Temperatures finally broke double digits yesterday allowing Mikey and I to get out for a short walk.
This tree captured my attention.
Every branch is discovering its own way,
and each has its own unique beauty.
Kinda like all of us…
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
P.S. I am sharing this photo on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Wood
Living surrounded by woods is such a nice way to share our home with the beauty and the beasts nature provides.
I think this girl is beautiful as she prances along the edge of the woods and our yard.
Our furry son, on the other hand, thinks these “beasts” need shooed away and makes it his mission to bark and chase and keep them out of “Mikey’s yard.”
So while Mikey was barking and acting tough and big and ferocious (to no avail!), I grabbed my camera and caught a shot of this girl in the shadows of the woods yesterday…..
and I told Mikey we are allowed to share our home with her… (I just wish she wouldn’t eat my hostas!)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Snow birds stay
and weather the storms,
frolicking and fluttering about.
I will nourish your soft and feathery frames,
while you nurture my heart and soul.
I love color, but sometimes, life in Monochrome is pretty cool too!
So – Yep – I get this look pretty often from these two! But I secretly know it really means they love me a lot!
Two of my precious boys: Nick and Mikey.
Anybody else agree with me that they could be models?! 🙂
Christmas is beautiful in color, but isn’t it oh so magnificent and nostalgic and warm and cozy in black and white?
Mud puddle reflections cause me to stop and gaze and ponder and reflect on the simple pleasures and the majestic beauty of nature.
I’ve got your back, if you’ve got mine…
And snowflakes look just as amazing (if not more) in Black and White…
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I am NOT a fan of hunting season.
My Mom makes me stay in the house because she is afraid all of the crazy hunters outside in the woods might think I am a deer.
So instead – she does silly things like this!
And I will […heavy sigh...] shamelessly do ANYthing for a treat!
Will someone please tell my Mom I am a “dear,” not a deer!
Most sincerely,
(Mikey McKinney) 
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Today is the first day of firearms deer-hunting season in Pennsylvania.
Per CBS Pittsburgh: “Hundreds of thousands of hunters headed into the woods of Pennsylvania early this morning in hopes of snagging a buck. Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say they were expecting 750,000 hunters statewide to take part in this opening day of deer season. For many in western Pennsylvania, today marks a family tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. “It’s just part of our heritage. It’s in the DNA of people who live [here],” said Pa. Wildlife Conservation Officer Gary Fujak. “When hunters are out there, they need to keep that in mind, that they’re actually providing a good public service to manage our deer population here,” he said.”
Mars, PA that is…
Remember how I posted the gorgeous 70 degree F day on Tuesday (two short days ago)??
Today, Mikey and I headed out for a short lunch time walk, and look what is happening!!
THE WHITE STUFF! And it is 36 degrees F. I actually had to put a coat on for the first time.
So – ok – it wasn’t like a blizzard or anything (in fact it had just started, and I had to try pretty hard to find objects with enough snow on to get a photograph :). Remember it was 70 degrees two days ago…
But the first snow – no matter how much – is always kind of exciting… like a right of passage to the holiday season…
In faaaccctttt……. I think I might start playing the Christmas tunes…
(That always causes all kinds of trouble around here with my grinches guys – tee hee hee!)
Ask me in February – or maybe even January – how I feel about the snow, and I imagine it will be a whole different story! But from now until New Year’s, I love it.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
What would life be like without great friends? I sure don’t want to know, and am so fortunate to have some of the best of the best. This weekend, Marty and I went away with some of our dearest – to our 1st Annual Couples Camp Weekend Retreat.
Hopefully the first of many. No matter where we roam…
I went away for the weekend without my computer – but not without my camera! 🙂
I hope you will enjoy my little tribute to our wonderful weekend.
My BFF, Jill, was the head organizer of our shenanigans, and in her words: “Todd, a member of the Chopped Chaps (and a.k.a.Rocco Scarfazzi) and I, a member of the Chopped Chicks (and a.k.a. Mama Rosa) highly recommend that all of our friends coordinate a Couple’s Camp weekend. Great fun. Lots of laughter. Many life stories shared. And the realization that life long friends and connections are priceless! So go make some memories!”
Here was our agenda (as prepared by Jill):
After a relaxing Friday evening, drinks and snacks and belly laughs until our cheeks hurt, we all trickled into the kitchen Saturday morning, fueled up with some coffee, and prepared to compete in a battle of “CHOPPED!”
I made aprons for the “Chopped Chaps”
and the “Chopped Chicks”
and prepared three basket rounds of competitive food fun.
Basket #1 was Breakfast Fare and the Chaps and Chicks were challenged to create a breakfast dish using the following basket ingredients:
Basket Round 1: Breakfast Fare
Eggs
Link Sausage
Green Onions
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Bacon Cheddar Potato Chips
Though the guys were “poo-pooing” us in the beginning, they rose to the challenge, and even admitted to having fun!
The chicks were quite that strategists and competitors.
They created a beautiful and delicious frittata for Round 1.
While the men created a scrumptious scramble.
that even contained the words “Hideaway” written in cheddar cheese….
in honor of the name of the resort we stayed at…
a beautiful vacation home tucked in the wooded hills (I didn’t know there were such hills in Ohio!) near Columbus, Ohio compliments of Jill’s dear (and who we fondly refer to as a bit “crazy”) Aunt Alice and Uncle Eric, and cousins Maggie and Tom. THANK YOU so much!
The chicks won Round 1 with their fabulous fritatta!
On to Round 2 for Brunch Fare:
Basket Round 2: Brunch Fare
Polenta
Pasta Sauce
Peppercorn Bacon
Capers
Cheese and Garlic Croutons
Mary thought a little red wine might “enhance” the sauce.
but alas the Chaps won Round 2. (Per Judge Marty keep in mind!)
Round 3 brought on the Dessert Challenge:
Basket Round 3: Dessert
Whole Wheat Pop Cakes
Biscoff Spread
Vanilla Yogurt
Vanilla Cream Soda
Sour Patch Peaches
With one win for each side, the competition was getting fierce!
And both teams pulled out all the guns! The chicks made these amazing parfaits.
The chaps created these masterpieces.
And the Chaps took the Gold!
Judge Marty could not resist eating the entire dessert, which was enhanced ever so “slightly” with Amaretto…
Even Jim impressed himself with the dessert the Chaps came through with!
The Chicks were so close behind. We all enjoyed every morsel of every one of our three meals (all before noon!)
Then it was time to burn off some of those calories and get out in the beautiful Fall sunshine. The guys decided to go for some quad/mule rides.
And us Chicks took a walk.
After a few hours of sunshine and fresh air, we decided to do a “good deed” in honor of National “Make a Difference Day” by preparing some Thanksgiving holiday craft kits for the daycare students of SHIM (South Hills Interfaith Ministry), Aunt Alice’s favorite charity.
A little Wine and Cheese Party seemed most appropriate to cap off a great afternoon.
Then it was time for dinner time shenanigans: A Murder Mystery Dinner Party hosted by Mama Rosa (Jill), who fed us Italian zuppa and some chicken and traditional lasagna. We were instructed to arrive as our pre-assigned characters to dinner for an evening of Pasta, Passion and Pistols…
You can see below from left to right: The French guy, Bo Jalais (Glenn) who wanted to takeover the family winery; the tough young sister, Angel Roni (yours truly) who was caught up in the mob; the maid turned pregnant girlfriend (Mary), the twin brother (Todd) who came to America to touch base with his family, Father Al Fredo (Jim) who listened to everyone‘s confessions, Mama Rosa (Jill) the family Matriarch, Claire Voyant (Pam), the family’s psychic counsel; and Marco Roni (Marty), the soccer loving, knife wielding baby of the family.
Yep – we ate some more, drank some more, laughed A LOT more, and solved the mystery. It was great fun.
Thank you so much Aunt Alice, Eric, Maggie and Tom for allowing us to crash your little paradise in the woods for the weekend.
As the living room mantle so aptly puts it: “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave…”
We hope we left some good ones.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The #Writing101 Group I was in had such an engaging group of people from all over the world, and I was sorry to see it end. I really enjoyed the challenges and felt they stretched me as a “writer.”
So I was super excited that several of the members took the initiative to carry on and continue our team support by forming a new group to offer writing challenges called #TheWritersHub. Our current challenge is to write a six-word story.
I combined mine with this photo I took on my Walk with My Camera today. My story sums up my life right now.
Looking up
at
life in between
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 