POTD - tic tac

POTD - tic tac

©2011 Kristin Corlett

My tenants, who just went home, left these behind in their condo.  I don't buy tic tacs, but I have always liked the packaging and the sound they make when you shake the box.  The orange ones also make me think of Paulie Bleeker in the movie Juno.  (He always ate orange tic tacs)

Enjoy!
Kristin

It's Friday Fragments Day!  

It's Friday Fragments Day!

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragment finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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I am overjoyed!  I was in charge of this months potluck dinner.  The woman who runs the dinner has just always done it.  I only have to show up.  But since she was going to be out of town I gladly offered to take her place.  Then I started getting nervous.  I was getting anxious that turn out might be low or that I would set off the alarm at the place where we have our dinner when I locked up or something like that.  I had a few helpers, thankfully, and I arrived early and everything just sort of flowed like clockwork.  We got all the tables decorated and the food tables and drinks all set up.  Then the people started coming and coming and coming!  Usually we have 15 - 25 people that come for potluck.  That's a good crowd.  Tonight we had 61.  SIXTY ONE!  Oh my goodness!  That's the biggest turn out ever.

I'm grinning from ear to ear :^)

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My sister and mom (and the three girls) had enough of beautiful Gulf Shores and their endless vacation.  They left five days early.  They loaded up the stuff, the kids, the shells and sand and took off for home.  It takes quite a bit of effort to clean up the GS condo before leaving.  All the laundry has to be done, beds made, trash out, fridge emptied, water off - just like closing up a cottage.  They got a pretty late start, about 4pm, so they only got a few hours of driving in the first day.  It was enough though and they were on the road.  I think the family vacation lasted 16 days.  I still think that it was a fabulous trip for them and I'm so glad they were able to spend that time down there.  I'm also glad I got to go visit!

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I am a few years late to the party, but I have recently discovered NCIS on TV.   I'm totally hooked.

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I was looking up some information on Magnolia trees, so I Googled it.  I realized that my blog,  my Photo of the Day - Magnolia Tree is 5th on Google for Magnolia Tree.  That's just crazy!  While I was at it, I Googled a few more things and I found that The Goat is #3 for How to bake a sweet potato.   Cheap thrills!!  Now all I need to do is sell some magnolia trees and sweet potatoes and I'd be all set!

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My blogging friend and fellow Michigander, Ann in the U.P., is trying to raise enough money to buy a goat from Heifer International.  The money is all coming from her pocket, but she's donating via blog comments.  This is her post from last week where she explains her plan to get the goat.  I think she's nearing 40 comments so far.  I think she may be participating in Friday Fragments this week, but if not, I wanted to be sure to give her a shout out.

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A friend of mine who I haven't talked to in a awhile sent an email today.  She said that yes it's true she met a great guy, she's now engaged and he's a great kisser!  I love it!!!  Sometimes that's all you really need to know.   I wish her the best and lots more great kisses.

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Thanks so much for stopping by The Goat today.  It's a delight to have you.
The typewriter photos are from a Remington Rand that I found in an antique shop a few months ago and the middle photo is a cash register.
Be sure to stop by Mrs. Fours place for other Friday Fragmenters.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Geranium

POTD - Geranium

©2011 Kristin Corlett

A geranium just starting to bloom. I like the soft color of the flower and all of the buds forming.   I think that geraniums are such strong looking flowers when they are in full bloom, but this picture shows that the geranium flower is small and delicate in the beginning.  I like that. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Flowers flowers everywhere

The tents are popping up all over town now that Spring is over in Jacksonville.   It's so sad when I realize that spring is done.  It comes and goes so very quickly.   Now it's just going to be hot as blazes for the next five months or more. 

Thankfully we do have some plants and flowers that like the heat and sun.

Celosia

 

Foxtail Fern

Foxglove

Gerbera Daisy

Hibiscus

New Guinea Impatiens

All you Northerners - this is just a little preview of what you will see very soon.  I hear that there have been crocus sightings, trees budding and possibly some green grass!  Here's to sunshine and warmer days.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Reflection

POTD - Reflection

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I went to the Jacksonville Art Fair on Sunday and took a picture of this beautiful old stained glass window, turned into a mirror. I didn't realize that I had a reflection of another artists' booth. The whole thing looks like you could be looking out the window and seeing the tree and beyond that into the neighbors house seeing someone getting undressed!

Enjoy!
Kristin

Whole lotta carrots

Have you ever tried these steamfresh bags?  This is my favorite brand and type - the  Birds Eye broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.  I probably heat up 3 bags a week of this kind and 2 more bags of other veggie varieties.  Needless to say, I'm quite savvy to the product.

Yesterday when I poured the freshly steamed veggies into my strainer...

this is the assortment that I received!

That's a whole lotta carrots!  I've never seen a package so heavily weighted to one veggie. 

Goodness, I only received two little broccoli florets!

In my serving I took all of the broccoli and most of the cauliflower.

It wasn't hard to do.

I'm wondering if maybe I should send these photos to Birds Eye?  Just as an FYI, not a complaint or anything.  

Have a great day!
Kristin


UPDATE:  I received this email 4/13/11 after I sent a message explaining the situation.  I stated that I wasn't upset or anything just wanted to let them know.

Dear Valued Consumer,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us to share your concern regarding your recent purchase of Birds Eye Broccoli, Cauliflower, & Carrots. You will receive a full value coupon in the mail in seven to ten business days.

Ingredients within a product blend are proportioned by weight according to product specifications. During processing, scale mechanisms deposit the ingredients onto a belt or shaker along with the other ingredients in the recipe and are blended together just prior to packaging. We have worked diligently with our Quality Assurance teams to optimize the consistency of the mix ratios and feedback such as yours encourages us to continue improvements processes for an optimal finished product.

The quality of our products is of the utmost importance and feedback from loyal consumers like you ensure that we continue to make improvements. I trust that you will continue to use Birds Eye Broccoli, Cauliflower, & Carrots with confidence and that your next experience will be a better one.

Sincerely,

Hollie Allen
Consumer Relations Representative

POTD - It's Patriotic

POTD - It's Patriotic

©2011 Kristin Corlett

What struck me about this building was that each window and door were different.  The boarded up windows are next to a boarded up door and a blocked in window.  The green door on the side is really skinny.  I don't think it's a standard door size.  The windows above are different, too.  One looks like it was painted and now has a hole in it and the larger window has a piece of plastic in place of glass, I think.   The colors are interesting, too - red, white, blue, black and green. All around it's just an odd looking building with a lot of character.  It sits next to the Howard Motel in Panama City, FL.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Discovering Mobile

While in Alabama I took an afternoon and went to visit my friend Jennifer.  She blogs under the name Dust Bunny Hostage, but unfortunately she hasn't blogged much lately. I fell in love with her blog a few years ago and I wait with bated breath for each word she writes! 

I look forward to seeing her in person, too!  We are never are at a loss for words or laughter.  I'm so fortunate that she lives fairly close to Gulf Shores.

Jennifer suggested that she could take me to Mobile, AL and I jumped at the chance.  I've been wanting to see that big town across the bay, but have just never gone.  Thanks Jennifer for taking me!!

The very first place she took me were to some vintage signs! Love the vintage Music store sign. 

Goodness knows that I love old signs.  She said that she has been wanting to get photos of these signs for quite some time so I was happy to be invited!!

One of Jennifer's favorite birds is the Blue Bird, so she's been eying this sign for quite some time.  I loved it, too!

The store is no longer open, but I liked this shot of the sign in the reflection of the locked front door.

I think the hanger has been refurbished but the rest of the sign and the building are perfectly vintage.

I spotted a sign to the Magnolia Cemetery so we discovered this gorgeous place together!  It was established in 1836 and is Mobile's second oldest cemetery.  I guess we'll have to find the oldest one next time.

It is a giant cemetery with beautiful old trees, flowering azaleas (not year round of course, but they were certainly flowering when I visited!) and some really beautiful headstones and statuary.

I'm going to have a whole post on the cemetery at some point, so here's just a nugget.  What a lovely angel for a little boy.

Somewhere during our travels through Mobile we stopped at a Krispy Kreme and had a doughnut.  This kept my tummy from rumbling while we drove around and looked at all of the lovely houses.  We found an open house so we just had to stop and take a look.  I love yellow houses with white trim and green shutters.  I do!  The white picket fence just seals the deal.  It's a adorable!

The teeny little house was just 950 square feet with 2 bedrooms but it had a garage and a nice yard and the owners had completely renovated and updated the place.  It was great.   Jennifer really liked these little planters hanging from the fence and I did, too! 

One of our last stops before going back to her place was to get a view of Mobile from across the bay.

We had a wonderful day together and got a lot of personal friend time in, too.  Thanks so much Jennifer!  Let's do it again real soon :)

Have a great day!
Kristin

**I got a facebook message that said "[My husband] said the oldest cemetery is Church Street Cemetery behind the library downtown." 

Cool!!

POTD - Rubber band heart

POTD - Rubber band heart

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I have been wanting to use these big rubber bands for a photo project and a few nights ago I decided that this was the day.  I made a few different shapes, but the heart seemed to work out best. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Bubbles! Lots of Bubbles!

The Hangout in Gulf Shores, AL knows what kids like, that's for sure.  A couple of times while we were there a fire engine siren blared and bubbles came pouring out of the front of the red cage.  Tons and tons of bubbles! 

Kids came running from the indoor seating, from the giant sand pile and from the far corners.

 

The bubbles are non toxic, won't hurt their eyes, is edible and from what I could understand it really isn't soap.   These photos are are from a few minutes after the bubbles were dispensed.  It looked like a mountain of bubbles and the first few kids to jump in were totally engulfed in the fluffy clouds.

Scarlett ran over just like everyone else, but she stood and watched a long time before reaching in to feel the bubbles.

She finally walked all the way in at the urging of these three girls.  This is really as far as she would go though.

When she came out, the bubbles only stuck to her hands and feet.  So cute.



Hope you enjoyed a look, once again, at Gulf Shores and the Hangout - for more Sundays in my City head on over to Unknown Mami!

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Howard's Motel

POTD - Howard's Motel

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I drove through Panama City in the panhandle of Florida.  I was hoping for some old Florida motels or vintage charm to photograph and I found quite a bit of it - the problem was taking the time to stop, find a place to park and then go get the shot.  I passed a lot of cool things, but I could not pass by Howard's Motel.   It certainly is a great example of 50s motel signage. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

It's Friday Fragments Day!  

It's Friday Fragments Day!

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragment finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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I was watching a TV show, a true crime show, and they showed the date 16 October 1982.   They were talking about a very sad day, but I can almost see that day in life.  I was so much in love with a boy and that was two days before my 16th birthday.   Now that I look it up on the calendar and I see that it's a Saturday - I know exactly what I did that day.  Too fun!

I can't remember what I ate for dinner two nights ago, but I can remember the date I had in 1982.

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It's a humbling moment when you realize your dog or cat has actually trained you to do something.

via source 

As I'm posting that message here, my cat is howling at my side because she wants her treat. 
I got up and gave it to her :)

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A fortune that I just received - "Your secret desire to completely change your life will manifest."
That's kind of freaking me out.  In some ways I do want to completely change my life, but in other ways I love the way my life is going (with some tweaks, of course!)

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I always find these to be funny and the longer I live in Florida, the more I relate!

You know you're a Floridian if....


* You never use an umbrella because the rain will be over in five minutes.

* You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average

* Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005

* You know the four seasons really are: Hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer.

* Your winter coat is made of denim.

* Anything under 70 degrees is chilly.

* You've driven through Yeehaw Junction. (I have!!! several times actually!)


* You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

* You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Years.

* You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as Andrew, Charley, Frances, Ivan,  Jeanne & Wilma...Irene...Cheryl...Rita Mary... Alison

* You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

* You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

* A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

* A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.
(I will park a long way away from a store if I can park in the shade - oh, this is so true!)


Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Kristin

POTD - Boardwalk to Oyster Bay

POTD - Boardwalk to Oyster Bay

©2011 Kristin Corlett

In the community where the Gulf Shores condo is located there is this very long, lovely boardwalk that runs through the marsh all the way to Oyster Bay.  It's not very often that you can just walk through a marshy area, so this was a real treat.   I really liked the way the boardwalk curves it's way through the marsh.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Pirate Island Putt Putt

The very first full day that I was in Gulf Shores my sisters, nieces and I went to play putt putt golf at the Pirate's Island.  My Mom stayed with Scarlett in the condo since she's just a little too young to enjoy the game :)

Stella had never played before so her momma is giving her a quick lesson.  Stella and Zora did a pretty good job, but after about 6 holes they both were completely done with actually playing the game.

Zora was so quick to putt the ball, that this is the only golf shot I got of her that day.  Well, that and she only played 6 holes!

A nice family picture in front of the waterfall. 

Zora rarely allows a "real" photo - usually she makes a goofy face or has crazy poses.  She jumped up on this rock and asked for a photo.  I wish I had another minute or two to get the shot.  I feel bad that I cut off her hand in the shot.

This was about the time that the girls became more interested in the adventure part of the putt putt and not the actual golf part.

This was the best - Zora was trying to get something out of her shoe so she sat down on the this step.  Stella, not wanting to be left out, also took off her shoe.  She didn't really have anything to look for, so she just put her shoe right up to her face!  Too cute.

My sister Hillary was here this day, too - but she is a lot like me and didn't want to get into any of the photos :)

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - The girls

POTD - The girls

©2011 Judith Bridger

My Mom took this photo so technically it shouldn't be the photo of the day.  However, since I've only managed one update in a week I thought a photo of me with my sister and nieces was highly appropriate :)  We are on a little nature walk in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  It was the shortest nature walk I've ever been on, but we saw an alligator, a water moccasin, a crab and a dead worm.  Zora wanted to make sure that the dead worm got mentioned because that was the first animal we saw!

I'm back home where the internet connection is much more conducive to loading photos. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Giant sand pile

Yes indeed, I have arrived in Gulf Shores, AL.  My Mom and sisters and nieces are all here and I've learned that it's incredibly difficult to find a time to leave the house that someone isn't napping or eating. 

At one point on Friday we found that time...

We decided to take the girls to The Hang Out.  It's a restaurant right on the beach that has a really great sand pile and play area for kids.  We couldn't go to the Gulf just a few feet away because one of the girls fell down earlier in the day and we didn't think her wounds needed a dose of salt water. 

The sand pile seemed like the perfect place for the adults to relax and the kids to play and have a ball.

Scarlett, the 18 month old, couldn't have agreed more.  She climbed this mountain of sand a dozen times or more this day.

She has on some very cool SPF 50 swim wear that my sister got for all three of her girls.  They are light as a feather, dry fast and help keep the kids from burning to a crisp.  They worked like a charm!

There was a tunnel under the sand pile that Scarlett also loved.  This trip through the tunnel she was dragging with her a bucket. 

Our dear Stella only stayed for a few minutes at the Hang Out.  She was feeling pretty miserable after her fall that morning, so I stayed with Zora and Scarlett so they could play for a few more hours.  Zora has on one of the SPF 50 swim suits, too.

So much more coming in the next week. Stay Tuned!




That's what's happening in my part of the world.

For more views of cities and towns near and far, head on over to Unknown Mami's for more Sundays in my City. Kristin