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Monday Walkabout : Black and White Edition

Downtown Fredericksburg is an eclectic town filled with historic architecture, tatoo parlors, beautiful murals, antique shops and seriously fantastic food. And yet, you can still find a place a to park. Even better!

I started out this day with a view of the steeple from St. George’s Episcopal Church. The current structure dates back to 1849 and George Washington attended the congregation in the orginal wooden structure that was on the site on 1738.

There are plenty of details that add to the charm of oldtown as well.

Sconces outside shops

And patios down alleyways.

And ironwork steps

There is just so much to explore.

April 22, 2015
Weekly Photo Challenge: Catching Up

A couple of months ago a friend of mine, Tabitha, ( who also happens to be a fantastic photographer) started a weekly photography challenge. I was already on the hunt for one as a way to give me a way to focus on my own photography more, so I jumped on board.

Some weeks I rack my brain over the prompt.

Like when the prompt was “Pop of Color”

Or “Bokeh”

This one really did occur to me as I was falling asleep. Since the prompt was “Sleepy” and I tend to have a lot of these moments, the photo means all sorts of things to me.

Some of the photos involve the dogs. I didn’t tell Annie that the photo I took of her was because of her grey hair for “Straight Lines”

And Maggie simply likes to be nearby so when I was taking my photo for “Laundry” and she stopped to look out the window, I took advantage of the moment.

Now to figure what I’m going to do for this week’s prompt.

April 21, 2015
Monday Walkabout – Old Town Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, Virginia sits right on the Rappahannock River. George Washington, Mary Washington, James Monroe lived in the area just to name a few. Then there are the civil war sites. More than you can shake a stick at, that’s for sure. Several pivotal battles occured in the area. At some point, I’ll have to tell you the story of The Sunken Road and the man who crossed enemy lines. It’s an amazing story.

My walk began at the Confederate Cemetary. The Civil War is one I hope to never see repeated in the United States again. I’m always a little quieter when I walk near places like this.

From there I went downtown. I turned a corner as I was walking and this bright blue door practically begged to have it’s picture taken. I only needed to dodge a few cars to get it, too.

Down the road a bit is the Fredericksburg Baptist Church. It is a beautiful building. I have a lot of respect for their history and the work they are trying to do. Part of that history is that the building sustained considerable damage during the Battle of Fredericksburg and while it was used as an army field hospital during the Civil War.

Today they are a thriving congregation. These purple ribbons represent those who made a commitment to read the Bible with intent. I LOVE this!

Fredericksburg is a fantastic place and I can’t wait to share bits and pieces of it with you.

April 16, 2015
Does Anyone Have a Magic Wand?!?

What I wouldn’t give for a magic wand at the moment. Ok, ok. Maybe I wouldn’t give up my children or even pay a whole lot of money, but it sure would make some things easier. And I’m pretty sure I want them easier.

Have I mentioned that we’re moving ? No? Yep. We’re headed to the DC area. It was a surprise to us, too. It’s a good thing and we’re excited about it. But there is A LOT to do!! Hence the reason I’d like a magic wand at the moment.

If I had a magic wand I could wave it and *poof* boxes packed! A flick of the wrist and *presto* House sold! Swwwish and *TAAAda* we’ve moved into our new house – with everything unpacked of course.

Of course, knowing me, I’d end up with something much closer to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice with the first wave of the wand. Brooms and Mops everywhere with my dishes landing in a broken heap!

Oh well…. Nice thought while it lasted. I guess I’ll stick with the old fashioned method and be patient. *UHn* I’m NOT GOOD at being patient!!!!

January 3, 2012
What a Crazy Roller Coaster

…. or sometimes I’d like to know what the Lord is up to…. (but I’ll get to that in a moment)

When I last left you the week began on a sad note. That week only got worse. I really do try not to be too attached to things. I promise. But when I was rear-ended by an E250 van I was SOhappy I was driving a truck. You’ll never, NEVER get me to drive a small car. EVER. Sorry. And I do love my truck (her name is Maid Marian -crazy I know) and she is now back to being beautiful again – new hitch, bumper fixed, frame straight again (yes it bent the frame). And I was able to drive her to Girls Camp.

We had an amazing time at Girls Camp this year. Our theme was “Experience the Change” from Alma 5: 13-14 and we used butterflies as our “Mascot” for the week. The great part about it was the girls worked hard to do what needed to be done. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go next year because my brother is getting married and I think it will be the same week, but I’ll be there the year after. I love camp!

Back from camp and we jumped in to adopting a dog. We found a fabulous rescue organization. Can I just say if you’re looking at getting a pet, please search your area for a local group that is doing animal rescue. You may find you get more information than you would adopting from the SPCA about the pet and it has been a great experience for our family.

Maggie is an absolutely wonderful 2 year old chocolate lab and we just love her already. She has so much personality. She makes us laugh all the time. She fits right in with our family – she’s just as crazy as the rest of us!

So what’s with the roller coaster? All of that is up right? The truck is fixed, Girls Camp was fantastic, fabulous new family member – where’s the loop -d- loops?

I got a new calling. Let me tell you having your husband as the Stake President Executive secretary gets interesting when he walks into the living room and tells you “We need to be at church a little early to meet with….” and I KNEW it was for me! I got cold and clammy. He asked if it would help if he listed all of the callings that currently needed to be filled? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!! NO!

But of all of the callings that went through my head in the time I had to think about it I never once thought of the words that were uttered.

Early Morning Seminary Teacher. I blinked. Really.

See. I don’t think about the fact that I’ve been driving my children for Ohhh…. 6 years now. So it’s habit to be up at that time whether I drive them or not. I went to seminary when I was High School. Sure.

But Seminary Teachers know stuff. I don’t. What is the Lord thinking? What is he up to. Sometimes I just don’t know. I do love that we’re teaching the Book of Mormon this year – and the Doctrine and Covenants will be next year. And while there are times I get frustrated with the “kids” (they’re not kids) – They are amazing. I’ve known most of them since they were Primary age and I’m So proud to see the Men and Women they are growing up to be.

Talk about feeling humbled…..

August 16, 2009
And sometimes, Old Dogs get tired….

Sometimes, when an old dog gets tired there are many things they still want to do and just can’t. You can see it in their eyes. Sometimes they try. They get a little beside themselves with excitement and forget for a moment that they’re old. It hurts. Because you remember when they could.

Sometimes, even though the mind is willing, the body says, “I’m done.” Our Old Dog was still happy, her tail wagging when we came down to her to pet her, but her body (at 15 years old) was simply tired and it was time to say good-bye.

I would like to think someone was already there throwing a tennis ball for her to catch – or maybe she finally caught that rabbit she was constantly chasing in her sleep.

She was loved and we know she always knew it.

July 8, 2009
The Sparkle of Simple Things

Sometimes, it just the simple things that matter. Hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled corn-on-the-cob with watermelon to top it off. The whole family home for dinner. And Fireworks to top off the day.

How did your Independence Day Sparkle?

July 5, 2009
Things you just don’t hear anymore…

Ethel (Mertz) to Lucy (Ricardo) when insisting she needed to change:

“Lucy, I’ve never worn my blue jeans on the subway before and I’m not going to start NOW!”

July 2, 2009
First Strike

The sun had set and our weather radio went off. I suppose if your smart and have a severe thunderstorm warning you head inside. Naaaaahhh! Kevin and I like to watch the light show. It was quite a show.

I even managed to get lucky.

My very first lightening strike. YES!!

May 7, 2009
What Does Spring Taste Like?

Strawberries are one the most wonderful gifts we have ever been given. Fresh out of the box with nothing else added they taste like sunshine, spring and happiness bursting in each sweet bite.

But that’s just the beginning! There’s strawberry shortcake (which I prefer with pound cake as the base), strawberry smoothies, strawberry jam, chocolate covered strawberries (YUM!), strawberry cheesecake, strawberry pie…the possibilities are astounding.

K. and I went and picked 30+ lbs. of these delightful berries yesterday. I’ve already made 6 pints of jam and frozen some of the berries for other things in the year. We had shortcake for dessert last night. And I still have some in the fridge to have fun with now (YES!).

So what are your favorite strawberry recipes? I’d love to try some of them.

May 3, 2009