getting ready for the new year...

getting ready for the new year..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today...
i cleaned up my google reader.
i was still subscribed to blogs that hadn't updated in over a year!!!

it felt great to clear out the clutter...
and discover a few new gems hiding beneath it all.

after lazing around the house until about 4ish...
the daughter and i headed to whole foods napa...
and treated ourselves to champagne in the wine bar there.

***

the rosemary syrup is for gin sparklers that we made for tonight's cocktails.

i've always like rosemary...
and using it in beverages is very refreshing.

tomorrow...
we're making a walnut cheddar cracker...
but i may add a bit of rosemary to those too!

violated...

have you ever had your home broken into?  it happened to me for the first time last month...and i'm still haunted by it.  the state of the art alarm system on my house gave me a false sense of security.  my house is always locked...and my alarm activated when i leave the house...and that made me feel secure. until...the alarm was triggered on an outside door.  and then...another alarm was triggered on an inside door.  and because i receive push notifications on my smart phone about my alarms activities...all i could do was watch these incidents occur.  

from the time the first alarm was triggered until the police arrived at my home was fifteen minutes.  you don't really think of that as being a lot of time.  but it was long enough for all of my jewelry to be taken...my dresser drawers ransacked...and a few other items lifted and carried away in my own pillowcases.  

oddly...i stopped wearing all of my jewelry because one day...i added up the value of just how much jewelry i was wearing...and told myself i was just asking to be robbed.  never did i think it wouldn't be safe at home.  no...i didn't have a safe...and kept it all proudly displayed in three jewelry boxes on top of my dresser.  well...i may as well throw them away...because i will never use them again.  

i'm glad the police got there as soon as they did...but considering that there had been a break-in on my block an hour before mine...they should have been there sooner.  it all makes you want to take things into your own hands...but then...that's probably a case they'd solve and i'd be arrested.  

while i am totally upset about the things that were taken...i am grateful that we weren't home and were unharmed physically.  i've also gotten smarter about backing up my data...and having backups offsite.  things can be replaced...memories can't.  

how secure are you?  make sure you have photos of your valuables...and store copies of your data offsite.  

with the holidays quickly approaching...thieves are out in full force...so please...be aware of your surroundings...and stay safe!  

the whistler...

the whistler..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

how cute is this?
she thinks she can whistle.

mrchazman whistles some tunes when he's around her...
and lately my mother has been doing it too.
my father and i cannot whistle...
though we try.

such concentration!!!

the poser...

the poser..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i was taking photos of my niece while she had her breakfast...
and this little girl definitely knows a camera when she sees one.
she even poses for iPods!

i eventually sat behind my mother...
so that she would be facing the correct way...
and stop twisting and turning in her chair to see what i was doing.

this was her third day of having food...
and she's getting the hang of it...
but she likes to pull up the bib...
and chew on it in between spoonfuls.

in this photo she's eating her cereal.
she also had mango...
which caused her to make the most hilarious face.

contrary to how it looks...
it wasn't all on her face.
she managed to eat most of it.

presenting....

presenting...., a photo by credd on Flickr.

best color winner...
at the cornerstone sonoma annual tomato tasting event...
indigo rose!

so purple...
they're almost black...
with a touch of burgundy on the underside.

this is their debut year.
they're very high in anti-oxidants...
and hail from oregon state university.

when i first saw them ripening...
i thought they'd been sunburnt.

i'd been away for the weekend...
and when i returned home...
and went out to water my tomatoes...
they were black on the top.

i panicked at first...
until i remembered that these were my indigo tomatoes...
and that they were the color they were supposed to be.

to check them for ripeness...
i would have to feel them...
and look for the burgundy color shown in the photo.

i also had a few other tomatoes i'd wanted to enter into the contest...
but the baby mockingbirds in my yard had other plans.

it was very enjoyable to watch the attendees sample my tomato...
and remark at its color and taste.

now...
what shall i grow next year?

tomato harvest & tasting...

tomato harvest & tasting..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

each year...
at the end of the season...
cornerstone sonoma has a tomato tasting event.

i've been babying my remaining tomatoes for the past few weeks...
to make sure i have just the ones i want to take with me.

i initially thought i'd have some spoon tomatoes...
and some cassidy's follies to enter.
but upon arriving home a few weekends ago...
i discovered that the new baby mockingbirds in my yard enjoyed them too.
mrchazman went to the local store and got netting for me...
to cover and protect the remaining tomatoes and plants.

since my plants had been pretty much picked clean...
the spoons weren't quite ready...
but i did have a few other varieties to take with me.

one of the varieties i entered was the indigo rose.
it is a first year tomato out of oregon state university.

the color is so dark...
they almost appear to be black.
i was very pleased that they won in the 'best color' category this year.

*photo of 'my babies' to follow. :)

reservoir...

reservoir..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

101 in the shade.

i was only here for about 20 minutes...
and that was long enough for me.

there were some diligent fishermen out there...
but i didn't stick around to see if they were catching anything.

coneflowers...

coneflowers..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

my coneflowers are looking rough this year.
the spiders have built webs...
the cucumber beetles are exploring...
and last week i saw some striped, caterpillar/worm bug on them.

i don't know if it'll do any good...
but i'll give them some food this evening.

i kind of want to see the caterpillar thing again...
because it had pretty cool stripes.

i'll be in the right mind-set this time..
and ready to photograph it...
vs. shrieking in fear like i did last week.

volunteers...

volunteers..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

these are daisy-like flowers at the edge of the side yard.
i'm not sure where this came from...
but it sure is pretty.

spoon tomatoes...

spoon tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

world's smallest tomato...
and they are SO sweet!

this is one of the heirloom varieties i planted this year.
in fact...
i planted two of these!

i have a few varieties that are doing quite well...
and i think i'll have a few entries for this year's contest.
i wonder if i'm eligible to repeat!!!

even if i'm not...
i'm enjoying the harvest...
and it's been so abundant that i've been sharing.

two second exposure...

two second exposure..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i photographed fireworks again.
i changed the exposure from 1 to 2 seconds.
i prefer 1 second.
but i do like this.

fireworks at the county fair...

fireworks at the county fair..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the county fair is in town.
august 1 - 5.

i live quite close to the fairgrounds...
and took this photo from my daughter's bedroom window.

prior to the fireworks show...
i jammed to the sounds of confunkshun.

3 of a kind...

3 of a kind..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

pink boar
orange dwarf
brown boar

they're all so sweet...
and i'm enjoying the different taste of each type.

here...
i've drizzled them with olive oil...
sprinkled with kosher salt...
cayenne...
and purple basil.

#tomatoes
#basil
#garden

my new earrings...

my new earrings..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

from etsy.

i saw them on pinterest...
and ordered them.

so cute and creative.
looking forward to wearing them.

#potd
#camera
#handmade

backyard adventures...

backyard adventures..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i don't know if these are a type of ladybug...
as i've always know ladybugs to be red...
but i tend to see this kind in my backyard.

i spotted this one this evening...
when i went out to look at my echinacea plant.

this is one plant in my garden that signal 'summer' to me.
we planted this one YEARS ago...
and every year since...
i've watch with anticipation...
as the plant grows...
and the flowers begin to form and open.

i think this little guys been waiting too.
as i watched and photographed him going from petal to petal.

i hope he enjoyed his adventure...
as much as i enjoyed capturing it.

*update - it's a spotted cucumber beetle.

look what i found...

look what i found..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

yes...
another one!!!

and when i was out back earlier...
i found 3 or 4 more teeny tiny ones.

then...
i cut the plants down.

tomorrow...
i'll spray everything in the raised bed with some cayenne pepper water.
just in case.

***

btw...
these are not butterfies...
they're moths.
i don't need any of those around here.

first tomato from seeds...

first tomato from seeds..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this is such a fantastic site to me!
this tomato plant grew from seeds i planted!!!

it's the first time i've ever started tomatoes from seeds!

this is a san marzano tomato plant...
and the tomatoes are used for tomato paste.

this plant is about a foot tall...
and almost as wide.
because it was so small we we planted it out...
we placed it in another section of the garden where it would get more shade...
and it seems to LOVE it there.

remember when i dropped the flat of 72 seedlings?
well i'm able to identify that i kept peppers and eggplant.

i still don't know the variety of pepper...
but i'm hoping that i have at least of one every type i planted.

stay tuned!

rainbow of tomatoes...

rainbow of tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

yes...
the tomato parade has begun.

we had warm weather this week...
which my garden LOVES.

types...

black & brown boar
casady's folly
lemon drop

the green back & brown boar was a casualty...
perhaps i should fry it.

today's tomatoes...

today's tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the round ones are called snow white...
and i thought they were going to be white.

the oval ones are called casady's folly...
and they are a 'paste' tomato.

i have another chicken egg that's ready to pick...
and about 40 spoon tomatoes.

a couple of super marzanos...
and some lemon drop tomatoes will be ready by the weekend.

i see a panzanella bread salad for dinner this weekend!!!

round yellow chicken egg tomato...

round yellow chicken egg tomato..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

it's finally ready.
and is going in a salad tonight.

i've picked some of the spoon tomatoes already.
they're cute...
but not much taste.
i'll let them hang out a bit longer...
to see if they improve.

i should be picking...
and photographing...
my lemon drop tomatoes before the week is out.

stay tuned!

peek-a-boo...

peek-a-boo..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

she' s really pulling it up to chew on it.

she usually only wears one-piece outfits...
so having on a shirt and bloomers kept her entertained.

my word for today...

my word for today..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i tend to try to do a kazillion things at once.
not sometimes...
but ALL the time.

i multi-task well...
but at the end of the day...
i'm exhausted.

you know that slogan...
we do more by x-am...
than most people do all day?
i'd have done well there.

now...
i think i'll slow down a bit...
and savor the moments along the way...
instead of always racing to the next thing.

purple tomatoes...

purple tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

my indigo rose tomatoes are looking great...
but they're not ready yet.

it's a new variety out of oregon state...
and is high in antioxidants.

when they began changing colors a few weeks ago...
i thought they been sun burnt on one side.

they're the size of large cherry tomatoes...
and i'm looking forward to tasting them soon.

sliders...

sliders..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

getting in a little pre-holiday grilling today.

i went to the store to pick up some items for tomorrow...
and saw the sliders there.

can you believe of all the things i cook...
i've never made these before.

so...
i called mrchazman...
and asked him to prep the grill for me.

as they cooked...
i picked some tomatoes & lettuce from my garden to accompany them.

#delish

refreshing...

refreshing..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

last week i picked up these new ice cube trays.
you know...
the ones that make the BIG ice cubes.

each tray only makes six cubes...
but when they're this big...
that's all you need.

sunday breakfast...

sunday breakfast..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

grits.
scrambled eggs.
turkey sausage.
raisin bread toast.
grape jelly.
strawberry.
coffee.

malbec...

malbec..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i first tasted malbec a few months ago...
and i've been buying it ever since.

most of the ones i've had are from argentina.

this is one of the new middle sister varieties...
and is available at target.

empty...

empty..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

ms makayla' routine...

she has her 8 oz bottle in the morning...
play time.
bath.
nap.

lunch time bottle is 6 oz.
more play time.
nap.

dinner bottle whenever she wakes from the noon nap.
play time.

she has her final bottle around 8...
and will then fight sleep for a bit...
before getting outrageously cranky.

she doesn't want to sit, stand, play, nothing.
so...
we put her to bed...
she'll be sleep in about 5 minutes...
and she will sleep until morning.

chocolate...

chocolate..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i got this for mrchazman this morning...
and so i could photograph it.

i may buy another one this weekend...
so i can get some more practice in...
because the artificial light and i were battling!!!

i didn't really care for the photos of the FULL cupcake.
i thought the frosting too shiny...
and i didn't really care for the color.

this was my fave of all the photos i took...
the shallow dof...
showing just a hint of the decorative swirls.

take me away...

escape..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i'm a music junkie...
though i don't buy as much as i used to.

this week...
i've been on an oldies kick.
listening to everything from natalie cole...
to sam cooke...
to sly & the family stone...
with lots of harold melvin...
and/or teddy pendegras sprinkled in.

but...
my 'calgon' musician of all time...
luther!

when i put on my luther playlist...
any task i have seems easier.

i guess i'm so busy singing...
that i don't notice all the number crunching...
problem-solving...
super hero fetes i've accomplished.

it's month end in my world...
so i'll be in luther-land for the next couple of days.

and if luther can't cure it...
i've got my gospel playlist standing by.

homegrown...

homegrown..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

first harvest in 2012!

today i picked salad greens..
radishes...
and four tomatoes...
for our salad.

these are my spoon tomatoes.
ten of them can fit into a teaspoon.
yes...
they're tiny.

the lettuce is a european mesclun mix...
lettuce, radicchio, arugula, endive, orach, mizuna, kale, mustard, corn salad and more.

the radishes are chinese white radishes...
and remind me of daikons.
they were pretty spicy...
and i put one half of one in the salad.

headed to the grill...

headed to the grill..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today was my first sunday being home in weeks.
i had a very relaxing day.
i had breakfast...
then settled onto the sofa to read & watch the cooking channel.

i fell asleep.
for a couple of hours.
and it felt good.

fully rested...
i grilled some chicken and veggies...
and roasted some potatoes.

guess what i'm having for lunch tomorrow.

railroad crossing...

railroad crossing..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

for model trains

backlit...

backlit..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i brought my freesia plant home today...
and set it on the dining room table.

as the sun set...
it illuminated the petals.

#60days
#day41

from the garden...

from the garden..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

my hydrangeas are in full bloom.

today i worked from home.

and...
to brighten my mood...
i cut a few bouquets...
and placed them in various vases around the house.

#60days
#day40
#garden

iced tea...

iced tea..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this afternoon i met one of our coaches...
at a local restaurant...
to deliver some material to her for a class tomorrow.

we had a glass of iced tea at the bar.

the light was good.

#60days
#day39

three months...

three months..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

ms makayla was three months old on june 15.
she is quick to smile...
but has discovered her VOICE...
and doesn't hesitate to make her feelings known when she's unhappy (which isn't very often).

female pirate...

female pirate..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i saw her almost as soon as i got to the festival...
and took the photo below.

later on...
she posed for us...
and i really liked her profile.