Queen Of Non-Cookers

I am The Queen-Of-Non-Cookers! in other words, I HATE cooking. Clean Up I don't mind at all.

the only cake I ever baked, was a mix (none for the last 30 years), for cookies I use the refrigerated dough you break apart and bake to bake a pie I put Mrs Smith frozen in the oven or even better, stop by the bakery.I make one pot meals and would live on sandwiches if I were not married.When my children were growing up, we had chili, spaghetti, crock pot meals and all of the above mentioned.

In short I HATE to cook and bake. I don't mind clean up duty, in fact prefer it.I am so bad, when I married Bob, 25 years ago, our first Thanksgiving, I said I have never cooked a Turkey before (I was age 40 then)and his answer was, neither have I, but I can read. I LET him cook that turkey, and still have NEVER cooked a turkey. He did such a good JOB it has become a tradition for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for The Man to cook the turkey.Yes, I do clean up the mess! I almost forgot, he makes the stuffing also. I cook the frozen corn, open the can of cranberry sauce, steam the frozen veggies, open the package of rolls and place in oven, and of course we have Bakery pumpkin pie.

Yesterday, I told him three of my email pals, Madeline, Carole and Catherine they were making me feel bad because they all bake, boil,fry, and DO recipes ( I can't follow one and make it taste right).they were sharing all that WORK in our emails. All it did was make me hungry.

When I mentioned this to my husband Bob,he said, that is OK, my first wife could not cook either. He said when we first got married, she wanted to make his favorite chicken livers wrapped in bacon. She comes out of the kitchen,and says I can't get the bacon to wrap around the livers it keeps breaking up.Seems she COOKED the bacon FIRST! He said, the first pot of Spaghetti she made, she did not cook the burger, just dumped the lump in and all the ingredients and started it to boiling. YUM!

Below are things I CAN cook!

Fried Pork Chops, me mother taught me this one........

Snack trays, OH YES

I know how to cut open a watermelon........

and steam veggies in the microwave.......

Don't try this rice, I did and it was AWFUL................but it only took 90 seconds.

Taco's anyone? I do cut up the trimmings, and of course use a boxed mix

MOST OF ALL, I LOVE A BREAKFAST IN A RESTAURANT ON THE BEACH, COOKED AND SERVED BY SOMEONE ELSE....notice Diana Vanna Hand...
At least I can take PHOTOS of food.............

Wal-Mart Parking Lot Lesson

Genesis 9:16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Friday morning at 6:45, I drove into Wal-Mart (yes I had a camera witth me) and this is the sunrise over the parking lot as I entered the store.

45 minutes and 170.00 dollars later, this is what my camera saw. Oops! WM is sliding down a hill.

Is this better with a little photo editing? Can you see that rainbow?

When I started out the door, it was raining. Happy to see rain on our drought starved city, I pushed my burdened cart to the car, left the groceries in the rain while I snapped the Rainbow. This is the view from behind the steering wheel. All the way home I thanked God for the life giving rain and His rainbow. Can you see the sun shining through the rain drops? click picture for raindrops extra large.

The Rain by William Henry Davies
I hear leaves drinking rain; I hear rich leaves on top Giving the poor beneath Drop after drop; 'Tis a sweet noise to hear These green leaves drinking near.And when the Sun comes out, After this Rain shall stop, A wondrous Light will fill Each dark, round drop; I hope the Sun shines bright; 'Twill be a lovely sight.

Sunday Scenes Then & Now

Psalm 150

Praise ye the Lord, Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise Him in the firmament of His power.

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance, praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise himupon the high sounding cymbals.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord, Praise ye The Lord.

The Park Bench

The Park Bench, Author Unknown


The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with it's petals all worn, not enough rain, or to little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need." But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. You're welcome, he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight?

Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me.

And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.

And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

I found this poem by googling Bench Poems. I love it. It tells the story of all my bench photos better than ever I could. Click here to SEE BENCHES CHAIRS, OH MY, OH MY

Click on one of the pictures to see full view of Benches and Chairs that I loved.

God's Timeline

God's Timeline.

• These 3 pictures, framed, hung on my wall at work, 2003
• Maggie stops and says, will you take 40.00 for that? I want to give it to my mother in law.
• Confidence starts to build, every photo I frame and hang, SELLS, to my amazement. (I could not beleive beleive they wanted them)
• My manager David, hangs a bench photo and a cross photo in his office, my sales increase! this continues through two sales at Gevity, over the next 3 years.
• My dad has dementia/Parkinson and is placed in a nursing home in Sept 05. Many tears later, he dies July 5, 2006 (this is part of The Plan)
• Sept 06, I retire and sign up at the nursing home for volunteer work. The director wants me to take pictures at a party, I say I don't do well with people, but I will try.
• I pray each day for God to show me a way to use my photography for His Good.
• Many parties and 3 years later, I have taken pictures of people at Proms, Valentine Dance, Big Cat Habitat trips, I have become the Offical Volunteer Photographer for Heritage Park.
• At last God's plan was revealed, He was directing me to this nursing home, step by step, to use my camera for HIS good. And am loving every moment of it.
  

Defining Moments cont.....

Baby was the first defining moment, for 2 years I took pictures of bugs on the mail box, and candles on the shelf, leaves, flowers, dogs and husband. nothing was safe from my lens, I was Partially Addicted. Along Came The 2nd Defining moment sometime in 2005, I think. Her name is Diane.

Diane sat in another team at Gevity. I did not know her, but on the defining day, I stopped at her desk to admire her calendar. She said I took all of those Pictures. I said Get Out, you did not. Well, I thought that anyway. I don't remember what I said, but she brought her camera the next day and that was The First Step towards my addiction. She said hold it, take a few pictures. The next thing I knew I had purchased a 700 dollar camera, it came with a short lens. Then she went on vacation and Insisted, she almost twisted my arm insisted that I borrow her long lens until she came back. I was so afraid I would break it. When she came home I wanted to buy it, She said no.

The next thing I knew I had purchased a 200.00 lens like hers. NOT like this long one you see here, that one is 1700.00 and I want one, if anyone wants to buy it for me.

This started a realationship between Diane and I and our 2 cameras, that has spanned 3 plus years. We have stood on bridges

Walked in Parks, where Diane stood for many moments wating on the squirrel to take the peanut.

Ridden On Trains! and YES she did hang out the window on a moving train UNDER the sign that said do not stand here when train in motion. I was the mother hen, saying you are Not Standing there, she just smiled.

Diane loves birds, I did not, but now I do. She will sit for minute after minute taking bird pictures. This time she took 200 (no lie) pictures of a bird on a rope between boats.

We have stood on docks on Christmas morning seeking sunsets. Did I mention this defining moment has an addiction of her own? Because of Diane and Baby, I now have my own addiction and I LOVE IT! Also, we could both be in the Guiness Book of Records for most photos taken on one outing. We have THOUSANDS, I would say TENS of Thousands!

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