This, that, and ramblins

I know it hasn't been that long but it seems like forever since I've posted on my blog. So much has changed since I was here last.

My older daughter went to the Senior Prom . . .

I swear she has never looked more happy or beautiful than she does in this picture.

And if that wasn't enough to pull at my heart strings . . .



She graduated. I thought I might cry a river but all I felt was joy and pride. High School was a bit more difficult for my daughter than it is for a lot kids, but she made it through and finished out the last two terms on high honors. Way to go girl!




Lets move on . . . to this:




I stripped the wallpaper off my kitchen and repainted it. Now I kind of wish I hadn't. The new color I painted on the walls is okay, (Sherwin Williams Ivoire) but it's not a favorite with anyone. Oh well, it's whats going to stay for the time being.





My parent's kittens.

The stray cat they took in had kittens almost 3 months ago. Two kittens went to a home but my parents are still holding onto four! Although they are planning on keeping two of the kittens, neither one of my parents can bring themselves to take the remaining two kittens to the SPCA. My mom dotes on them constantly, adoring them all. This isn't going to turn out good. We refer to her lately as 'The Cat Lady'




My husband installed new walkway lights and I love them. I'd seen them on my The Blue Ridge Gals blog a while ago and thought they were beautiful. Diane was kind enough to let me know the brand so we ordered them on eBay which was MUCH cheaper than in the store!


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In the midst of everything else I heard the news my dear friend, and fellow blogger, Char, passed away suddenly. When ever I think about it my heart feels such sorrow. Some people are taken far to soon and Char was definitely one of them. Her blog, ramblins, always evoked the feeling of a smart woman with deep thoughts. Char wrote about her daily life and travels, integrating her beautiful photography.

Back in January when my daughter had her tonsils out Char and I emailed back and forth as she told me about her own horrible experience with her tonsils. How I wish I still had those emails today.

One final note about Char's blog. On the side bar she has this quote:

When its all said and done,
all roads lead to the same
end, so its not so much
which road you take, as how
you take it.

~Charles de Lint

I hope Char would be happy with the road she chose. Her beautiful blog is a gift, left behind for all those who choose to embrace it.


* * * * * * * * * *





Viruses ... oh goodness my laptop had a major, horrible virus. The kind my husband spent hours trying to get rid of only to have it rear it's ugly head again and again. Finally, the best way to conquer the beast was to take the laptop back to factory settings and start over again. Luckily I have everything backed up!

After I began to reload programs I noticed Color Efex Pro 3.0 Wacom Edition would pop up every time I used Photoshop. I assume it came from my Wacom tablet but it's never worked before. I like it though! The picture above and below were both edited using Color Efex.



So that's about it for today. Although my plans were to blog about the farm I visited in Rhode Island, that will have to wait until another day. I hope you are all well and enjoying summer. We're having rain, once again. If only Mother Nature would take it someplace where it is truly needed, like Texas!

Thank you for stopping by!