Mine!


I guess this lady did not feel like sharing.

Chipping Sparrow


These guys are frequent visitors to my "resto". They may not be much to look at, but they sing a nice song.

Happy Friday everyone! We get Monday off for M.L. King Jr. Day, so it's a long weekend for me. I'll be down in Fort Lauderdale (hopefully) enjoying some good golf weather. My blog will be on automatic pilot until Tuesday. Enjoy!

Making-of: Dumplings


Okay, so these weren't really that hard to make, they came straight from a box, but it was a real German box at least! Each dumpling is in an individual cooking bag, so they don't stick together while boiling. We found them at the Kroger and they weren't cheap, but they were tasty. Maybe next time my husband will make them from scratch.

PS: My camera has been repaired! It was shipped back yesterday so it should be back in my hands next week. Yay!!!

German Specialties


Since we're on a food kick, here's a look at another German dish my husband recently cooked up. This one is stuffed peppers with dumplings with a creamy tomato sauce. It was divine!

Making-of: Spaetzle


You asked for more - here it is! A look at how the spaetzle is made.

First the noodle dough is pushed through the "Spaetzle Maschine" and then it cooks a few minutes in boiling water. Once the noodles rise to the top, it's ready to serve! Southern Germans typically have spaetzle with lentil stew or goulash, although in my opinion it goes with almost anything that you would normally have pasta with.

PS: If you click on the wikipedia link above, you'll see a better picture of what they call the spaetzle press. We also have one of the grater-type makers, but my husband prefers the press method as it makes nice thin noodles like the ones we had.

East Meets West


Last weekend my husband and I cooked up a delicious dinner. I made the lentil daal with a tomato garnish and my husband made the fresh spaetzle. Delicious!

Woodpecker and Sparrow


Is he giving the sparrow a dirty look? Hope you are having a nice and warm weekend!

Hello there?


This lady definitely likes to pose for the camera!

Fun at the Feeder


The house finches and the sparrows seem to be having great fun together. I'm glad my new squirrel-proof feeder has room for all of them!

My camera has arrived at the Nikon repair facility. Let's hope they are quick! My husband is taking me to Hawaii at the end of the month and it would be a shame if I didn't have my good camera.

Here's wishing everyone a good Friday and a wonderful weekend! There won't be any golfing for me this weekend - I'll be inside where it's warm!

Looking Up!


There must have been another bird coming in for a snack or something else really interesting in the sky.


PS: Joyeuse fete des rois !

Caught in the Act!


Bird pictures are more interesting than my dining room table at least! This beautiful lady was caught in the act of eating a sunflower seed. There's nothing wrong with that.

Home Sweet Home

I am really running low on pictures now! This is a look at our dining table when it was brand new a year ago. We bought it with our Christmas money from 2008. I also got one of those orchids to re-bloom that year - they're still both flower-less this year. If anyone has a tip to get them to bloom again, please let me know.

New Year's Golf


My husband and I played our traditional round of golf on New Year's Day. We didn't finish all 18 holes as it was colder than it looks. But we did have fun and it's always good to get outside.

It's back to the daily grind tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to going back to work per se, but I will be happy to have some structure to my days.

January Theme Day: Changes


Our state welcome sign went through a change recently. We are no longer "Mississippi, it's like coming home" but "Mississippi, birthplace of America's music." I still like the idea of coming home (especially since Mississippi is home for me), but the new sign is nice.


Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2010 brings you lots of love, joy and most importantly, good health!!

Click here to see other interpretations of today's theme from around the world.

Cardinal


Since my Nikon is out for repair, I may have to get on Wingscapes overload! Hope you enjoy this bright cardinal. He's always a welcome visitor at my feeder.

Mint Restaurant


I treated my husband to dinner at Mint last night. We tested their bar before and the restaurant was also good. And you'll be happy to know, the chandelier looks as good as ever.

PS: My camera is going to be out of commission for awhile. The cover to the battery compartment was broken over the holidays. I'm sending it in to the Nikon repair center and hope to have it back within two weeks (that's what they say their lead time is, please keep fingers crossed). I will try to use my old camera in the meantime, but I might have to dig into the archives for a few days.

New Home


I made it back safely from Oklahoma City despite the weather and road conditions. It was nice to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon at home before heading back to work today.

I guess times are not as bad as they seem, many of the empty lots in my neighborhood are now being built up and most of the homes are sold before construction even begins. This one is coming along quite quickly and they just laid the foundations for another home as well.

Confidential to my dearest husband - happy birthday!!!

Decorative Reflection


Holiday decorations reflected in the water.

Hope you had a great Christmas. For more reflections from around the world, click here.

Record Snowfall


The Oklahoma City winter snowstorm of December 2009 will be one to remember! 14.1 inches of snow!! I think we should do the holidays in Jackson next year.

La Creche


Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you are enjoying time with friends, family and loved ones.

Overkill?


That's a lot of lights!


Let's just say they're getting "into the season." Let's hope they are energy-efficient bulbs! Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas Eve. My husband and I are in Oklahoma City and it looks like we will have a real white Christmas. Maybe we should have stayed in Jackson where it's still 65F/18C!!

Merry Christmas


The message is clear on this house. Although, had they known they might have thought of wishing my Mum a happy birthday instead!

Decorations


I hope you're ready for some Christmas decorations. I'm going to show a whole series of different light displays I've seen around town. Some people really go all out!

I've got the week off from work, so I won't be on the computer as much, but I will still take a look at all my favorite blogs when I can. Hope you are having happy holidays so far!

Mietz-Mietz on the Fence


This big red guy stops by quite often. I just hope he's not waiting to pounce on any birds!

Fondren Building By Night


The Fondren building houses artist ateliers, workshops, boutiques and offices. I was there last Thursday to audition for a play which will be put on by the Fondren Theater Workshop. Keep your fingers crossed for me, it's sounds like a really funny show.

Happy weekend everyone, hope you're enjoying some time at home and not fighting crowds at the mall.

Skywatch Friday


Here's a last look at the remnants of Jackson's annual snow storm. There's a bit of blue sky peeking through which melted it all away very quickly.


Happy Friday everyone! For more skies from around the world, click on the skywatch link.

Holiday Decorations


These inflatable decorations seem to be the latest thing. I just wonder how much energy they use to keep them filled up with air. This was a cute one at least!