Snapshot of My Life - February - Hammock

One of my favorite places is my hammock. This picture doesn't look like much but it is winter. This is the place I can go to relax and unwind. I take a book and sometimes blankets and rock myself into a calm relaxed state. When Bob and I met I lived in an apartment with a small balcony that was too small for my hammock. It sadly lived in storage. When we got married we moved into Bob's condo whose balcony was also too small for my hammock. Since we have such a large family we bought a house. The Real Estate Agent called me to meet her at our new home where she would turn over the keys. I was so excited! I called Bob and asked him to join us. We waited....and waited...he was over 30 minutes late. I couldn't believe it! Finally the Agent gave me the keys and left.

FINALLY Bob pulled up in our new driveway with a big grin on his face. I couldn't be too upset at him because we had just bought a beautiful new home but I was a bit annoyed. Bob can sometimes get involved in something and forget where he is supposed to be. He is my absent-minded professor. Anyway Bob was so happy and said that he had a surprise for me. He opened up his car and pulled out the parts of my hammock! I hadn't been able to lay in it for over two years and he had gone through our garage, which was piled high with boxes to the ceiling, and found all the parts to the hammock so that it would be the first thing in our new home.

Needless to say, I wasn't annoyed any more and was so amazed that he remembered how much I wanted to have a place for my hammock. We have sat and layed in this hammock and had long talks with each other, kids and grandchildren. I have been known to fall asleep in my hammock and wake up with an insect bite where my face and hand (separate times) were so swollen that I had to go to the hospital for antibiotics (I'm allergic to about everything that bites). It hasn't stopped me from spending time in my favorite place. I guess it's worth it.

Snapshot of My Life - February - Color

I love color! My walls are so many different colors. I'm not that good with the camera or the above collage would have two colors of green and a deep yellow but they all look washed out. My poor husband really really really likes white. He says that there are so many different shades of white that I could choose from. He is such a sweetheart and has gotten used to my penchant for color. Color has a huge impact on mood. The right color can make a room look perfect. The wrong color can make me naucous.

Snapshot of My Life - February - Literature

I love to read. It seems like I have always loved to read. Reading was a welcome escape at times and also a way to learn. I love history, travel and so many other things in life that I couldn't always experience any other way than to travel on the words of a good author. It is funny because my sister loves to read also and on trips we would both be engrossed in books to help the time fly by.

Because of my love of reading and because I believe that if someone knows how to obtain knowledge their is no stopping them, I read to my children a LOT. This was 30 years ago. All those cute story books were worth it. My boys are all avid readers.

My youngest son, Sean, was so cute when we read. I had given birth to 3 boys in 3 1/2 years and by the time Sean was born I had memorized all of the childrens story books. Sometimes I would let my attention wander or look around the room to check on the other boys while reciting a book. Sean got to where he would watch me read the book to make sure that I was actually reading and not reciting. If he noticed my attention wandering he would hold my cheeks between his hands and point my face down to look at the book. I couldn't get away with anything! This was one of our favorite childrens books which we have also passed on to our Grandchildren.

Snapshot of My Life - February - Nature

I love the beauty and mystery of nature. Winter has it's own beauty as well. It can be cold and lonley but it can also blanket the world in silence that makes me ponder life and it's beauty. I remember walking to school (during College) in the early mornings when I was the first one on the snow and it was such a spiritual feeling to listen to the silence and witness the beauty. Later in the day the snow is marred with tracks and dirty so it is nice to witness it before life stirs it up.

This morning I woke up to lots of snow. It was different from our previous storms, the snow was heavy and weighed down the branches of the trees. We have four beautiful Globe Willow Trees in our yard and they are beautiful all of the time but especially with this heavy snow. I couldn't help but grab the camera and take pictures.

I love the following quote, especially when you consider the author:

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.

- Anne Frank

365 Days - Day 47 - Chocolate

Wow chocolate! What a topic. Is there enough memory on the internet for this subject? I do love chocolate but I'm not a chocoholic. There I've said it out loud. I am a woman and I'm not obsessed with chocolate. Don't get me wrong, when I want chocolate I want it now but I'm fine with just a little piece. I prefer my chocolate with some nuts and caramel. A whole snickers bar is too much though. I like those little bite-size pieces. I can have a jar of chocolate on my desk and make it last for weeks. I have a problem with too much sugar, it gives me the shivers. I can't even eat syrup on my pancakes.

My favorite kinds of chocolate are snickers, Baby Ruth, Turtles and Brownies (Dense brownies not cake brownies). This last Christmas I told Bob that I wanted Turtes in my stocking and he dragged my sister all over her hometown in Virginia looking for just the right Turtle. At first I couldn't understand why this cute stuffed turtle was in my Christmas Stocking!

He did get edible Turtles as well.

As long as I'm confessing I might as go all the way. I'm not that big of a cake fan either. There are a few cakes that I like (Carrot Cake, Zuchini Cake & Strusel Cake) but even then I prefer to nibble on a piece all day. I just take small little bites and it is amazing how long it can last. It isn't that I dislike cake it just isn't that exciting. This drives Bob a little crazy because he thinks it should be eaten right away (He grew up in a family with six kids and I think he learned early to eat it before some else gets it). He drives me crazy because I'll go to nibble a little on MY piece and he's eaten it! Even though I'm not a big cake fan I have made hundreds of cakes in my life and pride myself on making good ones.

Don't get me wrong, just because I'm not a huge chocoholic doesn't mean that I don't have many other weaknesses. Don't get me started on fruit desserts or salty snacks...

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"Chocolate"

Think of chocolate, baking, love. Which one will inspire you today?

Snapshot of My Life - February - Love

This is me today.  I don't think that this weeks challenge will be hard because I have so many things in life that I love.  I especially love that I've lost 7 lbs. this week!

Sara Paddison - “You'll discover that real love is millions of miles past falling in love with anyone or anything. When you make that one effort to feel compassion instead of blame or self-blame, the heart opens again and continues opening."

 

Hello February!

February's checklist:

• charge camera batteries

• gather supplies

This months theme is :

LOVE

n, v

1.Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment
2.Love is not a single feeling but an emotion built from two or more feelings.

Journaling prompt :

Write down your feelings for each photo, maybe use a smiley face or colour code your emotions.Remember this months prompt is LOVE. Do you have a love/ hate relationship. Housework is definitley a love/hate thing with me; hate doing it, but love the finshed results!

Photography prompt:

First things first, lets grab our camera, and take a photo of us. Grab your notepad, and note down how you are feeling today, the weather, and what you have in store this week, it will be interesting to see if your week panned out as you thought it might!

Lets take photos of the things that we love, or maybe have a love/hate relationship with! People, places, objects and so-on

Check back Friday for page-plan ideas and technique prompt.I will also be sharing my album in progress.

Have a great week!

365 Days - Day 45 - Love Story

I am NOT going to rewatch "Love Story." I remember it very well. I watched it in 1970 when it first came out (I was 12 years old) and cried a LOT. Since Bob's late wife, Afton, died of cancer and I have lost loved ones to cancer I don't think that either of us need to go through it again.

I can't think of another movie that would describe us except maybe "With Twelve You Get Egg Rolls" (the old Doris Day, Brian Keith Movie) or "Cheaper By The Dozen" but only with an older children twist. The Brady Bunch doesn't have enough kids.

Past: When Bob and I met we both had long histories with ex-spouses and Bob had just lost a wife to cancer. Both of us had children and very loving and supportive families. We lived just blocks away from each other and went to the same church where we got to know each other and pretty soon were spending all of our free time together. We finally decided that we needed to get married so that we could get some rest.

We share so many similar values. We share our faith, love and support our children, both love to serve in church callings, are both computer geeks and each of us believe in honoring our marriage vows.

Bob is such a sweet and giving man. Since we both lived in the same area we both had lots of mutual friends and supporters. Many people knew Bob's late wife, Afton, and knew that she supported him in finding love again. My friends knew that I wasn't that interested in marrying again and worked on me to give it another chance. It just happened that as I was considering what my friends and family were saying Bob started coming out socially again. The timing seemed perfect.

Present: On March 30th we will be married seven years and have experienced many wonderful blessings and a few interesting challenges. No matter what is going on we work together to come up with a solution. We have fit into each others families amazingly well. From our different marriages we share 11 children and we love and respect them all. Trying to maintain relationships with all of our children and each other has been a challenge with numerous rewards. We have been fortunate in that we have trusted each other from the beginning which makes it easier to create and maintain healthy boundaries.

Future: Based on the past seven years I can only see continued support and love. We have faced health, money, family, employment and individual challenges and are still together and happy. Even though we trusted each other from the beginning we have grown to trust even more which helps us have confidence in the future. No matter what happens to us or around us I know that we can handle things with love and faith.

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"Love Story"

Hey its Valentines Day! Journal about your love story , past , present, future!

365 Days - Day 43 - Breakfast at Tiffany's

I had to go back and watch this movie again, it had been years. Of course Audrey Hepburn was amazing and soooo beautiful and elegant and George Peppard was very handsome and perfect for the part. I was only three years old when the movie came out and by the time I saw it it was already a classic.

Here is Audrey Hepburn singing Moom River in the movie.

What I remember most is the song, "Moon River" sung by Andy Williams. For those of you who haven't heard this before PLEASE listen here on YouTube. Here are the lyrics:

Moon River, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style some day. Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker, wherever you're going I'm going your way. Two drifters off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see. We're after the same rainbow's end-- waiting 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend, Moon River and me. music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Johnny Mercer

My Grandparents had this album and we played it a lot. I'm going to have to search for the CD. It brings back lots of memories of my sister and I around the record player sighing over Andy's dreamy voice and lyrics. We knew all the words and sang along.

I remember having a crush on Andy Williams. He was so handsome and sang so beautifully and I was just a girl. He also seemed so gracious. He had a variety show on TV (1959 to 1971) that also starred the Osmond Brothers (Huge 70's singing group) when they were young and lots of other stars. When the Andy Williams show came on we all gathered around the TV and laughed at silly skits and were amazed at the wonderful music. For those of us old enough to remember, there were only three TV stations back then and they came on at a certain time in the morning and went off the air at midnight (after playing the National Anthem) when they displayed a test color pattern or just snow. Since entertainment was so limited, good shows were an event for the whole family.

Here is Andy Williams with the Osmond Brothers on the Andy Williams Show

It is so strange how the mind works, I think of "Breakfast At Tiffany's" and I write about Andy Williams. My 365 Day challenge is going to be 365 Days of memories. Oh well at least I am journaling and Scrapbooking.

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Assignment:

Lets try something different this week. I am going to give you a movie title and see how you are inspired by the film.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)

Inspiration could come from the beautiful Miss Audrey Hepburn; her fashion, poise and elegance. Try looking at the title; breakfast. Maybe the famous scenes of Audrey window shopping at Tiffanys will inspire your photograph today.