Christmas reading

 I haven't read as much as I thought I would over this break.  Here are the three books I've read cover-to-cover:

Her Daughter's Dream is the second of two books recently released by Francine Rivers - definitely a family saga.  They're both really good and I recommend reading them both.  It's a big book and I read it in about two days.

 

 Chip The Dam Builder, c. 1950

by Jim Kjelgaard (same author as Big Red, which was made into a Disney movie)

I read this from Knoxville, TN to Hickory, NC during our drive to mom & dad's before Christmas.  It tells about a beaver and his run-ins with lots of other animals: lynx, owl, bear, deer, otter, muskrats, etc.  Ryan got this book as a discard from the Oshawa Public Library.  When I was trying to find a picture of the cover for the blog, I discovered that used copies go for at least $50 on the Internet!

Hell's Corner (refers to the park in front of the White House)

I got this for my mom for Christmas and read it in about a day. =)

There's still time for more books!

recent artwork

I haven't really done any artwork lately.  This is a scratch art of Toby (Ryan & Jaclyn's dog) that I started in August and finally finished and gave to Jaclyn.

holiday time

It seems like Thanksgiving and Christmas are totally smashed together these days.  Coming back from Thanksgiving break means a mad dash involving the SA banquet, campus lighting, Christmas concerts, and exams.

We came home from Collegedale with a kitty!  She showed up on Thanksgiving and decided she loved us.  We ended up deciding that it would be nice to have a cat living in our yard.  She's done really well and comes inside the garage to sleep when it's really cold.

Ryan decided the cat should be named Rookie.  It's hard to come up with a female sports cat name we discovered.

Ryan talked me into finally getting a Christmas tree on Thursday.  When I came home from work last night, he had cut the trunk and bottom branches off and had it in the stand ready to decorate.  So he and I had a tree decorating contest in the living room last night.  His tree is in our bedroom this year so we can work on reorganizing the other two rooms to make room for the baby somewhere.

We're heading to GA with the Rilea clan on Thursday for the weekend.  After that, 3.5 days of school left and then Ryan & Jaclyn come up for a sports extravaganza weekend.  Before we know it, 2010 will be history . . .

13 weeks

Ryan got to come with me on Thursday when I had my second OB appointment in Nashville.  Besides the regular check-up stuff, we heard the heartbeat for the first time, which was really cool.  We could see it in the first ultrasound, but it was neat to hear.  I actually lost weight over the last 5 weeks, which makes sense because I haven't felt like eating.  I go back again for my next appointment on January 4.

Here's the only ultrasound picture we have from October 29 (8 weeks).  We won't have another ultrasound until 20 weeks if everything is going ok.

finished!

I finished my Charley Harper Glacier Bay puzzle last night.  I couldn't believe I had all the pieces still after Carson "helped" a couple of times.

piles of fun

Last year, Carson wasn't so sure about jumping in piles of leaves.  This year, he was all for it.  I wished Tessa could have been there for some of the fun.  These were after our "picnic" lunch in the Cherokee Council House Sabbath afternoon with the students.

 

first, he tried to bury me

then we threw leaves up in the air

then Carson threw leaves AT me

 

then Carson was up to his eyeballs in leaves

and then . . . I spent the rest of the day getting leaves out of my pants . . .

a walk around campus

Since our October home leave started today, I actually had time to walk around campus and take pictures of the leaves that are starting to change colors.

This maple tree is always bright in the fall and stands out from the others in the woods behind the music building.

one of many bees swarming these flowers

acorns, hickory nuts, and walnuts are all over the ground (and picnic tables)

jewelweed - has an active ingredient that's in Preparation H and is a natural remedy to poison ivy 

the trees that line the field below the gym are always a dazzling array of colors in fall

backyard birds

We enjoyed watching the flurry of activity around the back yard this morning before church.  Who knew how much strapping a dead branch to my shepherd's rod would entice the birds to come and hang out?

The early-morning directional light was great for taking pictures of the bird activity out back.

I moved the plant Anita bought me over near the hummingbird feeder and it was a hit! The birds had been visiting it in its previous location, but they seemed to like the move a lot.

Here's why the dead branch is cool - I get to take natural looking pictures that aren't! All the birds love it =)

retreating to the cave

Steve & I with the 2010-11 SA officers

looking out of the cave from the natural entrance

Ranger Rick

Ranger Rick explaining the saltpeter "mining" operation during the war of 1812

cave ceiling

steps connecting the top and second levels

Giant's Coffin

SA kids have no trouble with the low passageways

Ryan, on the other hand . . .

descending the stairs

the only bat we saw

Cassie in Fat Man's Misery

the group in Mammoth Dome

testing....

I've been looking for a way to display large pictures on Blogger and I think I finally figured it out! Now to figure out how to get the background pic to show . . .

new diffuser

Jaclyn helped talk me into getting a flash diffuser when she was here. For a little more than the price of one, I got two! A cloud diffuser (translucent) and clear (transparent). They both have an inverted dome for the top.

preliminary samples for your enjoyment:

flash pointed at ceiling - no diffuser

flash aimed at ceiling - diffuser - no dome

flash aimed at ceiling - diffuser - with dome

envy

If only my office at work were this simple . . .

The carpet is being installed next Wednesday and Thursday and I have to completely empty the office and paint it before then . . . sigh . . .

vote for me!

Rachel Parker, a watercolor artist from South Carolina picked my picture as one to vote on. If it gets the most votes, she'll paint it!

http://www.rachelsstudio.blogspot.com/

hittin' the links

Ryan and I after playing 9 holes at Kenny Perry's on Wednesday afternoon. We wanted to get in a little practice before playing with my dad when we are in Winston-Salem.

swimsuit-defying flying trick

Watch Carson's swimsuit. ;P

seattle

After trekking all across the city, most of our group met at Safeco Field for the Twins @ Mariners matchup.

We were even joined by an old friend who celebrated the 3-run home run so enthusiastically, he hurt Ryan's hand.

legendary garlic fries

The Mariners won 4-1 and Mark even gave us a lift back to our hotel.

they (we) made it!

Never been happier for a graduation than my own :)
I will miss them though.

status: destroyed

I really can't be too upset about the state of our softball fields and season. I still have a dry, untouched house and car. Hendersonville parks suffered an estimated $5 million in damages, according to a police officer we talked to on the Monday after the big rain. The Parks Dept. is getting the kids' softball/baseball leagues going again first, then as they rebuild fields they'll try to get the adults up and running. It could be late June...

field 6 - Monday, May 3

field 6 - Tuesday, May 11