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Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Colorado Springtime


It's Springtime here.  
Most of the time.  One day it was 70, the next day we had snow.
Last week, I got a tan.  This week, I'm back in my fleece jacket.

But, the grass is green again, and my garden is starting to grow.  

Flowering trees are in bloom and so are wildflowers!
I woke up early one morning last week (strange for me!)
and decided to get up and head across the street to a field 
where I knew these pretty flowers were growing.

Happy Spring!










Friday, June 21, 2013

It's hard to say Goodbye!


It's seems apropos that as we are packing up our lives and preparing to move back West that I should choose to resurrect this blog. 

After all, that's how it began 7 years ago when we moved to FL from the West.  It's been severely neglected over the past few years as other things in life have taken on more meaning, but this blog is still a special space.  Sort of like an old friend.  We can always pick up where we left off.

It needs a new name, I think.  "Life in Orlando" won't be fitting after we move back to Colorado.  Any suggestions for me?  I'm all out of mental energy these days.  I've also added some social media links on the sidebar, but can't figure out how to get them nice and close together like they should be.  For today, they'll stay separated.

So, we are moving back to Colorado in a few weeks.  And, I'm so excited--I absolutely adore Colorado, but packing is pretty miserable and I'm pretty tired and overwhelmed these days.  I know I'll be more relaxed after we arrive, but right now life is hard.

We've been in Orlando for almost 7 years now and have really great friends and a pretty extensive network of relationships.  It's going to be a hard move.  I mean, you can always replace stuff, but you just can't go out and instantly acquire new friends.  Thankfully, we have some really great old friends in Colorado...but re-establishing community in our new town will be hard for awhile.

We are also moving away from the life we have always known with the staff of Cru.  It's a huge change for us--moving to a new location without that support network, and it feels a little scary, honestly, but we are ready for it.  New adventures await us!  For the first time in 16 years, I am officially unemployed.  Weird!

I taught my last Jazzercise class at Cru this week, and I have been so sad about that, much more sad than I realized I would be.  I didn't realize I loved it so much.  I mean, I knew I loved it, but I guess I didn't realize how sad I would be to leave that special little place.  It feels pretty huge.  I think I underestimated how much I loved teaching there.  It's hard to say goodbye!

I also find it ironic that in the last 2 years or so, I've made peace with Orlando and the climate.  I think I spent the first 5 years hot.  Just miserable, sweaty and miserable.  But, now, my body has adjusted just in time to move back to a more temperate climate.  I grew up in that climate, but I just know that I am going to be cold for about 5 years before I warm up again!

Well, writing that out was therapeutic.  I'm going to try to start blogging again.  I think it will help my transition to document life for a while.  

Another thing I'll miss about Orlando:  year-long gardening!  Here are some flower photos from a trip this Spring to the nursery.  I've grown to love all the flowers in FL!







Tuesday, January 25, 2011

winter centerpiece {DIY}

It's always bare and boring in January after the Christmas decorations come down. I've struggled to know what to put up after Christmas. I don't want to see red or green or gold anymore, but I'm not quite ready for Valentine's decor in January. I think I finally stumbled upon something that I like.

The idea began with a simple branch. I broke it off of some nearby shrubs--no, not my neighbor's. These were crazy-wild shrubs that grow along a nearby walking path. Trust me. No one will notice their absence. I was looking for a branch that had several off-shoots, and would look sort of tree-like.

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I stuck mine in a carafe and used river rocks to support the base so that it would stand upright. At this point, David was seriously doubting my artistic abilities. What in the world are you doing bringing some dead branch into our house?! He didn't actually say those words, but we've been married 10 years, and I can tell you, that's exactly what he was thinking.

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Oh, husband of little faith. Just wait. Next, I dug out some pretty little silk flowers. I really like the flowers, but didn't just love how they were arranged on the original stem. So, I pulled them off. There was a perfect little hole in the center of each flower.

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They perfectly fit onto the ends of my dead branch. And now, it's not just a dead branch. It's a winter centerpiece! Totally easy, and totally free. I love that.

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Monday, January 24, 2011

winter flower

It's not really a flower, but it's shape reminds me of one!  The girls found these on our walk last weekend too.  If I ever get around to it, I'm hoping to hang this one on my wall somewhere.  Happy Monday!

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Sunday, May 9, 2010

flower.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! And, to all my mom-friends, "Happy Mother's Day" to you too! Thank you, Andrew and Lucy for these beautiful flowers after baby boy's arrival. They brought cheer to my room for many days.

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Saturday, July 18, 2009

what's up??

I realize that the blog has been a bit neglected lately. We've been busy....

I've been teaching lots and lots of Jazzercise....
the girls have been in Kid's Camp all summer...
and David is working like a dog...

We've had time for some fun too.
If you gotta work hard, you gotta play hard too!

Last weekend, we went on our first family hike.
1.34 miles in Lory State Park is not too shabby for little legs!

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Hope you're having a good summer too!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

orange...

...makes me happy! I think it's my new favorite color.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

virtual flowers for my friends

This post is dedicated to my friends, Kendra and Melanee, who have recently given birth to baby girls. So fun!! And, I haven't sent flowers or gifts yet. Sorry I'm so lame! They're in process and will be on their way soon. So, for now, here are some virtual flowers for you both. Hugs! :)

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Monday, June 2, 2008

lotus blooms

We went to China over the weekend. Well, ok, it wasn't really China, it was Epcot, but they sure do a good job of making you feel like you've visited China. It happened to be the last day of the Flower Festival, so I though it was apropos to take some flower pictures.





Friday, May 30, 2008

gerber daisies

We went to Home Depot yesterday to pick out some new flowers for the front porch and backyard. I really wish there was a real nursery around here. We picked out some red geraniums and little white flowers for the front. I'll snap some photos of those later. But, while we were there, I snapped these. They had been freshly watered. Perfect!




And for fun, a vintage look.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Leu Gardens

A few months ago my friend Emily and I went to the HP Leu gardens with our kiddos. The kids walked around looking at all the pretty flowers and things. I wasn't very happy with how my pictures turned out, so I never did anything with them. But, today, The Pioneer Woman (if you haven't checked out her blog, you really have to!) posted a tutorial that I thought I could use on one of my photos from that day. She has the best Photoshop tutorials! I learn so much from her simple techniques. So, I thought I'd give it a try. Here is my before and after version. Hers are much more impressive!


SOOC


I added Hard Light at 30% opacity, tried out the Filter>Render>Lighting Effect technique at 30% opacity, burned the edges a bit, and then I added a bit of texture too. Hmm...these small photos really don't do it justice. You can always click for a larger view.