This morning I have the windows open so the cats can look out and so I can let the fresh air in. A few minutes ago, I heard Murphy crying like a baby from the window sill. So I looked out, then up and…wow! This lovely creature and two buddies were bouncing from limb to…

This scene caught my eye out the window while standing in Lorraine’s office today. This little guy did whatever it took to get to the seed clusters at the end of the branch. A precarious position, to say the least. But he was determined to hang on. When he was dangling completely upside down, he…

This photo is a result of my boss’s trip to Italy. After I picked up my jaw, I wanted nothing more than to go home and paint, make jewelry, take photos, do anything creative.

Seventeen years ago at 2:20 in the afternoon, my oldest son entered the world. From the beginning, he’s been a happy heart, a kind soul, a strong spirit, and such a source of laughter and joy to everyone he meets. I have lots of thoughts as this big birthday comes to a close, but two…

Check out this little car! A 1957 BMW Isetta. I’d never seen one before, so I pulled into the classic car dealership on the way back from lunch when I caught a glimpse from the road. I had total Addam’s Family flashbacks of Cousin It’s little car. How wickedly cool is this thing? It only…

My neighbor’s holly bush is going bonkers, so I thought I’d get started with some holiday photos. But the sky looked this this and it was 80 degrees. So it felt more natural to focus on these. It just doesn’t feel like the holidays are right around the corner.

These beads will have a home tomorrow. Hopefully so will a few other beads as well. No jewelry made today because I spent the entire day cleaning the house, trying to get a jump start for Thanksgiving dinner. I also replaced a few things today — including a toilet seat and a toilet paper holder….

This is what happens when I forget to close the heating duct in the bathroom that is located right under the toilet paper. Cats. Must. Stop. Paper. Now.

Sesame Street turns 40 today! Many happy returns to one of the coolest addresses ever. I grew up with the neighborhood, so did my kids. One of my life’s best memories is from the time my mom and I took my (then itty bitty) kids to see Sesame Street Live as a a birthday gift…

Took a few photos at lunch. But I probably should have gone to the grocery store at lunch instead of taking pictures. I went to the store after work and saw all kinds of weirdness. Weirdness that I never see during the lunch hour. I’m still laughing about some of it. A lady in the…

Halloweens past. I was home sick today, so I spent a lot of the day couched. As a result, I actually noticed the photos and the do-dads that I have on my sofa table — including these Halloween photos of the kids from years ago. These are probably my favorite photos I have of them….

Went to my favorite bead store today — just in time for a bead show. The focal bead/pendant of this necklace is a Kazuri Bead. I’d never worked with these before. They are hand crafted in Kenya and provide much needed income to the workers. The colors in the photo aren’t exactly accurate; I need…

Not a cloud in the sky. It feels like it’s been so long since we’ve seen blue like this.

Have you ever seen a sweeter face in your entire life? Meet Skittles. She is a service dog-in-training. My colleague is socializing Skittles for the next month before she goes on to the next level of training. She is gentle, shy, quiet and as sweet as her face would indicate.

One of the two big azalea bushes out front has two little blooms! I thought these flowered in the spring? I’m not going to argue — I just dug out my macro lens and had a ball. A few other new photos are on my flickr page.

Sometimes hiding in a bag doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Especially on a rainy Monday.(Although Murphy doesn’t care what day it is: have bag, must hide.)

Most of my newspaper beads have new homes now. Above is probably my favorite, a combination of the newspaper beads, felt, art glass, shell and vintage brass. Below is an earthier set that also uses the newspaper and vintage brass, but also has wood and some ancient ivory that my Mom brought back from Door…

A fresh batch of newspaper beads — which will (hopefully) find homes in new pieces tomorrow. I love these beads, but they are time-consuming little guys. Today I painted and sealed the beads, which is the last step in a process that typically takes at least three or four days. Photos of individual groups of…

Just when it seemed that this fall was going to be rather dull, the trees in our area have decided to put on a serious show. There are several trees just outside my office window that are downright distracting. And my drive to work is glorious. A couple of other miscellaneous photos from lunch today are on my flickr page….

While traveling for work yesterday, I had the good fortune of going back to see the sisters at Monastery Creations. Needed to stock up on more of their lovely soap! Above is a photo that I didn’t get to take on my first trip to the convent. Love this barn — and it looked even more beautiful in the…

Look at the stars.  Look how they shine for you. And everything you do, Yeah, they were all yellow. (I can’t see yellow any more without getting Coldplay’s song stuck in my head. A delightful song, but I never have understood why they chose to make the video look blue.)

A few finds from my office’s little garden. The flower looks like it’s hiding its face — and this pine cone looks like it has little peace signs inside. Trying to decide if I’m going to try to wake up to see the Orionid Meteor Shower tonight. It peaks between 1 a.m. and dawn….I’m guessing…