges and every one else in the audience! Which reminded me again to never judge a book by its cover! The judges invited his dad to dance on stage with him, to which they were both very good sport and danced their hearts out! I wished I remembered his name, but if you watched the episode too, you'd know who I was talking about.

The other show I'm crazy about now is Gordon Ramsey's Master Chef! It's back again! I'm already forming opinions of the contestants and taking sides! It's amazing how these shows suck you in! I need to watch less TV!! What are you watching at the moment?

June 3 : On my Table...

My co-worker brought us some flowers from her daughter's wedding over the weekend! It was a small but colorful wedding with a tropical theme. They filled mini vases with gerbera daisies dyed in different colors as their table centerpieces. It was a small wedding so we didn't get to attend, but I can only imagine what fun it was! These flowers brightened my morning, and I was able to take on the rest of the hectic day!

June 2 : A moment ...

A moment, please. A moment of quiet and rest for our little Scuff-ster.

He's recuperating from a wild weekend of fun with the others at the farm. We were there around the same time last year (sans puppies), but it proved to be a little challenging this time, with 3 dogs and a cat all under one roof! Mayhem!

Which explains why he looks at the camera pleadingly, "Mama, no more pictures pleaseeee".

June 1 : B is for ..

Benny!

We now call him a myriad of names like Ben-Ben, Benny-Foo-Foo, Benjamin, Benjy, Mr. Benergy. I'm surprised he responds to all of them. He has been with us for a week now because his family is currently at Disney World in Florida. This past weekend we took him to the in-laws' horse ranch, and he's had a ball. We chased chickens, romped around with other doggies, terrorized a newborn stray kitty, and challenged a pony. Benny is going to be called the Dare-devil next.

May 31 : Four things...

Four things growing in our garden
Clockwise from top left
| little tomatoes | cabbage | kohlrabi | snow peas |

And there's more stuff growing in our yard, in case you missed the previous entry.

Actually, I lied. The cabbage is grown by our neighbor. I slipped that in the collage because I wanted to show you how fantastic of a farmer he is!!
Plus, he gave us that particular cabbage, so now I can make my favorite cole slaw!




And P.S. this is June's Photo A Day Challenge. Join me on Instagram @mrsjrizzle !!

May 29 : Kiss!

A kiss for my favorite munchkin! Although, he certainly looks reluctant in this picture.
I hope you gave your loved one a kiss today!

May 28 : What I'm doing now ...

We found our forgotten hammock, dusted it off and looked for a place in the yard to hang it up. It's perfect for the summer, and what better way to relax after a hard day's work of weeding in the garden??

J & I got this hammock in Mexico. We were in one of those touristy craft markets where they sold wooden whistles to masks to beautiful hammocks. And a hammock is what we got. Apparently these are hand woven. I chose this one for its rainbow colors!

May 27 : Can't live without...

Coffee. What else?

This is terrible, I tried quitting coffee over the Memorial Day weekend and failed miserably. Caffeine headaches are THE WORST!

A friend recommended Lavender tea, it apparently helps ease the headaches. I have yet to try. Does anyone have a tried and tested way to quit caffeine??