REUNITED!

Reunited with my functioning MacBook with it's snazzy new operating system, and once I get things re-installed and have a bit of time I'll be updating away!

Crash.

I was getting ready to babysit on Friday morning, and went to turn on my computer to send a few emails, work on my schedule, et cetera before heading out for the day. I turned it on, and walked away. When I walked back, the screen was blinking with a question mark.

Not good.

I tried to start it again...same thing.

Cue getting ready to hyper-speed, putting the computer in the car, and rushing over to PeachMac to hear that yes, my hard-drive did crash in a mechanical failure, and then hearing two hours later that all of my data was unrecoverable.

Bummer; especially since I hadn't backed up my computer since March. I'm going to take it as a mark of my emotional maturity that I didn't cry a tear during any of this. I was a mite sarcastic at the Apple Store, but no tears or outbursts (other than the stronger version of "oh crap" when I realized that I stored all of my computer passwords on my computer that was currently dead).

The 365 project did take a hit with this. I'm still diligently taking my photos daily, that'll be posted one day...

143.

142.

A friend got married at a local old home in Athens, and the details on the house were amazing. It was a beautiful wedding, in a beautiful location!

When I was looking at the Anthropology site a few months ago I came across the wide array of doorknobs they offer and I thought, seriously?! However, since scoping out their wares, and seeing the beautiful one at this home, it's something I'm a little more attentive to these days. And yes, I want to have some super snazzy-door knobs in my future home.

141.

She is always underfoot...

140.

When you babysit you come across many different types of children. There are (obviously) huge differences between girls and boys. And ages...oh gosh. I'll babysit for any age, but my absolute favorite is the under 12-elementary school age crowd (and of course, babies). They're just fun. They want to play, respond to rules (usually)...all good. There is a pair of sweet little 6 year olds in town that I sit for who are some of my absolute favorite children to sit for. They like crafty-things. Dolls. Not making messes. And blowing bubbles.

139.

Petey was hopping like a bunny (or walking with a limp) so he had to have his little self taken to the vet. He's pretty placid about being in the box.

138. No pic!

137.

I don't stay awake for movies. I try really hard too, but I just can't. This is a reason why I don't see movies in the theater--I know I'll probably end up nodding off. However, I stayed awake for this ENTIRE movie. The movie was really interesting. I'm really interested in pregnancy, birth, and child development, so I really enjoyed seeing how it was different amongst four very different cultures. I wasn't terribly shocked by any of it, but it is really wild seeing what you suspect about child-care practices in different countries on screen.

136.

I made cake-pops for my community group dessert. I made them by first baking a 9x13 cake, whipping up some buttercream frosting, crumbling the cake, adding in the frosting, mixing well (I used my hands), rolling pieces into balls, freezing them to make them firmer, melting some chocolate coating, sticking a lollipop stick into each bite, dipping the cake bites into the chocolate, and letting them harden.

Cause a sugar coma? Yes. Delicious? Yes.

I got the idea from www.bakerella.com, and I can't imagine taking the time to decorate them like she does!

135.

This is from the book "Suburban Safari." I thought it was interesting that they expounded about the font used in the book.

134.

Fabrics.

133.

I read a book called "Suburban Safari" this summer and accordingly, I am hyper aware of most everything associated with lawns and water now. This is a view of the pond at a park in Athens. I'm pretty sure water isn't supposed to be metallic.

132.

I went out to the most amazing farmhouse for a dinner. What made it so amazing? Renovations. This house had all of the charm and quirks of an old farmhouse (it was really old), which means it had so many of the original designs elements in place still; interesting floor-plan, old brick, et cetera. Added to that though, were tasteful and functional additions which kept with the feel of the home that opened up the space (old farmhouses tend to be small) and filled it with light, made it more user-friendly (aka the extra room), and importantly, made the bathrooms and kitchen modern. It's like one of my dream homes (the other would be a beach house).

Beautiful old features, abundant sunlight, and with high-functional appliances...check.

P.S. That isn't the farmhouse in the pic. This is one of the views as you walk outside.

my happy place

My happy place is the ocean. And one of my happiest places is Charleston, South Carolina. I love it, and I was so blessed to have the opportunity to go for a couple of days, and at a time I really needed a rest. I'm already longing to visit again soon!

131.

Window-reflection pic from downtown Charleston. Inspiration from my friend Katie, who has some awesome shots using reflections.

130.

Monday morning Rebecca and I took to the water in ocean kayaks (pics on FB of that)! For five hours. Seriously. We thought we were going to ride the tide out and back in...not so much. We got out quite quickly; getting in was a bit harder (understatement). We fought the tide and wind for a few hours to get home, but we made it. And, it was so much fun (give or take a minor melt down at points)! After surviving our trek in Charleston harbor, we went to the beach to (try-to) fly a kite. It was pretty windy, and my camera ended up eating some sand (no good). The kite didn't flutter to the ground, no-no, it nose-dived to the ground. Repeatedly. It did get up in the air though!

129.

In true fashion, I didn't sleep that much before leaving for Charleston. And by not much I mean I slept for two hours before it was time to go. Fortunately I didn't have to do any driving, but I couldn't sleep either. However, upon arriving at the beach, I laid down and didn't move for about three hours. I never nap during the day, but at the beach I definitely made an exception. This was the view I saw upon opening my eyes, and reaching for the camera. Happy place.

128.

Rebecca got married on day 128!!! She was so beautiful, the wedding & reception were so fun...so great! The Lord is incredible!

127.

I found a recipe for cinnamon-sugar toast. I had never liked it--toast the bread, spread butter, and sprinkle on cinnamon & sugar...just not a great texture/taste. I have a different opinion now. While procrastinating earlier in the week I came across how the Pioneer Woman makes it and I'm hooked. Basically...get butter to room temperature (or in my case take it from the fridge and pop it in the microwave for a bit), add sugar (not too much for me), vanilla (few drops), & cinnamon (too much), mix well, spread on bread, and put it in a toaster oven.

De-lish.

While eating it I told Mary, "this is like dessert!" to which I got a reply of "well, with sugar and butter it is."

...yep. Noted.