House Blessing

"PLENTY and GRACE BE TO THIS PLACE"

I photographed this terracotta plaque on a fireplace mantle recently. I am trying something new just to see if it works. I am posting from my iPhone. This is a test!

The verdict. I had to resize the photo on my computer because I had not selected image size in the settings. It was way too big to fit in my template. But now I know I can post and save as a draft for computer tweeking later. Could come in handy and now I have the free Blogger App on my iPhone and iPad. You can't change fonts or do anything with rich text. Pretty basic. Come on Google, you can do better!

Tiny Baby Elephant Tusk

This cute little guy is showing off his first tooth? Have you ever seen anything cuter? Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. via

Meet Mr. Toad

 

I was glad to see that Mr. Toad was so big and healthy and happy looking after the winter. I dug out his toad house and put him in it. 

Here is the link to view on YouTube. This is HD and it looks great viewed full screen.

Hummingbird Feeding at My Cottage

I have had the best time all week watching the hummingbirds. I have to fill this tiny feeder daily because it only holds 1/2 cup of nectar. That's perfect too because it isn't out there long enough to ferment. I had one bird buzz around my head waiting for me to finish my filling station duties. They actually chug-a-lug the liquid until as many as 6 air bubbles go up the tube as they feed. Goodness they are hungry (or lazy), I can decide which! my photo

Screen Porch Love

Now this is wonderful! I would love to see a photograph taken from the outside to see how it joins the house. It's so interesting from the inside, isn't it? I love the way the house architecture was preserved when the porch was added. I love the laundry hanging on the line and the screen door too. I would sleep out there if that bench were a little longer. via
Have a great weekend!

I ordered a Trygger iPhone Case w/ Polarizing Filter

Every now and then I see a great idea that needs backing prior to production on Kickstarter. Unfortunately I did not learn about this fabulous invention when it started out at the $35 backer level. I jumped in at $40 (with free shipping) and have only 17 days to go before the emails go out to choose preferred color. I'm going to get a white one. The sliding panel on the back has a wheel-operated polarizing filter to keep out glare. I honestly have been trying to invent something like this myself with all of my old Nikon filters from the dark ages that are in my camera bag in the closet. Now I won't have to. This will make the awesome camera on my iPhone 4S perfect. 
Disclaimer: I am not making any money on this. I just wanted to share a great find with all of my readers. I cannot wait to get this Trygger Camera Case for iPhone 4/4S!! Click on the link above if you want to become a backer and get yours for less than the final retail price with free shipping in the USA.

The Doryman by N.C.Wyeth 1933

I love this oil on canvas and am happy Wyeth succeeded in passing on his artistic talent. In his studio, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, N.C. taught three of his five children and two sons-in-law to paint. via

Royal Embroidered Monogram Crowned Initial 'E'

This is beautiful needlework, isn't it? I'm assuming it's for Queen Elizabeth II but I'm not really sure. See it full size at Townmouse on Flickr. You will be flabbergasted! 
Here's what she says about this piece in her embroidery photostream: "From an old, long out-of-print Italian book on beautiful monogram embroidery. It includes some of the best examples of this type of work I've ever seen. Many of these pieces were ebroidered for royal and titled families over the last century, hence the use of crowns in quite a lot of the work. The text is in italian."