Friday, October 31, 2014

Friday Fun Memes.


 Joining in again on several Memes.  Hope you have fun.


Click to Enlarge all photos.


Let's get started with Fill-In For Friday Fun hosted by Hilary from Feeling Beachie





The statements:
  1. During a______, I_______
  2. Enjoying_____ is________
  3. Listening to______ is something_______
  4. Answering______ can be ________
My answers:

1.  During a television show, I like to have it totally quiet so I can watch the show.  You can't talk during the show if you watch with me you wait until commercials.
2.  Enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning is essential to starting my day.
3.  Listening to music (see WNF5) is something I love.
4.  Answering kids questions about life can be difficult at times especially when you don't have all the right answers.


Moving along to Willy-Nilly Friday 5 hosted by Tanya (Around Roanoke)  I have some Halloween fun for you today.

                        

1.  Some musical fun with Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt Kickers from 1962 -  I never get tired of this song.  It's just so fun.


Coleen as "Bat Cat" for Halloween
 
 
2.  Remember Frankenstein the monster...check out this version. (Note it's a little graphic)  Personally I like the old version better.
 
 


A cool house near the Country Club decked out with some fun decorations.
 
3.  How would you like to live next door to this house?  - Can you imagine all the work it took to put up that display.
 

4.  Here's a link to some Halloween Cartoons.  Some are pretty funny but there are a few that might be offensive to some.  My favorite was Hilda in the Anger Management Class.
 

Big Scary Cat - My entry for Feline Friday & Feline Art as I've decked him out a little below.
 


 
 
5.  Had a little fun Photo Editing this week.  While out on one of our photo hunts Coleen and I spotted this in someone's yard.
 
 
It's not everyday that you see a Gargoyle guarding the entryway to someone's home.  It's scary all on it's own but after a little fun in Pic Monkey I think it's even scarier.  What do you think?
 

 
Well I know this has more the 5 photos but I couldn't help myself today and since I want to leave you on a lighter note I'm adding one more photo:
 
                                Another find on one of our outings.









Thursday, October 30, 2014

Good Fences - Halloween Fun

It's been another very busy week here and I haven't had much time for blogging.  Today though I'm making time to post for Theresa's,
GOOD FENCES meme.

There is a house in town that goes "all out" on Halloween decor every year.  It has a really cool looking fence around it so I thought it would be fun to showcase the fence and a few of the Halloween decorations.


Let's start out with a little "natural" webbing on the fence.

We would have taken more photos but this ran out at us and he wasn't very happy so we didn't stick around very long or get to close to the fence.

I love these fake crows sitting on top of the fence line.

How about a web covered gate, or some......


Ghostly Magic.

Finally to finish it all off.......


A Huge Scary Cat!

Have a great day & do check in at (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) blog and check out the other participants.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - October 26, 2014

  Welcome.  -  Won't you join me on a little hunt...
Yes it's time for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY hosted by the wonderful and talented Ashley from, (Ramblings and Photos).

This weeks prompts were:  Paint, Pumpkin, Family, Looking Cute and Photographers Choice.

PAINT:

We have a house in our neighborhood that is being repainted.  This house is sort of the "odd" house in the neighborhood to start out with since it's size is so much larger then any of the other homes so it looks a bit out of place.   Changing the color scheme didn't help any.  What do you think of this color combo together?
 

 I should add though that the fancy emblem in the middle has now been painted white which helps a little but for me the pale soft yellow and the bright turquoise just don't jive.

PUMPKIN:  Or in this case.....Pumpkins.


Yes you've seen this truck before as I photograph it every year when we go to the pumpkin patch.  I liked how they had the one lone pumpkin sitting on the fender of the truck.

FAMILY: 


Coleen is of course family and so is our sweet cat, Spooky-Boo and for Coleen all of her stuffed animals are "family" too.

LOOKING CUTE:  - The above photo could fit this prompt but I thought I'd give you this instead:


Spooky-Boo peeking at me from the stair landing.  I think he's looking pretty cute.

PHOTOGRAPHERS CHOICE:


I spotted these leaves on a tree this week while walking around the block.  I loved the colors and the way the branch looks.  Fall is so fleeting but the memories will last when you capture them this way. So this is my choice to share for the prompt.

That's it for this weeks hunt.  I hope you've enjoyed your stay.

Here is the list of prompts for next week if you want to participate.
  • 1. Dress Up
  • 2. Candy
  • 3. Fall Colors
  • 4. Trick or Treat
  • 5. Photographer’s Choice

  • Don't forget to stop in at Ashley's blog and check out the other participants links.  -  Have a great day. 



    

    Saturday, October 25, 2014

    Tea Cup Exchange

    Recently I participated in a Tea Cup/Mug Exhange hosted by the lovely Stephanie (The Enchanting Rose).  This is a lot of fun.  You get a nice surprise in the mail (either a Tea Cup or a Mug) and a chance to make a new friend.

    Stephanie posted the LINK to the exchange earlier this week and I forgot to get my post up on time (shame on me).  Anyway here is the mug I received from my partner, Kathy Weisz.  Kathy has an Etsy shop which you can visit HERE:

    Isn't that Tea Cup pretty.  I really liked the colors and the dainty rose pattern on the cup and the gold accents.  She also included a wonderful selection of her favorite teas.  Some of which are also my favorites, particularly Earl Grey.  -  Thank you Kathy for a wonderful exchange.

    Thank you Stephanie for taking the time to put this all together and match people up.  I look forward to doing this again.

    Friday, October 24, 2014

    It's Willy-Nilly Time and a few other things.

    Happy Friday! - What a week it's been.

    Let's get started celebrating the weekend by joining Tanya
    for Willy-Nilly Friday Five.  I'm including 5 Random photos that may or may not have anything to do with my Willy-Nilly 5


    1.  Every year since 1974 there is an annual Hot Air Balloon Stampede here in May.  This year ZERO balloons went up due to bad weather conditions.  The new organizers of the event want to move it to October in hopes of better weather conditions.  Today was a "test" launch and several balloons went up.  Sadly my camera is acting up again and doesn't want to focus on sky shots (anyone have any idea why?) but I managed to get a few decent shots.  This is one of them.


    2.   Long Story being made as short as I can. Two weeks ago I called a TV company about Coleen's TV not working.  They told me that it was a problem with the Access Card and it would need to be replaced so they would mail me one.  After several days of the card not arriving I call the company up again.  They said apparently the Postal Service had lost the card and this time they would send me one by Fed-Ex - Overnight.  In the meantime the mailed card finally arrives but I don't want to use it because they are coded and I was afraid it wouldn't work since I was suppose to get another one via Fed-Ex.  Yesterday I call the company again, they have no record of the one being shipped over-night.  I'm on the phone with a Technician for an hour and we still can't get the card that came in the mail to work.  Finally he tells me that they are going to have to send someone out to our house.  That guy arrives, looks things over and says he'll just switch out the entire box and that the problem had nothing to do with the Access card.  He fixes the problem and leaves.  About an hour later the doorbell rings and what should show up.  The card from Fed-Ex!    -  Now you know part of what my week has been like.

    Full view of the fountain on Whitman Campus.  A section was featured last Sunday in the Scavenger Hunt for the prompt, Saturated.



    3.  It's been raining here off and on all week long.  These clouds were taken earlier in the week before the rain started.  I thought they were pretty.  Much nicer then the gloomy gray of the sky today.

    4.  We love to drive around and find fun Halloween decor.  Spotted these ladies and just had to take their picture.


    5.  A friend sent me a bunch of pictures in an e-mail the other day of odd looking vehicles but I couldn't find the link to where she got them.  Instead I found another one and thought you might enjoy THIS:  Which one is your favorite?  I like the Peanut one and the Lobster one.


    One of the paths at Bennington Lake that you can hike on. 
     
    See I told you the photo's would not necessarily match the 5 thoughts.
    I've had a bit of a "Willy-Nilly" week so I thought my post should reflect that.

    Thursday, October 23, 2014

    Good Fences - October 23, 2014

    Welcome! -  I have been absent most of this week from my blog and also from visiting, commenting on your blogs.  Sometimes "life" happens and that's what took place this week.  I'm sorry for lack of commenting on your blogs and I hope to be back at that this week. 

    So now with that being said let's join Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for GOOD FENCES.

    Coleen and I were out and about taking photos when we spotted a couple of interesting fence scenes.


    Here some tomato vines are cascading over this wrought iron fence.

    We really liked this little bird house sitting above this fence.

    Now be sure to pop in and check out all the other great fences, there are lots of them.  You won't be disappointed.

    Monday, October 20, 2014

    Book Review - Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould

    *** I was given a copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review of the book
     
     
    This is my very first review for Bethany House Publishers. 
     
    This book is the last in a series of books by Leslie Gould.  It is written in the "First Person" style of writing which is something that I normally don't care for when I read a book.  However....once I got started in the story I became more interested in the characters rather than the style of writing.
     
    Bea and Ben are the two main characters of the story.  They have been friends and rivals in school for many years but are now grown up and finding themselves at a crossroad in their relationship.  Will love bloom between them or will they go their separate ways? - This is an Amish Fiction story and while I've read other Amish fiction this was my first by this author.  I did enjoy the story and how the author wove the characters "past" in with the present.
     
    I thought the author did a great job in describing the characters and their feelings and what was happening throughout the story.  There were little "subplots" woven into the story as well which held my attention because I wanted to find out how they were resolved.
     
    One thing that did bother me somewhat was that the author used words from the Amish language or way of speaking that I was not familiar with.  Some I could figure out because of the context of what the author was writing about but it would have been easier had she explained what they meant.
     
    I would recommend this book if you enjoy Amish fiction or even a love story.   I would suggest reading the other books in the series first though as characters in this book were introduced in previous books so it might help you to know who they are before finishing up this series.

    Sunday, October 19, 2014

    Scavenger Hunt Sunday - October 19, 2014

    Welcome.  I hope you've all had a great week.  Let's finish it up by having a great hunt with Ashley (Ramblings and Photos) for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.

    This weeks prompts were:  Book, Mail, Star, Saturated, and Wall.

    BOOK:


    I knew I didn't want just any shot of a book for this prompt so I drove the 17 miles needed to snap this little book reading frog at the Public Libray in Milton-Freewater, OR.  Isn't she cute.

    MAIL:


    Our cat, Snickers provied the perfect "mail" shot the other day when she hopped inside this box that was laying on the floor.  Would you like to receive this in a package?  (If you hate cats feel free to not answer).

    STAR:  -  I think he pretty much was a "Star."  -  Elvis lives on.

    This mural is actually pained on a stone wall so I could have used it for both prompts. 

    Saturated:  So I looked this up to make sure I had the right idea.

    sat•u•rat•ed (ˈsætʃ əˌreɪ tɪd)

    adj.

    2. thoroughly soaked with moisture; wet.
    3. (of colors) of maximum chroma or purity; free from admixture of white.
     
    So I'm actually sharing photo's for both definitions:
     
     
    The fountain on Whitman campus is certainly "saturated" with moisture and overflowing.
     
    I'd say these Oak leaves are "saturated" with color, wouldn't you?
     
    WALL:  Here again you'll be getting a bonus photo.
     
    This stone wall is a few blocks away from our house but I just love it.  It makes a great backdrop for taking photos and I like the design of it too.
     
    So remember the Elvis wall above....this is also painted on a section of that wall along with another picture of Elvis which I didn't post this time.
     
     
    So that's it for my part of the hunt.  Be sure to check out Ashley's blog and the other participants.  If you want to join in next week here are the prompts:
     
     
    1. Paint
    2. Pumpkin
    3. Family
    4. Looking Cute
    5. Photographer’s Choice
    

     
     
     


     

    Friday, October 17, 2014

    6 Words, Willy-Nilly and a Cat

    Time for some Friday Fun once again.  Let's get started with Six Word Friday hosted by Adrienne (My Memory Art). 

     This weeks word,  Leave(s) -  Showcasing a few shots of the Flame Maple that is just around the corner of the block.  These are all taken on the same tree.

                                       

                     Joining in now for Willy-Nilly Friday 5 hosted by Tanya (Around Roanoke).


    1.  We went to the local Corn Maze this past Sunday night.  I didn't take the camera along since we always go when it's dark and pictures don't turn out.  So here's a photo of the Maze from the Newspaper.

    One Giant Spiderweb that made for a super hard maze.  We ended up having to have someone help us find our way out this year.  Hubby's leg/back were hurting so we opted to get help out.

    2.  Speaking of Spiderwebs....I'm always trying to get a cool looking shot of a web like I've seen others do.  This seems to be the best I can find around here though and they always look like the spider has pooped (sorry) in the center of the web.


    3.  Coleen got a "glow stick" at the corn maze.  She was twirling it around the other night and I decided to try and take her picture while she was twirling it.  The results were pretty cool.  Granted my camera doesn't take great night shots but I still think this is really fun.


    4.  I like squirrels, they really can be quite entertaining.  Saw this little guy at the park and had to snap his photo.  The expression on it's face is so funny.


    5.  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I love seeing the decorations people put out.  Coleen and I spotted this one while out walking the other night.  Looks like this witch had a rough day.


    You know I just can't pass Friday up without my (Cat) photo so here it is.
    Joining Steve (The Burnt Food Dude) for Feline Friday.

    My other cat, Piglet who lives with my mom.  I don't often get photos of him because he's always trying to get me to pick him up so he won't sit still long enough to let me get a photo.  I feel a little like this picture today.  To busy of a week and I'm tuckered out.