The Babbling Brooks

Another Surprise....Thanks Again!

Another blog award! This one is a gratitude award from Celeste at Etsy It Up ! She sent it to me for an "attitude of gratitude". I do try to be grateful for all the blessings in my life and I'm glad that it must be coming through here. Thanks Celeste...one of the things I'm grateful for is getting to know wonderfully kind people like you! 

Sunday Smiles

Well.........THANKS!

I've had a really nice surprise. Look what I've been sent by Annette at a Fairy Blog Mother Blog! It's my first blog award and I get to pass it on. So who gets it from me???

Two of the most entertaining blog writers I know...

Treasure the Moment Tracy! Step up and get your award. Thanks for sharing your life adventures in a humourous and real way. If anyone can find themselves in a 3 Stooges situation...it's you, girlfriend! And we love seeing your gorgeous photography. Thanks for sharing.

The Iowa Geek Jody!Come on up! Thanks for sharing your little ones, your travel adventures, your financial savvyness, and for keeping us informed on the political craziness of the day (share a little corner of the award with Doug, will ya?) Thanks to you!

Please visit these blogs and let them know you were there. I know you'll enjoy them!  

I Heart Faces

 

This was a challenging theme for the week, Self Portrait. The photo must be taken by you and you must be holding the camera, no tripods or anything else holding the camera. Short arms were not made for this :) I tried some outdoor shots which didn't work real well given the shortage of attractive backgrounds (didn't have time to go find a garden somewhere). I moved inside and took some using natural light coming through a couple of different windows. That worked pretty well and added some catchlights! Check out all the pretty faces this week at  I Heart Faces!

 

This is pretty much how I look everyday. Those of you that know me can see that my hair is shorter than I use to wear it. I've found the greatest hair stylist here that I have ever had. Love her! I'm trying to figure out how to get her to come back to Montana with us next spring!

Sunday Smiles

The Texas bluebonnets are blooming!

I am STUNNED and sickened by this...

 

(Thanks to The Drudge Report for the photos.)  

Tea Party

 

What did you do today? I stood up as an American to show my frustration, my anger, and my concern over what is happening to our country. John and I were at the Oklahoma City Tea Party held on the steps of the state capitol.

Hey, politicians! Are you listening? There was a mighty cry of protest across America today to stop the spending, stop the bailouts, stop the distribution of wealth, stop the earmarks, stop the lies, stop the taxation, stop tramping on the states. We are not an arrogant America. We are a proud America and we don't apologize for it. We don't apologize for the hard work or for the Constitution that made us the strong country we are. We expect you to honor that document. We expect you to remember that it is not a "living document" that changes with the culture. It is the foundation on which America was founded. Amid the united cheers of "USA" were united cries of "Vote Them Out". We mean it. We're listening and we're watching. We'll be calling. We'll be e-mailing. We'll be writing. If it doesn't stop now, you can expect to be gone when it's your turn for reelection. One more thing to remember... the people that were out in protest today are NOT radicals or the "right wing extremists" that the Department of Homeland Security and Janet Napolitano spoke about in their well-timed "leaked" report (and neither are returning veterans). The people I saw today are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, old, young, rich, poor, upper class, middle class, students, plumbers, teachers, the retired, the disabled. Yes, some of them have admitted that they voted for Barack Obama and other Democrats, but this is not what they thought they were voting for. The Tea party wasn't organized by any organization or by FOX news (They are just the only ones who see this as a story. CNN covered it by arguing with a protester and NBC used obscene expletives to describe those of us that attended.) The tea party was organized by an ordinary citizen from the city. The speakers were not politicians or party officials. They were also ordinary citizens who read statements sent in by other ordinary citizens. We sang the Star Spangled Banner and we recited the Pledge of Allegiance with everyone holding their hand over our heart in respect for America.

I took the photo above about 30 minutes before the party started. I've heard crowd estimates from somewhere over 4000 to 6000. That was impressive considering it was at noon on a weekday and they had expected about 1500 to show up. Here's some of my favorite photos...

                            

So that was my day... what did you do today? And more importantly, what are you going to do tomorrow? 

 

I Heart Faces

Here's my entry for I Heart Faces where the theme this week is "Spring". I took this puddle jumping photo at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival when we took Legend. He enjoyed the puddles a lot more than the flowers and Papa was happy to give him a hand:) Take a look at the fabulous entries this week by clicking here!

Blue Ribbon Photos (In The Pink)

It's a new photo contest at A Cowboy's Wife! Lori plans to hold the contest monthly with a new theme each month. This month's theme..."Colors". There are some specific rules to follow to enter, one of which is that the photo must have a name! I'm calling this "In The Pink". It's one I took last year at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington.

  

Be sure to check out the other entries HERE!

Sunday Smiles

Wishing all of you a Blessed Easter!

Barocky Road

In honor of the 44th President of the United States, Baskin-Robbins has introduced a new flavor, "Barocky Road ".
Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes.
The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient.
The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow.
The cost is $100.00 per scoop.
When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but then the ice cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you.
Thus you are left with an empty wallet, no change, holding an empty cone, with no hope of getting any ice cream.
Are you feeling stimulated?

Thanks to my friend, Gary S., for this :)

I Heart Faces

  Check out this week's entries at I HEART FACES! Here 's my entry...Zachary and Trevor. I took this photo at the playground in the park in downtown Eureka!

Sunday Smiles

Thank You HP and Momma's Reviews!

Yes, I won! An 8" digital photo frame by Hewlett Packard. And it's a nice one ...wireless, interchangeable frames,512 MB (about 1000 photos), remote control, etc. Thanks to Andrea at Momma's Reviews for hosting the giveaway!