dog daze of summer

yep, he ran away.. my pooch took off- after dark!!! the huge home- you know the one with the fence around it- was where I found him...
let's start from the beginning
1. had been at Mom's celebrating her anniversary with the family..
2. enjoyed lovely pina colodas- made my mom- yummy
3. swam way too much
4. went home, got shower and rocking Mr T to sleep
5. girls come out for extra snuggles- how can I say no???
6. dh comes in from feeding YoYo and tells me Prince Charming is not in the back yard any more... whaaaaaaaaaaaaa
7. jump out of pj's and into shorts, tshirt and flip flops
8. grab crappy flashlight that does NOTHING For sight...
9. holler for Prince to come home... I can hear him barking but it's far away....
I figure he's in the pasture rolling in cow manure- lovely... "how nice" (remember that joke Jas??? lol!)
10. can't find him.. going to recruit MOm... bro and his family are leaving (it's 9:30 pm) and they decide to help find our pooch- thanks, bro!
11. get Mom and off we go circling the pasture... we find little glowing eyeballs in the mansion's gated yard... nobody there and I can't get to my dog... who apparently doesn't know his name...
12. did I mention I don't have his tag on him... can't get it to go on! grrrrrrrrrrrr
13. begin to whine
14. whined some more...
15. whined even more....
16. this is where I say... "just one more thing, God... just one more thing... " this is what I get for praying for patience oh so long ago... NEVER, I repeat, NEVER pray for patience! lol!
17. driving "into the forest" as my kids call it - calling his name... can't see, can't hear.. he is nowhere.. where did he go???
18.. we drive down to the creek only to turn around...
19.. drive back towards my house and I call him some more... I hear a BARK!!! yippeee!
20. neighbors tell me he is in the other neighbor's yard.. I go and knock on the door only to ask if I can go around their house... here he comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
he is belly crawling to me.. I pick him up, kiss him, hug him.. he's wet, panting, dirty, heart beating so fast....

oh, what a day... the girls are asleep and never knew the dog was missing... whew!

and here is a picture of my boy and my pup...
going to get a fence tomorrow or so... gotta find one that both dh and I like... I say chain link.. wish it could go around the whole yard but that is a bit much over almost 2 acres!!! lol!

little conversations about and with little people

"I'd do anything for Timmy" a quote from my oldest child
"when I grow up I want to be an elephant" said my second child...

between me and my mom as she held my seond in her arms
"my eyes are just so tired.. out for the entire movie...(my dd)
"how long does she sleep?"
" why? is your arm tired?"
" nope, alseep"

I just love you" my second kiddo says to me as she drifts off to sleep last night
tugofwar with toys: what my mom's dog and my boy do for fun....
he eats the dogs' toys and the dog eas his. The baby has more germs than the dog! lol!

wy are you eating pizza in the pool? it's better that way

avocado for the baby- he likes it!
watercolors for the girls- they like it!we made ATCs together today.. watercolors are so fun!! Dh didn't know I liked to draw.. something new after 14 years of marriage! lol! Why is is it that kids draw the sky tht doesn't touch?? I asked dd and she told me .. "I like it that way. That's why!" lol!
a new magazine for me.. last subscription though- bummer.

Had a great compiment to day from my MIL-- didn't even know she gave me one- ha! I tooka picture of the kids a few weeks ago and gave her one. She tried to make a copy of it and the place clled her telling her it was a $250 fine for colpying professional work! cool, huh? The picture is ok... but it was the paper that I printed it on originally that made them think it was from a professional! lol!

gotta run0 - hope your day was a great one!

wailing and gnashing of teeth to come...

oh, boy, did the little guy let me thave it today!!he cried so much.. must be teeth... I tried everything... he didn't wan tto go to sleep in his crib or anywhere else for that matter.. just in mama's arms.... we didn't get to do much today because of his crying...
finally when the kids went to bed and dh took the baby I got to play with paper, lue, scissors, glitter, stamps, ink.. .oh what fun!
I have other things to do since I snuggle a baby allllllllll day so I will post an run.. enjoy!

#1 is simple stamping and layering- love that!
#2 Fairies is to describe me... this is my life now. It is watercolored and glittered
#3: Oasis: tape transfer adn stmping, masking, texture with he sandpaper... hope you ike it scrapbratmother! :)

Marco..... Polo!

MARCO.... POLO!

remember playing games in the pool when you were a kid? I used to do this for hours on end!!! I taught my kids and some buddies how to play today... so fun! all the rules applied... if you don't remember I will have to spell it out tomorrow night. I am bushed after being outside for 4 hours in the sun! whew!

the kids climbed allll over the tree today- got some shots to show you how it is against my kids- a little perspective.

Mr. T tried his first watermelon today!! maybe he'll start eating real food by his first birthday? lol! His diaper was all pink from trying to grab it... he loved the texture, the taste- I think- and the coolness of it. I had it in ice water to take outside by the pool.

had to just show the pictures of the day :)
I borrowed Mom's camera and took a few to show the elm tree that died in the back pasture... it almost seems like a death in the family.. so long it stood there, providing shade- great limbs outstretched to greet you as you walked up to the creek... gone... first the limb and then the entire tree was finally gone... My brother counted rings as best as he could and got around 150 rings. Wow.. can you imagine? What was life like around here 150 years ago!!! something to think about!



Here is my girl.. I am sure she ran around so fast as the crack of the branch came tumbling down... and then the tree... She is about 30 years old.. see the gray on her face? sweet face... she misses her buddy, Cloud. I do too...
I miss riding her... I watched Spirit with my girls this last weekend and as Spirit jumped over the ravine with the brave on his back I could feel myself jumping and soaring.. the energy one receives while riding is almost uncomparable.. until maybe you look at sailing.. Maybe it's a power unbridled and then for a brief moment you capture it...
oh.... to be yound and energetic.. I am sure her face is saying the same!

we've got an up and coming priest!

As we were kneeling in Mass yesterday and Father raised the Eucharist our Mr. T claps his hands and shouts, "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I don't know if he liked the "cool magic trick" as my brother put it or is so excited about becoming a priest and following in Jesus' footsteps! lol!

that being said, I found this on another blog.. can't remember who- I was blog hopping...

i wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our
cell
phone.
I wonder what would happen if...
we carried it around in our purses or pockets,
we turned around to go get it if we forgot it,
we flipped through it several times a day,
we used it to receive messages from the text,
we treated it like we couldn't live without it,
we gave it to kids as gifts,
we used it as we traveled,
we used it in case of an emergency,
we upgraded it to get the latest version.

How to say "I love you!"

so many easy ways...

listening to kids music in the car.. and singing to it with them...and dancing in your drivers seat while the lady next to you thinks you are nuts... don't forget to smile at her! ha!
scrubbing the floor of the shower while conditioning your hair... he won't notice but it will make it nicer....
having the right spoon next to the cereal for your dd in the morning
folding and putting it away yourself... don't wait for them- just do it
ignoring the laundry and blowing dandelions in the summer sun
letting them hang on your swimsuit as you walk back and forth trying to excercise in the pool
telling them no.... when it is necessary
hugging.... for no reason
saying, "I'm so proud of you!" when they stay in bed rather than popping up again and again
telling one more story even when they have gotten out of bed 5 times already
letting them help swiffer even if it moves the dust around instead of collecting it
putting an extra blanket over his feet while he sleeps to keep him warm

how do YOU say I love you to those important in your life?

It's a big, big world

well. life lessons for little ones today...
1. even if someone says they want to play with you there are some time alterior motives.
2. watch for friends lying to your parents... parents seem to know...
3. just because you have been through the same class of kindergarten doesn't mean the person sitting next to you heard the same lessons...
4. people look to what you have to offer them... could be monetary, could be something material.. some times it's just what they want and can't have...

dd had a friend over today.. not our idea but the friend's and we said ok. No big deal... well, until the little girl told dd, "I wish this playdate had never been put together." (for her and her mom putting it together... at the last moment...) We welcomed her into our home and thought things were ok... The little girl wanted to play with Mr. T (our baby) and not dd. Now the tides have turned for when she has gone over to other's homes and wanted to play with the younger sibling.. how did that friend feel?? A life lesson in this big, big world!

All this came to me after the playdate was over. What could I say to make it better? I pointed out the shoe was on the other foot... how did it feel? Not so good, huh? I also pointed out that if someone doesn't want to hang out with us then it was no skin off of our nose. We had been doing stuff from
Inspire Me Thursday and having a good time! Things change, we grow and learn. It's tough to let your daughter go through the life lessons.. tough to know when to shut up and let her do her own thinking...
hugs were the answer this time... hope they keep working for a while longer.

As far as scrappy goes.. well, we have the images on tape. We had a great time cutting magazines apart and doing the transfer onto the tape. Now what/? I guess it's time to make some ATCs :) Wanna trade??? If I can figure out how to make a gallery here of them I will.

dead... RIP G2

yep, it happened... my camera bit the dust! dd was reaching for a book- Cowgirl Kate to be exact- and my camera was in the general vicinity- that's all it took.. just to be close..... it took a dive and bounced (ouch!) on the tile floor in the kitchen. I knew that not only was my focus going to be off but so was my camera.. the whole stinkin thing. ugh! so frustrated... I wanted a new camera- a nice one... but not now.. it's just not in the cards... so now what? bite the bullet and get the camera I want? wait for my birthday? suck it up and see if it can be repaired. The G2 is not made any more- too bad- it's a great camera. Wonder what the new one is.. the next step...
Canon Cameras
what would YOU do??? besides keep it out of reach from Cowgirl Kate??? ugh... what camera would you chose next??? repair is $184... do this or go for the next step up?

Canon EOS 350D
Canon 20D.. in my dreams...

would you buy a refurbished camera? oh my.. what to do what to do...

so in my misery I purchased chocolate.. not just any chocolate but Health by Chocolate.. if you can find this get it- I swear, it won't make up for a broken camera- but it makes small things disappear.. well, except for my back end! ha!


ETA: at dinner tonight dd told dh we went to the "crammer store" and there were crammers everywhere!"
dh asks dd, "why did you go there?"
dd replies, " because I boke the crammer."

before dinner.. I dropped our remote to our TV.. in the same exact spot the "crammer" bit the dust... I said, "ok, God. I got the picture!" literally and figuratively... dd asked me, "Mommy, why'd you break the remote???"
sweet justice was hers tonight

ABCs of ME

Tagged by Jaci.. thanks, Jaci :)
these are things that I like or some how describe me now... written as I rock my baby boy to sleep..
Apples, ATCs
Believable
Children, Catholic, coffee, creative, Cherry Pie, chocolate, cards
Door County, diving
Easy going, energetic, ESL teacher
Funloving, "fru fru" cream.. for the coffee!
Giving, giggly
Horses, History teacher
Icecream (Kemps please.. from Minnesota, I found out! lol!)
Jello Pudding- make mine chocolate
Kimbal Art Museum
Laughter, learner, Lake Michigan
Memphis girl, Mama, Mommy, magazines
Not so neat
Organzing.. .always doing this but not very successful at keeping it that way!
Photography, Prince Charming (our dog), PB&J- raspberry jam, please!
Quite the list maker... now where did I put it???
Ribbons and rubons.. how cool are these!
Scrapping, stamping,The Shaker Box , soccer, swapper
Talkative, Texan (now I am), teacher
Unique
Vivid.. dh says he married a cartoon character!
Wanna be Chef and Photographer
Xtra silly
YoYo.. my horse since I was 14... she is now 30 years old
Z.... my family... the sleep I miss... taking my kids to the zoo

what's for dinner: kitchen sink salad, of course!

my friend, Jeanine, asks.. well, tonight it's Kitchen Sink Salad!!! This is my all time favorite dinner- I love it!! First, let's start with FRESH ingredients!

Nothing but the freshest... at least in the summer!
first layer is iceberg or go for the baby spinach, romaine and the other frilly ones
pineapple- these really are so easy to cut up! it should smell SWEET
strawberries- cut in slices for the full affect of the rainbow of color in them!
raspberries because they remind me of Door County
grapes- halved for the juices to flow, green for the color contrast on the reds and other greens
tomatoes- vine ripen if you can get them- don't forget- DO NOT refrigerate them!!!
blackberries- found some really juicy ones in my market :)
croutons- crunchy ones that are baked- delicious
grilled chicken- warm or cold- sliced THIN I girll the chicken after marinading it in KC Masterpiece Steakhouse Marinade or one with garlic in it.. yummy.. watch so it doesn't burn and cook until clear juices run- it doesn't take long to grill... go ahead and do a few extra for the week.. you'll be glad you did!

**some times I will add avocados, olives, mandarin oranges... cashews.. Hey, it's not called Kitchen Sink Salad for nothing! lol!

I use a vinegrette by Brianne's with a strawberry on it- delicious!
so.. bon appetite for those of you willing to try!


my dd told me again today she wants to be a nun... a nun... it's time a new generation pick it up.. not anyone in my generation in my family became a part of the Catholic Church in such a way. I guess my volunteering is a good influence.. and seeing her uncle read and help with the Eucharist is another... it's all good. She also remembers how important it was to her Great Grandpa to be a part of the Mass even when he couldn't get to it.

ok.. you wanted to know about RAW... I will have to write out what I know and then put it all down so you can see it and maybe even try it... get out your manual to your camera and look up RAW.. can you do it? if you want to really capture that one great photo and not let the data wear out over time... then it is for you... more later... gotta scrap!

don't you just love it...

Don't you just love it when you learn something?? I sure do!
well, this is dh's computer.. and I am not supposed to put too much on but after crashing mine years ago (not by me but by dh) I took over playing with this one :) nice, huh?
Well, he wanted me to get into digital photography and scrapbooking. I am not yet into the scrapbooking but am into the photography!
Here is what I learned today:
take photo in RAW- it's more like data and not a photo. (knew this already)
you have to convert this data into another form of file Adobe can read. Done - it becomes a TIFF. What I didn't know is how much disk space a TIFF takes! GEeEZE! it takes a ton! I mean, I have filled and refilled this memory on this computer so much! it is driving dh insane.. so I set out to find out what to do... I went to Mpix and read what they had to say. I have tried to read as much as I can at 2Peas but didn't get what I was looking for at the time...

well, long story short- I have found space by ditching my TIFFs and keeping the RAW. I finally figured out how to convert without using 3 different programs to proof pictures I have taken!!! yippeee! this speeds things up so much!

now here is the next dilema (see, when I learn something another question ALWAYS follows!) I went into PhotoShop Elements and saw how Zoombrowswer was converting my photos- kind of cold but when I did it straight from my files the pictures turned out warm.. I know part of this is because I was doing an overall conversion for a slew of pics but should it really make that much of a difference??? hmmmmm

do you know the answer to my question???
would love to post but it's so late and I gotta chase kids tomorrow :)

I think I can
I think I can
I think I can
I think I can
I think I can
look who can stand! (sorry, used all the disk space again on my harddrive... no pics today.. can't open my Adobe photoshop to make my RAW pics into JPEGS for the blog... will add later :) )
Not for long but he practices every day.. every hour... every chance he gets to be on the floor.

I got a new sling the other day. I love slings.. makes being a mommy so much easier. I am told so many times that my kids don't whine or cry when they are babes.. WEll, it's because they are ON me! literally ON ME! I have been approached by strangers to check out the sling- wish I could sell them for the company and make some extra money! lol! I think for any mom- first time or 3rd time- this is the way to take care of your needs as well as the baby's. The other sling has been worn out and is almost threadbare! When I opened the package with the new one Mr. T was so excited to see a new one- I got the same fabric! He was jumping up and down on his tush he was so thrilled.. the girls said the other one can't be destroyed but then I explained I would tear it apart and make a LO for their scrapbooks explaining my reasoning for purchasing one in the first place.
They make nursing discreet. My brother, who calls me a LaLecheLeagueNazi, can never tell that I am nursing in front of him. HA! It just looks like the baby is sleeping :) so nice! When the baby is small it keeps *most* people from coming up and touching the baby over and over because they then are invading MY space! (doesn't that drive you nuts when someone invades your space?? ugh! that is for another blog another day)
Anyway, if you know of someone having a baby get one of these slings! I got mine from Over the Shoulder BAby Holder. But there are others out there.
MayaWrap makes one without padding. It folds up nicely in your diaper bag or whatever. I just looked it up and it seems as though they are doing one with padding! how 'bout that? hmmmmmm I love the fabrics they use- Guatemalan style- yummy! Maya Wrap is a good alternative to the OTSBH that I have in that it is made from natural manmade weave instead of a machine weave. When I got my first sling I was desperate to get things done in my house. It may not be the most fasionalbe thing in the world but I do use it every day and love it! ok. off my box.. told you I should sell them! lol!

so many thoughts

cake... love it.. love to make it... love to eat it.. .you can tell.. it's on my hips.. I gotta get rid of this hippage I got going on... These cakes are a labor of love.. the cake- Funfetti by Pillsbury is so good! lol! I take icing and add gels until I get the color I want and then play with the piping until itlooks like what hte kids ask for.. Lady G always asks for a mermaid so mermaid it is... This time I went out nd did a lacing kind of thing on the back.. didn't get a picture.. maybe someone at the party did... hope so.. My dd is so happy to see it and the kids all dive in asking for a hip or fin.. so fun! The mommies are impressed that I took the time.. Birthdyas come once a year- shouldn't the cake be worth waiting for?? My mom used to make cakes that tasted tgood. She wasn't creative withthe icing but you aks for a rum cake and it was the best rum cake you EVER ate! loved it when it went in my lunchbox at the Catholic school !lol!

I thought long and hard about this today.. time to get back to WW and get this weitght off so I am healthy.. strong for my kids.. goin go tmake a food journal this weekend and get on it.. time is wasting... my kids want to play!


felt the pains that I had prior to children.. ugh. I hate the pounding in my side.. the ache of adhesions.. why are they back?? not so soon...
I waited so long for my children to arrive and now that hthey have even to think that I might not feel life within me again is hard to believe... I love the feeling of them stirring inside. Knowing I am the one to keep him or her completely safe..

I'm rambling.. must bet my migraine taking over.. I can't seem to finish a thought..
think I need to run...

oops.. missed POTD for July 11

here it is .. what becomes of a photoshoot in my home.. chaos.. kids everywhere... giggles.. asking them to repeat what I wnt them to do so I make sure I get it... do i??? nope... I get this.. he said she said...

11 months...

who knew 11 months would fly by so fast! whew!! like a whirlwind... our little man is growing.. I still see him as a newborn.. fresh.... wrinkly.. soft... now with a little personality shining through just waiting for the right moment to place his bottom lip on top of the top lip and blow like crazy... making a great big raspberry to see if I will laugh, do it back or just what... I love to do it back and hear a great big laugh from him.... he is so silly. I look at him and remember the dream I had of him when I was pregnant... still need to scrap that one... it will be something to tell him over and over again as he grows.. will he be that man in my dreams?? the one that rolled his eyes at his silly mama? Only time will tell.

No scrapping today.. just some shots of my kiddos... relaxing... healing from surgery... just being in the moment with my kids... love this feeling and that God gave me the opportunity I asked for over and over again.



Spoke with a dear friend today... I was telling her about my conversation with Lady G (my dd)about life. She told me the other day she was not going to get married. She is a long way from that age but she is thinking.
I took a deep breath and said, "no?" (she is so kind she would make a wonderful mommy)
She said, "no, I want to belong to Jesus and go to Church.... you know, like Sr. Dorothy (her great great Aunt)"
I replied, "You want to become a nun?"
"Yes, Mommy, a nun."
I thought for a moment. "Do you want to go visit Sr. Dorothy at the Convent again?"
"Yes." she said quietly.
"Have you talked this over with God?" I asked.
"No." she answered.
"You need to ask God if this is what He has planned for you. For your life. Ask Him for guidance."
"I can talk to HIm about this?" she asked me.
"Yes. Ask your Guardian Angel to guide yo towards Jesus... if this is what He wants you to do with your life." There was a great silence as we laid on the bed... she is thinking...

time for me...

I never seem to find the time to get back here...
15 minutes... isn't that what FlyLady says?? you can do anything in 15 min?? welllllll... where the heck are they?? lol!
my breaker box melted 2 of my breakers so we were without dryer and AC in 1/2 of the house
dd had surgery
Grandpa died... 6 days short of his 102nd birthday
dd graduated from kindergarten
met with some 2Peas gals for photography... that was a story in itself.. I still have to get the photos up... I feel like my camera is a throwaway compared to what these gals had! lol! I am learning still... working on the photography.... I hope to learn more from these gals.. I hope to practice to get to a level that I feel comfortable with them... amazing photographs these gals took.. the children played so well together...

I did delve into chalks the other day and it felt good to get my fingers covered in COLOR! the tape was sticky. the glue was smooth. the paper crisp.

time to create again!!!