You Capture {JOY}

Well, here it is - joy.

A part of the fun and "joyful" You Capture Challenge, JOY

http://

One that I enjoyed doing, so ingrained into me that joy, with all it's complexity, means something different to every single one of us. Click on the link above to go to the site that originated this challenge and see the other photographers and their intrepretations of the theme JOY.

This is Savannah Rayne and her grandma - me (isn't that darling, that teeny tiny newborn baby smile? Could be gas, could be just an expression or movement, I prefer it to be a true grin, saved for her grandma)

Grandma was full of joy too...

JUST LOOK AT THESE SWEET FEETIES!!! Yep, kissing and smooching allowed.

{sigh}

I'm feeling the joy.

Now, go on over and give the other photogs a gander, go on you know you want to.

If you can tear yourself away from this darling pink bundle.

BAAAAD Blogger - Yes, that's me

I've been a baaaaad blogger.
I've not blogged so much in the past few weeks, like so many others I've been looking for inspirations, for unusual things to blog about, ANYTHING but blogging about the real me.

I've lost 2 lbs.
My husband is going away for the week on a annual men only, OHYES,IGET TOSLEEPDIAGONNALLYONTHEBEDANDEATPOPCORNANDGOODNPLENTYFORDINNER fishing trip!
I'll be lonely.
{snicker}
Perhaps I'll blog more.
{snicker}
I'll probably exercise more too!
{guffaw}
I won a cool book from the link below.
LOVEHER!
I've been reading blogs, just not writing my own.
See, I've got nothing really interesting to say.
My daughter is walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Won't you please leave her a donation? She walks for my dear friend Rochelle, who lost a long struggle with breast Cancer at a very young age. I should walk on her team too, and would, but who can raise the outrageous amount of donations JUST TO WALK! I beg of you, support this cause.
I'm making a delicious spaghetti sauce tonight for dinner, along with whole wheat angel hair pasta, I'm getting so healthy I could just puke. But this dieting-eating-healthy deal, needs balance, like, that's why they call it a balanced diet...so I'm eating some Good-n-Plenty right now.
My sauce has fake meat in it. Who knew that fake meat could be so tasty! It's Morningstar breakfast crumbles. Seasoned like breakfast sausage, it really is tofu tidbits that can be mixed with ground turkey or ground beef or added alone to spaghetti sauce to make a nutritious and yummy sauce. Not bad, not very fattening either. Filling too.
Farmers everywhere should love me, I've been hawking the glory of this fake meat for a few months now. I predict the soy market will go off the charts this growing season, so much chatter I've generated regarding this meat substitute. Go right now and try some. Sprinkle it on top of a pizza as "sausage", it's super that way.
Well, it's ready, and I'm ready to set the table, so keep reading folks. I promise to come up with crafty posts soon.

Virgin Winner

I am a virgin winner. I enter every "win this" give-away on countless blogs that I follow, that I stumble upon, that I just lurk on and have yet to win anything.

The glorious give-away free reads blog http://www.chicbookreviews.blogspot.com/ has free give-aways and I have won a cool book. Can't wait. Will read it first thing it arrives. SWEAR!

Then I'll pass it on to my daughter, who'll read it on the car-ride home (she's like a speed reader, very very focused that one) and then she'll pass it on.

and so on,

and so on,

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you get a chance to read and to enjoy the nice weather (if you have it in your parts!)

You Capture-Letters

This week's You Capture Challenge was "Letters".

I said "hmmmm". And then armed with my fav camera, I set out to capture this task.

I did think (to myself, and not very loudly) WHY? Why letters Beth? But then, it's her challenge, and who am I to question this assignment. So, I did this. In honor of Earth Day, yesterday, and for my own need to re-cycle, re-use, and re-invent.
then this

T, is for Turtles. Everyone loves turtles. Even when they are just yard art.

Then, without purpose, I thought of "lmnop", you know, from the famous ABC's song....(often mispronounced by the under three set-merged into one "ellimentopee)

This sign, which I've had forever...has been hung in my home, kitchen and yes, bathroom for years. I love it. Seems I can't often escape the Lard that is there. Nuff said.

And, a shout out to the creator of You Capture herself, let's give a round of applause to Beth at I should be Folding Laundry....(the crowd roars!)
AGAIN, I say

next week, the topic is "Joy". Could be that I take photo's of my new granddaughter, born this day, April 23, 2009 - Savannah Rayne! Happy Birthday!

My family means everything to me.

Friday Fun

Hey all you book lovers, I found a book review sight, one that has a give away book too!

http://www.chicbookreviews.blogspot.com/
For all of us chick readers, she has some really good book reviews.

This will conclude the fun on my Fun Friday post.


P.S. I am wearing a pair of pants that are a size down from what I wore last week. Hurrah for those stupid WW points! It's not melting off, but it's coming off slowly. EVERYbody stand! Let's start a WAVE...

Crossed Over

I've crossed over.

No gasping please, I'm not typing to you from the Great Beyond- ghost blogging, now what a concept, it's just that I realize that I've crossed over from one stage of life to another. Just another rift in the generational divide, and yep, I'm there.

Evidence: While shopping at Target, I approached a 20-something guy while looking through the rack of cd's. He has huge plugs of plastic in his ear lobes, not like earrings, just like plugs. I think: "hey bud, what did you want to go and do that for?", but I say nothing, mesmerized by his giant earlobes. Someday he can use it for an ear of corn holder.

Evidence: Easter Sunday Mass. My church is homey and informal. It's pretty liberal and progressive as far as Catholic churches go. I mean we clap during the Alleluia for crying out loud! My revelation? I wasn't dressed in poofy skirt and Easter bonnet by no means, but I wasn't wearing jeans and a hoodie! The family (mom, dad, three school aged children) in front of me had on hoodies and jeans. Jeans! There was a few baptisms. One a young mother, in a white blouse and JEANS on EASTER SUNDAY. I'm so like the church lady - passing judgement on thier clothing. Shame on me. I've crossed over.
I'm a stodgy middle aged mom/grandma with my own set-in-her-ways-not-shoving-them-down-your-throat-but-expressing-"concern" type way. OMG!

Evidence: I use finger quotes alot.

Evidence: I actually like green beans now.

WHAT happened to me?
Some stuff doesn't matter to me at all anymore. I hardly ever get my nose out of joint when I see dust on my t.v., forget and don't care to water my plants, watch all my t.v. shows including the 10 o'clock pm. news on channel 2, and I put on a sweater when I get chilled instead of a hoodie.
(the hood bothers the back of my hair)

I've crossed over. That's whats happened. (hey, remember Crossing Over, the television show starring John Edward, who was a tv psychic type guy who talked to the audience's dead relatives? Whatever happened to that bloke? I'm not English, am I allowed to use the word bloke?)
Anyways, I'm rambling on. This is a rambling post to say, I got nothing, mostly boring junk, but I didn't want you all to miss me so I hurried up an typed a post.

You Capture Challenge-SPRING

This weeks photo challenge was titled Spring which would have been an easy subject had the weather cooperated with my need to capture the hope, the promise and essence of what spring represents to me. The spring depicted and that I have lusted after in Northwest Indiana since the last heavy snowfall and the last school closing, you too may know THAT SPRING. The one held out at an arm's length. I dub thee, NotSpringYet.

The day I brought home the bare stems of the daffodils that were sold through work to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days spring sale, I stuck the bunches in my purse dodging a rainstorm. The next morning after I had plopped them into a vase immersed in cool water, they all burst open, surprising me in the morning with their sunny bonneted faces. I had bought my mother a bunch too, and called her to see if she was met with the same sunny disposition with her bouquet. She was.

But the weather, OH the weather! While my happy little bunch basked in the early afternoon sun, yesterday’s rainstorm turned to plump and heavy snowflakes. I didn’t dare look outside. I avoided it. So instead of heading out to capture some outdoor springtime in my lens, I snapped the bouquet of promise in my living room as the afternoon sun peeked through those snowflakes and the slats of my wooden blinds.
I can't decide which one I liked the best. Which is your favorite?

Wishful Irish Dancer

Every since I saw the stage show Riverdance a few weeks ago, I’ve been playing the CD we bought at the show. The music is lifting, gets my energy moving and my feet want to dance.
I can’t dance.
I don’t know how to tap, but I took years of ballet as a youth.
Wish as I might, my legs don’t want to flail around like those Irish dancers.
I’m not Irish.
I detest corned beef and cabbage.
But I kind of like sauerkraut, which is sour cabbage.
Potatoes? Take em or leave em.
Except chips. And dip.
My favorite color is green though.
But that doesn’t help with the dancing thing.
I don’t believe in leprechauns.
Have you seen one?
The dude on the box of Lucky Charms doesn’t count.
I do like Lucky Charms, especially the little marshmallows.
I bet they don’t eat LC in a real Irish Pub.
I’ve never been to a pub. That I know of.
I’ve been to bars that try to act like a pub.
Without the Irish music and the fish-n-chips.
St. Patrick was Irish.
He drove the snakes out of Ireland.
I’m not that afraid of snakes.
I say that now, because I’m not face to face with one.
If I were, I’d probably drive them out of my way.
That doesn’t make me a saint.
Pretty far from sainthood I am.
I wonder if Pat danced all straight and tall, stomping.
Stomping on the snakes.
This is a strange post. Not that my readers will be driven away.
Like the snakes.
My readers are just a few, no matter what I write or don’t write.
I’m back to dancing again.
I bet that would be good exercise. If I could find an over 50 Non Irish dancing class to join.
I promise if you stick around, I won’t ramble like this.
Maybe.