The camera came back.

The blob is still there.
Whomever was suppose to clean it did not clean it well.
I could cry.


I can not be without it for 3 weeks again.
(They offered to clean it again.)

I am highly disappointed in Nikon.

The service people on the phone have always been excellent.

But whomever worked on my camera did a bad job.

I do not know if the bad pixels are still there. The camera came too late to check that out thoroughly.

I imagine that they are still there so I am putting off that disappointment a little longer.


Katie put Valentine stickers all over her face.
She is funny like that.

You can see the Webkins webpage in her eyes.


*******



Jim, reminded me of a funny Glyman story.


When Jim was visiting last month, I made potato soup for lunch.

It was delicious and very hot when I served it.


Donna: Man, this is hot soup!

Jim: You better put some salt on it.

Donna:(smiling) You're right! I forgot about that!



When we were children, we believed that salt cooled things down.

Pepper made it spicy.

Salt cooled it down.


Made perfect sense to the seven silly eaters.




I had completely forgotten about that childhood belief.

And it really makes me smile that Jim remembered that :o)


*****


Katie and I are looking forward to Ian's Pizza for lunch.
She says she is getting Macaroni and Cheese.

I don't know what I will get, but I will take a picture or two and report back later today.


Okay!

See you later.

Encouage one another,
Donna



p.s. I'll bet a lot of you don't know that I have a recipe page.

It's here.

I need to tell you something really remarkable before we go on to the fun fest ;o)


Two weeks ago, we prayed for my friend, Jeaneen.

She was going in for surgery.

I know many of you prayed for her.

Well. here's how things went.

When the surgeon looked inside to remove the 'mass'. The 'mass' was gone.
Not there.
No sign of it.

Completely clean and healthy looking.


She was healed.


The doctors have no explanation.
They have the x-rays.
They measured the mass and knew precisely where to find it.
But it was gone.


"We can't tell you what happened." Said the surgeons.


You know, we can!!!

So those of you who prayed have been a small part of a miracle.

The whys and wherefores and how comes are immaterial at this point...

It's time to thank God for His Healing Hand.


Thank you God.
Thank you for healing Jeaneen.
Amen





**********



Fridaysfeast.com


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


Appetizer

Name one thing that is unique about you.

Soup

Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too.

Salad

What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings?

Main Course

Who do you talk to most often on the phone?

Dessert

What level of responsibility do you have in your job?




*********


Can we talk pizza?

There is a pizza place in Madison called Ian's.
It is near the University.

I have never been to it...but man, I'm intrigued.

Here is a sample of some of their pizzas.

STEAK & FRIES: Shaved Angus Beef, French Fries and BBQ Sauce.

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK: Shaved Angus Beef, Peppers, Onions and Ranch.

BUFFALO CHICKEN: Spicy Chicken and Bleu Cheese

CHICKEN MASHED POTATO

CHICKEN PENNE ALFREDO: Alfredo Sauce, Breaded Chicken, Penne Pasta and Asiago Cheese

SPICY CHICKEN BURRITO: Spicy Chicken, Black beans, Rice, Sour Cream and Cheddar.

MACARONI & CHEESE

GUACAMOLE BURRITO: Black Beans, Rice, Homemade Guacamole, Sour Cream and Cheddar.

CHICKEN POT PIE!!!!


And dessert.
Are you hungry for dessert???

S'MORES PIZZA: Marshmallow Fluff, Mini Marshmallows, Chocolate, and Graham Crackers.



So either those combos make you want to hurl, call the Food Police or get on a plane to Madison.
I'm not sure???

But I have been intrigued since Emma started going there and telling me what she ate.

Emma gets the Macaroni and Cheese pizza.

Sounds awful to me. But she loves it.


I think I would like a few of Ian's pies.

I like a Santa Fe from another local place that has chicken and cilantro and barbecue sauce and red bell peppers.
Yum.

And my all time favorite is Bacon Cheeseburger pizza from Brothers Three in Marinette. That had a little mustard and pickles on it. My favorite pizza ever.....well....but then there is Luigi's in Peshtigo....oh my gosh.....I miss Luigi's......
and Rome.....the delicious thin crust pizza in Rome.....that was heaven.....


So what's for dinner.
How many of you are going to have pizza tonight?


I just realized that Ian's is on the same block as Katie's acting class.
We really should go for lunch tomorrow!!!

Meet me there. 1:15pm

I SHOULD have my camera back today.

I'll take pictures :o)




So happy, happy Friday friends.

If you want to talk about Lost.
Please do.

I watched it last night and found it fascinating, although, I have no idea what's going on.

I don't even know if the flashbacks are flashbacks or flash-forwards.

Patrick asked me at one point, "Who is that?"

I shook my head, "I don't know".

The show is perfectly titled.



This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24


Encourage one another,
Donna

Last night as I took a look at my stats, I noticed that four people had come to this blog
from Audrey Woulard's blog.

I wondered why?

And to my surprise, Aurdrey had posted the babies in hats and thanked me for the little 'thank you '
hat I sent her.

I had a hard time settling down to sleep after that :o)

Audrey Woulard Blog


*********

Happy Valentines Day!



This morning Katie asked, "Why does Daddy have to go to work today?"

"Well, honey, Daddy has to work on George Washington's Birthday and on Halloween"

"But, that's just at night." she reasoned.


It is too sweet how much Katie misses her daddy when he is away at work.
And today, she wanted so badly to see his reaction to her little Valentine card.

She snuck in the bedroom at 6:00 am to place her valentine on the nightstand for me.
She addressed it to Donna.

:o)

And about Valentines Day....it is the only day I feel a little badly that Katie is homeschooled.

Honest Confessions here.

I just can't do anything quite as special as a box of little Valentines from a whole class of classmates.

Almost all other occasions....I can duplicate.

But a box of Valentines exchanged between friends...I can't do it.

It makes me a little sad.

Do any of you feel this way about Valentines Day for your little homeschooled children?

*********


Some words and thought of love from the classics...



Opening her eyes again, and seeing her husband's face across the table, she leaned forward to give it a pat on the cheek, and sat down to supper, declaring it to be the best face in the world.
~Dickens


"I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world."
~Dickens

This love which I had thought was a joke and a plaything--it is only now that I understand that it is the moulder of one's life, the most solemn and sacred of all things.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When once estrangement has arisen between those who truly love each other, everything tends to widen the breach.
~Mary Elizabeth Braddon

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.




Lots of Love,
Donna

Beagle Wins Westminster....first time ever!






This link has a great write about about Uno winning Westminster and there are two excellent videos you might like to watch.

Story and Videos


*****



I had fun editing pictures yesterday.
This is Nancy's youngest.

Every single action I tried on this picture looked really good.

She has wonderful skin, and beautiful eyes....and a happy spirit!



Adorable.


********


My goodness, the Tivo was humming away last night (recording American Idol) and I had the clicker in hand as I jumped between the Dog Show and Biggest Loser.

Do you have any favoites on American Idol yet?
Is anyone from your home town?

I haven't been watching long enough but I think there are some very talented singers.

The girl who lost her voice and then came back to sing the second day was pretty good.

Who knew Bryan Adams was THAT popular?

Did you know Shania Twain's husband produces Bryan Adam's records too?

Did you know records are making a comeback? Of sorts.

I wish I had a record player. I have so many records I would like to listen to again.

The first album I remember listening to was Sgt. Peppers Loney Heart's Club Band.
And the first album I think I bought with my own money was.....Gigi.

What a nerd.

I have always marched to my own little tune.

The first 45 I ever bought with my own money was a song called Love is Blue....and then I bought
Precious and Few.

I was in sixth grade.

Little dorky nerd.


*********

And speaking of nerds. Why do they insist on including a nerd every year on American Idol?
Always a guy. Always very different.
Usually not very talented.

I don't like it.

That boy with the glasses my be the nicest person on earth....
but it irratates me that they have included him in the 24.

Why?

So we can laugh at him?

Not nice and a waste of a precious spot in my opinion.
We'll...see.....maybe I'm wrong.


Naw. I doubt it. :o)


Isn't it fun to have big opinions about things....that don't really matter?



Encourage one another,
Donna

Once upon a time
It was September.
And Katie had a pimple on her chin
and a big, red mosquito bite
on her forehead.

Then one day, in the deep midwinter
her mommy learned to remove
the pimple and the bite mark.

And she smiled.








Once upon a time
these boots were bought.
They did not know
what their life would hold.

Then one day
In the deep midwinter of 2008
they saw a record reached.

Madison's new winter snowfall record expected to be reached today.

And they smiled.






Once upon a time.

Sung by the one and only Frank Sinatra.




This voice is to me the most beautiful male voice ever.
My parents loved him and we listened to his records over and over.

Who did your parents listen to on the stero?



Encourage one another,
Donna


(The Madison area is only one-half inch short of the seasonalsnowfall mark of 76.1 inches set during the winter of 1978 and 1979.)

Week Six of the 52 New Recipes in a Year Challenge.

Chick food from Pioneer Woman's Recipe Blog.

Penne a la Betsy

I'm sorry, but you will have to meander over to Ree's page to see the pictures and watch the prep.

Tomorrow marks two weeks without my camera. I sure hope they send it back this week.

But back to the Penne a la Betsy.

This recipe is rather straight forward and the results were very tasty and unique.
I have never had a tomato cream sauce before and I never cook with shrimp.

(Now! There is a food from my childhood. Shrimp Cocktail. And while I'm at it. Surf and Turf.)


The only thing I can't find on Ree's blog is a recipe card of this particular recipe so I will try to make one up for you
to make things easier.

I had to keep running back and forth to the computer to see what to do next and what amounts to use.
Consider it aerobics.



Penne a la Betsy


1 lb box of Penne Pasta
Raw Shrimp (one pound)
onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. white wine
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. cream
basil 6 leaves?
parsley 1 TB
oil,
butter
salt and pepper


Boil water and get pasta started. (Ree says that you will use closer to 3/4 of the box, which I did)
Saute raw shrimp in olive oil and butter just until it is pink. Don't over cook. Set aside.
Dice a large onion and start to saute in olive oil and butter also.
Press two garlic cloves right into the cooking onions.
After a few minutes add the wine. Reduce. (Simmer for a while)
Add tomato sauce. Simmer a bit.
Turn down the burners to low.
Add the cream.
Dice parsley and basil. Add to the sauce.

Pour this creamy goodness over the noodles. Mix it up and salt and pepper it.




********

So tell me, did you watch Pride and Prejudice on Masterpiece Theater?

It is so beautifully delicious, I can't look away.

I had forgotten that Lizzy declares such a strong 'like' for Wickham to her sister.
Oh. He is a cad. And I don't even think he's cute.
Ick.


I was especially disappointed with Mr. Darcy when he snubs Collins so awfully.
Even if he is a bore, that was really poorly done.


Is anyone watching this for the first time?

Please, tell us your first impressions.







And stay tuned.

Darcy stops grimacing.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Good Morning Sunshine!






Looks cool like this too....




But how could I resist the blue?





Currently -8.


I am grateful and thankful for the sunshine :o)


What makes you filled with thanksgiving today?

You have got to make this!!!

Back in the 80's or was it the 90's this recipe was all the rage.

Everyone was making it.

Stirrup pants and Benneton sweaters and babies and Chinese Coleslaw.

That's how I remember it.

As I paged thru Ina's books( The Barefoot Contessa) I spotted a fancy version of my recipe...
and I didn't feel like buying all of those exotic ingredients so I dug out my sister Cindy's recipe.

I'm sure Ina's is delicious. De-li-cious!

But Cindy's is easy and yummy too.

I couldn't stop eating it.


And for once, there was a vegetable involved.

So that's a good thing.


Chinese Coleslaw by Cindy Boyer

1 pkg Coleslaw
bunch of green onions
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. almond slivers-toasted
1 pkg. beef Ramen noodles- crunched up.

Dressing

The seasoning packet from the Ramen noodles package
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. oil

In large bowl, combine the top five ingredients.
Combine and whisk all of the dressing ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the salad and wait a little bit.
The noodles need to soften up a little.


That's it.

Easy and pretty inexpensive!

And really yummy!



What else was all the rage on the dinner table 20 years ago?

How about that spinach dip in a bread bowl?

Or frozen yogurt?


Can you remember anything?
Or were you too busy primping for the Rick Springfield concert?


Encourage one another,
Donna

P.S. In 1983, Janice and Janet drove down to Chicago to go to a Rick Springfield concert.
They stayed with me and my little family. (Patrick Sr., baby Patrick and me)
I can remember their excitement after the concert as they jumped on my bed and told me all
about the concert.

They loved when Rick said, "Hello Chicago!"

Matthew got a haircut!




How handsome!

Whoever said he looked like Colin Farrell was right.

Colin Firth; not really.
Will Ferrell: nope.

Colin Farrell: yup. could be brothers.





With my urging Matthew entered Ree's contest last night.

We were supposed to tell our most embarrassing story.

Matthew's was true and brief.

Here is what he wrote.

"I threw up in class."



Being the thoughtful mother, I reminded him that he threw up in Mrs. Reed's car, too.





I hope he wins because it was his birthday.
And if he doesn't win, I hope you win :o)





*******




So last night I was experimenting.
I pick out a picture and apply different actions to it.

Some of them looks sooooo bad.

But this one looked really cool.


**********

The Friday Feast is down for the count today.

And you know what that means. I have to think.



Okay. Here goes.


1. If you had one more child, or perhaps your first, what would you name your newest blessing?

2. What is your favorite Musical?

3. What is your favorite Bible verse today?

4. What age to you think you will live to?

5. Is there a better way to ask question number 4?



And one last thing...

Matthew felt a little slighted by the measley birthday wishes from his dear mother yesterday.

So here are the five things I love about Matthew.

1. He is funny.
2. He is honest.
3. He is a great judge of character.
4. He is smart.
5. He loves the Lord.

Bonus: He chose a wonderful bride :o)

Matthew we named you Matthew because it means 'gift from God'.
And it fits and you are :o)

Love,
Mom



Okay,
Looking forward to your answers.

Did I ever tell you my triplet's names?

Lilly, Libby and Lucy.



Encourage one another,
Donna

*scrape*

*scrape*

*scrape*


What's that sound?

Why, it's me scraping the bottom of the barrel, reaching deep into nooks of my gray matter
to find something to talk about.

What's a blogger to do when she doesn't want to bring up the weather again?


drift

for Nancy.
You didn't expect me to go outside, did you?




What is she to do when she doesn't leave the house and the television writers are on strike?

Let's see.

I'll tell you how to set up a backgammon board.

That's what I'll do.

Cause I taught Katie to play backgammon yesterday.

I like backgammon ten times better than chess.

I bought my husband a lovey backgammon set about ten years ago.
I thought it would be a nice thing for him to do with me or the children.

It has gathered ten years of dust.
And I can say, most assuredly, it was his least favorite gift of all time.


So yesterday, when Katie and I decided to play she ran to get 'daddy's backgammon game'.

Of course, I couldn't remember how to set up the board.

So I googled 'how to set up backgammon board'.

(Really what would I have done without google? Call people on the phone to ask?)






I am going to print that picture and place it in the backgammon case.
Then I will always remember.


Do you know how to play backgammon?
It's really fun.
You should learn.

I wonder if my brother and sisters remember Aunt Dorothy and Ernie playing backgammon?


*******


And the only other thing I did yesterday, besides play backgammon, teach Katie to "regroup" or "carry" as I know it, fry bacon, and watch American Idol was edit photos.

(Isn't Simon chipper this year? Jolly even?)


Black and White





Here's the color version.



Today I am going to learn how to remove the bluish tint in the white of her eyes.
* I am going to edit the black and white one too. The whites of her eyes look a bit gray.


Are you a black and white person or do your prefer color?


Hey! Matthew!

Happy Twenty-Third Birthday!!!
We love you.



Encourage one another,
Donna



Here is my attempt to lighten Katie's eyes.
Now she looks like she is from India to me. Why is that???

Have you heard of Charlie Harper?

I recently "met" him on CBS Sunday Morning.

Fashion Designer, Todd Oldham, adored this book when he was a young child.
It is illustrated by Mr. Harper. Charley Harper called his style Minimal Realism.





The Golden Book of Biology (1962) drawn by Charles Harper

Do you have it in your collection?
It's highly collectable now.


Here is the new book written by Todd Oldham about Charley Harper.






That is on my official wishlist. I wonder if our library carries it.

Did I ever tell you that I love picture books.
When I was in highschool I would go to the library during lunch and study hall and look at
picture books.

Here is a short interview with Charley Harper that I found on Youtube.




One more thing: A nice interview in Dwell magazine.

Charley Harper Interviewed



**********





And here is my Katie.
In the snow.
In her bright colors.
And Sorels.

I promise, I did not dress her ;o)


Guess what? Nikon has not even opened my package yet. They can not even tell me it has arrived.
I sent it last Tuesday and I was promised it would arrive in New York on Friday.
I should be hearing today. (They said they are opening packages that arrived on Thurs.)
I'm getting kind of scared.
A worried.
And disappointed.
And my little fingers are itching to get my camera back.

Not itching like poor Lynn's. Just metaphorically itching.


Now go meet Charley Harper.
He was a sweet and talented man.


Encourage one another,
Donna

For Janice

Just another day in paradise.

Well. How do you like that?

I really like the look of storyboards and collages.
I wanted to learn how to make them.
First I tried doing it myself in photoshop.
I didn't know how to do step one.

So I wandered over to Itty Bitty Actions website and thought I would buy their
storyboard and collage actions.

I know how to run an action, pretty much, so I thought I would be able to do one of these.

So I bought a set.

And well, I couldn't make it work.

I tried for hours Friday night.
The message I got over and over was confusing and didn't make sense to me.

So I took a picture of my screen and sent to it Dawn at Itty Bitty Actions.

I did not think it was the actions. I was sure it was me.

To my surprise Dawn was always quick to help. She answered right away and asked me the basic
questions. It seemed that I following the instructions properly.
But who knows?

In the meantime, I was able to make a few of the other designs.






The one with the orange hat is far from perfect, but you get the idea.
( I would put the pup last, and edit all the pictures so the colors were matching.)
This collage would be printed out as a 20 x 20 and would be framed as one large picture.

I love the way they look.

So, it seemed the storyboards without text were working fine.

I tried again and again.

I wrote Dawn again and sent her another screenshot?

She promptly wrote back and suggested another thing or two.

And she even sent me a different set of actions to try.
Perhaps I had gotten a clunker.

But still, no luck.

I walked away from the actions and wailed and complained and intellectually beat myself up.

But then, to my surprise.

Dawn wrote one more time.

"We think there is a problem with that particular action. We are working on it."


What a relief!


I am not a moron after all.


Yesterday, Dawn sent me another set of collage actions.

I loaded them into Photoshop.

I went right for the stubborn 'text' collage.

And it worked. The first time.






Hallelujah!!!


Aren't they cool?

Itty Bitty Actions by Jinky.

Check 'em out

The customer service was fantastic!



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




Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
C.S. Lewis


I read this at Janie's this morning and had to share it.

Janie @ Seasonal Soundings


Encourage one another,
Donna

Happy Monday everyone!

I was a cooking fool over the weekend.

I made two batches of Chicken Spaghetti and Chicken Soup in the crockpot.
And I made the following delicious soup.

Melene shared this soup recipe in the comments last week.
It is nameless.
But I made it Sunday and it was very tasty!




Nameless Soup


1 lb Italian Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 bunches kale (center rib removed)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 lbs unpeeled small potatoes, washed and sliced
2 qts chicken broth
salt to taste
red pepper flakes
pinch of dried thyme flakes
1 C cream
Crumble and brown sausage until no longer pink, then drain. Set sausage aside. In a large soup pot, fry onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add chicken broth, beans and sausage to pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. Cut kale into medium shred and add with potatoes. Add thyme, salt and red pepper Simmer for another 30 minutes and add the cream just before serving. (Do not boil after you add the cream or it will curdle.)


Like Melene, I used fresh spinach instead of kale.
And I just realized that I used only one large clove of garlic instead of three.
Oops.
I tell ya, you can just call me the Accidental Chef.

Thank you Melene!




I liked that it didn't have tomatoes in it. Seems like so many of my soups have tomatoes in them and this was just a really nice change.


I made one more thing. Something for my husband.

He would not eat any of the other things I prepared, just not his kind of food.

But when he asked me, "What am I having for dinner?"

I had the answer that I knew would make him happy.

"How would you like some bacon?" I chirped.

"Good." He grunted.


And so it was.

I fried a pound of bacon for my husband.

And well, Katie too.

Katie doesn't like my recipes either so she also thought bacon was the perfect dinner, too.

Patrick had his bacon on a sandwich with butter and mayo.
He had chips and cottage cheese with that. And a big glass of milk.

Katie had a Toaster Strudel with two pieces of perfect Oscar Mayer Bacon on the side.

(The bacon was on sale. Two for six dollars. That's a good deal.)


My Sunday labor of love.

Frying bacon.




Tell us about an oddball menu that you serve at your home.


Encourage one another,
Donna

FEBRUARY
by John Updike

The sun rides higher
Every trip.
The sidewalk shoes
Icicles drip.
A snowstorm come,
And cars are stuck,
Though road salt flies
From the old town truck.
The chickadees
Grow plump on seed
That Mother pours
Where they can feed,
And snipping, snipping
Scissors run
To cut out hearts
For everyone.



Why, what’s the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?

~William Shakespeare (1564–1616), British dramatist, poet. Don Pedro, in Much Ado About Nothing


Late February days; and now, at last,
Might you have thought that Winter’s woe was past;
So fair the sky was and so soft the air.

~William Morris



And of course, from Groundhog Day (1993)


Phil: You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.


Rita: Look at all these people. They sit around telling stories. Then they sing songs all morning.
Phil: Yeah, they're hicks, Rita!





How do you keep your spirits up in the bleak midwinter?


Encourage one another,
Donna


p.s. It's snowing again.

Before the feast and fun, I would like to ask you to pray for my friend, Jeaneen.

She is having surgery this morning.

(Jeaneen is the delightful mommy of five who took Katie in when we went to Europe last spring)

Your prayers would mean the world to her.



********



Friday's Feast


Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal?

Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?

Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?

Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.


Ht to Friday's Feast



*******


Fine Art Friday

I took this picture at the Musee d'Orsay last spring



It is painted by Jules Bastien-Lapage


This painting represents what I would love to do with my photography portraits, in a way.

I do love a beautiful classical portrait but I also am so drawn to the slice of life (Dana is there a French term for this)
portrait.

Something real, visually interesting and beautiful too.

I have been inspired.

This painting has helped me realize my style and validate it.

Visit the Musee d'Orsay




Now. Let's hear your favorite cereal :o)


Encourage one another and please pray for Jeaneen,

Donna

Update:


LA Country Fair commercial.

Kimberly Clark - Room-a-Day Giveaway II Sweepstakes

Go here. Enter. And Win. Will ya?

This is a contest on The View.
Now I know none of you watch that show.
But.

You can still win even if you don't watch.

So go enter, every day and possibly win $25,000 to re-decorate a room.

You can thank me if you win :o)

And let me tell you.

With $25,000 I could not only re-decorate a room.

I think I could re-decorate my whole house!

What would you re-decorate?



*********


For those of you who are interested as to what a hot/bad pixel is....



Click on this picture and view larger. There are two hot pixels on the right side of Katie.
They are white spots. They are little, I know.

But If I wanted to blow this up to an 11x14, they would be very visible.
And the thought that I would need to edit it out of 300 pictures is the thing that gets me.
They shouldn't be there.


**********

Holes was on last night.





Have you seen it?

Emma and I read the book and then watched the movie a few years ago.

But I thought I would mention it again because it is really, really good.

Both the book and the movie.

Read about the book and the author here



**********

I would like to come up with a recipe this week that is not bread or dessert.

Help!

:o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

Biggest Loser Rant.

Do you watch it?
Do you love it or do you hate it and want to wring it's neck?

I love it and want to wring it's neck.

The problem with the show is how it is produced. The producers are manipulators and I don't like it.

As you can imagine, I am a straight forward, don't change the rules in mid stream, kind of gal.

This season's twists and turns have been close to cruel.

So.

I am Tivoing it from now on. And fast forwarding thru the drama and manipulating.

Stop watching. No. I can't do that.

I love the weigh ins.

So if I Tivo the show, I only need to actually watch 15 minutes instead of TWO hours.

And that's my plan.


And maybe I'll catch a little American Idol then.


Tell me.

Are you watching the American Idol?

Is it good?
Have you seen any Superstars yet?

Remember the raw talent at the beginning of last season?


****

And then there was House. A new one. I watched that late into the night.

I was totally baffled by the ending.

And if it is too indelicate to discuss in the comments, which it just might be, email me
and to help me understand it.

******



So really, in all reality, would you ever try out for a reality show?

Survivor, Amazing Race, So you think you can dance, Project Runway, American Idol, Biggest Loser.

Would ya?



And since not everyone watches television. Hard to imagine.

We can also play. What's worse Wednesday.

What's worse? An inconsolable baby or an overflowing toilet.




One last thing.
I went to UPS and shipped the camera yesterday.
I did it. I conquered my fears and did it.

They must have had me confused with Ivana Trump beause the first price they quoted me was over $125.00.
Is this the real world?


p.s. I did not pay that much.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Janet wrote to me last night and said how much she was enjoying
Corey's website Tongue in Cheek.

She said it is quickly becoming a favorite!

I love to hear that places I love...you love too.

Like Ree and Rechelle

Here is one I don't go to very often but if you'd like a daily dose of Paris stop by Eric's.

Paris Daily Photo


Or a shorter trip to Kansas, visit Marilyn. She decorates and cooks and writes beautifully.

819 Ohio

And how about the Outback? I just met this young woman on Flickr.
She homeschools, takes lovely pictures and lives on a sheep station.

Meet Charleigh


It's a big wide wonderful world filled with interesting people in fabulous places.

A feast for the imagination, the heart and the soul!

It is like traveling, only you don't need to pack :o)

***********


Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. ~Seneca


Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~Mark Twain




*******

My camera sits in a box by the door.
I will venture out to UPS today and say so-long and come home soon.

It's been a trying process.

But it is almost complete on my end.




I tried everything with this shot. Katie's cheek blended too much with the background and I just could make it work.

Last night, I tried using a texture on it.

And it worked.

Yay.

I like the soft ones.

It reminds me of this.





Happy visiting today.

I hope you have fun!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Happy Birthday, Lynn!


Wishing you a great birthday!

Our friendship is honestly a gift from God.
A few years ago, we both prayed for a friend.
It's true.

God answered each of our prayers.

Prayer works.
God is so good to tend to all of our needs.
In His perfect timing.

He gives us the very best.



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


Last night I learned a cool new trick in Photoshop.

I learned how to apply a texture to a photograph.

I have admired this technique for a while but it was just way over my head.

My Flickr friend, Lisa, emailed with me back and forth until I GOT it last night.

Lisa is a brilliant photographer and just has the most generous heart and willingness to share her talents.

I am awed by her willingness to help me.....and the thing is....I didn't ask. She just starts helping!!!


So first she sent me some textures in the mail.

That's a texture.

She told me to pull both pictures up and drag the texture over the picture.

I did not know how to do step one!!!

You can not believe the self doubt and dismay this causes me.

But, I was humble and wrote her back and said, "huh?"

And she wrote me back and said, 'Do thus and such'.

So I tried that.



And then the texture was really little. Sitting on the picture.

So I had to write her again.

And say, "boohoo, the texture is really little."


And Saint Lisa wrote back and said, "Click on this and click on that and drag the do hickey over and it will get bigger."

So I tried it. And it worked.

And I wanted to cry and hug her.

But, she is far away. So I wrote her a love letter instead.



Can you see it?

Click on it to view larger if you wish.


So then I had to try it again.



The Original


The One with the Texture.


I think is very cool!

If you would like to see Lisa's great Flickr photostream, Go Here



**********


Did anyone watch Mansfield Park last night?
While still enjoyable, this is my least favorite so far.
Fannie looked so modern with her wild hair and full lips.
I liked the actor who played Edward, tho.

What did you think?



*******

Now. I will start educating my poor neglected child.

O, s, t, mus, tis, nt......


Encourage one another,
Donna

New Recipes- Week Four




The inspiration :o)


Crispy Chocolate Bars

Servings: 32
Ingredients
1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch morsels
1/2 cup peanut butter
5 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes®
Directions
1. In 3-quart saucepan, combine chocolate morsels, butterscotch morsels and peanut butter. Stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES cereal. Stir until evenly coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into squares when cool. Store in airtight container.

Yield: 32 bars


****** 32 bars is so far off I can't believe it. We get more like TWELVE.

But they are wonderful and yummy and we loved them!!!

My favorite flavors all mingled into one. Chocolate, peanut butter and butterscotch.




Chicken Spaghetti




I also made Ree's Chicken Spaghetti!

It was wonderful and Emma and I ate it for dinner and lunch for days.

Follow the link to the recipe and much better pictures!
I made mine at night and I had to wait a few days to get a little sunlight.

So my picture is what the Chicken Spaghetti likes like as a left over :o)


Chicken Spaghetti a la Ree


This was a big hit! I will make this one again.....and again....and again.


Happy cooking!

Encourage one another,
Donna