LAZY THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Hi everyone,
How are you all doing this week? I've been doing pretty well. Last night I woke up about 12:45 a.m. and just could not sleep. So I went downstairs to grab a cup of milk. Then I came back upstairs, prayed, and played a couple rounds of Sudoku on my cellphone. Sudoku is a really smart puzzle game with numbers. In any case, I'm really loving my new phone. There are two camera apps that I like to use. I take photos on one app. Then I import them to the other app to add another layer of color. It gives me the retro vintage effect that I'm looking for. I seem to be obsessed with retro vintage photographs lately. Here are some of my photos that I took this week:

 THIS IS ONE OF THE STREETS HERE IN TOWN .

These pics are slightly different sizes than what I normally post on my blog. I think it will work out fine. It was great to finally find a way to get the look I wanted for particular photos.  The apps that I use are free versions. However, I will definitely upgrade to the paid versions soon.
THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOUNTAIN. YOU WILL SEE PHOTOS OF THIS ON MY BLOG QUITE A BIT.

There's just something about a beautiful mountain on a nice sunny day. There are a few clouds in the sky. It's good coffee-drinking weather. In fact, that reminds me, I need to get a cup of coffee!
THESE ARE SOME FLOWERS ON A YOUNG "WEEPING WILLOW" TREE. AT LEAST I THINK IT'S A "WEEPING WILLOW"

I've been watching this particular young tree for the past few weeks. When it first started blooming, they were a very intense pink. Fuschia. They were fuschia in color. Now they're a pale cherry blossom pink. I don't know how much longer they'll last before the green leaves appear.

THIS IS ANOTHER TYPICAL STREET HERE IN TOWN. IN FACT, THIS IS ONE OF THE STREETS I DRIVE ON WHEN I'M COMING HOME FROM MY FAVORITE COFFEE SPOT.

There are so many trees on this street. It is really amazing to see all the variety in color.  I'm really loving springtime, because everything is coming to life. That means an explosion of beautiful color everywhere :)

THIS IS  A SCENE THAT I OFTEN TAKE PHOTOS OF EVERY WEEK. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF SNOW ON TOP OF THIS HILL.

It honestly looked like it was going to rain this morning. It was rain during the night when I couldn't sleep. However, the sun is making an appearance today.  What was really neat is the snow that was on top of this hill. It seemed to have come out of nowhere. God makes everything new and different EVERY DAY :) :)

The church yard sale is on April 30th. They are participating in the city-wide yardsale. So there will be LOTS and LOTS of cool things for sale, and maybe some junk, too. It's all part of the fun. They're planning on having pancakes in the morning and hamburgers for lunch. All of this is to raise money for a missions trip to Uganda.  There's a young married couple from our church that wants to go and serve for a couple weeks.  Pray that they will raise the funds necessary. I don't know much about  the particulars, other than it's a farm that they'll be working/serving with over there.

Now to figure out whether or not to get some coffee this afternoon. Coffee and Walker's Scottish butter cookies...not together. The cookies are spendy, so I don't buy them often. I do have retirement to think about.. ha ha ha ha :) :)  Both are on my "favorite treats" list ;) :) That's the news from Oregon today . Extra special love and hugs, Heather :)

365 Day Photo Challenge for December 25th, 2010 till January 21st, 2011

Hi everyone, How have you all been? I've been doing well.  I've been a bit late in posting my 365 day photo challenge photos. So I'm just going to post the photos with no comments. I actually like it that way. Don't you?  It's a beautiful day today in Southern Oregon.  My dad is making breakfast for lunch. Yummy. Oh, I should probably readd Picasa to my computer. It would make uploading photos so much faster. However, I've heard some neat things about Adobe Photoshop, too :) :) Enjoy the photos. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

My 365 Day Photo Challenge Photoso for Saturday - November 27th till Friday - December 3rd, 2010

Hi everyone....oh, tea...I forgot again...I was going to do a late post and it just isn't happening. HOWEVER, I do have something all ready for this coming Tuesday...It's really cool and I think it'll make up for last week.

Oh guess what else? I found out my dad reads my blog on a regular basis and he thinks it's just the cutest thing. He told me today he's waiting for the next installment :) :) Okay...here are my photos for this  week's portion of the "365 day photo challenge" :) :)

Saturday - November 27th, 2010 The beginning of those "toasted almond" socks that I was knitting.

I finished the socks Thursday night and wore them to work on Friday. My feet were really nice and toasty warm. I knit the cuff large on purpose. Now the next pair, I'll knit the cuff much more form fitting. My socks came out beautiful, but the cuff was slouching a little bit. I'll show a finished picture sometime this week :)

Sunday - November 28th, 2010. (photo actually taken on Saturday)

This is just one of the many views I see as I'm coming into Ashland, Oregon. It's such a cute little town...and I always LOVE to come here for a visit.  My favorite knitting shop is here, so there is ALWAYS a good reason to make the drive down here :)

Monday - November 29th, 2010  (also taken last Saturday)

This is one of three Queen Anne style houses/Bed & Breakfast places in Ashland, Oregon. These are up on a hill...and a little hard to get a photo of from the main street here in town. This was the best photo I could get. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these types of houses  and would love to have one of my own someday. If I ever find the backstreets, I'll get some better photos ;) :)

Tuesday - November 30th, 2010 (also taken last Saturday)

This is the last place to get a good cup of coffee "tax free" before entering Ashland's city limits. Ashland has a 5% restaurant tax. That includes all fast food and coffee purchased at drive-thru coffee stands. Strange, I know. I think that is the only city in the entire state of Oregon that has that kind of a tax.  You can see Dutch Bros in the front and  The Human Bean a little further back.

Monday - December 1st, 2010.

I do love me some Oregon mountains and grey skies ;) :) :) I never get tired of this scenery. So you'll probably see lots of similar photos up here on my blog from time to time :) :) :) There's something majestic and mighty about these mountains!

Thursday - December 2nd, 2010 (actually taken on Wednesday)

My dad hung up my house for me while I was at work on Friday.  I still haven't cleaned it yet. My housekeeping skills are really shameful when it comes to this item. However, I did pile some random items up there, just to see how I like it. I like it a LOT. What do you think?  I might try to mix up some of the pieces to make it  more varied. However, it's really cool to see more decoration up on the walls. Random objects of loveliness are always a necessity :)

Friday - December 3rd, 2010

I really love it when the skies take on this blue/black tint. It's only for a few minutes between when the sun goes down and the skies turn completely dark for the night. It's really pretty!!! What's your favorite time of day, if you were to pick a time?

I started another pair of socks out of this crazy/brightly colored Noro sock yarn. It's so much fun to knit with because the colors are so bright. My dad looks at these socks and smiles. I'm wondering if it reminds him of the sixties somehow!!! Not sure. Maybe I'll ask him . Thanks for your prayer about work. It's a challenging environment. My coworkers are awesome. Friday I kept humming "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" to myself while I was working at the computer. It kept me sane and happy :) :) Oh, I'm thinking about opening  a store to sell some of my knitted items. It would just be for fun.  If you have your own Etsy, eBay or  personal website for your items, what has been your experiences with that?  Well, that's the news from Oregon today.  Bonus love and hugs, Heather :)

Photos for the week of Saturday - November 13th till Friday - November 19th.

Hi everyone..... brrrrr, it's chilly  in Oregon today...so chilly, that I have finally turned the heat on!!!  I'm currently in the midst of drying my laundry. So when my alarm goes off, I'll have to run out and get it. "Why?" you ask...I live in an apartment complex with a seperate laundry room :) :) Oh, I threw in my favorite heavy sweatshirt...because as soon as that baby is dry, I' ll put it on and be warm and fuzzy happy :) :) Here are my photos for the past week...

Saturday - November 13th, 2010  My father and I went to get some coffee at The Human Bean...well, just for me actually, however on the way home we stopped for this...about 1 dozen ducks taking their sweet time crossing the road.

There's a little stream off to the right of this photo and they hopped out of that water and duck waddled across the street. That would explain why the car in front of us suddenly stopped. There was a car coming the other direction that was driving way too fast...My dad furiously honked the horn and got the driver's attention...and possibly saved the lives of those feathery friends :)

Sunday - November 14th, 2010.  It was such a cold, rainy day....and when the clouds roll in , you can't see nada...not even my favorite  mountain is visible in this photo.

I'm not even sure what my father and I were doing this particular morning. However, on a Sunday it usually involves coffee and the newspaper. Hmm...I should probably subscribe to the newspaper :)

Monday - November 15th, 2010. Another knitting project in progress...Any guesses what it will be?  I'll post a final pic once they're finished ;)

This particular yarn that I'm using is called Zauber Ball. It's a German yarn that's 75% wool and 25% nylon...I think...I normally don't knit with anything that has acrylic in it. However, in cases like this, it's great for making socks...or in this case...this lovely item :) :) I LOVE this yarn. They have some amazing color choices with the color transitions being so subtle, you don't even notice anything until four or five color transitions into your knitting.

Tuesday - November 16th, 2010 Another really fun  mystery dishcloth project over at  Rachel's Knitting Corner.

You can find the instructions for this month's current project over at Rachel's Knitting Corner. The link to her blog is under my profile page ;) :) :)  I'll make sure and post a hyperlink to her site later tonight, too. Oh, this project is fun...and I've never knit a circle before...so this has the potential to be just about any size I want to make it :) :) :)

Wednesday - November 17th, 2010  There's a light dusting of snow on the mountain.  Hmm...I wonder if we'll see any on the floor this year :) :)

I think this could be a light winter in terms of snow. It's really hard to say. One thing is for sure...it's C-O-L-D. Now's the time to break out all those comfy quilts and flannel :) :)

Thursday - November 18th, 2010 The clouds hovering over the mountains are so mighty.

I actually took this photo the same day as the previous photo. It's amazing..and I notice the clouds seem to roll in the same way every time the weather turns really cold and chilly.

Friday - November 19th, 2010. This photo was actually taken today(Saturday - November 20th)...but it was so cute, I had to include it in this weeks photos.

I'll have more on this advertisement later. It's actually the backside of a 1940s Singer sewing book that was purchased at a yard sale today for $0.50...and this one had some really interesting sewing instructions :) :) :)

Well, it's really chilly outside today. The mail came today and it was rather sparse...an advertisement for Joann's Fabrics and mail-order catalog. Although, I'll have to take a look-see through the Joann's advertisement...because there might be a really good coupon for some fabric!!!  It's super chilly and now it's time to pick my laundry up from the dryer..Oh, this worked out well...NOw I'm going to have a warm, comfy sweatshirt to put on. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

365 Day Photo Challenge for November 6th thru November 12th, 2010

Hi everyone, 

How are you today? I'm doing well.  Oh, I think I'm overdosing on cute craft projects and magazines :) :) It's amazing how many creative people are out there.  It's too bad that I don't have enough hands to keep up with all the projects I'd like to make. Here are my photos for this week!!  

Saturday - November 6th, 2010 (photo actually taken on Sunday - November 7th)

It rained last night. It was really neat. I woke up early this morning and the steady drop of rain was a  nice sound :) :) My dad and I went to the store this morning to pick up the Sunday paper. I LOVE clipping coupons AND Albertson's had some "double" coupons out...so I had to take advantage of that. On the way home, I just had to get a photo. The mountains are so beautiful here, especially right after it has rained. This is what it looked like today less than an hour after the rain had stopped.

Sunday - November 7, 2010 Cute ducks having some fun in the creek. They'd float  downstream then paddle back upstream...float downstream..paddle back upstream :) :)

After my dad and I stopped at the store for the Sunday newspaper, we stopped at my favorite coffee spot, The Human Bean. It's a really nice drive-thru coffee chain :) :) Anyways, as we were leaving we passed by this little creek...and this is what I saw...They were so cute...I just had to get a photo. You don't often see this many ducks in this little creek. They knew where the fun was at this morning ;) :) :)

Monday - November 9th, 2010 It was a really rainy day today...so dark and gloomy.
It went from being really sunny to dark and gloomy in the space of just a few hours. Oh, still it's really nice. This was literally the best picture I was able to take with my camera that day.

Tuesday - November 9th, 2010  (this photo was actually taken November 7th)

This day was so sunny and beautiful. I'm not sure it could have been any more beautiful! Oh wait...yes...a day like this and I'm on my way home :) :)

Wednesday - November 10th, 2010  This day the clouds were really interesting. I never tire of looking at clouds....but today the clouds looked extra fat and chubby...and because of that, it literally felt like I could just reach out and touch them.

The clouds were hanging so low in the sky, it felt like they would touch the ground at any moment. It was really neat to see...

Thursday - November 11th, 2010  I do love me a good Zauberball of yarn :) :) This particular brand of German yarn is really nice!!!

 This yarn is so cool because of the subtle color transitions. It's "zauber" which means "magic" because you don't even notice the color transitions until four or five shades into your knitting project.

Friday - November 12th, 2010.  Here's one of many projects that I'm working on. It'll be a  mitten...knitting it as an "experiment"...but mainly it gives me an excuse to use up some really nice yarn :)

I always have a few unfinished projects lying around the house...and true to form, as I'm about to finish one project, another one will begin :) :) :) I love going to the knitting shop and drooling over all the beautiful yarn choices. The colors are amazing!!!

Well, I hope everyone has had a great week. I'm going to enjoy the weekend. I'm all snuggled up in my flannel nightgown. It's so warm and comfortable!!!  Have a great weekend. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)