Sunday - a photo montage

Today is Sunday,
and here is a photo montage of the activities that unfolded here at home in Maxeys.
I had some work to do gathering wood out of the woodpile to paint on.
And I kept seeing things worth a snapshot. Enjoy...

First, here is a picture of what my husband has done to our backyard.
His favorite thing to do right now is move earth around.
At least there's no grass to mow.

I went to the woodpile to gather some boards to paint on, Frida joined me.

Next to the woodpile, there was the sweetest little violet growing all by itself.

I walked the property line and in a muddy spot I saw lots of footprints.
Lots of cat and dog ones, but also little raccoon prints.
They have little hands like ours!Next to the raccoon prints is a wisteria patch along the fence line.

It only looks beautiful this time of the year.
I wish you could smell the delicate sweet fragrance through this photo.

By then I had gathered up my wood and
got to work on sawing it into paintable pieces.

I noticed these buzzards watching me,
hoping I would mortally injure myself so they could swoop in and have supper.

But as you can see, I was wearing all the proper safety protection -
gloves, respirator, and goggles - no injuries were sustained, sorry buzzards.
I get into my power tools.

Are you ready for some Festival Fun?!?

April 25 and 26, 2009 11am - 6pm

here's the link to the festival website

I will be there selling my wares along with a whole

bunch of other great artists.

It's going to be a beautiful, super fun weekend!!

for maddie

I read a blog on Fridays called Inverse Candlelight, and she had a photo of this darling little girl posted. And she caught my eye because she's just so darn cute! Then I read further and discovered that last week this little girl unexpectedly - died. And I haven't been able to think about much else since. Her name was Madeline Alice Spohr -Maddie- and her mama Heather is a hysterical master blogger who has been chronicling her and her husband Mike's experiences at www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com with a difficult pregnancy, 3 month premature baby, and the joy and happiness they experienced being her parents.

Then quite unexpectedly last week - gone.
I cry now as I type.

Perhaps it's my "condition" or the fact that Maddie and my niece Naiya are about the same age, but this family's story has really hit me hard and deep.
If you'd like to help them somehow, you can donate to the March of Dimes in honor of Maddie here or contribute to a fund to help Heather and Mike here .

my darling mother-in-law

My mother-in-law Linda Jones sent a note in the mail

and I wanted to share it with you because,

well, it made me cry like a baby.

She wrote,

"You can kiss your family and friends goodbye

and put miles between you,

but at the same time you carry them with you

in your heart, your mind, your stomach,

because you do not just live in a world,

but a world lives in you."

Masters Memories

The Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National is coming up soon.
My husband and I were lucky enough to get invited to go the the practice rounds last year, and I thought I'd share my favorite photos I snapped while we were there.


The one above is Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player putting. Jamie was freaking out to see them in person. Look at the sea of people in the background. Madness.


The one above is the greens at Augusta National. One day my lawn shall look like this. Even the snacks, drinks, and beer at the Masters were super awesome (and cheap, believe it or not, $1 sandwiches, $1 beers, and special commemorative cups to boot!)

The one above is a sweet, candid shot of Jim Furyk fixing his daughter's ponytail (that's a bow in his mouth). Which reminds me that famous pro-golfers are regular folks too.

Spring! Thank God You're Here...

Ted sniffs a flower. He's such a good boy.

He's going to try out for the Maxeys soccer team this spring.
He just needs to learn not to pop the ball

My most favorite camellia bush in our yard. Have you ever seen such beauty?

Ted loves this Camellia too.
I recommend camellias, they come out in bloom in January and stay pretty through spring and require very little maintenance for such beauty.

The cats have been kicked out. They seem to be adjusting well.
However, Rose Petal refuses to leave the deck.

Handled Cups are Here!

Introducing, the latest members of the Jones Handmade Goods family - handled cups! Isn't this one sweet? Jamie took me for a ride in his John Boat and that's where this image comes from... I have several listed in my Etsy shop and if you want to hold them in your hands, stop by the Krimson Kafe in Watkinsville as I have a large selection of them there as well. And you simply must get lunch too to keep your nutrition up!