Om~Mami

Sneak Peek of First Look

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:33:00 +0000

When this lovely bride told me she wanted to have their "First Look" before the ceremony, I was thrilled. What I love about this is the special moment is captured when bride and groom first see each other in a more intimate setting instead of it being in front of all the guests. It also gives for a much less stressful timeline to get wedding formals finished especially when the sun is setting. We kept the groom's back turned until he knew he could turn around and see his bride. This was beautiful, private, and romantic.

I'd like to thank my second shooter, Holly, for capturing the last two beautiful, and memorable shots.

Sedona, How I Love Thee

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:21:00 +0000

I was not ready to leave. My first time visiting Sedona and I can see why it's called one of the most uniquely beautiful sites on Earth. I absolutely loved it.

I'm not sure of many places where two environments are so contrasting, yet both spectacular. Sedona has Red Rock Country and Oak Creek Canyon. The moment Domi and I drove into Sedona from Phoenix, and got a glimpse of the Red Rocks, I was spellbound. My photos don't do this place justice, whatsoever. The magnitude of the landscape here is simply, incredible. And there's the metaphysical and spirtual side filled with vortexes. How can I not fall in love with this place?

Then to discover Oak Creek, which extends northward from Sedona, is probably one of the most beautiful drives I have been on. The canyon is almost, junglelike, and I can only imagine how incredible it looks during Autumn.

I think the next time I'm in Sedona, we'll stay in Oak Creek to have more time to explore its space. The hiking there is fantastic.

Arizona is not just desert (silly me!). We headed north alongside Oak Creek and were surprised by deep lush canyon scenery where we hiked West Fork. We started our 6 mile hike at 8:00am and enjoyed the serenity.

Bracken Ferns flood the grounds

Topped our trip off with Jeeping through the Red Rock trails. I am very proud of my offroading skills!

Sacred Moments

"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life, I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences...will have resonance within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."

-Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Chasing Sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 01:21:00 +0000

I wanted a classic blood-red Arizona sunset. A shot that gave me a surge of adrenaline such as this one I had captured (practically on accident), but this time, of a desert sunset. I researched every point I wanted to be beforehand, lugged my family of 5 with me for the first half (and then Domi the second half), and each evening, I plotted myself down approximately 90 minutes before the 7:49 p.m. sunset, and I then realized, the sky was bare--no clouds. 5 out of the 6 days I was there. I wasn't going to get the dramatic red desert sunset with whirling clouds I had envisioned and dreamed about for weeks before this trip. If only I had been there during monsoon season (which is starting as I type this blog).

How arrogant of me to think I could speed across Arizona to capture its magic on my preconceived schedule. Landscape photography is different from anything I've shot before. Unlike photographing people, children, sporting events, and weddings, landscape photography is a slow, and contemplative process. A process that can't always be planned out, especially with mother nature (and also with clusters of sightseers in the middle of summer). Another challenge was metering and exposure. Bright skies and dark canyons, which filled with shadows much earlier than I anticipated, was not easy to photograph because what I saw with my eyes, wasn't the same image I captured with my camera. The clear desert days presented serious contrast problems.

I've learned a fundamental lesson and that is, I simply cannot charge into the natural world and impose my schedule on it. It will happen, when it happens. Even though I didn't get the sunset shot I was coveting, or visit all the spaces I wanted to (that would take weeks), during my time in Arizona, I came across such grand landscapes, and although I didn't capture it all with my camera, I experienced it with my eyes.

I cannot wait to get back there again. There is so much left for me to see.

While taking photos at the South Rim, I realized, I didn't want to be up there. It wasn't enough. I wanted to penetrate deeper in the canyon. I was only 14 when I rafted the Grand Canyon with my father, and I'll never forget those intense 18 days. There is magic down in the canyon and along the Colorado River. I remember seeing things which the majority of Grand Canyon visitors never see because they're at the rim. One of my biggest wishes is that I'll be able to take my own children rafting here one of these days.

Sedona, will be next...

Taal ताल

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:27:00 +0000

Taal means rhythm in Hindi. I had the privilege of photographing the recital for Sargam dance school, which is run by the talented and beautiful, Mansi. This recital was a colorful celebration classical Indian, fusion and Bollywood dancing. The harsh stage lighting was a new challenge for me, but being able to be around all that tradition, the colors, and oh, the music. What an experience! When Mansi came out on stage to join the other dancers in the finale, I stood, practically frozen, from her beauty and elegance. I wanted to be her, dancing. I can still hear the music.

A Letter to My Son on Graduation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:17:00 +0000

Seems like just yesterday you were born.

Today, you graduate high school.

My Dear Dominique,

When I was your age, I was expecting you. God gave you to me at such a young age, I was practically a child myself, but what an extraordinary blessing it was. As much as a mother raises a son, a son also raises a mother.

You have taught me courage, love, compassion, peace, harmony, creativity, perseverance, just to name a few.

You were my beacon, my guiding light, my reason for pushing myself as hard as I did. I wanted the best for you, and I was determined to give it to you. You've overcome bumpy roads and big challenges. We did that together.

I'm so grateful for our relationship. I don't know many mothers who have the relationship with their children that I have with you.

This is your life.
Whatever road you choose to travel, my best advice to you is to remember who YOU are.

I made this slideshow for you, my corazon. My heart swells as I watch this.
I'm proud of the man you have become.

With all my love,
Mom

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Breathe

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:22:00 +0000

Dallas World Aquarium

Feeling full of emotions this week. Anxious. Excited. Frustration. Exhaustion. And I can't really pinpoint why.
Remembering to come up for a breath, is what's keeping me together right now.

Long Meadow Arabians

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sat, 28 May 2011 00:37:00 +0000

Sophia and I got another special treat when we headed to North Texas last week. We were able to visit my friend Tina's parents' horse farm in Argyle, and it was a "wonderful field trip", in Sophia's words. Sophia has a fascination with horses. This spring, she began informal riding lesson with a local homeschooling mom, and her horses are these sweet old, small rescues. So to see these large champion Arabian horses up close, I was blown away by their size, shape, and beauty. Heck, their hair was was better groomed than mine, and their hooves definitely more polished. We enjoyed our time there, and I thank everyone there who made my 5 year-old little girl, immensely happy.

Stanley White III, is a third generation Arabian trainer. Here he's working with Logan, Tina's daughter.

Sophia got to ride DLC Total Eclipse (aka Junior). Junior is half Arabian and half Quarter Horse. Logan won a National Championship with him in 2006 and again in 2008. Here's Sophia's making her silly, everybody is looking at me face, but I was surprised she was brave enough to sit and ride on a horse so tall. Of course, horse trainer Stanley and Logan were right by her side.

Logan introduces Sophia to Annie, a pure bred Arabian.

They have 40 horses. I didn't even get to see them all!

We drove around to the other side of the property to visit with the mamas and their foals.
One colt and 3 fillies. Another is expecting any day now.

Foal is shedding its foal coat.

A mama sniffs out Sophia.

Owner of Long Meadow Arabians, Linda, (on right) still shows horses herself (as well as her husband). Their office is adorned with their trophies and ribbons.

Walk-Off Exhilaration

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sun, 22 May 2011 23:09:00 +0000

Here's my big boy coming into home. I found myself crying as I snapped these shots. Proud and overwhelming moment, and it was worth every storm I encountered to be there to see it.

Jay Gonzales sent a ball over Prosper’s version of the Green Monster, a 25-foot high wall in left field for a three-run blast to give Argyle the walk-off victory and prolong its season at least one more game with the 12-10 win.

Gonzales said he actually envisioned Friday night hitting a walk-off home run on Saturday off of the Leopards’ intimidating closer. "I swung at a bad pitch [before the home run] and luckily it went foul,” Gonzales said. “I was waiting for that fastball low, and I took it out. It’s my first walk-off ever, and it feels great."

Keeping Up

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:40:00 +0000

At times, I feel a bit overwhelmed by our garden this season. With the exception of the Roma tomato plant I bought already as a seedling, the tomato plants tower over any others we've had in years past, and even with the grooming, they clearly need extra support or staking. They all have tomatoes on them, but none are ripened since I got seedlings in a couple weeks later than I wanted. I'm especially excited to see how the Red Zebras (below) turn out tastewise. The fig tree (above) is loaded with figs, which surprises me with the drought we've had in Central Texas this spring. I'm also irked that spider mites attacked our artichoke plant, and now it looks like they've made their way over to our pole beans. Always something new each season, and trying to figure out how to treat and prevent.

After adopting Stella, she ran through our garden in its infancy, so many of our smaller veggies didn't make it (a row of carrots and some lettuce) but we did have several feral tomatoes pop up throughout our garden.

Beets

Lettuce

Some before and after photos, taken a month apart, in April and then May.

Living Life in Chapters

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:29:00 +0000

"Live your life in chapters. You don’t have to do everything you want to do in life during this chapter of child rearing." - Susan Wise Bauer

These were some words of wisdom I read recently, which really hit a chord for me. I sometimes find myself torn between all the many things I want to do in this lifetime. I began my child rearing years so very young, and I remember telling myself, by the time both my boys graduate high school, I'll only be 37 and 38. Then I can travel, go back and get my PhD if I want, possibly live abroad for a year. I'll have so much time!

Fast forward to 2011. On the eve of turning 37, and with Domi graduating in less than 3 weeks, that time is now. Having given birth to my amazing Sophia 5 years ago, I extended my childrearing chapter, and I relish and am grateful for my opportunity of being home with her during these years. I absolutely LOVE being a homemaker, which I never would have guessed I'd be good at. I want to sew, quilt, knit, and learn how to can tomatoes, and I'm even taking on the job of homeschooling with a co-op next year.

Anybody who knows me, knows, I love teaching. Teaching makes me tick. That's what I went to school for. I'll be teaching part-time next year and I love that I don't have to step foot into a public school to do it. I've also discovered photography in recent years, and this is where I feel like I can tap deep into my creative self, and have found myself with a part-time photography business.

I'm still learning so much. It never ends. Whether it's in education, gardening, or photography workflow (do I use spot metering or partial metering for the dance recital I'm shooting in a few hours?) I sometimes ask myself, do I need to stop one thing, in order to fully focus and master the other? Am I supposed to be master Educator, Homemaker, or Photographer? My friends and husband know me to be a perfectionist, sometimes obsessive to a point, so not being able to fully immerse myself into something I enjoy immensly, can be hard for me. It can feel like a curse sometimes.

I have to remind myself, my most important job right now, is that of Mother, especially since I'm taking on the responsibility of schooling rather than sending her to school during the week. I can put on hold some of my goals. And it's ok to give myself permission to live my life in chapters. But I'll still be armed with my camera.

Bridal Session

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:14:00 +0000

Being a natural light photographer and doing an outdoor bridal shoot with heavy winds, makes for a challenging session, however, Katie was such a trooper, so patient, and looked incredible to boot! This image was one of my favorites. I cannot wait to photograph her wedding next month.

Furry Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but even after adopting our Stella 2 months ago, I must have still had a longing to rescue another pet. Sophia and I would visit the shelters once or twice a week since adopting Stella, just to look, play with the cats and see the dogs.

Last week, we were driving home after a visit to the Children's Museum and and I took a quick detour to Town Lake Animal Shelter. Little did I expect to find, not only one, but two 4 month old kitties that we made an instant connection with. They were kennel mates, had an obvious bond, and after not being able to decide which one to bring home, it felt right to bring them both home. One is a female Calico, the other, a male Siamese. They had only been at the shelter 5 days and there was no way I was leaving without them, and I was prepared to face the wrath of my husband when I got home. Call me crazy, but the moment I saw them in their cage, I knew they were going to be ours. I could easily feel that because after almost 3 months of visiting shelters, this was only the second time I felt that connection. I didn't even see make it down to see the other cats.

I've been nursing them since they both had developed URI and were recovering from their spay and neuter surgery. After days of sleep and rest in a quiet space, and a round of antibiotics, I'm seeing a frisky and incredibly playful side to them now. It almost feels like having 2 toddlers in the house with all their running back and forth. They chase each other and then finish off with a round of wrestling.

Stella is the most amazing dog. I wasn't certain if she would be cat-aggressive, but my hunch was that she wouldn't be. I was right. Everybody is adjusting nicely. She's gentle with the kitties, and even when they go up to her and hiss if one of her moves startles them, she just takes it. Domi said the Siamese (yes, we still have not decided on names) slapped Stella on the face, and Stella didn't react, nor move. She's learning to walk the other way or simply ignore them, but she REALLY wants to play with them, but we've got to keep her calm with her heartworm treatment. I'm giving Stella lots of positive reinforcement for her behavior.

With this new shift in our household, the only thing I'm still getting used to is the massive amounts of dog hair that has begun to cover our floors the last couple weeks with Stella's shedding. I'm forced to vaccuum every day now, sometimes even twice a day because it drives me batty to look at a fur covered floor. Even once the dog hair is cleaned, I've had to let go of having shiny floors, but it's been easier than I expected it to be. ;)

I'm trying very hard not the earn the title of the 'crazy cat lady' and the woman who is obsessed with her dog, but how can I resist not photographing them? Especially since they don't seem to mind it as much as my children do.

Stella, hanging out watching the kitties lounging on the chair.

Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Today marks 5 years of your passing.

I can still feel the warmth of your nurturing hugs
I can still hear your words of endless wisdom
I can still smell your perfume and the lingering nag champa that was often on your clothing
I can still see the look of your ivory soft skin and peaceful face when you departed,
It's forever etched in my memory

Loving you, and honoring you today.
These are all your photos. And they bring me such happiness.

Artichoke

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:11:00 +0000

I often envy my father-in-law when he tells me gardening stories about his beautiful artichoke plants that are completely full and producing. Well, now I can say that we can join his club! This is our first year to have success with growing an artichoke plant because it was one of the only plants that survived our harsh winter freeze back in early February. This baby is huge. Mike protected it well, and now, we're reaping beautiful and fresh artichoke. We enjoyed some tonight dipped in marinade sauce with our Easter dinner. Mmmm!

Birth

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Birth [burth]

–noun
1. an act or instance of being born: the day of her birth.

Meet Scarlett. This was her birth day. I felt honored to be asked to capture this momentous occasion for her family. There is nothing more incredible to me than to photograph moments like this.

Printing up Memorabilia

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:37:00 +0000

I finally started the process of getting prints made from my mother and father's slides that I recently inherited. This first one in particular spoke to me. I've stared at it over and over and wondered.

Did my mother take this? Or my father?

What was written on that piece of paper? Was it a to do list that my father was working on? A poem my mother was writing? Did birds often come in and perch on the window? Or is that a ceramic bird?

And who was it that enjoyed Taster's Choice coffee?

For a moment, I thought that was an Ergo on my father's arm. What was that?
Could babywearing have been something he did? I can't imagine the Ergo being around in 1974.
Perhaps it's a backpack.

This photo makes my heart swell. My beautiful Mama in the background with her pelirroja hair, and my aunt Marjorie with my cousin Jason.

Me

A Morning with an Herbalist and then a Farmer

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:40:00 +0000

This past week, we had two adventurous outings. Earlier in the week, we met with a group for a wild plant walk with the fabulous herbalist, Ginger Webb of Texas Medicinals. We have some of the most useful herbal remedies right in our own backyard and we saw (and tasted) several of them along our walk down to Bull Creek. I had taken extensive notes on which plants aid in certain ailments in my iPhone to only discover Sophia had erased them when she played with my phone later. *sigh* So, all I have is a photowalk.

Ginger pretends to be like a deer and eat one of their favorite plants, which is only the tip.

Very tasty!

A safe alternative if one doesn't have TP in the wildnerness. ;)

Sucking on the ends of these to get the nectar out is a super sweet treat.

Frolicking in the creek

Then we finished off our week with a farm day at Amy Kirk's property in Dripping Springs. Nestled on 4 acres, she's utilized the space well. We searched for eggs, visited with a friendly bull calf, Clovis, and dairy cow, Novella, made an earthworm habitat, ate lunch with other homeschoolers, and watched the beehive get prepared for its colony's arrival next week.

Animals, Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Once a week, on Mondays, we take a little drive to Ms. Jessica's Ranch for Sophia's horse riding classes. One of the perks of this weekly rendezvous is the animal watching on the property. I have never seen more varieties of chickens, bunnies, ducks, geese, guineas, and goats, in one place. And there is a noisy rooster too, and a small dog that comes and goes. We've yet to be able to get up close and pet any of the chickens, bunnies, or guineas, but the goals never seem to leave us alone.

Over the last few weeks, a few of the older children have been working on digging a reservoir for the ducks to have a pond. When I see moments like this, I see one of the many perks of homeschooling, and love that children are learning through real world experiences--how deep do we need to dig? how do we get water to flow into the reservoir? This is math and science, coupled with some good physical activity.

Sophia is doing really well with her lessons. She's learned how to stop her horse, walk, and is now learning how to turn. Below, she and her good friend Skye, help tack Mr. C. She is the proud owner of official saddle boots too.

[Field Trip] All About Bees!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:48:00 +0000

We took a field trip yesterday for homeschooling families to learn about beekeeping. It was wonderful for the children to learn and see how the bees work together, how bees are responsible for 1/3 of the food we have, what foods they help pollinate, and the sweet story of honey!

Pointing out the Queen bee (she is marked with a red dot)

The children got to roll their own wax candles at the end.

Picnic at the park. A few bees even buzzed by to see if we had anything to offer and nobody freaked out. Imagine that!

Queen Bee and her Worker Bees by Sophia

Some fun new vocabulary the children learned:

beekeeper
beeswax
clover
colony
drone
flower
hexagon
hive
honey
insect
nectar
pollen
pollination
queen
worker

The Little Schoolhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:03:00 +0000

Big things are going to happen in this little house.
It never ceases to amaze me how the universe lines things up.

Selfless Acts of Giving

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:32:00 +0000

The disaster brought by the earthquake followed by the tsumani that crashed into Japan on March 11th, has been such a terrifying and heartwrenching event.

So when I saw on facebook that two of Sophia's dear friends, along with their mommies, had made cupcakes and delicious quinoa bars to sell at the park to raise money to send to Japan, I gathered up my brood and we went to support their efforts. Before this event, Sophia didn't know what an earthquake or tsumani was. This tragic event has given us an opportunity to have some deep discussions. What these mamas did was a wondeful thing. A gift to our children of awareness, selfless giving and service to those in need, even when they are halfway across the world.

Ebb and Flow

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:51:00 +0000

With the arrival of spring, my mind has been whirling around like crazy. Many things are stirring in our lives. I feel like I'm constantly researching, reading, researching, and reading more. Researching expanding our veggie garden, learning about sustainable landscaping (still stuck here), getting ready for Domi to graduate in June (such an exciting time!) but even moreso, heavy on my mind is trying to soak up and gather as much information on homeschooling co-ops because, yes, it's that time for my almost 5 year old. My eldest is finishing up his schooling, and my youngest is preparing to begin her journey.

Kindergarten roundups are right around the corner, and I just can't bring myself to enroll her in our public school. The idea of it puts my stomach in knots. Don't get me wrong, I know if I had no other choice, she would be fine in the public school system. She'd get good grades, she'd pass the standardized testing, her teachers would love her.

But I want more for her.

And now with the budget cuts our state is facing next year, makes this option even more appealing. The elementary school we're zoned for is over capacity by 200 students. The school under construction set to open this fall to alleviate overcrowding in our district, has been halted because of the budget deficit. I honestly feel, I can do better. I can do better outside of the 4 walls that enclose an over-crowded classroom, and over-extended teachers. I believe, that a group of like-minded mothers and I, can do better working collectively.

Still, this is new territory for me. Even as a certified teacher, with a Master's degree in Education, I'm a bit nervous. However, I am relieved that I'm not doing this alone and have a support system and community. I've got to just go with the flow.

Our New Addition

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:41:00 +0000

Now that Sophia is going to turn 5, Mike and I felt the time was right to bring in a furry friend to our home to offer companionship to our family. After a month of searching, today, we finally met our match! A beautiful 2 year old female Labrador!

After we made the decision to adopt a dog, we decided that the best fit for our family would be a Labrador, and it was NOT easy to find what we were looking for. I love that labs are devoted, obedient, friendly, and most importantly, good with children.

This morning, Sophia and I went to the Humane Society to visit a different dog that we had seen on their website. I called Mike at work to meet us there so he could be with us during our visit. While we were waiting for a staff member to get the initial dog for us to visit with, I turned and saw "Lana", and I was immediately drawn to her bright and soulful eyes, and her sweet and calm demeanor. She is a tad older than what we were looking for, but after we visited with the 11month old [super energetic and rambunctious] lab mix, I wasn't sure about the 11month dog. I wasn't feeling it. So, I asked if we could visit with Lana. The staff member said she wasn't sure if she was still under clinic care, but would check. Her file was pulled and we were told she did test positive for heartworms and will require treatment at home. (They don't do treatment at the humane society because it's too stressful for an animal for peaceful and quiet healing). Asked if we still wanted to visit with her and I said yes. She was very excited at first, yet was so gentle and sweet with Sophia. I knew instantly. I wanted her. My mind was made up.

So we will begin heartworm treatment in the coming week, which will be a long 2 month process. We'll have to keep her calm and severly restrict her exercise during this time. The timing is perfect though since I'm at home, and she will have a peaceful restful recovery.

I can definitely see our forever friend being a calm house dog, playful yard dog and intense field dog, all on the same day. She's already proven that today.

We are all in love! Now we just need a name...

Pretty in Purple

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:17:00 +0000

Charming little wrist corsage he had made for her for the military ball. To match her dress.

From El Jardin

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:00:00 +0000

*WTH is up with blogger's formatting now? Trying to figure it out, but in the meantime, I've got a little gardening update.

Spring cannot arrrive soon enough for me. I've started a majority of our veggies from heirloom seeds this year and our first set is sprouting nicely. The only seedlings that haven't shown any signs yet are some of the peppers; the purple tomatillos, godfather peppers, and one orange roma tomato finally sprouted yesterday. I feel like the the little boy from the classic story, The Carrot Seed, watching and waiting, but nothing comes up. :) I'm also starting many herbs from seed as well and so far the two basil varieties have sprouted. I'll learn to can and preserve this summer, and have many different varieties of tomatoes this year. I look forward to no longer buying tomato sauce from the store, and I'm contemplating a little urban porch stand for my neighboring friends.

Garden soil has been gently tilled and just the beds need to be made, and as you can see, the only items left from our fall and winter garden is some lettuce and spinach, so the hubby kept the tiller away from those. We pulled up the rest of the carrots, and the artichoke plant looks like it survived the recent freezes.

Another project we have is relandscaping the large plant bed in the front yard. A few weeks ago, Mike removed the large old bushes which were an eyesore and the rose bushes which just weren't producing anymore. My goal is to replace sustainable native and adapted plants, which also provide some greenery during the winter. I've been researching, but really feel at a loss with landscape design. So I keep putting it off since it's still February, and instead I go watch the seedlings.

Roses bushes from the front yard hibernating in the wheelbarrow. Will probably put them in pots and go from there.

Our baby citrus trees hopefully survived the recent freezes and even though Mike protected them with plastic and heat lamps during the low temps, we still don't know how they will fare. The trunks look ok so far. We'll know soon.

Some petunias that the nursery was giving away for free post freeze, so I scooped up half a dozen. After a couple weeks here, colorful petals have emerged.

*Om~Mami*