and then I met Jewel.   I'm torn.  Those sad eyes, those droopy ears.  Those cute little black and brown spots.   What a cutie:

This was our view today from our property.   For more photos of the Texas Hill Country, I'm posting on a new blogger blog:   Texas Hill Country Beauty.

I tried taking three photos and blending them in photoshop for a panaramic view.  I can see where I blended, but just didn't have time to perfect it.   For a larger view of this photo visit here.

I got tagged from TeachingDad so here goes:

When you were a kid, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A - Taxadermist (I even experimented on some frogs - not a pretty sight...)

What do you want to do when your kids grow up?

- Photographer and Artist

- Missionary (short term Medical)

List 3 favorite childhood foods

- Fried okra

- Onion rings

- Fried mushrooms

Now they are

- Fried okra

- Onion rings

- Fried mushrooms

 Name your top 3 music favorites as a teen

- Alabama

- George Strait

- Chicago

Top 3 now

- Newsboys

- Allison Kraus

- Keith Urban

3 interesting things about you then

- won an art contest, along with 50 others, and had my drawing displayed in the Texas capitol rotunda

- valedictorian (of class of 40 or so)

- I once snuck out of my house to spend the night at the homecoming bonfire, and then snuck back in before dawn, and then went to school (my mom can attest to my rebellious streak for a few years there)

3 interesting things about you now

- I bungee jumped out of a hot air ballon with friends in Colorado in my early 20's

- I taught myself to knit last fall

- I'm very messy (ok, that hasn't changed)

List 3 favorite books as a child/teen

- Encyclopedia Brown books

- Little Britches

- Gone with the Wind

List 3 favorite books now

- ONLY 3 ??? - the Bible

- Little Britches

- Mountain Man (Jeremiah Johnson)

(favorite books will return as a blog in itself)

3 favorite childhood places

- Stinky and Poppie's ranch

- the swimming pool at the ranch

- Colorado vacations 

Now where do you most enjoy going?

- the ranch

- Colorado

- camping/hiking anywhere in God's beautiful natural creation

What were your favorite 3 movies?

- Gone with the Wind

- Fiddler on the Roof

- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Now 3 favorite movies

(already wrote a blog on this one)

-  Pride and Prejudice

- Dumb and Dumber

- Princess Bride

Favorite TV shows back then

- Little House on the Prairie

- Magnum PI

- Gilligan's Island

Now

- Lost

- Monk

- Jeff Corwin Experience

How many kids did you think you would have?

- 3 or 4

How many do you have

- 3

3 things you thought you would do when you grew up?  Did you do them?

- Get married and have kids - yes

- Travel the world - not yet

- Get a college degree - yes

List 3 things you NEVER thought you would do... that you did

- Work on Saturday and eat pork

- Live in Alaska

- Become a nurse

List 3 friends you are going to tag

- Juliestew

- Trustingdaily

- Jennfromtenn

And I am adding a category too - Your dream car as a teen and first car

- Jeep CJ-7 - dream

- Mercury Capri - reality

Your dream car now and what you drive

- Jeep Wrangler (still dreaming)

- Dodge Neon (which is getting very cramped)

Things I miss about Texas:

1.   Swimming in the summertime

2.   Thanksgiving in Texas

3.   Spectacular electrical thunderstorms

4.   Lying out under the stars

5.   Family get-togethers

6 .  Sunshine

7.   Cowboys, western influence, ranches and rodeos

8.  Wide-open spaces and  road-trips

9.  Wal-mart and H.E.B.

10.  Having acreage to live on

11.  Home-grown tomatoes

12.  Sisters/brothers within walking distance, cousins for my boys to play with

13.  Windmills and bluebonnets

14.  Texans

15.  Texas sunsets

Things I love about Juneau, Alaska:

1.   Green mountains, snow-capped mountains, mountains w/glaciers, and more mountains.

2.   The sea - tide-pools, sandy beaches, rocky beaches, tides, wetlands

3.   Well-maintained, easily accessible trails smack dab in wilderness

4.  Clouds that just hang out below the mountains, and all the interesting formations

5.  Wildlife - porcupines, bears, beavers, squirrels, porpoises, whales, hoary marmots, birds, ducks, swans, bald eagles

6.  Snow in winter

7.  Activities - biking, hiking, fishing, boating, kayaking, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, sledding, berry-picking, panning for gold, & the list goes on

8.  Cool summers

9.  Wildflowers, gardens, ferns, green grass galore

10.  Friendly and outdoorsy, down to earth Alaskans

11.  The dresscode - jeans or carharts, xtra-tuffs (rubber boots) go anywhere

12.  Our church - the most loving, grace-centered, Bible-believing group I've ever had the privilege to know

13.  Fresh cool air; city water that tastes like it came from a stream; & smoked salmon

14.  Homeschool families galore, and the excellent benefits of homeschool correspondence schools

15.  Breath-taking views

These are some of my favorite photos from when I was a little girl.  I was one year old in first one, probably 3 in the next, and about 4 with the umbrella. Unfortunately, Tigger isn't in these photos since he wasn't born til the next year, when I was five.  We look like little rugrats in that last one.

I really enjoy watching a well made movie.  I guess I like all types of movies - drama, adventure, suspense, comedy, chick-flicks, although I'll pass on the slasher/horror types.  My biggest complaint of movies is that they just add bad language/adult content, etc. just for the ratings and for some reason Hollywood (and perhaps the average American) believes this makes a better movie????? 

That being said, some of my favorites may have some bad language/adult content/violence.  If it gets overwhelming, then I'll pass on it, but as long as the prevailing theme, tone and content is positive, I can handle some objectionable material (although I'd always prefer a "clean" movie).  I also like good acting and engaging story-lines, whether it makes me think, just gives me a laugh, keeps me on the edge of my seat, or has me cheering, and grabbing for the tissues.

So these are my all-time favorites, these are movies I wouldn't mind owning and watching over and over:

1.  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

2.  Princess Bride

3.  Fiddler on the Roof

4.  A River Runs through it

5.  Gone with the Wind
6.  Dumb & Dumber

7.  Man from Snowy River

8.  The Gods must be Crazy I & II
9.  Scarlet Pimpernel (1982 version with Jane Seymour - no other version will do)
10.  Anne of Green Gables
11. Pride & Prejudice (A&E version, haven't seen the new one to recommend yet)
12. Sense & Sensibility
13. The Straight Story
14. Count of Monte Cristo
15. What about Bob?
16. Rat Race
17. Somewhere in Time

18. Foul Play

19. Forrest Gump

20. Braveheart

21. Much ado about Nothing

22. Oh Brother where art thou?

23. Tombstone

24. Lord of the Rings I-III

25. Rudy

26. Frisco Kid

27. Shindler's List

28. The Pink Panther and its many sequels (with Peter Sellers)

29.  Deceived

30. Cinderella Man

There you have it.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some, oh well.  Mmmm... pass the popcorn.

I've always loved the Far Side by Gary Larson, maybe because my sense of humor has always been a little "off"?  Anyway, I used to have a copy of "While their owners sleep, nervous little dogs prepare for their day." here.  Whether or not it is infringement of  copyright laws or legal and fair use is grey area, but it appears Gary Larson doesn't approve of any of "his children" being out running free on the web, so I am removing the cute little cartoon of the wienie dog filling his cup with expresso.  Boo hoo.  If you want to see it for yourself, pick up a copy of Cows of Our Planet.  Here's the website I found with Gary's sentiments on it and a little about copyright laws.