Desert Blooms

I just came across these photos I had taken earlier this year and they instantly put a smile on my face. Nothing like some beautiful flowers to put a song in my heart and just generally put me in a cheerful mood. I happened to come upon these incredibly beautiful roses as I was driving through a neighborhood about ten miles from where I live. Fortunately, I had my camera with me.

Can you imagine such incredible yellow flowers on a cactus, no less? And this purple prickly pear cactus happens to be in my very own yard. This was the first time this cactus bloomed for us after having been planted about three years ago.

Who says the desert has no color? This tree and the two that are further in the background are living proof the desert can be loaded with color. What's even better is that they happen to be growing adjacent to our patio in the backyard. Morning coffee never tasted better than when it's being sipped at the patio table underneath this stunning canopy of magnificent blooms and overlooking the golf course.

Credits: Funky Frames by Kimla Designs at After5Designs

My Birthday Outing

Ha! Wouldn't you know it? My birthday has come around again. Tomorrow I'll be celebrating another one. I certainly don't feel any older, however, they seem to be arriving much quicker these days along with a few more pounds, a few more wrinkles, etc. It really doesn't make any sense to fret about it, so....hmmm, where is that stash of dark chocolate?

Last Saturday my sis, my son and yours truly got together for a wonderful breakfast at Mimi's on the east side of Scottsdale. All three of us have birthdays within a few weeks of each other so we had a little gift exchange and decided to see a movie afterwards. The movie we saw was "Solitary Man" starring Michael Douglas. What a hoot! I didn't know a thing about it beforehand but it turned out to be about ageing and how life has a way of catching up with you. Perfect for a birthday celebration, don't you think? Anyhow, it was lots of giggles and reminded us of different people we've known in real life!

Okay, now I have to share with you the precious little bracelet and necklace my sis gave me. The necklace has a different design on each side and says, "One Family, Many Hearts." Absolutely adorable and a very thoughtful and meaningful gift.


credits:Doodle Photo Border by GlamFairy Designs at After5Designs

Kara's Horse Competition

Neil and I have been attending some of Kara's (our grandniece) gymkhana equestrian events. We've really enjoyed watching her compete and seeing how she enjoys riding. Here's a short slideshow video of a couple of her events:

First Post - Hooray!

Welcome family and friends. In the interest of attempting to stay semi-current with new ways of communicating and new technology out there, I thought I'd start a blog to share my newest passion for digital scrapbooking as a creative outlet. Yes, I know...blogs have been around for quite some time and it's taken me a while to get on board--but I'm here and this 'old' chicky is trying! I like the idea of digital scrapbooking because I can store all the scrap elements, papers, and other supplies digitally on a large hard drive. It offers so much more flexibility and cost effectiveness to be able to reuse and customize supplies. Plus, it's much neater that way especially since I certainly don't have the storage space in my home nor the motivation to organize and work with all the paper supplies.

I hope to use this blog to also share and document some of the events in our family's lives; some large, most NOT so large.

I don't know how active and/or dedicated I will be about posting blog entries as (I hate to admit it) I never was very good about sticking to a project for the long haul, but I'll try. After much reflection, I found that what I do enjoy most is the the learning and creative process that goes into getting something started, i.e. this blog. Therefore, if you're so inclined, then join me, kick back and let's see what happens and where this goes...