Newbie link up party.

Hey all!
 Tonight I am linking up to  Debbiedoo's Newbie link up PARTAY. I'm out of town right now, but
come on in and look around. Make a comment or two and I'll get back to you later this week.
  I'm looking forward to making some new friends and can't wait to take a look at your blog. Debbie
is so right ... blogs are like looking at wonderful magazines, with the added bonus of making special
friends.
Hope to hear from you and meet you soon!
~Vicki~

Microfiction Monday

This week I am trying a new meme.
Microfiction Monday is hosted by Susan at Stony River. She posts a picture

and you compose a story using 140 characters. You can find all the details here.

                                   Taking in the scenery and feeling awkward about the silence, 

                                    Sam and Julia broke out in song. 

                                    "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down."

Thanks to Susan for this fun and easy meme!

Nobody likes me ...

SongLyrics&Words

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I think I'll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones,
Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm!

Down goes the first one, down goes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
Up comes the first one, up comes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!

I bite off the heads, and suck out the juice,
And throw the skins away!
Nobody knows how fat I grow,
On worms three times a day!

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I think I'll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones,
Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm!

This is how I feel today. 

Do you every feel like this?  Everyone at one time or another. Events over the past few days have been overwhelming, and being sick has not helped much.

Hope your days going well!

Blue ~Thematic Photographic 131~ AND ABC Wednesday

The weeks are flying by, It's almost the end of January. Today I am linking 2 of my favorite meme's together.

This week's Thematic Photographic theme is on the subject "BLUE".  This meme is hosted by Carmi @ Written, Inc.

AND the "STAR" of the day .... hmmm ... or week is the letter "B" at ABC Wednesday, which is hosted
by Mrs Denise Nesbitt. She has a whole team of people, Cheryl, Donna, Gattina, Helen, Joyce, Leslie, Natalie, Sylvia, Troy and Roger that help her out with this meme. They keep it fun and interesting.




Cheryl, Donna, Gattina, Helen, Joyce, Leslie, Natalie, Sylvia, Troy and me (Roger). 
                                          Exhibit @ the aquarium in Waikki, Hawaii

                                
                                           The lookout @ Nuuanu Pali Park, Oahu, Hawaii

                                         Sunbathing @ the lake, Minocqua, Wisconsin

                                            Glass plate exhibit @ The Phoenix Botanical Gardens

                                          Over the coastline of Florida

                                                  
                                          Dusk @ a park in Denver, Co

Robin's eggs in a tree right outside my front door.

To see more ABC Wednesday posts, click HERE

Click "blue" to see the posts @ Written Inc.

Ready for change

Is it really only January 20th? Yes, it is surprising that January is more than half over, but Spring is still 60 days away. Have you been counting the day? I'm not really counting, it's more a mental note.

Living in the upper Mid-west of the U.S., this is what I see when I go outside.

This is looking down the road from my driveway. It can pretty much look like this until mid March. Don't get me wrong, I much rather have the white look than the grayish brown, dingy look that is also popular at this time of the year.
(**note**  The last 2 days we have had BRIGHT sunshine and dusk is now arriving after 5pm. Both good signs!)

Now ... a little shift from outside to inside.

Let me share with you that my home was built in the early 70's. The original owner's built it themselves. Hubby says that many thing were done to cut costs, using the cheapest, code available items. We have been able to update most of the things ... for instance, the chandeliers in the main bathroom. ( Just want you to know what I'm working with here.)

One thing I have not been able to change is the fireplace wall in my living room. Not that it's terrible, terrible, I just don't like the color of it. It has been hard for hubby and I to agree on a color for the rest of the room.
(**note** Hubby grew up in a home where 8 children lived. The house he grew up in had white walls , pretty much until the last child moved out. I LOVE color!).

When I decorated my fireplace at Christmas time, I was thinking it could pretty much pull me into the end of January. I was wrong!

First, let me apologize for any "fuzzy" pictures. New cameras have a way of taking pictures like that.

This is most of my collection of Snowmen. 

Most I have bought myself, but some have been gifts from dear friends.

Many are tea light holders.

I LOVE the eyes on my Beanie Baby Snow girl.

The larger Snowman is a cookie jar I bought  at

"Jo Anne Fabrics"  several years ago.

I just love all the smiling faces.

I love the sparkle too.

This one, I bought at "Hobby Lobby" last year .

Isn't this little Star Snowman cute?

He was one of the first Snowmen I bought ...

some 30 odd years ago.

This couple was also purchased at "Hobby Lobby last year.

This Snowman was a present from some dear friends.

Each year, the tiny community they live in makes a limited

edition of one of a kind snowmen for fund raising benefits.

STAY TUNED FOR THE CHANGE!

A is for . . .A

Today begins the 8th Round of  ABC Wednesday. It is hosted by  Mrs. Denise Nesbitt . 

My choice today is to begin at the beginning ....
with The letter "A"

Some fun facts :

A ... is the first letter and first vowel of the English alphabet.


A ...  is the third most common letter used in English and the second most
common used in Spanish and French.

A ... used as a noun denotes something or someone of a more prestigious
quality or status.
Example: The best grade given for a student's work. The A-list of celebrities.

A ... used as an adjective denote "one" or "each".
Examples: I ate a cupcake. It costs fifty cents a bag.

A... is used before all words beginning with a consonant sound.
Examples: a door, a flower, a unicorn (yoo'nekorn)

Thanks to Mrs Denis Nesbitt and the ABC Wednesday Team for
providing this weekly Meme.

Find more words that begin with the letter "A" click  HERE

WINTER WONDERLAND - I Heart Faces Photo Challenge

One Saturday afternoon in early December several of my family members can to our home to go sledding.
With the arrival of fresh snow, they didn't have to go far. Our long, slopping driveway made the perfect hill.

I Heart Faces is a weekly Photo Challenge that encourages all 

skill levers of photographers to join in the fun.

                    

                                                      


                                                        Just  click on the button and enjoy !

Far from home - part 2

I thought since A Paperback Writer and dennisthemennis commented about the Navy Pier
photo, I'd elaborate a little more on Chicago.


First, let me say that even though I now live in the Midwest, and have most I my life, I was not born here. Sometime during my 3rd year of life  my family moved from the West to the Midwest, around St Louis, Mo. Probably, when I was around 5 years old we moved to Chicago. We lived in a 4 room apartment on the Northwest side of the city, near Fullerton and Tripp.


 Right before I was to enter the 5th grade, my family moved to the "Suburbs", some 30 miles West of Chicago. Over the span of about 33 years, I lived in that area. When I was young we would go into Chicago to visit my Grandparents, but I never really remember going Downtown. When I was a young adult, I remember a couple of times going to place like The Goodman Theater,  The Lincoln Park Zoo, and The Museum of Science and Industry. BUT ... for the most part, we stayed away from Downtown, Chicago.


Chicago can be overwhelming (as I'm sure any "Big City" can be). Chicago can be scary (not that you want to think about it, but  Chicago has a high homeless population. Although, I must interject that the only city that I have ever locked my car doors because of the homeless is San Diego, Ca.).BUT ... most of all I HATE, hate, hate ... YES ... HATE Chicago's traffic. The plus side is ... I believe ... if you can drive in Chicago ... you can probably drive anywhere in the world.

So, now that I have panicked you  into never wanting to visit Chicago ... let me encourage you.

For the past 7 years I have lived approx. 125 miles or 201.168 km from Chicago and I go there more than when I lived in Illinois. You can stay outside the City and take a train in. On the week-ends you can ride back and forth, 2 times, for $7.00, children under 13 are free. The train takes you right down to the heart of the City, walking distance from the Lake, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, John G. Shedd Aquarium and many other cool places to see. The Navy Pier area has free trolly's and if you need to ride the bus or the EL (downtown train system) you can get a $7.00 day pass.

Here are a few things you might see :


Lake Michigan from the South end of the city.

There are all sorts of "cool" water features for kids to play in.

 Lake Michigan on the North end, in August during the Air Show.

The "Bean" in Millennium Park. 

Navy Pier

Street performers. These guys are playing 5 gallon buckets and are pretty good.
.

 Crowds

Chicago River

The Stone-Smurfit Building. This is my favorite building. I always have to take a photo of it.
This building's history includes being in the movie "Adventures in Babysitting"
.

Far from home -Thematic Photographic 130

It's Thursday and Carmi @ Written Inc has posted the new theme for this week.

I have been fortunate in that I have been able to do a bit of traveling. You have no idea how hard it is to choose photos for this theme.So in true fashion ... I guess I'll just post several ... from different places.

Shark's Cove, Oahu, Hawaii

 Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

 Mall of America, Bloomington, MN 

 Sedona, Arizona

Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica

 Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

Hmmm ... maybe Carmi is trying to develop a travel site.

It could be a collective effort ...

 see where people have been ...

find out the cool places to go.

Time for a little face lift ...

Yup... it had to happen sooner or later. Do you get tired with the way your blog looks? Do you want a back ground that looks connected to your blog? Funny, when you first pick a name for your blog ... those aren't the things your'e thinking about.

Well, I think I have found one I can live with for awhile. AND ... you might notice that I made a Button for my blog. I have looked ( my daughter would call it creeping) enviously at other blogs and coveted their buttons.

I have a WONDERFUL blog friend that posted a step by step tutorial on how to make a BUTTON. Even though it looks like it's a lot to do ... it's pretty easy. The hardest part for me was making a decision on what picture to use.

Hope you like my new back ground as much as I do!
XOXOXO

Wet - Thematic Photographic 129

A New Year, a fresh start! And what better way to start out fresh? Posts of water, specifically WET.


Here are a few facts about water:


1. Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.


2. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.

3. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.

4. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.


5. Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.


6. Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither 
acidic nor basic.


7.  Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.

8. Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.


9. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.

10. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.


11. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.


12. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.



Water is so much a part of us and so involved in our daily lives . . . no wonder we are drawn to it.

Thanks to Carmi at Written Inc for hosting 

Thematic Photographic. For more pictures on

the theme of WET, click HERE.

Welcome 2011

Another year has come and gone.
Today we welcome

How are you starting out the New Year?
A new year = big changes in your life or little changes in your life?
Do people really make resolutions for the new year? Or is that just a fleeting thought?

Here are the top 10 New Year's Resolutions

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2. Fit in Fitness
3. Tame the Bulge
4. Quit Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Quit Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Help Others
10. Get Organized


Where do your resolutions fall in line with this list?
Recently, I saw this on a friend's FB status
Instead of making a resolution to change yourself, make one to be yourself ♥

This statement , at least for me, ignites a whole array of questions.
Are you satisfied with who you are?
Are you satisfied with where your life is or where it's headed?
Are you just plain satisfied with all aspects of your life? You're content?
There is nothing you want to change about yourself or your life ... you would be happy to just stay the same?

How about you?
It's you turn ... what do you think??