Last days of Autumn

It seems as if autumn has finally peaked here. The red trees are quickly falling, and the yellows and oranges aren't too far behind. So...it was time to grab my camera and drive around town. I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Click on the photos for a full size view - it's much nicer that way!

















OK, gotta go look for a rake, we'll be needing it soon!!

Scenic Sunday - #4

(Click on the photo to enlarge for a much better view!)

Photo Hunt #148 - Tied

This is as close as I could get for a creative photo that I had already taken...the trees look like they're 'tied' together.

Autumn...

I haven't felt much like blogging lately...got lots on my plate...lots on my mind. This time of year doesn't help either. Even though it's my absolute favorite season with all the beautiful trees turning all shades of reds, yellows and oranges, there's a sadness in the air.

That being said, I still want to post a few photos from a day trip our family took this week...

There's a very pretty covered bridge not too far from where we live. It was built in the 1800's, and is constructed with trusses and has tree-nails holding it together...pretty impressive for back then! Anyhow...it's simply gorgeous, especially with the trees in full color...


The inside of the bridge is long, so walking across is fun, yet a bit daunting - especially when cars goes by and makes the whole thing shake!


Sweet-Pea and Lionel at the base of the bridge...


View of the river and mountain from the bridge...simply beautiful!!


I could spend hours just sitting beside the river looking at the beauty, with the crisp cool air surrounding me, as I smell the typical scents of autumn with it's leaves blowing and fires burning.

After visiting the bridge and hiking for a while, we decided to go to a local state forest. It was so pretty and so quiet...there was no one around.


If it wasn't overcast, the view would've been so much prettier, but it was still pretty amazing. I never knew there were so many hills around here!






Our ride home was just as pretty...


When I'm feeling like I have been lately, all I need to do is simply take a look around and realize how much I have to be thankful for...including the beauty all around us. God is good and He has given us so much.

"For everything created by God is good..." 1 Timothy 4:4

Emma

I'm so excited!! BBC created a new 4 part mini-series adapted from the original works of Jane Austen entitled "Emma". Currently it is only available in England, but soon enough it will be out for the rest of us to enjoy!!

From the BBC Website: "Nothing delights Emma more than meddling in the love lives of others. But when she takes protege Harriet Smith under her wing, her plans can only end in disaster..."

If you care to watch the first episode in this mini-series, click here.
(Sorry, I cannot embed the video directly, it was disabled.)

Romola Garai as Emma...


Beautiful village of Chilham used in the series as Highbury...


Gorgeous scenery - this almost reminds me of the whole Willoughby scene from Sense & Sensibility!




Cast of characters:

• Emma Woodhouse — Romola Garai
• Mr Knightley — Jonny Lee Miller
• Mr Woodhouse — Michael Gambon
• Harriet Smith — Louise Dylan
• Miss Taylor / Mrs Weston — Jodhi May
• Mr Weston — Robert Bathurst
• Frank Churchill — Rupert Evans
• Jane Fairfax — Laura Pyper
• Miss Bates — Tamsin Greig
• Mrs Bates — Valerie Lilley
• Mr Elton — Blake Ritson
• Mrs Elton — Christina Cole
• John Knightley — Dan Fredenburgh
• Isabella Knightley — Poppy Miller
• Robert Martin — Jefferson Hall
• Mrs Goddard — Veronica Roberts
• Mrs Cole — Liza Sadovy
• Miss Martin 1 — Eileen O'Higgins
• Miss Martin 2 — Sarah Ovens
• Mrs Churchill — Susie Trayling
• Mr Dixon — Frank Doody
• Miss Campbell / Mrs Dixon — Amy Loughton

Film locations:

• St. Mary's Church in Send Village, Surrey
• Loseley House as Donwell Abbey
• Squerryes Court as Hartfield
• The Village of Chilham stars as Highbury (pictured above)

Promo video from BBC:


Behind the scenes video:


I've only been able to see the first episode so far, and am anxiously waiting to see the rest of them since it was so good!! The series will be airing sometime in January on Masterpiece Classic in the USA! Personally, I'm hoping they put it on DVD so I can add it to my ever growing Jane Austen collection!

Scenic Sunday - #3

(Click on the photo to enlarge for a much better view!)

Ahh, the Sound of Music is back!

A few weeks ago Lionel was playing basketball with a couple friends, and he ended up fracturing one of his fingers. Generally it wouldn't be a big deal, but since he plays the violin, he needs that finger to play, especially since it was the pinky on his left hand!! That left hand is vital to a violinist!!!

This isn't the first time it's happened either. He broke a finger a while back which was much worse (he slammed it shut in the car door - OUCH!), but fortunately he wasn't playing the violin at that point. Let's just hope that he doesn't break any more.

Due to the fracture, he had to take a few weeks off from practicing and lessons which isn't a good, especially since he just started up lessons again after having the summer off. He stated playing again a few days ago and it seems to be perfectly fine now. Phew! I'd hate to think that he wouldn't ever be able to play the violin again. I try not to sound like a paranoid Mom every time he wants to go play sports with his friends, but I do make a point to remind him that he IS a violinist. =)

Last night he was practicing and it was such a joy to hear him play again. Since beginning the instrument at the age of 9, he's come such a long way! I'm very proud of him, and I pray that he will always use this gift that God blessed him with.

Lionel, happy to be able to play again...well, I'm happy he is!


Concentration...


You can tell he's practicing hard when the rosin gets on the violin.


"OK Mom, enough photos, now let me practice!"

'Just Mom and Me Having Tea'

Sweet-Pea and I had wonderful time this afternoon! We had a tea party together with 2 of her favorite baby dolls....'Drowsy' and 'Emma'. She has really gotten into having these little parties lately, and I have to say it's a lot of fun to see her smile, laugh and pretend to be a Mommy.

There's a great devotional book out there for mothers and daughters if you're looking for one. It's entitled "Just Mom and Me Having Tea" by Mary Murray. It's a wonderful book suitable for young girls from 6-9 years of age that you can use while having a similar tea party. I got ours from CBD for only $8.99.

Here's Sweet-Pea with her 2 baby dolls.


Drowsy (who thinks she's Snow White!) and Emma (who need some serious hair transplants!)


The spread of food Sweet-Pea prepared for our tea party!




'Eating' her food and having a wonderful time playing pretend!


I know one day Sweet-Pea will make a wonderful Mommy!! She's got such a tender heart and is so full of love!


I had a blast this afternoon with my beautiful daughter. I will cherish these days, and although I'm always not in the 'mood' to have a tea party, I'm glad I stop and take the time to do so with her. One day all this will be simply a memory of the past.

If only time could stand still...

You wanna do what?!?

We've been cleaning out the basement the past few days in hopes of getting rid of some extra 'stuff' that we moved here. When we packed, several boxes could easily have been marked "pack for now 'cause I'm not sure we're gonna to use this in the new house or not." Those are the boxes we're sorting through. It's easy to get rid of some things...extra dishes, clothes, decorative items etc. but things from our past...things that remind us of growing up or that have been handed down to us...are often difficult to part with. Those are the ones we keep.

We're getting there, slowly but surely. Lionel has been bugging us to complete our job. You see, he's got an ulterior motive. He wants desperately to start building his big huge Lionel train layout. Last I heard it was going to be something like 12' x 20'. He's been working on the layout plans. Oh boy...it's going to cost us our retirement to build this thing!! Maybe I should add a 'Donation' box on my blog...anyone care to donate money for the layout can simply Paypal us the money. Just kidding!

Anyhow, we got to the section in our basement where the Christmas stuff is. We went through it all before we moved which was great, but we decided to rebox it all into nice plastic bins. It's much nicer now! As we're moving the boxes, Edward looks at me and says (very seriously) "We should pull the Christmas stuff out and start decorating since we can get to the boxes now."

My response: "You wanna do what?!?"

Is he out of his mind? ha ha Probably...I hope it's just temporary. =) In his defense, we really lost out on celebrating Christmas like normal last year. Because of my Dad's death, and the fact that our house was on the market, we didn't celebrate a whole lot and we certainly didn't decorate like we usually do. We really missed the holidays. So...I'm thinking he wants to make up for lost time. Personally, I don't like to see Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving is over. If he wants to decorate that evening or the next morning, go for it! I jokingly said that when my family comes over for Thanksgiving dinner, we'll simply put them to work decorating for us. ha ha! (Hey Nancy & Patty...if you're reading this...I'M JUST KIDDING!)

I'm still enjoying fall this year. The autumn leaves are just starting to hit their peak. The colors are gorgeous and I am soaking in every minute of it this year. It's been so long since I have had time to appreciate the things around me. I had been consumed with caring for my Dad, that things I normally love simply slipped by without my notice...pretty sad, huh? One day at a time...one moment at a time...that's how I'm living now. I no longer am thinking about how stressed I am feeling, wondering when this season of my life will pass. I am thankful though for the tough years we had in the past...it only made me stronger. It made me appreciate the people in my life more; made me learn to love better; made me trust in God more and it made me understand that everything we do has a purpose.

So...our tree will NOT be going up any time soon, but when it does, I can assure you it'll be big, it'll be exciting, and it'll be enjoyed more this year...especially by Edward.

Have a blessed day and live it to the fullest!

Scenic Sunday - #2

(Click on the photo to enlarge for a much better view!)