Happy Halloween!

Butch & Elaine

I managed to get this photo of Butch & Elaine at their home while celebrating Butch's 70th birthday this past July. They have been through so much the past few years with Butch's health problems. Elaine has been by his side the entire time taking care of him. (I just hope she is taking care of herself too.) What I love about this photo is that they are holding hands. Something they just did naturally.

stuffed acorn squash

I have some recipes. Actually a lot of recipes. Cookbooks. Internet. Newspaper. For years I've collected them. And I'm pretty good about trying them. A few anyway. I'm the worst though at using the ones I clip out of the newspaper. We have a local food columnist who writes a bimonthly column for the Lincoln Journal Star. Her name is Lynne Ireland. I love her writing. Sometimes I clip her recipe more for that. I recently clipped this stuffed acorn squash recipe & actually tried it last night. It is so good. And easy. Makes the house smell wonderful. I don't have maple syrup so I drizzled honey over the squash before baking it. Here is the recipe if you want to try it.





Zeke watches Don eat.

Boo!

Halloween is just days away & people around town have their decorations up. For many Halloween is one of their favorite days to celebrate. I am enjoying the season too & stopped by this home to capture some ghouls . . .

Aunt Eleanor

I've tried making the rounds this year to visit my aunts & uncles. Eleanor lives in the same town as my Dad so you'd think I'd see more of her. But I don't which is why I made a special attempt to visit her this summer. Eleanor was married to my Dad's brother, Bud. He's been gone for many years now & Eleanor stays busy with quilting & her family. She scrapbooks with her daughter, Mary, and they do a great job keeping track of everyone. (I wish she could organize my photos.) Anyway, she allowed me to photograph her in her home on July 9th.

bubbles

Before Ivy's party on Sunday, Liz helped her make bubbles. Or maybe try to make bubbles. I think Ivy mostly got soap on her face.

acorns

It was still light outside when I got home from work today. The dogs were ready for a long walk & I took along my small camera. Acorns became the theme. They litter the sidewalks & lawns on our route.

bonding time

Life changes in an instant. One day you're driving a '95 Honda Civic & a few days later you're driving an '04 Honda Civic. That's been Daniel's week. His old car met an unexpected demise on Sunday. Wasn't worth spending the money to fix it. We were already grateful for the extra miles we got from it after it got rear ended last year. This car saw the boys through high school & almost college. Good memories. They both loved its manual transmission.



Daniel & I spent yesterday driving to an assortment of used car dealers. We found this Civic at the first place we stopped & then we made it the last stop of the day. Nice looking car. Already has a few miles on it. And it has a manual transmission.



Drive safe, Daniel!

clothespin craftiness

Cheryl sent me this photo of a gift Krista gave them a few years ago. Inspirational!



Thanks, Cheryl!

Ivy turns three!

Ivy (Don's great niece) turned three yesterday. We helped her celebrate with some cake . . .













Happy Birthday, Ivy!

be yourself!

Connie has this dangling from the light fixture above her dining room table. I'm a sucker for quotes like this. This one hits close to home for me sometimes. May you be inspired too.

Janet

Janet is a friend of mine that I met while serving on a local board. She has spent a lifetime volunteering at the local level. Janet is fun to be around. She has a wonderful laugh & big smile that lights up a room. She has lost her vision over the years. An inherited disorder that hasn't dampened her spirit or enthusiasm for life. I hoped to capture her smile in a photograph. So I asked & she said yes.















Thanks, Janet!

thread

Doris has an embroidery business in Blue Hill. She's made the tags we've been using on the "Lola bags". I was in her shop a few weeks ago & loved the colorful display of thread. So when I was in Blue Hill on Monday to see Nancy I stopped in to see Doris again just so I could photograph her thread. Thanks, Doris!