I Love

Welcome to Day 14 of 30 Day Blog Challenge, hosted by Katie at So, Funny Story… Today is another photo day! I’ll try to be a little less photo than last time.

A picture you love.

I’ve got two; just two.

This is me and my brothers and sister that you saw on Sunday. Acting goofy by request of the photographer, my Mom which makes it double special.

This is David and me with Grandma and Tori. It’s at Spago Ristorante in Windsor, Ontario (Canada) celebrating my 39th birthday. David left work and came directly to Canada for my dinner. This was the night I gave up trying not to fall in love with him.  I put up a valiant fight. (Of course I wouldn’t have the guts to tell him know that for a few weeks,)

Photoblog Wednesday

Norfolk Southern 60T in Stryker, Ohio on Monday 8/26/12

The lead engine is the Illinois Terminal Heritage Unit and the second one is the Conrail Heritage Unit.

Photoblog Wednesday

Yesterday morning I snapped this before I even got out of bed.  

We like to call Grammy's quilt and my teddy bears "Kaline's Bedroom" becasue she likes to go up there to sleep, not too far from Mommy and Daddy, but her own space.

Photoblog Wednesday

Aurora Trainealis

March 9, 2012

This was taken when we were hunting for the Northern Lights. We didn’t find the lights, but as our backup plan we looked for them sitting near train tracks so we'd at leas see a few trains! This one is just a neat artsy shot of the crossing gates and a train that was obviously faster than the camera!

Photoblog Wednesday

Near New London Ohio

March 11, 2012

My favorite light of the day is that warm glow just before sundown.

Photoblog Wednesday

 

Bring the Spring!! 

We had snow this week!  Yuck.  And on top of my blooming crocuses!

But they are tougher than the snow!  The narcissus are starting to bud too.  More pictures soon.

Photoblog Wednesday

First Crocus Buds

February 18, 2012

Maybe the Groundhog was right about "early spring"after all?

Photoblog Wednesday

Kaline always finds the best sunlight in the house!

2/12/12

Photoblog Wednesday

A little sun is a guarantee you’ll find Kaline

June 2008 

Photoblog Wednesday

Baggle??

This was taken in 2007 when I was unpacking boxes and unwrapping goodies when I moved in. Kaline had never seen my milk pitcher before! She stepped over everything else on the table to get a closer look.

Mom had gotten it for me back when I had the coffee bar in my modern room. She thought the tuxedo cat had just the right amount of class and the right Nani-flair.

It seemed Kaline thought it had just the right amount of looking like a cat to be confusing!

Photoblog Wednesday

Nani, Kelly and Dave
Taken last night.

Kelly and I have a collection of photos of us mugging our parents! In 2010 when she visited, we got a shot of us mugging my Dad which was similar to a photo from 2002 with my Mom. Now we add her Dad to the gallery! I had said I wanted that photo after we did the shot with Pop in 2010 and now the collection is complete!

Kelly and her Dad are visiting for a few days before Kel’s next semester starts. We’re hoping to have lunch with Scotty tomorrow and of course, a coffee stop at Dunkin Donuts in Novi. They change the place, but who says you can’t go home? We do whenever we’re in town!



I occasionally like to combine regular features when I try out a new meme. Today, I’m trying out The Wednesday Hodge Podge, hosted by Joyce at This Side of the Pond. 7 questions to answer and one random thought. Simple enough and it’s one of my favorite blogging topics; my opinions! I’ve read Marti’s answers for a few weeks at Marti’s Musings and thought it sounded like a fun meme and since there isn’t a Meet Me On Monday right now, I thought trying out a new meme with be a good replacement this week!

1. Lake Superior University has once again banished a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, ginormous, trickeration and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why.

Well, out of the choices given, I’m not tired of any of them, really. I still do find a lot of amazing things in this world and I also fully accept that what’s amazing to me may not be so amazing to someone else and vice versa. It think shared sacrifice is the best way to get something less tasteful done because there are also shared rewards. I don't care about the political buzz word. When real people use it and mean it, it's productive. I think Occupy is the very beginning of a new and hopefully better political party in this country. I’m working on creating a man cave and a woman cave in our home. I think there needs to be both. I’ve really never heard of some of the phrases on the chopping block, I’m a proud cat-mom, married to a proud cat-dad, proud in a ginormous way. :P

I guess if I HAVE to pick one, it’d be “baby bump.” But only because I get tired of seeing photos of bare swelled tummies, nothing against the phrase. Call me a prude, but I don’t want to see bare pregnant bodies, bare fat bodies or bare muscle head bodies on general public things like blogs or billboards. Though I will admit that of the three, a pregnant body is the most beautiful because it’s natural. I find the muscles on top of muscles, even just “six-pack abs,” to be the least attractive because there is a conceit involved with baring that for all to see.

I’m tired of “it is what it is.” That phrase is a cop out for “there’s a problem but I’m too lazy to care if it ever gets fixed. I’M not gonna do it! But I do know it’s a problem.” Yuck!


2. Are you easily embarrassed?

Not really. I always worry about being in an embarrassing situation, but when they happen, I don’t get embarrassed. Maybe that’s because I worry about being embarrassed and it’s never as bad as I was afraid it could have been.


3. What is your go-to snack?

Organic carrots! I go insane when there aren’t carrots in the house and I prefer the full-size organic ones. There IS a difference!



(Back from getting a carrot – weak to the suggestion!)


4. Have you ever been to Washington DC? if not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most like to see in that city? If you have been what's your favorite site?

I was in Washington DC in 8th grade as a class trip. I have photos of a bunch of 8th grade kids goofing off and what I remember the most was that it was a trip on a plane with friends to another state without our parents. Really, that’s the coolest memory about it.

If I went back now, I’d really like to go to Starbucks and have coffee with the President and members of congress from both sides, including the congress members representing Ohio, to talk about healthcare. I think my ideas and their clout might have some powerful results. Even if my ideas aren’t fiscally realistic, they might spawn some other ideas that are better.



5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats-which one do you hate the least?

Um, you said “souvlaki spanakopita pastitsio” what?


6. What's a small act of kindness someone did for you that you've never forgotten?

One day I was entering the bank. My walker was in the trunk. It’s usually in the back seat and getting it in and out is a science I’ve mastered, but not so much the trunk! I made my way to the back of the car and was wrestling with it, but not having great success getting it out. A man leaving the bank stopped and asked if he could help. I started to stubbornly say “no,” but smiled and accepted the help. He got the walker out of my trunk, checked to make sure that I had my keys before he closed it and went back with me to the door to the bank, holding them both open for me before he left to go to his own car. I always remember that time especially when I think about how much using the walker and wheelchair has shown me the best side of people time and time again.

When I think of that man in the bank parking lot, it always bring back the about 10-year-old girl who offered to help me with the door in the ladies room and stayed until she could hold the door open for me to leave the ladies room. If you take the time to see it, in spite of all the lesser people who make headlines, there are a lot of wonderful people in this world.


7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

When I was younger my blood pressure was always on the low side and honestly, I’d have to have juice and rest for 20 minutes after a blood-draw at the doctor’s office, so the thought was scary!

Now, after a year of so many blood draws last year, I think I might be able to do it, but I’m not sure if all the MS medications would taint my blood. I ought to find out. David gives platelets often.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

On becoming a woman.

As women, we emotionally try to keep little girls from crying. As a girl, you know when you’ve reached womanhood in another woman’s eyes because she starts doing things to make you cry on purpose. My nieces aren’t 18 yet, but I see them as women because I’m no longer just the cheerleader. Now I give them the mushy gifts that make them cry and I know I’ve done well when they do.

They've been emotionally women for a couple of years now!



Links:

Marti's Musings

Photo-Thank-You-blog Wednesday

Handmade coaster set from Flora

Sorry I’m posting late today! There are lots of times that I’m late with posting, usually because there is something going on in….non-cyber world. I simply can’t distinguish the two by calling one “real world.” I’ve exchanged cards, letters and tokens with people I’ve never shaken hands with. You are all real! We don’t touch each other’s hands, but we definitely touch each other’s hearts!

Okay, the photo, speaking of hands and hearts. Remember way back on December 7 when I told everyone reading about Flora’s Coasters that she made for Christmas guests at her home? Remember how I said she was giving a set away to one random reader? Well I was the lucky reader! Mr. Random was very kind to me. After receiving the note from Flora that I’d won, I sent my address info.

Now, you know from what I said about the sweet coaster sets that if I won it wasn’t going to be a gift to give, I consider these sweet coasters a gift from Flora to me! They arrived on Christmas Eve, totally like a present. I would have blogged about them sooner, but last week was pretty full with Rina here and I wanted to have a few minutes to tell you all about them properly!

Flora was modest when she called it a simple idea. The craftsmanship is superb! I got the very set she used in the step-by-step in her blog, or it was an identical set. They are beautiful and they’re green! That matches my eyes, my sweater, the colors in my future dream kitchen, my name ornament in our Christmas decorations…I just like green a LOT and being green only adds to how special the coasters are!

So, thank you Random for picking me and especially thank you Flora for sharing a great idea and so generously offering a set of the coasters to your readers!

Links
Flora's Blog, This and That

Photoblog Wednesday

The Lights Before Christmas
Toledo Zoo


Anthony Wayne Trail Entrance to the Main Zoo



These were actually the lights after Christmas
Wednesday night, December 28, 2011, David, Rina and Nani.
It was cold, gorgeous and fun!

Photoblog Wednesday

Tori, Christmas Eve 2000

This is the other half of last week's Photoblog. I'm telling ya, they really are twins. Tori's just always been older than her age!

Tori wanted "something different" for her hair. She's always been on top of trends, yes, even at six years old. She wanted the Topsy Tail style like she'd seen on TV. I didn't have a Topsy Tail but that didn't matter. She had a "Nana can make it work" attitude when she wanted something fashionable we didn't have. She often gave me challenges, but this one wasn't so bad. I got pipe cleaners out of the craft cabinet and made our own Topsy Tail!

She screeched a couple times because it pulled and I told her if it hurts we can do a different style, but she insisted that it would be worth it. After getting the tail right, we curled a few wispy tendrils and our young diva was ready for her shoot in front of the family tree.

Photoblog Wednesday

Rina, Christmas Eve 2000

Rina told me she wanted to be "pretty, like a present" for Christmas Eve dinner at my cousin's house. What she meant was she wanted curly ribbon like the gifts I'd wrapped and on my tree. We did pony tails and matched ribbon to the decal on her jumper.

It was her idea to sit next to the tree for a picture. She was cuter than the presents she was sitting with!

Photoblog Wednesday

Shadow Dancing In The Evening Light
Hannibal, MO
5/31/11

This was the last train we photographed for the day and I loved how the setting sun cast the shadow of the crossing gate on the train, I also TRULY loved getting it on an old weathered car with NO GRAFFITI!

(I especially love this photo right now because it was taken on a lazy, warm evening this year!)

Photoblog Wednesday

Lycoming Valley Railroad
December 11, 2009

Photoblog Wednesday

Thanksgiving, 2009

Photo Credit DSP

You are what you eat, right? I gotta remember where I put that hat away last year...

Photoblog Wednesday

Stars of Leaf Terminator on Cat TV

If you've read Kaline's latest post at Behind Orange Eyes, you know all about the Movie her Daddy and Uncle were in! It took Scotty and David a couple hours to get all the leaves in our yard to the street for pickup. The leaves extended the length of our house and the pile is half-way up David. He's 6'5"!

The guys from the city spent a couple of hours on our street Tuesday and the leaves are gone.

Photoblog Wednesday

Cozy Carla

When Carla is this comfy and this cute, David has to grab my camera