Small Town Saturday Night

Last Saturday night our family went to the Broiler Festival in the nearby tiny town of Crane. We still don't know what a broiler is, but we sure had a great time.

I just adore carnivals, especially the Ferris Wheel.

I love state fairs, reunions, company picnics, amusement parks, homecomings, baseball games, Fourth of July... any place where people gather to laugh, play, and celebrate life. While I do believe life's greatest joys are in the small daily moments, I adore the bigger celebrations, too.

I love spinny rides that makes your tummy jump and your head spin. The smaller the fair, the creakier, scary, more fun the ride.

Thank God my little girl is going to grow up enjoying all the crazy rides as much as I do. There are just some traits I felt it was imperative that she inherit from me. Things like unabashed public singing, extreme joy in life's small moments, and the thrill of a carny.

After all, there is nothing like an upside-down-loopdy-loop roller coaster. Except maybe a ride that spins you so hard your insides feel squishy.

As much as I love the rides, one of the best things about carnivals is the people watching. All the teenagers dress up for a carnival with as much care as we used to put into a Friday night trip to the mall. I loved listening to their over-loud, over-eager laughter, and the snatches of their earnest conversations. Since I can't show those particular teenagers to you, I'll show you my two favorite companions for a carnival, a baseball game, a life.

Summer isn't over yet, but this felt like a perfect ending. Happy, happy end of summer.





I took all these photos. Click here for a few of my favorite Ferris Wheel images.

H is for...

* home * high school librarians * hugs * heebie-jeebies * harlequin patterns * hurricane lanterns * homonyms * hearts * heat * happiness * hyacinths * hopefulness in the face of adversity * hands* His Girl Friday * hymn books * honeybees * handwriting * hot, fresh, homemade bread * hollow trees * Humpty Dumpty * haute couture * human kindness * hooey, by the bunch * hacky sack * Hailey's comet * hopscotch * history * hamburgers * Harper Lee, author * house-broken puppies * half dollars * humor * Hattie Big Sky * horses * haberdashery * hemp fabric * Hallmark commercials * hysterical laughter * holding hands * hammocks * hula hoops * hamlets * hellos * hues * hang gliding * handlebar mustaches * hot water at the turn of the tap * high heeled shoes * heroes * hoot owls * harmonicas * horehound candy * hats * "Happy Birthday to You" * haystacks painted by Monet * heartthrobs * heather grey * hope is a thing with feathers * helicopter pilots * hedgehogs * heirlooms * herringbone and houndstooth * Helene Hanff, author * heydays * hickory trees * halibut steaks * Hubble Space Telescope * hinges * hissy-fits * high tide * Hobbits * hallways * hollyhocks * humpback whales * hippopotamus * homesteaders * home-grown tomatoes *

Don't you just love the alphabet?

To see more work from these excellent photographers, click the individual links. H by Eva the Weaver. Hat by Tangobaby. Handwriting by ddsiple. Harmonica by Bud Green. To find out more about the Alphabetica project, see the sidebar. To see the entire project so far, click on the Alphabetica label at the end of this post.

Thinking of Home

Although I was born in Germany and have lived in places like the Azores and Indonesia and the Pacific Northwest, I am honestly a southern girl in my heart of hearts. And, tonight I'm thinking about home.

I have a theory about home. I think that when we are children, home is where our parents are. In our twenties, home is where our lover is. In our late twenties and early thirties, I think we begin to choose for ourselves exactly how to create a home. And, I believe that as we age, the place our heart calls home is most often where we lived as a teenager. That's where all the seeds were planted that grew into our adult selves. That is the truth for me, anyway.

As I near forty, I realize more and more that my heart's home is in the mountains of Tennessee and just across the state lines into northwest Georgia and Alabama. For me, home is where I was a teenager.


Home is the sound of crickets and bullfrogs. Home is hot summer days and cooler, breezy nights full of fireflies and cricket calls. Home is where everyone offers you a glass of tea and doesn't think to mention that it's sweet. Of course tea is sweet. Home is where people say, "ya'll" and "hey" and "yes, ma'am" without irony. Home is where every soda is a coke and grown men and women still call their fathers Daddy. Home is where you wave at strangers passing on the road. It is evenings sitting on porches or in the backyard telling tall tales. Home is a boat full of teenagers down at the dam with snacks, music, and a long, hot day ahead. Home is where people speak slowly and move slower still. Not because our minds aren't quick, but because we know how to savor.

And, now I'm wondering. What is home to you?





The two southern images seem plucked straight from my childhood. They were taken by Kenny. This song is exactly how I am feeling tonight.

I've Been Missing You

I just wanted to stop by for a moment to say hello. I have missed spending regular time on my blog and on yours. Please pardon my absence and know that I miss all my lovely blogging friends. I thought that I would leave a little eye candy for you and offer an update in case you are wondering where I've been. First, the eye candy.

My wish for you: A lazy morning in a beautiful room, softly lit by the sun.

Followed by a languid summer afternoon somewhere near the water.

Ending in a quiet night snuggling under the stars.

Today was our fourth day of school, and I feel still woefully behind. My to do list is as long as my leg. (I'm 5'10", so that's a long leg.) I've taught fourth grade for the past seven years. Believe me, second grade is an entirely different world. My second graders resemble eager puppies more than they resemble the fourth graders I'm used to.

I really am enjoying the children and the challenges though. We've been having a lot of fun getting to know each other. I love their eagerness and the happy little faces that continually smile up at me. I love the exuberance with which they approach any task. It's been good. Very good.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and cheering emails and comments. I'm hoping to be back to normal by this weekend. Know that I miss you. Blessings to you and yours.





The first picture is from an old issue of Martha Stewart Living. The second picture comes from an internet shopping site. Toast, I think. The third photograph was featured on my friend, Studio Wellspring's blog.

one word answers

Are you verbose, wordy, have a lot to say? Me too! Try playing a blog version of Twenty Questions giving only one word answers. It almost killed me. Here's my version of a meme currently floating around blogland.


1. Your cell phone? monogrammed

2. Your significant other? charming

3. Your hair? tousled

4. Your mother? gorgeous

5. Your father? generous

6. Your kid(s)? delightful

7. Your favorite thing? books

8. Your dream last night? odd

9. The room you're in? peaceful

10. Your fear? invisibility

11. What you're not? boring

12. Last thing you did before logging on? laughed

13. Where did you grow up? Chattanooga

14. What are you wearing? wide-legged Capri's

15. Your computer? lifeline

16. Favorite place? Crater Lake

17. Your mood right now? contented

18. Missing someone? often

19. Something you're not wearing? shoes

20. Your life? beautiful


Aside from being a big talker, I'm also a Nosey Parker. Which I prefer to call curious. That makes this meme perfect for me. Won't you play along? Please leave me a comment with your link or your answers. I'd love for you to tell me something.





The question mark photo above is really a staircase. You must check out this amazing photographer.

Pieces of Me

We interrupt this post to offer an explanation: Tomorrow is the first day of school,and my first year teaching second grade. I've been working nearly around the clock the past two weeks to get ready for tomorrow. My posts were created ahead of time, and I've been almost entirely off-line. I just wanted to say thanks to so many of you thoughtful, wonderful readers. I so much appreciate all the loving, encouraging emails. As soon as I get started on this school year, I will be getting back in touch with all of you, and will be creating some current blog posts. Thank you a hundred times for all your kind emails and comments. The past two weeks are the most difficult of my year, and you all have kept me energized and encouraged. Blessings and love to you all! ~ Relyn





The questions:
1. What is your first name? Relyn

2. What is your favorite food? Thai

3. What high school did you attend? CCS: in Chattanooga, Tennessee

4. What is your favorite color? red

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Sam Elliot: it's not a secret cowboy thing, it's his voice

6. Favorite drink? Coke

7. Dream vacation? Greece

8. Favorite dessert? chocolate cake, chocolate anything

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? radio personality

10. What do you love most in life? possibilities

11. One word to describe you. passionate

12. Your Flickr name. Relyn: I used Come Sit By My Fire

Click here for great instructions for making your own Pieces of Me mosaic. Click on the mosaic to see it larger. Photographers ~ 1.Ragamuffin Gal 2. Stuck in Customs 3. SNWEB.org 4. xylonets 5. sarah pants 6. PBO31 7. mark.os 8. Maddy 9. Desolate Places 10. kreative kell 11. arjun 12. berberenike

no one can eat just one

I am not a big cook, but I am a dessert lover. When my Mom sent me this simple recipe, I just had to pass it along. This dessert couldn't be easier and couldn't taste better.

Oreo Balls

1 Package of Oreos

8oz cream cheese softened

white almond bark

Crush the oreos (the smaller the better) and add the cream cheese. Roll the mixture into balls and chill. Next, melt the chocolate and roll the balls in it, chill when finished.

Betcha can't eat just one.




Click here for more delicious photos by Bakerella.

The Big Read

Tangobaby tagged me with this fun meme. She knows that reading makes me happy. If you would like to play along, please consider yourself tagged.


The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed. Who cares? This was just fun to do, is all. Plus, I want to see yours.

• Look at the list and bold those you have read.
• Italicize those you intend to read.
• Underline the books you love.
• Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading, or for whatever reason loathe.
• Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. The Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott(I loathe it, though. I know that's practically unAmerican. Please don't hate me. Please come visit me again.)
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles- Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (A little less than half is bold because I've read a little less than 1/2 of his complete works)
15. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (I didn't finish, too hard to follow. Plus, Jeffrey says the ending is sad, sad, sad. No thanks. )
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (I tried, Nancy. I really did.)
22. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ("No freaking way. " ~ Tangobaby. Ditto, TB)
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captian Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - A. A. Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (Actually, I am dying to read this one. I totally loved The Moonstone!)
46. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (I tried and tried and tried. Yawn.)
47. Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy(One sentence of Hardy is enough for anybody.)
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (hated this!!)
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons (ICK!)
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (How do you double underline? Love, love, love this book!)
57. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (You'll think me a philistine, but I won't read this book. I know the ending.)
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (Blech! Do you actually know the premise of this book? I couldn't do it. I tried.)
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac (Puh Leeze! Try Neil Cassidy instead. Much better.)
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding (Skip her second one. It stunk as badly as the second movie.)
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville (You're kidding me, right?)
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (This book on in my top 10 all-time best list.)
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce (Really. I have. ...Ok. I admit it. It was for a college class.)
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (She had me for a while, but I thought the book lost its power from about the middle on. In the end, I thought it turned out to be over-rated and self-important.)
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt (I thought the movie was pretty good. The book was difficult to follow and I gave up because the writing quality just wasn't worth all the effort.)
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White (Again with the sad endings. Try Stuart Little instead.)
88. The Five People You Met In Heaven - Mitch Ablom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (too wrenching and sad for me)
92. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams (Ick and double ICK!)
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (gotta read it for the title alone)
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (Well, I loved parts of it. I also skipped a few of the social commentary parts of it.)

Happy blogging. Happy reading.



The beautiful book photos were taken by Zsaj and me*voila.

G is for...

* God * gratitude * gardens: flower, vegetable, rock * Google * gracious Southern charm * geography * grandiose dreams * gullible teenagers * green: cadmium, forest, lime, moss * Great Lakes * grapes, frozen * gallant gentlemen * Great Gatsby * garlic * gramophones * games: Blokus, Mennonite Madness, Encore, Scrabble, Kerplunk * goobers in RC Cola * giants falling from beanstalks * Glasgow * grace * glistening skin * Galileo * genetics * guffaws * ginkgo trees * golliwogs * glassware * generosity * genuineness * gladness * Giving Tree * gilt * gladiolas * golem* grumpy, grizzled old men * Golden Gate Bridge * gentle movements * gumballs * gooey brownies * graduation day * gondola * glowing candles, lamps, lanterns * Gustavo Dudamel, conductor * get-away car * gravity * gear – specific stuff for a particular passion * geisha * guilty pleasures: 80s hair bands, romantic comedies * garnet red * galloping wild horse * graphic design * garbage service * grape Popsicles * gumption * gibbous moons * Greta Garbo, actress * grilled asparagus * gasp of pleasure * gorillas * grosgrain ribbon * Grease * garden gates * green, green grass of home *

Don't you just love the alphabet?

To see more work from these excellent photographers, click the individual links. G by Leo Reynolds. Gondola by Andrea Rinaldi. Golden Gate Bridge by Wiggumo3. Galloping wild horses by Dan65. To find out more about the Alphabetica project, see the sidebar. To see the entire project so far, click on the Alphabetica label at the end of this post.

A Silly Celebration

I am the kind of girl who gets weepy at Hallmark commercials and emotionally involved in things that don't matter very much. I really, really get excited to hear some one's good news. I feel sympathy pains when someone gets hurt or sick. I am usually the first person my friends come to when they get a new car because they know I'll be thrilled for them and demand a ride as soon as possible. I think the word for what I am is ENTHUSIASTIC.

Today is an example of the silly things I get excited about. Did you know today's date is 08-08-08? Seriously, how cool is that? And so, in honor of the day and of being excited over the little things, I offer you this post.

Eight Lists of Eight
all lists in no particular order

Eight things that make me cry

• fireworks
• the scene in Cool Runnings at the end of their Olympic run
• doing something special for Sloane like the American Girl brunch
• when an adult puts his or her hand on their heart and says the Pledge of Allegiance like they mean it
• a really beautiful sunset
• watching an American take the podium at the Olympics
• any time the underdog wins or the dork boy gets the beautiful girl
• singing the National Anthem, every time

Eight chores you can do in eight minutes

• load or empty the dishwasher
• sort the laundry
• pump the gas
• peruse your child's school papers and sign the appropriate forms
• clean the toilet and wipe down the bathroom sink
• pack a sack lunch for tomorrow
• iron a dress shirt perfectly
• call your mother

Eight presents to give for no reason at all

• a compliment: sincere and told to a boss or family member
• time: lend a hand, notice when someone is overwhelmed and pitch in
• an encouraging note: on pretty paper with hand-written details with specifics of why you love or appreciate that person
• a well-loved book with a ribbon bookmark
• mix "tape"
• half pound Hershey bar: about $1.50 at WalMart big statement, low price
• lavender sachet made from a vintage hankie is pure, old fashioned loveliness
• a generous single serving of the dessert you made for your family last night

Eight great children's books that grown ups will love

• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
• Tales of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Famer
• By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick

Eight visually stunning movies

• Amelie
• Age of Innocence
• Hero
• Last of the Mohicans
• Moulin Rouge
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Wings of a Dove
• Hero (it's so beautiful I had to list it twice)

Eight songs that celebrate summer

• California Girls by the Beach Boys
• Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
• Girl, Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae
• Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles
• Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet
• Pina Colada Song by Rupert Holmes
• Roam by the B52s
• Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow

Eight incredible and prolific hyper-modern authors

• Elizabeth Berg
• Rick Bragg
• Sandra Dallas
• Neil Gaiman
• Elizabeth Nobel
• Ruth Reichl
• Amy Tan
• Jacqueline Winspear

Eight favorite TV series from Netflix

• Beauty and the Beast (I know it's cheesy and faux romantic, but I loved it when it first came out in the early 90s.)
• Flipper (for Sloane)
• Gilligan's Island (for Sloane)
• Gilmore Girls (for the grown-ups)
• Little House on the Prairie (for the family)
• Lost (So. Jack or Sawyer? Or Said?)
• McLoud's Daughters (for me, from Australia and really cool.)
• West Wing (all me)

Happy 08.Day to you all!
I hope you take the time this weekend to revel in the silly and appreciate the little things.





Please click here and follow the links to more images by the photographers who lent me their 8s. Click here for the post that inspired this one.

Feels Like Summer By The Sea

It's a little late, but here's part three of my year-long Feels Like.. project. This mosaic is my version of August at it's finest.






Click on the mosaic to view it larger. Click here to find out more about each picture and the wonderful photographers who lent their images. I love this summer song (but not the video). And this one.

Chicago, part two

Chicago is one beautiful city. Just look at the picture I snapped while rolling along in the trolley near the Field Museum. Oh my!

Popsicle blue looks so good on you, baby.

Thanks again to all of you readers who generously shared insider information that added so much pleasure to our trip. One of those tips let me know about the water play at Millennium Park. Thanks, Ken , from one happy little girl and her tickled-pink Momma.

I think a lot of us could learn a lesson from my little one. Here's how to make a friend. Remember, you have to be a little brave. Gather your courage. Smile. Walk up to a stranger who looks a little bewildered or lonely and say, "Want to play?"

photo by Jackie Chrisner

Be sure to take a little time during your play to stop and have a chat.

And, if you are as lucky as I, there might just be a grandma nearby to catch time by the tail. You may well end up with a perfect picture of a perfect moment in the life of a happy child.

We all had so much fun at Millennium Park; Sloane and her new friend, her camera-happy Momma, her heavy-laden Daddy, and her time-catching Ibu.

Sloane is now officially a Piano ROCK STAR who has played to literally tens of people on the streets of Chicago.

photo by Jackie Chrisner

This incredible puppeteer really knows how to make a little girl's day. I took a video with my camera. I'll post it here if it turns out.

flexible thinking

as dusk falls

Next up, a report from American Girl.
Sloane asked me to wait so that she could do a post, too.
Hope your summer is full of wonderful, photo-full adventures.





I took all the photos except teh two most perfect ones. Those were all my Mom's doing. And, since I'm in a Chicago mood, here's a song and dance I love.

Chicago, in pictures

How we road trip:
talk, enjoy the view, read, make art, take pictures, listen to tunes, and nap.

Diner food:
a must for any self-respecting, road-tripping family

We're here:

There's so much to see, so much to do, so much to eat!

Our taste of Chicago: This trip was brief and low-budget. For this trip, Jeffrey and I traveled with a six year old and a woman whose motto is, "Why eat when you can shop?" Our compromise? Good food, but cheap. Very, very good food - but definitely not fine dining.

Gorgeous Fire Station

World's Coolest Garbage Truck:
I had to show you, even though it's fuzzy.

Street Art

Street View

Thanks so much to all of you who left travel tips and good wishes on my last post. They made the whole family smile. Thanks, too to those of you who checked back all weekend to read about my trip. I'm sorry it took me till Sunday night to get this posted. Between us, Mom and I took about 350 pictures. Organizing them was a beast! I'll post more views of our trip for the next several days. You can click on the pictures above to see them larger. You can also click here for more of my Chicago pictures.