March Retrospective

March Retrospectives, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

90 - Knightly Ritual

Dad Reading, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

Every night before bed, this wonderful man props this same green pillow up against our kids' bunk bed and reads out loud to them. He has been doing it throughout their whole lives. I don't know when they will outgrow it, but I hope it is not any time soon. It is their "male bonding" time, and I often hear laughter coming out of this room in addition to deep question and answer periods. I hope this is a memory they will hold forever.

It is 11:16 p.m., and he is still in there reading! He just finished The Hobbit, and he has just started The Lord of the Rings.

It is 11:19 p.m. now, and they are done. He is telling them stories about their grandfather, and they are laughing hysterically.

These are the things I treasure in my heart.

89 - Shower Man!

8:30 - Shower Man!, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I had replaced the battery in our camera, and it wasn't working. So, I went in to ask dear husband about it, and he talked to me through this slit in the shower door. Once I got it to work, I had to take a picture of this mysterious man. He reminded me of that guy who gives advice over the fence in Home Improvement. He gives me camera advice. LOL!

Here is the March 30 -"30" Pictures taken at 30 minutes after the hour

Up and Adam

6:30 Observations in Romans 4

7:30 Word Study on Reckoned

8:30 Shower Man Advice

9:30 Reading Time

10:30 Talking with a friend

11:30 Kitchen Disaster (Guess what it is!)

12:30 A Helping Hand with Housework

1:30 Tea and Talk with Lisa

2:30 "Sweet Hour of Prayer" with Lisa

3:30 The Foursome Together Again

4:30 Outside Fun

5:30 Evening News

6:30 Sabbath Meal

7:30 Getting My Daily Water Amount

8:30 Reporting my Food Intake to FACED Group

9:30 Picking the Pic of the Day

10:30 Deleting Emails (I have almost 2000!)

88 - Magnolia Blossoms at My Alma Mater

Magnolia Blossoms at My Alma Mater, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I went for a walk through Oregon State University today. It was a lovely spring day. I used to love to sit out in the Memorial Union quad and look at the beautiful "Tulip" tree blossoms when I was in college. I didn't even know they were Magnolias until my dh enlightened me a few years ago.

Here is the whole set:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/52364318@N00/5598M5

87 - Daffodils in Afternoon Light

87 - Daffodils in Afternoon Light, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I have been taking picture after picture of daffodils over the last twelve days, and I knew my days were numbered in capturing a picture of them as they are on their way out here. As I was going out the door with my family, I saw the sunlight streaming through our French doors and hitting these cut daffodils on my dining room table. My son and I both looked at each other and said, "How beautiful!" The family waited while I snapped a picture just in time as, a few moments later, the light (and moment) was gone. They are not daffodils "at their prime," but neither am I in the afternoon!

I love capturing these moments of beauty along life's way.

86 - Healing Hands

86 - Healing Hands, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I had to do a follow up to my pain picture. Nothing artistic about this shot. We took a 50 mile drive north to see the healing hands of my brother-in-law who is an osteopath and just the best. My shoulder area was WAY out, but it was my RIGHT side and not my left. The pain just radiated to the left side. He worked on me for almost an hour, and he helped my husband learn how to help me if I ever do this again!

The culprit: All those "Clean and Presses" with 50 lbs of weight. Silly me!

A happy ending for me.

85 - Pain

Antique Closer Crop, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I realized I hadn't done a self-portrait all month. So, I thought I would communicate how I felt today. I have had a radiating pain going from the left side of my neck down my back below the shoulder blade off and on since last Monday. It seems to get better, and I go back to working out, and it flares it up again.

Today, I decided to spend all day resting it from any work. Tomorrow I will try to work it out with a deep tissue massage from Anna.

My dh thought this would be good in an antique color to intensify the feeling of pain. I also had to ask him if it was OK to post this because I didn't want it to be too racy. :)

84 - Mock Orange (Update: Not!)

Mock Orange, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I thought this flower in our friends' yard was just lovely.

Here is a bit of history about it:

Species name is Philadelphus Lewisii. Mock orange is a beautiful and fragrant shrub named (species name) after Captain Meriweather Lewis who discovered it in 1804. The genus name honors the ancient Egyptian king "Philadelphus".

Mock orange is found from British Columbia south to northern California and east to central Idaho and western Montana. It is the state flower of Idaho.

Update: Yes Rachel, you were right. It is a Flowering Quince and not a Mock Orange after all!

83 - Baby Beauty

83 - Baby Beauty, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

Remember Rebekah from Day 81? This is her 4 1/2 month old baby that we were able to babysit while mom went shopping for her family and my friends who are battling melanoma. We had so much fun with this little bundle of joy.

I know it is too blurry, but I couldn't use a flash on this much of a close up, and I just love her expression even if it is blurry!

82 - Friendship and Flowers

82 - Friendship and Flowers, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

Sharon and I went out to lunch at Sam's Station for Sausage and Braised Greens Soup and Barley and Bean Salad. YUM! Afterwards, we walked around and took pictures of the beautiful blooms in her neighborhood.

I've known Sharon since the mid-80's. She has always been positive and encouraging and loves learning new things. She was excited to go out and snap pictures. She also gave me one of her lipsticks that she got in a Clinique gift bag. What do you think of the color?

We rounded out the day with a cup of tea and scones made by her daughter.

81 - My Personal Master Gardener

81 - My Personal Master Gardener, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

Rebekah ROCKS as my Master Gardener. She really is an accredited one. She speaks for groups, and she is also a godly gal!

She called me and said I had to come over and take a picture of her camellias because the blooms don't last long. I couldn't resist putting her in the picture too. I have been so about flowers lately that you probably thought I didn't care about people anymore. (NOT!)

80 - Happy First Day of Spring!

80 - Happy First Day of Spring!, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

These trees are one of my favorite things about this neighborhood! There are three of them in front of our neighbor's yard and they are always in full bloom on the first day of spring. Then they rain down like snow on the street. So pretty.
Here they are far away and close up.

My Master Gardener says they are Flowering/Ornamental Cherry trees.

79 - Purple Hellebore Lenten Rose

Purple Hellebore Flower, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

My Master Gardener did it again! She is at 100% correct!

Here is her cute reply:
Ah yes....I'm pretty sure it is a hellebore. A very pretty one I might add!!! Oh to be that lucky to have one that isn't the common whiteish/pink....If you've ever watched the documentary entitled, "Spellbound" You may recall that one of the children missed this and I leaned over to Paul at the theatre and said how to spell it - he was amazed:-)

(P.S. I couldn't get under it and get a close up so I flipped it up to take the picture. See below in order to see how it hangs)

Hanging Hellebore

Hanging Hellebore, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

78 - More Ground Cover

DSC_0016, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

This is at the back near the house. I love these little pure flowers.

77 - Periwinkle Vine

77 - Purple Ground Cover, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

This flower covers the ground at the base of my rose garden and underneath our apple tree. I love the simple little purple pedals. It is called Vinca Minor and is thought to come from Spain. It's commonly called a periwinkle vine.

76 - Afterglow

Afterglow, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I am laughing hysterically as I type this post. My kids were just here, and they are asking, "What's afterglow?" When we laughed, our youngest said, "OK." He knew it was something we just didn't want to explain to him.

I was talking with my friend on the cell phone, sitting by the edge of the river with my camera in hand when I exclaimed, "Kim, I think these ducks are having sex!" (My husband is hoovering over me saying, "Carol, animals don't have sex! They copulate." Thank you Marlin Perkins, Jr!) I had just one hand, and I missed photographing the "deed," exclaiming to my friend on the phone that I didn't know they did this in the water! I did manage to get an action shot of their behavior following it. All they need is cigarettes. Can you give a title for what he is thinking? What she is thinking?

Sorry, I am in a very silly mood right now, and my husband is hoovering over me as I type this post making me laugh.

I had a hard time choosing the picture today! See the whole set of my morning, walking to Book Babes and leisurely return home at:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/52364318@N00/Rq2538

What would be a better one to post?

75 - Hybrid Rhododendron

75 - Hybrid Rhododendron, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

They are busting out all over! I can't keep up with all the blooms to only do one a day. Yesterday, the plant's flowers looked like this, with the little brown parts of the bud still there (can't remember what they are called), and today, they are in full bloom. Spring happens so quickly!

74 - Glistening Glory

74 - Glistening Glory, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

I was up with the sunrise on a walk capturing the beauty of the morning. This is another flowering bush that is blooming in my front yard.

By the way, this is a Forsythia, according to my Master Gardener friend. :)

Set at:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/52364318@N00/ABp5d5

73 - Ornamental Plum

DSC_0015, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

72 - Spring Pieris Evolving

Flower 3, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

This is the third kind of plant to bloom in my yard. It hasn't totally busted, but I wanted to document the first two, and I will take another one when it is totally done.

UPDATE from my Master Gardener friend: It is a Pieris, commonly called a Japanese Andromeda

March 3rd Flower

Flower 1, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

This was the flower when it was still a bit green. It is amazing how much it has changed in just ten days!

71 - A Deal at Only $20,000!

71 - A Deal at Only $20,000!, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

It really is a deal! We had been told that my son had twelve permanent teeth missing from his mouth, and all his dental work could cost up to $60,000. We visited the prosthodontist today, and he thinks he will only have to do THREE implants! The rest can be taken care of with veneers. He even thinks he doesn't need to do anything with the #18 molar!

So, we were relieved to know that it was going to be 1/3 of the cost that we had been expecting.

We went out and celebrated with dinner!

70 - The Joy of Father and Son

70 - The Joy of Father and Son, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

Our friend, Bruce, helped baptize his youngest son tonight, and after Pearce came up from the water, they did their special handshake and body bump. I love the joy on their faces. I missed the bump, but I got the handshake!

69 - Daphne Odora

Daphni, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

This is right next to my door, and the fragrance is lovely. After the crocus, this is the next thing to bloom in my yard.

68 - Amazing Grace

68 - Amazing Grace, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

It finally came to my town today, and we went with Bruce and Mary Beth and their kids to the 4:15 matinee! What an excellent, edifying, uplifting, "good guys win" kind of movie! It makes you laugh, and it makes you cry, and Ioan Gruffudd ROCKS in this starring role. Makes me want to watch Horatio Hornblower all over again.

67 - The Virtue of Humility

67 - The Virtue of Humility, originally uploaded by carolfoasia.

Humility (modesty, opposes pride) -
Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self.

This whole week has been one where God has been the one to get all the glory for everything because there is no way that I could have lived this week apart from Him. Today was the clincher. I was brought to my knees and thought that this is humility: the realization that I'm not God. I want to defer all to Him, and this symbolizes my heart's desire.