Thinking about Spring!

Got the Burpee seed catalog in the mail yesterday........so many beautiful flowers and interesting vegetables to look at....

I think these zinnias are in there.......

And probably both of these tulips......I can dream about what I'd like to plant......and maybe even order a few things now.....

Happy New Year!

Oops, Forgot to post!

We were surrounded by turkeys a few mornings ago.  Could hear them clucking away outside so I looked out--they were on all sides of the house!

 And down the driveway!  Had to have been at least 3 dozen--more than I've ever seen at one time....they couldn't scratch in the woods because of all the snow so they reosrted to the driveway.

In the Snow

here's Rafe out trudging around in the snow yesterday--I tried to shovel a small pathway for him, but the snow was heavy!  He wanted to go all over the yard......and he did --boy, was he tired when he came in!  The snow was up to the top of his legs!

 Mouth hanging open in this one!  Shows just how tired he was!  He slept good last night!

Here's Tuck, braving the cold weather to get a little fresh air.....Not really..he does like to go out a little bit most days.

Macro Monday

How much longer til spring?  Too long!

Happy Holidays

Christmas Lights in NYC

I was playing around with some photos  to post in a group on flickr & loved how this one turned out!

More Oldies but Goodies

Found these yesterday in an album of my sister's.  Taken in 1952--the cabinet behind was made by my Dad--see it in the next photo opened up!  And how about that record player!

 Here we are in all our glory with brand new dolls & matching doll clothes!  The cabinet is for storing all that stuff! ( we were 4 and 5 at the time)

More from Christmases Past

This one is from Christmas 1956 -about 8 months after my brother was born.

 And from the year 1957 in beautiful new dresses that my Mom had made for us--she sewed alot of our clothes & made  dresses with lots of special touches!

Macro Monday--It's a Bug's Life

Shoes, anyone?

I think this was down the street from Macy's--looked up to the second floor & saw all these shoes!

What a display!

Here's the full effect!   Glad I was on the bus going home, because otherwise I probably would have gone in & spent a few hours & more than a few $$$.

Raspberry Thumbprint cookies

For the 1st time in 37 years I am not working in a retail store at Christmas time, so I've been staying inside & baking!  I think I have 4 or 5 full containers of different cookies in the freezer & refrigerator.....taking a lot to my family Christmas celebration this weekend.
have been trying out a little shortcut--making cookies starting with a bag of Betty Crocker cookie mix
cookie recipes

I made the Raspberry Thumbprint cookies a few days ago.  Also have tried the Red Velvet cookies--both have turned out very good! I should have made the indentations in these a little bigger--doesn't matter --they taste great!

I used my own homemade raspberry jam in them.....supposed to use seedless, but I don't strain out the seeds

The finished product!

Christmas Past...

This is a photo of me & my sister, Judie from 1953.  Don't you just love the bathrobes & Judie's shawl ?

Oh, what fashion plates we were!

Mall Santa

I went to the mall to finish up my Christmas shopping and to meet a friend to exchange gifts--she had gifts for me to take to my family this weekend, too.  I don't go to this mall( West Farms Mall) very often ( or any mall really!)--I worked at JCPenney in this mall for 8 years--from before it opened ( help set up the store) in 1974 til I got a promotion  & went to work in Enfield, CT ( that store is closed now!)

 They have beautiful decorations around the mall--this is in the center court--no line yet for Santa, so he's relaxing a bit!

 I think he's chillin" --getting ready for the onslaught!  Maybe not too bad because it's during the week! Ho, Ho , Ho!

Macro Monday

An oldie but goodie. It's a zinnia from my yard. Just got an email from Burpee Seeds with a link to their 2011 seed catalog--can spring be too far behind? Hope so, but I won't hold my breath! have a great day

Macy's in NYC

This is the tree made of lights on the front of Macy's

 And a few of their windows.  When I tried to post videos that I took, they show up too big on my blog & I haven't figured out how to make them smaller, so I've been putting them on Youtube & Facebook.

 These windows are beautiful, but the Lord & Taylor ones are better!  More  to come!

 Do you believe?

Holiday Windows

Lets start at Barneys New York.  Their windows theme is The Food Network.  I learned it's hard taking photos at dusk, through the glass & over the heads of the crowds!

 In this window you can see figures of Bobby Flay and Emiril Lagasse and others.  Enlarge the pictures & you can see lots more detail

 And this is all the femaile chefs--Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart & others...

 And the windows at DKNY

Random shots around NYC

I just realized I hadn't done a post on my blog today & I certainly have lots of photos still to share from NYC.  So just a few random ones for now

My friend Paula outside the theater for the Pee Wee Herman show

 We ate lunch in this charming little restaurant called Brazil--it was a great place to rest our weary feet for awhile--and the food was great!

 It's on W 46th street which is also called "Restaurant Row"--many, many restaurants along the street.

 Sign I saw on the buses --couldn't resist a photo!

 Big Bird was on the edge of Central Park just waving to all the passersby

 Watched this man wrapping the trees with lights

Some holiday windows tomorrow!

Times Square, NYC

Arrived in the city around 11 am & walked down to Times Square.  It's always a bustling spot no matter the time of year.  On Saturday there were long lines at the ticket place--for cut rate broadway show tickets.

 We had taken the bus in & our bus driver said his company ( Peter Pan) had 20 buses there!  A few of the billboards.

 Someone in a bowling pin costume--advertisement for a bowling alley in Times Square--who knew!  Check out the ladies in their fur coats--I thought about wearing mine--it's a persian lamb jacket--but decided to go with a longer coat--wise choice!

 The ABC studios

 More billboards.  there was one really cool billboard I only got in a video-- and not the MX portion --it changed to several different things & one was an ad for Mexico--I only saw it once--waited a few minutes for it to come back, but never saw it again.

 And what's a trip to Times Square without a photo of the Naked Cowboy?    When we walked around in the late morning we didn't see him, but a few hours later we passed through again & there he was....surrounded by women getting their pictures taken with him....can't believe he wasn't cold!