I like Etsy.

Do you?

Etsy is a 'place to buy and sell all things handmade'.

ETSY



Here is what came in the mail for me this week.

I have had my eye on these camera straps since I saw them linked at Tara Whitney's blog.
I have never used my yellow and black Nikon strap. I took it off on day one and put on my old skinny strap from my college camera. (a Minolta) But I have seen these pretty colorful straps around many photogoraphers necks....and
I wanted to be just like them :o)



No, I don't go buy shoes or eye make-up or jewerly to be in style.

I buy a camera strap.

I'm a gonner.


Here is the link for the camera straps. AND Em has new fabrics already.....
I love her new fabrics!!!

emfalconbridge.etsy.com


********


How about a sweet apron with fabulous fabrics?



A long-time blog-sistah, Randi, creates these beauties.
I check her Etsy every once in a while to see if something jumps out at me....


And this jumped right into the 'checkout cart'.

That darling VW camper fabric is by one of my favorite fabric designers, Heather Ross.

Simple Things

I love it, Randi!

Randi also has a great blog with sewing tutorials and lots of home-style goodness.

I have to say



******

For some strange reason, I love gift tags.

Etsy has a huge variety of gift tags. I happened upon Belleandboo over a year ago and fell for these sweet pretties.

Belle and Boo @ Etsy


*****

If you have a favorite Etsy page or even have your own Etsy page. please
leave a link in the comments and I will be sure to come and visit!

Thanks!


We are, for sure, going to the Farmers Market.
I don't have anything I would like to buy.
I just want to take pictures!!!

It's so sunny today....I can't wait.



Vive ut Vivas!!!



Encourage one another,
Donna

The Feast is taking a break.....




Two-Word Meme

1. Where is your cell phone? on counter
2. Where is your significant other? at work
3. Your hair? thick, unruly
4. Your mother? loving, funny
5. Your father? devoted, tease
6. Your favorite thing?
7. Your dream last night? no dream
8. Your favorite drink? diet dr. pepper
9. Your dream/goal? family near
11. Your hobby? blogging, photography
12. Your fear? poor choices
13. Where you want to be in 6 years? successful photographer
14. Where were you last night? Sensoria party
15. What you're not? thin, decorator
16. Muffins? top, please
17. One of your wish list items? Paris, Maui
18. Where you grew up? Elmhurst, Wheaton
20. What are you wearing? flimsey jammies
21. Your TV? my friend
22. Your pets? Sassy Cat
23. Your computer? pretty Mac
24. Your life? beautiful, blessing
25. Your mood? positive, hopeful
26. Missing someone? always, always
27. Your car? Volvo wagon
28. Something you're not wearing? teeny bikini
29. Favorite store? Whole Foods
30. Your summer? blank slate
31. Like someone? every one
32. Your favorite color? pink, green
33. When is the last time you laughed? last night
34. Last time you cried? relating House


I spotted this meme at Dana's and thought it would be fun.
Now I know this many questions scares you away...so do the ones that you find interesting and easy, okay?


******


Ugly Betty. Please choose Gio.

I love the Betty and Gio story line.

Have I said that already?


********

Grey's Finale.

I was gone and will watch it shortly.

Was it good?


*******

House Finale.

Cried and Cried.

And then told Emma the story in the car.

And cried again.


Katie says from the back seat, "It's not real. It's just tv."
Emma replies to Katie, "Sometimes tv reminds you of something real."


********




Katie wants to get a hair cut.

I think we will do that this weekend....somehow. I have been waiting for my Heather to return to work....
but I don't think Katie can wait.

We have absolutely NOTHING planned for this weekend.

We will not be taking a country drive.

Gas nearing $4.00.


Can you think of another product that we use that has had such a huge price
jump? So big of an increase that your pocketbook and life has been changed?

I can't think of one. But, perhaps I am missing something from my childhood.

Did you hear about the man who drilled for oil on his land in Indiana?

He is producing 3 barrels a day!

And that's the point I want to make.

Come on Americans! We can do it.

Innovate. Create. Put on your thinking caps.

This can be solved.

This is what we do. We invent and capitalize on stuff.

Go! inventors. Go! great minds.

We are depending on you.



Are you doing something special this weekend?

I'd love to hear about it.


Encourage one another,
Donna

When I talked with Matthew about our visit he asked me what we would be doing.
I really didn't know.

I knew we would eat.
Twice.
But, where would we crash for the entire afternoon?

I wasn't interested in going to a mall.
And the zoo was not too appealing.

And then it came to me.
The boys could golf and we could ride along in carts and cheer them on,
just like old times.

We all decided that this was an excellent idea.

You see, this is how we spent the better part of their childhood.

The boys golfing with me or with their dad.

Me being the cheerleader. Which they hated.
And the cart driver. Which I loved.

I can golf a little bit, but I am not in the same league with the boys...and they make fun of me.

So I would drive along with all the bags and Emma....and lots of times, Patrick Sr. would hop on while the boys
walked to their next shot.

This was our family time. On the golf course.

Owning a bakery took nearly every single minute of Patrick's time when the children were young.
But when he was not working, he and the boys were golfing or watching the Packers.

It took us two tries to find a course that would allow us (the non-golfing, cart-driving, spectators) to tag along.

The young man just asked that we didn't hang off the cart. And we didn't.
It was a challenge for Katie a few times. But she remained dignified.


This is a beautiful sight. My big boys.



This is Shelby. She is Patrick's girlfriend.
Isn't she pretty. She has perfect teeth ;o)


Katie and Emma were there.
They have nice teeth too.



Golfing. A beautiful walk spoiled. Not.



Matthew hit this shot into the creek over the pond. As he and Patrick looked for their balls, a
red wing blackbird first attacked Matthew and then Patrick. It was funny....and a little scary.




Melinda wasn't able to get off of work. We missed her.
But she was able to meet us for dinner.
She's a doll. And has lovely teeth, too.


The light was glowing as we left the restaurant....
and so was Emma.

We went back to Matthew and Melinda's apartment for a few hours of visiting and Wii.

It was so nice to be together.
We wished Patrick Sr. could have been with us.
He would have loved it.

We will not see Patrick Jr. for a long time now as he heads back to Washington.

A piece of my heart goes with him.



*******

I've run out of time!


Just wanted to say, I agree that the Idol show was and hour and 45 minutes too long....

but David Cook was wonderful. His momma must be so proud of him.

He was a gentleman and considerate and was always thinking of others.

I like that so much.

I hope he does well!


Gotta dash. Hope there are not too many mistakes as I don't have time to proof...


Encourage one another,
Donna

Hi Every-body!

We are home. I am exhausted.

We had a wonderful time.

I will write more about our visit tomorrow...

but in the mean-time.....


This is not the Christmas Card.





Neither is this one :o)





I think I have a few to choose from tho!

Who is going to win tonight?

I have not seen the show (American Idol) yet.

Want to guess?


See you in the comments!
Good to be home.
Looking forward to sleeping more than four hours tonight.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Thank you very much for the wonderful birding advice in the comments over the weekend!
If you haven't read them, they are great tips.

Thank you all.

And a funny thing, last night I peeked in to see how the seeds (cheap-o wild brid seed from the grocery store) was doing
and my shy birdies, the little brown ones, have eaten it all up!

So they are finding the feeder and chowing down on what I do have....
I am excited to spruce things up for them and see what happens.

They will be happy and I will be happy.

Yay :o)


*****


Other than that, the weekend just flew by.

Tomorrow, we are heading for Omaha for a very quick visit. Patrick Jr. is in Omaha for a week and we want
to see him! Emma has one day off of work...and we are making a mad dash to Nebraska.

Mathew and Melinda will host us again. They are so sweet to welcome us. I hear they have a Wii now,
and Katie is out of the world excited about that!

Hey! I tried the Wii/Guitar Hero at Circut City the other day. THAT was fun.

My husband loves watching me do Dance, Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero.

You see, I'm pretty dang, young at heart....but it doesn't always show in the day to day ;o)



But, back to Patrick, it's been almost a year and I can't wait to give him a hug!

AND I am taking our Christmas picture! It's gonna be the oldest Christmas picture ever....
but everyone will be there!!!

I never felt right about last years Christmas card minus the boys and our new daughter.....in law.


********




Katie and I went shopping for Birkenstocks. Mine have worn out.
I like the thin two strappy style. And imagine this....they didn't have them.

I know I can find them on the internet.....but I want to buy local.
There is one more store I can try on State St.


Something I noticed right away, the bottom of the sandal felt like hard icky plastic.

It's been a good ten years since I bought new Birkenstocks. Is this sole change new?
Do you have a pair? How do you like the "new" soles?




I love this picture of Katie.
Her little legs look so cute and skinny.



Because this is the most boring entry ever....I will share with you one of my favorite Chicken Salads from Whole Foods.


Sonoma Chicken Salad


Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste


Salad
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups red seedless grapes
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
Prepare the dressing by thoroughly mixing together all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from baking pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the breasts are completely chilled (at least 2 hours refrigerated), dice into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.



It's a good one.

Perhaps not as good as....Popeye's Honey Pecan Chicken Salad

But the grapes add such a nice flavor to the Sonoma chicken salad.

And I never eat grapes.


I love chicken salad.

Do you?



Encourage one another,
Donna

This morning I come to you with a plea for help.

I would like your expert advice on two things;

How to attract birdies to our yard

How to take their pictures once they come


*******


As you can probably remember the hummingbirds have a hard time remembering that I have a bird feeder.

So they have not come yet this spring. But gosh, I wish they would.


Some little brown birds have already stopped by and munched on some seed at my new feeder....
but they are shy and fly away when I try to get a peek at what kind of bird they are.


Over at Mental multivitamin, MFS listed the birds they saw in one day at their little house on the edge of the prairie.
It is a wonderfully long list with great variety. How do they do it?

Mental multivitamin

Looking at MFS's birding resources, I see some binoculars listed.

I imagine those are key!


So please, all of you bird lovers, how do you do it?

Of course, I could go online and look for the answers, I could go to the library or to the book store, but I'd rather ask you first....


Thanks!



******



Early Bird

Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If you're a bird, be an early early bird-
But if you're a worm, sleep late.

by Shel Silverstein


Peckin'

The saddest thing I ever did see
Was a woodpecker peckin' at a plastic tree.
He looks at me, and "Friend," says he,
"Things ain't as sweet as they used to be."

by Shel Silverstein




The wonderful Charley Harper















Happy Weekend!!

Encourage one another,
Donna

I have decided not to do the Feast today.

Instead, Iet's pretend we are so famous American Express wants to do an ad about YOU.

Have you see those ads? Questions are posed and the celeb fills in the answers.


My name:

childhood ambition:

fondest memory:

wildest dream:

proudest moment:

biggest challenge:

perfect day:

indulgence:

last purchase:

inspiration:

My life:

My card: American Express




I will answer in the comments!



********

Last night while I was watching Ugly Betty, ( Yes, there is a go-to show now that Survivor has concluded.)
Katie came to the screen door with a dandelion. The light was shining on the fuzzy plant, which by the way did not come from out yard, and of course, I grabbed my camera and ran. The back yard was shadow-filled so I went in search of that light.
I didn't have to go far. In the front yard the sun was filtering thru the trees as it was sweetly setting.







Ya gotta goof around a little when you are eight.




Can I tell you how much I love my camera and the lenses I have.

I love them so much.

Look at the hair on Katie's arm and the hair on her upper lip.

And the light and the color.

I love my camera.





This one needed a go at black and white.

The light on her face and on the dandelion is glorious.

*****


"Oh dandelion, yellow as gold,
What do you do all day?"
"I just wait here in the tall green grass
Till the children come out to play."

Oh dandelion, yellow as gold,
What do you do all night?"
"I wait and wait til the cold dews fall
And my hair grows long and white."

"And what do you do when your hair is white
And the children come out to play?"
"They take me up in their dimpled hands
And blow my hair away."

~Rod and Staff Publishers




********


LOST

I just want to know why they are not telling the truth about the island.
That's all.

And how funny was that line,

"Jesus Christ is not a weapon."


I really have to catch up on the other seasons.

Any thoughts?

On anything?

Don't forget to Answer the American Express questions!


Encourage one another,
Donna

I am thankful that our neighbors have a lilac bush.

I am thankful for the way lilacs smell.

I am thankful for that airport purchased t-shirt because it means Patrick is safely home from his biz trip.

I am thankful that Katie writes us love notes daily.

I am thankful for how spectacularly gorgeous it is outside. My eyes and my heart can not get enough of the green.

and one last thing

I am thankful that the birdies have already found my new bird feeder and that my mother's day flowers have bloomed
so perfectly.





What are you thankful for?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Let's talk hats, shall we?


Is this a beautiful creation worthy of high style regard?

Or is it the Emperors New Clothes?


The attention grabbing hat was made by Phillip Treacy and was worn for a movie premiere.

Philip Treacy is famous for his hats.

He made both of the hats Camilla wore when she married Charles.
I wonder if he made Diana hats. If he did, I'm sure they were perfection.

What do you think? Should she have worn the hat or not?






And what a refreshing treat.






This girl could have had the most spectacular wedding of the decade.

But look at her.

She chose a wedding in the country with a simple Oscar de la Renta dress.

Her twin sister was her maid of honor and only 200 people attended.

To me. This is class and style.

In a day and age when weddings have gotten crazy expensive,
I just love that Jenna choose to get married in this quiet, elegant way.


*******

American Idol


Okay my peeps....

Who will go home tonight?

I would be shocked if anyone other than Syesha goes home.

But that is not what I want, it is what I think will happen.

To me, David Cook is just so much more exciting and with it than the other two....
I can't see him losing.

I only liked one of Syesha's songs. The Alicia Keyes song was super.

David A sang two good songs. But his Billy Joel song was just like Billy and the judges didn't rag on him.

And he looks like Eddie Munster. I have realized. That's it. Eddie Munster.

I liked every song David Cook sang. I like him a lot. He has it all and is a star.

Syesha just doesn't get it, I'm afraid. Why would she sing Fever.

And David A is just too unpolished and not ready. He is just not ready.

BTW, I voted once for David C. and once for Syesha.

It was difficult to get thru or I would have voted more often for David C.


So that is how I see it.

What do you think?



Encourage one another,
Donna

I Meant To Do My Work Today
by Richard LeGallienne

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?








If I can make photography my work, if it is what is meant to be....
'So what could I do but laugh and go?'



If I could be a television critic.....

No. I don't want that job.

I just like to watch.


On DWTS, my favorite part was when Len visited all of the pairs and gave his pointers. I like that guy.
If I can't dance with Maksim, I want to dance with Len ;o)

Again the judges were too hard on Kristi Yummygoochi.

I am sure Marisa will go.


******

House.

I didn't care for House at all last night...until the very end.

And how many times did you yell Amber at the television before House got it?

******

I am going to confess something....I watched the finale of The Bachelor.

And the bachelor picked the girl I wanted him to pick....and that made me happy.

There was even a real engagement with a real ring.

I hope they are still together. I hope they get married.

I am a kook.

*******


Patrick and I watched Now, Voyager on Saturday Night.

Now there is a classic.


"Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."


What a great last line.




Any opinions on last night's television fare?

And why don't you share you favorite black and white classic with all of us?

That should be fun!



Encourage one another,
Donna

A beautiful life




I know Mother's Day is a mixed bag for a lot of you.

It's a time for reflection and happy hugs.
It's also a time of disappointment and pain.

This year mother's day has caused me to reflect.


Most of you know, that our parents died when they were very young.
And we were all too young when they died.


It was a terrible tragedy all the way around.

But, perhaps because of my youth or my faith, it was clear to me
I had a choice to make.

I could either curl up and die, or I could shake my fist and hate God,
or I could honor our parents memory and live.



You see, they loved life.
They love each of us.

So much.

They were devoted, loving parents.

They had fun and they had hard times and they lived kind of large, in a Midwestern, sort of way.

But they had big love.

And it was passed down.

They taught us to get along with one another and 34 years later. We get along. We adore one another.

They taught us to love our children. By their example. And we all do. Crazy love.

They also taught us, by default, that life is brief. Much too brief for some.

So I learned early on to treasure my days.
I more seriously had to think about God and heaven.
Was it true?

And I knew giving up was out of the question.

It would not honor God and it would hurt our parents.

Cause what do parents want for their children?

Parent's want their children to have a beautiful life. That's what.

How could I deny them that?

That was my 16 year old reasoning....and my 16 year old choice.

And it was a good choice.


Our parents gave us such a beautiful start.

And I have naturally wanted to give that to our children.

A beautiful start to a beautiful life.


I love that my parents were who they were. I am so thankful for them.

It will never be okay that they died so young.

But I am thankful for their beautiful example and my beautiful life.





Encourage one another,
Donna

See below for mystery mother's day gift.


Happy Mother's Day!

This was originally posted in 2004 here at Quiet Life.




Young Esther and baby Donna

A sweet passage from Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Wiggins;

"Oh! she is so beautiful!" sobbed Kathleen, "her bonnet is just the color of her eyes; and she was crying!"

"There never was anybody like mother!" said Nancy, leaning on the gate, shivering with cold and emotion. "There never was, and there never will be! We can try and try, Kathleen, and we must try, all of us; but mother wouldn't have to try; mother must have been partly born so!"


This was also posted in 2004. Way back when this blog was born.


Katie Gracie Loves Her Mommy

After 22 years of parenting I have a child who unabashedly adores me.
It surprises and humbles me. Our other children love me...no doubt....but they are less demonstrative.
Katie Gracie (4) is obvious.

Yesterday while we were swinging and singing to Shania Twain (yep, you heard right) I noticed that every time I shoved my sleeves up...she did too.
Then she told me that when she is a mommy and she has a baby she will name her 'Donna'.
This is especially touching to me because I have never like my name...but to her it is lovely.

She sees the best in me....I do not. I am not deserving of her adoration. But I do feel more keenly the responsibility I have to model well for her.
"Create in me a clean heart O God"

Ah, Motherhood. My calling, my life....my joy.




Encourage one another,
Donna


Sunday.






and a real surprise, for me....



Flowers from our olderst son, Patrick!!!

I love them and I love that you sent them to me. *smooch*

The Egg Bird Feeder is very light blue. Called Aqua.
It is made by J. Schatz. Very cool company.


You know I'm not into many things...

But every once in a while, I find something that makes me smile and
I'm glad my family wanted me to be able to enjoy this little extravagance.


I hope you are having a fine day....with lots of smiles and hugs and love.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Soup

Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

Salad

Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

Main Course

Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

Dessert

Name 2 blue things.



Look!




I got something in the mail for Mother's Day.

I was so delighted to open it and see the care that went into the packaging.

How I love that simple, pretty blue bow.


Now. What do you think is in the box?

I saw this item on a blog I came across a few weeks ago....
and it just called to me....

It is very unique and very pretty.

There is a small hint on the box as to what it is.

Can you guess???


p.s. I am not going to open it until Mother's day...so I will post a picture in a few days.


******

Any and all comments about Lost, Grey's, Survivor and anything else you watch on Thur. night are very welcome in the comments.

Is anyone still watching Greys?

Lost was especially obscure last night.

Did Hugo say to Ben, "When you killed Locke he was standing right here?"

Am I in a time warp and am I hearing things?

Is Claire a bad guy? Or is she with the dead. Are the dead people helping?
Was the man with the gray hair Jack's father...and Claire's father.

I told you I was confused.

Alright now....the best show of the night for me was Survivor.

I know a lot of you don't watch it. But gosh! It was the biggest ambush EVER on Survivor.

I won't say more here....but beware in the comments for spoilers :o)



**********

Literary gems about Mothers.


Pride is one of the seven deadly sins; but it cannot be the pride of a mother in her children, for that is a compound of two cardinal virtues -- faith and hope.
~Dickens


"I don't deny that an odd man here and there, if he's caught young and trained up proper, and if his mother has spanked him well beforehand, may turn out a decent being."
~Montgomery, 'Anne's house of dreams.'


"I may be strong-minded, but no one can say I'm out of my sphere now, for woman's special mission is supposed to be drying tears and bearing burdens."
~Alcott


"A startled or surprised look from one of you when I spoke sharply rebuked me more than any words could have done, and the love, respect, and confidence of my children was the sweetest reward I could receive for my efforts to be the woman I would have them copy."
~Alcott

Oh Marmee....



Have a beautiful day....drying tears and bearing burdens....and may the tears be few and the burdens small.

Encourage one another.
Donna

UPDATE

Ree is giving away something grand today....
I can't imagine what it is...

What do you think the grand prize will be???

REE HAS POSTED THE PRIZE!!!

IT IS A Nikon D80. Just like mine.

Go forth and win it. Please!!!


The Amazingly Generous Pioneer Woman

I really hope one of you wins!!!

Every day


Every day I take pictures of Katie.

It's how I learn.



She is not always in the mood. At first.




Every day I get some that are too light....





Some that are too dark





Some that are blurry



Some that are goofy



And some that make me smile



And some that I edit.


sooc
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: 1/3200 sec
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100





This was yesterday.

Katie and me and my camera in between a math test and learning Latin declensions.


Every day.


*******


"Life is mostly froth and bubble;
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own."
~ Adam Lindsay Gordon (d. 1870)


"Use what talent you possess:
the woods would be very silent if no birds sang
except those that sang best."

~ Henry Van Dyke


"There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle."
~ Albert Einstein


Encourage one another,
Donna