Drink (159/366)


Two of my favorite things.  Naked Tea in my Dixon Tervis Tumbler.  First, Naked Tea, or what we affectionately refer to as "The Brown Water" in my house is decaf iced tea with nothing in it.  It's the way I find Iced Tea to be the most thirst quenching and refreshing and how my children also prefer to drink it.  Now I have to import my tea bags from North Carolina as I can't buy Luzianne Decaf Iced Tea bags in Pittsburgh.

Now, if you have never owned a Tervis Tumbler, you are so missing out!  No matter what you put in these things, hot or cold, that's the way it stays......for a very long time.  And NO sweating!  Nothing worse than a glass that leaves a ring.

This glass accompanies me to every little league game, yard work and many other places.  It's the perfect companion to my favorite drink.

Tonight's quote is for my dear friend Jodie who arrived in Merry Old England today to spend some time with the love of her life....

American-style iced tea is the perfect drink for a hot, sunny day.  It never really caught on in the UK, probably because the last time we had a hot, sunny day was back in 1957.
~Tom Holt

Hat (158/366)

As a mother of a young boy, baseball hats are a very normal thing.  In fact, there are so many baseball hats in our house, I think Daniel could wear a different every day for a month.  With that many hats, they are generally never where they are supposed to be either.

We were outside tonight raking up after I did the lawn and as I went to water the garden, there was another one of Dan's hats laying in the yard.  Just the other night, I found a batting helmet and 3 Pirate baseball hats lying on the floor in our living room.  I asked Dan to take care of them.  He picked them up and I thought he took them upstairs to his room.  Yeah, wishful thinking on my part.  They all ended up on a dining room chair.  I pointed out his error and somehow, only 3 of the 4 ended up moving.   Boys!!

So many hats, only one head!

Sign (157/366)


It was a challenge to get out of the office today.  First it was just plain crazy busy and the weather was less than desirable.  For early June, my CA is off and the comforter is still on the bed.  So I braved the June chill in search of some lunch and caught this shot.
 
Mt. Lebanon is the town I work in, just about 6 miles from home.  One of the things I love most about my office, beyond the fact that something industrial is no longer happening 10 feet from my desk, is the fun shops and restaurants on Washington Rd.

Shopping local and supporting local businesses is something I strive to do as often as possible.  I have talked and photographed some of my favorite spots near the office like Aladdin's, Little Tokyo and the newest, Walnut Grill.  Tomorrow I have to hit Rollier's which is like the Taj Mahal of hardware stores to see if I can find a shallow bird bath for our butterfly garden.

So, here's your sign!  Shop Local!

Up Close (156/366)

Today's photo challenge is Up Close.  I have all those lovely new flowers in my garden that it was an easy choice.  I probably should have taken this in the AM but I was barely moving at that point.  I am pretty sure I have not had my hamstrings ever be this tender.

This is a yellow biden ( Bidens ferrulifolia ).  It's the only annual in  my garden so I want to see how it does.  I bought two of them and put the other one in one of the planters I bought to go on my patio/front yard.  I love the color and it's also a butterfly attraction so I hope it was a good choice!

Colors are the smiles of Nature
~Leigh Hunt

My Plate (155/366)

My son and I have spent the last two days doing an insane amount of yard work.  Weeding, digging, planting, mulching.. even my fingertips hurt (we won't go into my thighs).  Hard work does not go unrewarded in this house and we now have a beautiful butterfly garden and these yummy oranges were our snack today.

Succulent and oh so sweet, these navels were to die for.  I think we need to make sure they are on the shopping list again!

California is a fine place to live-if you happen to be a orange.
~Fred Allen

Empty (154/366)

Yes, I know, it's not totally EMPTY but what it is empty of, is weeds.  Five, 13 gal garbage bags, 1 garbage can, 2 sets of hands, a lot of muscle and Daniel and I got through the wall of weeds I want to be my butterfly garden.

All that remain are my Iris's, cut back Daffodils and a bush in the corner that I think is a keeper but I don't know what it is...LOL  Tomorrow we mulch, plant and relocate some of the Iris's so they are not so clumped together.  I am sure I will be aching tomorrow but seeing the progress makes it all worth while!

Once that is complete I can then start the repair on that dirt patch where my shed used to be.

What a (wo)man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it.
~Charles Dudley Warner

Morning (153/366)

I love a challenge and this 365 Project has definitely been a challenge.  Well, I decided to take June to another level.  A few of my friends over on Facebook are doing a monthly photo challenge where each day had a predetermined topic.  Today's was "Morning".

Now, had I gotten my act together this morning, I would have taken my shot in the Morning, but I wasn't that good.  So I opted for a conglomerate of the most important things in my morning.  My two favorite coffee mugs and my Keurig Machine.  Life is good!

Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.
~Unknown