the pure interest

One of my best friends, Christy, finally got her playmate - a baby 9 week old cockapoo puppy named Violet. She was a little lethargic and tired this weekend, but when Kristin and I went to visit her we still got some adorable pictures. I wish I could do animal photography for a living sometimes! Christy was just glowing in the pictures - if she is this happy with a puppy, I can’t wait to take beautiful photos of her with her newborn baby (when the time comes)

I downloaded a photoshop action and had some fun with these… you can see how they’d be great for wedding photos or dreamy nature shots. I thought they were so cute for Violet! You obviously have to be careful with these things, but hey, it was fun!

This is a ROSE BUSH. It always freaks me out how plants start out SO tiny.

Seriously - Christy? Hello? Model?

This looked even cuter through the lens!

I love this picture!! My Nikon would NOT auto-focus. I still don’t know why. So excuse my slightly perturbed expression.

Happy Friday everyone!

sidenote: It is 12:40am. I stayed up late getting some of the many things done that need to be done this weekend - I’m really glad I did, because although I am tired, I am much less stressed now! Thanks to some crazy second wind I get around 11:45 if I can stick it out, I decided to blog. Anyway, I was typing something into my google search bar in safari and I saw this message:

UM….. WHAT?????

The last week or so has brought to fruition lots of mini-types of flowers showing their delicate faces in my little garden. 

The ever-present forget-me-not:
 

Weigela bush with deep pink flowers:

Phlox (still kicking!):

White Star-of-Bethlehem buds. They make me crazy while growing (starting in March and looking like weeds until they bloom for about 2 weeks) The bulbs are highly invasive, I’ve probably pulled out about 4,000 since we moved in 3 years ago:

Mountain Snow Ground cover - has flowers right now:

My parents gave me one of these within another plant dug out of their garden. I am totally in love with the delicate pinky/white balls of blossoms. They are tall and slender and perfect. However, I do not know what they are called. We thought heliotrope, but upon further research I don’t think this is right. Help fellow gardeners:
 

sigh…

i.

love.

flowers.

and.

nature.

Zelda enjoyed the beautiful sunshine yesterday. She’s taken to a new spot lodged between a window and the armoire. I think she likes it because Tycho is pretty unable to get to her there, and she has the wonderful sunshine warming her. She cozies up in there.

And here are my two favorite photos/things from Niagara-On-The-Lake. Rest of the pics will come sometime this week! The tulips were unreal. So straight, so colorful, so organized. People were all over stopping to take pictures of them. This picture in particular exposed my butt to the entire street, but it was worth it

This was my favorite chair at the cottage. I never actually sat in it… but it was just, so beautiful, antique, perfect.

Plans are food at my parents tonight, and I plan on making an amazing fruit salad. Also we have an “Ultimate Chocolate Cake” from Wegmans. What are you up to? 

Frutiger is one of my all-time favorite sans-serifs (as fore-mentioned). Now there is a newly released serif version, in honor of the creators birthday!! Too bad it’s thousands. I’d love to have it. Anyone want to gift it to me?

A few pics from Niagara on the Lake to come next week. It was really beautiful, although flipping freezing most of our trip. Mainly I took pictures of food and flowers, and mainly pastries, and mainly tulips. It’s a tulip-pa-looza there!! Also be on the lookout on Danielle’s blog for some soon-to-come beautiful photos!

I also just received this sad news about Steven Curtis Chapman, beloved and long-time Christian music artist. His 5-year-old daughter was struck and killed in a car accident. That is so sad. Please pray for the family.

I know, baby pink is similar to magenta. But, you have to admit, pinks and purples are sort of dominant right now, especially in spring in the NorthEastern part of the country!

I don’t have much else to say except, HOLY CRAP ON THE OFFICE LAST NIGHT, I screamed a lot (sorry friends), and YAY FOR SUNDAY!!!!

This might be my favorite flower photo I’ve ever taken…

Not much else to say today except

1. Download this if you like photoshop and use it ever, mainly for web design (although i’m sure i’d be helpful for anyone)
2. I’m eating way too much chocolate chip banana bread! I also now have a huge box of cookies from a party last night and box of cheez it party mix. (which is amazing by the way) I’m taking that all today to work hoping my colleagues will help me diminish it.
3. Financial/vacation/family segment: We got a generous offer from my in-laws last night about a trip to Myrtle Beach this summer. We’ve been trying to say no to basically any vacation plans for this year, as money is very tight and we wanted to save that potential money for this crucial year on our student loan pay-off. But they called and said that if budget is what is keeping us from going to Myrtle Beach with them, we can drive down to Maryland (which we were going to do anyway), then they will take us the rest of the way and pay for our expenses. We are so overwhelmed by their generosity… and of course we had to accept and will try to set aside some expense money for ourselves - so that will be the first week of July, and I am so excited. One thing that’s hard about being on a strict budget and letting your family know about it, is that people offer to do a lot for you sometimes, which can be so amazing and I am so grateful, but also makes us feel very guilty - because that is not our intention (to be mooches). Family and friends reactions to debt/money decisions are the toughest sometimes to gauge, especially when people are in different places in their lives with how they spend money, etc., priorities they put on travel and vacations and the like. We are just trying to say no and make some sacrifices, but somehow people keep coming through so we don’t have to make quite so many. Dave Ramsey would probably not be happy with us.
4. Still most excite about Niagara on Sunday… EEEEEeeeeee!!!!