Everyday Images #46

Welcome to another installment of my challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I find that I notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases that I'm focusing on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week. These were the prompts I assigned myself for the past couple weeks:

September Prompts - Everyday Images #46

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season (quarterly)

wide and/or narrow

action

perspective

orange

heavy

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season (quarterly) - the leaves are just starting to turn, and we've had very warm sunny weather most of the past week or so.

wide and/or narrow - I finally decided to use this photo from the Twenty One Pilots concert, which isn't a terribly high quality photo, but does show wide and narrow beams of light.

action

perspective

orange

heavy - believe me, this is not what I'd first envisioned when I added this prompt, but I was running out of time!

A few more bonus photos:

I didn't take very many photos at all over the past couple weeks. Most of the my photos were taken at the two big events we went to - the hockey game and the Twenty One Pilots concert.

I've seen Twenty One Pilots live twice before, with my daughter and a couple of her friends both times. We talked about her coming here to go to the concert with me, but she and her boyfriend had a wedding to attend on the weekend so I dragged invited my husband along instead. He likes Twenty One Pilots but probably not enough to spend money on them. But hey, I've gone with him to THREE Brit Floyd concerts, so he owed me one. The concert was, of course, fabulous, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite having seats pretty far from the stage. (The previous two concerts, we were on the floor and very close to the stage) Having a wide angle view was actually pretty impressive!

On Sunday evening, I finally got to meet - in person! - a wonderful friend I've known for twenty years or so. Dana and I have been together in various message board and online communities for a very long time, and in particular a very close-knit smaller group, but it took until this past weekend before we were in the same room. Dana and her husband were on their way through our area on vacation so we met up for dinner! We had a lovely time, great conversation and very good food, but the lighting was a challenge for the official photo.

I am sharing my photos every other Tuesday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

Everyday Images continues in 2024, every other Tuesday. And on the alternate Tuesdays, I'm hosting the Twenty-Six Lists link-up. I'd love to have you join me for that too!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

October Prompts - Everyday Images #47

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at home (monthly)

at work (quarterly)

gold

dessert

leaf

travel

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©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Then I Will Hear

. . . if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land. 

~II Chronicles 7:14~

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Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

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I also link up at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Grace-Filled Moments

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©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

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Currently . . . October 5, 2024

At the beginning of each month I've been participating in the "Currently" link-up hosted at Overflowing With Thankfulness. Our hostess Jennifer posts a set of action verb prompts for the month and writers respond. So, without further ado, here are this month's prompts and what's happening currently . . .

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Loving - Things I'm loving right now include:

Fall weather! We've had warm days, comfortable evenings, and fairly clear skies the last few days so it's very pleasant. I love when it's cooler at night because it's just easier to sleep, and I appreciate that hot cup of coffee in the evening even more.

Twenty One Pilots! They are one of my favorite bands and we went to the concert last night which was fantastic! Our seats were way up high so our view of the stage was rather long-distance but still good. Just so different from the previous two TOP concerts I've been to, when we were in the pit and right up close.

Hockey! We've been to one pre-season game and are gearing up for the season. There's extra motivation to pay attention this year because we're sharing a season ticket package with friends and will be attending maybe ten or twelve home games throughout the season.

Pumpkin spice pretzels! My new favorite sweet and salty snack. At least while they're in season.

Looking forward to - the second half of the month, when we'll visit my husband's sister and some friends in Ontario, have my parents here for a two-week visit, and visit our kids in Maryland!

Wearing - The weather is still pretty warm and we haven't got a whole lot of rain during the day, so we don't usually need jackets or sweaters, but I do wear my flannel first thing in the morning on my ride to work. And seldom wear it for the ride home!

Reading - For a long time I've sort of been bemoaning the fact that I just don't read at the pace I used to. Like about half as many books in a year, or maybe even less. I suppose that's just the way it is for now. I almost always read during my lunch break at work, so although I don't get through as many pages, at least it's a steady pace. I recently finished Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal. Here's what I'm currently reading:

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

  

More reading news and recent reviews are at Just A Second.

Cooking - Lately it's been quick and simple meals, and nothing too noteworthy. I've gotten good enough at making Chicken Florentine that we have it pretty regularly. We're trying to make use of the grill as much as possible while it's still warm enough that we don't have to bundle up to step out on the patio. Tonight we're having grilled jerk chicken, and we're thinking of doing smoked meat loaf next weekend. Not exactly a traditional Thanksgiving food (next weekend will be our Canadian Thanksgiving celebration) but we've been meaning to do a smoked meat loaf and invite friends so Thanksgiving seems like a good opportunity to do that.

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I already covered the books I'm reading, so the Coffee Break Reading list will be even shorter than usual . . . 

Quotable (I've enjoyed hunting up little quotes to add to my Five Minute Friday posts, and I do a regular Wednesday Quotes post based on interesting quotes, but I've still got such a collection that I have to keep sharing them!):

Honor the hands that harvest your crops. ~Delores Huerta

Every day is a day to be thankful. Life's abundance has no limit, and gratitude is what keeps that abundance flowing. In every circumstance there is something for which to be thankful. Even when there seems to be nothing else, there is hope. ~Ralph Marston

Speaking of quotes . . . Wednesday Quotes is back and I'm co-hosting! Our first theme is Kindness. Find my anchor post here: WQ - Showing Love and Kindness and join in if you'd like! The link is open for two weeks, and the upcoming themes are listed if you'd like to plan for the next one.

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Some fun things I've found during coffee breaks:

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What's currently happening in your life? Leave a comment and let me know! 

This post will be linked at this month's edition of "Currently" hosted by Overflowing With Thankfulness. 

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 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - A Poetic Hodgepodge

 

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  Hey, it's October . . . what's one fun thing on your October calendar?

 

I have a few fun things coming up in October. The first one is the Twenty One Pilots concert on Friday night! Then there's Thanksgiving, a visit to Ontario, my parents coming to visit us, celebrating birthdays, and a visit to the kids in Maryland. Those are the highlights!

 

2. Thursday is National Poetry Day . . . do you like to read poetry? If so, what's a favorite poem, or whose poetry do you especially enjoy?

 

I like to read poetry, but I don't go out of my way to read it. I can only think of a couple of times that I've spent time reading a book of poetry. So what would be a favorite poem or poet? Hmmm. A number of years ago, my daughter and I reviewed a poetry memorization curriculum and challenged each other in memorizing the poems. I remember we both liked the short humorous works by Hillaire Belloc and Ogden Nash, and the book also included a couple of poems that I had memorized when I was a student and was fond of, such as Grandfather's Clock and In Flander's Fields. I think a favorite poem of mine would be The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

 

3. Tell us about something you've seen recently that could be described as 'poetry in motion'.

 I definitely think of 'poetry in motion' as an apt descriptor for gymnastics and figure skating, and ever since the Olympics, my suggested reels are about half gymnastics and I can't help but watch most of them! 

I don't know if 'poetry in motion' is the right term, but often on my commute to work, I marvel at the way traffic works on the freeways with all the merging and lane changes and cloverleafs and roundabouts . . . Yes, there are horrific drivers that do reckless things and scare me half to death, and I occasionally pass the unfortunate fender benders and worse, but for the most part it all works pretty well, I think most of us would have to admit. Thousands of people in thousands of vehicles moving at high speeds but the vast majority of the time we all navigate all of it smoothly and reach our destinations without mishap. Sometimes a bit frazzled or frustrated, to be sure, but we've performed quite a feat and made it look relatively easy. Let me be clear - I hate city driving and the busy highways stress me out, especially when the roads are wet or snowy, so this is totally my coping mechanism! In fact, I try to imagne what it looks like from above in order to calm myself down!

4. What's one song on your autumn playlist? Do you have an autumn playlist? If not, pretend you do. If yes, then feel free to share more than one.

 I don't have an autumn playlist, but I guarantee I'll choose a clip of Autumn Leaves by the Vince Guaraldi Quartet as the accompanying music for at least one autumn themed Instagram post every year.

 

5.  Share a quote that inspires you this time of year especially.

 

I always have quotes to share! Here are a few about fall I really like.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of quotes . . . Wednesday Quotes is back and I'm co-hosting! Our first theme is Kindness. Please join in - even today's Hodgepodge is one to share in the link-up if you included a quote or two in Question Five, since our rule is simply that posts should contain at least one good quote. Find my anchor post here: WQ - Showing Love and Kindness

 

Do you have favorite poems or poets? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

WQ - Showing Love and Kindness

Edited to update: Thanks, everyone, for your patience and kindness as Sadje and I get the link party to work! I see links in the comments at Keep It Alive, so for now, I'll add a list of participants and their links at the end of this, but please feel free to enter your link in the InLinkz tool that does seem to be working on my blog (scroll down to see it)!

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Our first theme for the return of Wednesday Quotes is kindness. At first I thought there would be so much to say about the subject that it would be difficult to focus on one aspect. And then I wondered what I could possibly add to the quotes I chose to share! I realized that it's easy to recognize when we've experienced kindness, and I can see kindness, but it's not quite as easy for me to define in my own words. I think kindness is more than just being nice, and it goes farther than just being courteous. It takes courage and strength and initiative to be kind, so it's not always the easy choice. But as some of the quotes I chose point out, kindness is one way to change the world for the better.

How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time. ~Morgan Freeman

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

~Galatians 5:22-23~

Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. ~Henry James

Showing kindness to others is one of the nicest things we can do for ourselves. ~Janette Oke

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. ~Barbara DeAngelis

A word spoken in loving kindness is worth far more than any gift. ~Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

~Colossians 3:12-13~

Think about those who have shown you great kindness. I'll bet you can remember those generous people who went out of their way to be kind to you, even if it was decades ago. I know I can. The kindness may have been one word or gift or helping hand at just the right moment, but it changed your day, maybe even your life! Or it may have been a consistent demonstration of caring and kindness over a long period of time that made a lasting impact on you. And doesn't it inspire you to share that kindness with someone else, and bless another? That's how it changes the world, a little at a time.

What is an act of kindness that has made a huge impact on you? What random act of kindness can you do today? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Wednesday Quotes is a bi-weekly opportunity for bloggers to share their writing, poetry, photos, or stories inspired by our theme. We've chosen the themes as a starting point for your creativity, and the only requirement is that your post include at least one related quote. Feel free to combine or "double-dip" with other writing or photo challenges as well. Of course, we'd appreciate a link back to us, if you'd be so kind. Add your link and please visit others and leave a comment! The link is open for two weeks.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

These kind participants may not be in the link party above, but have shared some quotes with us, and we appreciate it.

Sadje at Keep It Alive: It Doesn't Cost Anything To Be Kind

LadyLeeManila: Love and Kindness Are Never Wasted, They Always Make a Difference

Maria Michaela Poetry: Some Sunshine and Loads of Kindness and Love

Mister Bump UK: Wednesday Quote (2 October 2024)

LadySighs: Kindness - Friends WQ

Wednesday Quotes 2024 Themes

October 2nd - Kindness

October 16 - Harvest

October 30 - Superstitions

November 13 - Confidence

November 27 - Helping Hands

December 11 - Natural Beauty

December 25 - Traditions

Thanks to Marsha at Always Write for introducing us to the Wednesday Quotes challenge, and for passing the hosting duties along so we can continue sharing great quotes! Wednesday Quotes is co-hosted by Sadje at Keep It Alive and Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee. 

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email. 

 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Twenty-Six Lists - An Autumn To-Do List

Welcome to Twenty-Six Lists! I hope you'll join me in this simple link-up, where I share a writing prompt for some kind of list, and invite you to share what's on your list. Your list can be very simple or include lots of explanation; short or long; a bullet point list or essay style. Interpret the list prompts however you like, depending on how much time you have to spend, and how much background you'd like to share. 

The official first day of fall was over a week ago now, but sometimes it takes me until I change the calendar page to October before I'm really committed to the autumn season. Now that we're here, what's on your autumn to-do list? Do you have household tasks you need to look after to be ready for the colder weather to come? Or is your list full of the fun or cozy things you want to do to really enjoy autumn? Maybe both! Or maybe you just have a list of things you are really focused on accomplishing before the end of this month. I think my list - though I'll try to keep it short - may be sort of a combination! 

My Autumn To-Do List

• Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries! Our family has quite a few in October. Two of our sons have October birthdays, one day apart. One sister-in-law has a birthday the day before theirs, and another sister-in-law has a birthday right at the beginning of the month. One of my nieces has a late October birthday. My parents have a wedding anniversary near the beginning of the month, and our oldest son and his wife celebrate their anniversary right at the end of the month. And then their daughter's birthday is right at the beginning of November! Obviously we don't have parties and gifts and won't even be together for all of these, but we do want to recognize each one and make a point of celebrating the boys' birthdays at some point.  

•  Celebrate Thanksgiving! The Canadian version in October as well as the American version later on. To me, the end of November is winter though. I'm not quite sure how we'll do Canadian Thanksgiving this year, so if I wanted to be technical, I'd put "make plans for Thanksgiving" as another item on my list. (You can find out more about our celebration over at my Homeschool Coffee Break blog: Happy Thanksgiving! Canadian Style)

 

•  Some travel and vacation. We're going to Ontario for a weekend for a high school reunion type of event, and have arranged to meet my parents there so they can come back to Ohio with us and spend a couple weeks with us. We'll also take them to Maryland to see the family there before taking them back to Ontario for their return flight to Alberta. So we only have a few days off at the beginning and end of Mom and Dad's visit, but it's a vacation all the same. (And I'm just guessing, but there's a strong likelihood that we'll celebrate some birthdays and anniversaries while we're together) 

•  I guess if I want to be ready for Mom and Dad's visit, there are some autumn household chores I need to prioritize. Mostly a general tidy, but the patio and the desk in the spare room are the two specific spots that are a bit out of hand. It's also time to switch out some seasonal decor for some fall and Thanksgiving themed things.

•  A fall activity to-do list for me is a pretty short and simple one. Enjoying fall colors once the leaves are turning, which I think is best done on drives in the country and walks in the woods. I bet we can do that. I'd like to sit with friends or family at a bonfire. I've never been one to care about Halloween but the whole costume and decorating thing is something our daughter loves and since we'll be in Maryland for Halloween, we may participate somehow. It looks like we'll miss the Trunk or Treat though, and that's always fun. There's a costume day (with prizes!) at my work but I'm not sure I'll do much for that. 

•  This isn't specific to fall but we're seeing Twenty One Pilots in concert this weekend! This will be my third time seeing them, and every time it's been an October concert date. One year it was actually on October 31st and that was an especially awesome costume party! 

What do you want to check off your fall to-do list? Please share.

The link-up is open for two weeks, with a new prompt every other Tuesday. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

If you'd like to think further ahead, you can find the list of all prompts for the 2024 Edition of Twenty-Six Lists on A Fresh Cup of Coffee here: Twenty-Six Lists - Accomplishments and Goals

Bonus List: The next few list prompts so you can think ahead!

October 15 - I'm Thankful For . . . 

October 29 - Autumn Menu

November 12 - Blog Reading List

November 26 - Holiday Menu

December 10 - Holiday Ornaments and Memories

December 24 - Holiday Movies and Music

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 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.