Almost the End of the Year . . .

Family

Wow, I can hardly believe it is the end of another year.  It's been an interesting one - with lots of highs and lows, lots of drama and moments of quiet.  It's been busy and slow, fun and hard.  And, now we are on to another one.  Are you ready?  How do you celebrate the beginning of the new year?  Are there things that you are looking forward to in the upcoming year?  Things that you have planned or are you just going to wing it and see how the year progresses?

Since, I'm pretty sure that I will not be on my computer after the stroke of midnight tomorrow evening, let me wish you all a very Happy New Year.  Now, let's all be smart and very safe on New Years Eve.

The future is not something we enter.  The future is something we create. ~ Unknown

Oh Man . . . Did I Really Jinx Myself?

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What a busy couple of days it's been.  And just after I was commenting - or dare I say bragging - about how smoothly Christmas went for me this year.  I guess I did jinx myself after all, it was all waiting until after Christmas to hit me.  Way too much to do in an extremely short amount of time to do it all in.  I do believe things have settled down - a bit at least and so I am back to post again.

As a side note, I really missed getting these postings out.  It was like my day was not complete.

And I could not leave you without a quote for the day, hope you enjoy this one:

You never know when you are making a memory.  ~ Rickie Lee Jones

Happy Holidays from my Family to Yours

Happy Holidays from us to you!

Getting Ready for the Busy Night

Mr. and Mrs. Claus

Can you believe it's just one more evening and then it will be Christmas?  And here, Mr. and Mrs. Claus are taking a moment before all the craziness begins for them.  And don't they look great, ready for their busy season?

These are Christmas decorations that my mom made when I was just a little girl.  I remember very fondly seeing them out every year.  And, just a few years ago, she gave them to me.  Thanks mom, I love them very much and have enjoyed seeing them sitting on my shelf.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

An Old Fashioned Christmas

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I guess this year I went a little heavy on the ornament pictures.  I hope you don't mind.  And, I actually have quite a few pictures to get ready for next year - that is if I don't take any more holiday pics between now and then.  And really, what are the chances of that happening?  Pretty darn slim.  I am already planning some more photos that are going to take place over the next few days.  Those however, will have to wait until Christmas 2011 to be shared because I already have the next couple pics planned - which is unusual for me, to be planned out in advance.

And now, a quote to leave you with:

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not so good with Plants - taking care of them that is

All About Red

Yes, last night's post was a poinsettia.  An interesting plant.  I really was unaware of all the varieties out there.  This one is now living in our home.  Let's hope we don't kill it right away.  I am not so good at taking care of plants.  I did not get a green thumb from my mom.  So far, my husband has been tending to it & that is very good.  He's WAY better at keeping plants alive than me.  I almost felt sorry for it when we bought it for picture taking.  Poor thing . . .

On a different note.  I found myself with some spare moments today.  Not sure how that happened, but I will take it!  Anyway, I spent that time updating the gallery on my website.  I have added a couple new sections - Christmas 2010 and Macro.  And have also added a few favorites to just about every category already there.  It was kinda fun looking through the gallery again.  It's fun to see where I've been and where I am now.  So, if you'd like, go here to check it out!

Flower for Mom

Flower for Mom

This one is for my mom.  I will always think of her whenever I see this Christmas plant.  When I decided to shoot new holiday images for everyday of this month I knew that this plant had to be included.  I'm hoping that you can tell what it is.  And if not, I may be sharing another tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy this image today Mom (and everyone else out there too!)

A Bit of Bling Makes Everything Better

Bling Some?

I'm telling you, everything is better with a little sparkle to it. Add that little touch of glitter and bam - puts a smile right on your face.

I think it's pretty safe to say, I've had a bit of fun with this ornament. And I think it has had it's 15 minutes - or several days - of fame and it is time to move on to something different.

It's been pretty overcast here - and even rained the majority of the day today. Lighting is great when it's overcast. Yesterday I pulled out my rather large "photo box" full of all sorts of goodies, went out in the backyard with some fun holiday items and set out to create some fun images. I downloaded them today and . . . well there is something to work with. In the meantime, enjoy this crazy, blingy, springy ornament one last time.

Oh . . . and enjoy this quote for the day:

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. ~ Mark Twain

Angel

Angel

This is a favorite ornament.  We have quite a few of them.  These angels are ornaments from when I was a kid.  I cannot remember when we got them, but I know that we did not always have them.  I loved to put these angels on our tree, and always made sure they were near a light so that they would catch the light just right. 

A few years ago, my mom was going through our old ornaments and gave me several that were special ones to me.  And, these angels were a part of that.  This year, it was fun to watch my son put the angels on.  He took care in placing them close to lights because he too, wanted them to have that special glow.

The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.  ~ Bruce Lee

It's a Good One

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Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out. ~ Anton Chekhov

Be Inspired

My Little Curly Q

I am loving this ornament.  It's so fun!  It was THE best Black Friday find ever!  Well, okay maybe not the best, we have gotten some great deals years ago - but this was the best find I had this year.  (Especially since my Black Friday purchases consisted of this ornament and one other.  I was such a big spender this year!)

I decided I needed to add some quotes to my selection.  Well, honestly, I am always on the hunt for quotes to add to my ever-growing file.  And while searching I came across this beauty:

Every man dies.  Not every man really lives. ~ William Wallace

Love that one.  I mean really love that one.  And I cannot help but think of the movie Braveheart when I hear that quote.  Now, I know that Hollywood is not necessarily the best at getting the stories right.  And honestly I could not tell you if they did or did not in the case of the movie Braveheart.  But what I can tell you is this - they did get something absolutely right in the making of that movie.  It is extremely inspiring.  If you have not seen it - and do not possess a squeamish stomach (there are some very bloody scenes), I highly recommend this movie.  Be entertained, be inspired.

A Merrier World

The Man & The Tree

And this brings the end to the Nutcracker photos - at least for now, unless I decide to revisit and shoot some more.  More holiday images to come though, so don't worry about that!

And now, for the quote of the night - I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did when I first read it:

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Drumming Again, Just A Little Bit Different This Time

Drumming From The Top

Anything you’re good at contributes to happiness. ~ Bertrand Russell

Drummer Boy

Drummer Boy

Looking at all these holiday images, I cannot help but really start to get excited for the holidays to come.  This year I have many holiday projects planned and if I'm not careful, I am going to run out of time to get them done. 

And part of those projects is to shoot more holiday images.  I hope you are enjoying them so far.

The Face

I'm pretty sure I could get just a little bit closer to this face than I am, but I don't think it would be too pretty. Here is Day 7 of the Holiday Images. I hope you are enjoying them so far. This little guy is a part of a series of guys in our house - with a bit of a story - that I will share with you at another time. But first, I would like to share a few more images from him.


I'm really hoping that I didn't get too abstract with my macro fascination right now, and that you can tell what this is. Or at least are not disturbed by him. He's not that scary of a guy - that is when you are not all up in his face staring him down in one blue eye.

This one takes me all the way back . . .

Old Time Snowflake

This image takes me all the way back . . . to . . . this past weekend.

Sorry I just could not resist.  This image has such a yesteryear feel to it, at least to me.  What do you think?

Over the weekend, I finally broke out the camera and the tripod and spent some good quality time with our Christmas trees.  At one point I was even laying under the tree, on my back shooting away.  I have made the commitment to myself that everyday in the  month of December is going to be dedicated to holiday type images.  Now, some of those images may be one or two of my favorites from over the years.  But, for the most part, I am planning on shooting, shooting and more shooting during this month.

I did have the opportunity to shoot a good friends family portraits the first weekend of December and really had fun with them.  I can't wait to share them with you . . . that is after the new year.  Can you believe it is almost 2011?  I have some ideas of things that I would like to do - photography wise in 2011 and need to get those ideas written down, organized and researched.  So many fun things to look forward to!

Until then, I hope that you are enjoying my sparkly snowflake!  (And I'm guessing that's not something you hear everyday?)

A Single Ornament

Ornament

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Round and Round We Go

Round and Round

Okay, so I've pretty much been inside my house for two straight days.  Going nowhere but to take my son to school and then home and either bed or work.  Fun stuff.  There is only one thing worse than a winter cold - a summer cold!  And right now I am right smack in the middle of a full-on winter cold.  Complete with lost voice, or super deep voice, whichever one decides to make an appearance at the moment.  I spoke with my mom earlier tonight and she told me that if I had called her she probably would not have recognized my voice - and it was actually doing much better at that moment.  Yikes!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel - I have not felt the need to take anything for the sore throat and head congestion since much earlier this afternoon.  And I am feeling pretty good.  We will see how it goes in the morning.

And, why is it that whenever you are sick you feel your worst in the morning?  You wake up all miserable and then when bedtime rolls around you are actually feeling human again . . . that is until you get up the next morning.  Wish me luck on maintaining that feeling of being a human again tomorrow when the sun is coming up.

Until then, enjoy one of our newest ornaments.  Bought this year on Black Friday.  Yep, that's right I went out shopping for a good chunk of the day and came home with two ornaments.  Not that I needed the ornaments, but they were on sale and too cute to pass up.  And had I not bought them, I would have come home with nothing.  (Although I did enjoy the time shopping with a good friend, and going to a movie and having some great food to eat - thanks for the great time Di!)  And, I'm glad I got this ornament because I've been having a lot of fun photographing it.  (And more holiday goodies to come for the rest of the month - woohoo!!!)

Hustle & Bustle

Wrap Around Shine

Can you  believe it is already December 1st?  Wow, where on earth did this year go?  It was a busy one for us, as I'm sure it was for you too.  Get ready for the hustle and bustle of all the things the holiday season brings . . . 'cause it's here!

The Begnning of the End and the Beginning Again

Twinkle

Friendship, love, health, energy, enthusiasm and joy are things that make life worth living and exploring. ~ Denise Austin

It's that time of year.  The time when we are supposed to get all caught up in the magic of the season and to have good will towards mankind and all that jazz.  Well, there's one thing I have never fully understood about this time of year - and that is why do we have to be all those things this time of year.  Shouldn't we be doing all those good things every single day of the rest of the year too? 

I have always had mixed feelings about Christmas.  It's fun to see all the decorations go up and enjoy the twinkling of the lights on the trees.  It's fun to put away everyday items and put up Christmas decorations.  And then when it's time to put away those Christmas decorations I always put the old, everyday decorations up in a new way.  And that is fun.  To me, it's a sort of fresh beginning, but with all the old familiar things. 

And yet, for that month that they are put away, there are these items that move in for a bit.  They get brought out the same time every year.  They remind us of all the "good" things we should be doing . . . and then they get put away until next year.  And while they are gone, in those other 11 months of the year, do you continue the "good" things or do you pack them away until next year?

I hope I am not sounding to cynical or full of skepticism or such.  Actually I think I am quite the opposite.  I am ever hopeful.  The person that is always looking for the good and the rainbows and the unicorns (and glitter like Flo from the Progressive commercials says). 

And here is my hope on this the beginning of the last month of the year 2010 - that we, each of us, will carry forward from this day forward good tidings to all.  That we will look for the good, and especially in those times when finding the good is very hard to do.  That we will spread love and peace and joy.  And that as we are putting up our holiday decorations and listening to that very inspired music that we will commit to being who were are in this very moment for the upcoming year.

And please forgive me if my thoughts seem to be a little jumbled - I seem to have caught a wonderful winter cold - so is it me talking or the cold medicine?  I guess we'll never know.

Sam & The Lobster Part 2

Taking Out the Stuffing

Happiness is a warm puppy. ~ Charles Schulz 

Sam & The Lobster

Serious Business

It's been awhile since I shared some pics of the dogs.  This one has been processed and sitting in my folder of ready to post pics for quite some time.  I guess tonight is the night for posting. 

If I remember right, it was a couple Christmases ago that this stuffed lobster was brought to the dogs by Santa.  He's very good to our goofy dogs.  And they just loved this lobster.  That is until Sam removed all his stuffing.  Poor lobster.

Happy Thanksgiving To All

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I want to thank each of you for sharing this wonderful experience with me.  I appreciate the comments, the feedback and just knowing that you are out there receiving my work.  And for that I am very grateful.

All Wound Up

All Wound Up

People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right. ~ Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Through The Looking Glass, Sort of . . .

The Big Win at the Carnival

I know I've heard that title before.  Not sure if it's a movie or a book or both.  Either way, I've never seen it or read it.  I think maybe it was a thriller or something like that. 

This was taken within the past month.  One of those moments when my son would let me take his picture.  He always seems to be more willing when he knows it's going to be something different.  And for that I am glad.  For me, it's always just a little more fun to not only photograph things that I find interesting, but to include people that I care about makes it just that much more special.

My last few quotes have opened up a few discussions - which I've enjoyed.  I like hearing other people's perspectives - that is as long as they are not starting a conversation with the single purpose of showing me that I am wrong.  That drives me crazy. 

So I think there are a few more words that deserve a better look.  And, we will get to those each in their own time.  Like I said the other night, judgemental is something that is very hard to talk about without getting into other emotions and feelings and "words" the get all lumped together.

But for tonight, here is a wise quote that always makes me smile.  Enjoy:

Wisdom doesn’t automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles. It’s true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place. ~ Abigail Van Buren

The End - of this run of photos

A Study in Clothespins Part 4

I promise, this is the end of the clothespins. 

Earlier this evening, I asked Ryan to get some items together from around the house that I can photograph.  We will see what he comes up with.  Should be interesting.

A Simple Question for You



A Study in Clothespins Part Three

 You know, after looking at clothespins for three days, I have a question.  Does anyone really use clothespins anymore?  At least for what they are intended for - to hold clothes onto things like hangers and clothes lines for drying?

Not at our house.  Here are three of the current uses for clothespins in our home - a toothpick shooter, a whistle and a "hold onto my craft project while the glue is drying" item.  I have a small bucket of them that sit on my desk for just that purpose - and they go nowhere near laundry or the closet.  Too funny.

So, do you or anyone you know still use them with clothing?

Okay, here's the quote for tonight.  I'm not going to elaborate on this one - of course I say that now and then will surprise us all by getting long winded again (me included in that surprise.)  What?  It's happened before...

This quote is simply food for thought.  A little tag along to last nights posting.

Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. ~ Dale Carnegie

AThought I've Had for A Little Bit

A Study in Clothespins #2

Sorry about missing catching up with you last night.  I got caught up watching the Redskins get totally and completely creamed against the Eagles last night.  And actually, we went to bed at the end of the third quarter because we could no longer keep our eyes open.  We were recording the game and so my son and I kinda watched the fourth quarter this morning.  I say kinda because we really fast forwarded more of it than actually watched it.  Anyway, by the time I got to my computer last night, I knew that whatever I typed up was probably not going to make a ton of sense.  So, instead I opted to get some much needed sleep.  Hope you can understand and forgive me.

So that must mean that today's posting needs to be extra amazing and wonderful and such, right?

Well, I don't know about that but, I would like to "chat" for a bit about something that has been kind of rattling around in my little brain for months and months.  It just never quite felt like the right moment before, I wasn't sure exactly how to start it.  And well, I guess what I've come with is to just "bite the bullet" and DO IT!  (As Nike used to say in the 80's).  Or the ever favorite treat it like a band-aid and just tear it right off.  Or some such other visual. 

Okay, what is it that I been thinking about?  Well, it's part of a thought that leads into another thought that leads into another thought.  It seems to me that so much in life all ties together.  I mean you can't have one action not then affect another or at the very least leave some sort of impact.

Am I making any sense to you all?  Probably not, so here goes...

I've been thinking about being judgemental.  I think, personally, that this is an action, emotion, whatever you would like to call it, that is extremely damaging.  Worse than some would think.

What is judging another exactly?  Well, to me it is taking your opinion, your viewpoint, your frame of reference and expecting it to be carried over onto others.  The judgemental person has decided that their view, their opinion is the only one that matters and should be followed or adhered to by everyone else.  And usually by means of no questions asked.

Wow!  I mean really I don't believe that I have the right to confer my thoughts on someone else.  Isn't that the spice of life?  That we all have different viewpoints and different ideas and a totally different way of looking at things.  To me that is fun learning from others and seeing what it is that they see.  Maybe that is why I like photography because it allows you to actually physically see what someone else sees.

Okay so I've got a quote for you that I've been holding onto for a bit.  I read this wonderful book - and recommend it to anyone out there that wants something to make you think just a little bit.  How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  Great read.  I want to read it again.  Doesn't it sound like one of those horrible books that you would picture some geeky young man reading that is "teaching him how to pick up hot chicks"?  Well, it is not.  I have more passages highlighted in that book, than just about any other book I've read.  So, here's the quote for the day:

If you tell me how you get your feeling of importance, I’ll tell you what you are.  That determines your character.  That is the most significant thing about you.  ~ Dale Carnegie

So, hopefully you had a wonderful Monday and a wonderful Tuesday.  And hopefully this posting made up for the lack of posting on Monday night and you all still love me!

And onto the last Macro Pics - at least for now

A Study in Clothespins Part One

After a longer weekend, due to the Veterans Holiday, I find myself not exactly looking forward to Monday morning.  But what can you do?  It will come whether I want it to or not.

And since I spent a good portion of the weekend enjoying moments watching parts of the Harry Potter marathon over the weekend - of course getting us all ready for the release of the newest installment on Friday - I will share with you a quote from the movie.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.  ~J.K. Rowling, "The Beginning," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

And then back to black (and white that is) again

Silver beads in shades of gray

 Another case of not sure which image I like better - the color or the black and white.  You know, in the good old days, when I first started my interest in photography, there really wasn't that much of a choice.  You either shot in black and white film or in color film.  Now, it's almost like there are too many options sometimes.  What's a girl to do? 

Well, have one of everything of course.  If you have an opinion on which one you like, be sure to let me know.  I love hearing what you all think!

From Black to Silver

Silver Beads

I really loved working with these beads, even though they were a little more temperamental.  That little design on the bead had to be perfectly in focus or the whole image did not work at all.  I do like the soft colors - probably because they have a faint purple feel to them.  Ah, peaceful.

I really liked the quote from last night and got some great comments back on it.  I guess I didn't realize how long it had been since I shared like that.  So we are two for two, because tonight, I've got another goodie for you.  Are you ready?  I really, really like this one.

Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you. ~ Peace Pilgrim

So true, don't you think?  I really do believe that what energy you put out there into the world, that is what the world will send back to you.  So, if you are a negative person, critical or such . . . well I hate to tell you this, but you need to get ready for negativity and harshness to come your way.  On the other hand, if you are positive and uplifting . . . great things are a coming your way! 

I don't know about you, but I'd much rather life was smiling at me than frowning!  So, go ahead and put forth your best smiles.

Moving On

Black Shapes

Enough with the green grass already.  Let's move on shall we? 

I made references to some macro shooting that I did not too long ago.  I pulled out some random stuff that I had sitting in my office area and set it up to photograph.  Some of them came out wonderful, some of them need a revisit and some of them . . . well they just did not work at all.  But that is the fun for me.  Seeing what looks good photographed in a certain setting - lighting, background and very, very close up!

I liked these beads.  They were pretty fun to work with.  And of all the photos that I shot of them - and there were quite a few - this is the only one that I really, really liked.  At least at the initial looking.  It's funny, but I am usually drawn to one or two right away.  I let the images "sit" for a bit and go back to them and different ones start looking promising to me as well.  Anyway, I hope that you will find this interesting at the very least.

It's been awhile since I've shared a quote so let me see if I can find one that I am really feeling at this moment.  Not sure if I have already shared this one or not.  If I have not, well then enjoy.  And if I have forgive me, but sometimes it's good to listen to the same concept several times.  It helps it to sink in and refreshes us of those things that really do matter.

There is one all-important law of human conduct.  If we obey that law, we shall almost never get into trouble.  In fact, that law, if obeyed, will bring us countless friends and constant happiness.  But the very instant we break the law, we shall get into endless trouble.  The law is this:  Always make the other person feel important.

So, I leave you this evening with that thought - go out there and make someone feel important.  You may be surprised how wonderful it will make you feel too.

A Whole Lotta Green

Green Grass #1

I'm telling you, I was watching our winter grass growing in and just could not get over the shade of green.  It was so amazing.  And looked so soft and wispy.  Couldn't resist some pics.

It takes many blades to make the lawn

Just Tiny Blades of Grass

At the same time that the storm came in - the one that created my rusty tree, we were right in the middle of getting our winter grass put down. We had no idea if we were going to get any to actually grow or if it just washed away in the rain and hail.
A little over a week or so and there it was. And, it was the most brilliant shade of green. Just had to share.

Another Look At My Rusting Tree



Tree - Up Close & Personal

 Okay, now I've shared two pics of my rusting tree.  Which one do you prefer?  It's always nice to get a little feedback here on what others find appealing.  I know which is my favorite.  So, what do you think?

My Rusting Tree

There's Rust Coming Out of My Tree, How Can That Be?

A few weeks ago, we got hit very hard with a hail storm.  I posted at least one picture here from that day.  It came it went and still we are seeing things that just are not the same as they were before.  Two of our three trees lost the majority of their leaves that day, but I did not expect to see more damage show up a week or so later.

I kept looking out my window at the two light colored bark trees and wondering why on earth my trees were rusting.  It's the weirdest thing.  Where some of the hail hit so hard it removed portions of the bark.  Poor tree.

Melting Goodness

Another of the crazy hot and steamy dessert.  This one makes me think of my brother Kelly.  He's probably scratching his head right now.  Well because, when I look at this picture, the first thing I see is the ice cream.  And that was always his favorite treat.  We used to tease him that he could smell ice cream a mile away.

I'd Like Mine With A Scoop of Ice Cream On Top

Please Forgive Me

A Smoky Treat

Please forgive me for my absence.  I did feel however, over the past few days that sleep was very important.  And since, I was hardly able to keep my eyes open when it came time to sit down and get my posts ready to go out, I was pretty sure that I would not make that much sense to you either.  I'm pretty sure my brain was already in shut down mode. 

It's been a bit of a long week for me.  With a crazy busy work schedule and then all the fun that Halloween time brings, it's been busy.   But a good busy for the most part.

And, now I am back.  I got all caught up with my work load and have actually spent some time on my computer processing some photos that I took about 2 or 3 weeks ago.  I had mentioned in a previous post that I was really into macro and will be sharing those very, very soon.  But first, I really wanted to see if I could torture you with this yummy treat?  I love the smoke coming off the dish.  You should have been there to see all the smoke in the restaurant.  It was pretty crazy.  And since some of you are probably wondering - yes it was very tasty!

Let it Glitter

Everything's a Little Better with Some Shine

Lately, it would seem that I have really gotten into macro shooting.  This photo is from a few months ago.  I really love the way it came out.  The colors.  The softness of the background.  Too fun. 

At the beginning of the week, I shot some more product type shots.  And finally today, after a very busy week with work, I got to play with them a little bit.  Oooooh were they fun!  Can't wait to share them.  And they inspired me to shoot some more macro type items.  So, hopefully, next week, they will be ready to share!  Something to look forward too - seeing what my mind has been envisioning. 

And, I will leave it at that . . .

Have a great weekend and see you all very, very soon!

The Climb

The Climb

I will apologize for a short post tonight, and for not posting at all last night.  Many of you have told me that you look forward to getting your emails either last thing at night or first thing in the morning.  And let me tell you, I truly appreciate that - more than you will probably ever know.  My "day" job as some would say has kept me very busy over the past few days. 

You see, I am very fortunate to have a job that allows me to work from home.  I love this because it is very flexible with my time and I get to perform probably about 80% of it in my comfortable jammies.  And the best part of all, I truly enjoy what I do.  But, every so often there are times when there is quite a bit of work that needs to be done.  And right now is one of those times.  And since I do all of my work on my computer, I am in no hurry to get back on it in the evening.  My whole body needs a rest. 

I was going to say I will be keeping this short, but I talked longer than usual.  (And many of you are saying - well that is nothing new - we already knew that about you.)

Power

The First Step

I just finished watching the 6th Harry Potter movie this evening with my family. I seem to never tire of this story. It grows with you. I felt the need to share one of my favorite quotes from the movie with you tonight.


It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.  Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.  ~J.K. Rowling, "King's Cross," Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

It Just Pulls Me Right In

The Tunnel

Well the pic for tonight has been around for awhile.  Some of you have seen it & some of you have not.  I really like the way it came out and wanted to share.  So, hopefully those of you that have already seen it will be okay with seeing it again, or maybe you don't remember seeing it before.  I don't know.  But, to me, it's one of those images that I could look at more than once.  It just seems to pull you right into the picture, don't you think?

Am I Making You Hungry?

Tasty Treat

With our weather a little bit cooler, it was time to start getting into the turkey and cranberry sandwiches.  Getting the ol' taste buds exciting for all the upcoming holiday goodies.  I was lucky enough to have eaten this treat last week.  Yum!

Coming At You

Coming At You

Different Intentions

Round and Round

Another from the buttons.  I actually shot these pictures for a completely different purpose.  I mean I really had a specific use for them.  And then I uploaded . . .

I fell in love as soon as I saw them on the computer screen.  So, here they are, being shared with you.  And so far, not being used at all for my intended use.  I love it when that happens!

Moment

It All Goes Round

Aahh.  Such a peaceful moment.  Looking at the beauty of one simple thing.  Enjoy this moment.

At Least I'm Still Cool, right?

Almost Out

Well, here we are on a Tuesday evening.  And it feels like it should be Friday already.  I know wishful thinking I'm sure.  We had the week off from school last week and I can sure tell it today.  I'm pretty tired out and will be calling it an early evening.  Well, that and I really want to get to reading my book for the evening - Cyberia by Chris Lynch.

My son loves to give me books to read.  And I love that he does that.  I love that he enjoys reading. It's such a good skill to have.  So, I have made references to the fact that I seem to have a never ending supply of books waiting in line to be read.  I mean literally (and I should take a picture of this, not sure why I haven't) I have large stack of books sitting beside my bed just waiting for me to read them.  And mostly they have come from one of three places.  My son, Ryan, my brother, Kelly, and my friend Diana.  And I am so glad that they recommend them to me.  It's great fun to read books and then talk about them afterwards.  And really all three of them give me very, very different styles of books. 

Well, the extra fun thing is that now my son is getting older and into a more advanced level of reading.  He comes home now with books that I have already read.  And I can tell that he thinks it's pretty cool to be reading something that I enjoyed.

I am very thankful that we can share that.  And . . . that for these moments I can be a cool mom.  Because those teenage years are approaching and soon I will be the uncoolest thing of all!

Bad Manners

That One Key

Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people’s bad manners. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

True so true, don't you think? And, in my way of looking at it . . . who am I to determine how someone else should behave. I mean, I truly believe that I have no right to pretend to tell someone else how they should live because I have not lived their life, learned their lessons or had their experiences.

But . . . that doesn't mean that I should have to endure their behavior. I can't ask them to change to suit my sensibilities, but I also do not have to subject myself to other's bad behaviors.

Now, how is that for confusing?

And, I'm not really sure what it has to do with the French horn key, but there it is, my share for the evening.

The Pumpkin

The Pumpkin

Swinging Good Time

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