Season's Greetings HodgePodge

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)  There was a time when I would mail over 50 Christmas cards every year. Mailing out Christmas cards and the number of people on that list is directly proportionate to the cost of postage and the time available to sit down and write a note in each one. 

2. When do kids become adults? When they stop believing in Santa. I'm so glad not to be an adult. 

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons? My skin requires more moisture during the cold, dry winter months.

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose? Brussels Sprouts. I can hear you saying.....ewwwww!

5. Gloves or mittens? I wear gloves for driving and every day stuff. Mittens if I'm going out to play in the snow and build a snow man.

6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound nicer? A line at the amusement park to ride the Batman roller coaster. It was so worth the wait. So much so that I got off and immediately got back in line to ride it again. You're surprised, yes? 

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December? A trip to Vegas. In two days.

8. Insert your own random thought here. I'm hosting a photo challenge for the month of December. You can read all about it here if you are interested in playing along.


Thank you for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or better yet, link up with your own.

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Psalm 119:18 (NKJV)  Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.

25 December Daily Photo Ideas

That's right. I said December. It's only a couple days away, you know. YIKES!!! If you are like me, your calendar is full of baking, gatherings, festivities, dinner parties, progressive parties, exchanges, and sharing.


I do not want to miss the photo opportunities of special times and people. So, this is my quest. Through the month of December, I will shoot a lot with my 50mm lens to help with low light situations. I will also grab my 70-300mm lens for stealth close ups and details from a distance.


I will shoot a lot on some days, only a picture or two on others. I want to enjoy the month and make sure I'm in at least a few photos. Must remember to set up the tripod.


Want to join me in my quest for 25 photos? I may not get every single one of them listed. But I'm definitely going to give it a try. Here's the list:

1. Something Red
2. A list
3. The Christmas tree
4. Presents wrapped under the tree
5. Something warm and tasty
6. A candy cane, or five
7. A wreath with a red bow
8. Stamped and addressed Christmas cards
9. Santa Claus
10. Away in a manger
11. Ribbons and bows
12. Something sticky
13. Reindeer
14. A decked hall
15. Silver bells
16. A hippopotamus
17. Under the mistletoe
18. A cup of cheer
19. Toys in every store
20. A winter wonderland
21. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
22. Holiday greetings
23. A shining star
24. Children, sleeping
25. The number "25"

I may or may not get a linky up for those who would like to participate. If any of you can help me with that I would be most appreciative. Happy capturing.


Peace and Joy,
Susan

1 Chronicles 16:8 (NKJV)  Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name;  Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Vacation 2011 - Part 3 Tampa, Florida

On the fourth day of vacation, we finally made it to Tampa. Normal people could have made it in a single day. Not us. We made a side trip here, a detour there; but, we made it nonetheless.

The main reason we are in the Tampa area is that both the hubs and I have family here. The aunt and family I helped move to Tampa from Charlotte back in April are here. The hub's sister lives here too. So in between visiting with them, we did a little sightseeing, found a delightful restaurant, and looked at real estate. It was more of a drive-by look, but a look. Here are a few of the photos from our Tampa visit.

This fella was "fishing" near a pier in Dunedin.

We didn't see him catch anything. Not even sure what he was trying to catch.

This is me and the hubs on the same pier. I set up my tripod, composed the hubs in the pic, pushed the button, jumped in the photo, and voila! Group shot! lol

Walking off the pier, I turned around for one last look and saw this:

Then we went into Dunedin. Such a quaint little town. Lovely shops. We decided it was time for a bite to eat and chose this restaurant. Cafe Alfresco. Delicious food. Exceptional service. We liked it so much, we ate lunch there. Then took the hub's sister there for dinner. We were delighted with both meals.

The next day, we were at Clearwater Beach enjoying family, sun, warm breeze, sand between the toes, and food. These are my two favorite pics from the day.

Riding on a jet ski sounded like fun, but didn't really have the time for that. I definitely had time for sitting on one of these enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face.

Three days in Tampa flew by. It was sad to leave but we had reservations and much more to see and do lay ahead.

Like this beautiful state park. This is Blue Spring. A fabulous winter resort of the manatee. They migrate up the St. Johns River to Blue Spring because the water at the spring stays a constant year round temperature of 72 degrees farenheit. We walked along the board walk taking a couple photos here and there. We didn't see any manatee, but we did see this handsome fella.

We also took the opportunity for another photo shoot of us. I love having a tripod.

The Thursby family acquired this property in the mid-19th century and built the large home you see below. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection acquired the park in 1972 to kick-start its Manatee Protection Program.

It was a leisure day of enjoying the park, the wildlife, and each other. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Stay tuned. Next week.....Biketoberfest. Have a fabulous week.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

In The Spirit of Thanksgiving HodgePodge

1. Let's start with something controversial...dressing or stuffing? What's it called at your house and what's included in your recipe...cornbread? oysters? sausage? chestnuts? I call it dressing, because I don't stuff it in the turkey. I'm a sage sausage and bread kind of dressing maker. It's delicious. The hubs is not a fan of cornbread and neither of us favor oysters.

2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to? Wow, Joyce. That's a loaded question. I wrote about that very topic at great length last month. You can read all about it here at Comparison is the Thief of Joy.

3. When were you last inside an airport? In April of 2011. I flew from St. Louis, Missouri to Charlotte, North Carolina. Drove from Charlotte to Tampa, Florida. Then flew from Tampa back to St. Louis. It was a crazy week of traveling. I'll be in airports next Friday. Vegas, baby! The Pistol Annies (Miranda Lambert's new group), NFR (National Finals Rodeo), Delmonico (Emeril's restaurant), Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's place), Spa at Caesar's Palace.....can't wait.

4. What is one side dish that absolutely must be included in a turkey dinner? Mashed potatoes and corn. I'm pretty sure there would be a revolt if these two items were not included on the menu.

5. What Christmas song do you dread hearing? The Barking Jingle Bells. It was kinda cute the first time I heard it, but I'm so over it.

6. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round? I do not like being approached by strangers asking for money. To me, it's just an opportunity for them to take advantage of you and your kindness. I do drop cash in the red pail for the bell ringers. Otherwise, I prefer to give to the charity of my choice.

7. Share a favorite Thanksgiving memory. If you live in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving share a favorite memory associated with food. The last Thanksgiving meal we shared at my grandparents home, when all my aunts, uncles, and cousins were there.

8. Insert your own random thought here. I saw this on my sweet friend Gigi's blog, Afterthoughts, and immediately loved it. The message applies to anyone, regardless of denomination.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Blessings to you and your family as you celebrate Thanksgiving. 


Peace and Joy,
Susan

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Shabby Apple Winner!

This morning I found this subject line in my inbox:

You won the Shabby Apple giveaway on The Blog Guidebook!

Followed by:

Congrats, Susan! You won the Shabby Apple Giveaway on The Blog Guidebook. We will be sending your info along to Shabby Apple, and they should be contacting you directly. Please let us know if you have any problems at all. And thanks for being a loyal follower of the Guidebook! Enjoy your dress. :)

~Lyndsay 

www.blogguidebook.com

www.lyndsayjohnson.com

So, I went to the Blog Guidebook blog and saw this:

And, which dress did I win? I'm so glad you asked. I won this dress:

Isn't it gorgeous? And so flattering. Perfect!

If you are not familiar with Shabby Apple, hop on over to their site and take a look around. They carry beautiful dresses, swim wear, active wear.....you will not be disappointed. One of my favorite lines is Tinseltown. Be sure to have a look.

Thank you, Lyndsay, Sarah, and Shabby Apple.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Colossians 3:15 (NKJV) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Vacation 2011 Part 2

After our exciting day at Ruby Falls, we decided to call it a day, find a place to stay for the night, and get some grub. There were several hotels along the interstate, so we found one to our liking and checked in near Dalton, Georgia. Let me just add, I love being in the south. 

I found a flyer in the "attractions" brochure holder at the hotel. For those of you who travel any, you know the display I'm talking about. They are usually positioned near the front desk in the lobby so travelers can have easy access to information on local attractions. I always look at these stands. Just to see what's in the area. My eyes scanned the hundred or so brochures and fell on one for Stone Mountain. Hmmmm, this looks interesting, and it's close. Not too far out of the way. Let's google it to see exactly where it is and if it's worth the side trip.

Holy cow! I'm sure glad we went to Stone Mountain. It was amazing. So much fun. Great food. Family atmosphere. We ended up spending most of our day here. This place is truly a treasure.

I love the above picture. I had such fun getting it taken. What you can't see is the fence I had to climb over to get to this guy. Nor can you see the people laughing as they pass behind the hubs while he is trying to get the shot. I did not care one bit.

Needless to say, we did not make it very far down the road on our second day, but we sure had a lot of fun. It was a leisurely day with great food, laughs, a ride in a gondola to the top of the mountain, just enjoying the day.

Aren't those some of the best times, though? Unexpected joys from unplanned adventures. I love those. Have a fabulous week and thank you so much for stopping by.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 95:1-2 (NKJV) ¹ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

What is a Daguerreotype?

It's one of those words you look at and go...."Huh?" That's what I did when I saw today's Google image. Today happens to be Louis Daguerre's 224th Birthday. Happy Birthday Louis!!! But, ummmm, who are you? Why are we celebrating your birthday? A click on the Google image and voila!

Today’s Doodle on Google‘s homepage is a tribute to Louis Daguerre, the French physicist who invented daguerreotype, the first commercially successful form of photography.

 Louis Daguerre was born on Nov. 18, 1787 in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France. Today’s Doodle celebrates his 224th birthday.

He began his career as a designer and painter, but his breakthrough came in 1839, when he announced his invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process which produced a single positive image, which could not easily be replicated. It experienced a few decades of commercial success and influenced later photographic processes.

Daguerreotypes were usually portraits, and Google’s Doodle is reminiscent of a classic family portrait from the era.

Basically, the "father" of photography as a business. Can I say that I'm just a little embarrassed that I did not know this information? Thank you, Internet, for providing so much knowledge at our fingertips.

Have a fabulous day and weekend.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

John 17:17 (NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.