Fire and Ice...

On Saturday we went to a Fire and Ice Festival in Mt. Holly, New Jersey.

The Fire part was a Chili contest - the Ice part was an Ice Carving Contest.

The line to test and judge the chili was too long, 

and that did not interest us anyway, we went to see the Ice Sculptures.

If they chose to participate, each store along High Street

hired someone to carve a sculpture of their choice, outside their facility.

Be Mine

Downtown Pizza

Brewery

An Abstract

A Seal

Olaf

This Sheep was outside a yarn shop...

how exciting, I did visit inside and I made a small souvenir purchase.

A Minion

Love before...

Love after!

A Dragon

I'm a little more serious than the hubs!

Suze & Watson entertained us.

It was very crowded but as we walked around, it did not feel crowded.

They also had Fire Engine Rides

Dogsled Demonstrations

Glassblowing

Alpaca's

A Balloon Guy

Cupcake Decorating

and much, much more.

It was nice to bundle up and be outdoors for the day, 

we had some snow flurries as well!

Honey Do...

Do you keep a "Honey Do List"??

I do - and I must say the hubs is pretty good about crossing things off the list.

He can do anything and everything, seriously, if he tells me something can't be done,

I know it can be and he just doesn't want to.

32 years ago, when we moved in to this house, I put something on the "Honey Do List"

and it remained there until this past weekend.

- True Story -

The light and mirror in the master bathroom were never installed properly.

When the mirror was cut and installed, 

the contractors did not leave enough room on the top of it to fit the light fixture.

When the electrician came and realized it, he just installed the light on the slopped ceiling.

- yikes -

The light was ugly and the installation was hideous. 

For 32 years I have been asking the hubs to fix it and he said it could not be done,

yet I knew it could.

It took a lot of encouragement, and explaining to him over and over what I thought would work.

Last winter he promised to do it and it never got done, but this winter he was on it.

I also wanted a frame around the ugly mirror and he did that as well.

Doesn't it look great?

The light is mounted on the frame around the mirror.

I LOVE the new light, hanging in the right spot...

and the frame, nice chunky wood,

with perfectly mitored corners.

One more time, I am thrilled with how it looks now!

He's amazing, there's nothing he can't do.

He wanted credit on the blog - I think that's enough, don't you?

hehehehe

Pretty Endings...

Pretty endings lead to beautiful new beginnings!

Saturday Critters ~ 163 ~

It's been raining a lot here at the Jersey Shore

and I have not been spending much time by the window.

But this little Titmouse was hanging around yesterday,

so I thought I would spend a few minutes relaxing, camera in hand.

Sharing today's images with 
Eileen at Viewing Nature With Eileen and 
Anni at I'd Rather Be Birdin

Tidying Up the Garden

I call it a garden, 

it's not really a garden but I need to have something growing at all times.

Something that I can tend to and take care of, something that is alive and growing.

I cleaned up the herbs...
and I am trying to train them to grow up.
I used the Parsley twice, it was very good and nice to have it right here in the house.

My Cyclamen has never been this big or healthy, doesn't it look great?
It has 2 purple flowers coming.


- and I have some great news to share -
My Orchid is not dead, it has this new shoot...


and this new shoot as well.
I am most excited about the Orchid, 
I had my last one for so many years, I am thrilled this one is o.k.!

So, how about you guys, do you have house plants or indoor herbs growing?

Forcing Paperwhites

It's that time of year again for forcing Paperwhites for indoor growing.

I look forward to planting these every year and have had great success in the past.

I always place them in rocks, 

the growing medium needs only to support the bulbs, not to provide nutrition!

Add just enough water so that the wide, bottom third of the bulb is in the water.

After one day in their new home,

and finally basking in the bright New Jersey sunshine, they are already starting to sprout.

I had a little trouble finding bulbs this year so I ordered them on Amazon.

They came 2 days later, shipping was free,

and all 10 bulbs were healthy.

I love Amazon, 

I have not idea why I look for anything in stores,

Amazon has everything!

- and a little ps, as I realized I never really showed you the pretty pot -

Don't you love it? 
I took this picture today and you can see that the sprouts have doubled in size.
And the one "leftover" to the right has some very nice roots.

Yarn Along

Our Aunt Ruth has not been well and needed a new hat to keep her warm.

Music to my ears as I am the queen of hat knitting.

Another Cider Press Hat with Alpaca Farm Yarn that came together quite quickly.

I started another project yesterday, I will share my progress next week.

Fingers and toes crossed as there's already been some frogging!!

I am joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along

Mirror Images...

The ride to the beach on Friday was scenic.

The Ocean is to our left, the bay and these lagoons were on our right.

No sunshine was needed to make the view spectacular. 

This ride on January 20th included a lot of stops!

Seaside Heights...

I spent my Summers at the beaches in Seaside, New Jersey.

We were a beach family and spent almost every Summer day here in Seaside.

On Friday, the hubs brought me down here to hunt for sea glass,

something he knew nothing about until he met me.
We went early in order to catch low tide.

The ocean was calm and peaceful, you could smell the salt in the air.

The hubs always goes out ahead of me, because he thinks he will find more glass than I.

At some point I came across this...
a pretty piece of glass the hubs found and left for me in the sand.

He obviously had zero confidence that I would find it on my own.

The clouds were amazing.

This was our take...
the piece in the center is heart shaped and a pretty shade of sea foam green.

January 20, 2017