Hop on in and see my (recent) favorite photo!

I'm joining in on a blog hop! This week the theme is your favorite photo. I have lots ;) But this is my most recent favorite photo of the kids playing in the sprinkler. Lest you think I just run and get my camera and capture a moment, I must confess that this photo was a little "set up". I've been playing around with different light and different settings on my camera and the kids happened to be playing in the sprinkler at just the right time. I did make them move so I could get the shot I wanted ;) It was a good experiment, I think. Click around and check out some other favorite photos. I have found so many great blogs by linking around off of others!

Trying out some backdrops

Don't look at my kids. They just came in from the pool. I had to use them to try out some new fabric I got. I'm not sure about the black and white. The pic itself is not so great either, but it gave me a little indication of what the fabric might look like. I think it might look better with a baby shot that would be more close up........ or maybe a full length shot. I don't know. What do you think? It seems a little busy. I do think I like the brown and blue, though. Opinions??? I may just have to use that fabric to recover something. Oh darn ;)

I hate to sell things on my blog....... but....... ;)

I thought this is something I could easily do over the summer for a little bit of extra cash ;) I have been making these for friends and family for the past year and they have gone over very well for wedding gifts and anniversaries. They work best with names under 6-7 letters long, but longer names can be done. If you are interested in one, they are $40 locally and $45 if I need to ship it to you. They are 10x20 in. mounted on double weight mount board but not framed. I can frame them for you for an additional $35 (inquire about shipping for a framed print). I will let you in on a little secret though. Hobby Lobby half prices their frames with glass about 2 times a month and there is a frame this size premade and on sale it runs $15 to $20, glass and all.

I am always trying to collect letters as I see them. Right now, all of my letters are from right around here, which makes them really special for people in our area. I am currently trying to get some from other areas as we travel (because we are just such jet setters ;)

Just leave me a comment if you would like more information!

Ups and Downs

I'm joining in Jessica again and sharing my funnies for the week. I often wonder if some of these are just funny because they're my kids?? Anyway...... hopefully you'll enjoy!

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Avery was talking about how strong she is as we were eating dinner.

Tate: "Do you think she could lift 20 labels?"

Me: "What are labels?"

Tate: "I don't know."

I tried to figure out what "labels" might be and finally realized that his interpretation of the abbreviation "lbs" might be a little off but his phonics and word decoding is spot on ;)

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Rob was walking Tate through the yard to Mom's and he was a little skiddish to walk out in the dark even with Rob at his side. Rob tried to tell him he was ridiculous comfort him, but he was so frustrated with his own fears:

Tate: "Dad, why am I afraid of everything? Dogs that attack, cat's with no homes......!!"

It's a good thing he knows danger when he sees it.

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Avery just this moment came into the living room.

Avery: "That paper says when you die, Jesus comes to your house."

Me: "What paper?"

Avery: "This" (produces random scrap of paper)

Me: "What does Jesus do when he comes to your house?"

Avery: "He rides a motorcycle. Remember?"

Where have I gone wrong, Lord?



Changing gears.......... On a truly "not funny" note, please send up a prayer for my grandparents this weekend, if you can. My Papa Ralph is in the CCU with symptoms of congestive heart failure. He's on a ventilator, but seems to be making some slight recovery. My Papa Jean is in the local hospital and will be moving soon to the nursing home. My Mema will be living alone now which, with her dementia, may not be a good thing. The kids and I went to see "UP" today and it was a sad reminder of the fragility of life and the lonliness of old age. It was, sadly, a timely message as we struggle with my grandparents' care. Sorry to end with a "downer", but that's just the way life on this earth is. Everyday brings laughter and heartache :( I'm so glad this is not MY home!

Have a good weekend!

Look What We Got!

I've been begging Rob for months for a dog and I decided to do it without his blessing he finally gave in. We welcomed little Miss Sassy a few weeks ago and it has been so much work fun! The kids absolutely love her, but she has added a few more things to my "to do" list (because I needed just one more thing)! She is hillarious and has done fairly well with the training.

She really is a cutie and I've even caught Rob snuggling with her a few times. She's a Bichon Frise and isn't supposed to get really big. I wanted something substantial enough that the kids wouldn't kill, but also small enough not to be a huge nuisance.

All of this kind of happened after I accidentally killed our family cat. Yes..... I killed it. Shut the garage door on its neck.........doh! It was traumatic for all of us. Poor Sandy was the BEST mouser. He was not, however, the most friendly pet. He was tough, though. There were several occasions I thought that cat was on the last of his nine lives when LO AND BEHOLD--- he would pull through. Not this time. Rob, Tate, and Avery came home from a walk and Rob saw him stuck under before the kids could see.

We realized how tough he must have been when a week after we buried him, we found where the coyotes had finally gotten the best of him-- this time when he couldn't fight back :(

I hope we have more pictures to show of Sassy in the coming years. I think maybe even Rob has gotten a little attached. It helps that she is just so darn cute ;) And the little girl holding her isn't so bad, either :)

I thought I'd join in on Jessica's fun this time. I've started a post several times and never got to finish it ;)


Tonight, Avery got out of the bathtub after spending a little too long and says, "Look Mom, my hands and feet are OLD!"


Avery comes into the living room last night and sings:
"Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me."
I swear she learned that at school.


A few weekends ago, Tate decides he wants to try a "pizza burger" from our local BBQ drive in. Now a pizza burger in NE Arkansas consists of a fried patty of some sort with some italian seasoning and a piece of cheese melted in the fried stuff. It's regional flavor ;) After trying it, he decides that it wasn't for him. Later he informed me that "on the Billy Mays commercial for Big City Sliders, he makes a hamburger with ALL the ingredients of a pepperoni pizza". Too much TV? Naw.


Avery wants to be a mermaid when she grows up.

He Did It!

Well I never doubted that I would be able to type that title, but it did get a little scary along the way! Rob will graduate this coming Saturday with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts! Yay! This past Thursday, he had his Senior Exibition and, for those of you who weren't able to make it, it was fabulous. I was a little concerned with the location at first, but it turned out to fit his work well. He had about 50 or more in attendance and everyone seemed very impressed with his work. Here are some shots of my artist and his "wares".
Congratulations, Rob!

I Finally Picked!

Well, after stressing over which picture to order for about a month, I finally decided to bite the bullet and just get one already! I realized that no matter what I got, I could always replace it pretty inexpensively in a few months if it wasn't just right. So here it is! I can't remember which one you each picked. No one picture got way more votes than any other, so I just ended up going with the one I thought showed the most personality and was most natural. I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself ;)


I also slid in a couple of pictures of Avery that I have liked lately. She and I are having some huge struggles right now. It seems to be a constant "push-pull" with her and we are both learning a lot. It's not always pretty. I feel like I am constantly reminding her who is in charge. I know that doing it now will be easier than doing it when she's 16, but we are both feeling the frustrations. Please be in prayer that we will live through this with my sanity and her spirit intact. At some point, I'll post some pictures of our vacation and give you a little bit of a story. I'm still waiting on some inspiration. I mean, a post about Disney HAS to be a good one, right ;)

Tate just said "MP blew me a kiss during the parade and I didn't like it!"

MP would be Mary Poppins.

Tate's not down with Mary Poppins puttin' the moves on 'em.

Steph

This is a test!

I wanted to blog somethings while on vacation by I wasn't sure this would work. So, this is a test. Hopefully, more to come!

Steph

Hello, my name is Rob and I like to do drawrings......

Thanks for your input on the pictures. I still haven't decided which one to get, but when I get it, I'll post a picture of what it looks like in my house!

This post, however, is dedicated to someone you don't hear much about on my blog..... my better half. I am so proud of him, lately. He has managed to hold down a full time job (swing shift 12 hour shifts, no less) and he will graduate from COLLEGE in MAY! He is getting a degree in Fine Arts from Arkansas State University. I know, I know..... you are probably thinking that getting a degree in art must be a real gravy train. Well, on the contrary, he has been blessed with a gift that he has been unbelievably humble about. Of course I am his biggest fan and his worst critic so sometimes it's easy for me to forget how talented he is--- until someone else weighs in on it.

We joke about when Rob was a freshman in college and we attended the student art show at ASU. When we got out of the car, Rob said, "There's one of my sculptures." I was a bit embarrassed. It was literally a pile of logs on the grass! During the awards presentation, I remember practicing the "it's okay"s and "better luck next time"s in my head. How shocked was I when Rob not only won Best of Show with that pile of logs, but also won 3 other awards and skipped away with a sweet $600 in prize money. I've never looked at his art the same.

This year, Rob entered two shows where your work had to be chosen for show before the show even began. He took third place with a painting (he just got into painting this year) in one of the shows and first place in the Annual Student Show, also with a painting The third place painting is pictured above and is titled "Red Delicious". Do you know why? It is currently hanging on my living room wall and I like to think it wasn't a coincidence that it matches perfectly. Of course, he says it is. A true artist isn't inspired by what will match your living room...... or so he says. What do I know? The green one below is another in that series. I don't have a picture of the painting he won first with.

His emphasis is in ceramics, or pottery. I hate to call it ceramics. It just makes me think of molded greenware owls just waiting to be painted that perfect shade of harvest gold.

You will hardly ever hear Rob brag or even tell others about his accomplishments. He is often too humble. So, I wanted to share his success with you and give him my public "Congratulations"!

I love you, Rob! I am SO proud of your accomplishments!

I need your help!

I finally got some pictures of my kids where they have semi-natural smiles and look most like themselves. I want to get a new picture for my mantle but I've got on my mommy goggles and am having trouble picking one! So, I need your help. Which one, if any (don't worry--it won't be expensive) should I pick to print big for my mantle. I have a very traditional home with traditional colors and want it to also match my decor. Be honest-- but nice ;) I know they aren't perfect (the pictures...... or the kids ;)

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#9

Sharp as a Tack

I've been lax in blogging. I haven't had great pictures to post or any stories to tell that I've even felt like talking about. February has certainly been a month that I'm not sure I want to see come again next year. Next February will be sure to remind us of some extremely difficult times. It's been hard to be optimistic about life on this earth.

But thankfully, this month has done more than just come and go. It has left it's mark. God wants us to remember and that is the blessing in it. Satan would be happy if February 2009 left us bitter and hateful. But God has assured me that this is not His plan. I have seen more grown men gripped in sorrows this month than I care to remember, but God has proven that He is here to be our strength. It's funny how most of the struggles I have experienced I remember more fondly than I can believe. I know that God used those struggles to change my life and I pray, and am certain, that God will not disappoint this time, either.

I've been wanting to get a new lens for my camera for a long time. I've just been using the lens that came on my camera because I wanted to be sure of what I wanted before I dropped that first chunk of change on a new one. I decided on a prime lens which means it only has one focal length. You can't zoom in or out--you just have to let your feet do the work. I'd read that this particular lens will create fabulously sharp images and allow you to control your depth of field and get some very nice bokeh....... am I losing anybody? Because it sounds a little Greek to me, too. This shot is pretty clear all over. You can still make out all the junk in my backyard ;)

I have learned a little bit about depth of field and have learned that by changing your aperature, you can create some clear shots where everything is in focus or a shot where just one area of the picture is in focus and the rest is blurred or distorted. The blurry area in the background is called bokeh. That dead grass behind my daffodil is not clear. Although, it is still there, it is less sharp and all we see are the beautiful details in the focused part of the flower.

Please don't get bogged down in my impromptu photography lesson because, for goodness sake, I do not claim to be anywhere near knowledgable. But thinking about lenses made me realize that February 2009 is still a little too "sharp" all over for me. But, I know that thanks only to Him, next year our depth of field will change and we'll see February as that well focused picture with those sharp images fading into a creamy bokeh that only a good lens can give.

Sorry to leave you in the dark.......but....

Well, my posts were few and far between before, but for the past week, I've had a good excuse. Monday evening we had a horrendous ice storm. If you aren't local, you may have even seen it on the national news. Ice over an inch thick covered every surface after it was finally over following almost two full days of freezing rain. I can easily say it was the worst storm of any kind that I have ever seen in Lawrence County and have verified with my grandparents that it is the worst they have seen in their lifetimes, as well.

My inlaws house

Tuesday morning the power went off at about 8 am. That day seemed like the longest day of my life....... little did I know. At one point, Tate even complained that it was "the worst day of his life." Of course, I tried to gently correct him that a little lack of video games, lights, and TV never hurt anyone and that I'm sure he would live. However, as the days progressed---- in those weak moments, I could sympathize.

That first day we fried bisquit donuts, made homemade playdoh, and played board games and almost got a bit comfortable in the moment. We went to Rob's parents and listened to the limbs start to crack that night. As one crashed down, we would run to the window to survey the damage but we could see nothing but blackness. It was a scary night. I kept wondering about my grandparent's house. They have one of the oldest trees in Walnut Ridge sitting in front of their house. One limb from that tree could completely obliterate their house. Luckily, in our new neighborhood, trees are few and our house was well protected and my grandparents were safe and sound at the time in a "shelter" at the local nursing home.

My mom's

That night we regained power at about 8 pm only to lose it again--for good at 11 pm. We drug mattresses into the living room and took pictures of our little "campout". Oh how fun this would be to remember in the future, we thought. But on Wednesday night, we realized the fun was over. As darkness crept in every night, it was a trick to see how fast you could cook all the food that was spoiling before it got dark as well as light all the candles and figure out what the kids were going to do while all of this was going on. Avery also thought it was so much fun to go around and blow out all of the candles as soon as they were lit.

Night #1

Rodney and Kristi moved in with us on Wednesday. Their help was priceless. We actually cooked up some spaghetti on our gas cooktop (in the dark, no less) and Rob ran an extension cord from the power inverter in the truck to power a lamp! It was a true blessing. We ran the truck for over 4 hours running a lamp and a small tv. We played cards and thought, once again, that this would be laughable tomorrow.

gas lines

By the next day, Rob and I started wondering if buying a generator might be a good idea. We were warm and we could cook (both serious blessings!) but the darkness was enough to send you over the edge. So, on Thursday, we bit the bullet and Rob waited in line for 3 hours for a generator. We ran extension cords that night and wired our house to it the next day. What a dream to flip and switch and see lights, run the washer, blow dry your hair...... the list goes on and on!

Brother-in-laws backyard

Friday, Kristi and I took the kids to Pocahontas to eat at one of the few open restaurants in a 20 mile radius and shop for some groceries to replace all of the spoiled ones. That evening, Rob had to go back to work so Kristi and I decided to take the kids to Jonesboro for some civilization (Rodney was in a meeting at Little Rock). I had found out earlier that day that my grandparents had begged to go home after being ejected from their "shelter" due to overcapacity (long story). Anyway, my uncle put them to bed (he lives just next door) and set out to take care of some other errands. As we arrived home from Jonesboro, we found out that my Papaw had burned his arm badly. I left Kristi with my kids and took off to their house where I had to call an ambulance because his arm was so bad. Neither he nor my Memaw could explain what had happened. He was taken to Jonesboro and Memaw went home with me. He ended up having 2nd and light 3rd degree burns and obviously this was the last straw for them being independent.

We finally got power late Saturday afternoon....... over 100 hours without power ANYWHERE in Walnut Ridge or Hoxie (except for one gas station that had lines for gas that were LOOONNNGG). Many in our area still do not have power, including my maternal grandfather, my paternal grandparents, my good friend Amanda and her family, my uncle, and my brother and his family. We spent the day moving generators-- again! We have missed a full week of school, now, and don't know when we will go back. Our county has been included in a Federal Disaster area.

I have to say that this has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. I have learned so much, though. To say that some things are "fluff" is an understatement. As I watched the video today of shelters in the area, I remembered how blessed we have been. And, although I have had my Memaw for 2 nights and spent the day with my Papaw in the hospital today-- which has been difficult, I remember how close we were to losing them in a tragic accident on Friday.

The hole over Jon and Hillary's bed..... the branch stuck through a few feet.....eek

This post could really go on and on. I could tell you about the limb that actually pierced the bedroom ceiling of my brother in law and sister in law, about how we kept our food outside in a cooler for over two days, about the threat of losing our water supply and running water into every empty container and bathtub for precaution, about my brother working as a lineman every day and then coming home at night to hook up and unhook generators, or about the burned up shirt that we found at my grandparents' house.......... but I'll leave you with this:

Lord, we are so grateful for Your mercy. We are also grateful for those material blessings we receive from You. But, most importantly, Lord, we are grateful for your Son-- our hope for life after this one. We know the things of this world are not permanent and that only You are powerful enough to offer what we need. Please restore us both physically and spiritually. Bless those who need You in whatever way.