About Last Week

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Debbie

Greetings from Home – It was so good to get home to my love.

Azaleas – The azaleas were loaded with all sorts of buds when I left to be with my family and say our final goodbyes to grandma.

And this is the pretty sight I came home to a week ago. On top of that, the hubs gave first class treatment as I was one pretty jet-lagged wifey.

The wisteria was just like the azalea. As in it was loaded with all sorts of buds before my trip. And now it’s in full, sweet aroma bloom!

Hurricane Weather – So the hubs told me of the hurricane like weather he had (with an eye and everything) while I was away. Check out what it did to the plant holder. Yes, that plant holder is buried in concrete and still secure at the base.

Last Thursday, March 6th. I had my girlfriend (Julz) over for coffee. We shared bagels and coffee on the patio and caught up with what was going on in each others lives. I was also privileged to have a look see at her new house. What a pretty place and I can’t wait ’til I get to see the inside – They have not closed on the house yet…

I cherish moments like this.

How sweet of her to bring the beautiful succulent (I love succulents!) and thoughtful card.

Sprouts – We planted our little vegetable garden (in the bay window) several weeks ago. Everything looks good so far.

Not Quite Before & Not Quite After (image) – Saturday, we worked on this area. We removed several roses, agave bushes and large succulents. And the hubs even removed several massive roots. This is the spot on the upper terrace where we’ve planned our little vegetable garden – coming soon!

Who knew we could use so many wheelbarrows around here? We have 3. This old one so happened to be on the upper terrace, so it’s the one I used.

I found homes for the roses and a few of the succulents. But there were some things that I had no use for. Perhaps one day I’ll regret getting rid of this stuff…

It’s SPRINGTIME – Been waiting for you to roll around, March 9th! I gladly give that hour back. That’s what I posted on Facebook Sunday and I have enjoyed the change ever since…Cheers to change!

Motives Motivate – I’ve had motives to get rid of all the fish in the pond. Motives like – I want prettier fish. Who’s to say what prettier is, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So in this case, “I” consider the Shubunkins prettier than what we currently have.

But the thing that really motivated me is when our beautiful “Shubunkin” was taken. Now all I want are Shubunkins.

And I don’t want to cross breed, so I have motives to have the same fish. Thus the motivation to get rid of what we have.

I’m talking with an adoption agency (AKA – the place where I purchased the goldfish last year) to see if they would be willing to come scoop out all the fish + the babies. And take them back with the promise that I will purchase our Shubunkins from them. I’m motivated to make this happen soon – Fingers crossed…

But there is one fish to remain. It’s this pretty fish with beautiful fins. It’s the only shubunkin in the pond.

I’m currently waiting on a call back to see if they (the pond store) is up to the task of removing all the fish and babies.

To be continued…

Blessings – Debbie

Two Weeks Ago

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Debbie

Two weeks ago today (February 23), right around this time of morning, I received word that my grandma passed away.

While the news came as no surprise, I was sad to receive it.

But I’m thankful for the priceless memories that will always be tucked in my heart.

Grandma was loved by all who knew her
Her smile was a constant
Her eyes have always held a very special twinkle
She always had a spring in her step. I declare she tried to answer her front door between the ding and the dong.
She was the best hostess ever! When I was a child, she always and I mean ALWAYS had a huge stash of homemade orange and red popsicles for her grandchildren. And homemade cookies too. Those two things were the constant staples I remember growing up.
She loved Wendy’s frosty’s. I had one in her honor while I was in town.
And she loved cleaning all the meat on her chicken bones. I too love to clean my bones! It runs in the family.
Her home was cleaner than Martha Stewart’s and I guarantee dust bunnies were non existent in her home.
She loved to laugh and I can still hear her laughter in my ears.

I’m blessed to have a bank of special memories made with my grandparents. An image of us back in the “good ole days” – the year 1997.

Two weeks ago today, the hubs secured airline tickets for me to go be with my family.

And I left San Diego headed for the East Coast, Tuesday, February 25th.

My baby bro picked me up at the airport and this sweet guy and my nieces, gave up their bedroom for me.

Family members began to stream in and it was good to be surrounded with the love of family.

My grandparents had 4 children – My mom is the pretty lady on the left. And my pretty aunt on the right. And my handsome uncles are in the back. 🙂

Celebrating the life of grandma and sharing memories was a great way to say “goodbye grandma, rest in peace.”

Sisters gathered flowers…

Cousins catching up – Grandma had 21 grandchildren. That’s my baby bro on the left and cousin with his new bride on the right. Love how she adores him.

Just a handful of grandma’s “42” great-grandchildren. WOW!

This sweet great-granddaughter captured my undivided attention. Such a sweetie. Grandma also had a great-great-granddaughter. She and her mom and dad were not able to make it.

My sweet aunt. This is the smile I remember.

My baby cousin.

Grandma’s oldest grandson and her great-grandson. I won’t go into too much detail, but oldest grandson spilled his cup and great-grandson photo bombed as I went to shoot my cousin cleaning up his mess. You had to be there for how that all went down…

My twin nieces and nephew…

My nephews…

After spending time with family, I returned back to “My Love” a week ago Saturday (Feburary 1st).

As I sum up my trip, I’m left with good memories. We’re a great big family filled with love and we’ll cary on with laughter from generation to generation. We’re blessed.

Blessings – Debbie

Six Days of Confession – Day 3

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Debbie

As the days go by, I’m surprised how easy it is to stay focused. I think it has something to do with being accountable to the blog.

My bro-in-law made his famous Swedish pancakes + bacon for the family this morning. I know they were as good as the last time I tasted his creation. This time, I had to pass. Instead, I had chobani yogurt, with the added crunch of Fiber One.

The hubs smoked this big guy (12.5 lb turkey) in the “Big Green Egg” this afternoon. We also served baked potatoes + roasted zucchini and squash + roasted Brussels sprouts + rolls. I had all the above minus the rolls = So Yummy!

Then, the rest of the family had a little apple pie a la mode. I served it up and while the guests satisfied their sweet tooth, I started in on the cleaning of the kitchen.

And then made a cup of coffee for myself to top off the lovely day.

Wow, I’m half way thru the “Six Days of Confession” and doing much better than I expected.

Cheers!

Blessings – Debbie

Six Days of Confession – Day 2

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Debbie

I confess – blogging every day seems a bit monumental while spending precious time with our out of town guests (the hubs sister and bro-in-law).

And I confess, I did not use my nice camera yesterday. I don’t know how I forgot it. And it kinda bums me out.

But the blog and confession must go on! So I got up this morning at 6:30, to post about confession Day 2 (yesterday).

Our morning was filled with long visits, garden strolls, coffee, tea and breakfast.

I confess, we went out to lunch. And our table ordered this appetizer. And I was the only person at the table keeping my paws “out” of the yummy spinach artichoke dip and chips.

The hubs sis trying one of his sweet potato fries.

And the bro-in-law sampling one of the hubs shrimp.

And the hubs confirming his shrimp po’ boy was amazing per usual.

And I enjoyed this nice bowl of black bean soup. And we all enjoyed the patio dining.

Then we were off to Point Loma.

It’s such a pretty place to take in the views of San Diego and beyond.

Too cute!

And then we were off to the other side of Point Loma – where the ocean meets the cliffs. Actually, the tide was out…

And nice enough to hike down to see the tide pools.

Down – down – down…

While we had a bit of a chilly day, we certainly enjoyed the sights and each other.

Then we were off – Passing thru Harbor Drive.

And snapping pix of whatever grabbed my attention.

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And over the Coronado island bridge, I snapped a pic.

And we moved along to Hotel Del – one of the places we love to visit.

Anytime I see sandcastles on the beach, I have to take my shoes off to see what the fuss is about.

I like the detail…

And watching the artist carve love into his masterpiece.

What a pretty ending to our day.

What’s more? Well you know that car, the one everyone in your car is talking about? The one that stands out more than the rest? Well this is the car we chimed in stating it had the best paint job on the road. I secretly think its owned by an artist.

Then we headed back home. Visited some more, enjoyed a nice healthy salad for dinner and more guests (our daughter and her boyfriend) arrived after 9pm.

And more visiting, laughter and family love carried on thru the late evening hours.

This ends Confession – Day 2.

Blessings – Debbie

Family Days in Florida

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Debbie

This post is going to be a bag of family images during the week stay in FL. I still have so many images to process. But for now, I’m ready to get a few out there.

A few of the things we did that week = had the famous roast beef sunday dinner at mom and dad’s, with the family. I got to play with my nieces hair, did their nails, got plenty of rest, played poker, played backgammon, enjoyed a nice river dinner out with my little brother and his wife (my big bro was not in town as early as we were for this), enjoyed Cold Stone, went to Bass Pro with the family, enjoyed pumpkin pie every day from Thanksgiving – December 1st, purchased fudge, went to visit my grandma, aunt and uncle + cousins, enjoyed lunch with my aunt + uncle + their family + my mom = a total of 11 of us family members, had dinner with friends, went shopping with mom, I’m a heavy on the olives kinda gal and had all of the olives on my Thanksgiving plate disappear from a certain brother :), helped mom with Thanksgiving preparations, enjoyed a dinner out with just my parents, enjoyed watching my parents get surprised by one of the twins (she said she was not able to come as she’s in the middle of exams following Thanksgiving = she lives in Washington), having her there made our family complete, I got to take amazing pix of everyone, enjoyed a big family dinner with everyone at my little bro’s (guy on the far right of the first image in this post), met quite a few of my nieces and nephew’s friends, visited my parents church and enjoyed listening to our nephew play the piano and sing during service, talked to my nephew about coming out to Cali, to take his Sr pix this year and much much more.

Meet the family

My two siblings + parents. My older bro on left, he’s a year older than me and my baby bro on right, he’s a year and 1/2 younger than me. Feeling blessed to be right smack dab in the middle.

Pop and me

I love how he just cracks me up!

My niece all the way from Washington State.

And her twin sis in Florida.

And their baby bro – He’s the senior who mentioned coming out to So Cal for me to take his senior pix in the spring.

My nephew from North Carolina

And his little brother from North Carolina – This guy is also a senior this year. And he’s also the nephew who plays the piano and sings.

While enjoying the cool of the evening with friends, aunt Deb (that would be me) told the girls to “work it ~ work it” I just love the result!

Our three nephews – There is never a dull moment with the fam. As you can see, the proof is in the pudding.

My nephew and his buddy – Boy’s certainly know how to work it too!

When friends arrive late one evening – Hot chocolate + a bon fire in the backyard, made for the best way to spend the time with friends.

Here we have pops enjoying the cool evening hours as I was out shooting the grandkids. It is then when they brought my attention to grandpa. As this shot begged to be taken.

I don’t know where the funny bone genes came from, but I think you are looking at two possible candidates.

There are a lot more images to share from our Florida travels. But I’ll leave you with our Thanksgiving dinner picture, gathered ’round. I love my family and so thankful we could all be together. Even if my little bro took all my olives. 😉

Blessings – Debbie

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Debbie

Apparently that is how far behind I am on the blog. And I say it’s time to do a little catching up, before this gets out of hand.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, (November 23rd) the hubs and I were off to spend Thanksgiving with the family in Florida.

What we did to pass the time on the long flight from coast to coast.

And I was thinking how cool it was going to be to see the folks that evening.

A little layover with a latte in Atlanta = Perfection!

All set for our sunset flight, down to south Florida.

It’s taxi to the runway time.

And we flew into the sunset.

One of my favorite shots of the day was the sunset + contrail from a jet plane.

All images and collages (documenting our little trip) were created with my cell and collage apps on the cell phone. I can’t express the amount of fun it was creating images = the time went by so fast.

The end of the first day.

Blessings – Debbie

Keep Calm and Blog On

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Debbie

That’s what one tells them-self, when said person is a bit more than two weeks behind on the blog.

When one needs to keep calm, it never hurts to have an extra cup of coffee. So I did.

And with this post, I thought it would be nice to say a few blurbs of what’s been going on around here. Sprinkled with a smattering of photos, to keep things real.

Things like – Taking an image of our hard work, what a beautiful wood pile. The hubs did the chopping and I did the stacking. A great big cheers to having that job finished and we will celebrate with many a fire in the fire-pit in the coming days/years.

We started hiking the hood again.

I especially love hiking, just before sunset with the hubs.

I’m back to painting the walls in the house.

Do you know that Christmas music has filled the space in our home, going on 3 weeks? I admit, this is a first. I really don’t know what’s into me, but Christmas is in the air and I feel it. And I’m shopping for a new Christmas tree. I think I found just the one. This is not a non-sequitur people. It has everything to do with painting, as it truly filled the air with every brushstroke and roll of paint with the roller.

Below – A finished image of the family room. The paint color is Behr – Summer Bliss

Don’t mind the stuff on the window ledges, I didn’t have everything back in place when I took this image.

After painting a couple of days in the family room, I took a two-day rest. And I read for two days. The great news = I finished the book for my book club meeting this month.

Fry – Who knew goldfish/fish young were called fry? And that they hatch a brownish color? And they can take up to a year to develop color? And they can change color up until they have fully matured? I’m pretty jazzed with the little yellow and black guy who is changing color before our eyes. And it’s hard to believe that some of the little ones look pretty close to 3″ in size already. I knew none of the above going into this, but it’s a joy learning as we go…

And one day while sitting at the edge of the pond, the reflection begged to be captured.

Speaking of the pond – The fountain sprung a leak and water was seeping out (a little drop at a time). Thankful for a good pond guy who was able to repair the leak for us last week.

Speaking of repairs – The washing machine broke last Thursday.

The best load for the washer to break = the last load. The load you debate even throwing in the wash. You know, a few sweaters that would be nice to have fresh for our cool San Diego nights. I was feeling a bit smug (Thursday evening) to have all the clothes put away and the ironing all up to snuff.

And it’s still in need of some tender loving care. But I have hopes that the appliance man will have things under control tomorrow. Fingers crossed…

I have to put in a big plug-in for the St Louis Cardinals, the hubs hometown and team since childhood. The hubs predicted (before the playoff series) that they would nail it in 6, in honor of #6. What do you know, he was right on the money! We’re looking forward to our Cards in the World Series!

We helped our friends do a little moving down here from LA over the last two weekends. And we enjoyed a nice dinner with them last weekend.

Snapped this guy on one of my little outdoor garden jaunts.

The garden is one of my favorite places to relax.

Let there be birthday cake! Red velvet birthday cake. I whipped this guy up over the weekend.

Our daughter came for a visit (down from LA) and it was her birthday. I couldn’t think of any other cake to bake, than her favorite red velvet.

And I decorated her card with fingernail polish. It’s my new favorite way to decorate the envelope.

Twas a big celebration weekend of whining and dining.

I spent a bit of time in the garden this morning. Remember? One of my favorite ways to relax.

And shot several images.

And sipped on coffee.

And spent some time on the phone with my pop.

And I’ve been really good about staying out of the leftover ice cream. I call that a big accomplishment.

And I’m ever thankful we sent “ALL” the leftover cake with Kristy. Lord knows I would have a hard time staying out of that.

And I feel blessed getting this new week started off on the right foot.

Blessings – Debbie

Sometimes You Gotta

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Debbie

Stop look and listen.

Make a plan.

Or pick up the phone and call a loved one. Or two. Or three. Or more…

Make a cup of coffee.

Take pictures in the garden.

And make a trip to The Home Depot. Because the hubs sent a picture of what he needed and asked if I could pick it up for him. Have you any idea how easy that task was?

I experienced all of the above this morning.

My little morning garden stroll started off with taking images of this cool ground cover.

For me, taking images with a shallow depth of field (subject in focus with everything else blurred) is like giving someone a book. They have to read the whole thing to gain knowledge. And like the images, for me, it’s like giving a little bit at a time as not to give it away at once.

Peace in the garden.

A pod from the jacaranda tree.

It’s where palm trees grow.

And the persimmon fruit is coming right along.

Then it was one of those mornings where I made a plan. And I spoke with my mom, dad and two brothers about that plan. It’s a rare day when I speak with my parents and siblings, all in a day. And from what I can tell, we should have a solid family plan. We’re all pretty excited about the plan, should be fun!

Sometimes you just gotta do whatever it is that needs doing. You’ll feel better when you follow thru, trust me.

Blessings – Debbie

Things Happen

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Debbie

So the last couple of weeks, things happened.

And when things happen, I tend to get behind on the blog.

And then I really get behind on the blog.

So I would like to do a quick one post update. All right, there is nothing quick about this as there will be a smattering of pictures and material that range all over the place. So if you’re up for a smattering, please do scroll along with me.

And for this post, I plan to post the date with the pictures, to keep some sort of order to the post.

June 29th – The Jacaranda Tree – Enjoying the beauty of summer in the backyard.

June 29th – The little baby goldfish are hatching from the (first) spawn on June 20th. And the fake egret sort of got the name of the stork that day. And dragonflies gathered ’round for the grand occasion.

June 30th – Happiness Is – Quality time with family. We had the joy of spending the day with my cousin and her beautiful family. We kicked back around the homestead and talked into the early morning.

This shot was a warm up shot for my little second cousin. I was taking her senior pictures that week too.

Side note for June 30th – The fish were spawning again that morning! Woo HOO!

July 1st – the hubs and I gave the family a grand tour around San Diego. First stop, Mount Soledad.

July 1st – Mount Soledad

July 1st – Lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack – Pacific Beach.

July 1st – Pacific Beach from the pier.

July 1st – My cute little second cousin checking things out.

July 1st – On over to Coronado Island and a visit to Hotel Del as she celebrates her 125th year birthday.

July 1st – Second cousins pose at the beach behind Hotel Del.

July 2nd – Senior Pix of Liz underway!

Can you tell we had a blast in the backyard?

And Jordan, I got to take pix of this cool guy too!

He provided a lot of emotion and it was difficult to sort thru the nearly 2,000 images shot of the kids.

And my little second cousin, do they come any cuter than this little guy? I tell you, he likes ice cream more than anyone I know. I think that’s how he got to be so sweet.

July 4th – Beautiful weather to be outside – watching dragonflies – counting fish, I counted 11 little fry (that’s what little baby fish are called) on one end of the pond alone – keeping an eye on that heron (in the neighbors yard) – listening to music – enjoying time with the hubs – and thinking what a great time we are having with my cousin and family – feeling blessed.

July 5th – Our last evening with my cousins. He was all over those yummy ribs with very special BBQ sauce. The hubs was manning the other grill. Oh what a lovely evening spent together with good food, fellowship, outdoor dining and stories into the night.

July 7th – Sunday – The Dragonfly Fun Facts – The dragonfly spends most of its life in the larva state (up to three years) – The adult winged stage only lasts a few weeks – Mating is the primary reason for their winged stage – So when you see a dragonfly, you know it’s toward the end of its lifespan – So this image is a female laying her young in the pond, see the splash? Not a perfect shot, but fun for me to observe these guys and girls daily.

Monday July 8th – I never knew the many hours of enjoyment these guys and girls could bring. They’ve been with us going on 4 weeks and have spawned x 2. And I counted 20 + little fry (babies) on one end of the pond alone, the other morning. I still can’t get over how fast the fry are growing.

I think this has to be my favorite hobby of all time + I get to take pictures of them = my other favorite hobby of all time. That’s blessed x 2 if you were to ask me.

Tuesday July 9th – What the fuss is all about – I shot a fry, finally! Goodness, the little guys are so hard to capture. But now that they have at least tripled in size, the images are getting better. See him in the bottom left corner, above the lillypad?

It was such a lovely day for a visit on the patio with my dear friend Beth.

Wednesday July 10th – Distractions – Sometimes it takes awhile to get into a book, especially when distractions are all around. Like the sound of fish flopping, birds chirping and the constant desire to fish watch instead of read. But finally, I got into my (Book Club) book this afternoon. And was able to enjoy the great outdoors without too many distractions.

July 11th – I talk to the fish – I recently learned that fish can get to know their owners better when you speak to them. As they learn the tone of their owners voice . So each morning I say “Good morning guys” and drift into chitter chatter with them.

So this morning as I was out with my skimmer net doing my daily morning clean up of the debris and fallen leaves, I was singing clean up – clean up to them. Yes, I’m off the deep end with these guys, and loving every minute of it.

When all of a sudden, I heard something “big” coming in for a landing. I spun around on my heals, and looked up to see a huge egret in the process of landing up in the top of the peppermint willow. You had to see me as I scurried over to the tree with my long skimmer net in hand while yelling “HEY” to the big bird in the tree. Apparently I talk to big birds too, just not with my happy voice.

July 12th – My Favorite: Shot of the day = these two going after the same piece of food. Meal of the day = Lunch date with the hubs. Chore of the day = Having the food shopping checked off the list. Happy Weekend Friends!

And that brings me to today, July 13th. I have no image for today. But I do have good memories. Like talking to my dad on the phone, visiting with the hubs, fish watching (I counted 38 fry on one end of the pond this morning), catching up on a few things, more fun time with the hubs and even a little ice cream date this evening.

I’m thankful things happen. And I hope to continue capturing things, to remember the days, as they pass.

And just like that, I’m calling things up to date.

Blessings – Debbie

Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Debbie

It was truly a weekend to remember.

Months ago, we made plans to meet up with the hubs old childhood buddy. And what better place to meet, than in LA to watch their favorite baseball team (St Louis Cardinals) play the LA Dodgers.

The night before we made our way to LA, I posted on FB that I would be in LA watching the Dodgers/Cardinals game.

And what do you know, our friend from Phoenix comments on my status saying that she too will be at the game!

That’s her up there in the stands waving at us. Can you believe that? Thank you FB as we would have missed seeing our friend.

We were down front just to the left a bit and 10 rows from home plate. So we got on the phone and told her there was an extra seat and to come on down.

Down she came and stayed a whole 5 innings with us. Then she said she should probably get back to her family. It truly was a treat as she too grew up with the hubs and his buddy. How cool was that?

This little cutie sat right in front of me. And I couldn’t help myself, so I took his pic.

And another shot of his cuteness. I love the way his little feet dangled over the edge of his seat.

And this little cutie sat right next to the above mentioned cutie.

So I had fun taking his pictures too.

It was such a beautiful day with a nice cool breeze.

Thank goodness for the sunscreen we slathered ourselves in. Especially when I noticed a little area on the hubs wrist next to his watch where a small bit of skin was missed by the sunscreen. Twas a bit red.

Bottom of the 9th = The Dodgers fans had their rally caps in place. And as hard as they worked for the win, our Cardinals held their 5 – 3 victory. What a great day.

For dinner that evening, we met up with our daughter at the Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach.

We were lucky enough to have outdoor seating with this beautiful view. Might I add, their red velvet cheesecake was SO good.

And then it was time for the hubs and I to make our way back home to San Diego. This is the view of the full moon that evening as we headed south.

And soon after, I fell asleep as the hubs drove us home.

I always feel bad when I fall asleep on him.

Maybe next time I’ll be able to keep him company for the duration.

And this wraps up our fun day spent with family and friends.

Blessings – Debbie

A Masterpiece from the Mundane

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Debbie

The last few weeks, I’ve worked pretty hard on my (Masterpiece from the Mundane) assignment. The Masterpiece from the mundane was to simply take shots (of anything) around our home (inside or outside) to create a masterpiece. I need 40 shots total to complete the assignment.

Here are a few of the shots I took this weekend to finish up the assignment.

I thought it would be fun to gather thread from my stash for one of the shots.

And my colored pencils came to mind too.

I really had a lot of fun working with these guys.

But this was the most exciting thing that came from all the playing. To keep the pencils from rolling all over the place, I took a piece of tape to hold them together.

And as I was moving them around, they sort of did something like this (below) on accident. So I tweaked them by spreading them out and I really like what happened.

As far as our weekend goes, it’s been just great!

Friday, the hubs and I made a nice little trip up to LA to visit our daughter and her boyfriend who flew in for a few days. We enjoyed dinner over the ocean, as the restaurant was on a pier/stilts and the waves crashed below us.

And I have absolutely no pictures to share. I know, shocker. I was afraid of getting too camera happy with the daughter and her boyfriend. Little did I know the daughter told her boyfriend to be “ready” for pictures. Makes me sad I left the camera behind. Next time, I won’t fret about my camera being in the way. Look out, I’m going to make up for lost time the next time around.

But the beauty of the afternoon/evening is this – we had such a great time together. And I told our daughter that I really, REALLY like her boyfriend.

The last couple of days has been quite relaxing just hanging out with the hubs. Tonight we have a fire crackling in the fireplace and I think we’re getting ready to play our usual evening round of backgammon. And I think I’m getting ready for a cup of coffee.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend and for being all set for class tomorrow.

Blessings – Debbie

Family Memories

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Debbie

While moments build memories, pictures capture those moments and they will forever be stamped in time. Makes me wish I had taken more pictures, but I’m thankful for the ones we do have.

Christmas spent with family = priceless.

And taking family pictures turns out to be a lot of fun. This is our “normal” family and that makes me happy.

My Pop, he’s the kind of guy who can do just about anything. He’s good at what he does and doing something half way would never occur to him. He’s taught me a lot and I do take after him in many ways. I’m known to be ~~a “little”~~ fussy when it comes to some things. I wonder who I got that from?

I come from a family who loves to laugh. And there will always be someone to fill the bill, like my nephew. Who by the way, takes after his father, aka my brother who takes after our pop.

Niece and nephew

Are they cute or what?

He’s a charmer no doubt. And I love his funny side.

My little brother with his family. We missed their other daughter (she’s out of the country doing her calling.)

My brother and his beautiful wife. We truly enjoyed our visit with them.

Nephew using his sister for some added weight for his squats.

Having fun…

Air…

A lot of air.

And I leave with this black and white of my niece and nephew

While we enjoyed our holidays with family, it came to an end. It was time to pack up our stuff in “Sunny South Florida” and head to “Sunny Southern California.”

We’ve finally settled down after our trip and we’re getting back into the swing of things. While 2013 is well underway, I’m thankful for the wonderful times and memories we made.

Blessings – Debbie

X 2

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Debbie

Good Morning and Good Day! I hope all is going well with you wherever you may be.

There are days where it may seem I’m going in reverse. It may not only appear I’m in reverse, but indeed I am.

I had plans to finish the photo editing of our nephews wedding on Monday, this week. But if you were around, you see I went to the beach instead.

But finally I’m able to put the wedding photos behind me as I wrapped them up and will have my snaps off to the bride and groom soon.

So the blog title is x 2, that’s because I’m having a difficult time figuring out if I like the color on some of these shots over the black and white. And because I could not decide, I’m posting x 2 for you too.

One of my favorite shots of this cutie patootie…

x 2

The hubs brother with his wife and their four boys, grandson, and two daughter-in-laws within the last 6 months! They have such a beautiful family.

Nephew and his bride – I love the sweetness…

I have no clue who this little darling is. She in all her cuteness attended our nephews wedding.

X 2 – One of my favorite shots of the day.

What a happy family.

x 2

Cheers to getting caught up little by little. And while I’m still posting here and there in the New Year, I still have a little more editing from Christmas last year. So indeed, I will be going in reverse (here and there) for maybe another week or so?

Thanks for stopping by and my wish for you is that you are a step or two ahead of me. I’m getting there…

Blessings – Debbie

Family

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Debbie

Family pictures are some of the most treasured things we hold near and dear to our hearts. Mine included. My parents and the memories we made over Christmas are priceless.

Mom and Pop

MomandDad

Wise Guy – there is always a wise guy in the family. I don’t recall who placed pop’s hat on like so, but it struck a funny bone. During my photo shoot, of all things.

And during a photo shoot, one must be ready to continue capturing those moments. Mom currently uses the photo below as her profile pic. And I kinda like that.

Now my baby brother, it was his birthday. And we were discussing different angles and laughed at which was his best side. He’s a funny guy.

Mom, in mom fashion made his favorite cake, the German Chocolate Cake. This shot looks legit, but look at that right hand reaching for his fork.

It didn’t occur to us that he would actually eat the whole cake.

It even got a little dicy when he took matters into his own hands. I can’t say that I blame him.

But I can confirm, it was the best German Chocolate Cake ever!

I’m thankful to have him for a brother. I’m glad we’re friends and I’m thankful he has a wonderful loving family to come home to each day. It’s these blessings that puts happiness into the everyday. And the older I get, the more I realize how blessed we are.

P.S. I still have more family pictures to post, but I’m just trying to keep up on the blog by chewing on this bit by bit.

Blessings – Debbie

Now This Is A Strange List

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Debbie

It’s been said “if only” I didn’t… But truth be told, I’d like to think that there is a time and place for all things.

What about going off the deep end? I could say the same for that. Dive in, but know what you’re getting into first.

Too much is too much…Perhaps it’s good to know when the party is over. But while the party lasts, enjoy it!

And the point? Well in the end of all the hoopla, festivities, Christmas and partying, my body reached rotten bottom.

Would I do it all over again? Of course I would.

I had the idea of posting all of the sweet things I consumed during the nearly two weeks we were away. Just for kicks.

Biscoff – those yummy cookies on Delta – I will not disclose the amount eaten
Candy bars from the hotel vending machines – too many to count – but wonderful memories with the hubs as we had our sweet treats while playing the backgammon game we brought for late night tournaments.
Pumpkin Muffin – from Panera Bread – Enjoyed a nice date with the hubs and sweet treats to end our meal. The hubs had the pecan braid, his favorite PB treat.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookie – from Panera Bread
Sweet treats at the wedding
Cold Stone Ice Cream – No way of knowing how many trips – Special memories – Especially after dinner with my bro and sis-in-law one evening.
Starbucks – a few times – Especially the night we visited with my bro and sis-in-law – after dinner AND Cold Stone, we visited Starbucks until closing.
Homemade Banana Bread – At mom’s house Christmas morning with coffee. The BEST!
And the sweet goodies consumed at mom’s during Christmas week.
Peanut Butter Fudge, mom makes the Best! It’s the #1 sweet thing I remember most during the holidays. Oh, she makes it with the crunchy peanut butter, my fav!
Little mini cherry tarts – From mom’s kitchen
German Chocolate Cake – Again this came from mom’s kitchen to my little bro for his Birthday. I consumed two (big) pieces alone.

So who makes a list of the sweet things they consumed? It’s a crazy list if you were to ask me. Anyone reading this probably thinks I’ve gone off the deep end. Allow me to confirm, I did!

And my system feels rotten. But I say all of that to say, these are a few of the sweet things I remember. The things that make a wedding, a wedding and Christmas, Christmas and special visits with family blended with coffee complete.

And for those things, I’m thankful.

And I’m thankful for new beginnings, new starts and a fresh new me that is beginning to feel back to normal.

And I kinda like that too.

Blessings – Debbie

I Call The Shot – one picture at a time

My world of art, life and health thru a lens

Category Archives: Family

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