I Heart Faces - Fall

One of my favorite things about fall are the beautiful colors that we get to see. My family

recently visited the mountains of North Carolina and the colors were at their peak! This was

taken at one of the many pull-over-to-the-side-of-the-road-for-a-photo stops on the

Blue Ridge Parkway. Gorgeous variety of colors!!

When a baby laughs for the first time....

.....a fairy is born!

Texture

Been experimenting with textures today. =) FUN STUFF!!

I Heart PINK!!

This week's I Heart Faces challenge is pink in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. I thought I'd enter this photo because I just love the location and my beautiful model Josyln (who is only 13 by the way!); and I just love that crotcheted hat!! I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my boss, Marla Osborne, who is currently in the battle. She was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer earlier this year, right after her 50th birthday. It is an uncommon, very aggressive type. She is a strong, courageous fighter and has valiantly underwent her first set of chemo treatments and is currently undergoing radiation. She is a very strong, God-loving woman and I am so incredibly proud of the way she has fought this tough battle. She continues to work every day, coming in after her radiation treatments. She has been a true inspiration to me and so many of my coworkers. It is people like her who truly show just how strong a woman can be, with the help of the mighty hand of God. I have lost a grandmother to breast cancer and earlier this year, I lost my mother to cancer as well (though not breast). Thanks I Heart Faces for supporting NBCA month!

At the orchard

This week's I Heart Faces challenge has to do with orchards, so I figured it was a great time for me to enter since I just visited the Orchard at Altapass in western North Carolina this past weekend. Lots of great-tasting apples and of course yummy apple butter!! We had a great time!

Misc. Monday

Went outside with the kids yesterday because it was just a beautiful day. Took a few random shots of them and found a wasp's nest that I thought I'd explore closer....with my camera of course! :)

Pageant portfolio

I recently had the pleasure of doing a session for my friend's daughter who is going to be competing in our county fair beauty contest! It was so much fun and she is stunningly beautiful. I can only pity her mom for the line of boys that must be stretched out her door!! I wish her the best of luck in her competition!!!

Keens

Just got these in the mail yesterday! I love them. They are so comfy and lightweight. I am excited to test them out on the trails in a few weeks at Nantahala!

When you're bored....

....you do things like this!!

Twinkle...twinkle...

This one reminds me of the old nursery rhyme..."Star light....star bright..."

Got this one of my daughter this weekend. I like it, even though she is not smiling.

Is it strange....

......that I took 45 shots of muffins yesterday? It was my day off, so I decided to bake some blueberry muffins and some chocolate chip muffins. They looked so pretty when I was done, I couldn't resist getting some shots of them. The best part is, they taste even better than they look!!

First the bluberry ones!!

....and here are the chocolate chip ones!!

In case any of you want to try them for yourselves, here is the recipe.

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

A splash of orange juice

2 pints fresh (or frozen) blueberries

2 cups milk chocolate chips

fresh orange zest

Cream shortening and sugar; add eggs one at a time and blend. Add vanilla and orange juice. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in berries/chips. Add zest. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Makes approximately 18 muffins. I doubled the recipe to make 2 batches and then just halved the batter before adding the chocolate chips and blueberries.

For the blueberries, I put them in a pan and added about 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 cup of sugar. I also added a little orange juice (a splash) and a cinnamon stick. I let that cook down until the blueberries were soft. Then I drained them before I added them to the muffin mix. I also added a little of the blueberry liquid to the batter as well. That's it!! Hope you enjoy them!! I have to say, I think I like the blueberry ones a little better than the chocolate chip. They are more moist, I think because of the added juice.

Something's bugging me.

Poll

Thank you so much, all of you who voted. I have closed the poll. I appreciate all the great feedback I received. I have ordered the top 3 (lilly, hummingbird and daisy) and will see what they look like when I receive them. Then, I will chose which one to enter into the art show. I'll let you all know how I do! Thanks again everyone!!

Art show poll

The hospital I work for is having an art contest and is asking for submissions. I was thinking about entering one of my photos, but I need help deciding which one. I am only allowed one entry, so I have picked some of my favorites and need your help in voting which is the best. However, if you have another suggestion on one of my photos you have seen, please let me know! Thanks for helping me!!

"I once was Lost, but now I'm found."

Tears. Intensity. Joy. Sadness. Laughter. Pain. Love.

LOST.

The finale.

It had me reduced to a

crying, laughing, blubbering, sniffling, tear-wiping mess!!

Some will hate it....some will be confused....some will love it.

I am in the latter group. It was such a beautiful

way to say goodbye.

Theories will rise and people will still be confused. There will still

be unanswered questions and mysteries unsolved.

In the end, we all die....so make your life worthy of

going on to be with those you love.

Thank you LOST for an amazing show!

Across the sea...untangled.

Taking the easy way out again this week as I am swamped with work today. The one thing that is not mentioned in this video is the Adam and Eve reveal. I am happy with the reveal that it was "mother" and Jacob's brother in the cave....I'm not convinced MIB = the same person who died and Jacob placed in the cave. I think when he turned into the smoke monster, he may have turned into a whole different entity all together.

A good theory going around now is that Desmond may be immune to the light and if he is exposed to it, he will not change into the smoke monster. It may be that Desmond will have to go there or bring MIB there to return the light to its origin, and thus return the order of things. Maybe by doing this, Desmond will show MIB that people can be inherently good and this will free him from his smoke prison. I actually am kind of hoping for his release now after watching Across The Sea, but may change my mind when we see him being evil again as Flocke.

In any case, here is a recap via Lost Untangled.

Sneek peeks for next week's Lost.

Let the tears begin....:*(

Is it really true?? Did we really lose so many of our beloved Losties in last night's episode? I guess it is inevitable as the end draws near that we will lose some, but it is still heartbreaking to see. However, it still seems there may be hope for them in the ALT timeline. Let's talk about The Candidate.

In ALT time, Jack has operated on Locke and discovers that he can fix his paralysis. John tells him no, but doesn't explain why so Jack takes it upon himself to unraval the mystery. He starts by visiting John's dentist who turns out to be Bernard. Bernard gives Jack a name for him to follow up with to find out about John's accident and that name is.........

Anthony Cooper. Turns out John's dear old dad in ALT timeline is in a similar state as John. Wheelchair bound. As Jack discovers, John was trying to get his pilot license and begged his father, whom John states "he loves more than anything" to be his first passenger. John crashed the plane and so he blames himself for his father's condition. This is the reason he will not let Jack fix him. A few tidbits thrown in here and there were the fact that as John was still coming out of the effects of his anesthesia, he was mumbling about "pushing the button" and "I wish you would have listened to me." Then, as John is leaving the hospital, Jack tells John, "I wish you would believe me." How the circumstances have been reversed!!

Back on the island, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Lapidus are taken captive by Widmore's people and they take them to the cages. Smokey, Jack and Sayid break them out of the cages and then head to the Ajira plane.

At the plane, Flocke arrives first and wipes out the guards and then boards the plane to find it is rigged with C4. Of course, he always likes to have a little extra C4 to have on hand, so he grabs a bundle and decides that now they need to take the sub as the plane may still be rigged with more explosives. They arrive at the sub and there is a gunfight with Widmore's people as they are trying to take it over. Kate is shot!!!! {gasp} It looks to be only in the shoulder area, so I think she will be okay...but we shall see. Jack (who up to that point was not getting on the sub) grabs her and helps her onto the sub. Everyone boards the sub safely...except Flock and Claire. Poor Claire....always getting left behind.

Turns out, Flocke was setting them up all along as he had taken the C4 and fashioned a bomb out of it and placed it in Jack's backpack. Sayid and Sawyer are trying to figure out how to diffuse it.

Jack tells them not to touch it as nothing is going to happen. Jack tells them maybe Flocke is not able to kill them so he wants them to kill themselves. Sawyer thinks Jack is full of it, as usual, and so Sawyer pulls the wires which triggers the bomb. Sayid tells Jack that there is a well on the island and Desmond is in it. "Locke wants him dead so that means you need him," he tells Jack. Jack: "Why are you telling me this?" Sayid: "Because it's going to be you Jack." Sayid grabs the bomb and runs out the door.

RUN SAYID RUN!!!!

:*( SAYID!! I will say I am glad that he was able to redeem himself in the end and that he died valiantly saving some of his friends. Still....{sniff}

FRANK!! The blast from the bomb causes the sub to start sinking and the pressure causes the sub door to blow knocking Frank out. Though we do not have absolute confirmation that he is dead, I fear he is. {sniff #2}

SUN AND JIN!!! But, they just got back together!! When the blast occurred, it knocked a cabinet onto Sun and she was trapped by some metal. Jin tries and tries to free her, but he can't. Sun begs him to leave, but he tells her he will never leave her again. Insert Titanic moment here...

"Near......far......where ever you are...." Okay...I'll refrain from singing. RIP Sun and Jin. {sobs...sniff #3 and #4}

Jack, Hurley, Sawyer and Kate make it back to the island where Jack tells them Jin and Sun did not make it. Hurley sobs....HURLEY?!? {sobs, heartbreak}

Jack, overcome with emotion himself, steps into the ocean, looks up to the heavens and sobs. This was one of the most emotional scenes I've seen Jack do. {sobs, sniffs, tissues strewn everwhere} Okay, I'm a little overly emotional!!

What an episode. You can really feel the end is coming. Only 1 more regular season episode and then the 2-1/2 hour series finale. It is going to be fantastic, but sad to see it end. If this episode is any indication, stock up on the Kleenex folks!!

**************SPOILERS*************

I have some spoilers but don't have time to post them right now. Check back later.