My Thankful Weekend

I hope you all had a great weekend I know I sure did, I was able to hit the stores Thursday morning for some black Friday or make that Black Thursday shopping. Then off to my sister in laws for Thanksgiving dinner, we had a small crowd but fun none the less.

Thanks for standing in front of the stove all day for us Ray and Peg.

Drama and his Grandma

Since both my Hubs and first born had to work on Thanksgiving I had my own little Thankful Dinner on Saturday.

Say CHEESE Cadence....

CHEEEESE

 (love this girl)

Probably one of my favorite parts to this whole weekend was watching

 THE WALKING DEAD MARATHON

yes REALLY

Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a bunch of Zombies feasting on flesh. No seriously I have become quiet a fan of this show.

We just started watching it this fall and it quickly went on my

"Must see T.V. list" and I don't even have a "Must see T.V. list"

So Saturday night we rented the first season so we could catch up.

 Now those of you that know me well will know just how startling this is when I say......

 I stayed up till Midnight watching one episode after the other.

(yes its true)

Then we were back up at 6am coffee cup in hand, in bed watching the last 3 episodes.

I'm not sure which part I liked best,

Zombies eating flesh

Coffee cup in hand OR

in bed for 6 hrs watching T.V. with the hubs!

If you haven't watched it yet please give it a chance its so much more then Zombies, or I wouldn't be watching it.

 I'm not a creature feature kind of girl but this show has a great story line.  Its about a small group of people trying to find their way after the Zombie apocalypse.

Riveting!

"IT'S A GOOD LIFE"

Thankful

I believe Gratitude goes hand in hand with Happiness.

No not everyday is a good day but its hard not to be happy when you take the time to be thankful for all you have.

On the not so easy days that's when you need to really practice being Thankful, and yes being Thankful is something we all need to practice, much like anything else it can be a learned habit.

Being Thankful does not only apply to the big things, but all the little things that may happen through out the day....Thank you sunshine, Thank You stranger for opening the door for me, Thank You store clerk for the warm smile and casual conversation. Thank You client for realizing I care. Not big things, but a lot of little things.

With out getting to mushy these little things are the things I tend to see through my camera lens, the way the sun comes through the window, how pretty the row of evergreens look, how sweet my girls hands are, how perfect the smile is on my Sons face, how loving the eyes of my puppy, how contagious the laughter on the face of a loved one, how sweet my husband making pancakes with my Grand daughter. All things I'm grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving, but please don't let it be just one day a year that you stop and count your blessings.


Gratitude is noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary. And then taking the nanosecond to feel it.”-Karen Krakower Kaplan

Makeup homework

For the past three weeks I have been doing the 30 day photo challenge

but if you remember I started 1 week late.

Well...not wanting to leave anything unfinished I went

back this week and did week one.

Self Portrait....taking and posing for a self portrait

is very awkward so I waited till Hubs was at work and

I had the house to myself, before I fluffed up my hair,

freshened up my makeup, 

lit the fire and got out the tripod.

(Merry Christmas?)

If you like the bracelet, you can still buy it at Cracker Barrel

the rings a little more costly, like 33 years of my life costly!

clouds + sunset = pretty

I have been wanting to try a shot like this for a while. I only wish

I hadn't been so scared I would have played around a little

more with my settings. But it was obviously dark outside

and I had to park on the side of the road and double back

on the DARK, DESERTED trail all by myself to

get to the bridge overpass.

And yes I do realize that some photo journalists go

all over the world into jungles, war zones and disaster areas

to get the perfect shot, but I repeat,

it was DARK and DESERTED

and I was afraid.

afraid of what I'm not quiet sure,

maybe rabid coyotes, maybe a mass murderer

maybe the walking dead, maybe my own shadow.

I don't know!

 So I snapped a few shots, grabbed my camera

and my tripod and ran back to my car.

and yes I do eat fruit on occasion!


I really did have a great time this past 30 days, I have had
my camera out everyday taking pictures, trying to figure out different
angles, compositions and settings, each picture was thought out
on how to make it more interesting.
 Never once did I take just one picture.
Each picture you see was attempted many times.
 I still have a really long way to go but ....
I'm learning!

Check me out.

First time I have ever used this Grandma Perk.

Its a special spot right up front 

Parking for Parents with small children.

Yay thats me!

I believe they probably meant to say

Parking for Grandparents with small children.

I know the pictures in this post aren't all that good
(some were taken with my camera phone and some on my
little point and shoot in a hurry)

 but I'm posting them any way in hopes that you'll still

get the picture ha ha, pun intended.

Last night I got a chance to whisk my Girl Friend

 away for a few hours to run some errands.

First stop, the beauty shop to get our eyebrows shaped.

Lets just say one of us was in bad shape!

Then off to Best Buy to do some blouseing...

I mean browsing.

 I, uh, heh heh.

 Well, I guess it just wouldn't be the Christmas shopping season

if the stores were any less hooter

 than they - HOTTER than they are.

Whew. It is warm in here, isn't it?

What movie is that off of?

anyway....

We were in the audio department of Best Buy

 when Girl Friend just had to break out and dance,

 I mean an all out hands in the air, jump up and down shake your groove thing dance.

 When she looked up to me for reassurance,

I of course had to shake my groove thing a little too!

Yet another Perk of being a Grandma,
people don't judge you for shaking your groove thing
in the middle isle of Best Buy.
 They just think
 "Oh look at that sweet little girl
and her crazy Grandma with no rhythm"

And if you get the choice to sit it out, or dance…I hope you dance."

Thanks for reminding me Girl Friend.

I love You!

Weekend Happenings

The big kick off to the weekend was a sleep over

on Friday night with my Grand baby

the first one where we got to totally keep her,

 no Mama no Daddy

Just Grandma, Grandpa and Cadence.

It went down with out a hitch.

sort of.

Only problem, issue, glitch thing.

As you all know Grandma likes to go to sleep around 9

Girl Friend likes to go to sleep when she crashes.

The best way to describe having her in bed with us

would be to liken it to a fish floundering on the beach.

Just as she would start to doze off she would have to get up and

do something....anything!

pet Pokie

straighten her slippers

check the lights on the Christmas tree

tell Pokie night-night

lay on the floor

lay on Pokie

lay on a pillow on the floor

pay the bills

change the oil in the car

ANYTHING

I was woke up to a little poke in my ribs where

Grandpa was letting me know she finally lost the battle.

Stretched out on top of the covers, with her baby doll

underneath her and her head off the pillow.

Looking absolutely peaceful and perfect.

She was out for 8hrs

can't complain about that.

 By 6am she was awake and totally renewed.

Girl Friend loves her BLING!

After a full day Saturday of playing

 "movie star", "cooking", and playing at the park,

I took it Easy on Sunday and started some of this....

actually I did alot more then "just start"

I worked for a solid 9 hrs.

but it is soo pretty

I even did a little decorating  outside.

My first year for the cute little bird house that says:

 Snow Birds Welcome

I just didn't think they would take me literally.

Now I suppose he wants some food too.

"IT'S A GOOD LIFE"

Final Photo Challenge

This week I did my challenge a little differently

I used my regular little ole

Point and Shoot its a

Nikon COOLPIX

I carry this in my purse much like most women

would carry a tube of lipstick.

Its relatively new to me so I'm still learning some of its features.

 

 

This is the hall/corridor from my office to the Lady's Room.

Who designed an office complex with only one bathroom?

Oh yeah, it was a man.

(yes I have been know to sprint down this hall

if I have waited a little to long)

I never would of guessed that there would still

be flowers on my rose bush on November 8th!

yes, you did just see  this for "something pink"

A couple of my favorites from last year.

I know totally cheating.

OK..... self- portrait was the  hardest one yet!

I googled self portraits for some ideas....

from what I read its best to have something for your hands to do/hold

or lean on (check)

especially nice it you have a natural  frame. (check) 

and of course out door lighting best (check)

unless of course your looking right into the sun and are squinting (check)

and the far side of your face is shadowed (check)

 I was not thrilled about this one and had every intention of coming home from

work and attempting some prize winning pose.

But

something got in the way.

and I decided what the "heck" I'll just go with the one from this morning.

"IT'S A GOOD LIFE"

Please don't forget to go to Ten June

and check out some real photographers work.

The Much Anticipated Birthday Party Post.

Last Saturday my sister in law threw the BEST

 surprise party for her husband EVER.

It was his 5oth birthday and since it was Halloween weekend costumes were required.

Kids of all ages were welcome.

She was so unsure about all those crazy people.

(I can't really blame her)

I loved the "Cheesy" 70's Tennis Players

and the 80's Prom Queen.

 The dress the Prom Queen wore was actually her mothers

bridesmaid dress from the host and birthday boys wedding....

like 25 years ago.

(and people say I'm a hoarder Peg)

Check her out....now you know why her daughters

are so stinking cute.

My girls...... Adorable with a capital A

and the loves of my life.

(My baby the one in the footed PJ'S)

ummmmm wheres the blue wig I made?

and the Thing 2 costume I bought you?

Surprise Tom!

The real surprise came when he realized

his lovely wife rented 4 stretched limos for a scavenger hunt.

Wish I had of gotten a picture of his face...... priceless.

O.K. team Patterson no cheating.

We may not have won but we did have the best team.

Our first stop was LA Cafe for our second clue

and a pitcher of margaritas.

Of course the Prom Queen was working the crowd,

drumming up some votes for next year I suppose.

Second stop, the local bowling alley where

 we had to don our bowling shoes

 and bowl till one of our team members got a strike.

3 hours later 15 minutes later.

We have a winner!

 Thanks Laura for saving our sorry a**'s

which goes to prove you can look great

and still throw a STRIKE

The final stop,

 have our picture taken with the Wal-Mart greeter.

Don't worry Tom the second mortgage

your wife took out to pay for those limos,

was well worth it.

I had so much fun on that scavenger hunt

 ( I might of peed my pants)

I hear that will happen when your a Grandma.

and Kay

Great job, you hit that one out of the park.

"IT'S A GOOD LIFE"



Photo challenge

Part 3 another fun week of picture taking.

 This was an easy one for me since

sugar daddy hubby bought me my Fancy Dancy lens

 for Christmas last year.

Multi tasking....

faceless self portrait, bokeh, hands and something orange. ha

the sweetest hands on earth....to bad I didn't realize she still had

some of her lunch on those little fingers till just now.

Mornings, my favorite time of day!

have I taken my decorating to far

when my rug matches my puppy?

If you want in on the challenge there is still one more week to participate

just go to TEN JUNE to link up!.

you can find the Challenge list here

Have a Great weekend