Happy New Year

Much has happened between now and the time I last posted.

I feel like I’ve been sick for way too long. From dealing with muscle issues in my back for a couple of months to catching a cold on Christmas night. It finally feels good to have the old me back.

A big Happy New Year shout out from our home to yours!

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Little reminders from the last couple of months.

This friendly reminder was shot at the salon. A nice reminder that shows how they love to treat their customers.

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A nice reminder of my love for putting all things Christmas up on the day after Halloween. Better known as November 1st. It makes perfect sense to enjoy those evenings when the time change hits and makes the world dark before it should.

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The best reminder of family. We traveled to see family for thanksgiving. What a special treat to have my two siblings, all nieces and nephews. Our nephew and his new bride. Our nephew and his fiancé, mom and dad and my grandma. Talk about great memories with family, it doesn’t get any better.

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A reminder as I was getting ready to have my bookclub friends over to discuss our 2016 schedule.

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A reminder of the morning beverages for the girls.

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And a little reminder of the fruit bowl and other morning snacks (brownies and biscotti) on the dining room table. Following our morning meeting, we girls headed to Olive Garden for a wonderful lunch and more fellowship.

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A reminder of the hubs amazing smoked brisket over his 2 week Christmas holiday. Loved spending those two weeks together around home sweet home.

While I don’t have a photo of the amazing chili he made with the brisket leftovers, I will never forget how wonderful it was. I rank it as the best chili ever made.

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I don’t have a reminder picture of the fish we purchased for our pond, but I’ll never forget that wonderful experience with the hubs over Christmas. If you are reading this, My Love, Thank You!

A reminder of carolers on Christmas day.

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A pretty reminder of where we sat enjoying our Christmas dinner. The view of ice-skating beneath the palm trees with an ocean view, what a delight.

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A beautiful reminder of how we stayed until nearly sunset. We savored desert and slowly ever so slowly sipping my coffee while visiting with the hubs and taking in the view.

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Approximately 2 hours after our Christmas dinner, I told the hubs “I feel a sore throat coming on”. And on the morning of December 26th, I woke  to a sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy head sort of cold. The sort of cold where the hubs dropped everything and took care of me. After the 1st week, I told the hubs, “This feels like a 3 week cold”. Turns out, it was a 3 week cold.

A reminder of how pretty it was one morning as the sun came up. Especially since it rained the day before. A reminder of how the hubs made me promise to stay inside while I was sick. A reminder of my view from the sofa where I sat feeling miserable from my cold that morning. A reminder that I obeyed and took this image from inside the house. Thank you for taking care of me, My Love. And bringing medicine to me when I did not feel like moving. You’re the BEST!

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Our New Years Reminder – I was still sick, but we watched the ball drop at Times Square, per usual. We kissed, yes, the hubs kisses me, even when I’m sick. And wished each other a Happy New Year. And chose to get an early start on sleep that night. No staying up for us until the New Year on the west coast, when we can watch it ring in on the east coast.

While I only have a few reminders in picture form, I’m thankful for the blessings of family, love and feeling back to my old self again.

Happy New Year!

Blessings – Debbie

To Blaze a Trail

On our last day, we decided it would be a good idea to take an early morning hike.

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It was worth taking a time out from time to time.

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Hey ~ Hey!

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Sisters are special and having them for nieces is extra special.

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Another spot to note…

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What happens when we reach a locked gate? Find a way around…

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And when you reach an old car, naturally, you stop to capture the moment.

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Some run ahead…

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While I capture the moment.

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After our cool spring morning walk, we girls hit up Starbucks for a nice treat.

And to wrap up our day, we could not think of a better way to end our day, than to enjoy dinner by the beach.

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A great time was had by all…

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And there is something to be said about our evening visit around the campfire.

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What a great way to spend one on one time with the girls.

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And that concludes spring break, 2015.

Blessings – Debbie

The Queen’s Tea

Picking up where I left off on the girls spring break.

Following our day in La Jolla, we decided to have a fun “girl” day. So we made reservations at Tea Upon Chatsworth for High Tea.

The Queen’s Tea to be exact. The description goes something like this. Our platinum 2 hour, 4-course tea service with 12 items with unlimited pots of premium loose-leaf tea.

What a special memory shared with the girls who have a fond love for tea.

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Our table setting as we arrived.

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Deciding on her flavor of tea.

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Making her decision too.

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Then adding a brown sugar cube with a little stir.

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And the best part, enjoying a spot of tea.

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Each little bite was goodness.

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And time well spent.

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We conclude that every girl should take time to enjoy her tea. I love that this was my first “official tea” with our nieces, who’ve been steeped with tea parties since they were just bitty.

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After tea, we made a stop at the nearby beach. Point Loma to be exact.

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What a picture perfect day with the girls.

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I have just one more post to conclude spring break. I’ll be back!

Blessings – Debbie

Another Day of Spring Break Play

Up first, a visit to Thyme in The Ranch. A great little place for an early lunch with the girls.

I found this place on Yelp, a long time ago. And the day I went, it was closed. So I kept it in mind and thought it would be a fun place to take the girls. We give it 5 stars!

Our selfie on the patio.

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Next up, we were off to La Jolla to see the seals.

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We strolled along the shore and took a few time outs to enjoy each view.

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Another time out.

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Another.

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And another.

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Um…This shot is a bit silly. We had no idea the kissing couple was there on the steps, that is, until I uploaded the images. So their (the girls) silly expressions (not knowing about the couple) and the perfect way niece #1 has her hand, well I find it downright hysterical.

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We spy a baby.

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Having a friendly little visit.

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We have two sweet visitors (the girls) who are up close with exactly what they were here to see.

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How fun to explore this place.

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A lot more seals to see.

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And beautiful cliffs to admire.

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I’ll say our day was picture perfect. And our evening lit up with BBQ from our favorite BBQ joint. Followed with fun and games thru the evening hours.

Still more spring break to follow…

Blessings – Debbie

Catalina Island

Our nieces spring break, continued as promised.

The next day, we were off to Catalina Island.

Getting ready to board the Catalina Express (boat) directly behind us. Such fun to make a little 1 hour and 15 min. journey across the ocean to the island.

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As we approached Catalina, we passed the Carnival Imagination docked at the island. It made our boat feel so small.

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Once we arrived, we decided to do a little walk about to search for lunch. We decided to stop at the first place that called our name. A seaside lunch seemed the perfect choice.

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Our view was spectacular!

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And lunch was so yummy.

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With full tummies, we were off on our next great adventure. We rented a golf cart, such that we could cover a lot of territory.

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And territory did we ever cover. Love my nieces panorama!

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We made a stop at the Wrigley Memorial.

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What a great place to visit.

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And much to explore. The girls loved the doors, me too!

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It’s hard to take everything in in one day. But we sure gave it our best shot.

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Back to our cart to cover a little more ground.

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And stopped at will to enjoy the views and take images of selfies in progress.

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With the time we had left, we stopped for a cool beverage and made time for a little souvenir shopping for the girls. They each picked up a Catalina shirt and a couple of things for a special friend.

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The end of our glorious day on Catalina, but I have more spring break to cover.

To be continued…

Blessings – Debbie

Boarded

Alert – All photos contributed by cell phones in this post.

Followed by (6) !!!!!!  exclamations. This is the exact text we received from our twin nieces on the morning of March 14th.

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So we quickly took a shot and sent it back to them. Me in my jammies and all.

We said “Sweet, can’t wait to see you!”

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And so the girls official spring break and our quality time with the girls began.

The hubs and me on our way to pick them up!

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The next morning, we girls were up and at ’em before the hubs. So we started in on coffee first thing on the patio.

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But the hubs didn’t sleep in too late, as we all had a date! And off to visit Coronado Island and the Hotel Del was our first stop.

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We were going to have an early lunch right here on the patio. But the wait for them to open was like an hour and a half.

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So we piled in the car and headed to Mission Beach for a little lunch on the pacific. We took note of the Tsunami sign in route.

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While there, we had a little stroll along the pacific and down this cool pier.

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What a pretty day to visit San Diego.

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Another fun stop was Trader Joe’s. I felt pretty special, as I’m the first one to introduce them to this fine establishment. We came home with two great bags of chips, a couple different flavors of humus and a few other fun goodies to snack on during the week.

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To be continued…

Blessings – Debbie

1/52 – Fresh

So I joined a project 52 group this year. Basically, we as a group take an image a week (based on the theme) and present our images.

I’m really excited to be a part of the group as I feel it will offer inspiration and the drive to get out there and shoot.

This past week, our theme was “Fresh”.

I was inspired to keep it simple and shoot something that had everything to do with the week.

“Fresh” flowers from the garden for family arriving from Alaska.

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The hubs sister and her husband from Alaska. Image shot in the rain this morning just before we said good-bye. We had a wonderful visit with them this week. Some of the highlights = Cheesecake Factory – Lunch date with the hubs (he had to work this week) – Visit to the local library – Strolls in the neighborhood – Evening visits – Farmers market – Japanese Garden – Oceanside dinner – Hike along the scenic lake and mountains – Afternoon tea at the local tea house…

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The hubs woke violently ill yesterday. And a drive to Urgent Care was necessary. After an IV laced with Zofran and 5 hours later, he was feeling much better. Fortunately, he is on the mend and not contagious at this stage.

Now I’m looking forward to a new week and a new photography project challenge. Should be fun.

Blessings – Debbie

Happy New Year

I’m still here!

Whew tho, I have a lot of catching up to do over the last couple of months. So I’ll try to make it as brief as possible.

November was pretty packed, as I was learning a lot (in school) about using the paintbrush and tools in Photoshop. That’s when things began to fall off my plate. Like the blog, unfortunately.

And things were added to my plate.

I joined the girls for a day trip up to Rogers Gardens. It was great way to step away from my school work. It was the best distraction and just what I needed to kick off the Christmas season.

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After my much needed day away, it was time to refocus on school work. The image below is one of the two paintings I finished in Photoshop.

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Then Thanksgiving rolled around. We dined at the Hotel Del.

The view from our table.

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Everything was cooked to perfection.

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After dinner, we watched some ice skating beneath the blue sky and palm trees.

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And we took a selfie to remember the day.

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Then it was time to plan for our annual Christmas party. Hors d’Oeuvres, dinner, white elephant gift exchange, and a bonfire with s’mores – those were the highlights of the party. But it was our friends that made the party so special. If I remember correctly, we had 14 guests in all.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t take that many  pictures. But the Starbucks mug with gift card was a big hit.

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By this time, the month of December was in full swing. And the churn of my busy schedule kept right on churning.

We had a lot of rain and I found that to calm my nerves as I planned my next and final school project. I had to give a speech. There was a lot of planning and the hubs helped out so much with my powerpoint presentation. He’s the BEST! Then I rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed some more. Finally the day came (mid December) and I was ready to present to the class my evolution and passion for art From Crayons to Photography.

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And then, as time marched on, we only had one weekend to do our annual Christmas newsletter. I was inspired after all the rain to take an image of our ornament in a puddle. Turns out, we liked it so much that we made it our 2014 Christmas card. The only regret, we did not have a lot of time to review our newsletter and we found some type o’s. For shame!

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Finally, we got to relax while the December dust settled. And I found the time to put my nose in a book called Delicious by Ruth Reichl. What a great read!

Our dear neighbors brought the most delectable plate of homemade yumminess over on Christmas Eve. What a treat!

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Soon it was time to celebrate Christmas.

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The hubs and I, along with our friend went back to the Hotel Del for Christmas dinner.

The image below was taken on our stroll along the pacific after dinner.

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I kicked my shoes off to enjoy the soft sand between my toes.

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And to check out this sandcastle.

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A close up – it truly was a marvelous work of art, all the way around.

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Our friend came back to the house to spend the late afternoon and early evening visiting.  And we watched The Christmas Story together.

Then, the hubs and I found ourselves alone and made a mad dash for jammies!

Our Christmas picture later that evening.

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On the day after Christmas, we decided it was time to put all the decorations away for another year. It actually took 1.5 days to get everything put away, cleaned up and back to normal.

The only thing resembling Christmas, are the candy-canes tucked in the bud vase.

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I’m ready for the New Year. And ready to add more things to my plate. Like family/company coming from Alaska this weekend and the blog and other things of importance.

Until next time – Happy New Year and many blessings to you this year…

Blessings – Debbie

August

August 2014 was filled with so much. And I could not seem to get my act together on the blog. So I didn’t. And things snowballed. So here I am, ready to post at  bit about the month of August before it’s too late.

Painting – Guest Bedroom and Hallway

Actually, the painting project started the end of July and into early August. I was so excited to get another two rooms painted. Many thanks to the hubs for helping with the clearing and then the setting things back up in the rooms.

Paint color is BEHR – Summer Bliss – P280-1″

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Baby Brother and Sis-in-law visit –

Mid August, we had company!

This image has already been used on the blog. But for the sake of this post, I’m using it again.

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Another visit –

Our friend from Phoenix came to San Diego to cool off a bit. We enjoyed breakfast by the beach last weekend.

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Banana Banana Bread – 

This bread gets a slot for the month of August, because I made it three different times for family and friends.

2 1/3 cups or 5 bananas is the equivalent that went into my loaf. That’s a lot of bananas. Thus the title of the recipe – Banana Banana Bread. I love how moist and yummy it is right out of the oven. Or toasted the next morning. Either way, it holds that yummy moist soft texture, no matter how you slice it.

This loaf was made for my friend visiting from Canada. We still have another lunch get-together this week.

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Class – 

My photography class is in full swing. I’m happy to report it’s my absolute favorite class, ever.

I was a little nervous the dean would cancel our class due to a lack of students. As it turns out, we are good to go! I’m (selfishly) excited about having a small group, as we are able to get a lot more one-on-one time during the lab with the instructor.

Love the new Tervis set my bro gave us (from his company), I take this guy to class all the time.

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I got a bit overwhelmed when the instructor wanted us to get used to using the Wacom in class. I’ve heard about this cool tool, but it was my first hands on experience. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a graphics tablet you hook to the computer. You draw on the tablet and it creates the drawing in your computer program.

Basically, I had some major arguments going on with the tool. It was hard to get used to performing different functions when there seemed to be a lot to remember. So I put it right back on the shelf and went back to using my mouse in class. At least I was able to keep up in class.

When I told the hubs all about it and not being able to keep up in class, he dropped what he was doing and ordered one for me right there on the spot that evening. And I had it in my hands in less than 48 hours!

Believe me, by the time class rolls around this week, I won’t need anyone to twist my arm for a Wacom in class.

The features of my Wacom Intuos Pro Medium are mind blowing. I’ve listed some of the cool features below.

  • Quickly and professionally edit photos and create digital artwork using natural pen control
  • Wireless accessory kit included
  • 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity in both pen tip and eraser
  • 8 customizable application specific Express Keys
  • Multi-function touch ring with 4 customizable functions

And I’ve already taken some of the most amazing webinars this weekend and set up my tablet with the express key functions that gel with what I like to use the most. I’m sure in time, I’ll take the liberty to change those functions as I grow-up in Photoshop.

While I’m not a Wacom genius, I’m learning that I can take the art of photography to a level beyond my wildest dreams. I’m so pumped!

And I look forward to sharing my assignments with you this semester. Stay tuned!

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Labor Day Weekend – 

We’re taking this 4-day time off together and getting a few things accomplished around the house.

The key ingredient at the top of our list is rest. Lots of rest.

We’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen with our dueling knives. Homemade guacamole is in the house! Served fresh daily…I don’t kid about stuff like this.

Friday evening, we checked out some old cars. I think these sort of things could be an interesting subject for an assignment due mid September. Who knows, we may go back next week for more fun and pictures.

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And for now –

  • I’m happy getting a few things from August on the blog.
  • Looking forward to un-labor-day tomorrow. Wait, I think we may spend a bit of time working. But if we’re doing what we love, it may cancel work altogether.
  • Loving on the plumeria our neighbors brought over for us today. What a special gift.
  • And I still can’t believe tomorrow is September 1st already! Somebody pinch me.

September 1st is my sign to start ringing in the season! It’s truly my favorite time of the year.

Then again, we had a glorious summer. Perhaps it’s that pumpkin spice latte time of the year that I begin to crave.

At any rate, I’m ready to embrace September, autumn and the season that I love so much. In fact, I had a little Christmas tree visit with the hubs today.

But first things first…Enjoy Autumn and that pumpkin spice latte. And the Holidays will unfold in due time.

Blessings – Debbie

When Company Comes

My baby brother and sis-in-law arrived at noon (in San Diego) from the east coast, one week ago today. What a treat!

An outdoor lunch (by the beach) at the Hotel Del was in order.

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Day 2 – We gave them the scenic tour of our surrounding areas. My sis-in-law shot this stunning image from Point Loma.

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Brother and sis enjoy Point Loma.

There are days I wish I had taken more images, but the memories we made are priceless.

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On over to Balboa Park – image of the Japanese Gardens. The only image I took in the beautiful park.

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Day 3 – The couple took off for a day-trip in San Diego. They enjoyed breakfast on the harbor, strolled thru Seaport Village, took a 2 hour boat cruise, had lunch on the water and enjoyed their day.

Day 4 – We all took a little drive up into the mountains to visit the town of Julian.

The lama on the street corner was pretty cool.

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And hot fresh apple pie, it’s what we came for.

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Served up with cinnamon ice-cream. Good eating under a nice shade tree.

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We all got a little chuckle over the signs out front of one of the shops.

True story – The gal running the place asked us (after we took our shots) to refrain from taking pictures. We may or may not have wanted to meet her family – read signs below. All in good humor, of course.

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Sis with a bear cap…Truly a fun family day of shopping.

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Day 5 – Enjoyed spending a bit of time in La Jolla – What a beautiful hilly seaside community. Cute couple too!

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And then we went to our favorite spot (Jake’s restaurant in Del Mar) on the ocean for dinner. My salmon dish was so good. And everyone’s plate was equally as good. And we declare they serve the best calamari on the face of the earth. Amen.

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After dinner picture at the homestead.

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Day 6 – The day we said goodbye. But the memories will stay with us forever.

Day 7 & 8 – I’m still trying to find myself. On day 7, I had two naps. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. And we were in bed by 9:30PM. A sign we had a lot of fun this week.

On a good note – I’m caught up on the laundry, the garden was given much TLC this morning and the weekend will be here soon.

Blessings – Debbie

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

Note: this post was written yesterday (Tuesday), I just forgot to post it.

The last two weeks have been off.

Two weeks ago today our nephew had just finished up his visit with us. I still can’t wait to blog about his trip! And I dropped him off at the airport to go back home, two weeks ago today.

It was one of those down days after saying good-bye to my buddy. And when the hubs came home that evening, I got an extra long hug. and a few tears trickled down my cheeks.

One week ago today, the hubs was on a business trip and I was home learning of the news that there were fires in our area. Believe it or not, the hubs “in Indy” is how I learned of the fires. If it were up to me, my head would be in the sand, without a clue. It turned out to be a pretty crazy week.

But It’s a new week. This time around I’m trying to get back into the swing of things.

It’s a good week. And the hubs kicked off our Monday, inviting me for a lunch date. I truly love lunch dates.

And I find relaxation by the edge of the pond.

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The babies are almost a year old and they are changing color by the min it seems. I can’t believe we have a “blue” goldfish. How did that happen?

They are fighting over a piece of food, but somebody gave up, turned around and begged for more. Are they spoiled or what?

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#1 Reason I scratched tomatoes off my grocery list this week. We hope to have good luck in the garden this year.

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Check out the tassels on the sweet corn! How exciting is that?

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I’m thankful for the these little things. The things we enjoy around house and home. It’s the things that bring delight.

Cheers to getting back into the swing of things.

Blessings – Debbie

Let There be Cheesecake + Projects

After a week filled with progress and change around the home, it was nice to chill this weekend. Plus it was good for the hubs to get his rest to shake that nasty cold.

It was good to have friends (Julz and Jerry) stop by Saturday evening for a nice visit.

And do you know what they did? They brought us some chocolate cheesecake…

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From The Cheesecake Factory. Now that right there is Sweet Love!

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And over the weekend the hubs and I spent time in the garden and spent some more time at the local “Home Depot”.

I picked up a boatload of color samples for the guest bath.

Then came home and scattered the paper samples all over the bathroom. And spent a day picking out 5 different samples that I thought would work in the room.

Then went back to the Home Depot and picked up the samples of paint and splashed it in swatches over the walls.

And guess what happened next? Well it seemed to take a split second to decide which one I liked the best. And I was astounded with how easy the choice was in this room.

And then I asked the hubs what he thought about the one I liked the best and he agreed with my first choice. Let the joy-bells ring!

So folks, this is the room where I will be spending quality time this week.

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And I plan to tackle those baseboards with paint while I’m at it.

Fingers crossed it makes my heart sing in the end.

Until next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Happiness is

Happiness is – Changing plans for my outdoor garden party when our beautiful weather turned cool and rainy. My party of 12 ladies enjoyed laughter, visits and friendship.

Unfortunately this is the only image I have to show for the ladies luncheon yesterday. It does make me a little sad that I don’t have pictures to remember our day.

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Happiness is – a tiny begonia in full bloom.

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Happiness is – Taking more than one picture of the plant, just because.

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Happiness is – Receiving this lovely vase of roses from my neighbors garden.

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And finding the right spot to enjoy them this weekend.

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Happiness is – Wisteria in full bloom this time of the year. I sure wish I could bottle the aroma.

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Happiness is – Picking a rose from the garden for my bud vase.

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I spy an Egret! How about you?

Happiness is – Having the new alligator head in the pond to prevent this guy from helping himself to our fish. I decided to watch him today to see what he would do. He definitely seemed bothered as he made quite a commotion. After 3 or so minutes, he flew away.

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Happiness is – Seeing a grasshopper for the second time this week. This guy crossed my path today and I decided to shoot him too. Makes me happy.

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Happiness is – Getting a 3 day weekend with my love. That makes me so very happy.

Happiness is – Feeling blessed…

Blessings – Debbie

Two Weeks Ago

Two weeks ago yesterday (Saturday, February 22) we celebrated “BIG”.

Our longtime friends came to town! All the way over from the East Coast.

Al was on business, but they had Saturday wide open.

So we invited them over to spend the day.

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We spent the beautiful day on the patio.

  • Enjoyed BBQ Brisket with all the fixins for lunch
  • Had the best conversation
  • Sipped coffee in the afternoon with cookies
  • Strolled thru the garden
  • And I just didn’t want this day to end…

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The hubs played chess and backgammon with this sweetheart, who just turned 7 a few weeks ago.

I was completely smitten with the little cutie and awestruck with his focus on the game.

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While it’s been years and years (about 6 & 1/2) since our last visit, we agreed not to let so many years pass ’til we meet again.

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The beauty of a true friendship, is that we can pick-up right where we left off. And go on, as if time stood still.

Blessings – Debbie

Company’s Coming

And the place is a MESS!

But when a girl gets a last minute phone call from a girlfriend she hasn’t seen in 7 years. And her friend states she and her family will be in town (San Diego) over the weekend. A girl drops everything and opens her home no matter what shape it is in.

So the boys were back to work (yesterday) digging out that hill (left side of image).

Next goes the retaining wall.

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The boys also picked up the pavers as we want to have a nice flat surface all the way thru.

Here’s the view earlier this week, notice the pavers?

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Image below shows that the pavers were lifted + we had some areas that were no longer level so it was a perfect time to start again with a fresh clean slate.

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After the retaining wall goes up. They will add gravel for the foundation, then add the sand over the top of the gravel to provide a nice even surface for the pavers.

One of the big workhorses for this project is the new duel wheel, wheelbarrow.

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What a heavy load!

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Next up. I wanted to share a picture of the strawberries we planted last weekend. We “hope” to keep the birds out. And to get a nice little bounty for ourselves. We’ll see…

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My geranium makes me so happy! I can see it from the kitchen, and it seems to be happy in the garden. New buds are beginning to blossom.

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On that note. I have a house to clean, laundry to tend and friends coming over tomorrow.

I’m one happy girl looking forward to the weekend.

Blessings – Debbie