Who is it?

Birthday Girl! Cutest little girl, my beautiful niece Allesandra just had her 2nd Birthday on April 4th. While visiting, Allesandra discovered the telephone and was insantly intrigued. I know growing up, I loved to play with the phone and push the buttons. Who is it? Apparently it is someone very important.You can tell by the cutest expressions on her face! Love her dearly and would do anything to spend more time with her and have her around more!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

My Favorite Whites

I am very fortinate to be living in this region of Sonom County where the wine is in abundance. Neighboring Napa, Ca. this area covers a wide range of wine varieties. 5 of my favorite white wines are shown. These Chardonnay wines are(left to right) Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma County, Napa, Ca. ** Laurier, Los Carneros, Sonoma, Ca. ** BV Beaulieu Vinyard, Coastal Estates, Sonoma, Ca. ** Sebastiani, Sonoma County, Sonoma, Ca. ** Geyser Peak, Alexander Valley, Geyserville, Ca. These wines are actually in my favorites order as well. I like these selected ones due to the overall taste and reasonable prices. I am not a wine snob so I will refrain talking about the notes each one has. I just enjoy a nice glass of wine! Highly recommend them if they are available in your area. One of my favorite events to attend is in the Fall, is called Har vest Fair. This is where all the local wineries come together in one pavilion. They post which ones have won Gold, Silver or Bronze awards and is a huge tasting event. It is so convenient to be able to try all your favorite wineries in one spot. I will also mention they have a grape stomp which is always fun to watch.

Flowers!

I am loving the fact that SPRING is here. One of my favorite seasons besides Fall. I just love to watch the flowers grow and bloom. They are my babies besides my kittens who are actually grown cats now. Below is what I call the "Mound" and would love to re landscape some day. Until that happens it is loaded with Iris plants which will be beautiful once they open. I also have a butterfly bush which has grown into a tree and a pomegranate tree that I would be more fond of if it produced yummy pomegranates. I think Jasmine is such a beautiful fragrance and love the cute white flowers and pink buds. It is a great vine to have to cover a large area. I have mine planted on the fence between the neighbors house and mine. Everyday when I pull into the driveway I get to see this beautiful vine and have a nice aroma in the air too.

It is so nice to see bulbs from the prior year bloom. These Freesia flowers are beautiful. I love the contrast color of the center with the beautiful petals. I have many of these planted along the walkway to the front door.

I was at Home Depot for an item and of course had to take the long way through the garden center outside, then inside just to get my one item when my weakness started. This beautiful Primrose needed a good home. I couldn't leave it there at the store knowing it could get neglected. Isn't it gorgeous with the yellow center, and red petals rimmed with white!

Above all, my favorite flower is the Viola. I love all violas including their siblings the Pansy and Johnny Jump Ups! I had to buy this flat. I love the mix of the colors! They are the happiest flowers of them all how their little faces stand up tall and bright. Having a flat of them, I was able to plant them in many locations.

Happy Spring! Can't wait for more flowers to bloom this spring and summer.

Garden Prep Time

It's Garden time! First need to prep the back yard and get the area cleaned up from the winter. Luckily I have a great friend who was willing to do the grunt work of tilling my back yard for a pretty penny. I am just glad to get the work done so I can do my "magic". Can't wait.

James is someone who is always fun to work with. No matter what the job, we can always have fun doing it. He has been an inspiration to me because his yard it gorgeous. Although he spends the majority of his non work time in his yard working, it has definitely paid off. Will share photos some day.I made sure my artichoke plants were saved! I have struggled with them for a couple years now and they are finally doing good so I wanted to leave them in hopes of getting at least 1 artichoke. So glad to see the yard tilled and ready for me to do the final prep for my garden. I am going to do a raised bed this year, so we will see pics soon!

Weakness

I should have never tried this Lemon Tart from Michelle Marie's Patisserie in Montgomery Village. Trouble with a capital "T". This tart is excellent because it it not too sweet and not too tart either, perfect combination! I have had to enforce serious self control to refrain from patronizing the Patisserie. I could have one a day, but I only eat half so I can savour the flavor the next day too! Terrible Weakness~

Got Milk?

Busted.....Mr. Milo, kitten #2 did paw dips into my milk glass and then decided to stick his head in the glass and ended up with milk on his chin. So cute. He was then in the bathtub waiting for me to turn on the water so he could get a drink of water when I needed to capture this photo opportunity for a "Got Milk?" photo. Milo is not a kitten anymore but is still my 16 pound baby. This photo makes him look skinny. Milo a.k.a. My-Lo, Mylar, pumpkin butt and baby boy. Pathetic, I know. He also looks like a mountain lion which is his idol. Yes, he is spoiled.

~Simply Beautiful~

Calla lilies and daffodils are so beautiful! My fathers care taker cut these from my yard and arranged them in a vase for me. What a nice surprise to see these when I came home for lunch today. I also have to mention my candles. These are flameless candles embossed in a paisley design. I have to admit that I was skeptical to purchase flameless candles when I have loved the typical wax ones for years. However, I have converted. They are great to have in the house because they are on timers! They automatically come on the same time every day and go off on their own. I never have to worry about the house burning down by an accident and the ambiance is so nice to enjoy everyday!

My love for kitchen gadgets!

I love kitchen gadgets. There really isn't more to say. I don't think you can ever have too many unless you don't have the space or storage for them. It is nice to have a tool for ANY task needing to be accomplished in the kitchen. Why not? While visiting my Aunt in Kansas, she took me to Pryde's in Old Westport. Now every time I visit, this is a must on the "To Do" list. I love just looking at all the possibilities and wishing I had a HUGE kitchen to store more treats. The place is loaded with everything and anything you could possibly need, want or what you didn't realize you needed. The store is two stories which takes time to see everything. Plus, as a bonus, they have a cute little bakery downstairs to help your hunger as you shop. I highly recomend this store if you love to cook or bake.

I see you!!!

I love this photo. Let me introduce you to kitten Tule a.k.a. Tulers, White-T, Y-T, block head, and Tools. Somehow, a little snail got lost one day and ended up on the living room window. Tule spotted him immediately and watched intensely until he got bored. Usually snails are not my favorite but this one was adventurous this day and was entertainment to the kitten. Love my Calla lilies in the photo too. They usually get to be about 5 feet tall which nice because they pop up to the living room window.

Ready for Spring?

I am and can't wait! This is a rose from last year which is beautiful. I see new growth on my roses this year and I am excited about the first blooms of the year soon to come. I have spring fever and yes am excited to get working outdoors in the yard. With the time change coming Saturday night, this will allow more time after work to get busy in the yard.

Sunday Lunch

Grilled Vegetable Pannini

grilled zucchini, red onions

marinated artichoke hearts, fire roasted red peppers and Monteray jack cheese

Simple and delicious!!!