My weirdness & updates

First we will start with updates. Plenty of weirdness to come.
Here's my pretty new plant. Some sort of succulent, rubber leaf plant. Isn't she pretty? Glistening in the sun after a cool spray of water. Stay tuned to find out if she survives the summer. We are taking care of my mother-in-law's rose bush. The heat got to it while we were on our vacation so we cut it back and have been giving it lots of TLC and it is looking great! Just thought she'd like the update. I know nothing about roses and keep hoping it will flower but now I'm thinking...maybe it's past season? We shall see. You know I will post pics if it flowers!

I have a plant experiment going on. I recently was informed of the beauty of a sweet potato plant. So I've stuck a few in some water and watched them grow.

June 14:

fascinating little creature, isn't it!?

June 27:

June 14 :

June 27:

it's getting tropical up in here! i can't believe how fast these things grow.

why can't cilantro do this??!!

Here's what I had to convince my husband to eat on Saturday morning. Yum, right?

Yes, I said convince him! Sadly, he does not appreciate the pancake like I do.

I felt like baking and made this.

I looks awesome but I found it inedible. (Made it with applesauce instead of using butter, to cut the fat out. I'd rather have the fat.)

Funny how my husband, who resists fabulous pancakes, thinks this Chocolate Banana Bread is just fine and happily eats it with his coffee every morning. Confused? Me, too. (Notice how I put chocolate in everything? It's because that's his love language. I love you, sweetie.)


Am I weird for taking pictures of everything?

I can't help it if I see beauty in everything around me, can I?

I think it's something about looking at life through the lens of a camera.

It focuses my attention on the beauty of details and lighting.

I have to admit, I can't help it anymore... and I'm trying to not be embarrassed about it.

I tell myself that I'm just a bit eccentric and artistic. I know it's not normal.

I mean, what normal person takes a half dozen pictures of this....

I guess I'll end with an update to round things out...

I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE RN PROGRAM!

I start classes in 2 weeks. Will attend every Friday & Saturday until next May.

I have been a LPN since 2001 and have been chipping away at the requirements to get into school to become a RN. This has been quite a journey and I am BEYOND READY for this opportunity. It's my own fault it has taken me this long because I would often get off track with my goals & motivation. My husband has been so supportive and helped figure out a way for me to finally DO THIS. Thank you, Brian.

Even in this current job market & economy, I know things can only get better for us as I reach this goal.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Manual Focus

I love manual focus. I dream about taking pictures with manual focus. It's just so cool to make a camera do something I've never been able to do before. I've been reading some photography blogs so I know there are even MORE things I could do with a camera...just not the one I have. An upgrade is in my future for sure...in a few years, I guess. Until then, I am making the most of what I CAN do with my current camera.

Here are a few shots so you know what I'm talkin about.

These are the first pictures I took when I discovered how to use manual focus on our road trip in May. I've had the camera since December and couldn't figure out how to use manual focus until now! Oh, the wasted time! All the missed shots! :(

This is my first successful shot. I just love it. Am I wrong? Is this not a great shot?! :)

At my sister-in-law's graduation. We are very proud but it was a graduation ceremony...there was plenty of time to play with the camera!

This is at home the other evening. Practicing focus on something not in the foreground.

Kinda cool.

Tastes as good as it looks.

No manual focus here, just turned the camera around for a sec. Hope my bangs don't look like that all the time. Yikes.



See the subtlety of manual focus. This pic looks just fine at first glance but his face is too sharp. I want to really focus on his hand.

This is what I was aiming for. Sharp on the fingers, slightly blurred face. This statue was about 4 feet above me and it was actually night, so it took about a dozen shots to get it how I wanted.

I probably could have gotten the focus sharper but there was so much sunlight so it was hard to judge. Still makes a pretty pic though. I love how the flower looks translucent.

Wordless Wednesday: Crabs...and beer was involved.

Road Trip '09: My Favorite Photos

So green in Minneapolis. If I ever move away from the desert, it will be to this house which is across the road from the above photo. What a pretty place to live.

Chicago gave us the most BEAUTIFUL clear, blue-sky day. This is a view from the 3 story tall ferris wheel.

I'd need an entire day to check out this building. The Merchandise Mart. 100,000 sq ft. of kitchen & bath Boutiques. 4 MILLION sq ft. of floor space in this building! It's very impressive to see in person. The amazing part is that it was constructed way back in 1930!

I did a search on Chicago buildings and have yet to see better photos than the ones I got during the architecture boat tour we took. Not boasting or anything...I'm just sayin. :)

The view I had of the first several days on the road. ALOT of rain driving through Nebraska & Iowa. Made for a great shot though. Least I got something out of it, besides a nap & a headache.

What you can't tell by looking at this pretty photo....it was in Wisconsin & was 100 degrees & super windy outside. The GPS took us through back roads cutting diagonally through Wisconsin. Is this how most people take road trips? Amazing what you see when you get off the freeways.

My very favorite picture. Leaves me speechless and lost in the moment.

Want more? Don't worry, there's plenty more where these came from. Keep checking back and I'll give you something worth looking at.

Enough is Enough!

I will admit it, I have enough.

ENOUGH:

kitchen towels, hand soaps, socks, hair bands & headbands,

fingernail polish, room air freshener, candles,

plants, tank tops, flip-flops,

dress shoes, picture frames,

books needing to be read, throw pillows, sheet sets,

kitchen utensils, pots & pans, kitchen & bathroom cleaner,

tupperware, cake & loaf pans, mixing bowls, knives,

lip liner, body lotion, shower gels,

measuring cups & spoons, sweaters & scarves, bags & purses,

backpacks, wallets, note cards,

batteries, flash drives, blank cd's & dvd's,

jeans, blouses,

summer dresses, work scrubs, furniture, hair styling products,

earrings, note cards, towels, pots for plants, eye shadow,

lip gloss, sunscreen, clocks, music, car sun shades,

sunglasses, travel mugs & bottles, muffin tins,

shot glasses, coffee mugs, storage boxes.

If you can think of anything I don' t already have ENOUGH of, let me know.

In other words, I DO NOT NEED TO GO TO TARGET. EVER. AGAIN.

Thoughts. Events. Life.

It's Monday. I'm home today. I was supposed to work but they didn't need me.
I don't mind being home except I officially have too much time to think.

Too many thoughts about things happening in the lives of people around me (and a few about my own life).
So many marriages, births, illness, death, job worries, vacations, relationships broken & whole.

It's just life, right?

I guess it's just getting to me today...alone in this house. Waiting for my husband to get home from work and tell me if we have to add "job worries" to our plate.

There is so much GOOD stuff going on in the lives of those I know but there is also so much heartache & struggle. Add the state of our nation to that pile and you get one overwhelmed Olivia.

Too much time to think...I think.

Road Trip '09: The Beginning

We took a 2 week, 4600 mile, 10 state road trip in May.

I'm sure you can imagine the amount of pictures I have and am eager to share.

And travel tips....oh, did I learn alot and have tips to share!

I'll start out slow by sharing these quintessential road trip photos.

To Be Continued...

Dear So-and-So,

Dear young blonde girl I passed on the freeway,
While I'm glad you were not speeding while reading that piece of paper and talking on your cell, I do wish you had been at least going the speed limit. Or even better, NOT been on the freeway at all.


Dear Bed, Bath & Beyond,
You clearly have wonderful items and clever marketing. Today I fell for your $5 off coupon. Intending on only buying those green veggie freshness bags, I left with a reciept showing $96. I guess it could have been $101. Thanks alot for the "savings".


Dear Coffee Lady at the bookstore,
I could tell you wanted to be moody with me when I ordered my one shot of espresso w/a touch of water. But you did a fairly good job at covering your foul mood and I appreciate that. I wish the drink had been a touch hotter but I didn't want to push it with you.


Dear Cricket Cellular,
You may have great prices on your plans but there just a few too many restrictions & limitations. I'm an American, afterall. That means I want it all, everywhere, all the time. Hope you understand.

How to be productive when anxiously waiting

So, I was supposed to work today but wasn't needed. Which is totally fine with me because I have this issue I need to tackle ASAP.

I have to contact a Math Division Chair at the local community college to plead my case so I can get credit for a math class I took in 1996 in another state. Not too big of a deal, right?
Except I already went through this math class credit issue in January and thought it was resolved. I took a placement test, twice, so I could prove I already knew that stuff. Thought that pretty much took care of it. Now I have to put in my nursing program application by the first week of May and some guy tells me "you need that college credit". Needless to say, I won't be talking to that guy ever again. So I went and called someone who could give me a better answer to my problem. Let's just call her, "my girl", she told me how I might get this credit, just by contacting the Math Dept. Division Chair.
Amazingly, it was cake getting ahold of him this morning and providing, via email & links, the needed info. Now begins the whole "how to be productive when anxiously waiting" part.

Why am I so anxious about this? Because IF I don't get the credit, I have to take a stupid math class in summer school (you know what a hassle summer school is?), and I'd have to retake a nursing entrance exam, then I can apply for the nursing progam in July. The program starts in August.

Think there will be any spaces left by then? I don't either. Did I mention sitting through a math class for 6 weeks and retaking a nursing exam?? And then, I might have a shot in hell in getting in the program after all my hard work.

All this would drive me to drink if not for the fact that it's way before noon.

My only option is to make sushi rolls. And listen to Celtic Women of Song. What would you do?

Yes, I will be eating all of these. Today. All.

Still no email response from Mr. Division Chair?
I move on to salad.

Orange pepper, avocado, cilantro, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, shredded lettuce & warm white rice. Sprinkled w/sushi salad vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, sesame seeds and a spoon of pico de gallo to spice it up a bit. I don't know how I discovered I enjoy warm rice & lettuce but it's really good.

Still no email reply?

Write a blog about it all.

And stuff self with amazing, healthy, fresh salad while wishing it was a crusty sourdough, grilled cheese w/bacon sandwich.

House & Home

Thought I'd give a little update on what's going on at the GaffneyShack. :) That's funny. I just made that up. Gaffney Mansion just doesn't ring true. Here are the pics to prove it.

Exibit A: Lovely Braided Flowering Hibiscus tree from last year. Take-your-breath-away-gorgeous! Exibit B: Same tree. This year.

Exibit C: Here's another beauty from last year. I really fell in love with the Hibiscus.

Exibit D: Same plant trying its hardest to live up to my expectations. Bless its heart! I'm a sucker for plants that just won't die. Can you tell?

In other news, I'm on a nutrition and exercise kick lately. I use http://www.sparkpeople.com/ every day and am trying to have us eat even better. See!

I'm even trying to give up sugar in my coffee and adjusting my taste buds to milk alternatives. Brian is anti-milk and uses Rice milk. I'm starting to enjoy Almond Milk. We all know I don't need any of those cow milk hormones! I've got enough of my own, thank you.


I found this beauty at Sprouts. Made my very own California rolls!!!!! Notice the package does NOT say "fast" or "easy". Cause it ain't! But it's so worth it. All the Cali rolls at the store have imitation crab, no thanks.

But that wasn't enough so I stocked up with this: 2lbs sushi rice & 7 sheets of the sea weed wrap so I can make endless amounts of Cali rolls now! Yea!



Here's something at the house that actually got better than worse. Yipee! We got new fans! It was quite a project, for Brian, anyway. It was quite a Kodak moment but Brian wasn't smiling so I decided against it. They are up just in time. It might reach 100 degrees day!

Here's a sneak preview of things to come. We are making a patio cover in the backyard. Here's the bold color we chose for that and the front door and house trim. Wish us luck! The front door is already painted and so far, we love it.

That's about all for now. Hope you enjoyed this edition of GaffneyShack. :)