Z is for Zoo

Yes, my zoo!  There's no other way to describe it!

It's crazy and crowded and fun and certainly never boring!

And this concludes the A to Z Challenge!

It was more fun that I thought it would be and I met lots of new, great bloggers.

Hope you'll join us next April when we do it all over again!

♥



Y is for Yellow Flower Pot Make Over

I've had this flower pot on my kitchen counter for years!

I was thinking maybe it could use a makeover, so today I got out my paints and

gave it a little face lift.

First, I used two shades of grey to cover up the lettering.

Then I sketched on a blackberry vine with blossoms, leaves and berries.

Then I started painting in the drawing.

I kept adding layers of color and shading until I got the look I wanted.

I think my yellow flower pot looks quite cheerful! :)

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We are celebrating the letter Y all day, Saturday the 28th.

♥

X is for Wishes

I love it when I see contrail Xs in the sky!

An X can be a kiss, a spot for hidden treasure or a symbol to make a wish.  Not wanting to waste this great big X above my house, naturally, I made a wish and took it's picture!

Maybe someone was sending me a little love today!

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter X all day Friday, the 27th.

And this is also the perfect photo to join in with Sky Watch Friday!

They celebrate gorgeous skies from all over the world at the end of every week!

♥

W is for Wide Open Spaces

Whenever I'm in a different part of the country that has rolling hills or tall mountains,

I am in awe that the locals get to enjoy that beauty every day!  But living in the

flat farm lands of Ohio has it's beauty, too!  The thing I notice most is that we

can see the land stretch out for miles and the horizon far off in the distance

without it being blocked by buildings, mountains or trees. 

I took these photos last week.  It was a gorgeous spring day and the clouds were

amazing.  It was certainly a wide open, big sky day!

Pictures through my sun roof.  That top photo could be looking down at clouds from an

 airplane, looking up from the ground or even looking at water from the railing on a

cruise ship!  They all look very similar!

What about you?  Do you see mountains, buildings, flat lands or water

 when you are out and about doing your weekly routines?

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We are celebrating the letter W all day, Thursday the 25th!

♥

V is for Vanessa Atalanta

Or more commonly known as the Red Admiral! :)

 They love flowers.  And they love to stay in a territory.  So if you see one in your yard,

chances are that you'll see them again and again.

This one happened to love the crab apple blossoms!

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter V all day, Wednesday the 25th!

♥

U is for Umbrella

I found this photo online several years ago.  I just love that gigantic umbrella!

When I wanted to use it for my U in the A to Z Challenge, I thought I'd do a little more

investigating on this photo.  As it turns out, The Big Umbrella was a two year project by

Aleksandra Mir.  From 2003 to 2004, she travelled to London, Paris, NYC, Martinique,

Dresden, Copenhagen with the umbrella and documented social reaction.

The umbrella, which was twice the size of the largest men's umbrella on the market, could

shield 16 people from the rain.  But her question was, would 16 strangers really crowd

together under it's protection? 



She says, "Traveling the world with a familiar object of uncanny proportions can have some unexpected effects. While The Big Umbrella proved useful as a tool for plucking down stray balls from trees, its unwieldy size on busy streets turned altruistic motives into harassment. Providing a shelter, it brought some strangers momentarily together, while alienating others, and in its most salient moments, simply amplified the solitude of the bearer."

So, how about you?  If it was pouring rain and someone was nearby with a gigantic umbrella and offered you some shelter, would you take it?  I think I would, unless the owner of the umbrella looked like a real creep. lol.  In fact, I've offered to share my umbrella with a stranger before, but I'm just friendly like that. haha.  Anyway, I want one of these huge umbrellas!  Although, if the wind was really strong, I think it might carry me away like Mary Poppins! :)

If you'd like to read more about the Big Umbrella project click HERE.

I've joined 1900 other bloggers in the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter U all day, Tuesday the 24th.

♥

T is for Triplets

Triplets, Taylor....

...and Time...as in...Where does it go? :)

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We are celebrating the letter T all day, Monday the 23rd.

♥

S is for Secret Mission

So, a couple of weeks ago I get this email.  It's in a zipped and locked document file.

I wait until I'm alone I enter my secret password and cautiously open the file.

 Here is what I read...



I quickly download the book to a secure file and watch as the remaining pages of the email disappear in a cloud of smoke.  Looking through the story, I'm immediately intrigued by a mohawk-sporting cyclops.  Coincidentally,  he reminds me of my twin, Brian. :)  

There's a fight between good and evil, humor, suspense and a great ending!

I'm determined to take on the mission and grab my colored pencils and paper.



The clouds were especially fun to draw.  And there are a lot of them!

 

There are some animals.....

And even a bird!  You know I loved that!

Great for grade-school-aged kids!

I'd invite you to buy Pat's book online!  It's a 10 page ebook for only $1.99

 Download straight to your computer or to your Kindle.

The Gawk of the Mohawk

by Pat Hatt

Click here to go to Amazon.com or to Smashwords.com.

And while you're at it, go visit Pat by clicking HERE.

He's talking about his book today, too!

It's his Second children's book and it's my Secret Mission because we've both

joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're part of 1900 bloggers celebrating the letter S all day, Saturday, the 21st.

♥



R is for Really Big Pig

No, this pig is not part of my zoo.  :)

But he is someone's pet!  I snapped these photos after working an auction not too long ago.

  Hmmm.  I think I'd rather have my cats, parakeets, and bunny.

 I know it's hard to see just how big he is, but I think

I could have easily thrown a saddle on him and gone for a ride. lol.

Funny thing is, there were two tiny dogs running around the yard.

I was a little scared for them that they could have easily become dinner!

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter R all day, Friday the 20th!

♥

Q is for Queen

art by mary engelbreit, embellished by me.

We moms are awesome, aren't we?

Go ahead and say 'Yes!" It's OK to acknowledge our accomplishments

and talents!  If you're a mom, have you counted the number of hats

(or crowns!) you wear?  And most often, we wear more than one at a time

because we, after all, are generally great at multi-tasking! :)

I like to joke here on my blog that I have a wonder woman tiara and

someone (who shall remain nameless) is trying to give me the 'crazy cat lady' crown.

I'll gladly add those to my wardrobe..... hahaha  ...along with the regular mom hats!

Just to name a few of our hats we all wear... we're the chief cook, nurse, chauffeur,

counsellor, mind-reader, disciplinarian, house keeper, accountant, shrink,

interior designer, baker, shopper, secretary, mediator, dish-washer,

tailor, dietitian, veterinarian, gardener, cheerleader, mechanic,

nose and bottom wiper, science project coach, seamstress,

barber, doctor, teacher, activity coordinator, hostess, referee,

laundress, germ-killer, protector, best listener and friend. 

We also have great memories, great intuition, and eyes in the back of our heads!

We also set the mood of the entire family, have you noticed?

And we are on call 24/7!

And most of us earn some type of paycheck besides all of that!

So, Q is for Queen.  Because we really are Queen of Everything!

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We are celebrating the letter Q all day, Thursday the 19th!

♥

P is for Pizza

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

I don't remember the last time our family ate traditional pizza with the tomato sauce and

pepperoni!  We've become hooked on this variety and I make it often.  If you use shortcuts

like I do, it's almost as fast as a frozen pizza and so much better!

~Recipe~

pizza crust (I use Naan Garlic Flat Bread from the grocery's bakery section)

ranch salad dressing

bacon, fully cooked (I buy the precooked kind)

diced chicken (I use rotisserie or Tyson's grilled strips, thawed)

mozzarella cheese

amounts of all ingredients are your preference

Spread dressing liberally over crusts.  Snip bacon with kitchen shears directly over dressing.

I use it still frozen, straight from the freezer.  Layer on chicken.

Top with cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes on cookie sheet until dark brown and bubbly.

I've taken on the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We are celebrating the letter P all day Wednesday the 18th.

♥

O is for Op. Post-Op, that is.

"O" could have been for orthodontist, since I did have an appointment today.

But how boring is that?  I waited 25 minutes in the waiting room, had a 15 minute appointment, got 5 new sets of Invisaligns and came home!   I thought kitty post-op would be much more fun!

And the photographs certainly are more fun to look at. lol.  Hope you aren't tired of kitty photos!  I promise this will be it for a little while at least!  Everyone is doing very well.

Lots of catnaps, drinks and eating.  The weather has been

wonderful for lounging in the sun and sleeping.

Charcoal, watching a butterfly.

The girls, Grey and Oreo, with Bleeding Hearts and Crab Apple blossoms.

Marmalade and the lovely Redbuds

 And Domino, who's ears picked up the sound of the

camera's shutter even though I was 25 feet away!

Would you believe Marmy is the only one of these cats I've touched?  Of course, he's from

the original litter and they are all friendly.  I have made progress, though, in that they all will come inside and eat from my hand.    Their wild mothers taught them well to be distant.

At least they didn't run off and don't seem to be holding a grudge against that scary vet trip!

I'm doing the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter "O" all day Tuesday the 16th.

♥



N is for Nest

When fall comes each year and the leaves fall from the trees, one of my favorite things

 is to see the birds nests that were hidden away during the spring and summer.  If there

 are any low enough for me to reach I like to peak inside or if it's an exceptionally

 pretty nest, I have been known to take it down and keep it.  I found this one

 years ago with one little unhatched egg inside.  I carefully wedged it down into

 this vintage jar and it has made a cheerful statement in my home ever since. 

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're talking about the letter N all day, Monday the 15th!

♥

M is for Mushroom

This three day growth of an Amanita Muscaria is time-lapsed to only 1 minute long and

worth every second!  Very, very cool!  You know, there was a time when I thought

these red mushrooms with white polka dots were make-believe and

only found in children's storybooks!  When I came across this video a year

 or so ago, I couldn't believe they were real!  They still have that make-believe quality about them, which is just accentuated by the time lapse!  And it all goes to show you,

 as I always say, that real life really is better than fiction!

Although it's technically a fungus, I call them mushrooms and so it will be

my entry for the letter M.

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter M all day Saturday the 14th!

♥



L is for Love Story

Mister Cardinal lived in my tree.

All winter long he winked at me,

Thankful for the seed I gave,

Although flirty, he did behave.

Then a pretty girl came to lurk.

Seeing his mask and red cape, her interest did perk!

But she played hard to get,

Acting aloof and not interested.

 

He couldn't resist her dark sparkly eyes

Or the way her petticoats did fly.

As she watched, he pulled out all alarms

and in weeks she couldn't resist his charms.

Soon they were inseparable

and their love incomparable!

He talks to her to day and night

And it's my restaurant where they take flight.

A romantic dinner as the moon is seen,

he feeds her there and to her he sings.

In a flowering tree they are building a nest.

They agree that living at Betsy's is the very best!

*****

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal in my back yard.

2012

♥

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We celebrate the letter M all day on Friday the 13th.

Come back tomorrow to see the letter M!