Snow birds stay
and weather the storms,
frolicking and fluttering about.
I will nourish your soft and feathery frames,
while you nurture my heart and soul.
Photography
New
This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is ‘New.’
So why strawberries you might be are probably asking?!
Well – I got a new camera, a new lens (telephooooooootooo!), a new (my first first) tripod, and a new (another FIRST!) light box between Christmas and my birthday, and I couldn’t wait to play with them after the holiday festivities had settled down.
I set things up on Saturday, and I played…. With my breakfast…
and with my lunch 🙂
Another new…. went to the gym in between breakfast and lunch 🙂
And trying to eat healthier too! Another new. (But I assure you I will still be baking and sharing!)
I know – it all sounds so cliche! Everyone starts diet and exercise routines this time of year… But you have to start sometime! And maybe publicly discussing it will help hold me more accountable… 😐
Hope you enjoy these new pictures.
Happy NEW Year!
Cheers & Old Hugs,
Jodi
The beginning of anything you want
Don’t you love the possibilities?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy New Year 2015!
Looking forward to sharing the journey of 2015 with all of you!
Happy New Year!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Christmas in Mars
Look what flew in….
Yep – this is what we do in Mars…
Monochrome – Life in Black & White
I love color, but sometimes, life in Monochrome is pretty cool too!
So – Yep – I get this look pretty often from these two! But I secretly know it really means they love me a lot!
Two of my precious boys: Nick and Mikey.
Anybody else agree with me that they could be models?! 🙂
Christmas is beautiful in color, but isn’t it oh so magnificent and nostalgic and warm and cozy in black and white?
Mud puddle reflections cause me to stop and gaze and ponder and reflect on the simple pleasures and the majestic beauty of nature.
I’ve got your back, if you’ve got mine…
And snowflakes look just as amazing (if not more) in Black and White…
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….
December 1st already! Where did 2014 go?! I do adore December and decorating for the holidays.
I had fun creating a woodsy rustic setting on the front porch with lots of fresh greenery, wood, red berries, burlap and pine cones in my fave antique crates I got for Mother’s day from Jake and Colleen. Out with the summer ferns, but not putting these beloved crates away. 🙂
The tree is up…
and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care.
This Santa is chillin’ on the mantel with the some others (real Santas drink wine not milk)…
and other Santas pop up in just about every corner.
I love tucking this little ceramic tree in a special corner. It so reminds me of my Grandma.
Snowies are chillin’ too.
Wishing you toasty toes and a warm nose as we gear up for the holiday season!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Welcome
I’ve been blogging a little over six months now here at lifeinbetween.me, and I can’t believe how much I am enjoying it and how much I am learning…
about blogging, writing, technology, but most of all about MYSELF!
I thought it high time I build a Welcome (Home) Page for those that may visit and wonder what this is all about here.
It was fun pulling photos and linking them with the posts that I thought summed up my blog and my lifeinbetween.
Check it out HERE, and let me know if you think I hit the highlights or if I missed something important or should do something different. I did it very late at night and kept falling asleep in the middle of working on it! 🙂
I would LOVE your feedback, comments, questions, whatever you’d like to say or share – as I grow on this journey of blogging and the never-ending journey of self-discovery.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Breaking News: Snow on Mars
Mars, PA that is…
Remember how I posted the gorgeous 70 degree F day on Tuesday (two short days ago)??
Today, Mikey and I headed out for a short lunch time walk, and look what is happening!!
THE WHITE STUFF! And it is 36 degrees F. I actually had to put a coat on for the first time.
So – ok – it wasn’t like a blizzard or anything (in fact it had just started, and I had to try pretty hard to find objects with enough snow on to get a photograph :). Remember it was 70 degrees two days ago…
But the first snow – no matter how much – is always kind of exciting… like a right of passage to the holiday season…
In faaaccctttt……. I think I might start playing the Christmas tunes…
(That always causes all kinds of trouble around here with my grinches guys – tee hee hee!)
Ask me in February – or maybe even January – how I feel about the snow, and I imagine it will be a whole different story! But from now until New Year’s, I love it.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Homemade Spiced Pear Liqueur
Have you seen Chef Mimi’s Blog? Oh My My! Talk about mouth-watering photos and unbelievably talented cooking skills!
When I saw a post where Chef Mimi shared this recipe for Spiced Pear Liqueur, I had to try it.
I have never tried making anything like this before (with the exception of the ever-popular and classic Apple Pie Moonshine 🙂 that didn’t turn out too shabby!), so I am excited to see how it goes and what other wonderful libations I may want to try concocting…
Here is the recipe as Chef Mimi shares:
1/2 cup sugar
Small handful whole cloves
Small handful whole allspice (I did not have allspice, so did not use)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 ripe pear, I used red D’anjou
Few pieces of orange peel
Vodka, approximately 3 cups
Place the sugar, cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks in a large, clean bottling jar with a lid. Slice up the pear, avoiding the core, and place wedges into the jar. Add the orange peel.
Pour vodka until it reaches the top. I used approximately 3 cups. Shake well until the sugar dissolves. Then store away for 4-6 weeks.
I love all the wonderful colors and aromas of the ingredients that went into this, and after almost a week, it has achieved this beautiful amber color below.
Can’t wait to try taste-testing in a few more weeks!
Spiced Pear Cheers & Warm Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 