Hand me downs…

If you are anything like me you know something about hand me downs…hand me down clothes, shoes and cars. Maybe you have been the recipient of hand me down furniture. 

For some reason the phrase “hand ne down” carries the stigma of being less than…

However, when I think of ” hand me downs” I think of the flowes in my garden that my Dad handed down to me. I think of family recipes, especially the recipes I make for the holidays.  

Tonight while I was making one of those hand me down holiday recipes my husband took a close up picture of me scooping the candy onto the wax paper. And that’s when I knew I had received the ultimate hand me down…My Mother’s hands.  

My hands look just like my mom’s. They are small but not too small. They are strong but not as strong as they use to be.  They are showing signs of aging but they can still take care of the people they love. 

 As it is with all things in life…your perception of life’s hand me downs will determine your over all outlook on life. 

Embrace the hand me downs in your life.

Edible Color…

I think I love the colors of a candy store as much or more than I do the flavors. The rainbow of colors in this store were a feast for the eyes. I discovered this family owned gem of a shoppe, Northwoods Candy Emporium on the Landing in Branson, Missouri…Giant Lollipops make me smile…

Fruitful flavors…

A flavor to satisfy every craving…

A swirl of a treat for those who prefer to drink their edible color…

And then there is the sweet creamy indulgence of Fudge…peanut butter is an obvious favorite!

Saltwater Taffy…I only admire these chewy treats from afar…I’ll keep my fillings thank you very much.

However, they do look good sitting on the counter in a candy jar…Chewy delights but not quite as sticky as the taffy.A sweet and sour combination in case you are indecisive…Fruity Sours will make your face pucker up…or better yet offer one to a friend and capture the moment for a funny instagram post.These remind me of quartz crystals…very pretty!Need I say more…

I have a perpetual sweet tooth…help me out by sharing your sweet posts.

 

Photo a Day…

CORKS…

Flour Girl…

While vacationing in South Lake Tahoe we decided to do a little window shopping.  As we were browsing through the shops at the beautiful Ski Run Marina we stumbled upon the sweetest shoppe…at first I was drawn in by the name over the door, “Flour Girl Wedding Cakes“, an adorable play on words and I for one appreciate a good word play…Then as I looked through the large picture window, I found myself peering in on the flour girls busy at work…I was only there for a few minutes but it was like watching a ballet.  Two  beautiful women dressed for the occasion, their movements were graceful and they seemed at ease with one another.  They were busy whipping up icing and smoothing it over what I can only imagine was deliciously moist layers of cake. I could have stayed there all day, watching them create the only thing that can rival the beauty of the bride…the Wedding Cake!

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Sweet…

Whenever I hear the word sweet I almost immediately think of something moist and rich and chocolatey.   The word sweet also conjures up visions of old-fashioned soda fountains, my favorite gelato shoppe or the local bakery cases filled with buttercream iced cupcakes, fluffy lemon meringue pies and  flakey coconut cakes.

There are other things that are sweet...rosey cheeked children when they are sleeping, adorable puppies and cute baby ducks.  There are flowers that have a sweet fragrance; jasmine, gardenia and roses. There are sweet friends and sweet shoes and really sweet cars…

Sometimes, the sweetest thing is something totally unexpected.  Something done for you by a complete stranger for no other reason than to create a special moment just for you.  There is no repayment required or expected…except for a smile and a nod of recognition for that which was done…

And so we were treated to just such a sweet unexpected surprise on Friday evening when a gathering of friends met for dinner at a Thai restaurant off the beaten path, Merlion…We were treated to the freshest ingredients available, the sweetest server within 50miles and the attention to detail that makes people feel special.  

Our table was dressed in the finest the season had to offer…there were fresh-cut hydrangea, sunflowers and wonderfully fragrant rose petals sprinkled down the center of the table.  As we were admiring the floral arrangement we noticed that our table was the only one that had received the special attention.  As the evening progressed we discovered that our sweet server was the co-owner and she had heard that we were celebrating a girls night out and had taken the time to dress our table…

By no means does the food take a back seat to the decor…on the contrary, this is the best Thai food this side of Thailand.  The ingredients are fresh and seasonal…the seafood is purchased from the local fisherman and the noodles are made daily. The dishes were a sexy combination of sweet and spicy…Merlion has most definitely made it on to my list of date night restaurants.

Devoted…

Devoted to one another…

Cutest couple ever…

Wordless Wednesday…Indecision or really focused!

More Wordless Wednesday Posts:

Okiegrl

Personal Garden Coach 

October Photo A Day Challenge…

Check out the details for the October Photo a Day Challenge hosted by FatMumSlim…

Let me just say this…I really miss blogging.  I miss everything about it…I miss the entire creative process.  I will not offer a single excuse…Life is filled with choices.  Every day we are presented with opportunities and with each opportunity comes a choice.   There is a process that takes place; you must evaluate the Who, Where, When, What, How and Why of the new opportunity.  Then there is the process of shuffling, prioritizing, scheduling and implementation.  Through the process some things fall through the cracks, are placed on the back burner or are completely ignored.

Chantelle over at FatMumSlim has put together a great photo challenge for the month of October…I love a challenge and this is a great one that I can focus on my love of the fall season through photos.

The Prompts

1. Where you stood: Take a photo of where you’re standing.

2. Lunchtime: Take a photo of your lunch, or around you at lunchtime.

3. This happened today: What’s something that happened today? Shoot it and share it.

4. What you read: Did you read a sign? Are you reading a book? A blog? Shoot and share.

5. Shadow: Take a photo of your shadow or any shadow.

6. I’m thankful for…: What are you thankful for today? It can be simple or BIG. Share it.

7. Light: You can shoot sunflare, a street light, light from the sun… any kind of light.

8. Angle: Look at angles in buildings, structures, books, anything. Find an angle and take a photo.

9. Red: Take a photo of something red.

10. Emotion: Happy. Sad. Angry. Overjoyed and so on and so forth. Be creative.

11. Something close-up: These photos might be a little mysterious. Take a photo of something really close-up.

12. On the table: Last month we did table, but this month let’s do ON the table. What’s on your table?

13. Landscape: Take a photo of the skyline, a landscape you see.

14. Makes you laugh: What’s something funny that makes you laugh. Share it.

15. Dinnertime: Just like lunchtime, only later. Take a picture of what dinnertime is like on this day for you.

16. Something you wrote: Take a photo of something you wrote or drew.

17. Fruit: Take a photo of a piece of fruit, or a few.

18. Made you smile today: What made you smile today? Find it. Shoot it. Share it.

19. Letters: Take a photo of letters. They might make up a poster, or something bigger. Or even be mail?

20. 4 o’clock: Take a photo a 4am or 4pm – whatever you’re doing at that time.

21. Calm: Take a photo of something that makes you feel calm, or represents calm.

22. In your town: Take a photo of something from where you live. It might be a building, people, park or something else.

23. The view from here: Take a photo of your view from where you are. It might be your office, your home, traveling. The everyday can sometimes be very interesting.

24. Weather: Take a photo of the weather today. Let’s travel around the world with everyone’s weather photos.

25. People: It might be people you know or people you don’t. Take a photo of people.

26. Listening to: What are you listening to? Music? Children laughing? Share it.

27. Morning: Take a photo of your morning.

28. Looking back: Take a photo of something from your past, or from just behind you. Look back and take a photo.

29. Moon: The moon is just about full tonight. Take a photo.

30. Clothes: Take a photo of clothes. Perhaps what you’re wearing, or in your wardrobe, on a mannequin or otherwise.

31. Whatever you please: Are you celebrating Halloween tonight? Perhaps take a photo of that. Today is free choice – take a photo of ANYTHING you like.

Everyday People

Volunteer Fire Department, Men and Women. Ready, Willing and Able…doing whatever it takes to protect the community!

Reflection

This past week was spent getting ready for a special weekend at church. Not that they aren’t all special in some way or another, because they are. But this weekend we were going to take communion as a church. We take communion corporately once each quarter, which is a time of reflection in itself.  However, we were trying out a new setup in the auditorium and I was overseeing the project.
There were many hands and feet that worked together to make the communion experience special and memorable. Pastor Tim brought the message, the Worship songs were perfect for the moment, the volunteers served selflessly and the staff filled in the gaps. We were many parts but we were one body!

And at the end of the day on Saturday God painted a glorious sunset that said… “Well done my good and faithful servant” …lets do it again tomorrow and we did!