Asheville Wedding and Portrait Photography - Tuesday's Frog Photography

Thursday, May 22, 2008

strawberries, strawberries

We made our annual trek to the strawberry patch today. Officially it was "picked out" already this morning but I'd spoken with the owner ahead of time and he'd suggested that we arrive late to avoid the crowds, if we weren't really that interested in getting baskets full of berries but rather just having fun.

So that's what we did, and though the berries were indeed a little smaller and harder to find, we still enjoyed ourselves immensely.

True to form, it didn't take Harper long to rekindle her love for fresh strawberries...

Except maybe for these green ones...we'll just leave those for Daddy.

Labels: Asheville, spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 2:56 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

back at the Biltmore

"Come over here," she beckons, "there's beauty to be seen."

"Behold, spring green."

Then later on, the azalea gardens.

Labels: Asheville, spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:00 AM 4 comments

Saturday, April 26, 2008

hatched!

Fresh from the egg... : )

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 2:18 PM 6 comments

Thursday, April 17, 2008

signs of spring, cont.

Unfortunately, mama bird thought that the top of our natural gas cylinder in the backyard would be a great spot to build a nest. And it is, in that it's sheltered from the elements and hidden from view, except for the fact that we usually get the gas tank refilled each month. So we've put in a call to the gas company to have our refills postponed for the time being. After all, we don't want to fumigate any poor baby birds or give the gas man a heart attack like Mark received yesterday when he opened up the top to check the levels, only to have mama bird came flying out directly at him. We'll just try and keep those little eggs safe and sound for now.

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 2:09 PM 8 comments

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Signs of Spring, cont.

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:45 AM 2 comments

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Spring Break

Cole's been on Spring Break this week from school. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good time for Mark to take a vacation, as he's spent most of this week at work prepping for a big convention next week in Las Vegas. So, instead, the three of us have just been taking it easy (sorry, Mark!) We've mixed in a few "scheduled" days with the low-key ones, however, and today we had a busy morning.

They said, "Mommy, loooooook! A castle!"

And then they were off...

...to my surprise they wanted to check out the inside of the house first. So up and down we went, covering all 4 floors plus the basement (though Cole really wanted to go on a rooftop tour.) Thankfully, Biltmore takes care of their kids, and we had a "treasure map" that we followed to make it fun for them as we walked (breezed) through the rooms. Cole's favorite was the Halloween Room in the basement of the house, whereas Harper really preferred the fountain. Outside.

They had such fun checking it all out, and I had fun photographing them...as well as other things...

The Festival of Flowers starts at the end of next week (I think) so there weren't many tulips in bloom yet. We made due with the vibrant forsythia & daffodils, though.

More random photos...

Look -- they even indulged me with a photo! (And they're both looking at the camera in this shot - remarkable! It probably had more to do with the promise of scooby snacks, though...)

I really think that they both had a great time. Neither of them has been to the Biltmore since they were babies so I think this is a visit they'll actually remember. I was so proud of them, too, as they were really well-behaved, even during lunch at the Stable Cafe. The crayons & coloring books were a big hit.

Finally, since I was parched by the time we left the Estate (not to mention the fact it was 66 degrees by this time) we capped off our trip with a stop at Starbucks for some Double Chocolate Chip Creme Frappuccinos.

The other good part about a productive morning?
LOoooooong naps. ; )

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3:49 PM 17 comments

Friday, March 07, 2008

another sign of Spring

In our front yard.

frame from Jen Wilson Designs

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 10:27 AM 5 comments

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

the 1st of May

Happy May Day!!
We're off to deliver some May baskets to our neighbors.
Here's a simple tutorial on making your own baskets.
Enjoy the first of May (it's the best month, you know!)

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:21 AM 10 comments

Monday, April 09, 2007

scenes from the weekend

How was your Easter?
As you can see, the snow melted!
Two of our neighbors volunteered to be the Easter Bunny, which I thought was really sweet, and hid eggs in plain sight on Saturday evening so the kids could wake up to them on Sunday morning. Cole had the best time hunting for eggs and Harper really got into it as well, which surprised me.

Here's Miss H in her Easter dress and sparkly shoes (she really only wanted to wear the shoes.) She actually came down with a bad cold on Saturday so I only dressed her up for the Easter Hunt (okay, really so I could take pictures) and then she spent the afternoon napping.

The fabulous scalloped frames are from Jen Wilson Designs (the frame is part of the Lime Cordial Accessories pack and the tape is from the "Hold it Downs" kit).

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 1:37 PM 10 comments

Saturday, April 07, 2007

what's this?

I can show you countless photos of Cole at Easter egg hunts the day before Easter wearing shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and a hat to protect his face from the sun.
But this?

Crazy.

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:53 AM 5 comments

Friday, April 06, 2007

Easter Eggs, year 3

I thought I was prepared this year. I bought the PAAS box a year ago on clearance at Target for something like .25 (must do that again this year.) But then on Sunday when I accompanied Mark to the grocery store (he hates when I go with him, because we always end up spending more money) I forgot to buy extra eggs in my haste to introduce the kids to Easy Cheese.
So I made sure to purchase eggs yesterday in preparation for today. But today, when I pulled out the jar of vinegar, I realized that there was only enough in it for one dye. Ugh... thankfully, the PAAS box also lists lemon juice as a suitable "fizzer", and, oddly enough, we happened to have a whole jar of juice, so our morning was saved. (Really, the point of all this babble is just to say that the trouble was well worth it, because this year's egg-dying process was just plain fun.)

Someone was extremely proud to be given her own egg, even if the lemon juice did sting a bit.

Of course, this guy's a pro by now (see March 2005 and April 2006 entries for his previous experiences.)

And here are our eggs (Harper's is the one of the far left.)
Happy Easter!!

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 1:24 PM 9 comments

Monday, April 17, 2006

fun with florals

I love flowers!
Especially love the variety of flowers that springtime brings...
the dogwoods are in full bloom
i've spotted some azaleas
can't get enough of the colorful tulips
the scent of lilies transports me back to when Mark and I were dating. (It's the first flower he gave me, right before our first date on April 9th ummm.....7 years ago? let me think....)
I noticed some purple lilacs on our drive around town the other day...love the smell of those, too!
the aphids have descended upon the wild rose bush in our backyard
the strawberry plants are flowering
join me in my random springtime meanderings
What's your favorite flower?
favorite part of the season?

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:44 PM 16 comments

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Happy Easter!

I was going to post a photo of our neighbors' tulips but then the most delightful bouquet arrived on our doorstep Friday afternoon from a friend. Thank you, dear friend!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Labels: spring

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12:51 PM 12 comments

Saturday, March 11, 2006

signs of Spring