February 12 - Seafood Gumbo

I am making a seafood gumbo recipe by Jacques Pepin for dinner this evening.  I photographed some of the ingredients that went in to the recipe after completing some of prep work.

February 11 - Shopping at Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma is one of my favorite places to shop.  I can always find ideas and many thing I want to bring home with me.  I took my "pocket" camera (Panasonic Lumix) along for the trip and took some photos while I was in the store.  I came home with several photographs along with a new pizza peel, 3 new sets of dish towels, and some cute heart-shaped sprinkles.

February 10 - Orange

I love this little Fitz & Floyd orange shaped container.  It sits on the desk in my home office and holds stamps and other small items.

February 9 - Dog Toy, Puzzle, and Watercolors

As I was walking through the house today looking for items to photograph for my POTD (Photo of the Day) project, the dog toys littered through our den and front hall caught my eye.  I captured a shot of the new "road kill" possum toy that we bought at Sam's this week.  Both Charlie and Sophie liked it along with its partner skunk that came in the set.  I also captured shots of a puzzle from our toy collection and an unused (as yet) tray of watercolors.  I always like to photograph items with lots of color.  I love color! 

My creativity lately has been limited to cooking and photography, as the puppy has put a serious dent in my available time.  I'm thinking of starting some crochet project or maybe sketching with pen, ink, and watercolor.  Those that know me well know that I always have multiple projects in the works!

February 8 - Sunrise, Sam's Trip, and Dog tug-of-war

We made a major run to Sam's today as we had not been in weeks. I captured shots of my list and some of the items purchased. I got a shot of the sunrise when I took Charlie out this morning and captured Sophie and Charlie in a game of "tug-of-war." Sophie and Charlie have established several games - Chase, Tug-of-War, Wrestling, and "grab Sophie's tail." Sophie has "cracked the whip" several times with Charlie holding on to the end of her tail. We have never had 2 dogs at the same time and it is interesting to watch them play.

February 7 - Photo of the Day

Today's photo is a shot of a bowl of onions with a single shallot. I also got a good one of Charlie playing with his tiger toy.

February 6 - Valentine M&M's

We had a busy Monday and I only photographed one subject today, a small candy dish filled with Valentine M&M's. Note - I also ate quite a few.

February 5 - Food Shots

I am trying to improve my food photography (along with everything else). I love to cook and would really like to get more appetizing shots of my results. I got these shots today after my visit to the Teeter. The key is great natural lighting. We are having salmon, herbed rice pilaf, and roasted asparagus for dinner tonight.

February 4 - Lazy Day at the Springers

Dan and I had a relaxing day. We ventured out once while the puppy was sleeping, but otherwise spent a quiet day. I spent time working on photo editing and organizing my 2012 photo book while Dan watched TV. Photographs for the day included an antique basket filled with wooden eggs and a Honeycrisp apple. I shot both photos on our back porch as the light was not great inside on this rainy day. I use a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples in Dan's favorite rustic apple tart. I'll be glad when the weather turns nicer, as I am running out of subjects at home for my "photo a day" project.

February 3 - Fountains and Pizza

Dan and I ate lunch today at Stonecrest. I took my camera along and got this shot of the fountains. I made pizza for dinner - pepperoni, red pepper, and mushroom.

February 2 - Rabbit in our garden

Dog Wrestling

Sophie was not too sure about Charlie for the first 2 weeks. Since then, it has been "Game On!"

February 1 - Spongeware Pitchers

I made it through January taking at least one photo a day. My goal is to take a picture every day this year and really learn to use my camera and improve my photography. It has been a challenge so far due to many days of rainy weather. My photo of the day today is a shot of my antique spongeware pitchers. I only have 3, a start of a collection.

January 31 - Pots and Apothecary Chest detail

Shots from today include a photo of the pots hanging on the rack in my kitchen and a close up of the antique apothecary chest at the foot of our stairs.

January 30 - Dog Play

When Emma was over this past weekend, she insisted that Sophie and Charlie needed more toys. Of course, we went to Pet Smart and she helped me pick out quite a few. I got some shots today of Charlie with the new ball and Sophie and Charlie playing "tug of war" with a cow. Sophie is really into play with Charlie now - 2 weeks after his arrival upset the balance of her world.

The best soup and new dish towels

This Sausage, Potato, and Cabbage Soup by Jacques Pepin is AWESOME! We had it for dinner this evening with a rustic apple tart for dessert. I bought some bright new dish towels today on sale at Target. I love the colors!

January 29 - Signing and addressing the Valentines

Emma always request waffles for breakfast after a sleepover. I let her dump all of the ingredients and stir. After her waffle breakfast, she finished up her valentines so she could take the ones home that she made for Mommy and Daddy. After we went to Pet Smart and Emma picked out some new "lovies" (Emma's term for stuffed toys) for Charlie, we met her mother at Target and Emma picked out a princess baby and an Oreo snack.

January 28 - Sleepover and Valentines with Emma

Emma came over for a sleep over at Nana's this evening. In preparation, I gathered some art supplies and valentine embellishments so she could make valentines. She did a great job and had a lot of fun! She ate a great dinner - steak and baked potato and we had a popcorn party later watching "Belle and the Beast."

POTD - January 27

Fruit and vegetable shots were taken with my phone in a stop off at the Teeter on my way home from lunch with friends. I captured the tree out front this morning with the rising sun behind it. I tried a self portrait later today by shooting myself in the hall mirror.

POTD - January 26

Rocker on our back porch, pansies, and a Target cart.