Hawaii Landscapes

There is absolutely no way for pictures to perfectly capture the beauty that is Maui. Breathtaking, every inch of it! I selected a few of my favorite photos to showcase God's incredible creation on this island.

View from our condo in Kihei (pronounced key-hay)

Where we walked on the beach every morning

Garden of Eden on the Road to Hana

Also, where the opening scene of Jurassic Park was filmed

Sunset over Maa'alea Bay

Golf at Wailea, Old Blue Course

See the ocean in the background?

View from the golf cart at Wailea

Sunset over Waikiki Beach on O'ahu

Pali Lookout, Honolulu

Oh, Summer, How You Are Flying By

I'm pretty sure I recently blogged that time is going by really quickly. I think I say that frequently. I checked my blog today and realized I hadn't posted anything in some time. I think that's because I've met myself coming and going. Travel has been a big part of our June and July. We've had some great events going on in the Holmes' house. I've pulled some photos to highlight the last few weeks. 

Katherine's book came out in paperback

(I have copies for $10 each! Autographed!)

Pa taught Abigail and Rebecca to shoot a gun.

Becca turned around only a few days later and killed a squirrel!

I went to Wichita, Kansas with Jeff on a business trip. We saw this beautiful park statue, "Keeper of the Plains."

The entire family went to the Peach Festival in Weatherford. Katherine and Abigail had both entered artwork in the contest. Awards handed out:

Katherine - "Best in Show"

Abigail - 1st Place in 10-12 Grade

Katherine - 1st Place in Oil on Canvas

I took Abigail and two friends to the One Direction store in Dallas.

(Note: This is a big deal.)

I made these chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream for someone's birthday. How sad is it that I cannot remember who that was?  Oh dear...

 We are still harvesting cherry tomatoes from the garden. And, the occasional zucchini.

And, that's a little glimpse of our summer so far. Up next...Hawaii!!! Come back in a few days and I'll have my slide show ready.

Photo of the Day

Today's harvest from the garden...

Wonders of Technology

I do love technology when it's working properly and not causing me stress. I have often said I could do without a cell phone because I don't always want anyone in the world to find me at any given moment. That being said, I love being able to snap a picture and send to someone to ask the burning question that is on my mind at that very minute, to which I MUST have the answer immediately. 

Questions such as:

Does Kenze like gold jewelry or silver? Isn't this gorgeous?

Do you like this Bible better or the black one?

Can you believe I grew a tomato bigger than a baseball?

Would this makeup work for prom?

(Sylvia and Mother, please note the Big Lots tag.)

Does he think he is king of the house?

Do you think Grandmother Willow will survive this break?

(She didn't.)

What do you think of this scrapbook page?

 Is this the pie recipe you were looking for?

Which hairstyle?

DOWN? or  UP?

Now, where did I put my cell phone?

Father's Day

It was great that we had all the kids home for Father's Day this year. 

And these two aren't at all alike, are they?

I call them Mutt and Jeff.

I titled this one, "Two Sets of Twins." Again, so alike!

And finally a normal pose...

I don't even know...crazy people!

(Love Katherine in this one though)

Summer Days - The Pleasant Ones

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? 
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date: 
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; 

Shakespeare - Sonnet 18

I love Shakespeare's sonnets. He knew that to compare someone to a summer day they would have to be more temperate to be sure!  I love the early days of summer, especially June when the temperatures only rise as high as the 90's. Yes, that's a bit of sarcasm there. My favorite times are the mornings. As I'm waking up I hear the sprinklers popping on, doing their best to keep everything fresh and green.

Misty drops on Knockout Roses

New Additions to a shady section of the yard

We have green beans!

Beautiful zucchini flower

Side view of garden

Vinca in a pot by the pool - will be huge by summer's end

(or fried to a crisp, depending on my ability to remember to water them)

Love this section under the oak tree - mix and match annuals and perennials

My swimming partner this week, enjoying a nice cold sip of pomegranate soda

Summer must haves: cold drink, sunglasses, sunscreen and a book

And, we have the occasional guest in the pool. This is Brodie, the diving dog! Great form.

And we couldn't do without our beautiful pool girl, Absie

Hope your summer is lovely and temperate...I'm off to the pool!

Photo of the Day

Guess which items on this plate came directly from my garden?  All but one! The ground turkey came from Kroger. I grew the cherry tomatoes, lettuce and zucchini. That makes for a very fresh (and inexpensive) meal. It was delicious!

Mini Scrapbook

I spent an evening putting together this mini scrapbook to give my niece, Emily, for graduation. While I realize 18 year olds won't find a Scripture scrapbook one of their favorite gifts, I believe that God's word never returns void, just as He promises in His Word.

Her mother said her favorite colors were orange and pink so I selected my paper on that basis. One day I'm going to learn to take pictures that look like the exact colors of the book, but I thought this little album turned out really nice. The cover and half of the pages are covered in a light linen-looking fabric.  I chalked a chipboard "E" with pink and orange to place on the cover.

I really enjoy putting these little albums together. They are usually very quick to do if you have lots of paper lying around. And, I have LOTS of paper!