Where is the world is Pioneer Woman?

If you follow Twitter, you will already know that PW and her hunky hubby are off on a getaway.
I have determined that it is the anniversary. (Reading past blogs)
Ree says there are driving 18 hours.
They live somewhere in Oklahoma.

Being a totally lame and over curious blogger that I am, I have figured that New York and LA are too far.
(I really thought New York on book business was it....but then that was too far AND it's their anniversary.)

Phoenix and DC might be in the running.

But my guess is.....Wyoming.

Just a big fat guess.

Any guesses from you?

You don't have anythings better to do, right?

And if you don't want to join in the obsessing,

Where would you like to go on a road trip?


Me. New York. I have never been there and it is calling my name.



********


When I got in the car this morning the gas light was on.

Uh Oh!

Then Katie ran back into the house because she forgot to brush her hair and her teeth.

Oops.

This situation was riddled with potential angst.

But, you will be happy to know, that even with a quick stop for gasoline,
Katie got to school before the bell and I maintained my gentle spirit.

We did some stress reducing breathing on the way.

Thank you Gee. :o)

"Breath in the love, Breath out the stress."

I'm not sure it worked, but it sure made Katie laugh.


*******

I had a photo shoot with my favorite gals!

Jen owns a beautiful Aveda beauty salon here in our town.
Heather cuts and colors my hair.

They are my biggest encourager's and source of referrals.

I love them for it.

Here is phone number for Essentials in Verona (608-848-8999

Yesterday, Jen needed a few more head shots for her website as she didn't have
pictures of Vanessa yet!

I tell you, they were so much fun and easy to shoot.

And I also want to say that I love my Nikkor 17-55 2.8.

It really is a dream lens. I am so grateful to have it.



Here's Jen. She is so pretty and fun!




And a little bit nutty.



This is my hair stylist, Heather.

She is camera shy. But after an hour, her inner Tyra Banks shows up.

I happen to love the colors in this lovely, yet cheesy shot.



I am holding the camera above my head.

Thank you Auto Focus. You are my best friend.



Here is Vanessa. She is a natural beauty, too.



This picture really captures their personalities, I think.

What do you think of this color-age?

I ran a new action on this picture.

Do you like it?




Okay.

I'm off the enjoy this beautiful September day!!!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Steph's baby is here!

Greetings!

It is my honor to report that at 2:41 this afternoon, ____ ______
________ _________ was born. 7 lbs. 11oz. "and is perfect" were the
words of his dad on the phone a few minutes ago.

Mom and baby are both doing well. I'm sure more details and photos
will be forthcoming.

Thanks be to God!

The happiest days are when babies are born!

Sending love and blessings to the whole family!!!


I am holding back on the name. Sorry.
I want Steph to be able to announce that if she chooses.

You know a little bit of privacy is desired by some :o)

Feel free to send your congratulations in the comments.

Donna

I went to Mass this morning with Katie.

Parents are welcome and Katie wished I would be there.

So I gladly went.

It is a bit awkward for us as we are not Catholic and do not take communion,
so we hang back and feel odd, usually.

My husband is Catholic and is journeying back to the Catholic church after many years
of, um, apathy. I think that is the right word. It just didn't matter to him where I went or if
he went to church. But in the last four years he has expressed the interest in going and I gladly
go with him.

I prayed for many years that my husband would be the spiritual head of the home.
And that he would lead in this aspect of our lives.

And now he is.

God answered that prayer.

I now go to the Catholic church with thanks and praise and listen to the wonderful Priests at
Blessed Sacrament. I know I am where I should be, beside my husband, watching him grow back
into the faith of his youth.

And I am learning and growing too. I am fed with the word of God and the songs and the
saying of the Lords Prayer and the Creeds. Even tho I am not fed during communion.
I am starting to really love it.

And to be honest, it is because I love being in a place where Jesus is honored.
And in this place, with all of it's differences from what I have experienced up until now at churches
around the globe ;o), Christ is glorified and worshipped at Blessed Sacrament,
and I am so thankful that God led me there.



****

No word from Steph. I will update as soon as I hear the news.


Encourage one another,
Donna

"No offense, but...I never think of you when I'm at school...

except during Mass."


~Katie


Bwahahahahaha

~Me

Around here....





The cheery cherry tomatoes are ready to go.





Our bratty cat hissed at a baby the other day.
Cutest, quietest, sleeping baby.

Hisssssss.

Oh my!



We are wearing jackets.

And I am still adjusting to my 50mm 1.4

On the day I took the picture above, I made Katie come outside with me four times.

I took at least 60 pictures of her.

So many of them blurry.

I'm still not sure if it is the lens, me or the camera.

I will press on until I figure it out.



***

Steph (from the comments) is having a baby tomorrow.



I would love for you to send your well wishes and encouraging words today.

No horror stories allowed.

Just the good parts version.

You know. ' Remember to relax.' "Take your own pillow', ...that sort of advice.

I think she would appreciate it. We have another expecting momma named Rosa who is, shall we say, 'on deck' and Courtney is right behind her :o)



The end of pregnancy is so stressful and tiring and hard....these gals need our best encouragement...

So encourage away!



My sister Nancy expecting baby Ashley in 1978 (?)
Picture taken with my Minolta film camera.

I have always liked this picture.

Ashley weighed over 10 lbs.

My sisters have big babies.



Encourage one another,
Donna

I'm off to jury duty.



Here is one of the new Bill and Jerry commercials.
Microsoft has only released the long version to youtube.

I liked the short one a little better.

I think Bill Gates has a future in television.

He is a better actor than Jerry Seinfeld,
which is not hard to do :o)

This one is called New Family.





Update on the walkers and runner!

They all finished their race!

This was a more amazing feat when you consider that they walked in torrential
rains!!!

They did it, nonetheless!!!

Hurricane Ike make it super challenging....

but they will never forget it and feel accomplished and proud!!!

Woot!!!


****

Ree is giving away three photoshop CS3 editing software.

It is a wonderful, generous prize and if you have always wanted to own Photoshop....today is your chance!


Before



After



It's magic!



Pioneer Woman Contest!


The contest ends at noon and all you have to do is leave a comment. That's all.

Go forth and win!!!



Have a wonderful day!

Hopefully I will return with good news or at least a story or two....and get out early enough to pick up Katie from school!
Sheesh.



Encourage one another,
Donna

My sister's Cindy and Sue are walking in the Lewis and Clark Marathon and Half-Marathon tomorrow!!!

I am so excited and proud of them. They have been training for months and are ready to go!

That's Cindy in the picture up above. She teaches kindergarten.
Her fellow teachers are showing her some big love and support!!!

Too sweet! Isn't she a doll?

Sue is sweet and a doll too....she just didn't send a photo :o)

GO SUE!
GO CINDY!

Oh gosh! I forgot to mention that Cindy's son Brandon is running in the marathon!!!

GO BRANDON!!!







******


And while they are walking,

I will be eating pudding.

Real pudding. Well, maybe not Martha Stewart real.

But the real cooked kind from the box.

I think there is a huge difference between instant pudding and cook and serve pudding and if you haven't tried the old fashioned stuff in a while maybe you can try this out soon.






Cook and Serve Chocolate Pudding.....

With a little milk on top.

And those cute little bowls.

Mallo-Ware

Ebay.

Love them.

(The second picture was edited with Ree's Soft and Faded Action.)

Non-cooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.
~ Julia Child

Here's to a relaxing and refreshing weekend!!!


Encourage one another,

Donna

Friday Five



What was the last song that stuck in your head?
According to the cliche, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what’s the way to yours?
What’s something that should have been put away but hasn’t been?
When did you last weigh yourself?
When was the last time you wore something orange?



Questions gathered here Friday Five








Patrick has been traveling quite a bit this year.
A few months ago he came home with a huge t-shirt for Katie from the Cincinnati airport.

I teased him about it.

Last week he came home with this adorable outfit for his Katie.

He is an excellent shopper. Now he needs to learn to look at the price tags!


***********

I went to Back to School night last night.
I can not tell you how thankful I am that we chose Blessed Sacrament for Katie.

"And most of all, we want the children to see Christ in others."
Father Pat

Matthew 25:40

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me

.





************





I got THE LETTER.

I made THE CALL.

I am on the short list.

Can you guess what I have to do on Monday morning?





Encourage one another,
Donna

Seems all of the girls in our family are having some difficulty adjusting.


I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from Katie's teacher. Mrs. S. said she wanted to let me know that Katie's math teacher told her that Katie has been teary in math class.

Oh dear. Poor sweet little one.

I know that feeling very very well.

A new math book, with all new jargon.
New rhythms and new pressures.


When I asked her about it she was not able to articulate just what was making her cry.
And then she confessed that she burst out in tears at lunch.

"For no reason."

That sounds like a tired, overwhelmed girl to me.


I am so thankful that the teacher called. Katie and I were able to have a nice talk about those feeling.
On the way to school today she got a great big pep talk.

I am sure it is just a time of adjustment and she will learn to work faster and be more gentle with herself.

So much to learn. So many feelings.


And I can't help but think being tired adds to the stress.

I am tired waking up to the alarm and being on the go.

I feel anxious about little things and long for the slower pace.

But this is my new season and I will get the hang of this routine soon.

I will find the peace and quiet in my day.....I will make the peace and quiet in my day.


For some reason, I have always been good at this. Let's call it self preservation.

I parented alone for many, many years and I survived by making a time of rest for myself.

I didn't feel guilty about it. I put the children to bed early and watched tv and quilted and read.


This routine gave me the rest I needed to manage on my own. To feel rested.

I may need more rest than others, and I actually think I do, but for those of you out there
that are feeling overwhelmed and teary, give this some thought.


It is okay to rest.
It is important to rest.

God planned it into our week. He set an example for us.

He knew it was important to rest and reflect on what is good.

It's good for your soul and for your mental health.


So go find a prayer closet or duck under your apron or take a walk around the block.

It does a body good ;o)




Encourage one another,
Donna

On Wednesdays the children at Katie's school attend Mass.
Little skirts and dresses are in order.

I needed to order a few more skirts/dresses for Katie after I learned this little rule.

I visited a new favorite clothing store online called Mini Boden.

Have you heard of it?


Mini Boden

This skirt screamed.....SPIN!



*******


Want to take a little ride with me?




Bright and early Katie and I head north to Madison. This is my favorite part of the drive. I stay on back roads as long as possible.



I know I am almost to school when I drive past two large cemeteries. They are pretty and line both sides of the street.

They remind me of the huge cemeteries on the south side of Chicago. Down by Oak Lawn.
You know the ones.



Back home we have a very new, big and thrilling store.


No. It's not a Nordstroms.


Nope. Not a Barnes and Noble.


Naw. Not a Neiman Marcus.....






The newest thing in our town.



Get your snowblowers and generators here!

(And by the way, The Farmer's Almanac says were are in for a COLD and really snowy winter. Rats.)



The weirdest thing in our town.



Does this remind any one else of My Big Fat Greek Wedding?


I know you can't see from this picture, but those white cupid statues have blue sparkly capes on them.

This is an attorney's office in our town.

It baffles me.


Gus Portokalos: There are two kinds of people - Greeks, and everyone else who wish they was Greek.



Happy Wednesday!!


Just added:


The cutest Public Service Announcement I have ever seen!!!






Encourage one another,
Donna

I want to know....



What is your earliest memory?

How did you meet your husband/wife?

Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did they teach you?




My earliest memory is my first day of kindergarten. I remember my mom walking me to school and
coming to get me. I remember saying that was nice for a day, but didn't really care if I went back.
I remember my parents thinking this was funny.

We moved to California in 1960. I was three. Cindy was born out there and I don't remember any of that.

Sue remembers California. She is 11 months older than I am...and also a lot smarter.

I was a late bloomer....so my memories seem to even have a late start.





Sue and Daddy and Donna

1960


******


I met my husband, Patrick, in Wausau Wisconsin in 1979.
We were both working at Pranges dept store.
He was in the men's dept and I was in Trim the Home.



******



My mom. She was the biggest influence in my life.

She taught me to love and laugh, how to make spaghetti and gravy.

She taught me that motherhood is delightful and life is precious.





******



Amy @ Living Locurto has another cute download available on her blog.

She made handy little coupons for computer use.

Check it out.


Living Locurto Computer Coupons for kids





Encourage one another,
Donna

Sometimes it's not all smiles, all the time around here....




No extra charge for the boogie.



Or the blue teeth.



Sometimes I find myself among some real goofs!






krg, my biggest fan, wrote and told me her beautiful blue eyed daughter Beth, would love to see a picture of herself on my website. I asked krg, which one?


Yeah. Beth is a real clown. She chose this one.

Her Forrest Gump imitation.


Not this one.






This one.





The apple.....





doesn't fall too far.....



from the TREE!




Silly is as Silly does.




Enjoy the silliness of David Gregory, newsman/dancer.




Encourage one another,
Donna

A schedule change is in order.

For as long as I have been blogging, my routine has been; wake up, grab a pop, sit down at the computer and write.
Six days a week. Without fail.

But I think I am going to have to alter that a little.

I am going to wait until I return from the school trip to start working on my blog post.

This just means the blog won't be ready to go until about 10:00.

Okay?

So I'll see you then....with something hilarious or brilliant or ho hum or insignificant.

You'll just have to wait and see :o)


Toodles for now,
Donna

Three summers ago we tore down a raggedy deck from this spot.
We finally decided what to do back here.

It's genius, don't you think?
It took three years to decide on a 15 x 15 patio made with concrete.

Or as I prefer to call it (even tho I know it is wrong) C-ment.

Five men arrived at 6:00 am and by 7:30 there were ready for the concrete.

I valiantly attempted to sleep thru the first hour, but it wasn't in the cards.


****

A phone call has been placed to the local plumber as our drain was just not going to let
me unplug it last night.

Sure hope they can clear it out quickly.

There is nothing like a gunky kitchen sink to look at and work around...


*****


krg requested an update on Katie's school days.

It could not have gone better.


In her words,

All the kids were really friendly and I met tons of kids.
I have a little buddy, she's in first grade, I'm suppose to help her with all the little things
we do at school, like getting things from her desk. I sit with her at lunch sometimes.

My teacher is named Mrs. Shubert and she is really nice.

I have been trying to be a good student.

I am not talking during quiet reading time.

I am reading books from the book box.

Have you heard of the book The Big Sheep Mix Up?

We have Spanish and it's really fun.

We also have music and I am learning a song we sing each time we start music class.

It is called Shake Hands.

We have a new gerbil in class and we decided to call it Peanut.

And in my words;


I was delighted with the friendliness of the other parents, the children and the staff.

Katie brought her work home and finished it quickly and well.

She seems to have adjusted very well and I have been very busy with driving, a safety seminar, and
photography.

The time seems to fly by when she is at school.

I have filled out a volunteer form and will soon be spending more time at school helping out here and there.

It's been a wonderful transition so far.

The hardest part being the START time and the traffic.

But you all have helped me out so much with your wonderful comments and suggestions.

I think my favorite was Rechelle's suggestion to have my husband do it!!!

But since that's not happen', I have been cultivating that quiet and gentle spirit thru prayer and
making a conscious effort to relax.

Friday was a much better drive for us.


***

I will post a completed picture of the patio by noon today.
Can't wait to see it poured.

The plumber is on the way.

I have a photoshoot at 2:00.


I am not having such a quiet life today.

But I will have plenty of opportunity to work on my quiet spirit!



How did you first week back at school go?





Just cleaning up now....

Sink is cleared.




Ta. Da.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Fill-In

Here we go:

1. You know you're old when __________.

2. My heart is divided between __________ and __________.

3. __________ is what I need RIGHT NOW!

4. I have felt the __________, I have known the depths of __________.

5. Gah, won't these people __________.

6. __________ as soon as you can!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!



I spotted these fun fill-ins a few weeks ago and decided to put one up today.

Thanks Janet



For Di and Madelaine,

If you don't read the comments (you should) I wanted to share a prayer request of Di's 18 year old
daughter. She has a staph infection and is daily going to the doctors to get rid of it.

The cleaning process is very painful and we hate to have our dear ones suffering.

So please pray for Madelaine today and especially at 11:00 PST.

Pray for healing and pray that the pain will be managed by pain meds.





The most important thing this blog does is to help us love one another and pray for one another.
So I am honored to use this space for such things as this.


***


I also love to use this space to show you what a knuckle-head I am.




Notice anything?


Thanks to Courtney for pointing out my error!

I only have four clients who think I am a bimbo.

But, isn't Chelsea beautiful! I love this picture of her! Our senior session was GREAT!



Gotta Run,
I'll be back at noon to read your great comments and do the fill-ins.


Love ya!


Encourage one another,
Donna

In lieu of complaining....

I will share a recipe.

Italian Restaurant Salad
(some say this is like the Olive Garden salad.)


Dressing:
3 T. olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. pepper
2 cloves garlic

8 c. lettuce (Rmaine)
3 tomatoes
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. mild banana peppers
1/4 c. black olives
1/4 c. parmesan cheese


Mix dressing.
Make salad.

Toss together!



****

You see, when I started this blog I had a few things in mind....

The Bible verse up at the top.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands...
1 Thessalonians 4:11


And # 7 on my New Years Goals list was Stop Complaining.

And actually that's the one I accomplished.

On the blog at least.

So let me just quickly say, I am trying to settle down from the stress of driving Katie to school.

Be still my racing heart.
Be still my soul.


My goal for this year.

Have a quiet and gentle spirit in the car.


This is a biggie for me. It is one of my worst characteristics.


The time has come.

I can not stand this horrible feeling and
Katie does not need her morning moments with mommy to be off the charts stressful.

Wish me well.

Say a prayer.

And send me some tips.


Encourage one another,
Donna

A few months ago I purchased some actions from Jodi at MCP Actions.

I needed some skin smoothing actions and decided to get a few to help whiten teeth while I was at it.

Jodi's actions worked perfectly and easily and I could do something I had no idea how to do in any other way.
So I was quite pleased.





I used powder your nose on Emma here. It wasn't needed so much....but I wanted to show you what it does.
For more formal portraits it's nice to have perfect skin.

You can change the opacity...so if this looks too heavy....it can easily be changed.



So just the week, Jodi wrote to ask me if I would like to try her Magic Blog It Boards.

I took a peek at what they were and thought they looked great.

"What if I can't figure them out?" I said.

"Don't worry. Do what you can." she said.


So Jodi sent me the actions. I opened them up.
And went straight to work building my Blog It Boards.

(If you don't know how to open actions, Jodi has a free tutorial on her blog that explains it.)


They worked easily and without fault.

I was able to make these great Blog It boards within minutes of opening the actions.









I love the ability to add text. Love it!
This feature worked easily and smoothly.

I have purchased storyboards from another company in the past and I was never able to get
the Text portion working properly, even with numerous emails back and forth.

So I was delighted with these!




By the end of the day, I had a few question and decided to watch the 13 minute tutorial on how to use the Magic Boards and
Jodi answered every question I had in her tutorial.


And honestly, I love watching her tutorials. Her voice and teaching style is lovely.

Jodi offers many different actions and tutorials and even one on one teaching.

So if you want to learn from a really great teacher, go visit Jodi and see what she does.

And from the actions that I have used; they are well designed and very easy to use.

Thank you Jodi! I love your new set and I look forward to working with them!


Here's her link. She has many more examples and a little video to watch over there!


MCP Actions


I think I can even figure out how to make my own Christmas Cards with these Boards!

Super fun!



Encourage one another,
Donna

Katie's first paper.

I was waiting for my mom in the car. I think she was in the bathroom.
I was waiting for a long time and it was sooooo boring. I went in to find my
mom and she WAS in the bathroom.

Seriously. This is verbatim.

And then I told her she could say,

What is taking so long? I shouted to my mom.
And my mom said, I am taking a dump.


And then we both laughed hysterically.

And I told her not to say that...cause I don't say dump.

I say POOP.

More side-splitting laughter.

Man, it's fun around here :o)




Katie B. Jones.



On the way to school, I think I will request less revealing stories to be written about me.



I'll be back later this morning with a super cool photography post.



See ya soon!

Encourage one another,
Donna


p.s. My husband thinks this is too crass. (You know, the word dump.)
He's so sensitive.

Hey! What's in that box?



A few weeks ago I went searching for our copy of Saxon 87.
I didn't find it.

But I found this!



My sister Sue and our friend Karen made these boxes for one another and for friends.
I was the lucky recipient one year.

They went to the tobacco shop and begged for some old cigar boxes.
Clipped words from magazines.
Glued them on and rolled them securely in place with a little tiny roller.


I loved my wordy cigar box.
Isn't it cool.





Check this out!

I also apparently loved O.J. Simpson.

Huh?

Actually, I had a lot of crushes on sports figures in high school.

My love for Brett Favre comes as no surprise to my sisters I am sure.

But who would ever have guessed that O.J. would become notorious and ridiculous?

Not me.






I remember wearing my Gerald Ford pin when I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Minocqua.
On the second day, he told me he got the point and I didn't need to wear the pin any more.

This was before President Ford tripped and fell a lot and hit people in the head with golf balls.




Steve Martin has faired well over the years. I still love him.

The price on this ticket amuses me.




Yup. I loved the Chicago Blackhawks.

Playoff tickets, don't cha know!

Eight dollars and twelve dollars.

Our Packer tickets are almost $60.00 each and Green Bay is inexpensive for Pro teams.

Gee Willikers.




I must have gone to church while at Hillsdale :o) Once or twice.
My friend, Kelly, kindly filled out this card for me.



Desire Envelopes for stewardship? Only if they are scented.
Wish Pastor to call? What have I got to lose.


She was funny.




Here is proof that I could do a back flip.

Also proof that one day, long ago, my stomach was flat.

I regret not having that flat stomach....and I regret that I did not point my toes.


I love that box and it's wonderful memories.


Thanks Sue!
Thanks Karen!



Encourage one another,
Donna

Navel Gazing Edition


*Yawn*

I slept super late today. Eight Thirty!

My mother would call that Lazy Bones.

Sorry.


Thing is, I was not asleep from 4:30 until 5:30.

We call that Tina Toss and Turn.

And then came the annoying dreams.

Yes. You heard me.

Not scary. Not pretty. Not interesting.

Just annoying.


What is an annoying dream?

When I was younger, I would have a dream that I could not do a back flip on the trampoline.

This was something I could do with ease.

But in my dream, I could not flip over. An evil invisible force kept me from flipping over.



Now my annoying dream goes like this: Company is over, the kitchen is a mess and the kitchen table is covered with papers and books and magazines and mail. I am preparing a large meal and am trying to clear and set the table for the meal.

This goes on for what feels like hours.

It's torture.




LOL at Me!

Such a drama queen !



Do you wake up from annoying dreams and try to stop them?

Do they come back when you fall back to sleep?


Seriously. My 'setting the table' dream wore. me. out!




Look! Emma came home for the long weekend.

She is gathering all of her forgotten possessions and getting ready to hit the books.

She is having some struggles being away. Perhaps you could pray for her over the next few weeks.

Thanks dear friends.



Now tell me about your weird annoying dreams.



Encourage one another,

Donna