Day 224/365

(Wordless Wednesday)

Day 223/365

On my way to the store tonight I spotted these little beauties. During my grocery adventure I ran into a very dear friend whom I haven't seen in some time :) After some necessary purchases I raced back to the flower barrel by the local real-estate office and snapped this before the sun went down behind the mountains.

Day 222/365

Today was an exceptional Monday. It is not always like this for me, so when there is an extraordinary Monday I try to appreciate every single moment! My forty list has caused me to reach out of my comfort zone and take chances. Getting in touch with my fearless heart and imagination... Looking at the future with new focus (and its good). 

~~~~~

A surprise visit = ) Chase said that he picked Max up from day care today and on their way home he made a request to go see his Mema ( =

I apologized to him that I am the Mema that is domestically challenged. There isn't fresh baked cookies in the cookie jar, nor is there a wonderfully home cooked meal waiting for company to drop in on. I am the Mema that gets down on the floor and plays, who tickles and giggles.

The Mema who has a puppet in one hand a camera in the other and dances in the living room. 

 That is why this one is so out of focus!

I am the Mema that will whip up Top Roman with apple slices on the side, for dinner =)

Day 221/365

A walk in the park... a wet puppy, falling leaves, sunshine, with a little breeze.

I love this time of year. Where I live we usually go from summer to winter with less than a moments notice. I appreciate that mother nature is taking her time, painting the town with reds and shades of yellow. I'm loving the cool crisp mornings and sun filled days. Enjoying the dancing leaves on the sidewalks.  

and for the Sunday Creative [Sep26~Oct2]

word prompt

NOTHING

Day 220/365

Today we celebrated. Today there was cake and ice cream sandwiches :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Sunday Creative [Sep 19-25]

our word prompt

Abundance

(more than enough)

This word prompt has been a difficult one for me. I first envisioned a photograph of harvest, this time of year all the fruits of hard labor rewarded... I have always been a firm believer too much is never a good thing. Too much time, too much wasted. Too much food, too many calories. Too much work, too much weary. Too much love, too much taken for granted. I think one should have JUST enough ,for more than enough tends to be wasted... With this being said I have been abundantly blessed and have been less fortunate through the course of my life to appreciate "times of plenty". The withered sunflower represents having more than enough days to grow, and bloom and seed...

Day 219/365

Hung in there till the weekend :)

Day 218/365

Twenty two years ago my whole world changed in a single moment. My oldest was born, and my life as a momma began. I am bummed that he is working out of town and we are unable to light candles on THIS day (we will be celebrating no worries about that- we are ALL about the cake and ice cream). I have been lost in thoughts of what that first day was like so long ago, and how things have turned out. There isn't a day that goes by that I do not count the blessings of motherhood.

Max and Me have been hanging out while HIS momma is working and going to school. Being a granny is oh so much fun. Max's vocabulary is picking up speed (I still have to wear a secret decoder ring because his Max-a mese can be tricky). He is really getting down colors, and loves to count (he especially loves the number FOUR). He has strong opinions and views, which amuse me :). Operation potty training is picking up - man o man it doesn't take long for little ones to be not so little!

Day 217/365

First day of Autumn

Day 216/365

Happy Purple Tuesday = )

Day 215/365

not so itsy spider

Day 214/365

Learning new things =)

Day 213/365

Today I was given the opportunity to take photos of my oldest and dearest friend and her daughter. I have known her for about 25 years and we have been friends for 21 of them.

Its not all fun and games. (Actually the little peanut was so OVER our first round of pictures and this shot was on the second round = \ 

okay a lot of it was fun and games ;)

Day 212/365

The good stuff =) My grandson's cupcake after he was done lol

Day 211/365

a "sun" flower =)

take TWO

and THREE

Day 210/365

Comfort

Sunday Creative September [12-18th]

Today at lunch I began to think about our word prompt (comfort). My first thoughts were food, you know carbs, sweets and soups (in that order). There are comfort foods for the soul like music, books, and deep conversations. Then there is the comfort only your family can give. It moves me to tears thinking how truly and completely blessed I am to have MY family (the motley crew who puts the fun in dysFUNction). My family is colorful, deep, rich, bold and vibrant colors (I grew up in neighborhoods that were pastels LOL) I am glad for the colorful crayons in my crayon box! I began to ponder my comfort zone. This would be my home. I like my little house with all its imperfections.I love all the adventures that have taken place here. My shot is of my mantle, the heart of our home.

Day 209/365

I can be such a procrastinator... this shot is the perfect example of this. We had BEAUTIFUL blue skies this morning, and I thought I had plenty of time before the clouds rolled in. There was a window of sunshine and I literally ran to capture a moment. This is what I saw right before the sun went down.

Day 208/365

what a beautiful autumn day

 ~~~~~~hbm~~~~~~

~~~~~~busy bee~~~~~~

take two

it was kind of a buggy day anyway ;)

Day 207/365

I felt like Cinderella today minus the evil step mother. Great Granny's china sure did sparkle...

My vacation is over and tomorrow it is back to the grind... I could have used another week off to get all my "to do's" done, but what ever lol. It gives me incentive to plan better for next year ;) So my battery is fully charged and I do believe I'm ready for Monday =)

Day 206/365

Timeworn

Sunday Creative [September 5~11]

My great granny's china, the less than perfect set, the set I love and adore. The set I will be using on Sundays :) Time has indeed worn this set...

Take TWO

Day 205/365

Happy Fence Friday

This is the sign my youngest has put up where he parks... lmao yes indeed we dance to the own beats of our own drum! 

My grandson is magical... I washed his hands and face before we left to go to the store today. When I pulled up to the wal mart and parked, I shut the truck off and turned to look at him... he was blue (how does THAT happen LOL I guess he had some candy stashed ;))

The wal mart adventure... we seen EVERY carton of eggs at eye level to a two year old. By the time we were done shopping and ready to load up the car... I couldn't remember where the heck we parked LMAO

We did make puppets "papets" they were not sock puppets but fun non the less :)

Day 204/365

photos are these amazing creations that can bring you back to a moment in time, stirring all sorts of emotion... helping you revisit extraordinary events, or not so proud moments... the happiest days of your life, or right before life as you know it changes... 

Day 203/365

Rays of sunshine...

Day 202/365

Well its here... its really here. I woke up this morning a bit nauseous. I don't think it has anything to do with me being officially old (then again it might a little). This past year has been all about letting the dust settle (sort of speak) from all the winds of change.

• The year started out with carrot cake :)
• I traveled a little
• Started a photo project
• Seen some live music
• Spent quality time with my family and friends
• Went to girls camp
• Took many long walks
• Played with my grandson
• Learned about Feng Shi
• Started to de-junk
• Recycled
• I was a proud momma more times than I can count
• I only wanted to kill my youngest son once (I'm happy to report he is a live and well and smarter)
• I went on several unplanned adventures and had so much fun :)
• I primed and painted some walls

One of my good friends left me a present on my back porch. 

Among the many gifts in the bag, she made me a list LOL

 pic of the day

The day it occurred to me I had forty days till forty I began making up a list. I figured it would be a good idea to start another decade focused, ya know.

my forty list...

1. take music lessons (learn to play "here comes the sun" on my 12 string)
2. take a photography class-print and frame my photographs-show my photos in a gallery (DONE-kinda)
3. get a passport got IT 22MAR11
4. travel outside the US (DONE)
5. date
6. officially start 100 strangers project (which has nothing to do with dating!)
7. see U2 in concert
8. paint my house with COLOR
9. finish my kitchen cabinets
10. recycle more
11. de-junk the extra bedroom :) (okay this has been an on going process)
12. WALK to work more. (this implies i have done this before... LMAO )
13. read more books (DONE)
14. go to the library :) (DONE)
15. stick to a budget (DONE)
16. complete my 365 photo project (DONE)
17. kick some bad habits(DONE)
18. start some healthy habits (DONE)
19. learn to cook new things 
20. start a monthly blog on inventorying new items...(DONE)
21. start writing my "book"
22. attend more social activities(DONE)
23. shop at thrift stores(DONE)
24. fung shui my home (or at least one room, or one level of my home) (DONE-kinda)
25. make more hand made gifts (DONE)
26. write more letters (and mail them) 
27. worry less (or CATCH myself worrying and redirect myself lol) (DONE-kinda)
28. bake bread
29. get organized (Its on going :)
30. give myself more facials using home made things
31. dye my hair less (and learn to be okay with gray)
32. plant a garden (even if its a single seed...) (DONE)
33. practice yoga REGULARLY... (this means more than once every few months)
34. take vitamins (again meaning more than once in a while lol)
35. send letters of joy to the universe (DONE) 
36. make puppets with my grandson (DONE) 
37. have more sleep overs (again not having anything to do with dating LMAO)  (DONE)
38. Find all my "notebooks" and centralize them!
39. Clear out under the stairs
40. Start using my great grandmothers china on Sunday!

I received many many calls, texts, emails and posts wishing me a Happy Birthday :) THANK YOU ALL = ) xoxoxoxox

Day 201/365

We had a going away party... saying good bye and good riddance.  

The kids came over and we ate, and laughed and ate some more... I LOVE carrot cake! Tomorrow it will be official. I decided I was not ready to have a 40th birthday, so instead I had a going away party :) My candles have been placed on my cake backwards since I was twenty three... We dance to the own beat of our own drum =)

Day 200/365

I went and visited my father today. I drove 33 miles and picked up Mist and her daughter. They kept me company the 56 miles to the cemetery. The flowers I gave him on memorial day where still there, so I replaced them with new ones...

I miss him regularly, there are moments its almost unbearable. Milestones are the hardest...

I'm thankful I didn't have to make the trip alone.

Misty's little Peanut :) isn't she a cutie

Day 199/365

I had read a quote somewhere that said to the effect of ~a camera teaches you to look at your world in a whole new way, especially when NOT holding your camera~ 

  Pic of the day

  and getting carried away again...

 refining fires...

 wake me up when september ends

 "here comes the rain again, falling from the stars. drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are"