Black and White ~ blooming beauties

I took this at the beginning of the summer when my roses made their first appearance of the season. 
It's one of my favorite photos. In fact, I'm considering framing it for our home I like it so much.

I've had my "new" camera for a little over a year now. When I bought it a bloggy friend Kacey suggested a book to read and I took a couple of basic classes that provided some knowledge and comfort. My sweet husband has gifted me with a few new lenses along the way as well. Truth be told, it's the constant snapping away that has provided the best lessons ~ trial and error {lots of them!}.

And I think I'm {finally} getting the hang of it!
{I'm almost ready for one of Lisa's classes now :)}





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Black and White Wednesday

 I've always been a bit apprehensive of these delicate plants and shied away from them at the garden center.This year I was brave and planted a few roses in our flower garden.

Surprisingly, not only have they survived {a small miracle in and of itself} but they have bloomed continuously through the late spring and summer months.

Looks can be deceiving. This variety blossoms into a beautiful miniature peony like flower. It has layers upon layers of petals when it is in full bloom.

I'm joining Lisa this week along with her talented ladies for Black and White Wednesday. Stop by and take a peek.

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Black and White Wednesday

On a hot Sunday morning with a flurry of action, this beauty sat quietly and calmly amongst the chaos.

It struck my attention with the realization that this is what it is like some days in my own life if and when I don't let "things" get to me.

 It is possible to maintain a tranquil inner peace while the outer layers are spinning out of control if your mind is centered.

Take a peek at Lisa's for more Black and Whites.

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Black and White

The votes are in and we won hands down!

We are officially the most popular house in the neighborhood.

We have the "bestest" big dirt pile.

 Just ask this sweet 3 year old.

The little guys across the street offered to come help me plant seeds in my greenhouse for the garden.

They were gung ho until ...

they spied our mountain of dirt in the turn around.
{being used to fill in the areas that were washed away from the Great Flood of 2010}

So much for those extra sets of helpful hands for me.

Instead, my husband adopted dirt movers which helped him out ~ NOT FAIR!

If a gardening career doesn't work out for Tyler, he can always give plumbing a try ;)

No cuties were exploited in this photo. His sweet Mama knows about this photo. She thought it was awful cute until she got a closer look at how dirty he was ~ I did offer a few laundry tips.

Boys will be boys!

{and cute ones at that}

For more Black and White Wednesday
visit Lisa

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Black and White Wednesday ~ Sunshine

This past weekend I bought arm loads of fresh flowers. I couldn't get enough of the beautiful fresh cut and potted spring flowers. 


I like to use different types of vessels for vases. This sweet little pitcher was made by my Aunt Joanne. She is an artist and at some point in her education, this was a project and then a gift to my mother. I love the flowers ~ it's hard to see but the petals are raised from the surface at varing levels for a 3D effect.

When I was a little girl she would fill it at lunch time with milk or water and allow me to pour it into my glass ~ it was the perfect size for my little hands and I thought it was a big deal!Today I'm using to hold my sweet kisses of sunshine!




Enjoy more black and whites at Lisa's.

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Black and White ~ Pages in Time

As the season is about to change into a softer more gentle phase, so will my lifestyle.
During the winter I like to hunker down with comfort foods, fluffy down comforters and pages filled with various forms of entertainment.
As spring arrives I look forward spending less time indoors and more in my flower beds, catching up with neighbors after a long winter, and evening walks on the beach.

This photo was taken of my bedside table after a Blogger Book Swap. The pictures represent my life as a toddler on the lap of my mother {my favorite choice of seating} and as a wife on the arm of my husband just before dashing off to a formal event.

 As with the seasons, our identities as individuals change over periods of time.

Join Lisa for more beautiful Black and Whites 

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Black & White Wednesday with the Boz

Meet Mr. Bozely, he is our one year old English Bulldog.

This little {or not so much} guy has more personality than energy.
If you are at all familiar with this breed, then you know they like to enjoy a relaxing lifestyle.
This is not to be confused with lazy {ha!} They are all about exercise as long as the end result is in the form of a treat follow by a lengthy nap. 

Boz has a fairly hectic schedule to be honest.

*Wakes up the entire household every morning
 * The official greeter of each guest who enters
* Life of every party that is hosted
* Security system {when not sleeping}
* Taste tester {or at least would like to be}
* Foot warmer for cold New England winters

most importantly ...

* Woman's best friend and silent confidant!

It's a "ruff" life ;)

Join in the fun with Lisa's Black and White Wednesdays

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Black and White Wednesday on skates

What's better than a fresh blanket of white, a pair of skates and a sled? As a child, who grew up in Michigan, this is what dreams were made of!
I loved {and still do} to ice skate. My father took me for my first lesson when I was just a small little lady. He was an amazing skater. I loved to sit and watch him as he glided, and jumped. We went to the "old rink" at MSU. I bobbled, wobbled and fell many times until I got the hang of trying to stay upright and glide on two sharp blades. As I perfected the art of staying upright, my parents enrolled me in skating lessons. I finally reached the stage where I could compete and with that came my first skating dress ~ it was absolutely beautiful! At least that's how I remember it from so many years ago. It was kelly green and inside the box was also a pair of skating nylons {just like my mom's} I was thrilled to have my complete skating outfit and made sure to model it for all to see ~ endlessly.
My brother and I were also lucky enough to have our very own rink in our backyard. Each winter my father would ice a section of the yard. The neighborhood children would come over for hours. My mom would treat us to cookies and coca once our cheeks began to freeze. We looked forward to this every winter!

My family still ice skates although it's reserved for local rinks, lakes and ponds. There is just something so magical about skating followed up with a piping hot mug of hot coca!

Join Lisa for more beautiful Black and White Wednesday photos.

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Snow day ~ black and white Wednesday

{winter 2009/2010}

This is what my future looks like ~ in only a matter of a few hours we will be breaking out the snow blower.
I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I got "the call" last night. Have you seen the commercials for snow day? Yep, that was me doing the happy snow dance last night in my jammies! Seriously, I'm not kidding.
It's amazing how much you can accomplish with an unexpected day off. I broke out my list and starting jotting down some areas that needed my attention this morning. I've got Valentine goodies to bake, handmade Valentine's to finish for my classroom and a few packages to get together.

 My sweet husband built me a fire before he left for work ~ he's hoping to get a few hours in before the heavy snow begins. I'm toasty warm and have a steaming cup of coffee in hand ~ life is good! :)

Join in the fun of Black and {snowy} White Wednesday over at Lisa's. There are some very talented gals that share each week. I'm not in that category but they let me play along anyway.

Have a great day!

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"Time" for Black and White Wednesday

I love clocks of all varieties. One of my favorites is the Grandfather Clock my husband built. It is Shaker style with simple lines and delicate beauty. The chimes always bring a sense of comfort and reminder that all is well in our home.

 This grand beauty stands proudly among the mansions that line the street in Newport Rhode Island.  I snapped it quickly while passing by only to discover it's real charm while reviewing my photos later that day.

This photo was taken on a very dank and gloomy winter's day. The sky was ominous with the threat of snow becoming a reality at any minute.

I'm really enjoying Lisa's Black and White Wednesdays.It's been a wonderful opportunity to see photo in a different light ~ kinda like thinking outside the box. Stop by and take a peek at some of the other wonderful pictures.

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Black and White Wednesday

It's Black and White Wednesday!

This sweet little chapel is near our home. It brings a smile to my face each time I see it's aged but still welcoming front doors.

The stories these walls have heard over so many years must be filled with prayer requests and praises sharing the history of those that settled in New England . 

While its small in size, it's grandiose in comfort and security.

Take a peek at all the other great photos over at Lisa's.

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Black and White Beauty

Last year my husband gave me a fabulous new camera. It's provided me with hours of documenting our family history, capturing fun shots, and a few lessons along the way.

When Lisa proposed the Black and White Wednesday challenge I thought I'd play along for fun with hopes of learning a few more tricks of the trade!

It's been a long week {why is it that a short week always feels longer?} and my son is really sick miles away from home in a different state so, my creative juices aren't really flowing.

I searched my files and our home high and low for something to photograph.

The dog ran away from me

my husband put his hands in from of his face

and no friends were willing to leave their warm homes

thus, I'm going with my tried and true

fresh blooms!

Please don't judge, it's my first {possibly my last} attempt at black and white photography.

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