Yea! It's Over

They are just precious.

Just a few to get you started.

It's late and we have a long drive home in the morning. I appreciate all the encouraging love and support. I'm really glad it's over.

Friday Shoot Out

Friday Shoot Out

Theme ~Yard Objects

I'm out of town at a wedding.

This is the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, AL. that the reception will be held at this weekend. A very beautiful place. This is where my Yard Objects are coming from this week.

To join us on our Friday Shoot Outs click here.

A beautiful place to have a wedding reception, don't you think?

If you want to join us in our fun Friday Shoot Out, all you have to do is look for the theme that will be added later, and at the end of this post, so come back and see what was picked for next week!

say "CHEESE"

Did you know I was a

Wedding Photographer?

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I didn't know I was one either!

Hey, I'm just as shocked as you are.

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Just because I took a few engagement pictures and they turned out sort of descent, doesn't make me a "Wedding Photographer!"

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But this precious nephew and his fiance' think that I am!

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So we are off in the morning to Birmingham, AL. to attend and to pretend to be a Wedding Photographer.

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Wish me luck because I'm already a nervous wreck.

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Fortunately my youngest son Travis will be going also to shoot the wedding. He is much better than I am at this photography stuff. So glad he agreed! Two cameras are better than one and we have doubled our chances of having at least 2 pictures turn out well enough to frame.

If any remotely turn out well, I'll try and have some up by the weekend.

More Cake~Tasty Tuesday

Pistachio Nut Cake

Mildred from Nalley Valley shared this recipe for Pistachio Nut cake! And you know me, when something intrigues me I've got to try it out. This was a winner, a keeper, a cake meant to be shared!

And that's what you better do with it so that you don't find yourself eating it all!

Pistachio Nut Cake:

1 18 oz. box white cake mix
1 small pkg. instant pistachio pudding mix - dry
4 eggs
1/2 cup Crisco or Wesson Oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. almond extract
3/4 cup chocolate syrup


Combine all ingredients except chocolate syrup. Beat 5 minutes at medium speed of mixer. Pour 2/3 of batter into a prepared Bundt cake pan. Add chocolate syrup to remaining batter and mix. Pour over batter in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

I also made cup cakes and didn't add any chocolate syrup and they were really moist and ynmmy!

This is a moist and delicious cake!

(nothing like Paula Deans grandma Paul's Pound Cake)


Check Mildred out some time she really a sweet blogger.

42 in a 25

10:AM Saturday Morning.

Parkwood in front of the hospital.

Not another car in sight.

Almost to Hwy. 17

Officer turns off 17

Heading towards me.

I think nothing of it.

My perifial vision sees him flip around.

I look in my rear view mirror

and to my surprise, his lights are

on and he's pulling me over.

I pull over. Surprisingly

enough the GRAND~girls in the

back seat are calm.

Hey, I'm calm. I haven't done

anything so I'm clueless.

I dig out my licence and get

ready to hand it to him.

When he walks up to the window

he asks me if I know why he

pulled me over?

"Um, no sir?"

"You were speeding.

You were doing 42 in a 25."

"Where are you going in such a hurry this morning?"

"I wasn't in a hurry, I didn't think."

A 2 year old voice in the back seat

hollers, "hey!"

The officer smiles really big and

says, "hey" back to her.

I tell him we are going two more

blocks to a birthday party at

Katy's Kastle.

He says, "well slow it down for

me and y'all have a good day."

I really think it was that 2 year

old voice that saved me a big fat ticket.

So if you like to speed,

get yourself a 2 year old to ride

around in your back seat

It might just save you some money.

Big family cousin party was fun good times!

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2nd Party

Bridal Shower

My DIL's sister's.

More fun!

Everything is better with

CAKE!

And isn't this the cutes cake?

Best cake I've eaten in years!

Pound Cake

Light Icing.

Only the dots were fondant.

WONDERFUL!

How was your weekend??

Sunday Stills

Sunday Stills

This weeks challenge is Texture.

For more info on Sunday Stills click here.

That was also the challenge for

this past Friday's Shoot Out.

To see those pictures of Texture click here.

They were pretty good too.

I saw many layers of Texture in this photo. From Sand and drift wood, water, brick, concrete, rust and others.

Metal against the carpet.

This was in the floor of the boat.

I think you can twist a table in place.

This is another one with many textures.

Grass, sidewalk, tabby foundation, tree and others.

Take a minute to drop down two posts and you will see about 20 of my other pictures of Texture. Have a blessed week.

African Thunderstorm

You need to listen to at least the first minute and a half! This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Be sure to turn your sound up and enjoy!

3 Party Weekend!

And you know what

that means don't ya??

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CAKE!

Hope your is as enjoyable.

Friday Shoot Outs

Friday Shoot Out

This weeks Challenge:

Texture

Commercial PVC Bounce Surface

Tabby

Dry!
Paula Deans Pound Cake


However you look at it, soft or

dried bristles off the plant

can cut your fingers and wrists .

Gritty
grist mill



Velvet



Moldy


Rough Stones



Peeling Paint


Furry or Fluffy

Worn Driftwood

Rocky

Cracked

Sandy

Weathered

Dusty

Rusty Grating

Crumbly

Stucco with Shell

Crunchy

Thanks Linda of Canada for a very fun challenge.

To join us on Friday Shoot Outs click here.

16 Patients, 8 Kidneys

I'm a Kidney Donor.

My sweetheart was the recipient.

This is the most exciting thing I've heard in a long time.

I was just thrilled that this could even happen.

I heard this this morning on NPR, All Things Considered Then looked it up at the John Hopkins web page and a few others.

Johns Hopkins experts have successfully completed the first 16-patient, multicenter "domino donor" kidney transplant.

Surgical teams at The Johns Hopkins Hospital carried out the eight-way, multihospital, domino kidney transplant in collaboration with colleagues at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.


The 16 surgeries were performed on four different dates, June 15, June 16, June 22 and July 6.

They involved eight donors - 3 men and 5 women along with eight organ recipients - 3 men and 5 women.

"All Johns Hopkins patients are in good condition and are recovering as anticipated," according to Dr. Robert A. Montgomery, the director of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center.

The procedure, kidney paired donation (KPD), takes a group of incompatible donor-recipient pairs, and matches them with other pairs in a similar predicament.

By exchanging kidneys between the pairs, it is possible to give each recipient a compatible kidney.

This way, each recipient receives a kidney from a stranger, and transplants are enabled that otherwise would not have taken place.

The experts involved in the transplant say that involving multiple hospitals created even more possibilities for matches, but it also made the procedure more complex.

"We performed a similar six-way domino procedure involving three hospitals earlier this year. We managed to perform all those surgeries on the same day. However, adding two more recipients, two more donors and another hospital meant that we needed a multi-hospital team of eight anesthesiologists, 16 nurses and nine surgeons. The logistics being that much more complicated, we decided it was best to spread the surgeries over several days, the first on June 15 and the last, July 6," says Montgomery.

What makes the new model interesting is the fact that apart from sheer logistics, performing large numbers of transplants on one day puts a lot of strain on the doctors, nurses and staff at each hospital, and also ties up too many operating rooms.

Montgomery believes that it will serve as a blueprint for a national KPD program in which kidneys will be transported around the country, resulting in an estimated 1,500 additional transplants each year. Source-ANI John Hopkins Hospital

7~8~9

My two cents!

Did you know that today's date is 7/8/9, cool, huh?

I taught early morning seminary to the youth of our church for almost 10 years.

I love the youth.

They can either make or break your day.

Most days they made my day.

For the first few years I would say to them as they were leaving, "good bye and have a good day"!

Then things changed.

I realised that you don't just have a good day.

I believe that you have do something in order to have a good day.

It's up to you.

So for the rest of the years I taught I would say,

"Make it a GREAT day!!"

I believe it is up to you to make your on great day.

Others aren't responsible for your happiness, you are.

Others will try and steal your joy or good mood,

but it is up to you to not let them.

You can help make someones day GREAT.

What makes a day great for you?

Some people think that a great day is,

shopping,

not going to work,

not being in pain,

fishing,

vacation,

working,

being with friends,

being with family,

not being lonely,

healthy,

peace and quiet,

world peace,

freedom to do what ever you want.

How do you make it a GREAT day.

So from me to you

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!!

Tasty Tuesday

I decided on a Pound Cake for daddy's birthday last Friday.

He and Mama were taking the Royal Nephews to the beach after our dinner.

The cake was going with him and since the temperatures have been close to 100* I didn't want a cake with icing that would melt.

So I went with Pound cake.

Why I didn't use my own wonderful recipe I have no idea.

I used Paula Dean's recipe instead.
Not a good idea.

It was on the dry side.

You can click here for Paula Deans Grandmother

Paul’s Sour Cream Pound Cake

But I'm giving you mine instead, It is much better. There are very small differences, but those differences make all the difference in the world.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs yolks

6 egg whites
3 cup flour
1 cup sour cream
3 cup sugar
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine and cream the butter and sugar together.

Add one egg yolk at a time beating after each one.

Add the sour cream and beat again.

Sift the baking soda and flour together.

Add the sifted flour to the creamed mixture one cup at a time.

Add the vanilla and beat.

Now add all the egg whites at one time and beat until well blended. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured tube/bunt pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or and hour and a half. Do not over cook.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20/30 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

How NOT to take pictures of fireworks!

It's been years since the Sweetheart

and I have been to see fireworks.

His good health made it possible for us to go.

He tries not to miss out on spending time

with the GRAND~girls.

We arrive early enough to find a parking

place at the Brunswick City Docks.

Find our family and set up our chairs.

After sitting down I shot this picture

to the left of where we were sitting.

There was a nice breeze even though it

was still 90*. See the flags flying.

The sun sets right in front of us.

It was gorgeous.

~

So my camera is out and sitting on the

tri-pod ready to shoot the most amazing

pictures ever of fireworks!

~

Are you ready to see my work??

This gives new meaning to the 2/3's rule.

Now try and not laugh.


But it's okay if you do because I did!

Try and remember I'm new

at this photography stuff.

And that this is the first time I've ever

tried to take pictures of fireworks.

Just wait it gets better, not.

Electrified jellyfish.

I think I'll read the book before next year.

This one was sort of half way decent.

I guess this one will have to do as almost normal.

But then there is always next year for

taking an awesome fireworks picture.

The best part was being with my family.

Cousin Pat and the Sweetheart.

Cousin Pat's daughter, Courtney and her

son Ethan found us and sat with us.

Then there is Courtney's daughter Kenzie.


Christon and Kenzie.

Little red cheeks and the blue eyed sistah.
Where is the mosquito spray?

"NO! I will not SMILE!!"

Note to self, don't ask the Sweetheart a

question while he is enjoying the fireworks

with his favorite lap ornaments.

Ooos and Aaas!!

And finish off the evening with 2 pieces of gum.

Not one but two!
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Back to the old grind in the morning!

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Make it a good week!