11AUG11--Self Portrait

I had just read a bit in my digital photography book that I received for Christmas and was messing around with the camera. I took this self-portrait which is nothing special--just okay, except for this one thing: Do y'all notice in the top right hand corner that the evening light is making my hair look blue!?! Guess I should consider that a sign that since I turned 42 last week I should be considering myself a blue-haired old lady, hmmmm?

08AUG11

This is my very first knitting (with needles) project ever! Yes, I realize it looks like a barbie skirt when it was supposed to be a rectangular washcloth. Ah well! It'll do as a washcloth anyway, yeah?
I went to the knitting circle at Strings and Things on Dowlen Road (near Phelan) and those ladies knew just what I had done wrong and taught me how not to do it. I really enjoy the ladies there. Every now and then, we have a problem with Sailor mouths, but other than that minor issue, it is soooo great there. These ladies WANT to help me learn and go out of their way to do so. I found a little knitting home away from home!

03AUG11

Here we are at my birthday party at the Coldwater's home. Kelly and Aurora and Pike and I all hung out there. Of course--since I was involved--there was a lot of talking involved. And actually, Pike did a lot of talking, too. That boy has really improved in the last little while, or else, I'm just around enough to start understanding him. maybe it is a little bit of both, yeah?
I really love Pike and Aurora! They are really great kids, ya know? And the more I am around them, the more open and affectionate they are toward me which--of course--I LOVE!
I made myself a home-made cake on Tuesday for POp and I to eat. I realize it is silly, but since no one else made me cake, I decided I would do one for myself. Homemade chocolate cake with homemade icing! It was really delish! Kelly said it was that kind of good when you can tell it is homemade. YAY!
We also had dinner there. Mostly veggies from their garden! So Good!
I L-O-V-E the Coldwater family! <3

31JUL11

These photos were taken after morning worship on 31JUL11 which--as I'm sure you already know--is Harry Potter's birthday. I'm sure some of you really think my obsession with this story is silly, and that is okay. Everyone has opinions. For all we know, there is something you like that I find silly. Anyway, one of the reasons that I know all these birthday is cos I'm a super fan. However, these three birthdays are in a row"
1-Neville Longbottom, good-hearted, brave, right-doing, snake-killing Gryffindor.
2-Harry James Potter, The boy-who-lived--TWICE!! and--though he is often a whiny baby--that boy went to his death to save the whole world. I don't think he thought that the death would be temporary when he did it, either. He went intending to die completely for the well-being of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and even Malfoy. Ya gotta appreciate that fact, yeah?
3) Moi! Y'all know me. I don't have to describe myself, yeah?
So, the three of us have birthdays one right after another...

Okay, so the pictures: The first one is a young gal who was just born last month. She is precious and we have similar names--Loralee and Danilee!
The other picture is the mother of my birthday twin--well, I guess that isn't TECHNICALLY true, but we were born on the same day of the year--28 years apart!

30JUL11

The day these photos were taken was important for several reasons.
1) It was Neville Longbottom's birthday! If he were flesh and blood--as he seems to me--instead of a literary character, he'd have been 31 years old! Wow! I think I read somewhere that JKR said he married Hannah Abbott. I think they would have been a really cute couple! I can imagine him having a cozy little house with a garden in the back and he and Hannah raising two girls. I don't know what he would have named 'em, but I'd like to think he would have named them after two women he really admired--Ginny and Luna.
An interesting aside: I wanted to make sure I had his age right, so I googled him. I put "Neville's birthday" in the search engine. I want you to note that I didn't put his last name or any reference to Harry Potter into the search bar--only the words "Neville's birthday." The very first response to my query regarded the literary character! In fact, of the eight non-advertising responses on the first page, six of them referenced the snake-killer! I find that amazing.
2) It was the day I paid my last bill to a credit card company. Now, I am less debt-ful! I think I've paid off three or four of my five credit cards. YAY!
3) I had my second counseling session with a local Gospel preacher. I feel like as if we're taking care of business during these sessions. It may be slow-going, but as long as I'm healing and dealing and growing and getting better and loving God and myself and everyone else more, then I'll be glad to take however long it takes. It is nice to see a light at the end of the dark tunnel, yeah?
These photos were taken when Tony, Mary and I went to eat lunch at Novroski's in Vidor. I had a lovely time!

27JUL11

My early birthday celebration with Kelly

First, we went to the beauty salon. Nunu (who is on the left and who helped me) poses with her sister!















Then we went to the movies. In the lobby, I saw these three movie advertisements and had to take pictures of them since I had posted pictures of their friends and enemies in a previous blog






























Then--when we were crazy hungry--we went to have some lunch at that avocado green Mexican restaurant right by the movie theatre on Dowlen. I forget the name, but I think the avocado green clue I gave ya will guide you in the right direction. This was Adan, our waiter. He was very nice, helpful, and flirty!



















This is my 'early birthday celebration' gift giver, the fabulously beautiful Kelly!