iHeartfaces ~ Halloween

This week’s iHeartfaces challenge is “Halloween”. I wanted to show the happy chaos of last year. I have several years worth of group photos and they just make me laugh and I can’t wait to take this year’s photo. I love seeing how all the kids have grown through the years. And the adults? Well, we never grow up.

I remember a couple of years ago, my boy along with two of his guy friends dressing as girls and one girl friend dressing as a guy. He would kill me if I posted it.

See more Halloween fun at iHeartfaces.com.

Thanks Gayle, for your Monday Memories.

October 25, Proverbs 3:34

This fall has been one of the prettiest in Maryland since we’ve moved here. Perhaps it is THE prettiest. In any case, I cannot stop taking photos of leaf covered lanes…it’s addicting.

For some reason, my mind has turned to grace this month or so. Perhaps God knows I’ll be needing a lot of it. And I have lately.

“He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.” Proberbs 3:34.

I really try not to be proud because the fall is pretty hard.

My homework assignment from Mrs. E is to write what I am most grateful for. I know this is late, I may have missed the cut-off to hand in the assignment. It’s a pattern left over from my school days that’s hard to break. Of course I’ve had extenuating circumstances…hope the teacher will excuse me.

Here goes…

…beautiful fall afternoons…health for my little girl…peace of mind in all things big and small…hope for peace of mind through life’s challenges…character and strength of my boy…good walking shoes…in season produce…a loving husband…a satisfying hobby…the grace of God…non-stick bakeware…baby goats…Christmas presents in October…the cross…fresh lemonade…seeing eye dogs…low gas prices…the support of a good computer team…pretty plates…jumping horses…sugar canes…pickled mangoes…roses that bloom in October…a great God, sovereign over all things…

I don’t know if that’s 150 words, I can’t find the word count in MS Word 2007. And so my computer woes continue.

I would encouage you to do your own homework assignment from Mrs. E, but it’s due tonight. If you’re anything like me, you’ll just be starting it now.

Posted on Spiritual Sundays.

She’s Ailing

Every day for over a year, I’ve been commiserating with myself, ruminating, creating, and contemplating as if I’m alone in a dark room. Essentially talking to myself.

Then on Wednesday, my computer crashed and the little voice in my head became silent. Sad huh?

Though it was annoying, it was also freeing at the same time. I couldn’t answer any work emails…how great was that? Of course internet devices are now common, and I was still able to access emails through my iPod, crazy isn’t it? However, I couldn’t leave comments, open documents, couldn’t update websites, or VPN into the server at work (darn). And…be still my heart, I couldn’t edit photos.

And I still can’t.

I did a factory restore on my computer and I have internet access, but I don’t have the ability to do anything else since I have to reload ALL of my software, reconfigure ALL of my applications and find ALL of my plugins in order to re-install them.

But then I realized that loaded this photo onto my flickr account and since I can’t post without a photo, here you go. A photo of my lamp and some fake flowers.

I will be silent again for the next couple of days. I have to take my time reloading everything but I’m upgrading at the same time. Why not.

Also…the girl is sick. Really sick. I feel so badly. So I’m tending to her. See you in a couple of days.

Corner View ~ Fall In The Chesapeake

I thought I’d have fun with the fall leaves today. The foliage overhead.

I played with several editing techniques…this one shows the path on my morning walks.

And the birds on the bay with a little texture…I love the birds.

A little bit of blue amongst all the autumn orange and reds.

And a adorable photo of Dr. Tortoise. Not. He lives in the farm where the girl rides. I think he’s inside for the fall and winter. I haven’t seen him in a while. I can’t believe I got this close to him. Ick.

Posted on Susan’s Outdoor Wednesday and Spain Daily.

October 20, Pink Harvest

Old Friend Tony

Last Saturday, I woke up late. Around 7:30 am. It was wonderful. I thought, “I have nothing to do, I have nothing to do, yeah!”

Then the girl knocked on my bedroom door and said, “Are we going to the farm?”

I stumbled downstairs and I stood staring at the stove saying to myself, “What was I going to do today?” I was reaching to the deepest part my sleep laden brain, attempting to put my day together in a coherent matter. The girl was putting her riding boots on while I was muttering to myself. She said, “I think you should rest.”

I said, “Huh?”

She said, “I think you should rest today. You’ve been working a lot, you’ve been driving us all over the place. I think you should rest after you drive me to the farm.”

I stood in the middle of my kitchen with my barefeet on the cold floor and thought, “She knows, she realizes, she cares.” I was so touched.

What does that have to do with my Old Friend Tony? Well, I don’t know. I just know that as I sat down to my computer after getting back from the farm, I see an email pop up that says, “I’m in town. Can we get together?”

I emailed back immediately that I insisted he came over for dinner. Then I started a crab casserole for Neighbor Sue. The boy says, “I have band practice tonight.” I said, “Okay.” And I thought about the tile I had to purchase that day and the trip to the tack store. So goes my day of doing nothing.

In any case, Old Friend Tony and I worked together while in Germany. I had not seen him in 15 years. And so four kids, one divorce, one re-marriage, several moves, and many jobs later, we sit down to catch up. It was a wonderful delightful evening, filled with old memories and funny stories. It was also filled with acronyms I had not heard in years, MCE, JSTARS, JTAMDO…I almost missed my full time working days. Wait, I do work full time. Just at several part time jobs. Never mind. I meant, working full time in a career, without kids.

Yeah.

I asked him what he wanted for dinner. Since I was already doing crab, I was going to do more crab in white wine sauce with pasta. He said he was allergic to seafood. What? After all these years, I never knew. He and I were in Segovia, Spain together for about three weeks and he ate suckling pig. How could he be allergic to anything? I made chicken with pasta instead.

What’s my point? I don’t know. It was just a nice serendipitous event on a day that didn’t work out to be anything like I had hoped when I dragged myself out of bed. Rather, it was much better.

I know this a rare, rather lengthy post without many photos. I would understand if you didn’t get this far. After all, who has the time?

Posted on Gayle’s Monday Memories.

October 19, Coming Home

iHeartfaces ~ Pink Week

Miss Dana is my entry for the iHeartfaces.com weekly contest. The theme is pink week, in honor of Breast Cancer month. Miss Dana is a songstress. She and her husband, Mr. Jeremy are producing a song written by a local artist. This photo was taken for the website that will be promoting the song. Their hope was to do the song for the Susan G. Komen Society. I hope they are successful, what a wonderful cause.

I feel my grandmother in heaven would thank all of those who works so hard to find a cure for this disease.

I used Bag of Tricks by Jodi at MCP Actions to edit this photo.

So see more of Pink Week, go to iHeartfaces.com.

October 18, Beast

Today I’ll be spending my day in the company of these big, smelly, hairy, slobbery beasts. Can you tell I’m excited? Especially when it’s 38 degrees out with a real feel of 26 degrees. As one wise comedian once said, “Then it’s 26 degrees.”

Thank you Tim Hawkins.

I don’t think there’s a passage in the Bible that references smelly beasts. At least I couldn’t find one. So I’ll just use my own words today on Spiritual Sunday.

Lord, please let the girls be safe on their clinic. Let them ride well and be proud of their accomplishments.

And let it be over quickly.

Amen.

Desperate Housewives ~ October Edition 2009

I had been meaning to post photos of our last bunco meeting for a while and just couldn’t find the time to get to it. Every time I would sit down to gather a few thoughts to write this post, life would happen. And then last week, life happened again.

Neighbor Sue is not a permanent member of our bunco group but she is the permanent sub. Whenever anyone can’t make the game, Neighbor Sue would be the first to be called. She plays more than some of the permanent members! Last week, her husband passed away after a long battle with cancer.

You never know why God puts people in your path. You just take advantage of the fellowship when you can you know?

She said to me this week, “You ladies have been such a light to me.”

This post and all of the goofiness that goes on in this group, will be dedicated to you sweetie.

I like to host bunco early in the year so that I can use my porch to play. As it turns out, it never happens that way. Oh well, everyone inside! I made an Asian smorgasbord (is there such a thing?) and some fresh fig chutney, which is not Asian but fun nonetheless. What a sentence huh? English teachers all over are groaning.

Here is someone else who subs when she can. Neighbor Pat however will be leaving for Florida (lucky her) and will not be back until the spring. Safe travels Neighbor Pat.

And another sub still. This is hard-body Tiff. She’s my boss at the gym and someone with whom I don’t like to get my picture taken for fear of comparison…you know what I mean?

This conversation looks very earnest. See the blond lady to the right? That’s Neighbor Hillary, another sub. I just met her that evening. She just became an American citizen this month. I was touched…I love that. I love this country. Then I quizzed her on the Ten Amendments. (Update: the husband wanted me to add that it’s the Bill of Rights, not the Ten Commandments.)

Lots of subs last month…hmmmm, no one wants to come to my house? Everything’s about me:)

And this won’t be the last time I say this…I love my kitchen.

I was busy playing hostess so Neighbor Kaki absconded my camera. She took this photo of me and the dog. It was a bad hair night. Bad hair nights to me means my ears show. I’m very self-conscious about my Obama ears, just like the President. I feel his pain. However, I’m photographed a lot less than he is. I’ve learned to live with my insecurities and he will have to as well.

She took some beautiful photos. Like this one of Neighbor Yvonne. She looks so calm, so sophisticated, so glam. You’d never know that she just ran to my house from a muddy football game. Being a physical therapist will give you the best cut arms in the group. And she’s good too. She worked on my slip disc.

But then there’s this photo. Neighbor Kaki chased after my kitty all night.

I saw this photo of Neighbor Tiff…and thought, oh my, that silly Pampered Chef party invite is in it. If you are a pastor and you are reading this, please know I can’t attend the party. Wonder what I’ll miss?

Why hello Neighbor Jolene. I think Neighbor Kaki’s aim is a little off.

Okay, back to our regular scheduled programming…Neighbor Sue wins again. It’s getting a little annoying.

I thought this was a nice photo of mother and daughter. They are so close, it’s adorable. We’ll miss your mom just as much as you will Neighbor Mary Ann!

And she wins the other Polish Pottery plate. It’s one of my favorites, the heart shaped serving plate.

Oooohhhh…a trivet! Neighbor Beth has on the husband’s tie. Alrighty now.

Neighbor Kay takes the rest of the haul.

It’s all about doing life together. Through the good times and the bad times. Life promises to bring all of us plenty of both. We really are all just a phone call away.

So Neighbor Sue, I’m thinking a lot about you this week. And there’s a crab casserole coming your way for your guests this weekend. I hope you won’t be too lonely without your husband. You know that you are welcome to play with us any time…

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