Homemade Hot Chocolate! Yum-a-licious!

I went to a Christmas party last week and my friend Sarah made hot chocolate. She even brought her own cups and saucers to the party. I'd never had real homemade hot chocolate before and it was the BEST! She even made homemade whipped cream too! I wish I had made a photo of the finished product, but I was too busy drinking it to think about it!

Only In Travelers Rest.....

Well...maybe not ONLY in Travelers Rest. I'm certain you could see this sight any number of Upstate towns. This fella was busy working on the transformation of downtown TR. If you haven't been up that way lately, it has changed a lot! It's going to be pretty awesome when they're done and of course, I'll be posting photos!

Evening At Furman

I drove through Furman University's campus last night thinking they'd have some Christmas decorations up that would make for some cool photos. They didn't really have any decorations other than a couple of dinky wreaths. I was disappointed, but I wasn't going to make my visit for naught. So, I took a couple of shots of this building, which is at the main entrance.

As I drove through Furman, it reminded me of how much time we spent there last Summer riding our bikes. I miss that time! I can't wait until Spring!

So Many Questions...

I was at Taco Bell last week on Wade Hampton Boulevard and
made a double take when I saw this.

Why is this post chained up? It's not preventing the mailbox
itself from being stolen or knocked off.

Why would anyone want to steal the mailbox
or the post for that matter?

Has it been stolen and/or vandalized before?

As long as I'm asking questions about Taco Bell, why isn't their Taco Salad as good as it was 15 years ago? Why did they have to mess with a good thing?

So many questions....

Nostalgic

It's no secret that I love all things nostalgic. I came across this sock monkey last weekend and I had to have him. I stuck a Christmas ball in his arms and he became an instant Christmas decoration. I thought he looked right at home in front of this radio.

Blue

Last week I stopped on my way to work to snap a few photos (these were NOT those photos). I had to turn around to make my way back to work and turned up an unknown street and THIS was my view. The first photos that I originally stopped to take weren't that great, but I thought that these two were blog worthy. The sky that morning seemed especially blue and I love how the clouds look too.

This is Paris View Baptist Church off of Old Buncombe Road in Greenville.

Sights from the Travelers Rest Christmas Parade

Got Fruit?

When I think of Christmas, I think of how Santa used to fill my stocking with fruit. There was always at least a navel orange and some tangerines in there, along with some mixed nuts.

I took these photos at The Tomato Vine on Old Buncombe Road in Greenville. You may remember some previous photos I took at The Tomato Vine last year. .

Temporary and Permanent

When I saw this temporary tag on this hearse, I thought it was ironic, since death is, well

......so permanent.

At least on this earth anyway.

(photo courtesy of my husband, and partner in crime...Marc)

Gimme Some Oysters

Saturday night we were fortunate enough to be invited to an oyster roast. These oysters came fresh from the Carolina coast and boy were they delicious!

This is how I build mine:

Cracker

Oyster

Squeeze of Lemon

Drop of Louisiana Hot Sauce

Just Enough Fresh Ground Horseradish not to make me cry

I don't even know how many I wound up eating. We get steamed oysters so rarely, they are treat when we do get them. Of course you can go to a hand full of local restaurants and eat them, but they aren't the same as cooking them yourself fresh out of the ocean.

Did I mention I love me some steamed oysters?

Fast Forward, Please

This morning on my way to work it was foggy and it reminded me of a photo that I took a couple of years ago at the beach. Considering the weather we've had lately, I wish it was Summer already and I was at the beach. Can I just push the fast forward button?

Inverted Church

I took this photo on the way home yesterday. This is Earle Street Baptist Church on Earle Street in Greenville.

I guess it was a nice enough photo of a wreath on a church door, but I was a little bored with it. The inversion gives it a whole different look.

Travelers Rest Market

For a while now, Travelers Rest has had a Farmers Market. I keep telling myself that I'm going to get out there, but I never do. I really have no excuse, because it's only 1/2 mile from my house. I could (and should) walk to it! They even have a website: Travelers Rest Markets

Apparently, they have the market every Saturday from June-September. During the other months, it's just the first Saturday of the month.

Buy local, y'all.

Rudolph!

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer

had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,

you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer

used to laugh and call him names.

They never let poor Rudolph

join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say:

"Rudolph with your nose so bright,

won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him

as they shouted out with glee,

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,

you'll go down in history!

Believe

Deep Thought

Dookie was sitting on the back of the couch and happily obliged to let me snap a few photos. She looked like she was deep in thought. Wonder what she was thinking about?

Fall, Leaves, Fall

'Fall, leaves, fall'

by Emily Bronte

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night's decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

Carolina Girls

I took this photo of this sticker on the back of my Jeep a little bit ago. I like the way you can see the reflection of the trees and the sunset in the background.

Life At My House

This is a typical day at our house. I'm pretty sure Susie is the one that was responsible for stealing this roll of toilet paper, although I can't say for sure. Luckily, I snapped this photo and apprehended the suspects before they made too much of a mess.

*sigh*

They.won't.be.puppies.much.longer.

They.won't.be.puppies.much.longer.

I.CAN.get.through.this!

I.CAN.get.through.this!

My Buddy

This is the dog that we adopted from the Greenville Humane Society back in August. His name is Buddy and he's a Catahoula Leopard Dog. He's still a puppy, although at 6 months he probably weighs about 150 pounds! He's one of the most laid back, gentlest natured dogs I've ever known. He's definitely a buddy for life! :0)

Enjoying The View

This bird was enjoying the view Saturday morning from my Mom's chimney. I was thankful that he stood still long enough for me to snap this photo.

She's Feisty!

This is Susie. We got her about a month and a half ago. She's a Feist, which is a type of terrier. I can't begin to tell you how much energy this dog has! I thought my Jack Russells were hyper, but they don't even compare to this little girl! She has pretty much turned our household upside down. I'll post photos later of the OTHER puppy we adopted from the Humane Society later earlier this Summer. Yes.....we're crazy dog people.

Leave Me Be

I was leaving work yesterday and noticed a lone leaf on the porch. I grabbed my camera and snapped this photo. The good thing about me doing this blog again is that it's making me slow down and see things that would often go unnoticed.

Thanks to the Angelas!

I'd like to thank Angie S. and Angela V. for nudging me along to get my photo blog back up and running again! I have had one excuse or another for far too long now. The truth is, I had been missing it for a while now. It's a lot of work to keep up a daily photo blog and I hope that I'll be able to keep it up as I did before. People try hobbies and often let them fall by the wayside. I did that for a while, but I think photography will always be a part of me. I can't let my love for it die. Thanks again to the Angelas for being supportive and encouraging me!

Wordless Wednesday

A.S.A.P.

'Nuff said.

I See A Trend...

I was outside with the dogs a while ago and within minutes of each other, Hailey and Abby were both on their backs, doing this number.

Dogs are funny! Love 'em!

Ginger..Our Rescue Dog

This is Ginger. We rescued her several years ago from a poor home situation. She's living the high life now. She came from living in a small, grown up, outdoor pen to a big back yard. She comes in at night and has her very own couch. She's one of the best natured dogs I have ever owned.

One day, I want to get more involved in dog rescue. I know that I can't keep every dog in need, but if I can somehow get them on their way to a home that will love them, then I will feel I have done some good.

T*R*O*U*B*L*E

If that doesn't look like trouble, I don't know what does!!

Wordless Wednesday

A Coke & Some Sage...

My husband came home from my step-dad's garden yesterday and brought me this sage blossom. It may be May, but it sure smells like Thanksgiving.

The Swine Flu...

...gives Little Joe a bad name.

I came home from work a few weeks ago and noticed that my neighbor had mounted Little Joe on the side of his garage. So far, no one in the neighborhood has had any symptoms of the Swine Flu.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama

My Mama will have a hissy fit that I posted this picture. She hates to have her picture taken and doesn't even know that I snapped this one of her last week at the beach. I think it's a great photo of her though.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama. I love you!

Until Next Year...

There's really nothing quite like sitting on the porch watching the waves crash. Until next year..............

Bottle Tree

Click on photo to read about the "Bottle Tree"