Penny and Roscoe... A New Blog

I'm starting a new blog for the new year to go along with this one. Time and again the Lovin' Husband and I have been told to branch out and show the world our dogs. The time has come to do just that. Please visit our new blog www.pennynroscoe.blogspot.com . Let us know what you think. And check back in here, as well. We're branching out, not going away!

Happy almost New Year!!!!!

I Miss Summertime...and No....we are NOT naked

Really, I am wearing a tank top. Also, we both have pants on. Hee Hee. I found this pic from this past summer and it made me happy, so here it is. I love that he is just so much taller than me that my head fits at his shoulder and neck. The garden is behind us and kind of blurry. Also, if you look close, you can see the gray in my hair.

He's my flower man in the summer time. He looks like he's growing out of the ground with the grass - everything about this pic I likey.

I can't wait for spring. Happy day, people.

She Had a Good Day... (and please pardon my lack of ability to punctuate correctly)

Hey, Ma. Ma.... Ma??? Mom? Mommy. Hey You!!!! Whatcha gonna have for your super duper birthday lunch at the tea room? Who me? Oh, Hi! I'm going to have the chicken and artichoke casserole for my super duper birthday luncy at the tea room. See? Here it is... Mmmmmm....

In between the food and the next couple of pictures, please imagine a lot of fun trying on hats, sneaking a present purchase in without Mom knowing, taking LOTS of pictures, and a second trip to the buffet table. We then checked out a couple of shops...which is where the next pics were taken...

And here we have the post "super duper lunch at the tea room" party. Kate is on the left, Ma in the middle, and Anndee Kate on the right. (There names just happen to resemble...it wasn't planned...it just kind of happened...) They are definitely their own individual selves and are just cooler in their niece-nesses (yes, I just made up that word, but it works so don't be hatin'!!) because of it!!

And here we all are in our "Fields Girl" glory. Seriously, that's what we go by to the people who helped Ma and Daddy raise us. We're proud of it - it isn't a bad thing.

We took our beloved Mama to Miss Mable's Tea Room in Dickson for her birthday.

(Abby is on the left, she's the oldest, then is me, then Monna - she's the youngest - then Betsy- she comes after me age-wise.) All said... WE had a good day.

Love you, Mom. Happy birthday, again!!

Merry Christmas

This about says it all for the year... My goal for next year is to actually mail the pictures. See you soon!

Yes, I'm Still Here....

Behold.....the red stand. Wherever I go, it goes. Oh, red stand, I love you.

These are from Rachel and Sadie's Christmas Concert. It went well. I don't know why I dread my students' performances, so. I guess I get nervous for them.

My faithful and sweet Lovin' Husband who travels with me on my journeys. I guess I should call them our journeys. He teaches them all just as much as I do when he's around. I've decided we're a pretty good team. Thanks, Lovin', for being so supportive and helpful.

Church

I don't know when they started to feel like my family, but I wouldn't be ok without 'em...

One Month of Lessons ...

I'm at the beginning of a hellish two days (hellish because of all of the driving and not hellish because I get to see my Rachel and Sadie through their annual Christmas concert) and thought I would take one of my only minutes to myself that does not involve driving to share a typical "Elena Lesson". First of all, I must say that this is her fourth lesson, I think. Close to that anyway.

The kid loves to play.... she's memorizing songs already... and figuring out the mechanics of moving her bow and her fingers at the same time.

Mind you, her fiddle is too big... I didn't have one that was her size, so she is playing a half size violin in tune and with GREAT technique I might add.

When she plays for me without her music, this is what I see. I guess it takes off some of the pressure? I like it, though. She's a neat kid and I'm so happy to have her as part of my studio.

See you after tomorrow is over... the recitals and concerts of the kids that I teach really take it out of me. I know that they will do well...it is just the doing of it. The seeing things through that is stressful to me - because giving your own recital is a big deal, folks. When I start teaching someone like Elena or any of my younger students, I look forward to the day that they can give their own concerts and then when that day comes, I feel like I am going to throw up!! Then I get over it, act like a big girl, and become a proud teacher.... until the next recital...

Christmas Presents

The Lovin' Husband and I don't believe in spending a lot of money on "Things" at Christmas, so every year we sit and talk about meaningful, yet inexpensive gifts for our loved ones and how to go about making them happen. This is my first attempt at embroidering and I really had fun using my imagination on the flowers.

I got the birdie pattern from a book by Aimee Ray, but everything else is from my own head.

Please pardon the wrinkles... I was too excited to iron this before I took a picture of it.

www.2ndharvest.net

another site for you!!

Some Things About Me... (I'm feeling self-indulgent, today)

These are my sweet, lovin' parents. I LOVE them and they make me SOOO happy and would do ANYTHING for me. They always told me I could be anything I wanted to be - I could do anything I wanted to do - that there were no limits in life. They taught me to dream...how to be me and all that. I've never once doubted that they loved me. They're always loving and supportive and I am so thankful that they are mine!!

This is my sweet darling Kate. Soccer player extraodinaire... She is my first niece and she and her brother taught me how to be an aunt. Time flies...it seems like she was a baby yesterday and the girl just turned 16. I have loved watching her grow and develop her own style and personality and am only sorry that I do not get to see her more than I do...

We have cats...one showed up and now we have a gaggle of them... I like them, though. There are no mice, rats, voles, rabbits, no nothing. They earn their keep over and over and SO FAR they do not kill my chickens unlike a certain 4 legged K-9 that shall remain unnamed. They hang in the back yard and garden area and follow us when we walk over to visit Neighbor Stan. They love my Saint Bernard - follow him everywhere when he is outside. I think that they think he is a really big furry cat or something because when he goes outside, they mob him. It's pretty funny. ANYWAY....

Have a good day and remember that Christmas is not about buying presents, people. Go get some canned food and drop it off at a church - any church - God ain't picky. Visit some websites and learn about how you can help people - any people as long as the corporation is legit - again, God ain't picky. Let us love one another this season and learn how to give Christmas to those who don't truly know what it is... or how to give it.

http://www.nashvillerescuemission.org/

http://www.compassion.com/

http://www.smiletrain.com/

http://www.heifer.org/

This is just a small list, people. The best thing to do if you want to be involved on a local level in your own community is to educate yourself. It takes work to find need a lot of times, but if you dig deep enough you'll always find it... we can ALL make a difference.

Love,

Malinda

Miss Me?

I have been doing my Dad's blog for the past few days... Drop in: www.jimfields.wordpress.com

When a Group Lesson Turns into a Photo Shoot...

What do you get when you put Mary.... and Weibke together? You don't know, you say. Well, my friend, I can help you out. Telling isn't near as fun as showing, so here goes.

You get this. Two very happy, energetic kiddos. Here's how a group lesson goes down. When they stop counting rhythms and reading notes and seemingly FORGET how to play their respective instruments we pause....take a deep breath....and I get my camera.

Why get irritated with the sweeties when I could just take their pictures for DAYS?!?!

They are just soooo fun. I'm thankful that I've met these two and am so happy that I get to be part of their lives.

I Do Yoga...

She does Doga... Yep. Those are the back legs, folks. She is comfy and happy and peacefully snoring. If I were to do that, I'd never unfold. Ever. Period - end of story.

Have a restful Saturday, y'all... and don't forget! Thanksgiving is next Thursday! I challenge you to make something new this year... peace out....

A Random Post of Randomness

I like this plate... I like this one better, though.

The flower has shoes...I don't know why, but it does. At first I liked them, then they kinda weirded me out. I'm back to liking the shoes. I have accepted them for what they are and now I'm going to move on.

Got me a couch at the local Goodwill. $30 dollars of sheer and total happines. It is delightfully tacky, I think and...

It matches my new curtains (thank you Martha and K Mart) in a strange way.

On a totally different note, my sweet Mama works at a thrift store and I love to dig through the kids books. Yesterday I found the Charlie Brown Dictionary vol. 1-8 in pretty good condition for 10 cents a piece. You just can't beat that, people. I guess now is the time to tell you that I have an unnatural addiction to children's books. Since I cannot purchase them brand spanking new, I make a game out of finding older books to take home so that they may be loved once again.

Finding Charlie Brown and the Smurfs all in the same day just about did me in, ya'll. Of course the music reference in Charlie and the Smurfs' front cover made me smile. You just don't get better than that.

Have a Smurfy day!!

Not My Couch

So, I wake up this morning intent on coffe, my comfy couch, and my sacred alone/computer/wake up time. It is sacred because I can listen to whatever music I want, hog the computer, work, blog, etc. Why would this morning be any different, you ask? Well, I stumbled into the music room this morning at 630 and this is what I found. So I say, "Come on, guys, really? I don't see room for me on that couch." Mondo looks at me like this...

and then does this...

I'm sensing some serious St. Bernard apathy, here, folks. He really cares absolutley not at ALL.-
Now fast forward about 10 minutes. I have documented Mondo's apathy and gotten comfy (not really, but settled enough not to move when he groans, stretches and gets up to lay in FRONT of the DOOR. Something is waking...something very active, hound-doggy, wiggley, waggeldy, curious, and smart.

Good morning, Penny. (Reader, please note that my loveable, adorable, sweet, beautiful, well-behaved bulldog, Maggie, has slept through all of this - snoring occaisionally in contentment - and as I sit here an hour and a half later, she is still in the same place she was when I stumbled upon this little doggy fest on what I thought was MY couch.)

I would be remiss in not mentioning little Mary J. She is such a little opportunist. She'll lay anywhere between the months of November and March just to be warm. Apperently Maggie is the best heater...

Stay warm everybody and have a good day!!

A Little Bit of Sea World...

ok, folks, first things first. If you have never touched a sting ray, you definitely should. They are slimey and soft and utterly touchable. Anndee thinks so...it just takes a minute to warm up to them. Also, if you ever try to feed one, their mouths are completely UNDER their heads. Don't dangle a slimy, smelly sardine OVER them. They'll just look at you like, "Duh, man, didn't you know that my mouth is UNDER the water?"

Feeding dolphins is not at all the same. We all know where their mouths are. Anndee and my Ma got to get up close and personal with about 20 playful and hungry dolphins. Anndee waited her whole trip to be able to do this and was absolutely thrilled to feed them and watch them play with their balls. I think she'd still be there watching them if she could.

Meanwhile... I am enthralled in the underwater viewing area. I have never had so much fun watching any other mammal play. Neat critters, dolphins... BUT...

The manatees took the cake. No, folks, this is NOT a blimp or a space alien or, well, a large, manatee shaped underwater football. My mom had to come looking for me because I stayed so long looking at these guys. They are fascinating and if you think I'm silly for thinking that, you swim around with two short arms and a big butt!

Finally, sweet Navy says, "And if none of that works for you, do what I did...eat a cookie!!"