I Heart Faces | White

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this challenge! White. Not black and white. Just white. How can someone incorporate white into their photography? Not as difficult as you might think. I really gave this challenge a great deal of thought and even tried a couple of white photos this weekend. Then I remembered. The beach!

Recently we took a little vacation to the beach with our adorable Cupcake Girl. Her Mama and Daddy joined us after 6 days and before The Captain and I took off on our little road trip home, we had a photo shoot down at the beach. My sweet daughter decided early on to have the three of them wear white. This photograph is one of my favorites (and there were many). Sweet Cupcake Girl, her Daddy holding her and her Mama in the background. What a sweet photograph. What a sweet family! Just lovely!

Enjoy the color of white over at iheartfaces. Go. Take a few moments and peek at the loveliness!

I Heart Faces | Dog and Cat

This week at iheartfaces, the challenge theme is pets. I have several animal pictures, but recently I found the following.

Skipper, the dog in the background, was enjoying a little nap with the other critter friends on the bed in what is known in our house as, The Bird Room. Cupcake sleeps in this room when she has a sleep-over therefore, there are several stuffed critters that grace the bed. Interestingly enough, one of the critters is a Jerry Garcia stuffed doll. That’s for a future post. After seeing Skipper I decided this was the opportunity to have a doggie photo session. I maneuvered a few of the critters around him for a better photo op!

Just when I was about finished the other real-life critter in our household wanted in on the action. Introducing Kitten. She plopped right down in front of Skipper and decided to hog the camera and this is what I got!

 

 

Pets are wonderful and their love is unconditional, even kitties! Want to see some cute, adorable and loveable pets/animals? The take a few moments and head over to iheartfaces and see the other entries! It will make you smile! I promise!

My Food Treasures

Took a little trip to Chattanooga Market late this morning. It was rather pleasant weather-wise and the place was buzzing with activity. One of the local farmers that I like to support didn’t have as big of a variety as I had hoped for. But what he did have was a gazillion yellow and red cherry tomatoes. It was crazy!

As I browsed around I saw some late-season strawberries that had just been picked this morning and decided to purchase 10 quarts. Yep. Ten quarts. Also saw some early season scuppernongs, which is in the muscadine family. My sweet mother makes the best muscadine jelly and I decided that this is the year for me to make jelly! The farmer had about 5 pints, so in my basket they went!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I called my mother to find out her recipe and she stated she had always used the Sure Jell recipe and directions. She also told me to follow the directions exactly, do not waver any! So I visited their website for cooked jelly and printed them out. I also found a website with some very helpful information on making Strawberry Jelly (not jam), as well as canning information, from the University of Georgia National Center for Home Preservation. My second recipe for Muscadine Jelly came from PickYourOwn.org. A very informative website as well! This will be my first attempt at making jelly and I’m very excited. I will certainly document the adventure this week!!

So here are my treasures from today (minus the fresh goat cheese I inadvertently left in the refrigerator).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beans, large peppers for stuffing, strawberries (2 of the 10 quarts), French Country bread, butternut squash, scuppernongs and in the very front some homemade pretzel dough bread things.

I think I’m most excited about the butternut squash. I’ve printed out three recipes from Martha Stewart to pick from. They are Curried Butternut Squash Soup, Butternut Bisque and Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder. All the recipes look delicious and I really don’t know which one I’ll choose. Thoughts anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight for dinner we indulged in a little grilled cheese on the French Country Bread and I had also couldn’t resist a few of the fresh strawberries. It was ALL yummilicious!

Week’s Favorites

A few of my favorite pictures from this past week….

A beautiful spider web on our deck that was only there for about 5 days. Night-time clouds while driving on the interstate. Gorgeous sunlight on the trees. Cupcake’s Dora toothbrush by the sink.

I saw this patch of sunflowers at a local church’s community garden. Couldn’t resist. Took these with my little point and shoot. I tried to stand very still to capture the small butterflies/moths on the middle picture. It wasn’t easy!

Cupcake and her sweet mama (my beautiful daughter) after her 1st day of preschool (her second year). Cupcake cutting out and baking some cookies. My favorite little cookie-man. I just LOVE the little red heart she put on him. Beautiful!

Her Beautiful Eyes

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes
one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper,
more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby
when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.
Vincent van Gogh

Her eyes are as deep blue as the ocean and lips as pick as coral. Beautiful. Powerful. She was only 11 days young and she captivated me. Indeed, I did not have to go far to find something grand or infinite. The wonder of creation, of God’s love, shines through her eyes. Thank you Natalie, Blake and especially Lilly.

Thank you iheartfaces for the opportunity to showcase eyes. Want to see more beautiful eyes? Take a minute or two and go visit their website.

Friendship

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had. ~Author Unknown

I love this photograph of my granddaughter chatting on the computer with my younger daughter, Kayla. When Kayla was away at college, occasionally these two would computer chat. Their chat times were pretty funny and I loved being able to observe their relationship/friendship form. Now, Kayla has graduated and moved back, so these two get to spend lots of time together. They are like two peas in a pod! Not only are they aunt and niece, they are the best of friends!

This week’s challenge at iheartfaces is all about friendship. Friends come in all shapes, sizes, real and pretend, family and non-family. There are some wonderful photographs and storied, so take a minute or two and check them out!

Little Cabin by the River

Spent the weekend at a little cabin alongside the Little River in Townsend, Tennessee. The cabin, called Riversong, was awesome! It had several retro elements and a great deck with a swing overlooking the river. A little shout out to The Wrights. They have several cabins to choose from and we certainly will stay in one of their cabins again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took a little trip up to Cades Cove. I simply love this 11-mile loop around the cove. I’ve never been to Cades Cove in the winter, so I’m already making future plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s one of my favorites from the weekend.