Friday Fragments

Happy Friday! It's time for some Friday Fragments.

Thanks to Mrs. 4444 of Half Past Kissing Time for getting so many incredible bloggers together for some fun and interesting fragments.  It's one of my favorite blogging days of the week!  I love Fraggin' on Fridays.

I want to THANK Mrs. 4444 for the Favorite Friday Fragment award.  Thank you!  I have to say that I used several of my bookmarked pieces in today's post.  It worked really really well for me.  I'll have you go to Mrs. 4444's place to see what I'm talking about and to see who else got a Favorite Fragment award - there were several of us this week. 

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My friend Terri from This is How We Roll had a giveaway quite some time ago and I won!  I entered because the prize was this lovely skillet from CSA and my rental condos really could use some new cookware.  My new tenant was very pleased to be the new recipient of the skillet.  He tried it out right away and it was a hit.  Thanks so much Terri!!

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Butterflies from Paperworks at the Flow Gallery - Click the link to see the full size version.

During the Christmas card season (That would be December!) I tore out the stamps and the postmark off of most of envelopes that came in the mail.  I still don't know what to do with them, but if I had seen this idea in December I might have used a craft punch instead of ripping them out.  Now I'm not so sure I have enough surrounding paper to make a butterfly, but then again I wouldn't want to copy this idea exactly. These are so cool.

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photo from Design*Sponge

An illustrator friend (of the family in the article) painted the handed-down recipes on the inside of the kitchen cabinets - now they are easy to find and probably get put into the menu rotation a bit more often.  I've often thought about getting my family recipes framed, but this is very clever.

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Photo from Robayre's blog

Bunting seems to be all the rage from birthday parties and graduation parties to weddings.  I've seen bunting made from fabric, paper and felt and in all different sizes - I think it would be a lot of fun to drape in the house - my house!   On Robayre's blog she shows how she makes small bunting with junk mail and small bits of scrap paper or scrapbooking paper and she uses a paper punch to make the the little bunting pieces.  Brilliant!

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I am late getting my Fragments up today because I finished editing my Rome Photos!!!  It's only been 5 months :)  but we are having a Rome Reunion dinner with many of my travelmates and I needed to get those photos edited and ready to show off.  I'm SO happy!  Goodness.

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Have a wonderful weekend!
Kristin

POTD - Butter Yellow

POTD - Butter Yellow

Coreopsis is one of my favorite flowers.  Their stems are so tiny and whispy and the blooms just seem to float in the air.  The buttery yellow coreopsis that I found growing in my Aunt's lakeside yard were just delightful. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Seeing Red

When I looked at the photos that I've taken the past few days I noticed a common thread running through all of them.

Red.  Lots of red.

The above shots were taken in the 5 Points area of Jacksonville.  This was an outdoor patio - Love the whole thing, but that mosaic is very cool!

This sunset was daring me to take the photo.  I was at the kitchen sink doing dishes while the sky just kept getting brighter and brighter.  Yellow, red and orange more and more brilliant.  I finally had to dry my hands and go to my computer room and take the photo from that window.   The view from that window was even more spectacular than the view from the kitchen window. 

I walked by this house with a couple of friends today and one of them pointed out this box sitting next to the front steps. I think the books in front of the book swap box have been there quite along time.  I didn't open the box to see if there was a book inside that I wanted, but I have to say that I was quite bummed that to see that copy of Lonesome Dove rotting away in the sun and rain.  I'm going to have to bring some books next time I come this way!

As I was sitting in the booth for lunch today, I took a few photos of the candle on the table... it was red, too!

I thought when I posted this on Thursday that I wanted this to be the Sundays in My City post - but I just couldn't  wait --- so, today, Sunday, I decided to make this the SIMC post anyway.  Thank you Unknown Mami for the the day of traveling around the globe.  

Hope you enjoyed seeing red today!
Kristin

POTD - Miss Jackie

POTD - Miss Jackie

I found Miss Jackie by a seafood restaurant in Darien, GA where Tom and I were eating lunch one day.   We drove around a little in Darien but I'd like to go back because there was a lot I would have liked to photograph if I'd been allowed to get out of the car!

Enjoy!
Kristin

I need to change my thinking

29 Gifts  by Cami Walker

...the dishes I decide to wash instead of leaving them for Mark.  The spare change I decide to drop in the tip jar at the coffee shop or hand to the stranger on the street.  These are all gifts.  For me, this is the fundamental shift in mindset that has resulted in a greater sense of freedom and joy.  If I wash the dishes because "I'm supposed to" or make suggestions to a client because "I have to," I am in a very different mind space when taking the action.  I actually end up feeling resentful.  When I'm approaching everything as a gift, my heart feels open and it's easier to enjoy my day, my life. 

This paragraph above, quoted directly from the book, that I read in the middle of the night last night was a good place for me to stop.  There have been times when the very last thing I want to do is finish up the dishes (shocker, I know!)  or to take the trash out or finish what I've been paid to finish.  I've often tried to find ways to change my thinking about doing these daily tasks and a million others just so I don't feel burdened by them.


I can hear a Mary Kay National Sales Director in my head when I start a whining about my to do list.  She said that when her kids were younger she was always so grateful when she came in the door and found their sports equipment and shoes piled at the front door.  It meant that everyone got home safely.    I honestly don't know how one can think that way each and every day.  If the kids shoes and sports equipment are piled at the door each day I would be talking to them about taking care of the piles and instead leave me a note saying they are home :)  Thinking about this story though does usually snap me out of my whiny mood and I find myself grateful. 


Ahh, I understand the meaning behind the story and I understand the idea behind thinking of these things as gifts.  The online community at 29Gifts.org is positively thriving.  What I don't understand is how you can change your thinking about these "everyday" things each and every day.  The book talks about giving gifts for 29 days in a row.  Of course the overall idea is to incorporate giving into your daily life forever, but still, the book says it's only for 29 days.  Is that because we only have enough patience or willpower to give for a month?

Am I doomed to fail?

In our transplant support group those of us who are not the patients are called caregivers.  Some people say caretakers and most of us are quick to point out that we prefer to be called caregivers.  I think of a caretaker as someone who tends to landscaping or is the paid house sitter.  Not to mention, I feel that we are givers not takers in this situation.  Giving is just part of the process.

Within the caregiver role I can totally see giving each day, not expecting anything in return and getting a good feeling from the act of giving.  I just have a hard time thinking about my daily activities of being a part of giving. I truly believe in Random Acts of Kindness and I practice that as often as I can, but that first paragraph really got to me. I have a hard time seeing the every day chores of the day as a giving moment.


OK, so I confess - what I really want to know is "will my husband ever take out the trash on a daily basis?  Will he ever think of it as a gift to do so?"


So as I roll this gift thing around in my brain, I know it's a good idea.  I know I love the entire concept.  I know I want it to be the best thing to ever happen to me but that's where I think the dream ends.  I want my husband to be a part of this as well so we can make this a giving home, but I doubt he will.  We cannot change others, only ourselves.  I know, I know.  I guess we'll see when he comes home in a week or so. 

I have already started my official 29 days of giving. 
It's been three days now. 

Kristin

POTD - Spades and Arrows

POTD - Spades and Arrows

The entrance gate to the St. Sebastian Catacombs was so interesting to me.  They looked like they had been around forever and yet they didn't look pitted or damaged.  I'm not sure I can date it.  Actually I'm not sure if this gate would make a good date.  I don't think he goes off the property much at all :) 

That was such a groaner :)

Enjoy the gate detail!
Kristin

Independence Day Weekend at RAM

The holiday weekend was just wonderful here in Jacksonville.  There was a little rain shower at some point over the weekend, but I honestly can't remember when it was, but it was short and sweet.  All of the firework displays went off without a hitch that I'm aware and I even got a chance to attend the Riverside Arts Market (RAM) on Saturday. 

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy going to this market?  I know, I'm a broken record.

The balloon man was in a great Red, White and Blue costume.   He's there every week from what I've seen.  He's one of the nicest people and the kids love him. 

There were five hours of free concerts on the RAM stage this week. (I think there are always five hours of entertainment, but for a holiday weekend it sounded even more exciting than usual!)  I was fortunate to be there when the U.S. Navy Band Southeast was on stage.  They were excellent.  I sat for quite awhile to listen and enjoy.

I have never seen this many people sitting watching the entertainment.  Maybe it means that RAM is becoming wildly popular and that more and more people are coming each week to eat the incredible food, listen to the excellent music and shop the diverse market of arts, produce and plants. 

I've seen this wood burning oven at RAM before but have never investigated what they're cooking.  I don't know why either, because it smelled wonderful.  I found out that they are cooking pizzas.  They looked so good and the line was quite deep to get one, so I'll have to come back some other week to try it out. 

Next weekend I may be bringing some friends, so maybe I'll try the pizza next week.

This was my laugh of the day.

Do you see it?

Meat on a Stick.

hahahahaha!

Why not describe the meat being used?   Why make us guess?

Maybe an additional sign at the bottom that says "This Week - Chicken!"

...because seriously, I start thinking about all types of mystery meat when "Meat on a Stick" is mentioned.

Too funny.

Someone else is going to have to be brave and find out what the meat is because I'm having pizza or the crab cakes that I normally have when I'm at RAM.

I certainly hope that your weekend was a delight - mine sure was!

Kristin




Here are the upcoming events at RAM

July 10 - Jacksonville.com Day featuring RadioJax
July 24 - National Day of the Cowboy
July 31 - Ice Cream Social and Dance Party
August 7 - National Clown Day
August 14 - Scion Breakdance Competition
August 28 - National Dog Day
September 4 - Kenny & Stacy's Wedding on the River Stage
October 9 - Saxophone Day
October 16 - Celebrity Chefs Cooking Competition
October 21 - Reptile Awareness Day
October 30 - Halloween Party - National Day of Magic - Pumpkin Chunkin Tournament
September 4 - Labor Day Weekend
September 11 - Patriot Day
November 13 - Strutt Your Mutt
November 27 - Black Saturday
December 18 - Luminaria and Closing Day

POTD - Italian house with pots

POTD - Italian house with pots

On our trip along the Appian Way we stopped long enough for me to take this photo of this interesting cluster of homes with pots on the ledges.  Beautiful, decayed, ancient and modern.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Tapestry Park

There is a new condo community across the street from where I live called Tapestry Park that I decided to finally go visit. This community isn't exactly brand new - I bet it's been completed for about a year, but I'm a bit slow when it comes to exploring something in my own back yard. 

It's been designed as a community with shops and restaurants on the first floor of the buildings and then the living spaces populate the floors above.  Most of the businesses have just recently started popping up, within the past couple of months, so I thought I'd look to see what was in the new spaces.  The restaurant that I could see from the road is called III Forks.  It looks to be a fairly expensive place - after looking it up online I see that serves steaks and seafood and has a glass wine room.  Then there was a jewelry shop, a coffee shop and a couple of places that said "opening soon." 

When I drove around the corner from the business area to the heart of the condo community, I saw this gorgeous spot with all of these bright pink flowers.

Even the stairs were gorgeous.  The bricks were scalloped on the edges.  I don't think I've ever seen scalloped bricks before.

Wouldn't this be a lovely place to sit and watch the water and the birds?  It was pretty peaceful when I was there.  A nice breeze was blowing, too, so it wasn't too hot at the moment.

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood :)  Won't you be my neighbor?

Have a great week!
Kristin

POTD - Bob's Barricades

POTD - Bob's Barricades

Every time I see the Bob's Barricades orange barrels I think about my friend, Bob.  In a city that has year round construction and pretty much only one barricade company, I end up thinking about her often.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Pat on the back

I've been reading the book 29 Gifts by Cami Walker and the idea of giving gifts every day for 29 days is an intriguing one.  The gifts don't need to be monetary, they just need to be of value to the recipient.  I've been wondering if this is something I want to do, or just something I want to think about.

I tend to think about a lot of things and not act upon them, so I decided to at least start listing the gifts that I have given lately and work my way into actually doing the 29 days in a row.  (Listing and Thinking --- hmmm, is someone afraid of commitment??)

I do have a gift to give --This specific gift is one of gratitude. I have been featured in several Etsy Treasury collections the past few months.  I'm just so honored to have been chosen for these that I wanted to do something nice for them. It's a pat on the back for me as well, so it might be seen as only half of a gift, but a girl has to start somewhere!

Chair on the Edge

Two Etsy sellers featured my chair, that I call Chair on the Edge.  Both of these collections are just lovely.  Take a look if you haven't already.

Fine Embroidery featured the chair in her treasury called - Beautiful Summer Day.

Monarchdancer gathered the most beautiful items in blue that she calls - Blue Moon.


There is an interesting story about this chair.  I went back to the neighborhood where I took the photo in order to find the people who placed the chair in this location.  I knocked on a few doors and finally found the right family.  I met the eldest member of the house, Miss Lillian who will turn 99 years old in November.  She lives with her son, who showed me the two chairs that he has tucked safely under the carport of his home.  A neighbor had put them out for the trash a few years back, but he decided to rescue them and painted them top to bottom a brilliant white.  He explained that the first chair that he placed on the seawall was tossed into the river and it bounced around in the water for two years before it was finally fished out.  By this time it was covered in barnacles, so he just took the chair straight to the curb for the trash.  Someone else, however, thought the chair was a true treasure and asked if he could take it home.

The chair that is currently on the seawall is chained up so that if it does go over the wall, it can be easily fished out.  The man also explained to me that he placed the duct tape over the wooden seat so that the rain water could easily be wiped off if one wanted to have a seat.  It would also protect the wood from rotting.

I went back this past week to give this dear family a framed photo of the chair on the seawall.  I was so very grateful for the subject matter and so enjoyed meeting them, that I really wanted to give them a copy.  Miss Lillian was truly delighted.  I'm so happy that I decided to do that.  I think it made my day more than theirs. 

Beach Fence - by Kristin Corlett

This is one of the first photos that I took with my new to me camera.  That camera is now a year old - amazing that it's been a whole year now.  Anyway, the two Etsy sellers below featured the beach fence in their collections. 

 CeeJay's Photography and Things pulled together things she considers to be - The only thing better than chocolate. What a hoot.

 Expressions123 found some soft summery items in her treasury called - Pretty and Pastel.

Keep Off

I know that I have for sure mentioned this treasury before, but since I was featuring the treasuries all in one post, I wanted to include it again. 

3squares gathered the most gorgeous orange and blue items in what she calls - Orange Sky.

Jax Palm

What truly started this whole post was this... The photographer over at PhotoGrunt has a little game he plays to find interesting photos according to a random search word.  Today's word was "tree" and one of the trees he chose was my Jax Palm Tree photo.

This photo was the very first picture that I put in my Etsy Shop.  It was truly the beginning.

If you'd like to see the whole selection of trees that he featured, hope on over here, PhotoGrunt, to see them. He chose 20 photos and I really like the selection. What a fun idea for getting inspiration.  I may have to do something similar sometime.

These stacked rocks are another one of my neighborhood finds that I decided to make into cards. Last week I bundled up a stack and went by the house where I found the outdoor display. I knocked a few times and just as I was starting to wonder where to put the cards in case it rained, the door opened. I explained why I was there and the woman smiled and said Thank You. I explained just a moment more about the cards and so she untied the ribbon and understood what I was trying to unsuccessfully explain. She gushed over the photos, said thank you again and I was on my way.



Thanks to everyone who has used my photos in their collections and thanks to those wonderful families in Jacksonville that have put some cool stuff out in their yards for me to photograph!

Have a wonderful week!
Kristin

Happy Fourth!

POTD - Happy Fourth

I went to a birthday party last night and this flag was whipping around in an unusually windy evening.  The ends of the flag were frayed and there was one small light shining on it.  I didn't have a tripod, so this is just me, trying to be really still with a very long exposure.  I love it.

Have a wonderful American Independence Day, if you celebrate and a wonderful Fourth of July if you don't :)

Enjoy!
Kristin

Over the Ditch Cafe

 -UPDATE -  NOW CLOSED

Over the Ditch Cafe in Jacksonville, FL is a great little place in a strip mall just over the intracoastal waterway (the ditch) on the mainland.  My hairstylist was ordering lunch one day when I was in the salon and I was intrigued.  I'd never heard of the place.  When I was finished in the salon, I went straight to Over the Ditch and ordered a tuna melt, just like my stylist had done earlier.   :)

I walked up to the register first, because I was taking my meal to go.  I immediately noticed this basket of reading glasses.  OH My Goodness, that's a GREAT idea!  My husband is forever forgetting his glasses in the car or at home.

When I looked around I realized that every table was different, every table had a different set of placemats and its own unique salt and pepper shaker, too!

There is just enough quirkiness to make it fun, but not enough to make you feel like you've stepped into a carnival. 

The menu had so many wonderful things on it and I plan on taste-testing most of them.

At one point in our lives, my husband and I used to go out every Saturday morning for breakfast.  He is a breakfast kind of guy and with my love of bacon I was all too willing to go :)    But as with all things in life, things changed...we moved to a new town and our Saturday morning breakfast jaunts came to an end. 

When we moved to Daytona Beach we found a great place close by our home to have breakfast, so we went every few months together - but to be honest, I think my husband went a few times a week!

Looking at the breakfast menu at Over the Ditch, I think we are going to have to make our way over there and try it out.  See, I'm already planning it.

But so far, all I've had is this delicious tuna melt.

Everything about this sandwich was great.  The bread, the tuna, the cheese - yum!  I had their coleslaw, too.  My husband walked in as I was finishing up one half of my sandwich, so I offered him the other half.  He gave it two thumbs up as well.

Over the Ditch Cafe - we'll be back.  Save some bacon for me, OK?

Over the Ditch Cafe
13799-3 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32224

(Across the street from the Target on Hodges and Beach)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Kristin





I decided to write this review because I took so many photos of the interior of the restaurant and I wanted to use them.  I also really enjoyed the food!  I was not compensated in any way :) 

POTD - Old and New

POTD - Old and New

I saw a new sign being erected and realized that the old sign was going to be taken down.  Of course I was driving the opposite direction, but I had a feeling that by the time I finished my errands that old sign would be gone.  So yes, I turned around.    I ended up not even going back the same way that day, so I'm so happy that I took the shot because the sign was gone by the next day.

I really did like the old sign better.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Birdbath Kitty

POTD - Birdbath Kitty

A few weeks ago I taked about this kitty in the post, Caught in the Act.   Yesterday a friend of mine asked again if I would make a card for her with this image and since I tend to use only Photos of the Day for my card images, I had to make this a Photo of the Day.  It all makes perfect sense, doesn't it?    Not to mention that I would once again, totally forget she wanted this card if I didn't remind myself somehow.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

Happy Friday! It's time for some Friday Fragments.

Thanks to Mrs. 4444 of Half Past Kissing Time for getting so many incredible bloggers together for some fun and interesting fragments.  Last week I wasn't on my own computer, but this week I am, so watch out!  I've got some fragging to do!

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First up - I found this horrifying dirty mess under the fridges in my rentals.  Now I have vacuumed up down and sideways in those places.  I pull out the fridge and mop under it after each tenant.  I though that the coils were in the back of the unit, but it was completely sealed up.  Then I happened to kick the bottom plastic cover and dust bunnies flew out at me.  OH NO!  Seriously, I was horrified that I didn't realize the coils were underneath the fridge. 

This is a cautionary tale - do not let this happen to you.  Vacuum the coils on your fridge.  It's not good for the mechanics of the fridge to let it look like this! ugh.  I'm hanging my head in shame.  Thankfully, I have remedied the situation and all of my condos now have nice clean coils. :)

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Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that make a huge difference.  I always seem to find interesting things that I want to include in my Friday Fragments posts.  I had a draft in blogger where I would add links, but after a few months it just wasn't working for me.  I couldn't click on the links easily in draft form so I had to write a description of the link when all I really wanted to do was park the link quickly as a possible idea and come back to it later.

So I put a folder in my bookmark toolbar marked FF.  When I see a cool link that I might like to include in a future post, I just drag it to that folder.  It's easy to click, it's all in one location.  i can easily delete the link once I post it in a FF post and since it's in my toolbar, I see it all the time so I don't forget to use it.  I'm now very happy with this solution.

(I have a MAC and I use Firefox as my browser, so this might not be an option for everyone)

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I took this cloud photo the other day.  I absolutely had to - It made me think of a window to the world.  If you squint it looks like a perfect little square was cut right out of the clouds :)

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Free Printables!!!

I have found some new blogs and some fun printables.  Love Obsess Inspire posted a fun find called Parisian Calling Cards.  They are just lovely for writing in your name and phone number and the Eiffel Tower design is truly gorgeous.  It printed out with incredible detail.  A keeper in my book!

One of my favorite things to say is "What a hoot!" and this little owl download is truly a hoot.  It's from the Craftzine website.

Look at these beautiful floral gift tags (Example below - from the website) at Eat Drink Chic.  She's even gone so far to make these blank so you can customize your own summery, gifty message.

Photo from Eat Drink Chic

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I was one of the featured artists in a beach themed Etsy Treasury the other day called "The Only Thing Better than Chocolate."  The photo above, from Zahner Photography, was also featured in that same treasury.  I just loved all of that coral.  I could totally see that photo in my office with the seafoam colored walls.   It truly amazes me to see all of the incredible talent over at Etsy.  Thanks Zahner Photography for allowing me to feature your photo today.

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I posted this late on Thursday so be sure and come back to see who has joined the blog hop on Friday.  I just love reading all of the fragments and the list is going to grow.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Crape Myrtle

POTD - Crape Myrtle

This is by far one of my favorite Florida trees.  It's grown in warmer climates and it flowers for a month or so.  I love the tree lined sidewalks that are covered with the pink blossoms that have fallen off the trees.  It looks to me like a flower girl has just recently passed by sprinkling the blossoms all about.  There are many bloom colors, but I like these deep pink ones best.

Enjoy!
Kristin