Wordless Wednesday: Busy Week #WW

Here's one more thing I haven't done in ages...a Wordless Wednesday! In staying with how I used to do Wordless Wednesdays...with words. What can I say?

Every night, when Fred comes downstairs to end the night, Peru comes down with him and absolutely HAS to sit on the love seat with him. If he has his legs propped up against the other side of the love seat, she pushes her body up underneath his legs, and she just fits herself in. This night, this is how she ended up.

It may be fall, but I'm still happy that the flowers are still giving me colors of summer! These Portulaca, aka Moss Roses, are an annual flower that makes me happy as can be!

Last Friday, while Fred and I were out grocery shopping after our date night dinner, I saw this ice cream in the freezer aisle! I was shocked. I can't even imagine how it must taste.

Did you watch the harvest blood moon? We wanted to. Unfortunately, it was cloudy here for a few days. That evening, when I ran to the grocery store, I was SO excited to see a clear sky with the large moon over the Bay. I thought for sure we'd get lucky and be able to see the entire thing. Unfortunately, the clouds came back in. We did go down to the bay around 9:30pm to see if things might change, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. We were all pretty bummed to not experience it. Maybe in 2033.

How was your week?

A Beautiful Wedding: My Brother's

A month ago, we attended my brother's wedding to his girlfriend/fiancé of 3+ yrs. They were engaged a couple weeks before Fred and I! I almost felt like I was raining on their parade when we announced our engagement.

Let me set the scene for you with our family. I'm 1 of 3 siblings. There's me, the oldest, and only daughter. Then there's my brother who just turned 40, and my half brother who just turned 30. Out of the 3 of us, I was the only one who'd ever been married, and was the only one with children. My brother at one point said I was cutting into his numbers because I kept having kids. Well, if I wasn't going to do it, who was? lol

When my brother met his now wife, he met her on a dating website. No big deal. Been there, done that. She seemed like a nice gal when I finally met her. It wasn't until we started having family gatherings after my boys and I moved in with my parents that we got to know her and my brother together.

WOW!

Those two. They're the couple you see walking hand in hand as 90 yr olds. They're the couple who always looks at each other like they truly think the other person is the bees knees. I have to admit, I've been fascinated with them. I love watching them together. They have that "something" couples are always looking for when looking for someone to share their life with. It's incredibly heart warming.

We drove over to Virginia on Friday night for the groom's dinner. It was at the hotel we were staying at overnight. When you first enter the hotel, it's beautiful and grand. The rooms themselves left a lot to be desired. We got settled in and changed for the dinner. The food was spectacular. I was sad my stomach wasn't bigger to fit more food into it!

Unfortunately, towards the end of the dinner I got very sick. Let's just say, Fred now knows how to purchase gallons of milk that should prevent that painfully violent illness I suffered the rest of the night. I can't remember the last time I felt so bad.

The next day the boys, Fred, and I headed to the mall to find dress shoes for the boys. We putzed around for a while until it was time to go to the location for the wedding. We got there early just to help make sure the site was ready to go.

I was so thankful to have had the opportunity to witness their union. I've seen my fair share of weddings. Not a lot, but enough. This one...it brought me to tears. The beauty of the words, the emotion from my brother, the vow they shared. Every piece of it was a tug on the heart strings.

I have to take a quick detour from the timeline to explain the two photos above. So, my brother, at the last minute decided to get a boutonniere. Unfortunately, the bud of the flower fell off while we were taking wedding photos. That darn thing had to last at least 5 more hours! Well, mom came in to save the day. As we're trying to get the bud back into the rest of it, my brother randomly says, "I know there's a pin on the steps outside. I left it there." So, the guys head out to this huge terrace looking for a pin. A PIN! bahahaha they're all standing out there searching for this tiny thing. Probably one of my favorite parts of the entire day. I secretly hope he really sent them out for his own amusement. Just to watch them search for a needle in cobblestone.

The gal who married my pseudo brother, Alan, and his wife Sarah, also married my brother and his fiancé. It was a small wedding of about 100 people in attendance. Lora stood facing my brother, smiling. The entire time. My brother, I'm not sure I've ever seen him so happy. Dare I say, he radiated his love for her. And then...he shed a tear, and I shed a tear. He kept having to pull out his hankie and wipe his eyes.

This brother of mine, who I never thought would get married, was marrying the woman who complements him in the most beautiful way. My brother thinks differently than I do, and I think mom and I figured they'd just live together, not seeing a need for marriage. We thought that was what worked for them. And now, here they were, making a lifetime commitment to each other, in a heartfelt ceremony.

I'm beyond happy to have added another female to our family. I've never had sisters, and although I'm not close to Sarah and Lora, it's nice to have the ladies at holiday and family functions. I know my mom is over the moon with this union. I don't think she thought she'd ever live to see either of her sons betrothed, let alone married. This was a good night for her!

After the wedding, we moved to the next room for a cocktail hour. They turned the room the ceremony was held in, into the room we'd be having dinner. The cocktail hour was a nice time for Chris & Lora to mingle with their guests. They had some delicious appetizers to say the least! The dinner was super duper fancy. Instead of a cake, they had a popcorn ice cream dessert.

It was a great and wonderful night. It was tough having to leave the festivities. We had a long drive home, so off we went. We left having a new sister and daughter in our family! We've expanded our somewhat small numbers. Next, my youngest brother!

Did you attend any weddings this summer? What did you love most about it?

Cedar Cove's Season Finale #WritersWorkshop

Guess who's doing a Writing Prompt for the first time in ages? This blogger.

I have to admit, I'm rarely on Twitter these days. My passion for the longest time was hanging out on Twitter. I got to "know" so many people that way. It certainly has changed over the past few years, and so has my life. Working in Social Media full time doesn't leave me a lot of time to dabble on my preferred social media platform.

When Saturday night comes around, though, no one in my family better interrupt me from 8-9pm ET. Not only am I watching Hallmark Channel's Cedar Cove, I'm tweeting throughout it with all of the other COVErs.

As with any show, we have our favorite characters and storylines. It's funny how we get split down the line, but it's a very friendly group of people. Not only are there random people tweeting, the actors pop in throughout the show's airing! How crazy cool is that?

Gah, every time @AndieMacDowell3 and @colinferg are together my blood pressure increases. lol #CedarCove

— Mimi Noble (@MimiBakerMN) September 20, 2015

This coming Saturday is the 2nd part of the Season Finale. How the heck did that get here so quickly? Three months of Cedar Cover, over in the blink of an eye! You have to understand, when the season ended last year, we were all moaning and groaning over the fact that we'd have to wait until July for the next season. Pretty much 1st world torture! lol

What I love about tweeting during the show, is reading everyone's reactions to scenes and lines. There are people who are absolutely #TeamWarren. Brennan Elliot has his followers who seem to think his character is endearing even though he can be a really crummy human being. I personally think he's a stinker, and has yet to win my loyalty. Brennan has been fun to tweet with during the show.

Then there's Olivia and Jack, the couple everyone was rooting for until the "Maytag man" showed up on the scene as Paul. Some of the viewers have jumped on #TeamPaul, and I just turn a blind eye. They're crazy. It's #OliviaandJack all the way for me. And Colin Ferguson just razzed me with this tweet response to me:

@MimiBakerMN You mean like.... as we're getting married in a surprise ceremony? Don't worry. We'll invite Jack. :)

— Colin Ferguson (@colinferg) September 22, 2015

Isn't it funny how that happens? And then as I get swept back into the Twitterverse, more responses come! lol Everyone has opinions on the storylines and characters. We have a fun banter! After Colin (Paul) replied to me, I said something about the character Jack sending them a gift of a Maytag washer because most people know Colin Ferguson as the Maytag man in the appliance commercials. Jack then decided to share his thoughts on the matter.

@MimiBakerMN @colinferg Jack will send an entire Maytag kitchen and laundry ensemble. In fact, my whole kitchen is already Maytag. True!

— Dylan Neal (@DylanNealStudio) September 23, 2015

That's my tweet (at the top) from last week. I'll be sad once the season is over this weekend and don't get to chat about the show again until next summer. I've never been very patient having to wait months for shows to start up again. I'm not alone, right?

Have you ever tweeted during one of your favorite shows?

Writing Prompts:

1. Write a blog post in exactly 8 lines.
2. Share a day in your life represented only in pictures and the time the pictures were taken.
3. Talk about something your child learned this week.
4. Find a tweet you shared last week and elaborate.
5. Write a blog post inspired by the word: wait
6. 10 things you would do if you didn’t have to work.

Do Your Pets Have Nicknames?

Ever since I was a little girl, I've nicknamed my pets, whether they're cats or dogs, they have their given name, and then some random name that shows up somewhere along the animal's life, and I have to remind myself to call it by it's given name every once in a while.

I remember my first dog growing up was Max. He was the dog who played hide & seek, licked away my tears, and was my best friend for years. My nickname for him was Maxipoo. I will carry that sweet boy in my heart all of my life.

We have 3 pets in our home right now. One is Pearl, who we got when she was a baby kitty 17+ yrs ago; Simba, a stray who wandered into our family when he was about 2 yrs old, and is currently about 14 yrs old; and then Peru, the dog we adopted almost a year ago from the SPCA, who's around 2 1/2 yrs old.

Pearl has several nicknames. Her mama and I have always called her Pearly or Pearly girl, but I also call her "B" and "beedely beedely bee." Oh, and when you use the nicknames it's always said in either a high pitch voice or like you're talking to a baby. Listen, that's just the way it is in my house. Even my boys do it. HA!

Then there's Simba. I've started calling him "old man" because he walks around like he needs a cane. I also call him Kit Kat and "hansy handsome." I know, the poor cat!

Peru got her name because I would smoosh her face in my hands when I'd kiss her. So, it was a progressive nickname. I would say "smooshy" which became "moosh" and then turned into either "mooshy mooshy" and "moo moo". I use both of those all the time. When I talk about her on social media I sometimes refer to her as "the beast." She acts like a beast, so that fits her for sure!

Do you have nicknames for your pets?

Disney's THE JUNGLE BOOK

Do you remember THE JUNGLE BOOK from when you were growing up? It was one of my favorite books as a child. I absolutely loved Baloo. I wanted him to be my best friend. I know that Shere Khan was to be feared, but Kaa was always the one that freaked me out! Those crazy eyes of his, need I say more?

I am so excited to see this movie, even though it's not coming out until April 2016. Enjoy these posters for now:

Now if you haven't seen the video, here's your chance. I'm not sure about you, but this trailer was waaaay too short for me! Gimme more! lol


Here's a little more info to whet your appetite:

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.

The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong'o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D on April 15, 2016.

“The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, who embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he’s forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known.

Notes:

·       Neel Sethi, now 11, was selected from thousands of candidates following a worldwide search for the perfect man-cub.

·       The all-star voice cast includes Oscar®-winners Ben Kingsley (“Learning to Drive,” “The Walk”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Christopher Walken ("The Deer Hunter"), as well as Bill Murray ("Lost in Translation"), Idris Elba (“Star Trek Beyond”), Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”) and Giancarlo Esposito ("Breaking Bad').

·       Rudyard Kipling penned the collection of short stories, “The Jungle Book,” in the early 1890s from his home in Vermont.

·       State-of-the-art technology is behind larger-than-life jungle creatures that join Neel Sethi’s Mowgli on screen in an all-new, immersive, jaw-dropping viewing experience. The film will be spectacular in 3D and IMAX 3D.

You can keep up with all the goings on with THE JUNGLE BOOK:

Like THE JUNGLE BOOK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyJungleBook  

Follow THE JUNGLE BOOK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheJungleBook

Follow THE JUNGLE BOOK on Instagram: https://instagram.com/disneythejunglebook

Follow THE JUNGLE BOOK on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/the-jungle-book/

Follow THE JUNGLE BOOK on Google+: https://plus.google.com/112416455929607370682/posts

Visit Walt Disney Pictures on Tumblr: http://disneystudios.tumblr.com/

Follow Walt Disney Pictures on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DisneyMovieTrailers

Visit the official THE JUNGLE BOOK website here: http://movies.disney.com/the-jungle-book-2016

Scripture On The Beams #FredNMimiBuildAHome

When the house was first fully framed, the boys and I went out with Fred to add scripture on the 2x4s in every room of the house. They were fun to think up, and I let the boys decide on whichever scripture they like. Fred also went out a separate time with his daughter so she could write in her room.

So, here are the scriptures in each room in no particular order..

My 16 yr old son wrote, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward for him.” Psalm 127:3.

Kids bathroom, “because on this day atonement will be mae for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.” Leviticus 16:30

Fred put this scripture in his son’s room, “’My son,’ said the father, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:31-32

In my youngest son’s room, “But those who humbled themselves will be exalted, and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” Matthew 23:12

In our living room, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.” Hebrews 13:2

In our dining room, “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.” Joel 2:26

In our closet, “And over all these virtues, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14

In the garage, “Prepare your work outside; Get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.” Proverbs 24:27

You might be wondering where the photo is from the scripture written in the master bedroom is. Well, I DID take a photo, back in June, but as I looked at it to edit it, I can’t read it because it’s completely blurry. Of course, since it’s been over 2 months since we wrote on those walls, I can’t remember what it said. Fred wrote it, and he couldn’t figure out any of it either. Maybe one day I’ll be able to decipher it, and add it on here. I’m sure it said something about love. Who knows, when it comes to Fred, it probably came from Song of Solomon. HA!

I think we had one in our kitchen, too, but sadly didn’t get a photo of that. Such a bummer. I thought I did so well with all of the scripture. At least I’ll have them here to remember them!

It was too late when I learned this, but a couple of people have but a Bible in the ground for the foundation to be poured onto. How awesome is that?

If you could add a scripture to the frame of your home, what would it be?