Today, 11.24.2010

Due to tomorrow's holiday, I am posting my "From the Simple Woman's Daybook" today:


Outside my window... ~ it's dark and quiet.
I am thinking... ~ about putting my Christmas tree up this weekend
I am thankful for... ~ having the next 4 days off. And my health. And my Family and Friends.
I am wearing... ~ red sox PJ bottoms and a tank top
I am remembering... ~ that tomorrow is Scrap Your Day, charge your camera!
I am going... ~ to enjoy Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle
I am currently reading... ~ The new issue of Food Network Magazine, YUM!
I am hoping... ~ the weather is nice this weekend
Pondering these words...~ "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation
           is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

From the kitchen... ~ a bowl of cereal and a large DD iced coffee.
One of my favorite things ~ all the neat places to see while I am in the Lake City area
From my camera..~ fireworks at the mall after the lighting of the Christmas Tree on Saturday

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today, 11.18.10

From the Simple Woman's Daybook:

Outside my window... ~ I can hear a lot of highway traffic.
I am thinking... ~ I'm not really cut out for this place..
I am thankful for... ~ my family, both near and far.
I am wearing... ~ jeans and a turtleneck
I am remembering... ~ how chilly the nights can get here.
I am going... ~ to see Harry Potter tomorrow!
I am currently reading... ~ craigslist, LOL
I am hoping... ~ and wishing, and wishing and hoping!
Pondering these words...~ "Noone can make you feel inferior without your consent" ~Eleanor Roosevelt
From the kitchen... ~ nada, I had Panera's for supper!
One of my favorite things ~ Pulling out the TSO/Christmas cd's for the holidays
From my camera..~ Finding a little bit of fall in the trees.

..and then there was Saturday

After that 3 hr adventure from Friday, including a nice bruise on my side from the cow train ride, Saturday was even more packed. I started the day at about 8:30am at Jax Beach for the Out of the Darkness walk for suicide awareness and prevention. I was there to support a former co-worker who lost a brother to suicide a few months ago. It was a beautiful day at the beach, and at about 9:30 (after coffee & a donut) we set off for a 3 mile walk on the beach. Thank goodness it was low tide! :)

After the walk, I had enough time to shoot over to the Arts Market for just a bit. This weekend there was some chalk art going on, and the Salvation Army was kicking off the "Bell Ringing" season. Bonus: A couple local restaurants got together and started a food truck! Mossfire Grill & O'Brothers are the restaurants, and they call the truck "busin' your chops". I didn't get a pic of the menu board, but I did grab a corned beef and cabbage "taco" and enjoyed it at a nearby park.

Last, but certainly not least, I headed home to change, feed the cat and head up to church. From there a bunch of us car-pooled to a favorite restaurant in Fernandina, FL called Barbara Jean's. Very down home, southern cooking. I had my shrimp n grits for dinner and for dessert a few of us split a big bowl of "Chocolate stuff" Kinda like a cross between warm pudding and raw brownie batter....sooooo good!!

It was almost 8:30pm by the time I got home..it was a wonderful day, full of good friends, and good food!

Fun from Friday!

Since I didn't have to work this past Friday, a friend and I brought her almost-2 year old daughter to play at Conner's A-maize-ing Acres.

It's a family run farm that years ago was close to filing bankruptcy. So they started the acres and now it's huge and quite popular. There were several school field trips going on as well while we were there. They have hay rides, a barrel train, plenty of playground areas, pedal go-carts for bigger kids, a petting zoo, and of course the corn maze.

She was a little hesitant at first near some of the stuff, like the big plastic pool filled with clean, dried corn kernals. But for the most part she was game to try or go on almost any toy, or near any animal. Except the chickens. For some reason she didn't like them much.
She loved posing for pics, and was an absolute ham the whole time. I caught some pretty cute moments!

Among the animals we saw: a horse (complete with new foal), cows, peacocks, chickens, rabbits, ducks, pigs, a donkey, and one very old dog.

By the time we left, we were all covered in dust, and plenty tired.
I have more photos to share another time, but here's one last one of the corn field! You can't see the design, but this years theme was the Special Olympics.

Today, 11.11.2010

From The Simple Woman's Daybook:

Outside my window... ~ It's dark. :)

I am thinking... ~ I may try get to the beach in the morning.

I am thankful for... ~ our Veterans and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.

I am wearing... ~ jeans and a TSO (spring 2010 tour) t-shirt

I am remembering... ~ How the sight of christmas lights give me such joy!
I am going... ~ to a corn maze tomorrow!
I am currently reading... ~ a few holiday decorating magazines.
I am hoping... ~ that I can leave work at work for the weekend.
Noticing that... ~ My scrappy area could be rearranged.
Pondering these words...~ "In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks."

                                          — John Muir
From the kitchen... ~ warm apple crisp with whipped cream.
One of my favorite things ~ The smell of a balsam candle burning.

From my camera... I love fun, creative window displays, especially near the holidays!

Garage Sales

This saturday I decided to forgo the Arts market for some garage sales. I'd only been to a couple since I moved here, and really don't buy much. I do enjoy picking through things to see if I can find any real treasures. I especially like to collect Homer Laughlin pottery, which was pretty easy to find up north, and I'm always on the lookout for books that I haven't read, and clothes that I can use for work or otherwise.

Yesterday I got word of a subdivision-wide tag sale so a friend & I headed out to see what we could find. There was plenty of walking to do and we needed it! It was all we could do to keep warm. The morning started out in the mid 40's and never got past 57 deg. all day. BRR! I'm such a wimp now! :)

So, here's a collage of  what I picked up. I'm not sure where I want to use the stool, but the tower shelf looks good right where it is. Still not sure what I want to use it for, but I'm sure a use will present itself soon enough.

Grand total: $4.50 for all of it. What a deal!

Today, 11.04.2010

From the Simple Woman's Daybook....

Outside my window... ~ It is cloudy and gray. The rain was needed, so I don't mind!

I am thinking... ~ That I shouldn't have had this coffee tonight!

I am thankful for... ~ my family & friends

I am wearing... ~ yoga pants and a cami. However, the only yoga I will be doing tonight is curling up on the couch!
In the learning room... ~ keeping my emotions in check when dealing with a difficult boss.
I am remembering... ~ to pick up a few items for a Tea on Saturday.
I am going... ~ to be very busy on Nov. 13th!
I am currently reading... ~ The Rook by Steven James
I am hoping... ~ the weather is sunny this weekend for the beach walk.

On my mind... ~ Thoughts of a friend's newborn grandson, born at only 28 weeks.

Noticing that... ~ I *really* need a haircut!

Pondering these words... "The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow." ~unknown
From the kitchen... ~ Chicken and rice casserole, and a cup of coffee
Around the house... ~ are a lot of photos that need sorting.
One of my favorite things ~ Criminal Minds marathons! :)
From my camera...

Perfect fall weather last weekend had me sitting out on my balcony enjoying coffee and some relaxation.

Not Catching Up

I'm not even going to try and catch up to all my Project 365 shots that haven't been posted here. So instead of posting a hundred pics or so, here are a few of my recent (and not so recent) picks, plus today's shot.  8/23/10: I recently started following a local foodie blogger, and she mentioned this spanish bakery in one of her past posts. I'm glad she did because they have some of the best latin pastries I've ever had! One of these days, I'll get some pics inside too!

9/25/10: On my way to the Riverside Arts Market I saw these boarded up houses, and wonder why they are still there. There are actually 3 of them, but I could only get 2 in the picture.

10/09/10: Caught Scout one morning laying in the sun with the shadow of the blinds on him. I think he may see some birds out there..he looks like he's smiling!

10/10/10: I went to the beach to watch the sunrise before church, and I'm so glad I did! Managed to find a few small pieces of sea glass as well.

11/02/10: Today after work I voted and got the first peppermint mocha of the season. Today was damp and drizzly, so it was perfect for a nice hot beverage!


The next couple weekends are busy ones, with a benefit tea for the local Women's Resource Center this Saturday, and the "Out of the Darkness" Suicide prevention/awareness walk on the 13th. Chalk Art at the arts market, plus the Ladies group from church is meeting at a local restaurant for dinner on the 13th. **phew**