Most Cordial Greetings

Hello, sweet and sour readers. Happy Sunday to you all. This was week with more downs than ups, but that's ok. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure you can't have more downs than ups, but the downs lasted longer than the ups. So that's how it was.

Wednesday, I hosted the first young adult Bible study to occur in quite some time. I spent about six hours reading Romans and St. John Chrysostom's commentary on said letter. I baked delicious and fluffy cheddar cheese and garlic rolls, and excitedly hopped off to church.

Then no one came. So that happened.

It wasn't a waste of time, though. First, because Scripture study is never a waste of time, so it was good for me personally, I am sure. Second, because my sister came (late) and we had Bible-study-with-many-tangents discussion with our parish youth minister, who is a cool guy. We like him. The food didn't really get eaten, though. It may have become the family dinner on Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, I decided that at twenty-four years old, I was old enough to carve my own darn pumpkin. I did one, which turned out to have a split personality.

We had another pumpkin around, too, and I couldn't help but carve it. Once I started, I found it really, really, really hard to stop. And that was my basic method for carving them. I just sorta started carving shapes and followed where the spirit-o-pumpkins led me. For example, this one started out as a winged demon, but I was scaring myself, so I decided to make it like Batman, but then it turned into Darth Vader with that nose. Consistency is not my priority here, obviously.

And yep, the Bones costume was recycled from last year. It's so perfect for me that I don't think I'll ever need a new costume. (See, Bones is performing a postmortem examination on a pumpkin. Cause of death was being severed from all nutrition. She determined this by disemboweling and repeatedly stabbing the corpse.)

In a glorious change-of-pace it rained not once, but twice in the last few days. Deo gratias. We need the rain so badly... keep it coming, Most High Weather Man! :)

Don't forget to smile this week, friends.

My Mama

(and headshots can be fun ;)

Berry Fine Art

Summer: a time for sunshiny, happy, frivolous fun.

The heat inspires me. I take that back. The heat takes away any and all inspiration to do anything that requires local motion, so the creativity of my lazy activities increases. Here's the most recent love child of heat + hunger + laziness.

They're blueberry-stuffed-raspberries. Aren't they just the cutest little juicy fruit treats? I'm excessively pleased with myself.

They Lived Happily Ever After

Wedding days are the best. Yesterday was no exception.

Oh, love.

Happy Sunday & Happy Mothers' Day!

Yon Evil Bush

Shutterbugging - a word I learned from Rosie. It means adventuring with the purpose of capturing beautiful photographs.

I recently purchased a very, very, very nice camera (pocketbook went OUCH!), but have had little opportunity to use it in my normal, day-to-day, erm, mostly boring life. This past weekend I found myself on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world, which also happens to be my alma mater. It was the perfect opportunity for shutterbugging.

I meandered about, sometimes lying flat on my stomach to get the right angle, sometimes straddling bushes to capture a flower. One must make sacrifices for one's art.

I made one unanticipated sacrifice that ended up being rather time consuming.

You see, when a lady is in the real world, she finds herself carrying a purse everywhere she goes. This provides a convenient place to keep many things, one of which is her phone. When one gets used to always having a purse, one forgets how very inconvenient it is not to have a purse. This is relevant because, you see, most women don't carry purses on campus. I guess it's because you usually have a book bag or something, but most people don't walk around with a purse all the time. It would be very inconvenient and cumbersome. Being an alumna, I neglected to even bring a purse with me on this visit.

Wearing Sunday clothes, I had no pockets. I found myself with my camera around my neck, and phone in hand. This situation forced me to be creative with methods of holding my phone while still acquiring magnificent shots.

For one particular shot, I had my phone tucked under my elbow. I found myself leaning over, torso at at a right angle to my legs, trying to snap a photo of a rose (a photo which inspired a blog post to come...). I didn't quite have the angle I wanted and, without thinking about my precariously placed phone, I lifted my right elbow to change the angle of the shot. As focused the lens, I felt the phone slip and heard a soft thud. I finalized my shot, captured it, and then began the search for my phone. I knew it had landed in the bush that was directly under my elbow (dictated by the nature of gravity and confirmed by the noise it made) and thus directed my search there.

Fifteen minutes later, I was still squatting next to the bush, dirty and sweating now, but still without my phone. It had managed to disappear completely, as far as I could tell. The bush ate my phone.

 

It looks so innocent and innocuous. And small. Yet this bush was able to hide my phone from me for a solid 15 minutes. I was beginning to doubt whether I even had a phone when I finally found it wedged deep inside the bush. I'm not sure what this whole episode says about me, but I'm fairly certain that it doesn't say anything good. 

Scrappy Catch-Up

I realize it's been a loooong time since I've done a scrapbooky post. I apologize. Here are two of my most recent layouts, both highlighting photos from Chris and Kate's wedding:

 Together At Last

 This layout incorporates both their invitation and the envelope in which their invitation came. It was a coordinating color and I love the bit of rose stamp that peeks out behind the photo. It was also free paper.

 Yes, that does say "finally." Not a judgmental finally, but an excited "the wait is over!" finally because I'm happy for them.

You & Me

 This layout celebrates the togetherness of a wedding party. I have always loved the couples of groomsman+bridesmaid that complement the bride&groom. Unlike most bridal parties, this one was composed of all good friends. Everybody knew everybody, so there was no awkwardness. Everyone was comfortable and happy.

And there you have it! Scrappy Saturday brought to you from my super messy scrappy corner! :)

A Visit from Munchkins! (and their parents)

 Beautiful baby girl.

 In love with rolly-pollies.

 Monkey see...

 Monkey do.

Beautiful mommy and baby.

Fifty and Frolicking!

Augusta & Flowers

#crackingmyselfup