HERE AND THERE (DAY 21 OF 30)

{Shoreline}

Here: We have gorgeous beaches about an hour away. Sandy, sunny, rainy, rocky, secluded, windy kite wonderlands - take your pick. We offer everything but crystal clear, warm water.

There: Largs is one of the seaside towns. When you look out at the ocean you see the islands that are part of Scotland and you can take ferries to them.

ART CLASSES - WEEK 3

This week, the art classes were on landscapes and the technique of layering.
The first painting we did, our teacher had us use a plastic spoon, knife and fork, a sponge and 2 brushes to paint with.
The second one was a sea scape again, but she had us layer differently than we did the first time.
And an animal - yes, I know Lily is a little cartoony. I was going to start over and use a some different techniques, but my teacher recommended that I keep this one for the wee ones. I have a feeling there might be quite a few Lily paintings before I get it right. She's going to be a tough one to paint with me being a newbie.

In drawing class we had to sketch a landscape super quick. This one we had to use pen and a water color pencil to enhance.
This one, we had to be uber quick. She was teaching us the sketching technique of getting the idea down fast so we could draw or paint it later. I need to work on being looser with my pencil.
And, here is my first animal.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 20 OF 30)

{Flag}

Here: Our flag is red, white and blue.

There: The flag is blue and white. In the photo it is flying in front of Loch Ness.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 19 OF 30)

{Magazines}

Here: We have full size magazines. I've never seen a choice, have you?

There: Some of the magazines offer smaller size versions.

MUD

For those of you curious as to how much mud was packed under our van after "the spring of 2011 incident", here is a photo of some of it. After a 20 minute drive home, all the while loosing mud all the way, this is a sample of what Larry was able to get out from under our car.
He was one muddy man when he was finished.
You know I was shook up if I didn't get a photo of that!

LEAPFROGGING

I love watching my brothers have fun.
When was the last time you leapfrogged?

HERE AND THERE (DAY 18 OF 30)

{Churches}

Here: We have a lot of churches scattered throughout town. Some old, some new, some plan Jane and some with beautiful stained glass. This church isn't the one I go to, but I love to look at it when I drive by.

There: There are a lot of old church buildings like this one in Edinburgh. This church makes me swoon.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 17 OF 30)

{Center of Town}

Here: When I think of our center of town, two places come to mind. The Salem Center Mall and the Oregon State Capitol building. Right now the cherry blossoms are in bloom across the street from the Capitol and it makes for a gorgeous stroll.

There: The center of town in Glasgow consists of old and new buildings that have modern stores in them.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 16 OF 30)

{Castles}

Here: We don't have any castles near by, but we do have an antique shop that has a castle facade.

There: This is Edinburgh's Castle which overlooks the city. Steph says there are a lot of castles in Scotland. Wouldn't that be a gorgeous sight! I'd be oooohing and ahhhhhing and sighing all day.

GUARDIAN ANGELS

were at work today and we are so thankful. On our way home from the shop, Larry and I had a scary incident. We had just come over the bridge when a car on the shoulder of the road decided to do a u-turn right in front of us. We were driving 50 mph and had to swerve to miss them. We crossed lanes and ended up stuck in a recently plowed field. If we had not been forced to swerve, we would have t-boned the car. The car had in it's back seat, a 3 week old baby and another small child. Impact would have been on the baby's side. Thinking about what could have been for all involved makes me shudder.

The most frustrating part of the evening was when the lady who ran us off the road left the scene, she almost did the same thing to another car!

A friend of ours came when we called for help with his truck and rope, and we were very lucky to have so many people stop to offer their services. One in particular had a winch and saved the day.

The car doesn't have much damage, a large chunk of something came off from the front underside (possibly a vent?), and once we (Larry) got all the jammed packed mud off the underside of the car when we got home, all our warning lights on the dash went off and the car is running much better than it did on the way home.

HAVE A SMOOCHY WEEKEND

HERE AND THERE (DAY 15 OF 30)

{Crosswalk Signs}

Here: We have people or hands that show us to walk of stop.

There: They are basically the same, but if you are outside of Buckingham Palace in London, they include a sign for riders on horse. I love this!!

HERE AND THERE (DAY 14 OF 30)

{Time Difference - 8 hours}

Here: I'm out running errands when it is 10:ooam

There: Military time is used a lot. Notice the 18:00, which is 6:00pm. Steph said not to let the blue sky fool you, it's not always like that.

So, while I'm out running my morning errands, she is getting ready for dinner.

IF YOU HAVE A DIRTY CAR

and you discover this picture (which is a Darth Maul interpretation) on your vehicle,you have been tagged by our three year old.

ART CLASSES - WEEK 2

This week was still life.

I'm really pleased with how my painting turned out, especially since it's the second one I have ever painted. I'm going to frame it and hang it in my kitchen.

Next week, we are doing landscapes.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 13 OF 30)

{Cemetery}

Here: We have cemeteries scattered throughout town. Some are pioneer cemeteries and some are newer. Some of the cemeteries have raised headstones and some have the headstones flat with the grass. The majority of the ones I see are very well maintained.

There: This photo is of the Glasgow Necropolis which is a huge cemetery with old burials and Victorian era statues / tombs.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 12 OF 30)

{Phone Booths}

Here: When you can find a public phone booth, they usually look like this.

There: Steph said that not all phone booths look like this, but the majority of them around Glasgow are enclosed like this one.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

Watching these simple, everyday moments make me the happiest.

WE WERE ALMOST ALL TOGETHER THIS

weekend. My family makes me laugh so much.Family shenanigans - priceless.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 11 OF 30)

{Biscuits}

Here: When you ask for a biscuit, you get a fluffy, soft piece of leavened bread which, in my opinion, is best right out of the oven, eaten with butter and homemade jam or honey.

There: You would get a cookie.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 10 OF 30)

{Outlets}

Here: We plug our items in and use.

There: They plug their items in then turn the outlet on. I bet that saves mucho money on the electric bills.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 9 OF 30)

{Appliances}

Here: We have full size appliances which sometimes aren't big enough for my man clan lair. (BTW - try not being jealous of my linoleum or cabinets.)
There: No, that is not a dishwasher under the microwave; it is Steph's fridge.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 8 OF 30)

{Dryer}

Here: I have a full size dryer that I toss my clothes in and push a button. 45 minutes later my clothes are dry, and if I hang them straightaway, most of the time I don't need to iron.
There: You guessed it. There is no dryer in Steph's flat. She does have a washer but when drying time comes, clothes are put up on drying racks throughout her flat.

IT WAS A YAYA BIRTHDAY

celebration last night for Jamie.
Cindy hosted a tea party, and you know there is never a Yaya night that we don't leave stuffed from delicious morsels.

We spent the evening catching up, laughing and celebrating our beautiful, amazing friend Jamie.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 7 OF 30)

{LDS Temple}

Here: The temple is a 45 minute drive from my house, which I am so thankful.
There: The temple is in another country. Steph travels to England, which is about a three hour drive. On that temple ground, there is also a Missionary Training Center, Accommodation Center, Distribution Center and Family History Center.
I love that tree archway. Seriously cool.

HELLO, MY NAME IS LAURA AND I'M

addicted to Peeps.Yellow is my favorite, followed by pink. They can be rabbit or chicks, stale, frozen or fresh. But for the record, when they are fresh my taste buds delight and they are exceptionally fresh this year.

ART CLASSES - WEEK 1

I have the same art teacher for both of my Art 101 classes. The first week's theme, as you can see, was beachy.

Next class theme is either going to be landscape or still life. I'm looking forward to seeing the improvement from week 1 to week 4. BTW, shading is kicking my butt.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 6 OF 30)

{Plugs}

Here: Most of our plugs are two pronged.

There: They have three prongs.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 5 OF 30)

{Signs of Spring}

Here: I'm seeing spring flowers around my Oregon neighborhood.

There: On her walks through her village, Stephanie is seeing Scotland showing signs of spring too.

ELEANOR

"Women are like teabags; you never know how strong they are until they're put in hot water."

— Eleanor Roosevelt

HERE AND THERE (DAY 4 OF 30)

{Street Performers}

Here: You will see my talented man clan and puppy in the streets.
There: Steph sees street performers in kilts.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 3 OF 30)

{Traffic Direction}

Here: We drive on the right side of the road.

There: They drive on the left side of the road, all the while looking at old historic buildings, monuments and super cool double decker buses.

AN UNDISCOVERED TALENT

is what I'm hoping I'll find. My sister and brothers are amazing artists and I have a family history full of ancestors who loved art and were great artists. I've never tried discovering if I possess this talent, until now. I'm taking a beginner drawing class and a beginner painting class, and hopefully, by the end of my classes I'll have produced something that has moved out of suckolaville.
Although I find it frustrating trying to get my hand to do what my brain sees, I'm excited, having fun learning and anxious to see if this talent is a yay or a nay for me.

HERE AND THERE (DAY 2 OF 30)

{Cows}

Here: Cows are short haired.

There: Cows are hairy. I think they look like they stepped out of Where The Wild Things Are.

P.S. I think I'm in love with hairy cows. They are so cool!

HERE AND THERE (DAY 1 OF 30)

My sister, Stephanie, is in Europe. She is home based in Scotland and traveling her little heart out. She has one month left, so we are doing a 'here and there' photo series for April.

{Breakfast}

Here: I eat in my 1960's lair. My breakfast normally consists of oatmeal with craisins, apples, brown sugar and almond milk.

There: Steph eats breakfast in cool spots, like this pub built in the early 1300's in Lacock, England. This 'English Breakfast' consists of eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, toast and hot chocolate.

TAKE ME AWAY

to Paris.

I'd love to be in this photo, wouldn't you?

via irenesuchocki via full house

CANDY DISH

My Aunt Rett was hilarious, innocent, childlike, up for anything, petite, loved to feed you and this little gal only had a 3rd grade education. I absolutely adored her!

As adorable as she was, she had a little mustache. There weren't a lot of hairs but the ones she had were coarse. It wouldn't be so bad if she kept them to herself, but she liked to kiss you on the lips! Every time she gave you a peck on the lips, you'd get poked.

This candy dish belonged to my Aunt Rett and it had belonged to her grandmother, my 2nd great-grandmother, Harriet Maria Vincent Smith.