…it’s a little out of hand. Not pictured are the 5 unread books on my NOOK!
Oy.
Over the Christmas break I am going to try to get some of these knocked out. The only problem with that is that I am not sure what books to start first! Do you have any suggestions?
There was a pretty gruesome storm yesterday. It came out of nowhere and left just as quick. What scared me the most was the sky. The storm came around 8pm, right when it gets dark. When I looked out my room to the window, I was surprised to find a strange orange-y glow surrounding the window. Of course, I had to get my camera and snap a few pictures.
After a while the orange went away and we were left with grey skies. You can click the photos to view them at a larger scale.
These photos are minimally edited.
Jayla
I love tea. This is nothing new if you know me personally (or even if you follow me on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram. I have uploaded a bit of tea related photos). I often feel like an outsider in my house because both of my parents and my sister LOVE Starbucks/coffee. My favorite tea of choice is English Breakfast tea, but I also like Lemon Ginger, Green, and Chamomile tea. In the last six months, tea has become a serious staple in my diet. I drink at least one cup a day, usually before I go to work.
Earlier this week I was in the mall, perusing and gawking at all the pretty things, when I happened upon a new store that was dedicated to tea. It’s called Teavana. Apparently it’s been around for a while, but I just happened upon it so I am going to say it’s new. I tried a couple of their samples and LOVED them all. And to my surprise it wasn’t the bag tea I am used to buying, but loose leaf tea. I felt kind of silly when I asked the sales lady if they had any bags for sale (all I saw were canister along the wall). Either way loose leaf tea seemed to be of a much better taste quality that regular bagged tea I find at my local grocery store.
They also sell tea pots. Not the ones you buy at Target or Wal-Mart, but actual cast iron tea pots. I have seen them before in people’s pictures and in movies, but I never asked where they purchased them at.
They are pretty magnificent, right?
Now I there are more ways to feed my tea addiction. A cast iron tea pot has been added to my wishlist. And loose-leaf tea making has officially been added to my list of things to do. Weird? Maybe, but I am a tea drinkin’ fool! So much so that I think I am going to go make myself a cup right now…
Are you a tea drinker? What are your favorite teas (loose or bagged)? I am always willing to expand my tea arsenal.
Drink tea. Be happy.
Jayla
I have been so busy this week that I completely forgot about Wordless 52 AND I just remembered TODAY! tsk, tsk – I know.But, to compensate I am going to present you with a view at my week through pictures!
1) Sunday – I had to go to work at 5am. Didn’t really feel like doing much once I got home…
2) Monday – My mom called me right when I got off work to tell me that we have 2 puppies stuck under the house. We finally got them out after about 3 hours. They were pretty skittish and stuck around the house for a few days, but I haven’t seen them since. I hope they are ok. 
3) Tuesday – Went to a Japanese Hibachi/sushi place with my sister. Cheap and tasty…
4) Wednesday – Started a DIY project that I came up with mostly by myself. More on that later…
5) Thursday – Woke up to the sun shining.
6) Friday – I was doing a bit of spring cleaning and found this old tape with Dr. Seuss stories. I used to listen to it ALL the time when I was a kid. It thought it was very fitting that I found this today of all days seeing as it is Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! 
(Flickr)
If you don’t know by now, photography is one of my hobbies outside of reading/books, cooking, and crafts. I first became interested in photography when I took a photography class in high school. When I went to college, I swore I was going to take a photography class as an extra credit class, but I never got the chance. Scheduling conflicts, don’t ya love them?
I spent the better part of the summer getting to know my camera. With the help of my camera manual and the several internet resources, I taught myself all I could about photography and my camera. While my photography skills did improve I wanted to learn more about composition, metering, etc. I searched repeatedly for a class that was within a reasonable price range for my small budget. Nothing popped up.
It wasn’t until my mom sent me a link of Facebook (we live in the same house just so you know) about a local photographer who was giving a photography class at a botanical garden. And it was within the reasonable price of $90. Needless to say, I jumped on this opportunity rather quickly.
This past Saturday I got up early and traveled out to Belmont, NC where the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is located. Dave Kelly, a renowned wildlife photographer, taught the class. At first, I was really intimidated by the people there, but I wanted to get the most of the class, so I tried to relax more as the day went on. Dave Kelly, a renowned wildlife photographer, taught me and 10 other students a good bit about photography including tips on shooting in manual mode (which is highly suggested) and general information about holding the camera, resources to use, and much more. He even took a walk around the conservatory with us and gave us little personal sessions while we shot images of the flowers.
I highly recommend that if you are in or around the area of Belmont, NC and you are eager to learn about photography, you sign up for this class. Not only is it affordable, but you learn a lot in the process.
Below are some of the photos I snapped while we went through the hands on part of the class. If you want to use any of the images for anything, please feel free to do so – but ask me first!
If you want to check out more of my photography, please feel free to browse my Flickr account.
Jayla
