SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.29.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

Allie's classroom ~ Tues 9/24/13
"teacher duck" & "student chicks"
modeling acceptable behavior in lining-up & walking quietly in the walls!
a first week lesson in kindergarten
"MAKE BUBBLE LIPS
{so you can't talk}
& DUCKTAILS"
{put your arms behind your back, to practice self-control}

Where do the days go?

As you can see, I haven't posted in a quite a few days... and missed last weeks SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY & SONG-OGRAPHY

BUT, on a work trip to Sacramento this week, I snagged a few photos. This week's SHS words are:

RULE OF THIRDS, MADE ME SMILE, LINES, ALONE & TOGETHER

Took a walk through the mall, Thursday morning before my meeting started... I cropped this photo to demonstrate the RULE OF THIRDS. The Rule of Thirds refers to the composition of an art or photography piece... the human eye naturally gravitates to the intersection points that occur when an image is split into thirds.

Dusk in Sacramento... looking from my hotel room (Weds)... loved all the LINES of the parking structure & buildings.

Seeing handprinted posters in Allie's classroom MAKES ME SMILE... her kinders love her drawings... differentiated learning for her second language students!

Another photo from Thursday morning... ALONE in the mall allowed for capturing photos without people in the background. Creative statue, eh?

Allie's classroom art center... she keeps the scissors, pens & stencils TOGETHER for ease in completing a project.

This week's SONG-OGRAPHY is "TWO OF US" sung by AIMEE MANN, I AM SAM (soundtrack)... There are some amazing photos at Kathy's blog, You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

lyrics to this song were written by
John Lennon & Paul McCartney

We TRAVEL whenever we have the time & money! As my mom says, "we're making memories for when we can no longer travel."

Next week's SONG-OGRAPHY is "Forever Autumn" by Moody Blues.

NAME THIS BUSINESS...

Have to say... 

they have the "cool-ist art"

for a coffee shop...

DON'T THEY???

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.15.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

Critter @ Barnes & Noble Bookstore

Busy weekend! Saw two movies --- My Family (Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer) & Austenland (starring Kerri Russell). JPE left for two trips (5 days of teaching @ Sophia University & another 5 days for a trip to Cincinnati to visit his dad). Lauren (niece) is moving into a studio apartment in SLO to begin her credentialing program (mild-moderate disabilities) at Cal-Poly --- so, I'm off to our storage unit to pass along some items we no longer need.

I took most of my SHS photos while we were in SLO last night.

Ashley at Rambling & Photos posted these words: ENJOY A PUMPKIN DRINK, READ A BOOK, EAT OR BAKE SOMETHING SWEET, ANIMAL & ARTSY.

Our local Barnes & Noble Bookstore (SLO) sells Starbuck's coffee, but they are also selling Harney & Sons tea. The tins are beautiful --- the smells are incredible --- I've added a PUMPKIN SPICE tea purchase to my list for a return trip downtown.

I cannot stay away from the children's section in bookstores & libraries. I love pop-up books! There are so many cool books --- one of my favorite past-times is taking time to READ A BOOK with children.

The truth!! I didn't EAT or BAKE this SWEET TREAT. But, doesn't it look tasty? The girl behind the counter said these cupcakes are worth every calorie at least once this fall... may have to give it a try when I return to buy some tea.

Found this guy (gal?) in the kid's section at the bookstore also. JPE put this ANIMAL puppet on his hand, so he could stage a show for me.

What a score, huh? Five out of five photos were taken at Barnes & Noble Bookstore. Found this ARTSY picture  displayed on the wall at the top of the staircase (created by children in a summer art program).

 
And now, SONG-OGRAPJHY... 

this was actually a photo from our August camping trip with Lydia...

Don't forget to check in with Kathy to see what other bloggers post for the song, "SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL"...

At the time of this picture, Lydia & I were talking about the beginning of the new school year... and she was wondering if any of her girlfriends would be in her class... (they are all in the other 5th grade class, bummer!)

So, there you have it --- two "meme's"... see ya tomorrow.

YOU'VE GOT MAIL...

American mailbox (Big Bear Lake, CA)  ~  Italian mailbox (Venice, Italy)

I fear we are s-l-o-w-l-y moving away from MAIL.

A confession...

I just signed up for a new magazine...

just so I would be getting something in the MAIL!!

{well, it was also a fundraiser for Allie's school}

When I buy stamps...

they last months before they're gone!!

{sadness. I don't get to sample all the designs} 

But, don't get me started on JUNK MAIL...

{now, that's something I wish would GO away}

Well, I'm s.l.o.w.l.y puttering my day away!

Back to laundry!

PB&J + LATTE...

TODAY is INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY!

:: SMELL ::

The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which trigger relaxation.

:: SIGHT :: 

In the film Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock used Bosco chocolate syrup

for blood in the famous shower scene.

:: TASTE ::

The country whose people eat the most chocolate is Switzerland,

with 22 pounds eaten per person each year.

Americans consume approximately 12 pounds of chocolate,

putting them at 11th place.

:: BRAIN FOOD ::

Research suggests that dark chocolate boosts memory, attention span, reaction time, & problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain.

:: INCREASES PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ::

One chocolate chip can give a person enough energy to walk 150 feet.

:: AH! HA! ::

Hershey’s Kisses were first produced in 1907 & were shaped like a square.

A new machine in 1921 gave them their current shape.

So, have you had your CHOCOLATE today?

RIGHT AT YOUR HEELS...

H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S  is...

...hearing the heater come on this morning, FALL is coming.

...catching a ride to work with JPE, one less car on the road.

...seeing the trees in our condo complex, change color.

...cleaning & de-cluttering, ah! such a weight off our shoulders.

...walking up the stairway, no more dirty carpet.

...stripping the bed, clean sheets tonight!

What brings you H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S?

SEW WHAT???

TODAY, IN 1846, ELIAS HOWE

PATENTED THE SEWING MACHINE...

Upon reading this, I dug into my archives for these photos.

Looking beyond clothing displayed in the store window,

I was drawn to the shiny black, distinctive gold with 

accents of red & turquoise...

...a WALL OF SEWING MACHINES! 

These machines appear to be the same model & make,

but the only unifying feature is the color...

...this beautiful German-made Frister & Rossman sewing machine

was sold during 1907-1914

& was operated by turning the white hand crank...

a similar machine is currently being sold on eBay for under $300.

...don't you love the detail of this machine's intricate

gold-turquoise-red decorations? 

my mom's first machine was a Singer

(purchased in the early 50's)...

I purchased my machine (1972) from Sears (a Kenmore), 

which was recently replaced with a Pfaff...

my youngest daughter (Allie) bought a Pfaff

when she graduated from college... 

mom now uses a Brother...

to sew personalized pillowcases, place-mats, napkins,

table runners and wedding quilts!!!

I'm curious about sewing machine decals...

can anyone tell me about INDIAN head decal

(top picture)... reminds me of my DAD!

P52 {WEEK 36}

O-R-A-N-G-E

you thinking of FALL?

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

a hanging lamp that looks like F.A.L.L.

Last week was... 

work! work! work! meetings! & reports!

BUT, the weekend was spent with JPE's sisters!

fun! FUN! fun!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.8.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

SHS 9.8.13

Whooossshhh!
It's already time for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - check in with ASHLEY @ RAMBLING & PHOTOS. She's posted a fabulous FALL Bucket List for photo ops!

For now, here are this SHS week's words:

LABOR DAY, PHONE CALL, PILLS, CLOSE UP

& WHITE SPACE.

I chose not to highlight the holiday celebrated in the US... but, decided to show a typical DAY of LABOR(ING) along the Amazon River (Peru). Don't you LOVE the cheerful smiles of the "ladies" from the church!

The market place in Independence, Peru (along the Amazon River)... YES, the fruit seller is making a call on a cell PHONE... very unusual since most residents of this area live in extreme poverty...

Okay... I'm playing this word. I didn't have a picture of PILLS... But, JPE & I picked up our anniversary gift to ourselves a couple of months early. A large canvas of McWay Falls - #1/150 prints signed by the artist, Steve Thomas. JPE & I got married beneath the trees (top of the cliff; left of the waterfall). Cool fact: there are only TWO natural waterfalls that (S)PILL directly into the Pacific Ocean - the other is located in South America.

When we travel, I look for marvelous samples of architecture... if you see a CLOSE UP view of the detail between the two windows (pic on left), you'd see the spikes that were added to prevent pigeons (& other winged creatures) from ruining the stone work.

During our trip to London (summer of 2010), this boat in a bottle by artist Yinka Shonibare  was installed on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. The plinth is used as a display for contemporary art, with artwork changing every 12-18 months. In the bit of WHITE SPACE, you can see the cloudy sky & the top of the National Portrait Museum.  Cool fact: the bottle neck was large enough for the workers to crawl through to complete the assembling of this ship!!! (click HERE to read more)

And now for Song-ography...
check in with Kathy @ Don't Shoot Your Eye Out!

My oldest daughter was a Queen fan... our 7 passenger van radio blared "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You"... while I transported half-a-dozen kids to speech tournaments. I had forgot about this song, "I WANT TO BREAK FREE"... but, I can still remember those sweaty bodies bouncing around in rhythm to QUEEN's lyrics, in the back seat(s) of the van!

Have you noticed a pattern? while most bloggers rest on the weekend, that seems to be the only time I have to edit, write & post to my blog.  Hopefully, you'll be back tomorrow... for P52!

P52 {WEEK 35}

"BEE-STILL"
so I can take your picture!

"SUN-GLOW"
...was drawn to the spider web,
but the sun glowing through the leaves is amazing too!
I DO think I need to purchase a macro lens!

"PASSIONATE for PURPLE"
not sure what the fuzzy white thing is behind the thistle?

We're back to work full-time now...

as a result, I didn't take many pictures last week. Oh... I was also having some problems with my eyes!

I think it's been determined I have "chronic dry eye" ~ ummm, may have to give up wearing contact lens??

Posting my piddly bunch of photos with 

Tamar @ Random-osity...

she always has some interesting pics of food, her classroom & Boston.

When you stop by there, tell her I sent you!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.1.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

9.1.13

You know the drill... check in with

ASHLEY @ RAMBLING & PHOTOS

here are the words for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

DOWN, SHADOW, FLOW, TIP & BEYOND

Lydia - Looking DOWN to re-button her shirt...

afternoon SHADOW casting some shade on these cheerful fellows...

FLOW(ing) water is relaxing...

tis the season for leaves of a poisonous nature!

Here's a handy TIP...

"take a ride"

just BEYOND the building are U-pick berry orchards... ummm... berry-stained fingers, tshirts & full tummies!

and noooooowwww... Song-ography. This week's song is "If I had a Million Dollars" by the Bare Naked Ladies. The lyrics talk about buying a home, furniture, a car, a fur coat (fake ~ because real fur would be cruel), and building a fort in the backyard tree with a tiny fridge filled with tiny sausages... the lyrics are catchy, the tune is easy to sing (even for someone like me, who can't sing on key)...

BUT ~ If I had a Million Dollars, it would be spent T-R-A-V-E-L-I-N-G.

I'd want to add to my "bank" of traveling memories. I've visited... the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia & Peru... and rented a flat for 3 weeks in London (with JPE)... In the 70's, traveling on a "shoestring budget" (does anyone remember the book, Europe on $5 a Day, by Arthur Frommer?) I also explored Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Spain & Portugal... (in addition to many of the countries already mentioned).

One of my favorite traveling quotes comes from the Dalai Lama,

"Once a year, GO SOMEPLACE you've never been before."

and while I've not been able to identify the author of this quote,
it's T-R-U-E for me!

"TRAVEL is the only thing you BUY that makes you RICHER."