120/365

120/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

snack time.

i frequently eat popcorn...
but i'm very particular about the taste.
i prefer the old-fashioned...
popped on the stove kind...
sometimes with butter...
but always with salt.

in a pinch...
i'll make microwave popcorn...
but only one kind.
pop secret...
homestyle.

what about you?
are you a fan of popcorn?

119/365

119/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

sangria.

tonight...
we had chipotle for dinner.
to go with it...
we had sangria.

118/365

day118, a photo by credd on Flickr.

music junkie.

this is my niece.
she loves music.
she sings.
she dances.
she's 13 months old.

here...
she's listening to her uncle's ipod.
she knows how to work the idevices...
so we try to keep them locked...
or in protective cases.

she's thinks they're all telephones...
and even though she pushes the 'real' phone away...
she pretends with ipods and iphones...
as well as the tv remote control.

she's upstairs fussing now because she're ready to come back down to play.
she just learned how to walk this week...
and her favorite place to go it outside.

she had my keys yesterday...
and walked straight to the door.
after chasing her around all day...
i sleep like a log last night.
i think she was tired too...
because she got almost 11 hours sleep.

we have an old iphone that i meant to bring for her.
i'll make a playlist of her favorite songs...
and she can get her idevice fix...
when we're not here.

day118

day118, a photo by credd on Flickr.

kettle corn.

this morning...
we went to the farmer's market.
right at the entrance...
is the kettle corn stand.

the line was LONG!
really long!

we visited some of the other stands...
sampling & purchasing as we went.

we bought a few fruits & veggies...
but the selection...
as well as the prices...
will be better in about a month.

there weren't a lot of vendors out yet...
as this market is not year-round...
and usually doesn't open until the end of may.

i got in the kettle corn line on our way out.
i'm next in line...
and a fresh batch was just cooked.

117/365

117/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

kettle corn.

this morning...
we went to the farmer's market.
right at the entrance...
is the kettle corn stand.

the line was LONG!
really long!

we visited some of the other stands...
sampling & purchasing as we went.

we bought a few fruits & veggies...
but the selection...
as well as the prices...
will be better in about a month.

there weren't a lot of vendors out yet...
as this market is not year-round...
and usually doesn't open until the end of may.

i got in the kettle corn line on our way out.
i'm next in line...
and a fresh batch was just cooked.

116/365

116/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

strawberries.

first of the season.
these came in my csa yesterday...
and they were promising many more to come.

i used to grow strawberries in my garden...
but i was fighting the birds for them...
so i haven't planted any recently.

when my bunny was alive...
strawberries were one of his favorite snacks...
as were bananas...and lettuce...and

anywhoooo...
these are pretty tasty...
and i'm looking forward to the next basketful.

115/365

115/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

first cup.

i say first cup...
because i have a few cups a day.
it's decaf...
because no one wants me caffeinated.
i'm hyper enough already.

i drink my coffee straight.
no sugar.
no cream.
nada.

i love the aroma...
and the taste.
i have hot coffee in the morning...
and iced coffee in the afternoon.

seeing this photo at 8pm...
makes me want another cup.
which i'll get right now...
because 10pm will be time for wine and scandal.

114/365

114/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

eye-catching...

when i drove up to the house tonight...
i noticed the roses on the side of the house.

i see them as i leave in the morning...
and always think that i want to photograph them.

even though i already had today's photo...
i traded it in for this one.

this was imported into photoshop...
and i applied a poster edge filter.

113/365

113/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

gated.

on my way home from school...
i noticed the sunset...
and hoped i might see it from the rest area.
no such luck...
as there was a mountain in my way.

this rest area was closed for about a year for renovation.
it looks rather nice up there now...
and looks out over the city.

come to think of it...
its probably a great spot to see (shoot) fireworks.
i'll have to remember that in the summer...
when the county fair and/or marine world have their displays.

the view of the freeway and mini mall caught my eye thru the fence.
i'll have to convince the hubby to go there with me one evening...
and i can shoot some long exposures.

112/365

112/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

red roses.

we have a pink rose bush in our front yard.
it makes volunteer rose bushes...
and somehow...
the roses are red.

i know!!!
i don't understand it...
but we've planted two of the offspring in the back yard...
and a third has just sprung up.
yes...
it's roses are also red.

i love discovering the mysteries of my garden.
and look forward to many more.

today is the 43rd earth day...
and i thought this quote was very appropriate.

***
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

- Native American Proverb

111/365

111/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

crimson forest bunching onion.

these onions have great flavor...
and would probably form bulbs IF i thinned them properly...
and gave them the room they need to grow.

i'm using them like i would a green onion.
last night i added one to a salad.
tonight i'll add these to pizza before i bake it.

there are still some in the garden...
but i'll start more now...
to keep up my supply.

110/365

110/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

planting day.

today...
we planted the veggies in our garden.

i began preparing last night.
i got out all of my supplies...
decided what was going where...
filled the containers i was going to use with soil.

this morning...
i was out at 730...
changing my mind about where i was going to put things...
and finally...
planting.

i had the easy job of planting into the containers.
mrchazman was weeding...
adding more soil...
and digging holes for the plants that were going into the ground.

what's out there?
13 different types of tomatoes.
3 types of peppers
1 pickling cucumber plant.
1 japanese eggplant.

i'd still like to plant a fish pepper plant...
and i'll probably put some lettuce out...
and an okra plant...
and maybe a melon...
once i harvest the red onions...
and the last of the carrots.

everything was in the ground by noon.
we uncovered the patio furniture...
i made us some smoothies...
and we sat out back for a minute...
enjoying the view.

gardening season has begun.

109/365

109/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

wildflowers...

these are some of the wildflowers in our yard.

a couple of years ago...
mrchazman got one of those rolls of wildflowers...
and planted it in our side yard.

i don't know what these are...
but they grow in clusters.

they're a deep red...
but i faded them for a vintage look.

108/365

108/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

caribbean red hot...

i didn't realize that this pepper is in the habanero family.
when i looked it up online...
its listed as an 'extremely spicy' version.
yikes!!!

i'm going to go ahead and plant it...
and if it's too hot for me...
i'll give them away.

to me...
habaneros are just HOT...
and not flavorful.

i mean...
i like the spice...
but it needs to taste like something...
and not just set me on fire.

107/365

107/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

lemon cupcake.

this morning...
one of our candidates...
brought a dozen cupcakes to our office.

assorted cupcakes.
from a very tasty bakery.

after our admin brought them in to show to me...
because...
everyone in our office knows i photograph all food before its eaten...
i selected lemon.

why lemon?
when presented with many faves...
lemon is my fave fave.

this will be my afternoon snack.

106/365

106/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

sungold...

one of the most popular varieties of cherry tomatoes...
but my first time growing them.
they were recommended to me by another tomato enthusiast.

i bought this one at a local produce farm...
because it already had flowers and tomatoes on it.

***

Seasonality: Mid Season
Fruit Weight: 1 ounces
Fruit Bearing: Indeterminate
Days to Maturity: 65 days
Sun: Full Sun
Height: 4-5 feet
Sowing Method: Indoor Sow
Spread: 18 inches

105/365

105/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

fruit cocktail tree.

peaches.
plums.
nectarines or apricots.
all from one tree.
i'm a happy camper.

i've wanted one for a while...
and mrchazman spotted this one on saturday.
it's about four feet tall...
and already has fruit on it.

i hope they ripen this year.
i'll keep you posted.

104/365

104/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

tea rose.

my parents have beautiful rose bushes in their yard...
and they all smell wonderful!

they are various types, sizes colors & shapes...
and they all smell wonderful!

i'm harping on the way they smell...
because while i have roses in my yard too...
they have no smell.

i used to think that i needed to add more fertilizer...
or a different type of fertilizer...
now i know i needed to purchase a different type of rose.

roses are bred to last longer now...
affecting their smell.
so...
i'll look for a different type of rose...
because while my roses are beautiful...
i also want them to smell like roses!

***

this was shot during the daytime...
using flash.

103/365

103/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

oak.

today we ventured out to cornerstone sonoma for tomatomania...
where I got twelve tomato plants.
a couple of them...
are faves that I've grown before.

I'm excited to see what the season brings.
the weather is warming...
and I hope hot summer days will follow.

on our way home...
we stopped off at another plant sale...
and I picked up one more tomato plant...
and two pepper plants

the pepper plants were pardons...
which I've been anxious to grow.
i would also like to grow fish peppers...
and hope i'll be able to locate some plants

I hope to get everything planted this week...
and the fun can begin.


oh...
the leaves in the photo?
we were parked next to that tree at cornerstone...
and i noticed them when i got out of the car.

102/365

102/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

it's gardening season!!!

this is one of my favorite times of the year!
i love everything about it...
from picking out my plants...
to watching their progress...
and finally enjoying the fruits of my labor.

today...
on my way from the office...
i went to a local nursery.
HEAVEN!!!

i did NOT get a shopping cart.
why?
because...i...know...me.
if i'd had a cart...
i'd have a patio covered in plants right now...
without having planned where they were going.

i browsed the tomatoes...
because i just can't help myself.
i mean...
i'm going to tomatomania tomorrow...
and will be receiving free plants...
yet...
i was still looking!

i am proud to say...
i only bought FOUR plants...
and this little japanese millionaire eggplant was one of them.
these little babies will taste great grilled w/olive oil...
in about two months!

101/365

101/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

spanish lavender.

aka rabbit ears lavender.
i can see that.

spanish lavender isn't as common as french or english...
but has some of the same wonderful qualities.

it's a relatively easy plant to grow...
drought tolerant and heat resistant.
as well as therapeutic, beautiful, edible and aromatic.

100/365

100/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

milestone!

i spent the day at a napp photoshop training.
it was facilitated by r.c.concepcion...
and it was great!

today's seminar was a lot different that the first one i attended.
how?
i actually understood what was going on...
and used a lot of the techniques in my day-to-day workflow!

two of my classmates happened to be in attendance...
and afterwards...
we headed next door for a drink...
and to wait out the traffic.

in honor of day 100...
and as a salute the seminar...
i processed this in camera raw...
and added the oil paint filter!

***

foreground - ruby's chocolate martini
background - glass being chilled for my espresso martini

099/365

099/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

wisteria.

i've always admired it.

a couple of weeks ago...
on my way home...
i saw it growing along the freeway entrance...
and knew i wanted to photograph it.

i know that it grows at the local whole foods...
but what i didn't realize was that it's also at the tjs.
so...
that is where i photographed this.

after i completed by purchase...
i got my camera for my potd.

quite a few people commented on their beauty...
and also that i was photographing them.
i wonder if they're difficult to grow?
perhaps if i see any at the nursery...
i'll purchase them.

098/365

098/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

lemon blossoms.

i was delighted to see blooms on my meyer lemon tree!

i currently have ONE...
yes...
ONE lemon on the tree.

but...
was delighted to discover the entire tree is covered in blooms.

yay!!!
happy dance!
:)

097/365

097/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

comfort food.

tahitian vanilla bean gelato.
yummy!

hoping to feel better...
after a few spoonfuls.

096/365

096/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

agapanthus.

i have these in my front and side yard.
i love their color and hardiness.
this one is the first to open in the front.

095/365

095/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

field of dreams...

this is my sparaxis tricolor plant.
it's in a bulb bowl on my back patio...
and is always one of the first things to bloom.

the background is grass.
it's a very dark green in the 'real world'.
in the land of make believe...
it's had some filters applied.

093/365

093/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

strawberry shake w/pearl.

today...
i got the flu.

to combat the chills...
i got chicken noodle soup.

for the fever...
i got this.

it was my first time ever having it...
but it won't be my last.

i've taken nyquil...
and had tea w/lemon, ginger and honey...
but nothing's working.

yep...
having a pity party over here.

092/365

092/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

cupcakes.

i got these at target.
they are a mini cupcake...
with a fluffy icing...
and they are yummy!

they were one of the treats i gave out at church on sunday.
i also had easter eggs...
mini peanut butter cups...
mini snicker bars...
little packs of goldfish crackers...
sugar cookies...
and peanut butter m&ms.

because my father is a diabetic.
i like to bring healthier snacks too...
cheese & crackers...
carrots & hummus...
fruit...
and/or turkey jerky.

yes...
i'm a well-stocked easter bunny...
and those in the know...
look for my father's suv.

091/365

091/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

that kind of day.

i woke up with a sinus headache...
that quickly progressed to a migraine.

by nine...
i knew that i was losing the battle of sick vs. well...
and went back to bed.

i got a lot of rest today...
and am feeling MUCH better...
but still not 100%.

maybe tomorrow.