that stuffed thing had no chance

healthy happy food

tomatoes, chicken, roasted collards - yumma!  served on a plate made of recycled plastics too.
this dinner is brought to you by the wonder of Zyrtec, which, I think (along with much weekend napping) has restored my energy such that I actually feel able to cook!

after the big run at Walnut Creek

nest!

I took this with my iPhone on Sunday but couldn't see that the photo actually turned out pretty great until I saw it on a big screen today. It's a little nest in a tree at the park. Nobody home, but still sweet.

Speaking of birdies and nests, lots of wonderful bird activity around my backyard right now, including little sparrows collecting the white fluff of doggie-mangled stuffed animals that is currently strewn all over my lawn.  I'd love to see the comfy nests they build with it - and to think I was going to clean it up. Hmmph.

loves water, too fast for iPhone picture snapping owner

that extra thing

I particularly love it when I find design touches that are what I think of as "extras."  These little drawings are printing on the inside of packets of Stride gum, and they vary, as you can see, from packet to packet.  I want to meet the person who a) thought of doing this and b) talked the budget people into it.

chad's birthday

yummy cupcakes from Ruhi

design geekery at my new desk

berry yummy dinner

make me a sandwich

Look how happy the pig looks to be made into a sandwich. Even fancier: this sign rotates.

walkies buds

Lulu and Grayson. He still has that tail tucked under, but he warms up eventually.

It continues to be REALLY cold!

name tag!

cloudy Friday

more hipstamatic fun

breakfast at Starbucks!

hipstamatic

I am feeling sure that this will be some of the BEST $2 I ever spent! Hipstamatic is an iPhone app that lets you take great old analog style photos. So freakin delish.

real housewives of doggie hills

the muddy, muddy truth

sunday recipe

Blend a sunny back patio with gesso, water, child's illustrated dictionary (purchased for $1) and brushes.

Fold in a large canvas donated to you years ago from your sister.  Have tuckered out pooch nearby.  Just in case.

Gesso dictionary pages to canvas.  Repeat with a smaller canvas on which you've painted an experiment that you're happy to cover up.  Freak out about the wrinkles until you decide they are supposed to be there.

Put the canvasses out to dry.

Spoon some coffee on the smaller canvas.  Just because.

Hang out and have happy visions of what you will paint on these new "dictionary" canvasses.

running joy times two

taken with iPhone


Also, this was taken with iPhone on 3/12 (although I failed to post that day) - more "running joy" from the exterior of a favorite vintage furniture store "Room Service".

sunset at pillow school

i-phone, drive home from work

Dishy dishy

Mr Shy is definitely getting more relaxed - hurrah!

another "high dive" doggie

apparently Grayson is also talented at the sleeping high-dive

(taken with iPhone)

Meet Grayson, our new foster boy

Feeling scared, but still very handsome.

happy mess, gray day

I'd like to show a photo of the painting I completed today, but the photos look funky due to glare off wet paint and it's a commission meant to be a surprise gift.  So veto on both counts.

best use of $5 wool blanket from Goodwill ever

waiting for rice

from iPhone

Sketching during "lunch and learn" meeting

extreme cuteness

we likes

Common Groundians in the wild

Derrell chats with a new user, and Ruhi seems to be amused - must be about duplicate management - woot! Austin Nonprofit Salesforce Users group at Ventana del Sol.

bug triage

a candid shot from our COM bug triage meeting:
Raj and Stephen contemplate the list

Welcome lunch!

Common Ground team had a lunch at Chuy's for the four of us who are just joining the team this week: Brandy, Derrell, Kai and me! I had an enchilada with something called "Boom Boom" sauce simply because it was called "Boom Boom" sauce. Luckily - delish. And check the hub cap fabulousness on the ceiling.

Such bad iPhone photos, but such a nice warm welcome! I love my new job so far (all 24 hours in!).  It was also sweet to come back from lunch and find this little note on my white board at the new desk.