WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME?

quote by Shira Tamir, blogger

Tuesday... A relaxing day?!?

Plumber came to fix the backed-up drain...

Took Mom to get a massage from Patricia...

JPE bought a turkey...

(having our Thanksgiving feast Friday) 

Talked to Allison & Brian...

(Lola photobombed our FaceTime visit)

Began our House of Cards Marathon...

(watching ALL 13 episodes of Season 3 w/mom)

Listened to the rain...
(considering a rain dance for more rain tomorrow)

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V46

JPE & I celebrated our 11th Anniversary last Thursday. We took a drive to Cambria, CA (a 40 minute drive up Hwy 1). The weather was beautiful... we had a tasty breakfast at Linn's Restaurant... peeked into our favorite stores... and enjoyed a GOOD ole' relaxing day... topped off with massages & Linn's Chicken Pot Pies followed by a sliver of Linn's famous Olallieberry pie with a dollop of ice cream. Ahhhh! we certainly know how to celebrate!!

After Sunday's downpour, I was checking out the tree in our front yard. I've been watching our tree with "eagle-eyes"... A couple of days ago I noticed a leaf that appeared to be falling. When I put on my glasses, I could see the leaf was tangled in a spider's web. RANDOM sighting! even with a half inch of rain & some wind, the web is still hanging onto its leaf. Yeah for Mother Nature!!

Today is National Button Day. I'll bet you a "card of buttons" that you didn't know there was a website dedicated to button collecting. I looked around on the website and found a resource link for new button collectors. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I collect buttons for the "cute-ness"... my Instagram post gives some tips for using buttons in your elementary classroom!

time to "button my lips"

{sorry for the pun, couldn't help myself}

& link this post to Tamar's blog at Random-osity.

Come back tomorrow for a review of the book I finished this morning!

ANTICIPATING GOOD...

"rain-drenched leaf on the hood of my car"

:: A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-N-G ::

a weather change in "my neck of the woods coast"

{rumors are "a period of rain" is coming next week}

some time to read listen to my book today

{The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd}

seeing Hamlet at PCPA ~ the Sunday matinee

{Lauren, JPE & I}

 taking a deep breath without coughing up a lung

{day three - antibiotics + different inhaler; day nine for coughing}

a brief return to work

{hopefully, tomorrow - to check in} 

GOOD.RANDOM.FUN. {WEEK 7}

 wineries "dot" the California coastal region

it's GOOD we had a "tad" of rain, but we need more!

RANDOM pics... playing with my camera settings

camera FUN.

it's time for me to be feeling better! Bronchitis g-o  a-w-a-y!

Posting HERE!

Tamar @ Random-osity shared her recipe for a warm, tasty soup...

check her blog to see why she made soup.

UNHEALTHY TRAIL...

Bet you thought I was going to expose some "deep, dark unhealthy" secrets...

well, actually this is pretty mild

A couple of Sundays ago, I posted THIS... scroll down to "Happens Everyday"

I've been sort-of "fudging" about taking my vitamins!

Here's my "vitamin trail" from this week.

It seems that I pick up my vitamins, carry them to another place
(I guess as a reminder to take them),
and leave them --- instead of swallowing them.

Urghh!

gotta do better!!!!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 2.17.13

i've MISSED

my favorite time of the year!!

****

MID-FEBRUARY!!

i LOVE the 

cheerful colors  ::  curvy shapes  ::  sweet smells

hence, my SHS focused on my "near" misses!

check in with Ashley to see the adorable pictures captured by everyone participating in SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY. 

 this week's words are: 

CANDY, RED or PINK, LOVE, KISSES & SMILE 

CANDY Hearts or Cinnamon Red Hots

are a staple in my baking section!

Didn't have time to make any cookies, but I did eat a hand-ful of red hots
while setting up this photo.  

 Adorable RED & PINK measuring spoons.

I was LOVED and pampered all week long!

Mom & JPE brought me cold compresses

{actually bags of frozen peas}, applied salve to my eyes,

cooked tasty meals & entertained me

while I kept my eyes closed.

JPE, I'll shower you with my love & KISSES

whenever you wish! 

My family kept SMILES on my face!

Mom ~ thanks for calling the girls with updates

{I know how much you like to make phone calls ~ ummm, not!} 

Stephanie, Allison & Tasha ~ I appreciate your LOVE

{& wishes for speedy healing}

Stacy & Brett ~ thanks for meeting us at Snapper Jack's

 {& saving Mom a trip home on the train} 

this picture is a bracelet Allie made for me

{don't you love the heart charm?}

she also made the beautiful piece of paper

underneath the bracelet!!
{sorry for the blurry pic ~ vision tends to be blurry still}

My family is amazing! & kept me in SMILES!  

 

Just so you know,

that wonderful surgery women consider in their 60's,

the one to make you look younger 

{ha! don't know about that}

the ole eyelid lift!!!

well, my eyelids were affecting my vision,

so, my insurance covered the cost to surgically "fix" the problem!

 

Gosh, the bruising has not been the worst part...

BUT... not being able to read. blog. watch HGTV.

was one problem I hadn't considered...

AND, the most annoying part is the scratchy stitches inside my eyelids & outside the lids.

Sutures are to be removed in four days ~ counting the days! 

{the recovery room nurse told me, the eye DR has excellent "running stitch" skills ~
Mom, being a quilter, had a laugh about that!}  

Planning to get back to blogging again,

so I hope you'll check back!  

    

MUG-A MONDAY...

mug-a @ Mom's 7.4.12

T.R.A.V.E.L.I.N.G.

Off to LIMA, PERU via Miami, FL

here's a Monday Mug-A coffee, MOM!

We'll be thinking of YOU!

AND

sending our prayers for a

speedy recovery to ALLIE-BUG!

{adorable watermelon placemat,

ant & bee hot-drink coasters sewn by Mom}

FEEDING FRENZY...

"Chicken Little" @ Mom's ~ 5.27.12

W.O.R.K.

this week has been a 

"feeding frenzy"

Stayed up late last night, fixing a report...

I felt a little

"plucked over"

& 

"foggy"

ALL-DAY!

It's always like this

at the end of the school year!

reports, deadlines, planning, 

 presentations,

&

 celebrations!! 

FISHY QUOTE...

photo taken Friday 3.23.12 at Alicia's
Well, I think I've found a substitute for PICNIK!!

If you haven't tried PIC-MONKEY,
you should hop-skip & jump over...

Super easy!

A little whimsy is needed today!
Coughing ~ hacking ~ wheezing
it's got me down!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 3.4.12

all pics taken 3.4.12

TODAY'S the DAY...


:: That JPE comes home from Cincinnati, OH (his "home turf"... he's made three trips since Thanksgiving. AND, thanks for your concern... this trip was not an emergency related to his dad's health)...


:: To enjoy the last week of darkness before DAYLIGHT SAVINGS time kicks in next Sunday...


:: To tidy your gardens in preparation for SPRING, which begins March 20th...


:: To participate in SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY with Ashley @ RAMBLING & PHOTOS. YEAH!!

No time to plan my photo shoots this week... this was a quick, down & dirty, short-time project (35 minutes)...


I won't say I love what I'm posting, but it was FUN ~ once I set the timer)... Enjoy these words: 

ROUTINE, MUSIC, TECHNOLOGY, SHOW ME YOUR STYLE & MISMATCH.

ROUTINE

During the week, I rarely deviate from my ROUTINE. My work bag, purse, shoes & lunch-bag leave with me every morning & arrive home with me every night (ready to be packed again)! Everyone at work takes a lunch because we'd have to drive 15 minutes to buy lunch, coffee or a snack. No corner coffee shop for us! ummm! that's great on the $$$ but can be boring.

Lucky for me, I often have meetings in the afternoon (off-site) which give me some flexibility in my ROUTINE. 

MUSIC

JPE has played MUSIC since he was a youngster! stand-up bass, guitar, and drums... In his work with high school students, he often starts a drum circle as a way to release some of their energy! JPE's a runner! he doesn't play his drum (or guitar) at home, but he often grabs his drum before heading to Men's Group... 

TECHNOLOGY

I consider myself pretty tech-savvy - but looking at the dining room table this morning, you might question that statement!
I LOVE my TECHNOLOGY (I-Phone, MacBook, I-Pod Touch) but I also LOVE my work calendar (with color coded meetings), my planner with tabs for the months, and my checkbook. 
I pay the majority of my bills online - but some items just need to be paid by check. AND, you probably remember my fond-ness for PAPER & PENS... 

SHOW ME YOUR STYLE!!

Well... the truth is... I DON'T have a STYLE! I'm one of those gals that is still trying to figure out how to dress stylish, but comfortably.
I dislike clothes shopping - seems like such a waste of time! My body is just not made for the style of clothes I see in magazines, online or in the stores. I'm certain there are quite a few of us non-fashionistas... but they don't seem to be designing clothes that are favorable to my budget, figure flaws & comfort...
SO - I'm SHOWING YOU MY PREFERRED STYLE... which is jeans, tshirts (sorry, I had to pull this out of the laundry basket), casual shoes, low-cut socks & a scarf to add color. Retirement clothes?? currently, weekend clothes!! ahhh! comfort clothes!

MISMATCHED

When I got home from work on Friday, I noticed I'd worn two MISMATCHED earrings! Honest mistake - easy to make! one is pearlized & the other has a flat finish. Both earrings change, depending on what color (purple, teal blue, gray) top I'm wearing! I don't buy expensive earrings... when I lose one, I just buy new ones. Perhaps if I got a nice little jewelry box, I'd lose fewer earrings? NOPE! I prefer to toss my earrings in that adorable red dish. AND, no, I don't store my earrings in a lemon! just a prop for photographing purposes. 

So - here's my contribution for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY... 

Next week's words: WATER, LIGHT, CHOCOLATE, ANIMAL & CROWDED.

Bet you can't wait to see what I post for CHOCOLATE....

ON THE HOMEFRONT...

Big Bear cabin ~ 12.27.11

When I was looking in my "pre-planned blog posts" folder {you have one of those don't you?} I found this photo w/a quote.

My good friend, Mandy @ IN MANDYLAND & I  were talking about her blogging schedule... she writes multiple articles a week {here's her latest WANDERING THE WEB post} that bounces you at a "rabbit's pace" reading her material... She's a prolific writer, single mom of a preschooler & kindergartner, works 40+ hours a week between her position involving semi-professional clothes & one she's allowed to work in casual clothes {I'm thinking jammies or sweats}. She's also spends time in her garden... canning everything {plus more - she found a surplus of tomatoes in SEPTEMBER & canned enough marinara to feed an army}... oh, & she just started another blog, SIX KITCHENS, to document six families & their supper club recipes.

Oops... a bit of a bird walk... anyway, Mandy told me about putting items in a blog folder that you can use when you don't have time to write, have writer's block OR just need some inspiration. Reflecting on my teaching experience, I'm thinking of this as my SUBSTITUTE PLANS. HA! you thought I'd actually show what's in my "pre-planned blog posts" folder... not a chance!


Anyway, this folder includes photos, quotes, & anything that provides inspiration. Today is one of those days I needed some inspiration.


This FLU BUG {now} BRONCHITIS {my mom thinks I have walking pneumonia - which is actually a term meaning you aren't sick enough to be put in the hospital, but you aren't well either} has put me out of commission --- for my paid position. This is only the second day of work I've missed, BUT, February has a lot of holidays & I took two non-duty days SOOO... I'm feeling out of touch with my work-work {paid position} & don't feel perky enough to figure out what I want to do while I beat this bug. Blog hopping, checking out PINTEREST & watching HGTV aren't appealing right now...


Remember my OLW {One Little Word}... I chose the word FOCUS. So, today, I decided to FOCUS on some ideas that make me smile...

:: NATURE ::

:: PLAYING WITH MY CAMERA ::

:: BIG BEAR LAKE ::

:: SETTING UP PHOTO SHOOTS ::

So, the first photo is an example of something from my "pre-planned blog posts" folder {with a FOCUS on NATURE & BIG BEAR LAKE} & the following are examples of "out takes" {blurry photos I'm contemplating deleting} that FOCUS on PLAYING WITH MY CAMERA & SETTING UP PHOTO SHOOTS.

BARBIE! when are you coming by to pick these up?? 

I want them moved out of my garage....

These don't belong to BARBIE!... check out the size of these baskets!!

that's an American penny {for comparison purposes}

So - if the owner of these items will let me know if she wants them back... I'd appreciate it...


ACTUALLY, it's FUN to take pictures of the items I have around the house {or in the garage, in this case}.


And, THANKS MANDY for the blogging tip!