on a 3 hour cruise...

Sunday, we decided to take a nice cruise around the lake and see how the fall colors were coming along. We rode north to Lake Norman State Park, stopped for cheese and crackers (and m&m's), rode to Hidden Harbor to check on the house then home. Hannah brought a friend and it was quite an enjoyable afternoon. The weather was warm but cool while riding on the boat. The colors were not quite peaking - still a week or 2 out.

While riding home we saw a bald eagle, we stopped to watch, it circled the boat a few times then flew off. Just long enough for me to change to my zoom lens - well, just long enough for me to get it on the camera, not long enough for me to actually get a picture. I believe this was the first bald eagle we have seen on the lake.

ignore...unless you are susaan.....

For Susaan.....Pick one or two....if you like any with the BW images...well, I did these fast and can make the BW contrast look better for the real thing. Let me know which you like best: Black/color images, black/ BW images, White/Color images or White/BW images. Click on the image to see larger.

an oldie but a goodie...

I have been meaning to post this for ages. Yesterday I was tossing out junk cleaning up and found it again. This is her letter home from summer camp and I just love the illustration at the end! Click on the image to get it larger...

tuesday night band concert...

Hannah had her first band concert Tuesday night. She and a friend elected to play a duet - Frere Jacques - Hannah on the flute and Mandi on the clarinet. They went second and did great.


Then we had a crummy spaghetti dinner. Very crummy. Then we sat through the chorus - alot of chorus. Then the band played again.

See her tucked in right in front of Mr. Lowe? I think she was hiding from me. Later she said she was worried that Mr. Lowe would hit her with the baton!

It was really fun to see her up there playing an instrument - after only picking it up about 6 weeks ago!

about those letters...

I have made a couple of these with my letters I shot from nature. Or at least found objects that look like letters. Here is one....




This was printed 6"x12" and is in a black frame on my bookshelves. I want to do a large "Lakeview" but I'd like to put it on an old piece of wood or a shutter so I am looking for one....

where did the weekend go.....

We had a busy weekend.

Early Saturday morning, H and I went to East Lincoln Christian Ministries to work in the clothes closet (like goodwill). Hannah has to do this for her church confirmation classes. Then we had a middle school lock in Sat. night. I stayed till 11pm-ish then returned at 8am to make breakfast.
Hannah had nursery duty at 9:30 then at 11:00 I was the godmother at a baptism. Out to lunch with the family, home for a few hours then back to church for a pig pickin' at 5:30.


So not much else to add.....

one down....

20 to go. Ha Ha. I actually finished all of them this weekend. This is my first one that hannah got to keep since the stitching was a little wonky. And this is probably the cutest of the bunch.

Church craft sale - I am ready!!!!!

meet....

The Rock Family.
Freshly decorated for halloween.
They have names...just cannot remember them...but Hannah knows. :)

been busy...

Well, I am still here. Just busy. Yep, busy.

I have been making stuff for my church craft sale - bath salts and craft aprons. Bath salts, done. Craft aprons, started.

I had decided to make bath salts this year due to a suggestion from Julie. I already had scents (essential oils) , glycerin and soap colorant so I really only needed epsom salts and sea salt. So Hannah and I whipped up a trial batch, combining recipes I found on the internet. One of the sites - and only one mind you - suggested drying the mixture in the oven at low temps. So i did.

Big mistake.

First the salts started to melt.
Second, my house stunk up. And bad.
I took it all outside to sit and dry. It dried up fine but I think the smell was baked into my oven. Then I put all my baking sheets into the dishwasher and the dishwasher stunk every time I opened it.

Chris was not happy.
I tossed it all.

Well, I started thinking about it and decided i would make it all outside in disposable pans.

So I did.
Three batches - lavender, honey cucumber and honey almond.




Now it is time to start on the aprons - making them from dishtowels. Hopefully they go quickly.

What else have I been doing other than shopping for and crafting items??? Well, there has been my photo assignment. Yep, my photo assignment. To find letters made from things in nature. Or at least things that are not supposed to be letters. Like this:



So those would be a Z and a J. Why you ask? Because it was a challenge posted on my photo message board and it was fun. So while hannah and friend were wandering around the overly crowded Apple Festival with cell phones attached to their hips, I was wandering around a junk yard having fun looking for letters. Much more fun if you ask me.

So that is for now. Bath salts, aprons and photo letters. Not very exciting.

still here..

Hi just a quickie post.

My back is doing much better. Tomorrow I am going to start exercising again.. I am going to power walk and work back up to 3 miles. but I will hold off on running again. I think I am going to give it up. We will see.

Also doing yoga 2x per week - I think I could get addicted to it.

Hannah has a cold.

I am running a scavenger hunt for middle school youth at church tonight so I need to run and get organized.

Sorry, no picture today.