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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

POE December Slide Show - Holiday Magic

Happy holidays to all. The Photographers of Etsy have done one last slide show for 2009; it's called "Holiday Magic". Robyn of FromMyEye.etsy.com did such a great job of putting it together. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do:



In case you can't see the video above, you can find it here.

Peace, Judi

Friday, December 11, 2009

Validation

My friend, Karen, posted this film on her blog the other day. It's so great, I just had to share it with everyone.

It takes about 15 minutes to watch but is well worth the time. You're so worth it!



If you don't see the video above, you can catch it here.

Peace, Judi

Sunday, December 6, 2009

The View From My Home Office

This is a short video of what I was watching from my office window this morning. (No need for sound as you'll mostly hear my creaking chair!)

I hope watching helps to relax you.



If you can't see the video, you can find it here.

Peace, Judi

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Continuing On A Theme

In keeping with the positivity theme of last Thursday, here's a video clip from "The Singing Detective", the series starring Michael Gambon.

I highly recommend the series, if you have a chance to rent it.



In case you don't see the video above, you can find it here.

Peace to all, Judi

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday - Positivity


Don't you just feel better when you concentrate on the positive things in your life?


Since "they" say the mind doesn't know the difference between what is real and what it is imagining, why not switch from dwelling on negative outcomes to positive ones and see what happens!


Peace, Judi

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday - Thanksgiving

No turkey for dinner tomorrow. Here's some of what's on the menu:

Lipton Soup onion dip and chips
Hot cheese dip with crackers
Stuffed celery
Lobster
Potatoes
Corn on the cob
Broccoli with buttered crumbs
Apple pie
Chocolate Overkill Pie ( http://whatwouldgingerdo.blogspot.com/2009/06/chocolate-overkill-pie.html )
Cosmopolitans
Beer
Wine

Chocolate Overkill Pie

May you all have a healthy and happy Thanksgiving and holiday seaason.

Peace, Judi

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday - Happiness


Happy Thursday!

I just received these tips in an email and had to share:

'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:


1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply..

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.. '

What do you think?

Peace to all, Judi

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

POE October Slide Show

I hope you enjoy this fall foliage slide show featuring work from the Photographers of Etsy.



Peace, Judi

Monday, October 26, 2009

Lots of Ramblings

First off, I want to thank Melissa and Julie of the BBGG for a great meeting this past Tuesday. Faith’s presentation regarding climate change was fantastic. I won’t go into the whole thing here, but she did ask us each to think about these 2 things:

What small, simple change, will you make to help with your impact on the environment?
What big change are you willing to make?


On Wednesday I attended the 19th Annual Matthew & Marcia Simons Research Symposium on Alzheimer’s Disease. Matthew lost his life to Alzheimer’s in 1989 and his wife, Marcia, dedicated her time caring for him and then to the cause in general. It was through their generosity that an endowment enables the research symposium to help educate those with the disease and their families and caretakers.

The presenter this year was David A. Bennett, MD. As is stated in his bio “Dr. Bennett is internationally known for his work on the Religious Orders Study and the Rush Memory and Aging Project, the two largest, ongoing, multi-year studies of aging and Alzheimer’s Disease.” In these projects, participants are basically in controlled environments and their physical and mental state is reviewed regularly; they also must agree to donate their brains upon their death so that the state of their brain can be studied as well.

I will now attempt to summarize some of the information he imparted (without the science behind it.) Disclaimer – I’m writing this from notes that I took, so please view it as very general info that could have some flaws and things that are missing.

Dr. Bennett talked about behaviors and traits that in combination are more likely to manifest as Alzheimer’s Disease. Some of these make one more vulnerable and others more resilient, as he has determined in his studies.

Things that may make you more vulnerable – depression; psychic distress such as neuroticism, worry, tenseness, helplessness; and finally loneliness including social isolation.

Things that may make one more resilient, help protect against developing the disease – the number of years of education, 18 years in fact is remarkably more so than 15 years; cognitive activities including reading, playing games, visiting museums, and even watching TV if not to the exclusion of everything else; physical activity, the more the better; social engagements such as going to restaurants, sporting events, volunteering, spending time with family/friends; conscientiousness – being self-disciplined, scrupulous, and purposeful; social networks – relatives and friends that you see regularly; processing resources – perceptual speed, mental comparison, working memory; and finally, purpose in life.

He noted that AD may affect decision making, even before diagnosis.

Some things one can/should do – control diabetes and high blood pressure; relax; engage in the resilient behaviors listed above.

For more information on Alzheimer’s Disease and resources, in the Boston area please visit http://www.alz.org/MANH (leave off that last bit to find a chapter in your part of the world) or telephone 617-868-6718.




The final thing for today is to note the passing of a very dear friend last Thursday. Her name was Marie. We attended the same exercise class (Jazzercise), first spoke in the local Stop & Shop one night after class, and hit it off immediately. Her granddaughter and my daughters were in the same recreation department gymnastics classes for years, and eventually on the high school team together. In 2000, I started a knitting group which meets at my house once a month; Marie was one of the original members. We also attended many folk music events together (a story for another day).

Marie was a warm and caring person, always putting everyone else before herself. She is, and will continue to be, sorely missed.


Peace to all, Judi

Monday, October 19, 2009

Fun Weekend

On Saturday and Sunday I participated in the Arlington Open Studios, a local event held within the old Gibbs Junior High School.


This building is divided and rented to several organizations including the Arlington Center for the Arts, the organizers of the open studios event.





My booth or shop or space was located in the gymnasium. I had a nice corner directly opposite the entrance to the room.


These first three shots are of my booth as I set it up Saturday.

Following the helpful advice of my neighbors on either side, I did change the set up quite a bit on Sunday, but sadly forgot to take additional pictures.


Thank you to all of my customers, and friends and family who came by to give moral support. Sales are great, but words of encouragement, from strangers as well as those I know, are just as important.


And thanks to Peggy Hodge for her wonderful custom cut matting, you can see my TTV images in them in the middle of the table here. Look for these images soon to be in my Etsy shop!







Here are a couple of my brand new necklaces which sold this weekend, look for some of the others to be posted soon in my shop!







Thanks to everyone for making it a very special weekend!


Peace to all,
Judi

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday - Thankfulness!



My thought today is about thankfulness. How often do we stop and think with gratitude about all we are given - without judgment of "good" or "bad"?

I am especially grateful today. One of my photographic prints is included in this treasury. You can click here to see it for yourself until Sunday at 12:34 PM.

Thank you TrinityLynn for including it with the other wonderful items in this tribute to autumn's gorgeous colors.

Peace, Judi

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday




For the last few weeks I have been feeling overwhelmed with all of the technology and sites I’ve been trying to maintain. Meanwhile my printer has broken (just when I’m trying to prepare for a show) and my laptop is often as “slow as cold molasses running up a hill on a winter’s day” as my father used to day. As a result, I have really backed off from everything to a certain extent.

I started the photography business because of the creativity it allowed, but that has taken a back seat to the networking and marketing aspects – not a good place for me to be.

I read some time ago that one should pick 3 things to focus on, any more than that and none of them are done well. I am going to determine my 3 things and start doing just that.

So that brings me to today's thoughtful question, or in this case questions – it’s a three-fer today.

1. Do you have 3 things you focus on each day or week?
2. Can one really get more done when multitasking or does this just cause more self-induced stress and thus less productivity?
3. What if you vowed to be technology free at least one day a week?


Peace,
Judi

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Seth Glier on TV

I hope you'll be able to see this video. If not, please come to my blog to check it out.




Peace to all, Judi

Friday, October 2, 2009

It's October


Sorry to have missed Thoughtful Thursday yesterday, please look for it's return next week.
October is breast cancer awareness month - have you or your loved one had a mammogram yet?
Peace, Judi

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Thank You!


Thanks to everyone that donated to my recent fundraising request for the Alzheimer's Association's Greater Boston Memory Walk 2009.
Thanks to all of you I was able to surpass my $1000 goal and help even more people than I hoped for.
The day of the event, the rain held off until after the walk was finished and we were heading home.
In this photo are the other members of our team - from the left, my daughter Jenn, her husband, Matt, my sister, Sue, in front, my cousin, Gregg, in the rear, his wife, Wanda, and little ol' me. My cousin's daughter, Amelia, was there too, but hid in back as she didn't want her picture taken. Take my word for it - she's a cutie!!
Thanks again, peace to all, Judi

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday - Helping Others

2009 Recruitment Video from Action Alz on Vimeo.



The video probably didn't post through to Facebook. Please go to http://judisjems.blogspot.com to view it.

Please consider a small donation on my fundraising site - the Greater Boston Walk is this Sunday, 9/27/2009. Thank you in advance.

Peace, Judi

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ETP Revisited

Happy Wednesday,

For those in the greater Boston area, especially if you are on or near the North Shore, I just want to let you know that a new session of the Entrepreneurial Training Program at Northern Essex Community College begins in just a couple of weeks.

Please see this post for my impressions, and don't miss the latest comment made by Christine, a recent attendee to the program.

Here's the latest information on the program and who/how to contact:

Entrepreneurial Training Program
The ETP is designed to assist students to prepare and implement a specific, comprehensive business plan tailored to each individual entrepreneur and to provide the skills and knowledge with which to successfully implement that plan.
This intensive, comprehensive, non-credit, 20-week program covers all aspects of starting and operating a business. The curriculum includes sessions on market research, marketing tools, product/service differentiation, networking, sales techniques, presentation skills, financial management, as well as legal and insurance issues, human resources, time management, and more.
Instructor Paul Jermain of Jermain & Company, combines intensive classroom work and guest presenters, as well as one-on-one consulting to assist each entrepreneur during the start-up phase of the business.
Classroom training is followed by business plan presentations, independent work and 1:1 consulting to assist in implementing the business plan.
The next session will begin October 6, 2009, with classes at the Northern Essex Corporate and Community Education Center in North Andover.
Please note all interested individuals must attend an information session, complete an application and interview for acceptance into the program.
This program is MA Section 30 approved. Some dislocated workers and others may qualify for tuition assistance.
Call Diane Zold-Gross at 978-659-1221 or email at dzoldgross@necc.mass.edu or Dianne (Dee) Lahaye at 978-659-1222 or email dlahaye@necc.mass.edu for details, directions, and to reserve your seat. You may also call Workforce Development and Community Education about this program and other non-credit courses and programs at 978-659-1200, or visit our website at: www.necc.mass.edu/noncredit/index/php
Peace, Judi

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday


Got this in an email yesterday, seems perfect for a TT post:

Natural Highs

Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one. It Does Make You Feel Good, especially the thought at the end of #44.

1.Falling in love.
2.Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3.A hot shower.
4.No lines at the supermarket.
5.A special glance.
6.Getting mail.
7.Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8.Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9.Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11.Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry ).
12.A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach..
16.Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17.Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19.. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no rea son at all.
22.Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24.Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
25 . Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
26. Your first kiss (the very first).
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28. Playing with a new puppy.
29.Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31.Hot chocolate.
32.Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34.Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35.Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
38.Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad)never change.
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44 . Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.


Peace, Judi

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

TTV Slideshow


Happy Wednesday!
I made a slideshow of my Flickr TTV set - you can see it here or by clicking on the photo above.
TTV is short for "through the viewfinder". It is a technique where you use one camera (usually digital) to shoot the image seen on the viewfinder of another camera (usually an old twin-lens reflex, in my case an Anscoflex II. Many people use Kodak Duaflex.)
I'd love to hear your comments on any of the images or the show as a whole. And feel free to ask questions about the technique!
Peace, Judi

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday


Has there been an actual cure created for any disease since polio?

There sure are lots of drugs to keep people alive but dependent on the meds.

What's your thinking on this?

Peace, Judi

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Ted Kennedy

A moment of silence in honor of Senator Ted Kennedy, the senior senator from the great state of Massachusetts, where I live.

Peace, Judi

Monday, August 24, 2009

Tribute to Dad

I hope you are not tired of reading about and seeing photos of my family this month; this should be last for a while.

My father, Steve, was born August 24, 1905 and died January, 1993. He would have been 104 today - he was 14 years older than my mother, 39 when he married, and 43 when I was born!




He didn't serve in the army until WWII. He had previously been rejected because he had flat feet, but during the war they were taking everyone; he did clerical work in Texas. Didn't he look handsome in his uniform?
Dad worked for the Boston Edison for something like 43 years - here he is on his 30th anniversary.

Here he is on his 8oth birthday at the surprise party we threw in his backyard.



And this is in 1987, sitting in his kitchen.
Just as with Mum( Ruthie) and Ed, he is sorely missed. They just don't make people like this anymore.
Peace, Judi



Thursday, August 20, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tribute to Ed

If my father-in-law, Ed, were still alive he would have turned 90 today. Although I divorced his son, I never "divorced" Ed or the rest of the family.


Above are Ed and my mother-in-law, Alice, dancing at my wedding in 1970.


And here he is in September of 2006 wearing his Red Sox sweatshirt and his favorite "fishing" hat.
He was a great guy, loved by all!
Peace, Judi

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday



Just suppose:

You buy only what you actually need, and pay for it with ca$h instead of credit.

Peace, Judi

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Would Love To Comment


Well, I've tried to comment on several blogs just now, but it seems there are problems. Each time I try I get a different bX-xxxxx error. I've given up trying to report it on the forums, there are already at least 11 pages of similar reports out there!!


So, until another day, peace to all and "keep cool"!

Judi

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Tribute to Mum

If my mother, Ruth, were still alive, she would have turned 90 today. Sadly, she passed in 2004, just shy of 85.

Here are some pictures from her life - enjoy!



Here she is at 10 months old, taken in 1920. This was found while working on cleaning out the house.


I believe this is the photo taken upon her graduation from secretarial school. Mum gave me this picture of herself a long time ago. She seemed so serious!

This is both of my parents, in my front yard, sometime prior to 1990. I believe it was taken by my sister.


And here is "Ruthie" at her 80th birthday party. Finally enjoying herself!
Peace to all, Judi








Thursday, July 30, 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

RedBubble Fabulous Flowers Featured Items



EDIT: 07/29/2009 - Just need to set the record straight - these are not my flowers, in fact there isn't even one of mine in this slideshow.

These are the featured items currently in the Fabulous Flowers group on RedBubble.

Glad you all like them; hope you'll check out these other artists' shops and work!

Peace, Judi

Saturday, July 25, 2009

More Wins!


This is the third time I've won something in the Treasure Hunt Blog Loop contest. Thank you, Carole, for picking me in the random drawing!
And the way Carole offered her prize, if the winner was also a blog follower, s/he got to choose a second ACEO. You can see my selections above, which I found in Carole's shop. Yes, Carole allowed me to pick my own prizes from her shop offerings.

The other win I recently had was this Visual Journals give-away. I will let you know in the future whether it really helps my left and right brains to better communicate. Gosh knows, after being a techie for so long I'm sure I could use it. Thank you, Bill, and your randomizer for this honor!

I am feeling so blessed and grateful that all of these good things are coming my way. I can now say "I win things all the time!"

Peace to all, Judi

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Friday, July 17, 2009

I've Received The Lemonade Award!


Much to my surprise, Marlene gave me this award. I'm late accepting it through no one's fault but my own.

A Lemonade Award is awarded for a great attitude or show great gratitude. Thank you so much for this award Marlene.

Here are the rules....
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 - 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.
3. Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4. Tell them they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to your post.
I know I am copping out by not sending the award on to specific blogs. If you are reading this, then feel free accept this award from me - you rock!
I have several lists of blogs and web sites that I enjoy and would read daily if time permitted. Please find then in the sidebar. Many of them deserve this award; I'm just going to let you make up your own mind!
Thanks again, Marlene, for the generous award. I am truly grateful!
Please visit Marlene's blog and her Lazyhawk Etsy Shop for some lovely artwork!
Peace, Judi

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

A Second Blog Love Thank You and Folk Festival

On June 22, 2009, I won a beautiful piece of art on a blog contest you can read about here.

For the second time, these same Etsy sellers held a blog treasure hunt contest, and again I was one of the winners! I won another ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) from Marlene of lazyhawk.etsy.com (yes, the same as last time) and here it is:


It is titled “Desert Cactus”. Another fabulous addition to my growing collection of ACEOs - thank you, Marlene!!

I hope you will check out Marlene’s shop to see all the other wonderful work available there.

As it happens, this week the same bloggers are having yet another contest. This time the hunt is on for water. Please check out these great blogs and the Etsy stores of the owners:

Marlene: http://marlenes-musings.blogspot.com/ http:lazyhawk.etsy.com

Kathy: http://tapestry316.blogspot.com/ http://tapestry316.etsy.com

Allie: http://www.allieart4children.blogspot.com/ http://www.allieart4children.etsy.com/

Pam: http://alwaysartistic.blogspot.com/ http:// alwaysartistic.etsy.com

Carole: http://readingsully2.blogspot.com/ http://readingsully2.etsy.com


On another front, this past weekend I attended the annual event known as New Bedford Summerfest. There were 6 tents with almost constant music. And if you needed a break from that, there were craft and food vendors galore!











I’ve included a few of the pics of performers here. If you’re interested, as I finish editing them I’ll be posting them to Flickr here.

Peace to all, Judi
(Edit at 12:45 PM - there was another A1 ad, so I've removed them from beneath the posts. This was just too much for a vegetarian to take!)

Friday, July 3, 2009

Horrified Almost-vegetarian



I can't believe I just came to my blog to add a new post and what do I find? The Google ad below my entry about my daughter's 99.9% vegan birthday dinner was for A1 sauce with a picture of a steak alternating with a hamburger.


When I signed up I thought the ads would be relevant to the content in each post, and sure it was about food, but the word vegan was definitely in the keywords. I have no idea whether this sauce has any animal products in it, but will now have to research that for another day.


As the old TV commercial queried: "What's a mother to do?".


Peace, Judi


P.S. Do you think this post will generate an add for some lovely Boca Burgers, Tofurkey Sausage, or maybe some Not Dogs? One can only hope!

Friday, June 26, 2009

BLOG – Jenn’s Birthday Dinner, 2009

Yesterday, June 25th, was my daughter Jennifer’s birthday – as she calls it the anniversary of the date “she popped out” or I “popped her out”. (Not too far off, it was only 5 hours of labor – thank you, Jenn!)

So, I invited Jenn and her husband, Matt, to come to my house for a “light dinner”. I heard on the weather reports that it was supposed to be a warm day, and the sun to finally come out, so I decided to go with foods I could get ready early and refrigerate until time to eat the meal.

Here’s the menu:

Mock Tuna Salad
Red Potato Sald
Italian-style Marinated Carrots
Ginger’s Chocolate Overkill Pie
Plus Trader Joe’s Soy Cream Cherry Chocolate Chip Non-dairy Frozen Dessert
Sparking Wine

I found the Mock Tuna Salad recipe here. Although it is meant to be vegan, and almost was, I did use actual mayonnaise as I already had it and it was open in the refrigerator. BTW, this was the only part of the meal that was not vegan!!! (Side note - I don't like dill pickle in my tuna, so I left that out.)


For the potato salad, I used a “recipe” that was once demonstrated during a Labor Day weekend Saturday morning news show – GMA or Today or ??? I can’t give you specific amounts as I just do it by eye or feel each time. Also, this tastes different everytime I make it depending on brands and amounts of each ingredient.

Red-skinned potatoes (enough to feed the number of people plus some for leftovers!)
Oil
Mustard
Dill
Salt
Scallions, sliced

Cut up the potatoes into pieces as close to the same size as possible, keeping them somewhat large. Boil them in water until they are fork tender. Remove from heat and drain in a colander. I then return them to the pan because the heat, but not the burner, to help evaporate the last of the water.

The rest of the ingredients should be put on the potatoes while they are still hot. Then chill until serving time – if you can wait that long!

As I said above, the brand/type of oil and mustard will change the flavor. Also, I have used red onions, chopped fairly small, in place of the scallions. The dill can be fresh or dried.


The marinated carrots are from a recipe that can be found in the original edition of “Cooking the Whole Foods Way” by Christina Pirello. I looked for it on her website, but it is not there. I haven’t checked the new version of the book, but I sure hope it is there. I regret I cannot post it here as I don’t want to infringe on the copyright. Maybe you can find the book at your local library (or if you’re nearby and want to make it, you can borrow my copy for a few days.) The ingredients are few and it is simple to make – the cooked carrots are soaked in a vinegar/oil/garlic/herb concoction. Delicious and easy.




I’ve left the best for last. A few posts ago now, Ginger of the blog Wild Ginger presented us with the most yummy-looking Chocolate Overkill Pie – 100% vegan. Trust me - you don't have to be a vegan, or even a vegetarian, to love it - if you love chocolate to the point of ecstasy!
Loaded with protein, calories, and deliciousness! You can find Ginger’s recipe here. I realize Ginger recommends a coconut frozen product, but the TJ’s one is Jenn’s favorite, and believe me, it went very well with the pie.

If you’d like to see all the pics I took, you can check out my Flickr set here.

There you have it, a 99.9% vegan meal that was delicious and satisfying.

Please go check out Jenn’s blog to see what she has to say.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peace, Judi

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

My Blog Won Another Award!

OK, Blogger is not making me happy today. First, this was supposed to be published automatically earlier this morning, but that didn't happen. Second, and this may be Blogger or Facebook - yesterday's blog entry never made it to FB. I may be a computer geek, but some days I hate computers! Ranting is over, on to the good stuff for today.


Julie of Julie Magers Soulen Photography has awarded me the Premio Meme Award. I am honored to be a recipient! Thank you, Julie!


The rules of this award state that I am to give 7 facts about myself and pass it to 7 people. Here we go!


1. I am a computer geek that works with IBM mainframe and midrange systems software.

2. I love knitting, crocheting, sewing, counted cross-stitch, and many other crafts.

3. Although it's beautiful to look at and photograph, I hate to have to shovel snow.

4. I have two wonderful, full-grown daughters, a terrific son-in-law, and another very nice young man that I hope will be my second SIL someday - I am blessed.

5. A friend and I both turned 60 this year and threw ourselves a huge party with folk-music, singer-songwriter David Roth as the live entertainment.

6. I visit Maine often and may just move there someday (even though there is probably more snow each winter than where I live now!)

7. I drive a Prius, currently getting 48.4 MPG.


Now to pass this award along to 7 deserving blog owners (in no particular order):















Peace, Judi