Saw the "life like" statues on a New York City building & I got a little homesick. Well, maybe it was more like sick to my stomach thinking of our statues at home.

Maybe one day I'll brave getting close to our hometown "life like" fountain statues and get a photo for you. Maybe.

Day After

Pumpkin cheesecake or a celery stick.

Decisions to decisions.

A lot of delicious food was consumed yesterday.

  Monday would be a good day to go back to normal eating habits.

Celery stick cuts the sweetness of the cheesecake !

Thanksgiving

My your day be filled with family, friends, good food and football.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day !!

Wordless Wednesday

Early Thanksgiving Dinner

We will be eating Thanksgiving dinner at friends on Thursday so I cooked a turkey dinner on Sunday . The turkey looked as good as it tasted. I read an on-line recipe to bake at 500 degrees for the first 30 minutes and then turn down to 350 degrees for the balance of cooking time. Once you like the color tent with foil.

I will roast the same next year.

My grandmother Lothridge's "Jewel Homemakers" bowl. Only time I use it is for mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. Told Amie I would cry if it got broken  

She then gave me the scenario, if it was broken, would I want to be the one to break it or someone else. I didn't take me long to decide, someone else. I would forgive someone else but never myself.  Make sense?

How Starbucks Saved My Life

I always enjoy reading real life stories and this book was no exception. It was a quick read, two short evenings of reading. The book got mixed reviews at our book club meeting. One member didn't like the book because she didn't like Starbucks. How could she, they have the best brewed tea!! I don't want to give much away about the book because I would recommend reading How Starbucks Saved My Life. Also, Crystal, Michael's first boss at Starbucks needs to write her story.

Photoshoot

 Amie's college friend came for a weekend visit. Thankfully I had two willing photoshoot subjects.

I like the "golden" light of our late afternoon.

Thanks Carrie for being such a willing subject. We loved having you for the weekend. Come again!

Also, happy birthday on Sunday.

May you have a GREAT day and a wonderful year.

Wordless Wednesday

Thanksgiving Place Cards

I've never used a table saw but Amie did back in middle school.

Yes, she had on safety glasses.

 We cut a birch limb into six 2" pieces.

Then we cut by hand a notch in the top. 

I guess we'll be having a rustic Thanksgiving table this year.

World Diabetes Day

Today I have a guest blogger.

My nephew Kyle, who is smart, funny, handsome, athletic, caring and also happens to have Diabetes.

 Just a week before my eighth birthday I was told I was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. For about 6 months prior to this I was wetting the bed, drinking water like crazy, and urinating just as much. When I was first diagnosed I had no idea what it was. I thought I was going to die because I heard the "di" in diabetes. The day after the diagnosis we went to the hospital and were informed on how, exactly, my life was about to change dramatically and rapidly. Thousands of shots and finger pricks later at the age of 15 I am now a very healthy and energetic kid. Diabetes hasn't stopped me from anything. I wear an insulin pump 24/7 only taking it off when I shower or go into a pool. I check my blood sugar about 5-6 times a day and give myself insulin every time I eat, correcting for the amount of carbohydrates I take in. I play basketball and lacrosse without any problems. All of my friends, family, teachers, and coaches are very supportive and do whatever they can to help. As today is National Diabetic Day I would like to thank all of those who support diabetes research and help to find a cure for this disease. I'd also like to thank all of my family and friends for their support and care.

Thank you Kyle for your story. I believe a cure will be found in your lifetime.

American Diabetes Association

Veterans Day

Dad in Korea in his home away from home, 1953.

Today I'll be thinking of our soldiers in harm's way in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I pray everyday that they all make it back to the United States safe and sound.

Wordless Wednesday

45 Days

Did you know, there are 45 days until Christmas? I've been scrapbooking on and off for the last couple months for pages to use as a Christmas gift. 

 Amie started knitting over the weekend for Christmas gifts.

There's nothing better than receiving homemade gifts!!

I bought a chenille pumpkin at an antique mall in Wisconsin.

 There must have been at least 100 pumpkins made with many different colors & styles of chenille.

I wish I would have taken a photo of all the pumpkins. Some were definitely made out of old chenille.

I'm not sure if mine is old chenille or not.

I'm going to pretend it is.

DownWind Outdoors

I saved my favorite sniper for last. : )

Eric's favorite photo of the day.

My favorite photo of the day. So much so that I ordered a canvas.

Kristen and I have a hard time getting Eric to do "normal" photo shoots. We won't let him forget this day in the woods the next time we want to take photos.

Taking his turn on the SONY camera.

I also have a favorite video on the DownWind Outdoors website. It involves a turkey hunt. About five minutes into the video Eric takes off running thru a field and over a barbed wire fence.

DownWind Outdoors

I bet you wouldn't even notice Jerrod if you walked by him at this shooting location. Coyotes & deer have very good eye sight. A lot of time is spent finding the right location to hunt.

At first I had a hard time standing in front of the guns. In all the equipment the DownWind snipers brought they had NO bullets.

This photo has Jerrod hiding behind a tree calling for Eric to take the shot. I like this "action" photo.

Wordless Wednesday

DownWind Outdoors

Next up is Brian.

Each of the DownWind Outdoors Snipers take turns shooting or filming. In this video Brian & Eric use two cameras. It's my favorite video of Brian.

Below is my favorite photo of Brian. We were deep in the woods. I love the color of the photo. He is calling, I think he is making a sound like an injured rabbit.

If anyone reading this is into hunting, they use Crack Predator calls.

DownWind Outdoors

The reason for my "weekend in the country" was to take photos of the DownWind snipers.

Andy is featured in this video. It's one of my favorites. Make sure you have your speakers on.

I like the beginning. The driving in the truck part.

 Also, just so you know, there was an animal killed in the making of the video.

My favorite photo of Andy is the one below.

Th rest of the week I'll show you a few of the 230 photos I took.