February Note Card Party

It is time for the monthly Note Card Party event, hosted by Vee from the blog A Haven for Vee. Each month she asks us to chose four photos that we previously published on our blog that we feel would make nice note cards and showcase them on a new post and link up to her party. I missed out on joining in the last few months of the Note Card Party, as I was preparing to move. I left where I lived my entire life, in Brooklyn, New York, to move to a suburb of Denver, Colorado. The best part of the move is that my husband and I now live closer to our children and grandchildren. We feel that this has been one of the most exciting adventures of our lives!  We love it here and I decided to choose four photos from my area that will show some of the beauty of my new neighborhood in Colorado.

This first photo was literally taken in my backyard.  It is one of the mule deers that visit almost every day as they make their way down from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

This is a view of South Valley Park which is in walking distance of my house. I took this photo in the summer, but I also blogged about hiking on a trail in this park recently on this post.

Another deer that was walking in the park and the very blue mile high sky. There is lots of wildlife here!  Besides deer, there are elk, mountain lions, black bears, coyotes, rabbits, groundhogs, hawks, eagles, grouse, wild turkeys and many different kinds of snakes, including rattlesnakes. There is definitely a lot I have to learn about living in such close proximity to nature.

Colorado's big sky and a view of the some of the ancient red fountain formation rocks in the open space of our community. I took these photos while walking on a private trail that only residents can use. You can see some of my neighborhood's houses in the background.

As you can see, I left the excitement of life in the big city for life on the beautiful front range. It is a big change, but one that has filled me with joy.  I love New York and I love Colorado!

Be sure to visit Vee and see her note card photos and links to all the others participating this month...you'll be glad you did!

  

Pink, With a Bit of Tiffany Blue!

Our sweet baby granddaughter came home last weekend and we have all been in baby bliss ever since!  Is there anything more precious in the world than a newborn baby?  They are truly a gift from God.  As the poet, Carl Sandburg so succinctly said: “A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on.” Thank you all, for your wonderful comments and congratulations to myself and my family over the birth of our granddaughter!  I read and appreciated every one of them!

 Our baby "J" came home to much fanfare as her dad decorated their house with balloons and signs welcoming her and her Mom home.  Her beautiful room was all tenderly set up and ready for her.  She is our special little Valentine today! We love her so much!

Since this was our last Christmas season living in New York City, her grandfather and I decided we wanted to buy a special keepsake for our expected first granddaughter, so we took a trip to the Tiffany and Co. flagship store, located on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan, to buy her a gift.  The store was decorated beautifully for Christmas and was doing a brisk business, as many were shopping on its multiple floors for silver, gold and diamond treasures for holiday gifts.

The baby gift department was on one of the top floors, and we "oohed and aahed" over many delightful choices before selecting one we thought would be perfect for baby "J"! Here it is in the Tiffany signature turquoise blue box and white ribbon:

Can you guess what we chose?

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Yes, we purchased a sterling silver baby spoon!

I think we've all heard the expression: "Born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth." and decided to make this come true for our granddaughter in a fanciful way. We had her initials monogrammed onto the handle so it will become a family heirloom for her to cherish.  Hopefully, one day in the future she will be able to pass it on and tell the story to her own grandchild of how the spoon was given to her as a gift by her grandparents when she was born.

 "J" will certainly be rich in love and attention from her extended family for her whole life.  She is our priceless treasure and one of the many wonderful reasons we recently moved to Colorado.

Before I finish this post I have to ask all Nikon camera owners if they ever had this problem? I was taking photos of the baby with my Nikon D 60 camera when it froze and the message in the photo above came up. No matter what I tried the shutter release would not work and I could no longer take photos. Thank goodness I have a "point and shot" back up camera to use until I can get my camera repaired.  I'm wondering if this problem will keep cropping up and if there is a way to fix it myself in the future?  Any help in this matter would be appreciated!

Also, IBM has invited me, along with other bloggers, to participate in a groundbreaking campaign called #MySmarterCommerce in which I was invited to share my personal story, around how the roles technology and social media play in my life. I will share different aspects of my story for the next 30 days on facebook, twitter, and Pinterest.  I hope you, too, will share your story of the role social media plays in your lives. I know that as a grandparent I often relied on social media to see videos and photos of my grandchildren and keep in touch with my children. The video chats of SKYPE were a wonder that helped me keep in touch in a personal way with my grandsons that live here in Colorado while we lived in New York City. I also enjoy keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook and seeing special offers and coupons on the facebook pages of brand companies. Of course, the biggest and best aspect of social media for me has been through blogging. How else would I have met all of you, dear readers? I feel as close to many of you as dear friends, and I value your comments to me and all your wonderful blog posts.