MOSAIC MONDAY

Mary over at Little Red House is the host for Mosaic Monday. Go over and check out all the other folks doing Mosaic Monday.

CHRISTMAS'S PAST

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA

Jan over at Murrieta 365 is the host for Straight Out Of The Camera. What is this all about? Here are the details:

What are the rules? On any Sunday you can post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that hasn’t been tweaked or altered in any way (cropping is OK). In other words Straight Out Of the Camera.

My picture is of Bubba, our Miniature Dachshund. This past summer Bubba got sick, he wasn't eating, which is not normal for him, he eats like a pig. So off he went to the vet. They said he had an infection in his mouth, from his teeth being rotten. So he got pain pills and antibiotics for a couple weeks. Then the vet took his teeth out. He has no teeth left except a couple jaw teeth. But don't worry, it doesn't keep him from eating. It takes him a little longer. He doesn't just wolf it down now. As a consequences of having his teeth out, there is no where for his tongue to be. It's like his teeth was holding his tongue in. So his tongue hangs out of his mouth. This picture is a good one showing that. He looks so sad in this picture, I wish I could figure out what he wants or needs. If only dogs could talk!!



Head over to Jan's and check out all the other folks that are participating this week in Straight Out Of The Camera. The only thing I've done to this picture is crop it.

POSTCARD FRIENDSHIP FRIDAYS

Marie over at The French Factrice is the host for Postcard Friendship Fridays. Do you have any postcards to show off? Hop over and check out all the folks participating this week.

I have 2 new postcards this week. One is from Spain and the other is from Germany.

SPAIN



GERMANY



I really like them both, the one from Spain is really pretty. I like the colors on this postcard a lot.

SEPIA SCENES

Mary is the host for Sepia Scenes. Hop over to Mary's and see all the folks who like Sepia pictures. Mary has a new Sepia Badge. It's here Christmas Door Decoration. Isn't it pretty!!

These are a couple pictures I took when I was at the Cemetery this past summer. My granny is buried here. As well as some of my other relatives, but have no idea who they are. They are from my mom's side of the family. Great Grandparents, Great Uncles and Aunts. It is the oldest Cemetery in our town. There are soldiers buried there from the Civil War. The next time I go I'll try to remember to take a picture of the Cemetery when entering.

AN ANGEL



A BEAUTIFUL LADY

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Go and see all the folks participating at Wordless Wednesday today.

ROUND AND METAL

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Lisa over at Blessed With Grace is hosting Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. She has a great idea for nibble food for the holidays. Do you have a great recipe for nibble food? Hop over and check out all the great recipes. You will find something you like!!

This is family favorite around here during the holidays. It's kind of gooey for nibble food (finger food) but it's well worth the try. It's YUMMY!!



MONKEY BREAD

1 stick of margarine
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Maple Syrup
3/4 C. Pecans (chopped)
2 cans of biscuits (10 ct.)

Melt butter – add brown sugar, syrup and pecans. Cook until well blended. Butter (or spray) a bunt pan. Pour 1/4 C. of mixture in bottom of pan. Place biscuits in bottom of pan. Place biscuits over lapping (standing up) around ring. Pour remainder of syrup mixture over top of biscuits. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. Flip onto serving dish.

It's really easy and fast to make!

MOSAIC MONDAY

Mary over at Little Red House is the host for Mosaic Monday. Do you like to mosaic's out of your pictures? You should hop over to Mary's and check out all the folks that do!!

We had our first snow today. It isn't much, but if you had to drive in it this morning it was a lot. My normal drive to work is 20 minutes. It took me 45 minutes to get to work this morning. The roads were all ice. And not salt or sand in sight. I think it snuck up on the road crews, because they said we were only suppose to have snow flurries, instead we got about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of snow. And of course my camera batteries decided to die, so no pictures of today's snow.

So with that thought, I thought I would post some snow pictures from last year for my Mosaic today. Keep in mind this is last years snow.



So has anyone else had snow yet this year? How much, a little or a lot?

POSTCARD FRIENDSHIP FRIDAYS

Marie over at The French Factrice is the host of Postcard Friendship Fridays. What exactly is this? Well here are the details:

1. Have a blast with this mail theme! Examples include: any type of postcard, a photo of a mailbox, mailman, a stamp image, postcard altered art, or simply a photo of something that you find 'Postcard Perfect' etc etc etc!
2. Link in with Mr.Linky at the bottom of this post
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what a blog party is all about!
4. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is talking about today! Please grab the badge if you'd like to add a bit of PFF colour to your post:)

My postcards this week came from Russia. They are both very colorful and I like them both.





So hop over to Marie's and check out the other folks that have some postcards to show off.

SUSPENSE & THRILLER READING CHALLENGE

I was over at Marcie's place and saw she is doing this reading challenge. So followed the link to Book Chick City's place. Here are the details:

Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010
Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010

Details:

* You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

* If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun.

* If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.

* You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

* There will be a place for you to link your reviews, but this is optional.

* The sub-genre list that is HERE.

I will have this reading challenge on my sidebar and my list of books. It will also be linked back to Book Chick City's place so you can get there without any trouble.

Melissa over at Coffee, Books, and Laundry is the host for Book of the Month. Do you have a favorite for November? Hop over and see Melissa. You can find any book I have listed at my book blog, Just Books.

My favorite book for November is "Thirsty" by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe.

"Thirsty" by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe
(from inside cover)
It is 1883, and all of Klara Bozic's girlish dreams have come crashing down as she arrives in Thirsty, a gritty steel town carved into the slopes above the Monongahela River just outside of Pittsburgh. She has made a heartbreaking discover. Her new husband, Drago, is as abusive as the father she left behind in Croatia.
In Kristin Bair O'Keeffe's debut novel, Klara's life unfolds over forty years as she struggles to find her place in a new country where her survival depends on the friends who nurture her: gutsy, funny Katherine Zupanovic, who isn't afraid of Drago's fist; BenJo, the only black man in Thirsty to have his own shop; and strangely enough, Old Man Rupert, the town drunk.
Thirsty follows a chain of unlikely events that keep Klara's spirit aloft: a flock of angelic butterflies descends on Thirsty; Klara gives birth to her first child in Old Man Rupert's pumpkin patch; and BenJo gives her a talking bird. When Klara's daughter marries a man even more brutal than Drago, Klara is forced to act. If she doesn't break the cycle of violence in her family, her granddaughters will one day walk the same road, broken and bruised. As the threads that hold her family together fray and come undone, Klara must decide whether she has the courage to carve out a peaceful spot in the world for herself and her girls.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a wonderful book! I really enjoyed reading about Klara and her family. Mz. O'Keeffe has written a wonderful book of life with Klara and all her suffering. But Klara also has some happy times in her life. Her friends and her children are what keeps Klara together. I really liked the character of Klara and Katherine. I could feel her pain and happiness. When she had her first baby in the Pumpkin Patch at Old Man Rupert's, I felt her happiness. When the butterflies came I could feel them fluttering around. This book takes you to Thirsty and into Klara's home and life. Truly a wonderful book and beautifully written by Mz. O'Keeffe. I will be watching for more books from her.

MY RATING: 5




JANUARY - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
FEBRUARY - The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
MARCH - Julie & Julia - Julie Powell
APRIL - World Without End - Ken Follett
MAY - Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
JUNE - Riders of the Purple Sage - Zane Grey
JULY - Velva Jean Learns to Drive - Jennifer Niven
AUGUST - Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
SEPTEMBER - The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingslover
OCTOBER - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski
NOVEMBER - Thirsty - Kristin Bair O'Keeffe

MOSAIC MONDAY

Mary over Little Red House is the host for Mosaic Monday. Do you like to play around making Mosaic's out of your pictures? Hop over and see Mary and all the other folks that like to make Mosaic's.

This is a Mosaic of a Christmas a few years ago. I had made everyone a scarf and hat for Christmas. This is everyone showing off their hats and scarves.

Starting in the upper left hand corner, going across to the right, is my niece Meagan. The group picture is all of us. We are all Sisters, Aunts, Cousins, and Nieces in this group. Bottom row is my baby sister Tina. Next two are my sister Cindy and her boyfriend Jess. Jess was being silly!

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA

Jan over at Murrieta 365 is the host for Straight Out Of The Camera. Here are rules:

What are the rules? On any Sunday you can post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that hasn’t been tweaked or altered in any way (cropping is OK). In other words Straight Out Of the Camera.

I took these pictures a couple weeks ago. I was walking out of the house and the sun was shinning. After rain and clouds for a week seeing the sun was great. Anyway, this is what I saw.



As I turned to go back in the house this was on my left or the west side of your yard.



The only thing I have done to these pictures is enlarge them. Have some pictures to share, hop over to Jan's place and check out all the folks that are sharing their pictures today.

POSTCARD FRIENDSHIP FRIDAYS

Marie over at The French Factrice is the host for Postcard Friendship Fridays. Got some postcards to share? Head over to Marie's and check it out. Here's a little info in case you need to know some more.

1. Have a blast with this mail theme! Examples include: any type of postcard, a photo of a mailbox, mailman, a stamp image, postcard altered art, or simply a photo of something that you find 'Postcard Perfect' etc etc etc!
2. Link in with Mr.Linky at the bottom of this post
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what a blog party is all about!
4. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is talking about today! Please grab the badge if you'd like to add a bit of PFF colour to your post:)

I love getting postcards from around the world. I think it's still amazing to get actual mail in my mailbox. What with all the electronics today most people don't use snail mail anymore. So getting a postcard from someone who gives me little snippets of their lives and a beautiful postcard is great. And how do I get all these card you may ask. I go to Postcrossing. It's easy to do. You should check this out.

Now on to my new postcards. I got some really pretty ones a couple weeks ago. This one is from Finland. Isn't that bunny cute?



This next one comes from South Africa. His name is Ruan and is a Dentist. He has actually seen Elephants in the wild at Kruger National Park. Aren't they beautiful!



And this one comes from Bangkok. From Kris who says it is a scene from the Grand Palace there. Beautiful postcard!

SEPIA SCENES

Mary is the host for Sepia Scenes. Hop over and check this out.

I thought I would make a mosaic of my some of the Thanksgiving Dinner we will be having today. This is the original in color.



This is the same picture done in Sepia. I did the Mosaic and the Sepia in Picasa 3. Picasa 3 is a free download if you want to check it out. Just click on the name Picasa 3 and you will go right to the download page.



Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TURKEY ANYONE...........

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

It Tuesday so it's time for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Go check it out, you might find supper for tonight!

I love chicken, anyway, fried, baked, boiled, or grilled. But I was looking for something a little different. So went to Kraft for some ideas. I found this recipe for Greek Style Lemon Roast Chicken. It was awesome!!



Greek Style Lemon Roast Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 whole roasting chicken (3-1/2 lb.)
salt and black pepper
1 medium lemon, washed, halved
1/2 cup KRAFT Greek Vinaigrette Dressing

PREPARATION

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Place in a 13x9-inch baking dish.

SQUEEZE the juice from lemon and mix with dressing in a small bowl. Place the squeezed lemon halves inside the cavity of chicken. Drizzle dressing mixture over chicken. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of one of the chicken's thighs.

BAKE 1-1/2 hours or until chicken is cooked through (reaches an internal temperature of 180°F), basting occasionally.

Hop over to Lisa's place Blessed With Grace and check out all the recipes folks are sharing. You could find something really yummy!

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA

Straight Out of The Camera means this:

What are the rules? On any Sunday you can post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that hasn’t been tweaked or altered in any way (cropping is OK). In other words Straight Out Of the Camera.

We have a place called The Splash House here. It's a swimming place. It has curvy slides and other water stuff to enjoy. They are building on and putting in a new Wave Pool. I got some pictures of the construction going there.







So if you have some Straight Out of The Camera shots, go over and visit Jan at Murrieta 365 and check it out!

SEPIA SCENES

Mary is the host for Sepia Scenes.

Just a few pictures from around our house.
Birds and Birdhouses



The neighbor to the east of us.



Our Back Yard where we grill



A view of the west side of our house



What I see out my back door



My hubby mowing on the east side of our yard



Want to join in the fun of Sepia? Hop over to Mary's and check out all the folks that have joined in this week.

WORDLESS TUESDAY

Wordless Tuesday is pictures with no words.

LOOKING DOWN AT MYSELF

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA

Jan over at Murrieta 365 is hosting Straight Out of The Camera. Go check out all the folks that have pictures to share.

What are the rules? On any Sunday you can post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that hasn’t been tweaked or altered in any way (cropping is OK). In other words Straight Out Of the Camera.

Also, please link back to Murrieta365. Thanks.

All of the leaves from the trees congregate in our yard. They get tracked into the house and then I have to sweep them up. So once they all get done falling, my hubby gets on his mower and cuts them all up. It saves on racking and sweeping. Plus it's good for the lawn. Nothing has been done to these pictures except to make them bigger.







So go on over to Jan's and check out all the pictures.