Smile 30/100 Sunshine

Sitting outside on the bench during break, absorbing some spring sunshine and enjoying a little reading.

I have this bottle for iced tea that I bring to work and then I have a different bottle for my water. When it is cold, I drink hot tea instead.

The sun felt so good...which is nice since we are expecting rain for the next few days, or at least clouds. You take a chance when you sit outside since the public walks by and are apt to ask questions so you end up not really on break, but I love the fresh air and the sun so I am willing to risk it.

When our new building is finished in a couple of years, we'll have an area that we can eat outside that is not near parking or sidewalks. I am sure that we'll have even more co-workers out there then.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with macro turned on but flash turned off. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Life's Measurements

Smile 29/100 Soft Hands

I keep this tin of hand salve at my desk at work and in the kaboodle when not at work. It is small enough to fit in the kaboodle but still provides me all the moisturizing I need at work.

I could do the trial size lotions to meet the fit requirements, but then I am looking at paying a bunch of money for all those small containers. Another plus is that this tin is recyclable once it is empty.

I took this picture at my desk at work with my Fuju Finepix f50, with no flash but the macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and to add the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Fragrances

Smile 28/100 Hummingbird

Bet you thought this one was going to have a picure of a hummingbird...and that would be pretty ccol but the little girl doesn't sit still long enough for me to get a picture of her though.

So instead, this is a picture of the flowers that she is just loving right now. Each hanging basket on our front balcony has one of these flowers in it and the hummingbirds just love it.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 in the afternoon on our front balcony. No flash but had the macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Interesting Finds

Smile 27/100 Lavender

One of my favorite things is happy blooming lavender. It has so many awesome uses and it makes the little bees so happy when it is bloooming. This bunch was along one of my walks today.

My lavender died this winter...both of them, that I had in pots. I need to put some in the ground so it will not be as much of an issue in the future. We have a spot in the front that would be perfect for some.

I took this picture in the morning sun, with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but with the macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color and light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Feels Good

Smile 26/100 Awareness

Today we had a walk for MS. This is the second year I have walked in the local annual fundraiser and for a second year in a row, we had fantastic weather. Not too hot, not too cold.

We had a great turnout, a ton of family joined us this year. My SIL, BIL, a long time family friend, and friend from high school all have MS so we do the walk in their names and in hopes that at some point in the future, they will have a cure for it.

There is no race...it just mostly for awareness (we were all wearing bright orange shirts) and fundraising. I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 in the morning sun, with no flash. I edited in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Insanity

Smile 25/100 Ladder Storage

This might seem like a silly thing to bring a smile to my face but it isn't.

We own two of these extension ladders. One is 10 ft long and the other is 8 ft long (collapsed). Only the 10ft one is here right now but in the past, we have kept them in the attic of our garage. In this house, there is no attic in the garage because the house is a split level and the livingroom is above our garage.

So figuring out a new way to store them has been on the To Do list. The longer of the two is a pain in a butt, because finding a long enough space on the wall to store it, interferes with whatever cabinets or shelves we have.

We do however have a bulkhead in the garage that encloses the ductwork for the central AC and the garage door opener motor. I figured out that if I could get some big hooks screwed into the studs, we could hang the ladders across the garage width behind the bulkhead.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to not have the ladder laying on the floor, having to be moved all the time to get things in and out of the garage. I took this pic with my Fuji Finepix f50 in our garage. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and adding the fuzzy border.
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Our Home Improvement Blog....The Bamboo Lagoon

Smile 24/100 Lilac Blossom

I was cutting some stems for the house and decided I wanted to get a shot of the blossoms on the bush while they were still flourishing.

I wish that lilac bloomed all summer, I just love the scent of it. I actually have some lilac melts that I use in the house throughout the summer and a lilac creme perfume I use on my skin.

Along with lilac, my other favorite flower scents are gardenia, jasmine, asiatic lilly and plumeria...probably the same as most other people. I have melts in three of those scents along with the lilac...they are my summer smells.

I took this picture in our sideyard in the afternoon with slight overcast. I used my Fuji Finepix f50 with the macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added a fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Flowers

Smile 23/100 New Feet

These are my new black laceups. I got them for work but I like them so much, I will wear them all the time too. I was looking at some Keens for work, but I wanted to try them on first because the online reviews had been mixed. I went to one of our better shoes stores for some expert advice and gave the Keens a try. The ones I tried were just not as comfortable as my other Keens, and the shoe guy recommended I give these ones a try.

They are made by Klogs. I put them on, and it was love at first sight. Sooooo comfortable and super cute too! The only issue I have noticed so far is that one the super shiny floors at work, they squeak like my Danskos do but I am hoping that once they are worn in a bit, that might stop. I wore them all day the first day and no problems at all with needing to break them in.

I took this picture of my feet at work on the carpet near my desk (not sure why the floor looks so bright) with my Fuji Finepix f50, no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Strange Gym People

Smile 22/100 New Growth

Although a lot of plants had a hard time of it this winter, I am happy to see the spikes on this bamboo in our front yard...we lost two bamboos in pots so seeing the two we have in the ground doing well, is a relief. if you look closely,  you can see the new growth spikes.

This is a clumping bamboo. It doesn't spead like some bamboos can and if it does, it is very containable. There are two in this bed, the front one (main one in the picture) is a shorter more dense one, and the one in back is a taller reedier one. This bed is pretty self contained because of the driveway, the steps and the porch foundation so I am not too worried about it spreading.

I took this picture in our front yard, in the afternoon with a bit of overcast, with my Fuji Finepix f50. I then edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and adding of the fuzzy border.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Getting Creative

Smile 21/100 Still A Beauty

This little pansy is starting to fade and looks a little bit beat up, but I love the way that it is still perky and making the most of its beauty. It is a happy little pansy.

I picked up a couple of six packs of pansies a while back and this is one of the ones in the front yard. With the cooler weather and rain the last week, I am sure they will be living a bit longer than the warmer weather would have allowed for.

I took this picture in our front yard in the afternoon with a little bit of overcast with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but the macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color and light balance and then added the fuzzy border.
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Last Year on In My Words...Storm Rising

Smile 20/100 Blossom

These little blossoms are just dying to pop open and shine in the world...I couldn't help getting a shot of them at the edge of their struggle.

The chives are one of only a couple of our herbs that didn't get wiped out in our single digit wave of weather this winter. Of course the mint (or at least one of the two we had) survived as well but the mint doesn't have a cute little blossom lke the chives do.

I don't end up cutting our herbs and using them in cooking as much as I should...but I can say that the difference in fresh chives versus dried chives is unbelievable...and I do take advantage of those little guys any time I can.

I took this picture in the afternoon on our back porch where the herbs grow with no flash, but macro enabled. I edited this in GIMP 2.6 for color and light and then added the fuzzy border.
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One Month Ago on In My Words...On My Mind

Smile 19/100 Healthy Eats

This is a super awesome salad I made for dinner tonight. I picked up these mini peppers in a big bag at the grocery the other day and they are awesome on salad. They are super sweet, you can eat them without anything else if you want.

So in addition to the organic spring mix, and the mini peppers, I added baby carrots, yelllow cherry tomatoes, feta crumbles, cucumber and then a creamy sesame dressing. It was so good, I could have just kept eating and eating...LOL

This salad made my night...so yummy and healthy for me too!

I took this pic in our livingroom with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added a fuzzy border.
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Midnight Salad

Smile 18/100 Easter Gift

One of the people at work, that works a different shift from me, brought these eggs in for everyone. They are emptied real eggs that are intricately painted. I thought it was pretty nice of her to give me one since I only started last week.

The egg is really well done. Super cute and since there is no candy involved, also low calorie!!

I still haven't memorized everyone's names yet, especially the people I don't see everyday. I try to review everyone's name in my brain after work based on where they are sitting for the day (most people change desks everyday).

Those that just move through our department will be harder to learn because I don't see them nearly as much. On top of that, we all wear our last names on our shirts but we address each other by first names...LOL

I took this picture at my desk at work with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...And Then There Were Four

Smile 17/100 Dark Blue Iris

This iris is in the front yard in the little bed next to the big rocks. It is a dark bluish purple and it so pretty. It is a little bit hid behind a little tree that is in growing out of that same bed but as the tree gets bigger, I am sure it will be more visible.

Last spring was the first time I remember it blooming but at this point, it seems be pretty happy. My SIL wants a piece of it for her garden, which I am sure she will get some time this year, now that she has gotten her garden started.

Some of our other later blooming irises are starting to bulge. I am excited to see the yellows again too. So much work to do around here...feels like it will never end.

I took this picture in our frontyard with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and then added the fuzzy border.
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Earlier This Month on In My Words...Smile 1/100 First Iris

Smile 16/100 Dinner

This was my celebratory dinner after I got off work the first day of my new part time job. I stopped at this great Mexican place near our house, and had a margarita while waiting for take out.

This is my first time having enchiladas verdes and they were pretty darn good. I actually only ate half and had the second have for dinner the next night...LOL. The plates are always so much food so I pretty much am guaranteed for leftovers.

It made me very happy to not be cooking after my first full day of paid work in a long time.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with the plate in my lap in our livingroom. No flash but macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and added the fuzzy border.
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Flashing

Smile 15/100 New Sneakers

I have been on a hunt for new running shoes for a while. I used to be a huge Adidas running shoe fan but then I always bought them in the men's section in a smaller shoe. The place I always bought them at (and most other footware places) stopped carrying the smaller men's sizes and I was forced to women's shoes which always seem to be pink or purple.

So I stopped buying Adidas and went to Saucony. For years, I have been happy with Saucony, but they don't make the one I like anymore, and the reviews are not good for the newer versions. This meant, I was SOL.

On top of that, we really don't have a great selection of stores that sell running shoes here and since I was going to starting from scratch, I really needed to try some on.

As fate would have it, I ended up with an unexpected trip to a location that does have an Adidas outlet mall, and I was able to get in there and find a great sneaker (this one). They were having a buy 2, get one free sale, so I bought 2 pairs and got the last one for free. They were last year's version but I'll be set for a while now.

I wore them for about 10 miles before I did my 5K and they were comfortable with no breaking in time at all...so thrilled to be back in new sneakers that don't have too many miles on them.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 in our entryway with no flash but macro turned on. I edited in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Fashion Angst

Smile 14/100 Remote

Okay, this probably doesn't seem like something to get happy about...but since we have been back in our house here, we have not had a garage door opener remote and that makes unloading our truck a pain in the butt at times.

It seems that the AC was added to the house later down the road and so they put the bulkhead for the ductwork across the top of the garage ceiling. When the garage door opener was added even later, they put it in the bulkhead butted up against the duct work...which makes access to the back of the opener motor nearly impossible.

So even though I had purchased the opener ages ago, the hassle that I knew it was going to be kept me from wanting to even tackle it. Well this weekend, taking this item off the To Do list was a priority...and it was a hassle since once I opened up the drywall a bit more, it was obvious that reaching between the two was going to be almost impossible.

Sitting at the very top of the painting ladder and wedging my hand down the back of the moter from the top, I was finally able to feel the reset button and after erasing the codes, and then hooking up a light so we could tell if the programing was working, we were able to get the new opener remote programmed to work. When that door lowered after pushing the button, I almost jumped off the ladder, I was so excited...

I took this picture in our truck with my Fuji Finepix f50, with no flash but macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and then added a fuzzy border.
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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Happy Endings

Smile 13/100 Lilacs

We have two lilac bushes on the side of the yard...unfortunately for them, they don't get quite as much sun as they probably would like, but they still bloom pretty well.

This weekend when we were doing some work on the fence on that side of the house, we had to actually tie the bushes back temporarily to get them out of our way. Near the end of the day, I remembered that I hadn't untied them, so I took some clippers out and after I took off the tie, I cut some branches to bring into the house.

The smell in the house has been fabulous ever since. When I was a kid, there were lilacs along one side of the house my parents were renting and even though lilacs bloom in spring, for some reason, I always associate the smell with summer.

I took this picture in our dining room with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and to add a fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Perfume Creme Updated

Smile 12/100 Texture

So this beauty is from the Japanese Maple that I posted about a few days ago...I just couldn't pass up the soft delicate leaves or the many shades of color inside of it. So I grabbed the camera so I could get a few macros taken of it before the leaves take on their summer look.

I need to trim a few of the branches so they aren't touching the rock wall or the little Japanese lantern we have near it, but other than that, I just love the glory of it...so pretty.

I took this picture in the afternoon in our front yard with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then to add the fuzzy border.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Two Favorite Things

Smile 11/100 Bib

This is my bib for the 5K that I am doing tomorrow. I picked up my race packet this afternoon. I am looking forward to the run even though I am not in that great of shape and I know I won't get the best time on it....it will be fun anyhow.

One of my cousins is running it too but she is a fast runner so I am sure we will not see each other except at the end...LOL. This is my first IRL race for the year and my second overall 5K since I did a virtual this winter.

This year, we got short sleeve tan shirts instead of the long sleeve ones from last year. I won't wear the new shirt until after the race (my own juju) but I think I am going to wear last years since it is warmer and the race is at 7am and will be chilly.

I took this picture in our dining room with no flash but macro enabled with my Fuji Finepix f50. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Last Year on In My Words...IRL Run

Smile 10/100 Night Light

So this little lantern came in handy last night. There was a car accident in town that involved an electric pole so our corner of the city was knocked out of power for about 6 hours.

It occurred late enough that it didn't affect us as bad as it could have, but it was still nice to find this lantern in the cabinet with fuel and a wick already in it. Definitely made me smile.

Lately, I have been avoiding big candles...we have a ton of those wax smellies to use up so I have been focusing on tea lights...but then when the power goes out, tea lights aren't necessarily the best option.

We have flashlights but why use up all the batteries when this little lantern available?

I took this picture in the middle of a blackout with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but the macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Camping and Fishing

Maru Gets Me Every Time

I love this kitty...and now with his year old friend Hana, it just gets better.


These two are hilarious. It is so obvious that Hana doesn't get the box thing the same way Maru does, and he seems so content with just his face peeking through...

It looks like from these newer videos that Maru and his family live in a new home and everyone seems to be adapting well.
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 One of my first posts about Maru...Maru And The Very Small Box

Smile 9/100 Japanese Maple

This is the third house we have had, that had a Japanese Maple in the yard...it is weird that it happens that way.

The first one we had wasn't as small as this one but I really like the shape and location of this one. We put in a little Japanese lantern almost as soon as we took the house over from the rental company. I can't wait to get our shisa dogs and put them out on the porch.

This little guy just got all its leaves on and they are just such a great color that I couldn't pass up getting a shot of it.

I took this picture in the evening in our front yard. I used my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited the image in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and to add the fuzzy border.
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...New Eggs To Watch

Smile 8/100 Nursery

Made the rounds today with my aunt seeing what is out there, ready to be planted.

This one nursery we go to is huge and they supply some of the local plant stores. I just couldn't pass up this photo opportunity with all this color in perfect rows.

We also hit a DIY, the gas station, the bank, a restaurant for lunch, another nursery, and found out another favorite nursery is closing for retirement...lots done, felt great, but sad to see the one nursery go.

I took this picture in the middle of the day at the nursery...great light. I used my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then to add the fuzzy border.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...Roses, Roses For Sale

Smile 7/100 Lemon Water

Not too long ago, I started drinking fresh lemon water whenever I drink water at home. On rare occasions that we don't have a lemon in the house, I do use lemon juice. Fortunately, today, I had lemons...LOL. I pop the seeds out just so I don't have to deal with them in the glass...

The lemon water tastes fresher to me and from what I have been told, it is a great detoxifier as well as gives you some good pH level components. All part of the plan to get away from the processed food and chemicals as much as possible.

I took this picture in our kitchen this morning with my Fuji Finepix f50, with no flash but macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...Corona

Smile 6/100 Clean Rock

Yardwork is neverending at our house...but I am feeling accomplished today because I knocked out at least one small section of cleanup. This area is to the right side of our backyard when looking at the house. We have this landing area of stone at the edge of the back deck and it had grass growing up between all of the rocks. Now there is none.

The yard is by no means "done" but at least I got the allocated section for today done, and can move onto a new section next time I am out there in the yard. I also filled up the yard bin for pickup tomorrow which always feels good. The yard is a big project so I am allocating a set of time to work on individual spots to break it up into do-able pieces. This way it can be tackled, otherwise it is just to overwhelming for anyone.

Tomorrow, I hope to get some pansies and some herbs into their new homes, and might even mow the front yard if the weather permits. Then there are a million "in house" items to be tackled. Normally, I post these kinds of posts on our house blog but since this was my "smile" picture for the day, we get to see a bit of the projects at the Bamboo Lagoon here.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Dragonfly

Smile 5/100 Fresh

Every three weeks there is a little smile when I get to open a new set of these...LOL. Fresh contacts feel great. I probably could go a whole month, but as soon as I start to feel that my eyes just don't feel that clean, I figure it is better safe than sorry, and I change out my contacts.

I wear Acuvue Oasys contacts which are pretty comfortable disposables. I don't wear them at night so I get a little bit longer out of them than if I wore them 24 hours. I change to my glasses right before bed, or a bit earlier if I know I am going to be doing nothing but computer work for the rest of the night. I don't mind my glasses, but I can't wear them on a daily basis when doing yardwork or exercising as they get in the way.

I first got glasses when I was in college when I started noticing that the words on the board in my lectures were hard to read. I didn't end up doing contacts until about a year later when I realized that the glasses were just super uncomfortable and inconvenient for doing exercise.

I took this picture in our bathroom this morning when I was doing the change out. I took it with our Fuji Finepix f50 and then editded it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Loving The New Contacts

Smile 4/100 Regrowth

We had a very weird winter here. We got about 9 inches of snow at the beginning of December and then the temps dropped and stayed low, so the snow stayed on the ground and then we hit the single digits. So in a way, we had this massive winter in the matter of 10 days...it was completely abnormal.

So during that time, some things that would normally be fine in the winter here, just didn't have what it took to survive. Everything we lost was planted in pots, but I have seen a lot of landscaping that was in the ground around town being taken out.

Normally as far as my herbs go, we lose the basil every winter but everything else comes back, even if it just dies back for the winter. This year, I lost a rosemary, two lavendars, two sage, an oregano, a possibly a thyme.

So while at the growers market the other day, I picked up 7 replacement herbs...no basil yet as it is too cold for it. I didn't lose either of my two mints or the chives, but I couldn't resist getting a chocolate mint because it sounds like it would make great tea. I also got a pineapple sage, a common thyme, a lemon thyme, a rosemary, a variated oregano, and a hot and spicy oregano. I already replaced one of the lavendars but I still need to get another soon.

Getting these new little herbs makes me smile though, at least it is a start! I took this picture in our kitchen with my Fuji Finepix f50 with macro turned on but no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Flowers

Smile 3/100 New Project

Having just finished a baby blanket for one of our nieces, I decided to start on this neck scarf for my grandma. She tried one on that belonged to one of my aunts a few weeks back and thought it was very cool. I had to look up the pattern online and figure out how I was going to make it.

Yesterday, I picked up the yarn for it and the buttons that will go on it to latch it after it is complete. I started working on it last night...I am hoping the one skein is going to be enough but if it needs two, I will pick up another soon. Purple is one of her favorite colors so I know she will love it once it is done. I am hoping that the yarn is soft enough and not irritating since having something right up against your neck can be itchy.

It is a thicker yarn so I had to move to a much bigger hook but other than getting used to that, it has moved pretty quickly. Being creative in whatever way I can, is always a benefit for me. It allows me to be a little less left-brained for a bit...LOL.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash in our living room. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and added the fuzzy border.
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Last Year on In My Words...Making Progress

Smile 2/100 Errand Treat

I think it started in Japan...because we needed to pay most bills face to face, and we were paid in USD, but needed to pay bills in yen...bill paying became a monthly errand day. This usually fell near payday and the beginning of the month since that was when rent and utilities were due.

So after payday, I would withdraw the amount we needed for bills in dollars from the bank and then go to Jusco to exchange the dollars for yen. Jusco had several machines that looked like ATMs that exchanged money and they had one of the best exchange rates in the town we lived in.

After I had done the exchange, I would usually go to this sushi-go-round place called Gorume Kaiten Sushi for lunch and as a treat for all the errand running still left in the day. We loved that place...you could get pretty good sushi for a decent price very quickly so it made for a great grab and go kind of day.

Now that we aren't in Japan doesn't mean that "errand treating" had to end. Now it has become somewhat of a Pavlovian thing for me...LOL. So I was out running a lot of errands...Target for toiletries, the mall to pay a bill, Trader Joe's and Winco for groceries, Michael's for yarn for a project I am doing for my grandmother, and REI for a county parking pass and a little window shopping. While in that area, I decided the sushi restaurant would be my stop for lunch.

I ordered the sashimi combo with edemame and ocha...it was the perfect errand treat! The sashimi combo was tuna, salmon and yellowtail...yum, yum.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but the macro enabled.  I edited the image in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and added the fuzzy border.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...Full Feeling

Smile 1/100 First Iris

So I decided to unofficially do this for the next 100 days instead of the POTD, just to change things up a bit. When I say unofficially, I just mean that I didn't sign up on the site, but I am going to blog my pics, and share through my Twitter, my Google+ and one of my Facebook groups. I'll be using a hashtag of #findingjoytoday on Twitter and Google+.

I tend to find something to smile about each day and try to enjoy the small beauties that each day contains even if the overall day isn't perfect in any way. This challenge gives me a chance to share those items without the word restrictions of POTD for a bit. We'll see how it goes.

This picture is of the first of the many irises that are planted in this yard. This is a transplant from my sister in law's yard that bloomed last year as well. It is a dwarf iris (so it only gets about 10 inches tall) and I love that it peaks up soon after the daffodils have finished, but before any of the other irises are even budding out yet.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and to add a fuzzy border.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Ikebana Lesson Two-Basic Upright

POTD Day 29 Sticky

This cutie is a cupcake from my little cousin's second birthday party. I think they are supposed to be owls...they were super cute and super sticky!!

Last year for his first birthday, they had cute cookie desserts that had faces on them too. And I imagine they were just as sticky!

I took this pic with my Fuji Finepix f50 with the flash and macro on. i really don't like using the flash when I don't have to but the party location was dark so I had no choice. I edited this picture in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Last Year on In My Words...Birthday Madness

POTD Day 28 Nostalgia

Grandma is the back right

This is a cool picture our family has of my maternal grandmother and her three sisters.

I scanned it in a few years ago so everyone could have a copy of it. I love this picture...they look like movie stars in their 40's style. They are all so beautiful.

Seems like we don't do protraits like this anymore...family pictures were so common before, but now it seems like you don't see them as often.

My grandmother's sisters (the ones that are still alive) all live in another state so she doesn't get to see them as much as I am sure she would like to. She has never flown and I don't think she could handle being in a car for the amount of time it would take to make a visit happen so I don't know if she will get to see them again. I guess that is one of the reasons pictures are important to us...the help us to hold on to memories.

I didn't take this image but I did edit it in GIMP to clean up the scan and then added the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Thankful Thursday (one of my paternal grandmother's is in this post)

POTD Day 27 Something I Made

Kai Jiaow with steamed jasmine rice

This is one of my favorite Thai dishes to make...and it is super easy and so yummy!

The only thing missing from it is this awesome sauce that my friend Jai turned me on to, but it is no longer available. Everytime I go to my favorite Thai grocery, I ask the owner if he has seen any of this delectable sauce and he said that he thinks they stopped making it...bummer!!

I need to put a picture of the sauce on my phone so I can have it when I go next time so I can make sure he can knows for sure which one. I have a second sauce I am always looking for that I forgot to bring a picture of last time and I need to get that one on my phone too...LOL. The things we do when we can't read the words on the label.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash and no macro. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added a fuzzy border.
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Sunday Treats

POTD Day 26 I Am Here

Of course I can't show my face or where I actually am, but I am at an extended stay for the night and limited to the webcam on my Chromebook...LOL.

Fun and exciting stuff. Was able to try this really yummy seafood restaurant and it was amazing.

Luckily didn't run into any crazy road rage people during the drive, and I listened to an audio book in one direction and the BBC World Service over the Internet Radio on my phone in the other. Overall, a very productive visit.

I took this picture with the webcam on my Samsung Chrome book, and did no editing.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Sparsely Living

POTD Day 25 Soft

These are flowers on one of the Phlox plants we have in the front yard. I thought they were so cute and the buds before they open look fuzzy and soft.

It took me a couple of Springs to figure out what this plant was since there were no markers and it was already here when we bought the house. The other day, I was at a garden store and they had a couple different types there so I took a few of the labels so I could bring them home and compare them to ours and it looks like we have Purple Beauty in our bed. The colors on the plants are bit different but I think that might be due to one being in much more shade than the other.

I took this picture in the afternoon with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash and macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Plants Are Here

POTD Day 24 One Of A Kind

I love when I find a daisy all by itself in a field of green....they are just so cute and friendly.

When I was a kid, we lived across the street from a big cemetery. Daisies would grow all over in the grass, and I would make these daisy chains as necklaces or for head wreaths...I remember when I first learned how to make them and was so excited, like I had discovered something new.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 in the afternoon sun with no flash, macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and to add the fuzzy border.
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Week 42 MCP Project 52

POTD Day 23 I'm Loving

This is a piece of orgonite that my cousin made for me a few weeks ago. I put it in the window in our living room near most of the electronic equipment in the room.

I love the color green too, so it is really perfect.

My cousin started making these healing objects for herself and for others recently. You can read more about orgonite on her website at this location.
She recently got some really terrific news from her latest bone scan and I have to believe that items like this and all the other positive energy sources in her life were responsible to helping her body to heal.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash in the morning sun. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...AWWA Donation Site

Dances With Wolves And More

Perhaps I am a crazy person, but there are some terrific movies out there, that I just can't watch again. I love them, and perhaps even own them, but have the hardest time watching them again...mostly because I know what is going to happen in them.

Dances With Wolves...just can't stand to watch the whole wolf scene. Animal cruelty is just too hard to watch.

Last Of The Mohicans...this is great but just the overall end of the movie is a bummer and I really have to be in the right frame of mind to do it.

Saving Private Ryan...this one is just such a heartbreaker.

Black Swan...I felt stressed out and anxious through this entire one, even though I liked the movie, I couldn't watch it again.

Gangs of New York...great movie but just so awful at the same time.

Update: A Simple Plan...just a complete downer, even though it is a great movie.

Casino...just because of the violence and the knee drilling...ewww!

Reservior Dogs...just so harsh and the policeman scenes...

Boys Don't Cry...just another complete downer

Full Metal Jacket...kid goes crazy and commits suicide and then war scenes

Slingblade...because I love the main character and it sucks how it ends...

This, of course, is only a small segment of those great films that are hard to watch (for instance there are several war movies that I could list). And who knows, maybe that they are hard to watch is what, at times, makes them great films. I am sure I will be watching most of them again at some point in the future but when I am scrolling through the movie channels on cable, and one of these is available, I tend to skip over it for something less stressful, cruel, or sad...
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Locked Out (one of my funnier moments)

POTD Day 22 Morning

This is what my day involved...lots of rocks...LOL. I figured out the night before that we needed to get some rocks to fix a spot in the back and reinforce a spot in front, so after running another errand, I headed to the rock store.

This is 750 lbs of rock and 550 lbs of it had to be taken from the truck in the driveway up hill into our backyard...it was a very good workout.

The full post on the fix is located here if you want to check out the before, during and after pics.

I took this pic with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Project Progress

POTD Day 21 Full

So I have been on this quest recently to try to find a new body lotion that I like that uses less chemicals. My doctor told me to try to stick to "creams" over "lotions" because they have less alcohol in them, which can be drying. I have been a Jergen's Original user forever.

My issue is that I like a lotion or cream to absorb in so that when I start sweating, I don't feel slippery but at the same time, I don't get ashy skin from it being dry. A few weeks back, I took the doctors advice and bought two different "creams" to try. One from Aveeno, and one from Eucerin. Both of them were okay, but because they were fragrance free, they both smelled like oil to me, which is not really a good thing. I don't want to smell like mineral oil which is one of the main ingredient in them. I liked the Aveeno better, I could put it on once a day and it would last 24 hours, but it didn't absorb that well.

So the other day when I was at Target, I decided to give the lotion aisle another look. I found this lotion (it isn't a cream) in the natural section of the aisle and I liked the idea of raw Shea Butter and it has a great smell with things that are good for you. I have been using it for 3 days now. It is super thick so a little goes a long way, but it seems to work well, absorbs well, and the smell lingers, which I like.

Well see how it goes after the bottle is no longer full...(see I did get the word in there...LOL) and making sure it doesn't turn on me. Some fragrances on my skin will turn, this is why I normally put perfumes on my clothes unless they are essential oils.

I took this picture in our living room, with my Fuji Finepix f50, and no flash but with macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and to add the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Stinky Lotion

POTD Day 20 Letter

One of our cousins is in basic training for the local Nat Guard right now.

He had a hip fracture during the beginning of training so after being home for the holidays, he went back to recover and do physical therapy. He is in the Fitness Training Unit until he heals and then he will go back to regular training.

We have been writing back and forth since he has been there since I know being cut off from family and technology is hard and letters and packages can make all the difference in the world. I have sent him one box with some puzzle books and writing supplies, but that was before the holidays.

Right now, I just try to keep the back and forth on the letters going. I got this letter a few days ago and I sent off a postcard today and will get a letter off in a day or so. I am a huge fan of snail mail so it is a lot of fun to have someone to write to.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash, but macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color and light, and to smudge out info for privacy reasons. I then added the fuzzy border.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...The Negative Of Facebook

POTD Day 19 Cropped

I was going to search for a picture that I had cropped well to make it into a better picture but then I remember this yummy "crop" I got at the Grower's Market. I had never had pea sprouts before and we were given a sample to try and they were really good, so I bought a bag of them.

I have used them so far in scrambled eggs and salads, and really like the flavor. If I made sandwiches at home, I am sure they would be great on those as well since I get alfalfa sprouts on my sandwiches all the time instead of lettuce.

I took this picture in our dining room with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash but macro turned on. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and then to add the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Flowers

POTD Day 18 Five Years Ago

This picture is of my friend's foot in tabi socks and geta sandals with her kimono at my first traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

I joined Okinawa International Women's Club (OIWC) the fall of 2008 and in March our culture group had a tea ceremony. One of our members and her mother were tea ceremony senseis and they had a tea ceremony facility connected to their home. When we did this same ceremony the following year, I had all my kimono parts and was actually able to dress in kimono for the event and it was such an honor.

I really took advantage of our time in Japan during this second opportunity we had to live there and tried to submerge myself in the culture whenever I could. OIWC was a huge part of that. I made life long friends in that group and will forever be thankful for the adventures, experiences and friends.

I took this pic in the morning with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP for color, light and to add the fuzzy border.
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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Kimono Adventure, this has pics of my kimono parts and then some images of me in it at one of our luncheons.

POTD Day 17 Today's Weather

Our weather has been pretty wonky the last few weeks. March, I think is always like that but we always forget. So we have had sun and warm days, then frosty mornings, then windy evenings, and then clouds with some rain...you never know from day to day so you have to sort of just go with the flow when it comes to the To Do list.

This morning we woke up to clouds and rain even though we really weren't supposed to get rain, just clouds. I am not complaining because we really need the rain, but it made it so that instead of yardwork, laundry ended up on the docket.

This pic is from near our house looking out over the hills nearby. You can see that the sun is shining on the bluff but behind it are some dark rainy looking clouds. The sun did come out to stay later in the day and that was nice, but we never did warm up much.

I took this pic in the morning with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Cr@p, Cr@p, Cr@p

POTD Day 16 Beautifully Ordinary

I was walking downtown getting some exercise and running a few errands and came across this little sprig of rosemary in a pot in front of a store.

I love how rosemary is so ordinary, but when its little blue flowers erupt, it is quite beautiful too. Both of the rosemary in our yard are in shadier spots so we don't always get blooms on the ones we have.

I was able to get a few pics during my trek but mostly was enjoying the warm weather, sunshine and spots of spring, springing...maybe I will be able to post more from this walk.

I took this picture in the afternoon enjoying the sun with my Fuji Finepix f50, no flash but macro enabled. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Last Year on In My Words...Chicken Soup

POTD Day 15 Evening

Well, I was volunteering tonight, but I don't have any pictures of that, however I did pull this off the traffic cams for the accident I was stuck in for 20 mins. If you look on the left side, you can see the backup...I was in there. I was on my way to the volunteer gig.

Never did hear on the news what happened or if the people involved were okay, but I did watch 3 state troopers, a EMS supervisor, an ambulance, and a fire truck all go down the shoulder while we were waiting, so I assume someone got hurt. I also noticed that there were three smashed up cars, and 1 Budget truck. There was also a semi truck but I don't it was anything, but a witness to the accident.

Fortunately the wait wasn't longer and I did get where I needed to be with time to spare.

I didn't take this picture, but I did edit it in GIMP 2.6 for privacy and to add the fuzzy border.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Car Crash (my accident in Japan)

POTD Day 14 Care

This is one way I care for our computer systems and the memories we want to keep that are stored digitally.  I highly recommend a regular back up schedule for everyone. I probably go a bit overboard on ours but since all of our backups are on mechanical drives, I feel that doubling up might be prudent.

So because I use the laptop the most and that is where I process all new images, I do the following: an auto Windows update of all the data and image files onto an external harddrive, 2 manual copies on external different harddrives of all the same files, 1 manual copy of all the images/videos on another external hardrive. I do the same thing with the PC except not as a frequently because the PC data and images are not changed much.

I used to burn DVDs for backup, but it just seemed like I was going through tons of DVDs and the externals are portable and pretty easy to use.

I took this picture as a snip of my screen while in the backup/restore area of the control panel on my laptop. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 to add the fuzzy border.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...PC Rebuild Part Two

POTD Day 13 Fresh

I am not sure what kind of tree or bush this picture is from, but I thought the blooms were pretty.

I was in the park doing a 2 mile route that I have for exercise while running errands downtown. I stopped to take lots of pictures of all the spring blooming around.

Everything felt very fresh to me. Today the sky is cloudy again but it isn't supposed to last. We need the rain so if it were to rain, that would be nice for the vegetation and our water reservoirs.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 in nice afternoon light. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light, and then added the fuzzy border.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Ikebana #2 Basic Upright

POTD Day 12 Partial

Here is a one of the hostas we have around the house, and it is already coming back up, but only partially at this point.

I love hostas, got hooked on them when we lived in WA and owned our first house...now we have two in big pots on our backyard, and we have 5 more in gallon containers that need to go in the ground on the shady side of the house. (And they all survived the winter!!).

This one hosta in particular gets some good spring sun right now so I think that is why it is higher than the others at this point.

I am excited to see some stuff sprouting already, gives me hope that the winter didn't kill everything, but it also makes me a little bit stressed because we have so much to do before it all gets out of hand...lots of weeding to do!!

I took this picture in the afternoon light on our back porch with my Fuji Finepix f50. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and to add the fuzzy border.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Repotting

POTD Day 11 Something Good

This is the second baby blanket I am making this spring. This niece is due in late spring so I started her blanket after the one I made for my niece that is due in April. She is having a boy so this blanket has more blues than the other one did (which you can see progress shots of that one here and here).

I am using a granny square stitch but instead of doing squares, I am doing rows with it. I have been varying the width of the rows to keep it fun and non-symetrical. The navy blue is the "field" color so it is in between each color (and set at 3 rows) and it is also at the top and bottom and will be the color that I border the entire thing with.

I really love how this one is coming out...super fun (once you get past the first starting rows) and fast. I might be making one of the same stitch but different colors for my sister soon.

I took this picture in our living room with my Fuji Finepix f50 with the macro enabled but no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...Sharp Items

POTD Day 10 Far Away

This is a picture of Lake Elsinore from up on the hills above the city. One of our cousins from this area was married last summer and we went down for the occasion and did some sight seeing as well.

My SIL and I took this drive up the Ortega Hwy over the hills to meet my MIL down near San Diego and we stopped at this view point to take some shots. So not only is the lake Far Away in the image but the location overall is Far Away from us since we live a long distance from there.

The trip as a whole was really great, we had great weather, and visits will all the family. Couldn't have asked for a better occasion!

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...In Other News