Best Face Top Picks of Mine ~ 2011

I had to make a decision ~ it was tough!!

These were my nearlys, in particular order...


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Which would you have picked? Any of these of the one I went with?

Communal Global ~ ATW Tuesday ~ A Dose of Dunnes

 

It's the very last few days of the summer holidays here.In fact 'summer' never really seemed to get off the ground really, and now autumn is fast approaching...
But before the children all head back into their 9-4 routines we made the opportunity to have some friends to stay ~ soul friends ~ you know the kind you meet one day, and they instantly become a part of you.
We met Jack & Tracy 14 years ago, when our eldest was a few weeks old and they walked into the little church we attended at the time. She was pregnant with her first and by the time he was born we were close enough for me to be her birth-partner (and actually 2nd midwife in the end as the official 2nd arrived too late!).
We have remained close friends down the years, despite two inter-continental moves (them not us) ~ to South Africa (Tracy's homeland) and back!

And our children ~ well they are soul mates too!

Bugs & J are months apart and have always been buddies, since they were babes.

L is Minnie's age, but of course a boy, so he sits happily in the company of Minnie & Taz.

S & Lilo are BFFs (when they're not squabbling) and are like Ebony & Ivory ~ to look at they could hardly be more different, but together they are beautiful! 

JD absolutely adores DD ~ and can you see how much the feeling is mutual...

JD is a self-employed 'Handiman' ~ seriously ~ his work is BESPOKE!

DD followed him everywhere...

(this USED to be a boxed-in panel-glass door, now it's just a box, after Bugs slammed it one day and all the glass inside smashed to smithereens! JD and Paul spent a while taking the glass out and replacing the boarding ~ and DD had to help!)

In his spare time JD loves to whittle ~ he's made me a beautiful solid oak walking stick ~ you have to feel this thing! All hand-made and crafted with love. Now I am told I have to get it dirty!!

The girlies spent the whole weekend in a make-believe world of princesses 

& gymnasts...

...who like to eat slightly sour damson plums!

It's always sad when these guys go home :(

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How have you spent your last few days of the summer?

Share with us over at Communal Global today ~ just link up :)

Communal Global ~ "Around the World"

 This week some men turned up in the field across from our house...

They worked very hard at their very noisy work, almost all day...

...well, at least ONE man did...

...felling five trees in all.

 This next shot is No.4 coming down & I'm so proud of it!

Look at the base and top of the tree &  chainsaw-man's legs ~ I 'snapped' that moment!!

Seems they were just in time to fell these unstable trees, we have had REALLY high winds these last few days.

Meanwhile ~ in a room not so far away ~ the children were having a lego-day :D

Here are the results of several hours of sifting and building

(click to see the little ones bigger).

To join in TODAY just link up to Communal Global and link in below :D

Pumpkin Fun!

So, here she is ~ our biggest, most beautiful, home-grown pumpkin!

Getting ready for her destiny...

Such FUN!!

We don't celebrate Halloween as such, but that doesn't stop us having fun!!

A pumpkin carving session is a perfect opportunity to illustrate & explain to my children how God loves us so much He is willing to get Himself really mucky, cleaning and scraping out all the gunk in our hearts and lives, so that He can put HIS light inside our hearts and make us shine for Him, for all the world to see!

You Capture - "How Low Can You Go!!" / Best Shot

I love shooting from LOW down  ~ and do it often.

These were all taken today, in bright, bright (hot) sun ~ being LOW really helped!

The ones of my daughter with her doll were taken from so far away she was oblivious to my camera ~ such a good thing!

To join in with YOU CAPTURE visit BETH ~ she mingles with the famous!! :D

To join in with BEST SHOT visit Lolli :D