Christian Photographers Community

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• Ritz in the Koinonia Gallery Please visit and leave a comment. 

• Mini Challenge #2~"THE BLUES"  Enter your photos till May 6th

• Albanian orphans  Read Sara's repost and see her special photos on the dear little orphans she met in Albania.

• Songs of Worship  Next time you want to read a Psalm, read one of Pastor Al's devotional on it as well.

• Read about how Daniel created his Exploding Chive Blossom 

• Have you tried to solve our Jigsaw Puzzles?

• Time to Suggest a Caption!   Choose a Caption #11 "

Please note in the forum links above that we have a new "Choose a Caption #11"

Good devotional Pat.  I have felt God's presence during trouble. 

Our friend's father has stomach cancer.  We are waiting for the results of the cat scan.  His father is a wonderful Christian man, and Rick is getting increasingle bitter because "Dad doesn't deserve to die like this".  Pray for rick, that the Holy Spirit touches his heart.

Pat next time John is down to see you, you and he can have liver and onions. Didn't like it as a kid don't like it as an adult.  Dislike liver to the point that I won't even cook it.  John loves it though.  Bonnie had an interesting way of getting the girls and me to eat liver. She cooked is and cubed it finely and added it to spaghetti sauce.  They never knew, but I did right away.  It was more palatable that way though.

Well it is late.  I am heading to bed.

God bless you all
Judy

Good Morning Everyone...

We had rain overnight and I forgot to put the lawnmower away!

Please vote in our poll so we know how to open the Challenge for voting later on today.

Off to get my

Good Saturday Morning to you all!

I got up, did a little work in my studio (Frames have to be assembled one corner at a time, slow going!) folded and put away a load of laundry, had my first cup of  .  So my day is off to a good start.  I'm feeling much better since taking a two hour nap yesterday.  I don't know why I am so reluctant to give up and just rest, when I know I need it so much.   Just stubborn, I guess.....plus the fact we were never allowed to stop working while growing up.  Some things get so ingrained in us, we have to really think and pray about them before we can change them.

I got my prints!!!  So..........those of you who wanted prints of my paintings "Cast the First Stone", "The Nativity", or "Prayer for America".......they are now available!  I am working on getting one of each matted and framed.  They are 11 X 14, so will frame up to a larger size.  And I haven't received the bill yet, so am not certain of the cost, but will let you know!  I'm excited! 

Mark is home!!  So I am looking forward to some wonderful Grandson Hugs later today!!  We will go down to Hugoton later, as this evening is Abby's dance recital, and she needs Grandma to help her get ready, as Mom has to work.  They are also having city-wide garage sales, so Mark is manning theirs.  Lots going on today.

Yes, Pat, I, too can testify that God is there in the midst of our worst storms.  He has never failed (nor will He) to come through for me.  It is only He who can give such peace in the midst of the worst life can throw at us.  Praise His Name, I love Him so.

Time for one more  , and by then the last corner (frame) should be dry, also I will go upstairs and start cutting mats.  Oh!  If anyone wants a print just matted, but not framed, I can do that, too.

Talk to you later!

First of all....LIVER!  My husband was a butcher/meat cutter.  He worked behind the meat counter at a grocery.  He loved liver and onions.  But he would take the beef liver and run it through the cuber.  Not cut up in tiny pieces but cubed, like cubed steak or pork cutlets.  Then I would flour them and brown them real fast in bacon grease...before cholesterol.  Then put sliced onions on top and add water.  Put the lid on the skillet and simmer it all for a half hour or so.  The floured liver and water made a gravy!  It was soooooo delicious.  But I wouldn't dare order liver and onions in a restaurant because I KNOW it wouldn't be like mine!!

Larry ~ I will go to earthlink website and see what I 'will' have.  Thanks for the idea.  I am getting anxious!! 

Marilyn ~ My mother was a seamstress.  After I married, I made myself a dress.  I was so proud of it.  But Mom turned it wrong-side out and kept saying, why did you do this and why did you do that?  I felt awful because I did it exactly the way the pattern said to do.  I never made another dress or anything.  Just mended from then on.  I just knew I could never sew to satisfy her. 

Today it is chilly out.  Bright and sunny but chilly.  I am caught up on my TV programs that have been recorded so I may just finish a book that I started this week.  I don't dare take a nap today because I very seldom sleep well the night before church...must be afraid that I will oversleep.  I did get an email from the email list at church for volunteers to help me at the Duping Kiosk.  Wonder if they got any takers?  My back feels great today....more calcium?, walking?, way of eating?  Wonder if they are helping?  If it hurts tomorrow after church, then I must do something about standing all that time at church.

Unfortunately Etta Sue I tend to be a sewer like your mom.  But both my adult daughters sew and do a good job. 

We had S N O W this morning.  WOW it is cold! The furnace is going again.  Only +4 at 11:37 am!  Better get a sweater out Pat!

Got to go. I have a 50th anniversary to go to, and some folding to do first.

Judy

No snow here, praise the Lord.   Ya'll can have it.

It is a beautiful day today, and for that I am grateful.  Bernard and I are shooting a formal tonight for the local Christian Academy, and we wanted to do them outside as the place they are having it is so beautiful.  So, we have cameras and tripods and that is it!!  (Yea, that's really why we wanted to do it outside).  No lights. No backdrops.  Just our cameras.  So much easier that way.

Trav and Nard are running some errands right now, and Kristi is running around playing.  She found a little digi cam we got free one time for sitting through a presentation (it is like .2 mp, and you cna't turn it off because it doesn't "save" theimages.  Can you say junk).  Anywya, she will run up to you and put it to her forhead and grin.  15 month old photographer.  What can we say.  Hahahahhahahahah

Have a great day everyone.  And Janet, don't be afraid to get some rest.  A couple of hours for a nap now is better than a day or two sick later. :/

Ohhh, I'm craving liver and onions!  Mine sounds like yours except for the cutting of it, Etta Sue.  Next time you and I get together, we'll have to indulge! 

Last night, I read and read, then wrote and wrote.....Norton's Scan came on and Pat bonked me on the head....so decided it was not to be....as my post escaped into outer space

We had lovely warm weather for days, now it is once again back to reality.  Rain and cool wind.  I know, because someone's paper blew all over the front yard and guess who had to go and pick it up?  Misty wasn't even around to play.  Must be off with her pal, Billy Bob.  (cats)  By the way, love that kitten, Etta Sue.

Has anyone tried the new Windows Beta 2 Defender.  I let them replace my Beta 1 and now had to remove 2 from the computer.  It messed things up and I do not like it!  Seems some other folks feel the same way....

Another question:  Has anyone tried the Manuka Honey from New Zealand?  It is a medicinal honey and got a big article in one of our local sr. magazines.  It is expensive and I hoped to hear about results from someone who is using the product.

All that talk about liver and onions!  Here is something to help take away the taste:

I SMELL CHOCOLATE: CHOCOLATE TIPS AND FACTS

If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

Problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in hot car...Solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

A nice box of chocolates provides your total daily intake of calories in one place.

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

Equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate is a balanced diet.

Two phrases: Money talks. Chocolate sings.

The preservatives in chocolate make you look younger.

Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? Because no one wants to quit!

Without chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

                                 

Now I have to go and get things done. 
Pleasant Day/Evening and God Bless.

Liz

Ohh, Liz!  That's such a good one.  I'm copying that for sure and sending it off to some friends! 

Boy!  Liver/onions and chocolate - what a combo!

Just got back from the monthly men's prayer breakfast followed by shopping at Winco in Eureka.
Marilyn - I don't know the conversion factors for liters to quarts & vice versa, so I'm not sure of exact measurements, but I think a liter is just a little smaller than a quart.  My bet, though, is that using a quart of water for 24 hours woud work.  Use hot tap water.  It's not a lot of heat, but it increses the yield a little.  If you use a quart container, your third batch may be too weak - but it's worth trying.  Be sure to use a filter when draining.  I have these little round filters that fit into a recessed area at the bottom of the keraff.  But any good filter will do it.
If you have further questions, call me up.

This is a draggy day for me - company just left this morning and I haven't slept well for two nights.  In trying to sew some things, I did something wrong and am pulling out threads now. 

We just found out that our friend has a form of slow leukemia and he is heading for the Mayo Clinic.  Last year this couple lost their only son. 

We had an estimate on putting new doors & drawers on our little kithcen & it is about the same as what we paid for our first house.  What a downer!  I am not in the mood to refinish that entire kitchen so it will stay the same.

Larry:  We have been fortunate that all the children and grands live within 1 1/2 hours.  At any point, the parents could be transferred so that could change.  New York would be a long drive for you - how about the train trip to a spot where they could pick you up or something like that? 

Carol

Al, you are almost right.  A liter is just a little bit larger than a  quart.  One liter equals 1.0556 of a quart.  I didn't know but I looked it up.

Both liver and chocolate are great foods.  Chocolate is sweeter. 

Papa John

Have you all voted in the poll above?

Well that's all I have to say for now.

Hi everyone.   

Beautiful day here and we have the house open.  This morning my friend told me about a yard sale where they had a 2 year old 17 inch monitor priced at $25.  I offered them $20 and they took it.  I will use it in place of the one Pat is using as hers is making strange sounds occasionally and my friend, the electrical engineer, said that there are high levels of electrical power and it can arc and cause a fire.  I sure don't want to take any chances.  Our son will be over tomorrow afternoon and I will have him carry it in and replace the old monitor. 

Then my friend told me he heard that if you disconnect the incoming line from the telephone company on the outside of the house it will allow your internal wiring to use the dial tone from the Vonage.  I tried it and it sure does.  So I was able to put two phones, including my fax machine in my office, back in service.  I was excited.

Etta Sue, your comment about sewing and your mother's criticism, is the same type of experience I used to have with my Dad.  If I didn't get it right the first time he took the wrench or whatever away from me and did it himself.  Parents need to let their children fail and try again and help them rather than dismissing their efforts.  I never wanted to do the things that my father did because I knew I would fail.  As an adult I see how sad that is but it affects us all our lives. 

I got the following in an e-mail today from a SeniorNet friend and thought it was super (and it also is appropriate to what Etta Sue and I have spoken about today):

The Concert

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage.

In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star."

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit.""Keep playing."

Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligatio. 

Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was  so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic, " Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on
our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music.  However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful.

The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully.  You may hear the voice of the  Master, whispering in your ear,       
"Don't quit." "Keep playing."

May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.

Remember, God doesn't  seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips  the 'called.' Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things you acquire. So touch someone by passing this little message along.

May God bless you and be with you always! and remember--

"Don't quit."

"Keep playing."

AMEN Larry! And Pass the chocolate Liz.

Hello again just runnig through here. Things to do, been out walking the dogs, Gotta go.

OK  I guess we'll try SIX then.

With that high number of entries in "The Blues", it's going to be difficult to vote for only 5 out of about 45 photos but we'll try it.

I'll go and open it now for voting.

Take your time. 

I voted.

I am done with all the other stuff I was doing today. Forest called me last night and wanted me to go on a field trip with his class to the Discovery Museum Thursday in Eureka. So i spoke with Fay today and am taking Thursday off to spend with Forest, I will remember to take my camera.

Then Saturday after Sarah's graduation I will pick up the kids before noon and keep them overnight, Maybe I will even get to take them to church on Sunday (Mother's Day) That would be such a treat for me.

Be back later.

Hi Marilyn!

The new Koinonia Gallery is up

Let's hear you sing, Marilyn!

Hi all.

Liver and onions -- yuck.

Chocolate -- oh yea.  Did you know that tomorrow will mark two weeks since I ate chocolate.  I was getting to where if I was ever stressed or tired, I reached for the sweet brown stuff.  unhealthy, in more ways than one.  So, I quit it cold turkey.  Not sure how much longer I will last.

Teh pictures in the comp are awesome.  Hard to pick just six!!

Oh, I agree Karma!  It's going to be difficult to choose just six.

Time to close this New Every Morning and open tomorrow's...HERE