Tag Archive | family

Photo blogging #challenge November 2016 #thanks #photoblog #fun

november_results

The theme for November’s photo blog and challenge hosted by http://hoohaa.com/ was THANKS. I feel like my life can be summed up in these words: I am thankful for family, friends, good food, and lots of fun.

Without further ado, here are my pictures on the theme.

Photo 1
I went to a Greenwood Performing Arts concert featuring the Malpass Brothers. They play old country and bluegrass music. I am thankful that I was able to see them in concert because I love listening to this type of music but rarely get to hear it live.

Photo 2
We had some friends over to our house and made a bonfire. On a slightly chilly evening, it is great to be able to relax in front of the fire with friends. Thankful for nights like this.

Photo 3
I went to the local Chamber of Commerce annual wine walk called Grape Stomp. Instead of taking pictures of the wine , I decided to take a picture one of the prettier delectable snacks paired with a dessert wine at Flynn’s. These were a strawberry cream cheese inside of mini phyllo shells (compliments of Inn on the Square). Delicious! Thankful for being able to enjoy good food and good wine with friends !

Photo 4
I hope everyone was able to see the super moon a few weeks ago. Staring at the night sky, I realize how insignificantly small I am in comparison to the universe. However, I am thankful that I am here with my family on this great big earth.

Photo 5
Saw this Little Free Library in town and it just made me realize how thankful that I am that my mother instilled in me a desire to read and a love for learning.

These were just a few of the pictures that show the different areas of my life where I am thankful.

Check out the website to see the other bloggers’ submissions and interpretations of this theme.

Thursday’s Thoughts featuring author K P Smith #YA #NewRelease #NewBeginnings

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Welcome to TOW monthly feature call Thursday’s Thoughts. On the last Thursday in the month, I share the thoughts of a featured author in the form of answers to questions I posed to them.

August’s featured author is K P Smith.

An image posted by the author.
How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since forever. Long before I became an author, I wrote countless words, thoughts and ideas down in notebooks. Journaling was a lifeline for me. It was my therapy and my coping mechanism during the tough times of growing up. Writing is cleansing and therapeutic for me.

I’m an avid reader so I wanted to write a book since I read “Hey God It’s Me Margaret” by Judy Blume. My dream of becoming an author was actualized in 2011.

Who is one author that you would like to collaborate with?

We have to go to the great beyond. Sidney. Sheldon.That.Is.All.

What has been the best compliment you have received?

I don’t think I can pick one. But anytime someone tells me something I’ve said or written has helped, inspired or encouraged them always make me feel like I’m doing something useful.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I have two teenage sons that keep me busy. When I do get some time for me, I do have my favorite tv shows I like to watch sitting on my loveseat with my tweepers on Twitter. I also love a good movie and a good book, of course.

Who is K P Smith? She believes everyone is here for a reason. They are here for a purpose. Life is a gift to be enjoyed not endured. We are here to thrive not merely survive. Whether it’s penning My Growing Pains Series or her upcoming non-fiction books, or coaching first time indie authors or helping people with their relationships; she is always discovering new ways to help people live their best lives possible.

The only thing better than watching my favorite shows is watching it with millions of others via twitter!! She is a major tweeter!

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Book Blurb: Kendra’s in high school! New Beginnings abound at home, school and in her relationships. Things are changing at lightning speed.

She’s saying hello and embracing new relationships while at the same time coping with heart breaking good-byes of others.

Patrice convinces her to give an “old friend” another chance. This coupled with an unplanned chain of events catapults Kendra from a place of obscurity to center stage at school. Center stage has her wedged in a long standing school rivalry which will divide and test her loyalties. And threaten her new relationships.

Kendra isn’t the only one embarking on new beginnings. A health scare creates a new family dynamic but even with a new dynamic it’s the same family drama. The family tension escalates and bubbles over and with Meme gone Papa is left trying to keep the family intact.

High school brings about “A New Katrina” and Avery and Jamie don’t escape the winds of change blistering through either.

New Beginnings is the next chapter in the Growing Pains Series. Kendra’s journey continues. In Book Two she finds her own place her own voice in her own way.

Photo Blogging #Challenge September 2015 theme: Happy #photoblog

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September’s theme for the photo blogging challenge hosted by http://hoohaablog.com/ was Happy. The only challenge this month was to only pick 5 pictures.

Picture 1 – Gatlinburg, TN
Labor Day weekend hubby and I went to the mountains and stayed in a cabin with 10 our friends. Most of our days were spent sitting on the porch looking at the mountains. It was fun, relaxing with people we love. As one quote says, “Friends are the family you choose.”

mountains

Picture 2 – Whoopie pies at a local Business networking mixer
When the local college hosted a business networking mixer, their onsite catering company provided the food. The catering company is none other than Old Main Catering. Their pastry chef makes the BEST whoopie pies. For you who do not know what a whoopie pie is, it is a mound shaped cake that has a delicious filling. It looks like a cookie, but has the texture of cake. Pictured are lemon and chocolate.

whoopie pies

Picture 3 – Belizean restaurant in Los Angeles, CA
Sadly my great-aunt passed away in September (she was 88). The family gathered together in California to attend the funeral. Since my family is from Belize, we went to Belizean Fish Market to pick up food for lunch once everyone was in town. Some of my cousins, I had not seen in years. While we were gathered for a sad occasion, being around family to celebrate her life and love. My favorite menu item: panades! (if you are in LA, go here for delicious authentic Belizean food)

belizean fish market

Picture 4 – Almond Joy inspired mousse
I attended a restaurant menu preview dinner night. The chef is testing recipes before they officially open. One of the dessert items was the Almond Joy inspired mousse. It was delicious! I thought it would be too sweet but it was perfect. The coconut flavor was not overpowering. The cookie provided texture without being too much.

almond joy inspired mousse

Picture 5 – Inflatables & Obstacle course 5K
I signed up to participate in a 5K that included an obstacle course and several inflatables. My friend had as a goal to complete a 5K this year and I decided to do it with her. All together, there were 16 obstacles and 4 inflatables. It was fun and I would do it again. Hopefully next time, it will not be raining. The inflatable pictured was the last one. I was happy that I made it to the end.

inflatables

Photo Blogging #Challenge May 2015 theme: #Spring #photoblog

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May 2015

May’s theme for the photo blogging challenge hosted by http://hoohaablog.com was Spring.

I did a lot in the month of May. So again, the hardest part about this was deciding which pictures to use. Enjoy! I welcome your comments 🙂

Photo #1
Every May, there is a golf tournament that is held in our community. It is part of the Symentra tour and the ladies participate to be able to get a card on the LPGA tour. I volunteer for help because it is a fun event. Plus, a portion of the proceeds go to local non-profits that promote women’s health issues. I worked at the scoring tent and was able to meet the golfers as they were finishing their round. Since they were finished for the day, they were more relaxed and talked more freely.

Photo #2
We went to Belize for a family reunion. My grandmother was born in Belize City and wanted us to get to know our extended family still living there. It was an awesome trip (future post about that). This is a view at the pool at our hotel Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza. Great hotel! I enjoyed taking in some sun. When it got too hot, I would dip into the pool. 🙂

Photo #3
My aunt and I went to Caye Caulker to go to the beach. This is a picture of sand on one of the tables that was at a restaurant. The table was in the water with an umbrella. We had our drinks while enjoying being in the water at the same time. I really liked the color contrast of the sand and the table, so I took the picture.

Photo #4
On Memorial day weekend, the hubs and I went camping. This trip was planned since January so that we could get the spot we wanted at the campground. We went fishing. This is the first time for me in the last 20 years. I could this little bugger. He ate my worm but was too small to keep. We threw him back.

Photo #5
On the same camping trip, we went for a nature hike. This was one of the views we saw. The lake has only been in existence for about 40 years when the dam was built. The dead trees shown were there before the area was flooded and turned into a lake. I did not know that. Hubs explained the history. Random thought: I love the sky in this picture.

BONUS picture!!!
This is a picture of our glowing campfire coals. I am mesmerized by hot coals because you can see the heat emanating from them. Plus, I want to touch even though I know it would burn my skin off.

I had a fun month and cannot wait to see what June will bring 🙂

Click to check out other bloggers photo challenge submission links

Photo Blogging #Challenge April 2015 theme: #Family #friends #photoblog

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April’s theme for the photo blogging challenge hosted by http://hoohaablog.com was Friends and Family.

The hardest part about this was deciding which pictures to use. I love my friends and family. We are always doing things and taking pictures. I wanted to have fun and be different, so I did not go for the usual poses for the most part.

Photo #1
I attended a religous congregational gathering/party and the reason was “just because”. We ate, laughed, and enjoyed each other company. The children ran around outside, yelling and screaming, joyfully being kids. One of the friends in our congregation is a baker and made the cake in the picture. He decorated it to delight of the children. The inside was a 4-layered tres leches (three milks cake). I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but trust me it was good. So delish!

Photo #2
Our wedding anniversary is in April. We celebrated four years. Hubby’s gift to me was this pendant from a jeweler we know. I have always wanted an initials pendant and this year I got one. I got hubby a tablet. He was just as pleased with his gift 🙂

Photo #3
On our anniversary weekend, we went to Mayfield Dairy in Georgia. They are known for their yellow milk jugs (supposed to prevent vitamin loss in the milk). We took a tour and saw how milk is pasteurized, how chocolate milk is made, and how the jugs are filled and packaged to deliver to the stores. Afterwards, we had some delicious Mayfield ice cream. There were so many flavors to choose from. I chose butter pecan. I recommend going for a tour. It is inexpensive and interesting. If you have children, they will enjoy seeing how milk gets from the cow to the store.
1160 Broadway Ave — Braselton, GA 30517 — 706-654-9180 | 888-298-0396

Photo #4
My Nana wanted to go shopping for some new shoes. To put this into perspective, she is 92 years old. While she is quite mobile, she is legally blind. She lost most of her vision late in life and is not happy about it. The grumpiness manifests itself in many different ways, most often through her wisecracks. It makes every shopping trip so much fun. Plus, we entertain anyone within hearing distance. After trying on 15 pairs of shoes, she decided to buy these. She likes these because they do not look like “old lady shoes”. I told her that she is at the age that she could wear old lady shoes. She disagreed.

Photo #5
My work family had a team participating in the local Dancing with the Stars, a dance competition to benefit the non-profit organization Beyond Abuse (beyondabuse.info). I was on the team of dancers that enthusiastically performed our hearts out last Saturday night. Our team won the People Choice award and the award for most money raised by a team. The dance competition was enjoyable, but it was also fun to practice with work colleagues over the last few months to get ready for the event. We were happy to play a part in assisting the agency raise the funds they need to operate. I did not take a picture of our group but I was able to get a picture of some of the decor.