Weekly Header Challenge -- Looking Down

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining the group above for this weekly challenge.

Visit the other participants' blogs to see their entries!

Theme ~ Looking Down

Chosen by Tom.

I smiled when I read the theme for this week, because it reminded me of a line from the movie Winnie the Pooh.  Pooh is walking along with Piglet, explaining that "jag-u-lars call out 'Halloooooo!' and when you look up, they drop on you."  Piglet responds, "I'm looking d-down, P-p-p-pooh!"  Since our family is well-versed in movie lines, we are fond of often quoting Piglet's line.

Here is the image I chose for my header.  I took this just a couple days ago; I arranged everything on my pretty china and placed it on the floor.  I used my macro lens to capture the "looking down" shot.

Oolong tea, Irish soda bread, honey-cinnamon butter.

On to the rest of my picks for Looking Down!!

I've been traveling/working alongside Fernando for a few months, so I've had some great opportunities for taking interesting pictures outside my normal routine.  Some of them are featured below.  Enjoy!

End of February, Akron, OH hotel room, looking down out of the window.

I love the diagonal lines formed with the sidewalk and the cars.  I don't like the snow.

Looking down into the lobby from our hotel in Bowling Green, KY.

Early morning Bible reading, with a cup of English breakfast tea.

Looking down at my bowl of tortellini & spinach soup, a family favorite.

All the nature images were taken at the Morton Arboretum a few weeks ago on a very chilly afternoon.

Tree roots along Lake Marmo, at the Morton Arboretum.

Water drain hole on Lake Marmo.

I've been fermenting vegetables!

Forest floor, west side, Morton Arboretum.

Daffodils getting ready to bloom!

Scilla or other ground cover.

I saved my favorite image for last.  I was standing on a little footbridge, and shot down looking into the brook below.  There were little orange buds from the tree, plus a few leaves, floating on the water.  The reflection of the tree branches is there, too, making this a beautiful abstract image.  It looks autumn-like with the orange color.  I just love this shot!

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge -- Sepia

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining the group above for this weekly challenge.

Visit the other participants' blogs to see their entries!

Theme ~ Sepia

Chosen by all of us.

Finally!  Everyone was vying for time on our home computer, and now it's my turn.  Here are my images for this week's theme.  First, the uncropped image I used for my header:

I took this a few years ago, when we had snow (hardly any this past winter!).  I love the vintage look of a tinge of sepia, the lines of the bare trees, and the reflections in the river.

Here's another sepia image of winter snowfall and an evergreen tree just outside our back yard.

One final sepia image, of my 1950s vintage tea kettle I use every day for my morning Irish breakfast tea.  The sepia look goes well with the vintage kettle.

And now, it's about tea time this afternoon!  See you soon!!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 41

Project 2012 -- Week 41

October 7 - 13

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time to look back over the past week, 
choose seven favorite images I've taken, and share them here with you.  
If you have a project you're working on, please leave a comment 
so I can visit your blog and see what you're up to!

Our Sunday started off in a special way:  We got to visit friends at their "new" home--new to us because we had yet to visit.  They bought a church way out in the middle of farmland, and have been restoring it into a home for their family.  We visited for a potluck dinner together, and a hymn sing afterward.  We thoroughly enjoyed both!

[283] A church is home

I like taking food pictures, and this week, although I didn't realize it until posting these images, I took many.  I've been drinking a lot of hot beverages, since I've had a sore throat that won't go away.  I didn't have strep, and I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor regarding a blood test they recently did, but either way, hot beverages are soothing and I'm so glad it's autumn so I can drink lots!

[284] Pumpkin spice

A story about the above tea is in order.  Last week Saturday, Fernando and I went to Trader Joe's to purchase some needed items.  I saw the tins of pumpkin spice rooibos, and almost purchased one.  Fernando was even okay with it.  But, we talked for just a minute and decided we'd better spend our grocery money on groceries.  So I left the tin on the shelf and moved on.

Well, on Sunday, a dear friend gave me a belated birthday gift--a gift bag filled with little goodies and treats.  I unwrapped one of the items and discovered--the pumpking spice rooibos tea tin!!  I love when the Lord shows His goodness to us, simply to bless us, and in the littlest detailed things.  I've had several cups of it now, and it is good.

[285] Dessert coffee

I had been making balsamic vinaigrette dressing all summer to accompany my daily salads, and it is really good.  But when I ran out this week, I felt like a change.  So I made a dressing I haven't made in a long time.

[286] French dressing

One last food image.  After I tossed on all the toppings, I couldn't see the soup anymore!  But I felt like taking a picture anyway.  This soup is awesome.

[287] Taco soup with the works

One night this last week I had coffee for dessert.  Another night (below), I had coffee and dessert.  :)

[288] Dessert AND coffee

Recently, I've been researching clothing that works for my body type.  It's so hard to find things that not only fit, but look good on me, too.  V-necks and tops that end at the hips are supposed to work.  The pink blouse is new; I liked it in the store and Fernando bought it for me.  :)  But I can never tell if I truly look good in something.  So I thought I'd take a photo and see for myself.  If nothing else, I like the color of the shirt, and I love the color of the trees.

[289] Autumn self-portrait

I hope you took some great photos this past week!  I can't wait to get back out there and take a few more autumn walks.  I'm hoping the rain will end soon so I can do just that.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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A Spot of Tea

Tea cup time!

I usually reserve teaup pictures for my family blog.  However, since I took these teacup images at an event for which I was the official photographer, I am making an exception.  I love teacups of all kinds--fancy and plain, white and multicolored, bone china and pottery.

Here are several of my favorite teacups that I spotted at the Mother/Daughter Tea.

The below teacup made it into my favorites a few times!  It looked so pretty in several different shots, and I loved them all.

The teapots were borrowed from different ladies.  Below is one of my favorite teapots.

I'm now in the mood for some tea!  I think I'll go brew me a cup.  See you soon!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Mothers and Daughters

For three years, the Lord has blessed me by opening the door to allow me to attend this wonderful event, hosted by SECHDF.  I've spoken of it--and blogged about it--a number of times in the past, and I get to blog about it again here.

For two days, mothers gather with their daughters to renew friendships, be encouraged by a guest speaker, participate in craft times together, and share fellowship meals together.  The two-day event culminates in a Mother/Daughter Tea on Saturday afternoon.

This post is my big picture post, an overview of the weekend together.  I have future posts lined up to share specific things from throughout the two wonderful days, and those will be appearing over the next few weeks.

Preparations continued all the way up until people started arriving.  Name tags were being cut out...

The speaker table was being set up...

Holly completed some last minute work on the tea party decorations...

And Miss J meticulously decorated the tables in the dining area.

The photographer's table.  That's mine.  :)

Greetings.

My sister D (below) and her family put on this event.  She is an amazing, wise, Godly woman.

Leslie Ludy was the featured speaker for the weekend.

Lots of activities in the craft room.

One little guy among all the girls!

Precious capture of mama and her baby girl.

Friday night dinner.  Yes, it's teddy bears and cloud wallpaper.  The serving line ran through the nursery, since there was a record crowd in attendance.

I love capturing mealtime candids.

Chef Gregory catered the event (he gets his own blog post soon!).  These are his cakes for Friday evening dessert.

The way these girls were crowded around the cake, you'd think they hadn't been fed in two weeks!  I asked them all to line up so I could get their picture.

Saturday began with another speaker workshop.

More crafts in the craft room throughout the morning.

Time for lunch!  Whoever set out these water bottles was a neat and tidy person.  I didn't move a single one for the below shot.  I love when things are in order.  Yes, I notice the one water bottle on its own in the background.  Perfect.  :)

Miss S (below) is D's daughter and also did a tremendous about of behind-the-scenes work to make this event a success.

Yeah, sometimes people figure out that I'm aiming the camera at them.  :)

I "caught" this young lady watching my slide show from last year's Mother/Daughter Encouragement.  I was tickled that she spent the time watching, so I took her picture.

The weekend ended with a fabulous tea party, parts of which will also get another post.  If you wonder where my food photography is, keep in mind that there was a lot of food throughout the weekend.  It'll get its own post.

Remember that wide-awake little guy from Friday (above)?  He was all tuckered out by Saturday afternoon.  So was I.

Stay tuned for my detail posts of the Mother/Daughter Encouragement weekend!



Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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