You Capture - Farewell to a teapot

Wednesday, February 25


I just found out about the You Capture - photography challenge over at I should be folding laundry. The challenge is to take a picture of something you love without using a flash. This is a great assignment because I really don't like using my flash and I already had the perfect shot ready to go. A couple weeks ago I found my teapot in the garage and was excited to be brewing up some tea to go with our Thai take out when I discovered it was chipped. So sad, because although we didn't use it every day, Kevin and I really liked this little pot we found during a visit to Chinatown in San Francisco the summer of '96 (the year we got married). It has served us well and we'll miss it. I couldn't bear to throw it out - maybe it could be a suitable flower pot. One good thing is that the pot and it's six tiny matching tea cups cost us less than $10.

Macro Monday?

Monday, February 23

I was looking at Sydney's bike sitting on the patio last week and wanted to get a shot of the streamers before they all fell off. Not sure if this is really a macro, I'm no professional and please don't tell my Canon S5 IS that it's not an SLR. I have this macro button on my camera that I have to use if I want it to focus on anything closer than about six inches from the lens.

Was that there yesterday?

Thursday, February 19

Yesterday? Yes. Last week? No. They finished the first floor walls in one day. Check out my new fence!

I thought I took more pictures between these two shots, but I guess there were just too many workers around. The second floor wall went up the next day and then they spent two days on the roof. This picture makes it look a lot bigger than my house, I think it's partially the angle and it's closer to the sidewalk. It is taller though and I had to show the one with the blue sky since it's rare this time of year.

Photographer on wheels

Wednesday, February 18

Sydney just had to go out and take pictures with her new digital camera. While skating of course. When we were at the rink a few weeks ago, a fellow photographer and preschool mom, commented that I was either brave or crazy for skating with my camera. Mostly crazy I think.

Monkey see monkey do!
This afternoon we found spring.

Macro Monday

Monday, February 16

Happy Valentine's Day!

Saturday, February 14

Hope you enjoy this little song.

"Why does my arm feel so long?"

Friday, February 13

I thought this post would be titled, "The Second Place Color is....", but when we went to the fracture clinic yesterday we were pleasantly surprised. We thought Kyla would be getting a new, below the elbow cast. First they used that special saw to cut through the old cast.
Then they pried it open.

And her arm was free! Here she is trying to straighten her elbow after 3 weeks of immobility.

Yay! No more cast. Now she is just has to wear a velcro brace for 3 more weeks. We don't even need to go back for a check up. We are all looking forward to washing that arm in the shower - no more plastic bags!

Gotta go?

Wednesday, February 11

Sorry I keep posting about the house next door, but I can't believe how fast things are moving along, so I've got to keep up. By the way if you're in my neighborhood and you or the kid in your car has to go, well just drive by, 'cause now I've got my very own porta-potty. Okay, it's not really mine, but I still give you permission to use it.

Let's catch up they laid the joists one day, put in the duct work the next. (Feel free to correct my construction terms here Dads)

The lumber arrived, but the next day there was some waiting in the snow.




They didn't have to wait long and the garage wall went up in one day!




Here is what the garage looked like at the end of the day.


The next day was spent covering the floor of the house and bringing in more lumber.






Now your almost caught up - today there has been a lot of racket working on the walls of the house and they started the fence!

Procrastination pays off

Tuesday, February 10

There was a knock at the door and it was only 7:30 in the morning. A worker from next door asked if anyone had called about my fence. No. They may have tried, but we disconnected the land line before going to Europe and haven't bothered to get a new one. He asked my permission to tear down the old fence and said they would be replacing it with a new cedar fence the next day. Hmmm - they're going to do all the work and didn't ask for any money. I considered is for about two seconds and said, "Sure, go for it!" Wooo hoooo. So glad we never got around to contacting the old owner to see if they would split the cost of putting in a new fence.

Well they didn't put up a new fence the next day, so I've lost a little privacy. I'll be patient and in the meantime it will be easier to sneak some pictures of their progress. Here is the hole for the house.

Here is the foundation.

I'm really starting to feel like a peeping mom. Did you know you could take a picture through a peep hole? It helps that mine may be on the large side.

Macro Monday

February 8

It's frosty out and I have a flat tire, so everyone is walking to school.

They're gone

Friday, February 6

Last Friday they (machines & men) came back and in less than 6 hours, took out the three other trees from the lot next door. I have discovered that you really don't know how much you love a tree until it's gone. I want to apologize for all the times I've complained about those trees, saying they were messy and even ugly. How sad. Here is a picture a picture of the back of my house with a fir tree, which was my favorite one. I wonder how old that tree was? I forgot to count the rings of that stump from Monday before they removed it.

It happened so fast I had to keep running outside to document the destruction.

My poor house looks so naked now. There goes all our summer shade. Waaaah.

Here is the cherry tree.

I can't quite remember what it looks like with leaves, but I know this is a lot better than the lovely view of the dreaded car wash .

Now that's ugly.

Early one dark and foggy morning...

Thursday, February 5

I was getting the girls ready for school when I heard a noise. I peeked out the window and saw them, the machine, the trucks and the men.

It all happened so fast a week ago today. They ripped out the front of the fence next door, then started knocking down a tree, right outside my kitchen window.

Then they cut a big hole in the street. Thanks for not sporting any crack - I mean it.

A really deep hole.

I didn't even know it was possible, that whole thing fit into the hole, just look at the other one that is still in the ground.

By 4pm they were gone, just like nothing ever happened. Kevin thinks I'm going to turn into one of those nosey old neighbor ladies the way I kept peeking out my window and sneaking pictures. I'm sure it didn't help that I probably had velcro rollers in my hair. But I'm not being nosey, nobody is living there and it's all happening only five feet away from my kitchen window. Just so you know, it wasn't a total surprise. While we were in Spain the house next door sold and our renters reported seeing men in black SUVs wearing dark suits, and that the lot had been divided, so we knew something was up.

Social Butterfly

Tuesday, February 3


Here is the snow from last Tuesday, which was beautiful to watch, but we were glad it stopped and warmed up so we could safely drive to the much anticipated princess tea party of a preschool friend.

Here is Sydney, all decked out for the party. The girls had a really great time and they were all so good - I love this age, four going on five.
The next day we went on a roller skating field trip with preschool.

Since this is the last year of preschool at our house, who know when I'll get to go skating again. I even took a few laps by myself since Syd was going a little slow.

Macro Monday

Febuary 2, 2009

Need a hint? Think dew, spider web and a freshly cut tree stump. Look for background story later this week.