Merry Magic

Slow Swing

I like the pictures that turn out all 'film-noir' like.  They have a moodiness and a sense of energy that bodes well with softly playing slow swing in the background.  And the bright lights and dark shadows have so much contrast...  And with the lone picture on the wall, it feels sort of like you should be watching some detective scene from the 20s, or in the midst of a Mafia stand-still.  Something.

Adieu for the evening yall!

Geometric

Picture taken looking down into the paper tray/ holder sitting on the desk.  Isn't it lined nicely?  :)  So far, it's doing a nice job corralling all of the random extras littering the desk.  A year from now, or a few months perhaps, it will be time to go through the tray and discard everything that is no longer relevant, and put everything that still is relevant, back in the tray.  Or maybe it'll get moved to the hanging files, or better yet, to a box.  Wherever it goes, it served it purpose!

Random...

We have a chance of seeing some "wintery mix" action in the next 24 hours or so.  Tres exciting!  Tomorrow I am getting an oil change - I had to make an appointment for it - and I told the guy that I know that they were going to say that I need new tires (which I do), so he gave me some specs and figures to contemplate.  It's pretty exciting to think that I could put some great tires on Black Betty that would last 80,000 miles.  I told Gary that that was through the rest of my car's life... lol... He scoffed and said that we are keeping it till 250,000 and that He would be the first one to get a new car.  Hmpphhh.

Anyways, Gary is still under the weather, so we are going to hunker down, get in bed, read, and drift off to an early sleep.  Looking forward to it!  I hope you all sleep well too! 
Adieu! 

Light Cornflower Blue

Oostanaula

Today was Thanksgiving Part 3 for us!  We traveled up to Rome, GA.  We decided to meet up at the old church (Oostanaula Methodist) we used to have these sorts of functions at, and it was perfect!  Lots of room to fellowship and lay the food out, and then we even got to use the church (and piano) for our hymn singing.  It was such a good day!  And it was so good to see the family!  And it looks like we are going to use this space again next year, AND Laura and Darryl may even be getting married here too!

Here are some pictures.
Enjoy!

Adieu!  :)

Sample Pics

Funny story... so yesterday morning (Thanksgiving), I was getting my camera out to document the making of Thanksgiving goodies, and low-and-behold, the darned camera wouldn't turn on...  The battery was charged because the little light blinked when inserted.  The card was inserted right, and everything, to my knowledge, was in correct working order.  But it would not turn on.  Sad face.  But, with Black Friday looming, I didn't need to fret.  And so, I got a new camera.  :)  And so far, I am very pleased with it!

I'm excited because tomorrow is Thanksgiving Part 3.  :)  We will be heading up to Rome to the old church we used to meet up at.  It is in some of the prettiest country I've even seen, and I can't wait to try out the new cam on some fall landscapes.  In other news, I have a cold.  It's no good.  My head is all sorts of foggy, and my nose is getting to the point now where I just want to stuff tissues up there and leave them for awhile.  Lovely. 

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, and are continuing to feel the love!

Adieu!  :)

Bowl of Onions

This is the bowl of onions used to make the onion casserole.

 Sorry so short, but I am heading out the door to go shopping with my sister.  Wish us luck!!!  :)

Baking with Karo

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

(all from scratch  'cept for the pie crust...)

I was really excited about making this because I was going to be able to use Karo syrup for the first time!  :)  I remember seeing Karo syrup in my Granny's cabinet and (for some reason) being fascinated.  I must have seen her use it for something.  And it stuck!  So when I went to the store, I knew exactly what I was looking for, and had a ping of joy when I got to measure it out, pour it into the bowl, and mix it all up.  And tomorrow, when we finally get to try it, I will smile and remember my Granny.  From the looks of it, the Karo got the job done and the consistency looks just right!  It sure does look good!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I hope you get to spend it with people you love, and people who love you, and that you have a day full of fellowship, great food, and lots of joy!  Love!  :)

(cross it off...)

Cookin's

Tomorrow is "Thanksgiving Dinner" at G's work.  So, he volunteered to bring mashed potatoes and gravy, and a pistachio pudding cake.  So tonight, after our jaunt to the store to get the turkey, we set to making.  G made the mashed potatoes from scratch!  Peeled, chopped, steamed, and mashed.  And I made the cake.  The house smells wonderful and the goodies are sitting, ready and waiting for the big meal.

The beginning of a good week for sure!
:)

Mixer in batter.

Left wanting more...

but that's to be expected in a "part 1" of any sort of movie series.
Twas great!  Can't wait for the finale, but we shall I suppose.
Lovely way to end the weekend!

Still must post pics.
Tomorrow!  :p

Snippet of the Voyage (2)

Breakfast.
Drove east, paid toll, crossed bridge.
Found the beach!
Looked as far as possible out over the Atlantic.
The waves were amazing!
Drove south on A1A.
Through Flagler.
Through Ormond.
To the south side of Daytona.
Had lunch at Crabby Joes on the pier.
Played mini golf at Congo River.
So much fun!
Saw live alligators and turtles.
Drove back to Palm Coast.
Had a great time at the 50th Anniversary Renewal-of-Vows celebration!
Words of wisdom: trust and compromise.
Ate, laughed, danced.
Called it a great day and a wonderful night!

Adieu! :)

(will post pics when I get home tomorrow)

Snippet of the Voyage (1)

I have a lot to say but not a lot of time to say it because I, sadly, walked out the door without my power cord, and my battery is down to one click.  So, here's the abbreviated version...

Cracker Barrel for breakfast.
Found spider in my PURSE, and haven't been able to locate said spider since (after giving to father-in-law to find and get rid of), so everyhting has been taken out of purse, is resting on the other bed, and will be put into fresh new purse that will not hold spiders.
Discovered that my ipod was a necessity to my sanity for the trip down!
Great weather so far - should be a beautiful weekend.
Met lots of new family persons... with many more to meet tomorrow.  It's a whole new bunch of people, and personalities. 
Boys are playing video games (on our trip to FL, yes) in the next room.  I'm taking in the serenity of the quiet, getting this done, and setting myself to read.

It's been a good and long day!  I'm super excited about the party tomorrow night and the day tomorrow.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Love to all!  :)

Listening to music and staring out the window.  :)

Shower

Had dinner, missed half of the movie, lost an hour or so somewhere, and am now wide awake.
Guess I will take advantage of it and take a shower and get ready for our trip!
It's off to Palm Coast we go!

Adieu!
:)

from today.

(thousands of peppermint  sticks)

(dark clouds, intense weather, and a gulleywasher)

(balled-cantaloupe skeleton)

Splat

Mac-n-cheese - spoon + gravity + floor = mess

Treasure

Cloud Blanket

I love it when the clouds in the sky look like a blanket.  You can see through them enough to know that there is a sky, a setting sun, or more clouds, but they overlap, fold, and ripple just like a blanket.

the best laid plans...

I need to have more days like today...  I had a wild hair and actually went into the closet and started going through stuff and unpacked a few more boxes.  I've decided that I need a color scheme for the bedroom, and since our comforter is a mixed pattern with black, whites, and greys, I was originally thinking of adding yellow accents, but now I am thinking about adding a dark teal aspect to it all.  Like I want to paint the wall behind the bed the dark teal, put a lighter teal blanket at the foot of the bed, throw on some yellow pillows, and have some yellow accents.  Could be nice!  So we'll see.  But in my downtime, I also found some really good blogs with some really good organizing tips... and there's something about the idea of getting organized that makes me really happy.  So, I'm still really excited about the prospect of getting organized.  lol.  But first, I think I want to declutter.  Gary and I are going down to Palm Coast next weekend, and I would love for my sister to be able to stay in a nice, de-cluttered room while here.  I picture a welcome basket filled with rolled towels, scented candles, bath bombs, treats, and other goodies.  A good plan, that for sure, but we'll see if it happens.  The best laid plans (of mice and men) oft go awry.  Not exactly sure if that fits here, but for some reason, it's popping up in my mind tonight.  I guess it could apply to my desire to get organized, or finish the laundry, or prepare the welcome basket....  but perhaps I will make it happen!

I've had a  really good day though - I appreciate being productive!  And like I said, I could use more days like today.  It would be super if I could wake up tomorrow with as much determination to get it all done!  And with that, I leave for the evening.

I bid you all 'adieu'.
Best wishes for a restful evening!

New Book

... and it's a hardcover.  Stiff and crisp.
I need to work on getting the pages to limber and the spine to breathe.
Looks like I've some reading to do!  :)

Cat Eyes

(the eyes look like double full moons...)

The kitties seem restless tonight.  They're all running amuck and such and throwing their toys around the place - crazy behavior for kitties!  But then again, it is a full moon, and what a week we've had leading up to this fabulous phenomenon.  And as much stuff as there was going on, I'm thankful that the full moon is now here and will begin it's slow decline back to it's new moon phase over the next weeks.  Revolution and redundancy, in terms of the moon...

I discovered a new and "fresh" song this evening... it was playing during tonights' Bones episode and I was able to catch enough of the lyrics to look it up and copy it down!  It's got a good sound!

Anchor by Mindy Gledhill

When all the world is spinning 'round

Like a red balloon way up in the clouds

And my feet will not stay on the ground

You anchor me back down

I am nearly world renowned

As a restless soul who always skips town

But I look for you to come around

And anchor me back down

There are those who think that I'm strange

They would box me up and tell me to change

But you hold me close and softly say

That you wouldn't have me any other way

When people pin me as a clown

You behave as though I'm wearing a crown

When I'm lost I feel so very found

When you anchor me back down

There are those who think that I'm strange

They would box me up and tell me to change

But you hold me close and softly say

That you wouldn't have me any other way

When all the world is spinning 'round

Like a red balloon way up in the clouds

And my feet will not stay on the ground

You anchor me back down

http://www.lyricsty.com/mindy-gledhill-anchor-lyrics.html

Tea Time

It's getting dark way too early...

And it's raining.  And cold.

....

Time for tea!

Dinner

Grilled Pork Chops

Mushroom, Scallion, and Apple Chutney

Garlic and Herb Rice Pilaf

Steamed Broccoli

I call it a "chutney" eventhough I'm not exactly sure it was one...
I took some fresh sliced mushrooms, scallion, and gala apple and sauteed it all in garlic and butter.  This went on top of the grilled pork.  It was really good and went well with the pork!  I'll chop that up to another side-dish-experiment gone right!  :)

Shaded Purples

A picture of lettuce... super exciting I know!?!
But, if you look at the colors, you can see my interest.
I love the deep shades of purple, and the mixture of bright greens.
It's vibrant, earthy, and rather dynamic.
The other day, we saw a Model Home that was decorated in all eggplant.
It was so pretty and calming.
And while I'm not sure about doing a whole house in purple, they seemed to pull it off.
But I wonder how long it would take me to get tired of it?
Would I eventually start to claim a room that was decked out in reds, oranges, and yellows?
Who can say?

:)
Adieu!

Sunset

And...

I really need to re-do my nails.

:)

Lightning Crashes

oh now feel it comin' back again

like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind

forces pullin' from the center of the earth again

I can feel it.

-live

-----

Pretty in Pink

I love the pink color in this shot... it's unexpected and a nice contrast!

Tacky Day

Today was "Tacky Day".
We...
- wore lots of different colors with no care as to whether they matched
- smoked candy cigarettes and drank empty cups of coffee
- hung out by the air conditioners in the back parking lot
- crammed into the warehouse bathroom - just to prove we could
- took a break in the shower, with our clothes on
- dipped lots of goodies in chocolate and ate them
- had fashion shows, secret meetings, and so many laughs!

(Today was my favorite - the pictures are amazing and the memories will keep me smiling forever!)

Zombies

Today was "Zombie Day" at work.  It was my first experience as a zombie, and I must say that I rather enjoyed myself.  I don't think I've ever worn that much makeup, and although it was really hard to keep a straight face for the entire day, we had so much fun!  And we got some reall great pictures!

I actually really enjoying getting ready for work today.  I got up an hour early and went to town wiith the white base powder, eyeliner, and eyeshadow.  It's always fun to draw on yourself.  :)

Oh you know, it's just us out back... chewing on brains and such.

Scary!

One zombie gasping at another...

ZOMBIES!!

Stitches, scars, and shadows...

-----

Tomorrow is Tacky Day!  We're going to have a chocolate fountain and caramel apples... and I'm bringing skewed bacon to dunk in the chocolate.  Gary's idea.  It should be interesting - I hope everyone tries a piece... it's a treat!
Yay for Spirit Week!