Love Letters

Its February, the month of love. My friend Ashley, is doing a photo contest over at Ramblings and Photos this month involving a love letter to her precious cat, Kitty Paw. The contest is open to interpretation, and I took some liberty with it.

Woody decided he needed to send one to Kitty Paw. Woody loves cats. He used to like to chase them. He's since discovered they are harmless. They are just little cuddly furballs, like him.

Dear Kitty Paw....

Love, Woody.

Speaking of love letters... JJ got a very cute valentine this year. A sweet little girl in his grade made him the most precious card. They say they were boyfriend and girlfriend last year, but she broke it off at the end of the year. I guess she still has feelings for him. She was too shy to give it to him herself, so her friend did. Its made out of construction paper, with hearts. It has a cute little poem on the inside. Oh.... melts my heart.

I asked JJ if he said anything to her. He kinda hesitated. I asked him if he at least said thank you. And he said he did, and she said you're welcome! Ahh... young love!

I remember my first love letter. I was WAY to shy to ever write one myself, but I got one from a boy in the sixth grade. He wanted to "go" with me. I avoided him like the plague after that. He was a bad boy and I knew my parents would never approve. Oh the guilt that ate me up for being so cruel. Shame...

Do you remember your first love letter?

Gasp! I won something...

A week or so ago, Ashley posted a giveaway over at Ramblings and Photos. She was giving away two, really cute, vintage hair clips. I feel like I'm in a hair rut. I change my mind everytime I go to the salon as to which style I want. Layers, no Layers, long, short... I think my stylist is beginning to hate me.

I entered the giveaway, which was easy. I already followed Ashley's Blog, so I left a comment about how cute the clips were. Well.... wouldn't you know I won one! And, the purple one at that! (Either the purple or the orange would have been fine with me, I love both colors equally... go tigers!)



As any good photography blogger should do. I took some photos of my new prize. Have you ever tired to take photos of yourself in a mirror, with poor lighting? Its HARD! No lie, I took at least 100 photos of myself. Most were out of focus, or way off the mark.

Case in point....





But, I did manage to come up with a few that were decent enough to share...









I also realized I could wear it not only in my hair, but as I decorative clip on my work ID badge.



Thanks Ashley for the great prize. I hope to get a lot of use out of it!

Trees

Ashley has chosen this weeks theme at Ramblings and Photos/ In a Yellow House as Trees. By trade, Gene is a Woodworker; by heart, he's an Arborist. He believes fully in the circle... if you use one, plant one back.

A few years ago, we travelled to California for a wedding. We stop at Muir Woods so Gene could revel in the tall trees. This was pre-DSLR days, but I love the sunflare through the trees in this photo.




If I don't know what to get Gene as a gift, I buy him a tree. We have all kinds of trees in our yard to celebrate different things. The tree they planted the day JJ's adoption was final, the tree from our first dating anniversary, as well as our first wedding anniversary. There is a live oak to symbolize my Charleston roots, plenty of Gene's favorites, Japanese Maples.

We even got engaged with a tree. Gene gave me the tree as a Valentines gift... he doesn't believe in cut flowers. We didn't get to planting it till a few weeks later. He used the guise that we would plant it on JJ's special day (his adoption day). JJ asked me to take his picture by the tree (which he helped plant),how could I say no to that! Here are some photos from that event:

JJ being silly (he was in on it)


JJ's really trying to hold it together (the grey speck above his head is the ring)


Gene trying not to blow up because I won't get the camera out of his face


After admiring the tree, Gene pulled me close, told me how much he loved me, and pulled the ring off the branch. I was floored. I had no idea this was coming (well I did, but I didn't). JJ danced around with excitement.

The newly engaged couple (JJ did such a great job with this)



The funny this about this tree is, about week after we got engaged I noticed a green ring had formed around the tree. I've never noticed it on any other tree before and I haven't noticed it since.



I'll say I'm a believer in signs. I took this as a good thing. A perfect circle. Like love, it has no beginning and has no end.

Arts-N-Crafts

I'm going out on limb here, going outside the box with this weeks, In a Yellow House/Ramblings and Photos challenge.

Ashley has selected arts and crafts for this week. Maybe because I love to show it, maybe because its hotter than hades right now and I would like some relief... I'm not sure what's possessing me to share this one.

This is our house, in the winter (of course!). It's Arts-N-Crafts style. We call it the Nungalow, or "New Bungle". Gene has worked like a dog renovating it and turning it into a master piece that Greene and Greene would envy (that's a pair of Arts N Crafts architects for those that aren't familiar :) ) Its still got a lot of work to do on it, but this is our forever house, so why not use all the time we have.



Hop on over to Ramblings and Photos to check out those that stayed in the box

On the Road

Ashley has chosen On the Road for this weeks In A Yellow House/Ramblings and Photos theme.
I'm excited because we are hitting the road tomorrow night. Gene has business to do in Nashville and JJ and I will be tagging along for one last Horrah! for the summer.

This is what Woody likes to do when he's on the road.



When you get in the car, he'll look at you, then the window, then you, then the window.. until you let it down and he can enjoy the wind upon his face. What a silly dog.

Sugar Footies!

I have tiny feet. I wear a size 6. Its usually the shoe on display. If its not on display, they usually don't have it. JJ and I are the same size now. He enjoys wearing my Rainbow flip flops. I've been tossing around the idea of giving them to him and getting me a new pair.

While perusing Ramblings and Photos, I saw Ashley had posted a new photo challenge, hosted by Mama and the Dudes. Her theme this week is feet! I don't have many photos of my feet, why would you? But, I did take one at the river this summer.

Here are my beautiful feet; complete with flip flop tan. (Serpent Great Toe and all... that's what Gene calls it, because it looks like a snakes head)

I'm particular about my feet. I don't like them being touched. I'm very, very ticklish. I've had one pedicure in my life and my MOH made me do it. It actually wasn't that bad, and I'm considering getting one again. Most of the time I do a craptastic job painting them myself.

I can't live without toe nail polish on. I think my feet look funny without it. Even in the winter I paint them. I change the colors up everytime. I have seasonal colors... mostly pinks and reds. I stay away from the funky colors.

Animal Kingdom

This weeks photo challege at In a Yellow House/Ramblings and Photos is animal kingdom.

I immediately thought of this photo when I read the theme




I love this photo! This cow (or Texax Longhorn as JJ would correct me), was a riot. He was trying so hard to reach what was in JJ's hand, but JJ was just teasing... he didn't have any food.

I also feel like the cow is sticking his tounge out and going: "Plllllbbbbbbbb" Nanny nanny boo boo.

Its just funny is it not? It needs a statement like and LOL cat right!

I'm from the country

This weeks In a Yellow House/Ramblings and Photos photo challenge is Urban. I don't have a lot of "urban" experience. I live in South Carolina. There aren't many major metropolis' here. That's what I think of when I think urban: NYC, ATL, big skyscapers, taxis, traffic, noise. We don't have much of that here.

So, I scavenged through the photo files, because I know I will NOT be any where urban in the next few days and came across my photos from our recent trip to Charleston. I immediately didn't think of Charleston as urban, but I think it would be considered Historic Urban.

I took this photo because Gene was fascinated with the wooden doors. I thought it was framed well. The dark would constrasting with the white stucco.

This as urban as the laid back Southern gal gets!