Happy New Year!!!

I saw this shirt hanging in a store and it was just perfect for me with the New Year's celebration upon us! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Low Tide

One day recently we were picnicking on a nearby island when a storm came up very quickly. The tide was going out - and the storm made the tide just rip out to the gulf. We stayed on the island for shelter - the storm was scary but luckily for us and the others on the island it blew through very quickly. Once it cleared enough for us to leave we jumped in our boat to head for home -- on the way I spotted this poor sailboat that didn't fair to well - thankfully no one was on it.

Holiday Shoes!

These beautiful red shoes belong to my even more beautiful niece Erica -- she wore these out one night while I was visiting my sister and her family. I thought they would make a perfect Ruby Tuesday shot for this time of the year. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Monday Monday

I saw this house and car one day while out walking with "B" and it just screamed mellow yellow -- Happy Monday :)

Twas the day after Christmas...

Yesterday was yet another wonderful Christmas day in the chapter of our lives. There is nothing better than being with those you love. Even after all of the shopping and wrapping and the decorating and the baking and the cooking and the long month of preparation when the day comes - none of it really matters except the being together. Hope that you had a joyful day with family and friends.

Merry Christmas

Wishing You All a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous and Healthy 2010!!!

Here comes Santa Claus!

For all of you who are young and who are young at heart - tonight is the BIG night! HOHOHO Merry Christmas To All and To All A Good Night!!!!

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

At long last the tree is up. I really love it this year - but then I say that every year :)

Christmas Amaryllis

It's hard for me to believe that I put an ugly brown bulb into a pot the Saturday after Thanksgiving and lo and behold 4 weeks and 2 days later this is what I have to enjoy. This is the first of 3 to open and it's not even all the way there yet I just couldn't wait any longer to take a picture of it. What a glorious thing I have growing right on my kitchen table. If you have never planted an Amaryllis before -- next year when you see those boxes on the shelves as the holiday season begins grab one (it comes with everything you need) and try it for yourself you won't believe your eyes. Merry Christmas!!

Santa and Pups

Yesterday my daughter and I took her dog Biggie and our two puppies LuLu and Junior to see Santa at a local PetSmart - the people running the "Santa" were from a local shelter and all of the proceeds went to help with their expenses. They were a super nice group of people the manager's son (19 years old) played the jolly old elf himself he was a very patient kid to say the least. The puppies were a bit nervous LuLu shook the whole time Junior took it in stride and Biggie the seasoned professional wasn't even fazed. It was a fun thing to do and the pictures came out great here's a few I snapped on the side. HO HO HO Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Neighborhood Lights

Every year our neighbor enters a local boat parade. His displays are always excellent - he makes everything every year from scratch - he even paints all of his lights the custom colors that apply to the theme. This year he took 1st place overall in the Sarasota, FL boat parade and 2nd in the Venice, FL boat parade. If you've never been to a boat parade you should really put it on your list of things to do it really is spectacular. When our children were little we went every year in our own boat and watched from the water. We don't go as faithfully as we used to but, thanks to Mr. N our neighbor we get to have a special display right on our own street. Merry Christmas!!

Drum Roll Please!!!!!!!!

This is my first ever Blog Award and it comes to me from my dear friend and co-worker Martha of Martha's Menagerie. I can't tell you how much fun I have been having with this little ol' blog. Truly it has been more fun then I ever imagined - I couldn't have done this without Martha's encouragement and mentoring! Believe me there have been times when I was completly lost and she has walked me right through it. I know I have a long way to got.... Thanks to everyone who has left me such encouraging comments - you are all the best. :)

Let it snow let it snow let it snow...

Well since snow is VERY scarce here in SW Florida every year at Christmas time I hang snow flakes around my house. This is something that I have done every year since my children were little kids. When they were small we used to make paper cut-out snowflakes and hang them in our windows. Now, I just use some of the lovely ones that you can buy in stores. These two little beauties are hanging from one of the shelves in our kitchen I thought the shadow was neat. I hope that you like it and for those of you who have snow on the ground it's in the high 70's here and I wouldn't have it any other way :) Merry Christmas!!!!!

Easy and Fun Gift Idea

This is the basket that I put together for one of my co-workers. There is some yummy body lotion, spray and wash in there. There is also a Christmas pin and mini stocking - the basket itself is one that could be used on a buffet table to put utensils and napkins in -- that's just one idea. Truth be told the basket was a "hand me down" and all of the stuffings were purchased on sale. I think it gives you a lot of bang for the buck and I'm sure that my friend will enjoy it.

Water Girl

This little girl spends her days running through a fountian in a local mall. I just love the tilt of her head - to me she looks like this is the most fun! And of course everyone throws pennies "at" her :)

Red Sky in Morn Sailor be Warned

This is a shot from may back yard one early morning. The sun was just beginning to rise and the colors were spectacular as you can see they were all reds and pinks. This is really one of the best times of day to capture natural beauty.

Not Quite a Shadow Shot

This was taken one Saturday night at the "drum circle". The "drum circle" as we call is held each Saturday evening on the beach. It's a very nice gathering of people - lots of people. There are several drummers (about 15 to 20) there and they just make a nice melodic beat to the setting of the sun. As the sun gets closer to the horizon they beat faster and faster - it is really a very nice experience. This mother and daughter were getting ready to leave and they were shaking out their blanket. I thought it was such a nice picture of the two of them with the beautiful sky in the background. Not quite a shadow but nice none the less.

Junior/Gerry Garcia

This is Junior our 9 month old maltese puppy - he is quite a guy - we nicknamed him "Gerry Garcia" because of his "bearded" face and his way laid back ways. He has a sister named LuLu and she is the complete opposite! I thought this picture was just so cute it really looks like he's posing :)

Pretty Pink Puff!

On one of the recent outings by the waterway B spotted this adorable little pink flower - or weed or what ever I just say "puff" there were a few of these here and there - I don't know what they are called but, they remind me of Horton's puff flower in Horton Hear's A Who one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. I wonder if there is a little town on there???

Pumpkin Bread

This wonderful recipe comes to me from Lorraine - not only is it easy -- it is a family favorite year round. The recipe makes 3 one pound loaves of this "heavenly stuff" and once you've tasted it you'll be glad that it does! I bake it in one pound coffee cans and honeslty it really comes out best this way - you can of course use regular loaf pans but, it really does change the taste and texture of the bread. So, if you can get a hold of 3 cans by all means do, you won't regret it. The recipe is simple:

Preheat oven to 350

Grease and flour 3 coffee cans or loaf pans

3 1/2 cups of flour

3 cups of sugar

2 tsps baking soda

1 1/2 nutmeg

1 1/2 tsps cinnamon

1 15oz can pumpkin

1 cup of canola oil

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 cup walnuts or nuts of choice

Mix all wet ingredients. Mix all dry ingredients then slowly add wet to dry mix until all the batter is wet.

Pour evenly into the 3 pans and bake for 1 hour. With my oven it takes a bit longer - I bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Beautiful Water Way

Bonnielee and I have been taking walks in the afternoons. One of our favorite spots well at least one of my favorite spots is the Waterway by our homes in Venice. We always take our cameras along just in case we see something that catches our eye along the way. This is a pretty sun shot that I was able to capture on our way back one day - I really love the way the sun looks on the water. What do you think?

Here I am Martha!

I have been off again for quite a while - life kept on getting in the way. I hope the everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and a nice long weekend with it. I had a very nice Thanksgiving day with family and friends and of course the meal of ALL meals!

I have been out walking with Bonnielee of "Just B" taking lots of pictures of some of the beautiful scenery here in SW Florida and of some other interesting things that we have come across.

Now that the Christmas count down is on I will be baking and wrapping and making candy so I should have some fun things to post. Speaking of fun things my new header picture is of the Gingerbread men that my daughter Marissa made. There is one for each of us in the family - I think that she did such a great job on these they are so fun!!

More from Mote - Watery Wednesday

This was taken while at Mote Marine as well the same day that the seahorses were taken. Like I said at the facility they rehabilitate marine mammals this is one of the dolphins that lives there full time he is not ready to go back out into the wild just yet. The beautiful thing about the work that they do there is that once an animal is able to go back into the wild they help them return in a safe and healthy way.

Ruby Tuesday - - Sea Horse

If you have not been out to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota you really should take an afternoon and go to see what is new there. I hadn't been in years and on a recent visit I was delighted by all of the beautiful sea life. Not only do they have a variety of local species in tanks for you to view they also do research on marine life and take in sick and injured mammals for rehabilitation. This tank of seahorses really caught my eye. I thought it would be a good first Ruby Tuesday.

Riding to Ft.Myers

I've been off for a while - I've been away and when we got back company came into town. We have been having a nice visit pretty much just hanging out going to dinner the usual stuff. Yesterday was a good day very busy- it started out in the morning going to the Venice Art Fest some of the work there was incredible to say the least. Then late in the afternoon we took our motorcycles to downtown Ft. Myers for their bi-monthly bike night. This is the Shadow Shot I took along the way. It was so much fun the ride down was sooo nice the ride back a bit cool but good none the less. While there we had dinner and walked around - they close off Main Street for about 6 /8 blocks or so there are vendors and there were several DJ's playing music. On our way there I noticed our shadow while we were riding and tried my best to capture the moment. It was a good day.

Shadow Sunday

This is my first Shadow Sunday shot. If you look close you can see the smoke coming off the candle in the shadow. I really like this picture it's the one I use for my profile picture.

Best Boy Ever!

This is my faithful friend and companion Fletcher he is a Rat Terrier and will be 9 years old in December. As you can see he is a perfect watch dog - always on the job! I don't know what I'd ever do without him :)

Puppies Going Home

Today we are driving to South Carolina to my sister's house to reunite our 2 puppies LuLu and Junior now 9 months old with their mom (Pearl) and dad (Loco) and one of their brothers (Winston). We are all very excited to go the puppies haven't seen their family since they were 8 weeks old. This picture was taken the day we left SC with them 7 months ago -- my how they have grown!

Martini Bag

This is the fabric that is on a bag that my sister had made for me by one of her very talented patients. The bag itself is so sturdy and useful but, the fabric just makes it fun and extra special for me :) I thought this would be a fun Color Carnival.

Fun Fountian

Thought this might be a good first Watery Wednesday post. This was taken on the Venice Island in SW FL. It's a neat place for kids of all ages to cool off on a hot Florida day.

Goody Bags

In the office where I work at the high school we are lucky enough to have students who help us out with our daily work. These "student aides" as they are known -- are some of the best students in our school. They learn very quickly and work hard for us on a daily basis. When different occasions or holidays come up I like to say thank you to them for what they do every day to make my job easier. These little "goody" bags are filled with some Halloween treats I thought the eyballs were funny. I'm sure the kids will love these.

Rattatouile with Mushrooms

One of my favorite dishes to make and eat is "rattatouile" now I am sure there is some official recipe for this but, I usually just take whatever fresh veggies I have on hand throw them in my black iron pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and see what comes out. I enjoy it every time no matter what the combination. This particular combination was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. All that's in there is zucchini, grape tomatoes, sweet onion and portobella mushrooms. Now those of you who know me will say - What? Ricepatty's eating mushrooms??? The answer is Yes! I made some rice with parsley and put this over it -- eveyone in the family ate it and loved it including me and my none vegging eating hubby :) This makes a wonderful side dish or with the rice a perfect main course.

Excellent Art Students

The high school where I work has a wonderful art department - our art teachers are among some of the best in our district. Lucky for the teachers we have some very talented students. This is a sample of some of the 3D art that the students produce and that the teachers display in our front office of the school. I thought there were very Color Carnival worthy! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

More Halloween Fun!

I really enjoy Halloween - when our kids were little it was one of our favorites. My husband I would make their costumes every year and each year we would try to out do the last. The kids loved it just as much and still do even as early 20somethings they get "into" every year by going to or having costume parties - it makes me happy to think that our love for it has rubbed off on them as they grow. Some day when the grandkids come along the tradition will continue. I made this sign for our daughter's apartment I think came out cute - her and her roommate will love it I'm sure. All this is - is a piece of scrap wood that my husband routed and sanded for me - I just brushed on the different paint colors and the "words" are a sticker set that I found at Michael's when "B" and I were out shopping the other day. The maskes I also got at Michael's colored them in with markers and glitter and wrapped the handles to finish them off -- I will add black curling ribbon at the top of the handles to finish them off. I really like the way these come out --this is the second year that I made them - last year for the girls at work this year to take to SC when I go visit my sister and her family for Halloween Day! Easy projects with lots of impact!

Sonny Boy!

This is our cockatiel Sonny, my husband took our daughter to get him for her 12th birthday - she just celebrated her 24th last month - so he has been with us for quite sometime. He is a very entertaining fellow. As I was taking these pictures he was just singing his head off! As you can see he was very curious about the camera.

Haloween Yummies

Cup cakes and brownies for the "Halloweeners". I made these cupcakes and brownies to send to Tallahassee for my son and his friends to enjoy at school (FSU). As you may know college kids will just about eat anything - but they especially love baked goods from home - nuttin' like it. I was happy that one of mys son's friends was in town to take them back with her. I'm sure they went fast!

Beautiful tiles

This is just a small piece of a grand tile mural on the island in Venice, FL by the water park. The artist did a magnificent job - most of the fishes, mer-people and real people are 2 dimensional in the picture it is hard to see it. The water park is a nice place to take kids to play on a hot day -- and probably pretty fun for those of us who are young at heart as well.

"Simply Croutons"

These croutons are so simple to make and even better to eat. Once you've tried these you won't ever use store bought again. Here's all you need:

1 loaf bread (the staler the better)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbls of garlic (more to taste)

1 Tbls sea salt (more to taste)

Cut bread into cubes. In a large bowl mix bread with garlic powder and salt mix well. Add olive oil making sure that all of the bread cubes are covered. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 6 minutes turn bread over with spatula and bake for 6 more minutes. Let cool and enjoy on salads, soups or right out of the container.