Seizing My Day

5.  Everyday…

for the last 4 months

this my friends is what I have been looking at when I  take pictures

I can’t blog without pictures

I NEED pictures

its how I roll

seriously… I had to point, shoot and pray!

with THAT  screen

I was getting used to judging where the lens was pointing!

no image to see … It was

4. Time

it was TIME for a new camera

and a Haircut!

Lucky me… I had a birthday…

at just the right time~!~!

just before Christmas!

excuse me…

Thank you Darlin for the New Nikon!

It took beautiful pictures of my Christmas cookies today!

3.  Sweet Treat

Christmas Cookies… yum!

Cookies are my weakness.

2.  Its Beginning to Look A Lot Like…

Christmas!!

I love this magical season!

Celebrating Jesus …

The Spirit of Giving

Loving.

and the Joy in my children

makes it even more magical!  =)

1.  In My House

The stockings are hung the night before Christmas…

until then….=)

I hope your week is filled with the simple magic of Christmas!

Blessings~

Jenn

I can’t take all the credit…
I found the idea  in a magazine

Family Fun magazine I think?

I’d have to get up off the coach to confirm that…

and I am just too darn lazy…

do y’all know that one?

It is great for Families who want to have fun!

Don’t laugh… its True!!

I love it… full of fantastic ideas..

always leading to family fun!!

I spied this project a couple years ago…

tore it out and have waited years for the perfect chance to try it.

or maybe it got lost

in my giant piles of crap stuff I keep for “one day”

and I finally found it again

at JUST the right time!

either way…

Abby’s teacher asked me to pull another art project out of my pocket

A Christmas/Winter theme

Maybe a Christmas present for the mommies and daddies!??

and then I re-found this!!

Whaoooo!!

Wait a minute …

Those are Fall  leaves!

No worries!

I am a rule breaker remember!~

sh…

don’t tell anyone this part…

I don’t break important rules…

breakin little rules like that makes me feel like I am a real rebel!

A rebel without a cause!

anyway…

Pull out some white paper and a marker

Draw a rough sketch of a Christmas~y or Winter~y picture

very very simple picture!

if you are in a hurry trying to make an example

for your kids class the next day because you waited WAY too long

to give it a trial run…

then draw something really half hearted like I did!  =)

I have done a few prettier ones now…

but you will have to wait to see those…

sorry!!

Cut some white fabric …cotton  muslin works great!

Next…

Pull out your glue gun

and “trace” your picture onto the fabric

with the hot glue

Fat glue is better than skinny glue…

this guy had skinny glue…

I think I prefer to lay it on thick!!

Now for the fun part!

Paint.   Acrylic Paint. and Water.

Add water to the paint to thin it

I put my first painting on my cookie sheet…

because the next step is a little sloppy!

The problem came  when I lifted it…

the paint ran a bit…  oops!

so the next few I painted on a brown paper bag…

and never lifted them!

Leave them flat on that brown paper bag

(don’t try newspaper… that could get ugly!)

flat.. from the minute the paint hits the fabric

until they are mostly dry!

TRUST ME

It worked beautifully!

SO ~

Put your hot glued fabric onto the brown paper bag…

and wet it down with your paint brush…

the whole thing…

Water color it with just water

Once it is wet… Start adding  color to your picture!

The colors run into each other a bit

not to worry … they look intentional!

Beautiful Water Color Charm!

I put fine glitter in the white paint…

It helped the white to pop on the picture

I loved it!

Glitter was a huge hit with the girls and the BOYS in my daughters class today!

Um… CONFESSION…

the magazine article actually said to use school glue

I did do one with clear elmers glue….

but then you have to wait 24 hours to paint it!!

and

the article says you soak off the glue after the paint has dried

I didn’t want to risk it.. soaking the finished art?!

and frankly… the hot glue pulls off nicely when the fabric drys.

Hot glue does NOT require  soaking your art in water to scrub it off~!

yikes?!  =)

SO… I left the elmers glue on this picture…

it looks cute with the glue!

Abby made an adorable penguin for her daddy today

when I guided her class through this art project…

if you are fairly new to my blog and you are confused …

I only home school my son…

My little girl is thriving in the public school down the road…

for now!  =)

My pictures do NOT do this art project any justice…

they are Fabulous!!

The 5th graders had a wonderful time ~

despite my nervous teaching that left them all clueless…

In the end I think they all loved the project

and each walked away proud of their fabric water colors!  =)

and teachers were coming in from the halls oooo~ing and aaaah~ing over them!  a couple teachers may steal MY idea *cough* cough* and do it in their classes too!  ha ha!

Can you believe I didn’t manage a single picture while stressing out teaching these 5th grade youngsters this cool art project!?

I will have to sneak back and try to capture a few images!!!

Though I am NOT a teacher of large groups of children… and I am not perfect standing in front of 30 critiquing little minds… and I DO get all nervous and stressed… and I nearly faint when another grown up is listening to me try to fumble my way through instructing a HUGE group of little humans…

I can tell my little girl loves having me come in to “teach” something to her peers…

She has this proud little smile…looking around her classroom… watching them  get excited about something her mommy  showed them…

Rewarding!!  =)  Melts this mommy’s heart!

I prefer small groups…

instructing these art projects are Out of my comfort zone…

but Man Alive… I feel blessed when I am done !  =)

It was a Fabulous way to spend my last day in my 30’s…

Yep…yep… yep…

Its official now…(since I am awake after midnight again!!)

I am cruising down a new road with a new speed limit now

why is the road so dark??   =)

ha ha!!

Do you all read the home school section of The Pioneer Woman’s blog??

Ree’s friend Heather from Oh My Stinkin Heck often guest posts in the Homeschoolin section of Ree’s blog.  I love Heather’s posts!! Recently she has been posting about their lessons in Geography!!  I heart Geography ~ and Sammy and I happen to be sailing our way through some Geography lessons of our own ~ one State at at time ~ Geography began with our Post Card Project last  January… the last update was in June… oops!!!  (we still have 19 States to go… I will update and beg again soon!!)

Anyway…  Heather has been posting some Fabulous Geography lesson ideas with maps, globes and puzzles on PW’s Home School section … fun posts!  In the middle of their Geography focus they even took a road trip… a fabulous field trip idea…!!  hm… where shall I go??  ha ha… anyway…  HERE Heather asked fellow bloggers to join their geography lessons and  Show them the World …it was their spin on a Flat Stanley character … do you all know who Flat Stanley is??  We sent a Flat Stanley on an adventure to Canada when my little girl was in 1st grade… but I digress…

I love Heather’s idea to use technology and see the world through fellow bloggers towns!!

Anyway… I am arriving LATE… typical me… Heather  posted about where in the world their character went…  Yesterday on the PW’s blog…  *sigh* … sorry we are late Heather and family!!   My littles and I printed a couple  Show Me The World dudes… Colored them… and ran them around our snowy home town… The Capital City of Washington!

Hope you enjoy a visit to our town … Heather, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny!  (and fellow bloggers!)  =)

Welcome to Olympia!

Hello Capital!

First we froze our toes puttering around the Capital grounds…=)

The home of Legislative & Government Buildings,  The Governors Mansion, The Supreme Court, a fancy fountain, a view of Capital Lake and the sound, flower gardens, very old trees, totem poles, a cool sun dial, and many war memorials honoring Washington’s soldiers.

sorry we can not picture them all…

and honestly…

we were not enthusiastic about seeing them This particular day!   brrrr…

we have played on the Capital grounds many times before!

Here is the view of the Puget Sound and Capital Lake from the Capital grounds

Capital lake is a great place to walk a dog in Olympia!  =)

The Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains are behind that big building way in the back!

Here is A  statue honoring Washington soldiers…

it sits in the middle of  a round about on the grounds… =)

The Capital grounds have amazing old trees…

Sadly…they are slowly falling down…it breaks my heart…

every year we seem to loose a few of the oldest & biggest ones…

They have stood tall through wind storms, ice storms and earthquakes… for decades!

this is the main trunk of  one of  the oldest standing trees on the grounds…

I think?!!

Br… it’s cold out… so we headed indoors!

We climbed the 42 steps to go inside the Capital Building…

Washington was the 42nd State to Join the USA.  thus 42 stairs…

do your state capitals do that?

This Amazing Chandelier hangs from the huge dome.

It can hold an original VW Bug inside it!!  um… y’all know I am talkin about a car right?!  =)

I believe the dome has been cracked and repaired 3 times…

damaged each time by earthquakes!

This building is actually  our 3rd Capital Building in Washington State…

completed in 1928  =)

the inside is constructed of nearly all marble…

it is very stunning!

Up there is the House of Representatives Chamber

and up there is the Senate Chamber

at the end of this hallway

is the Governor’s office  =)

and just under that beautiful chandelier is our State Seal

designed and carved in gold by the Talcott brothers

Washington’s oldest jewelers at the time… a 100 years ago!

I was a nanny for that family in 1989 …

our State’s 100th birthday!

fyi … The doors of that jeweler closed in the last decade.

This beautiful building in the heart of down town Olympia

was the 2nd Capital Building of Washington State

I believe it housed WA State  Government from 1905 – 1928

once upon a time it had a working clock…

can you say earthquake?

women gained the right to vote in Washington State behind those walls!  =)

this is a very Long post…. hope you find it interesting…   =)

Before we began running around town with our dudes…

I asked my littles to pick a places around town that made Olympia a special place to live…

other than the  Capital buildings!  =)

Here is what they came up with!

Tumwater Falls Park … home of the Deschutes River …

home of the old brewery, a lovely trail, waterfalls  and a salmon run!

it also hosts the annual Duck Dash… =)

shh…. technically it is in Tumwater…

Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater are all closely connected…

we think of them all as Olympia… sh….  =)

My littles also  picked the Olympia Farmers Market

currently closed for the cold season!

It does open a bit for Christmas I think?

You can find fresh local baked goods,  produce,  meat,  nurseries, honey makers, crafters etc. etc. It is  a lovely lovely place to visit especially in the summer!!  Must not forget some local food vendors… I especially love the excellent Clam  chowder.. yum!!  (thanks Jen!… it is calming chowder though!! ha ha!)

The littles really wanted to skip down to the docks and the marina… The Port of Olympia.

a couple blocks away from the Market …

but it was cold… cold cold … and getting dark!!

Here is a view from a little tower you can climb at the Port of Olympia

by the docks and the Marina ….taken on a family day in Sept!   =)

can you find the Capital in that pic??

THIS…. is MY favorite place in Olympia…

A local coffee roaster!!  (love photo editing for light~)

Batdorf and Bronson… yum!

the best coffee this side of the Mississippi River!

This is their newest building…

where you can buy a bag of beans, a cup of java and you can even see the coffee being roasted!

They were closed….  = (

so we danced with the Goats instead!!  (more added light!)

The Goats have become a B&B mascot of sorts!!  =)

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There you have it folks… the Capital City of Washington …

through the eyes of my littles … mostly…

well…

the local Coffee roasters was my idea!!  =)

Olympia is located at the bottom of the peninsula, on the Puget Sound, 1 hour from the Cascade Mountains (Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens ~ the dormant volcano that blew up in May 1980 ~ I lived in Centralia 20 miles south of Olympia… an inch of ash covered the ground like a blanket of snow ~ I was 9 years old!),  Olympia is 1 hour from the Olympic Mountains, a little over an hour to the beach, and a little over an hour to the big city of Seattle and 2 hours from Portland, Oregon!  Olympia is a lovely place to live… well… except Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March, April, May it is very very VERY wet and windy!   with patches of sun and snow!!  ha ha…  Really… it is a lovely place to visit too… small… nearly all the attractions are all here in this post… =)  We also have great parks ~ some on the water, antique shops!!, great restaurants, sandwich shops, bakeries, card shops… Olympia has a festival of sorts every season!!  The wooden boat show is one of my favorites..Lady Washington visits Olympia… the ship which was used in Pirates of the Caribbean!!  She is our State boat apparently!   😉   I feel like I am promoting tourism!!  ha ha!!  =)

When we visited the Capital Building

they sent us away with some literature…

for kids… a guide about Legislation and facts about Washington…

and Lady Washington…

I learned a couple new things myself!!

The Skagit Valley of Washington is apparently the worlds largest bulb producer … go figure!

Our Tulip Festival in the Spring is stunning… fields and fields of beautiful flowers!

but I had no idea that they produced the most bulbs in the world!  crazy!  =)

Anyway… I hope you all were not bored…

it is amazing how much you didn’t get to see!!  =)

The world is full of wonderful places to see… what do you love about your town??

We love to adventure the world … well… the local world!… with our kids…

family vacations or camping trips are almost always somewhere new…

we like to shake it up like that!

So far our family adventures have taken us to Hawaii, Glacier National Park, The Redwoods, Northern California, Banff ,AB Canada ~ The Canadian Rockies,  Vancouver Island BC and Lower Mainland BC,  Canada, The Oregon Coast, Crater Lake Oregon,our own State’s hot spots… but even then … there is SO much we have not seen!  We love taking adventures … Do You?  =)  Where have you taken your family?

For more Geography fun…

Go and see  Heather’s post on where their Show Me The World dudes went!!

My post is just one city!!  haha!

Blessings!

Jenn ~ Abby and Sammy!

Sunday’s post is Something I look forward to every week now …

if I could only get it up and running on Sunday and not 12 am …the next day!!  haha!!

Sunday  Scavenger Hunt …

It’s A photography thing… =)

Hosted by Ashley!!

Every week the list of 5 things to capture changes…

Add’s a little Fun & Adventure to your week… try it sometime!!

1.  Black and White

A cold fountain… outside my new Chiropractors office… a fountain I have overlooked many times in the last 30 days… until it froze… funny that!  Still hoping a chiropractor is going to be my miracle for my recent neck issues and my ongoing back issues since carrying my babies!!  sheesh… who knew I’d fall apart before I turn 40!!  =)  takin life one day at a time!

2.  I Ate This…

My sister KK cooked the BEST bird I have ever eaten … Bobby Flay style!!

Sorry Ree!  =)  Juicy… tender… Fabulous!!   Thanks KK!!

3.  Historic

My little man and I went on an adventure this week… for another blogger… I hope to post about our fun this week… hope is the key word there… I hope to do many many things!!  ha ha!!  anyway… this State Seal is over 100 years old… you can find it on the floor of our State Capital building!!  The design of the State Seal is also on our State Flag… and government stationary… =)  I was a nanny for the great great great great? grandchild of the designer of our State Seal…   just in case you wanted to know that… =)  I don’t want to talk about the fact that he has now graduated college!!

moving on…

4.  Off Center

OK.. so maybe I am stretching this one a bit??  maybe?  and it is even blurry… (stupid broken camera)  (I have to say that at least once a week!!)   Anyway… I love this pic… a funny moment on our Thanksgiving day… the Turkey bones are in that waist bin!!   Meet … Lady and the Tramp!!  poor pooches!

5.  The End

Beautiful sight at the End of Thanksgiving Day…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“`

Speaking of the end….

Thanksgiving day was Sadie’s last day on earth…

She was my sister KK’s dearly loved pet for 13 plus years… emotional times… she was having a hard time walking in the last few months… and could hardly stand Thanksgiving Day… She was loved dearly!!  Please say a prayer for my sister’s broken heart this week!!   Love you KK!!

Good bye Sadie…

Never easy… hard times!!

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

now I am at a loss for words to finish up this post…

*sigh*

This is my first year blogging…

I am nearly a month away from the one year mark when I started this lil ole blog… =)   I am having a blast…I love the community of amazing ladies I have found here… (thats you)  😉  But… I am finding some seasons are challenging to keep up with blogging and my regular every day life!!  =)  I apologize for the random disappearances I seem to be having… Disappearances seem to happen more often than I seem to have regular appearances!!  ha ha!!  Apparently I started blogging in my “slow” season of life (January) and well… once Spring hit … My blogging was hit with all the random disappearances!!  I guess I am Just Seizing My Days, thus…  letting this little ole blog sit and wait for me!!

Do you find that too?  Do you find  some seasons harder than others to keep up with blogging??  So far I guess 3 out of 4 season seem harder for me!! haha!  or I am just having a harder time multitasking b/c I am getting old?!!  or maybe it is b/c I am scatterbrained b/c I stay up way WAY too late!!   either way… my pillow just called and said I am late!

Good Night Every body!

Jenn~

Some days you just wake up and realize

you just hafta STOP

and go with the flow   =)

you have to change gears

cancel appointments

set down the dirty dishes

put away the broom

and the mop  (ha ha ha)

suit up

put your smile on

and GO PLAY

my kids usually DON’T do well

when “LIFE” gets in the way

and they have to switch gears

They don’t do well when they need to

“go with the flow”

Today was a different story!

I mean really who wouldn’t mind giving up school work

grocery shopping and the flu shot

for this!!

um…

Mommy!!

help!!

This thing is moving really fast !!

Wipe out!!

I’m sorry…

What?

I was distracted!!  =)

didn’t mean to miss that wipe out!!

You ok sweetie??

excellent.

go sled some more down the big hill…

Oh no…

another wipe out…

this time the visually challenged one

hit the neighbors dog!!  oops!!

nothing too serious!

oops!

I should be paying more attention!

and well I looked up from my camera

(this time shooting kids)

ok that sounded wrong…

and I realized

I need to make sure we were… um…

not throwing snow balls at other children

seriously…Sammy…

head sized snow balls

could take an eye out!

especially when the kid throwing them has a vision problem!!

Oh Sammy!  I love you honey!  =)

Luckily he was throwing them down the hill…

but still…

if a kid ran in front of him from the side…

I don’t even want to think about it!!  ha ha!

I paid a little more attention after that…

sheesh…

next time I guess I should leave my camera at home

but I wanted to play too!!!  =)

Its all good…

no injuries..

no serious wipeouts!

the dog walked away!

Mostly smiles!

Over all it was a

Blissful morning!

or um…

Blissful 1/2 hour?

After what seemed like no time at all

I looked at this face…

and his frozen toes…

his toes were spread apart from all the frozen

ice balls that formed inbetween them!!

I realized it was time to go home!!

Even though he was having fun too!!

Switch Gears guys…

the poor pooch is looking a little chilled!!

Hot chocolate anyone?!!

Gets em every time!!  =)

What is your weather like today?!

I am hoping I will be around later to wish y’all a Happy Thanksgiving!!

in between snow fun, wet clothes, house cleaning and Harry Potter movies!!

Hubby and I are gettin old… it is hard to stay up after the kids go to bed and watch an entire movie without falling asleep on the couch!!  We may not get through all the Harry movies before date night this Friday!  =)   *sigh*

allrightygoodthen

Can I just take another  minute and say … I am Sorry to those of you who might have wanted to see how I cook my turkey bird!!  A month ago!!   I didn’t ever post the rest of the recipes for my turkey dinner…  from Canadian Thanksgiving in October!!   I know I said I would… forgive me??!

I have had a wild and wooly month of going with the flow!~

doctors, dentists, chiropractors, dogs, kids, school, weather!  =)

and I was distracted by a few photography blog challenges…

Photo fun!!  It is in my blood!  =)

Does anyone want me to try to post my Turkey dinner before Thanksgiving?!

uh… tomorrow?   =)

Enjoy your day ~

I really need to go clean!!

Seriously…NEED to clean!  Desperately!!

*sigh*

The end.

Jenn~

Hosted by Ashley over at Ramblings and Photos.

This Weeks Scavenger Hunt List:

1.  The View Above

2.  Something Hot

3.  Something Cold

4.  Electronic

5.  Sparkle

My broken camera was not very nice this week…

I wasn’t very happy with this weeks pics…

and then it snowed!the quality still isn’t great

but I was happy with the theme

and the art of my shots I guess!

I cheated and put in a couple for some of the categories!

Hope y’all don’t mind!

1.  The View Above

Let it snow ~ Let it snow ~ Let it snow!!

The first snow fall of 2010

just enough to play in by 5 pm!!

2.  Something Hot

hot pumpkin muffins ~

oh so delish!!

especially on a snowy day!

and

Hot Choco~latte  =)

3.  Something Cold

Today was Merlin first snow

since we didn’t get any last year

boo.

Cold Snow = Bliss

Don’t ya think?

Snow is so magical!

I love how Snow Lights Up a Child!!

Although…

the kids weren’t the only ones

feeling crazy blissfulin the COLD snow

Merlin was running around like a crazy mad dog!!

he would run around and

then stop to bark at me

I am 99.9 percent sure

he was telling me how much he loved it!!

4.  Electronic

I love love love that we can listen to music on our Television!

Christian Music, Country Music, Classic 80’s tunes…

Can y’all do that?

We can even listen to  Christmas Music!!

Of course they call it Sounds of the Season.

Good Grief !  ~   it IS Christmas Music!!

anyway

and

This is What we are going to be doing

ALL WEEK

I realize that the newest movie is already playing right now

but we like to see it when the crowd dies down

We have until this Friday to finish the first 6! =)

Last year before the Half Blood Prince was released

we had a Harry Potter marathon week

My hubby and I were …..um….

repeating spells and…. uh…

waving our imaginary magic wands for Months!

*cough* cough*

moving on

5.  Sparkle

What mamma doesn’t love this

the sparkle in her eyes

anticipating the steamy hot choco~latte

I made a candle light hot chocolate party

while they were out building Miss Frosty

Because everyone knows

you Have to drink hot chocolate

after you play in the snow!!

(or hot cider!!)

What lights up your eyes??  =)

Hope you find a little bliss in your week too!
Blessings
Jenn

Washington receives its fair share of  blustery days in November.

our week started off with strong winds

leaving behind a flurry of fall leaves and branches

everywhere

Huge branches were fallin off our Evergreen trees.

this branch has yet to be removed a few days later

maybe Sammy and I will venture out tomorrow

and find a new home for it!??

smaller deciduous trees were snapping like twigs in the gusts.

all over our Capital City.

I found many trees like this little one.

Over the years

We have lost some beautiful OLD trees

Heart breaking.

I love trees.

OH

and we had a wee Earthquake Monday morning?!!

no images for that one sorry!!

I even felt it…

and figured it was the wind rattling the house… HELLO?!

until my man called to set me straight!

ha ha!

He called and said

“did you feel the earth quake?!!”

and I was like this:

“um.. yeah… except I thought it was the wind”

smart.  S M R T .  thats me.

the wind was stirring up the leaves all over town.

It was the coolest thing to watch the leaves fluttering about…

dancing on the streets

and running in the grass…

blowing off rooftops and flipping around in the air

swirling about the town without a care in the world!

Free fallin in the Wind

I was aching to have a fabulous camera to capture the magical fun!

That picture of concrete above…

is a sad pathetic attempt at capturing the swirling leaves.  :0)

Really … it was So magical!

Tuesday night the dark clouds rolled in

and the next day heavy rain dumped from the dark sky

all day long

offering more magical fun!

Sammy and I had a blast driving through town on Wednesday (windsday)

we had a few places to go that day

and there were huge puddles across the roadways

All   Over    Town!!

So   Much   Fun!!

*ahem*  cough  *  cough *

yes I   WAS driving with my camera in my hand!!

look what else I was able to capture at 20 miles an hour!!

that is the splash from inside my car …

at 20 miles an hour…

I swear!!

looking over the right side of the hood… lol!!

Seriously WET day!!

Blissfully fun!!

Next time I am going to plant myself in front of a huge huge puddle on the road way and wait for the cars to drive by… in a wet suit… with a water proof camera… a HUGE umbrella… and a boat!!   =)

It has been a wild and wooly week here in the Capital City of Washington…

Today I think I will stay indoors…

and maybe attempt to drink WAY too much coffee and bake.

while schoolin my boy of course!!

I don’t really have to be anywhere today.   love those days!!

it is a good day to listen to the rain, ponder life, bake, drink coffee and hope I don’t loose power whilst baking me some Moist Pumpkin Bread and chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips!  and Pecan Scones!!  YUM.

baking is science right?

Saturday we are supposed to have more Heavy rains.

Praying that there will not be any serious flooding!

A few years ago November rains caused serious flooding

devastating  families in a smaller town near by…

we helped clean up a couple houses in the aftermath…

at Christmas time.

it was heart wrenching!!

Praying that our November rains do not repeat recent history …

and that it will remain harmless blissful fun!!  😉

Have you splashed in any puddles lately?!

Satisfyingly Fun!!!

Seize the Day ~ put on your boots and enjoy the rain!!

Blessings~

Jenn

Today I am joining in on another photography Linky called Foto Friday hosted by Ann Marie ~ Hi Ann! ~ a linky I found on my blog friend Dina’s Blog! I am enjoying playing along with a few photography linkys… =) If you are interested or curious about this one… Click on the link below!

Happy Friday!

no image available…
Sorry.
=)

Oops… I am very late for a very important J date!!  =)

well… since it runs all week technically… I think I am ok, right?  =)

sorry folks…

busy week!  (ugh)  

The Alphabet Letter Challenge ~ featuring the Letter J.

ain’t she pretty?!!  She brings me JOY!

It doesn’t look like it was raining in this picture…

the sun poked out for a minute in the midst of a rainy cloudy day…

Can you find the J??  =)

anyway… I love my new umbrella …

so does Abby…

I will probably let her keep it!  =)

Java ~

Sweet yummy Java!

Oh how I love my morning Java!

Just a little excited!!  =)

Just Jack!

have you seen that Will and Grace episode?

SO funny!

*ahem*

anyway…

I love playing cards with just about anyone who will play with me!!

Lucky Me my little girl loves playing cards with her mommy!!!  =)

oh speaking of Jacks….

Did you ever notice there is a one eyed Jack

and the two eyed Jacks?  =)

he plays with the Queen of Hearts.

even though he knows it isn’t really smart.

(sorry… feeling Sassy)

J is for Jonah…

he tried to run from the Lord.

God had plans for Jonah…

and sometimes when we are stubborn…

we end up in the belly of a whale ourselves…

ya know?   =)

I love these Story Bibles we found for our littles…

I will have to do a post on them one day soon…

They are Fabulous!

only we have outgrown them I think.

*sigh*  =)

Speaking of the Bible…

Sometimes my life feels a LOT like Job’s life ~

full of hard stuff man.

aka Charlie Brown.

You know… Murphy’s Law-ish.

Take heart…

I also  have Joy!!  =)

Joy is a gift… we have to choose to take it…

and we can have it … in the midst of anything!

Don’t get me wrong…

usually I um … react to my circumstances first…

that part is not usually very pretty!!  =)

then I stop and breathe… and I take in the things I know about God… how much He loves me… that He has a plan for my life… I remember the things God is doing or has done… I remember His Words and His Truth… then I start to feel that peace and understanding take over… and then I can grasp the Joy.   the Joy in the midst.  the Joy of knowing.  the Joy of believing.  the Joy of Trusting.  the Joy of  being loved.  the Joy of loving.  the Joy I am blessed with.  It is IN those  simple things that allow my Joy to take over.  it is a beautiful thing.

J is for Joy.  Joy that comes from the Lord.  Joy that comes from the loved ones we are blessed with.  Joy is a beautiful thing!

Do you find Joy even in the midst?   =)

Hope You Find Joy in Mysterious places this  week!

Blessings!

Jenn~

After a long busy weekend away visiting family…

a little late… however …. I managed to join Ashley’s

1.  Self Portrait

Me

after too many hours in the car this weekend

and not enough sleep

2.  Handmade

by my baby

The Best Fall Art

3.  Orange

be still my heart

sweet puppy

(trying hard to NOT hear him wrestling the poor cat on the stairs right now)

4.  Candle

The Candle holder is Handmade

from my precious little girl

5.  Traffic Signs or Signals

ho ho ho

Seriously?

Thanks for the directions Santa.

one bonus picture so you can try to guess where I went this weekend!

the clue is very sly…

maybe?

ha ha

I’ll be coming round in a few hours to say “hi”

Until then… Top of the Morning to you!  =)

If you like this fun photography hunt … and you are interested in seeing more interpretations go visit Ashely’s blog by clicking on that button above!  or if you want to join the fun next week… click on the same button!!  =)

Do y’all know what Grits are?

if you are from the South

I have no doubt in my mind you not only KNOW what Grits are

but you LOVE them too… right?!

If you are not from the South

Don’t worry… You can buy Grits in your local grocery store.

in a very small section of the hot cereal isle.

Somewhere near the cream of wheat.

you know… near the oatmeal.

My roots are from the South.

North Carolina mostly.

I am not exactly close to my relatives over there.

its complicated.

and 3 or 4 visits in 40 years

does offer much time for relationship building!

anyway… given my roots…

Grits was a breakfast staple in our house when I was a kid.

I have lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest.

We don’t really “do” grits here in the PNW.

We meaning them… those… the other ones.

I love Grits!

and Every once in a while …

a girl with Southern Roots NEEDS Grits.

Buttery, salty, peppered Grits and Eggs.

Grits and Eggs… that is the magic right there.

There is a right way to make Grits…

according to Southern folk.

If y’all are from the South

please keep reading and correct me if I am wrong!

Dina??  =)  ha ha

OK … Lets begin.

Cook the Grits as directed on the box.

Boil salted water, stir in Grits, reduce heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Stirring occasionally.

Less than 8 minutes people.

In that 8 minutes you need to fry and egg…

maybe grate some cheddar cheese,

DO make buttered toast

(whole wheat or whole grain if you are trying to be good)

and DO have your table set.

If you need bacon or sausage with your breakfast…

you will need to have that done ahead of time too…

Maybe keep em warm in the oven.

Because

You only have 8 minutes!!

Grits taste better hot…

right out of the pot… with warm buttered toast.

Just sayin… y’all gotta move fast!  ha ha

as soon as the Grits hit your plate

Quickly butter, salt and pepper …

(if your blood pressure is high… skip the salt!)

if you want cheese ~ put the cheese on right after the butter! =)

I like it with cheese… even if my cholesterol is high…

I don’t eat them all that often!!  really it is fine!

Quick grab the egg

and slap that on there too…

and then place your fork and knife in this position

in the center of your plate

pushing down and sliding out on either side

This is hard to explain…

center, cut & slide to the edge, center, cut and slide to the edge, center, cut and slide… just keep slicing, just keep cutting…

center, slide, cut, center, slide, cut, center, slide, cut…. ha ha ha

Do this VERY Quickly… really! =)

I should have made y’all a video in this part…

only then my grits would have been cold.

it really is funny to watch a real Southern person do this…

Though I am good at it…

I am not a real Southern person

remember I grew up here in the PNW.

anyway… after a few center, slice, cut motions…

turn your plate half way…

and do it again… Quickly!

Now… SIT down

Put huge scope fulls of this mess on your buttered toast

and eat it that way until the toast is gone…

then eat the rest all by itself….

and if you are feeling like a heathen …

lick your plate when you are done.

yum.

if you are wondering

my kids don’t eat Grits and eggs

It’s complicated.

and wrong!

…………….

and then there are the spouses

when each of my sisters and I introduced our husbands to Grits…

we made sure they learned to cook and cut the grits right…

All 3 of their reactions were exactly the same…

laughing at us for the way you cut them up before eating them…

especially at Christmas time when we would all be in the same house

our spouses would Laugh at us all cutting our grits and eggs

in Rhythm … the same swift motions…

and then gobbling them up quickly while they were hot…

I will give them credit… it really IS funny!

Over time they learned… the quicker they moved …

the tastier their grits were b/c they weren’t eating cold grits.

HA!!  Ha ha!  now we laugh at them!  =)

Grits are a Good Old Fashioned Southern Comfort food.

I encourage y’all to try Grits and Eggs.

Try them in the South if you can!

Do NOT order them at Denny’s… TRUST me!

especially not in a Denny’s somewhere on the Oregon Coast.

I know for a fact… it just ain’t right to order them there.

~~~~

speaking of Grits.

Apparently Grits are becoming  popular as a side dish

I recently read Grits are being served in Seattle

at fancy restaurants by popular Chef’s

They are  probably not for breakfast…

and are probably made with curry

or some other yummy spice that should NOT be eaten on Grits.

Just kiddin…

maybe I should google curry Grits and see if I am right!!

Maybe I should be willing to try Grits with Curry.

or NOT.

~~~~

moving on…

So speaking of Family…

we will be hanging out with my hubby’s not so Southern Family

for the next 4 days.  Grits will probably not be served.

I will be taking a wee blogging break starting tomorrow.

Tonight ~ Wed. Night ~ I will be visiting some of y’all whilst I watch tv

specifically the Country Music Awards

yep… I listen to Country Music…sometimes.

In fact, Country Music Awards might have been my trigger for needing Grits!

maybe.  I could be right. you never know.

Anywho… I’ll be back Sunday night!

Y’all Come Back now ~ y’hear!

Have a great weekend!

Jenn~

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

P.S.  Kiss a Veteran Tomorrow!!!

or if you don’t know one that you are comfortable kissin…

maybe just bless them with a Hug or a Smile

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

Oh … and for those of you who love the PW…

she cooks Grits too!!

only I have not been able to bring myself to cook ’em the way she does…

it just seems wrong and unfaithful to cook them different than I was raised!!

y’know?!

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

OH ~ and get this ~

Apparently Betty Crocker HAS a Pumpkin Spice Cookie mix!!

After all that trouble I caused!!  *cough*cough*

I have never seen it on the shelf…

I found them on Betty Crocker . com  today ~  sheesh!

I still love my twist on the Gingerbread cookie…

but I will seek and find those pumpkin spice ones and try them now…

I HAVE to!

Go Figure!