A Month in Photos & Video: September 2019

October 8, 2019 By Carole

Now that we’re a week into October, let’s take a look back at September.

Here’s the photo mosaic:

And here’s the 1SE video:

It was a month full of all the things and people I love. Pulling this together, though, was not without it’s challenges this time. I got a new laptop and there’s been a learning curve (I’m looking at you, Windows 10) plus some photos were on my old laptop and some were on here and I haven’t figured out yet what I want to do about Photoshop (do I just buy the downloadable version and be done or do I buy the subscription version and pay every month?) so it just took a little longer this time around. Kind of like a lot of things when there’s change, right?

Speaking of change, I think October will look much different than September!

P.S. Be sure and check in with Kym today for the latest post on our Read With Us online book club. Our book is Just Mercy and you’ve got plenty of time to read it before we start our discussion next month.

Jackie Is 2!

October 7, 2019 By Carole

Thanks for all of your birthday wishes for Jackie. I thought you might enjoy seeing the two (yes, only 2) photos I took at his party yesterday. I’m sure you know me well enough to realize that I took more than two. It’s just that these are the two I think are worthy of sharing.

First, the cake:

It was a moon theme party because Jackie adores the moon. My friend and local baker extraordinaire Caroline made the cake and I made the cake topper with my Cricut. The cake was not only gorgeous, it was delicious. And that cake topper . . . well . . . it’s all a learning curve. Learning to manipulate letters so that they connect, learning to use the right settings for glitter paper. In the end, I was very happy with it. Jackie was having none of it and literally cried while everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. Ahhh yes, the Terrible Twos seem to have arrived right on time.

Second, the birthday boy:

He loves bubbles, too. And he’s perfectly content and sweet so long as you let him alone to do what he wants. When you try to stop him from doing something, though, watch out because his will is strong and he will protest. As his Nana, of course, I think everything he does, including throwing temper tantrums, is utterly adorable.

Finally, a bonus video:

I made this from all of the 1SE clips I took from October 4, 2018 through September 27, 2019. It’s a sweet look back on our little muffin’s second year. My goodness how he has grown.

Thanks for indulging this Nana!

Eye Candy Friday

October 4, 2019 By Carole

There’s nothing like being at a conference for lots of sitting around. So, yesterday when I took my suitcase out to the car, I took the long way around the hotel to get the blood flowing to my legs. Lucky for me, and you it turns out, because I spotted this lone hydrangea in the hotel garden. Lovely, yes? The last gasp of summer, I suppose.

I hope you have a happy weekend! Ours will be full of celebrating because . . . hold on to your hats . . . Jackie is 2 today!

Three On Thursday

October 3, 2019 By Carole

Hello, hello. I’m having a pretty fine time at the conference and yesterday I attended a workshop on intergenerational programs. It was interesting and made especially so since the sample program they presented was on poetry. The woman who talked about poetry discussed making it accessible to read and understand. She also talked about writing poetry as a creative exercise and mentioned a Design Thinking method I’d never heard of before called the Rose Method. It’s a quick and thoughtful way of summing up your day and a great conversation starter. And guess what? It’s a 3 pronged approach – the rose, the thorn and the bud. The rose is the best part of your day, the thorn (not surprisingly) is the worst part of your day, and the bud is something you are looking forward to. Sounds perfect for my post for today, doesn’t it?

Here we go, my day at the conference on Wednesday using the Rose Method:

The rose: feeling engaged and enjoying all of the programs I attended. Lunch was pretty good, too. And also, I got to knit during the sessions. See what I did there? I couldn’t pick just one.
The thorn: the traffic I faced driving here yesterday morning. I’ll face it again when I go home at the end of the day today and I’m guessing it will be my Thursday thorn.
And the bud: all the ideas that are now percolating in my brain. I’m feeling energized and empowered. Watch out!

Have you ever heard of the rose method before? You can use it to leave your comments today!

As always, if you wrote a post for today please include your link below.

Watercolor Wednesday

October 2, 2019 By Carole

I’ve got a hot minute to get this post done . . . Dale and I are due at a function and should be leaving in 5 minutes and he’s asking me what he should wear . . . and I need to pack for a conference I’m going to for the next two days . . . and I’ve got a new laptop that’s pretty sweet but also making it so things take much longer than they used to as I adjust . . . and I’ve got a stuffy nose that might be a cold or perhaps allergies . . . and . . . well . . .

you get a watercolor.

Happy October 2nd!