Laurie Bertrand (Liquid Paper blog)

the spectacular dahlia

These babies are bright, beautful and that yellow one in the front is as big as your face. Yowza! And today they are all sitting on my desk as I type this. I did not grow them. Nope, not this little novice gardener. They were a gift from a friend who has an amazing garden. Thank you!
You can read more about them here.

Happy Valentine's Day

It took all my strength not to write Valentime's Day up there in the title. I've had this clip from 30 Rock running through my head all morning. And I love it because Mark keeps correcting me when I say it. Just knowing that my mispronouncing the word is even the slightest bit irritating to him really makes my day. Ahh, love. 

a flower bigger than your face

The new neighbors (who also happen to be relatives of mine) left this on my doorstep this morning. Thanks neighbors!

 
 

today is a good day

+ Talked to a dear friend who lives far away.
+ Walked with my nephew to pick up his big brother from school and reconnected with a childhood friend who's son is in my nephew's grade.
+ Picked up a handful of fallen leaves. 
+ Went for a bike ride.
+ Took a bunch of random photos for no reason other than I've missed my camera and the light is beautiful today.

And, it's only 4:30!

Enjoy the rest of your day + your weekend!

that look

This is how Clive looks right before he starts whining for attention. This cat's meows are crazy. He sounds more like he's yelling than anything else. So funny. (Here's a pic of him mid-whine.) And despite the fact that he turned ten this past June, he still looks like a kitten to me. Do cat years work the same way as dog years. Is it seven or nine you're supposed to multiply their age by? Ahh well, I can never remember.

 

birthdayishness

+ a cake from my favorite bakery (a surprise from Mark)
+ a shiny new table (seen in second photo. another surprise from Mark)
+ spending time with good friends
+ delicious cupcakes (not pictured)
+ flowers from a friend's garden (pictured below)

 

summer vacation

a.k.a. Where I've been for the past couple of weeks. 

cortado

Mark has discovered a new favorite morning (a relative term in our house) coffee drink. The cortado. He tells me that technically our glasses are a little large (they are only 7 oz.), but I like my morning dose of caffeine to be on the generous side so they're perfect for me. You may recognize the spot where this photo was taken from this post, or perhaps this one. That speckled surface under the cup is the corner of my desk which is currently situated in our front sun room. The room is surrounded on three sides by windows and is a lovely place to work in all but the coldest of Winter months. (You can sort of see how it's laid out in this photo.) My desk, an old library table, was an estate sale find. The top is stained and the finish is cracking in places and I love it all the more for it's lack of preciousness. 

 

peaceful

The weather is beautiful, the house is quiet and things are moving slow. 
It's nice. Feels like Summer. 

(click on the photo to see it bigger)

 

graceful

Sorry I've been gone so long. I had a little surgery but I'm much better now. These are a get well gift from a friend who brought me a whole bunch from her garden. Only these lovelies are still kicking. And in case you were wondering, the title for this post was inspired by this great interview with this talented woman. Oh how I would love to get one of these for Spring!