Senior Photos

I did a Senior Photo Shoot a week or so ago. This young lady has been part of our lives since our two oldest were in junior high school. She is just an absolute doll! Rebel and Pirate are her "Monkeys" and have been from the first day they met her (they crawled all over her, hence the knickname!).

Anyway, she and Mr. Chef are seniors this year and, both being in band, they have to have a Senior Bio and photo available to put in the Senior Night football program for when they introduce the seniors on the FB team, Cheer Squad and Band. She was complaining about the cost of Senior Photos and the she didn't want them to look like everyone else's. I mentioned that I took Mr. Gamer's photos because we 1) didn't have the money to spend on a photographer what would charge us an arm, a leg, AND our wallet; 2) we didn't have the time to wait. She talked with her mom and her mom suggested asking me to take her photos. So, I did. For free! I have this problem right now about having people pay me to take photos. I just can't do it. I figure if I do it for free I get experience, they get pictures, and I don't have to feel like I am being mean to a customer by telling them what to do...I am so much better at plantlife!

So, I checked with Ms. 4-H (yeah, she's a country girl!) about posting her photos and she said SURE!

Visit and Volunteering

Friday marked the fourth day of school for the three boys still at home. It also marked the third morning without our oldest. We all seem to be doing well. DH called Mr. Gamer to let him know that Mr. Pirate was really missing him. Amazingly, he had called him as he was pulling into the drive to come home and we were just walking back from the bus stop! So Mr. Pirate got to talk to his brother and be reassured that he wasn't that far away, it's okay to miss him but he would be home every so often to visit and check on him so he best do his homework! Haha! Mr. Rebel was thrilled to hear his brother's voice. As usual, they talked 'video games', being so much alike.

As I left the house at 3:45 pm that Friday afternoon, a blue car pulls up. Mr. Gamer!! Lol! He had come back to get a few more things that hadn't fit in the car the first trip and to pick up his girlfriend to visit with her. He walked up to the bus stop with me to surprise the youngest two, who have missed him tremendously. Oh, their smiles! It was a beautiful thing. Mr. Pirate looked confused at first, unsure if he was really seeing his brother. Then the joy, pure and radiant, came bubbling to the surface! Running, arms open, he was enveloped in a hug only a brother can give. Mr. Gamer smiled, hugging both Rebel and Pirate, growing up in front of me, learning instantly that his brothers' love is something that is given unconditionally and will always be there; always be a joyful thing.

So, volunteering... sounds like a great thing, and it is. Just keep in mind that the volunteering I speak of requires a recovery period. For the last 7 years, the high school band members have volunteered to answer phones during the MDA Telethon at our local TV station. A few years ago, the coordinator had several groups from a different high school back out at the LAST MINUTE. I am talking, she needs volunteers and needs them NOW! So, being a band parent herself, she starts calling all her band kids. I was the first parent that actually answered the phone. For the next 20 minutes we worked out what could be done, who we needed, and "Fran, you're going to need chaperones for this if it works!".

So, DH and I tossed our hat in the ring. What ring? The thing has been called the MDA Overnighter for the last 3 years! Yep, an average of 25-30 high school band kids sleep in a TV station overnight to answer phones at scheduled times during the wee, WEE, hours of the morning. They arrive around 10:30-11:00pm, stuff envelopes, get their sleeping bags set up and work on-air segments and answer phones.

DH and I have chaperoned this shindig every year. This year, we fully embraced our position as chaperones. I was the Girls Warden and DH was the Prison Guard for the guys. The kids sleep in different rooms, on opposite ends of the floor we stay on. They bring games, books, cards, etc., anything to keep themselves entertained until we get passed the first few segements and then they have a few hours downtime to rest. This year we had a rather interesting game of Twister! And I have the photos to prove it! Those will be going on the slideshow at the Spring Band Banquet! heheheh!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!

Closing of a book, opening of an adventure...

I cannot guarantee I will not cry while typing this. *sigh*

A book has been closed. A new adventure has begun. Our oldest moved out yesterday. Brimming with excitement and joy, he and his friend of over 10 years packed their cars with his life-filled boxes, said 'Good-bye, I love you' to his dad, me, and his little brothers, and drove away.

My house is quiet, my mind is still, my heart is aching. There is no one to shoo off to work, make sure he remembered his wallet, remind him not to leave his iPod in his pants for me to wash, or nag about calling his mother to check in with her. My husband is unusually somber and I have no way of helping him.

Mr. Rebel is sad but knows his brother is only just over an hour away and will be back regularly. Mr. Pirate, the youngest, has had his heart broken. He cried yesterday before, during and after his brother left. This morning, his second day of school, he stood at the now-empty desk in the living room and cried. Mr. Chef's computer use to sit there and is now in the bedroom where Mr. Gamer's computer was. He just cried. Tears rolling down his face and this lost look in his eyes. It will be hardest on him.

I miss him. I missed him the moment he walked out the door. I don't think he knows how hard it is to let him go. I met him when he was 8 years old and just fell in love with him and his brother. They have been my life for over 11 years. He pushed my buttons, drew me pictures, made me laugh, made me cry. He made me a Mom. I remember when he thought my idea about starting band was kind of cool. I remember when he opened my younger brother's trombone case. It was almost as big as he was! Hmm. The look in his eyes upon seeing that gleaming brass... My brother became a hero that day. This outgoing child finally found his outlet, his avenue to shine.

*sigh* So, it begins again in a new book. A new place, a new city, a new beginning. He is reaching for his life with both hands but, thankfully, remembers to bring his family with him even if only through a phone call to let me know he made it safely.

Censorship at its best...

...is the liberal U.S. news media HIDING the success and benchmarks of the war in Iraq. So, where do we go to get ACCURATE news coverage? British news outlets, of course!

It irks me that so many Americans think that the news outlets in the U.S. are giving them accurate and TRUTHFUL accounts of what happens in Iraq. If they were doing that, then there would be more support for our troops and more understanding of WHY we are over there to begin with. Sadly, so many are blinded by the smoke and mirrors that the liberal media put in place to hide the fact that they were WRONG. Sadly, so many are treating our troops today like those that came home from Vietnam just because the media is bent on an agenda to control society's decisions. That isn't freedom, people.

So, here is the point of the whole post, which does step away from my usual theme.

"Winning Isn't News By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted Monday, July 07, 2008 4:20 PM PT Iraq:

What would happen if the U.S. won a war but the media didn't tell the American public? Apparently, we have to rely on a British newspaper for the news that we've defeated the last remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq.

---------------------------------------------------------------

London's Sunday Times called it "the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror." A terrorist force that once numbered more than 12,000, with strongholds in the west and central regions of Iraq, has over two years been reduced to a mere 1,200 fighters, backed against the wall in the northern city of Mosul.

The destruction of al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) is one of the most unlikely and unforeseen events in the long history of American warfare. We can thank President Bush's surge strategy, in which he bucked both Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington by increasing our forces there instead of surrendering. We can also thank the leadership of the new general he placed in charge there, David Petraeus, who may be the foremost expert in the world on counter-insurgency warfare. And we can thank those serving in our military in Iraq who engaged local Iraqi tribal leaders and convinced them America was their friend and AQI their enemy.

Al-Qaida's loss of the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis began in Anbar Province, which had been written off as a basket case, and spread out from there. Now, in Operation Lion's Roar the Iraqi army and the U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is destroying the fraction of terrorists who are left. More than 1,000 AQI operatives have already been apprehended. Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, traveling with Iraqi forces in Mosul, found little AQI presence even in bullet-ridden residential areas that were once insurgency strongholds, and reported that the terrorists have lost control of its Mosul urban base, with what is left of the organization having fled south into the countryside.

Meanwhile, the State Department reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government has achieved "satisfactory" progress on 15 of the 18 political benchmarks - a big change for the better from a year ago. Things are going so well that Maliki has even for the first time floated the idea of a timetable for withdrawal of American forces. He did so while visiting the United Arab Emirates, which over the weekend announced that it was forgiving almost $7 billion of debt owed by Baghdad - an impressive vote of confidence from a fellow Arab state in the future of a free Iraq.

But where are the headlines and the front-page stories about all this good news? As the Media Research Center pointed out last week, "the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 were silent Tuesday night about the benchmarks" that signaled political progress.

The war in Iraq has been turned around 180 degrees both militarily and politically because the president stuck to his guns. Yet apart from IBD, Fox News Channel and parts of the foreign press, the media don't seem to consider this historic event a big story. "

Chew on that for a bit...

More Celebrations...

Friends of our two oldest boys have a fireworks show the day after Independence Day and invite all their friends (and the families) to come watch. They live on top of one of the ridges, so they have no worries about space for the show. This year, thanks to my mom, I was able to go. Like the good little Shutterbug that I am, I took my camera and my tripod.

These are taken in order, though it is only a few of the many fireworks that went off that night. My favorite is the second to last photo.

Independence Day!

Normally, we all gather at my grandparents for a full day of activities. This year, however, I stayed home most of the day. It was a rare treat to have all four boys in the house at the same time (and not fighting!) and we just wanted to enjoy the moment. Mr. Chef did have to work in the evening but finished around 8pm, so we were able to go to Grandma's after that.

The porch was the popular place to be due to the soaking rains that happened on and off during the day. Rebel and Li'l Pirate were off and running playing with their cousins in the evening light as soon as they were out of the van. It was nice to see everybody.

Aunt Martha and I sat for a while, playing with our camera settings, hoping to find the right combination. In the end, I settled on the FIREWORKS setting, just to be on the safe side. The soaking rains that had let up and given us hope for a cloudy but rain-free show decided to make a comeback! Aunt Martha and I stood under a tree with umbrellas protecting us and our camera (although mine started to leak right on my head!). Mom found a perfect spot for us to stand after discovering our first location gave us a great shot of a telephone pole.

Following the County show, my older brother set off a few...

And following that, my two oldest, Mr. Gamer (19) and Mr. Chef (17) decided it was time for Balls of Fire! Oh, yes. Literally. I have it ALL on video. But that is for another time but only because I still have to edit.

I remember...

An inspiring post by Aunt Martha has me remembering. . .

I remember playing in the parsonage in Keyser during the summer, Grandma cooking in the kitchen and Granddad sneaking me and my brother's ice cream before dinner. I remember my dad, so strong to be able to help me pound the nail into the mantle to hang my stocking at Christmas. I remember moving into new neighborhoods with strange people and new schools. I remember a puppy the color of a honey-golden sunrise living next door becoming a member of our family. I remember a mouse that wasn't there, despite my mother's insistence that it was, until it ran over my dad's belly while wiring the train platform! I remember.

I remember my brother Greg dropping a hand weight on his head and getting stitches on his forehead. I remember hitting on those same stitches with a cap gun and getting grounded for a week. I remember my both my brothers taking time out of their busy 'boy' lives and playing with me, their only sister, and knowing that I will always treasure those moments. I remember my brother Eric leading the way for me to start band in school and how I never looked back once I got there. I remember.

I remember my mom making the most fantastic birthday cakes with my dad for the three of us children. The train, the ballet slippers, the bunny. . .

I remember the tornado that ripped through our neighborhood on Palm Sunday one year in Louisiana. The camp stoves being drug out, the smoker already going, the trek through the muck and downed-trees to make sure the elderly lady had food beyond the PBJ sandwiches she was planning on eating. I remember sleeping on the floor in the den in sleeping bags just so Mom and Dad knew we were safe . . .

I remember leaving Louisiana to return to West Virginia. I remember the last time I looked at my dad's parents as we pulled away from the house. . .Grandma standing, so still, no shaking; Granddad tall and straight, so strong. I love that memory. I remember seeing the Ohio River, hearing my mom tell me '25 minutes, Jenny. 25 minutes'. I remember MacBeth . . .

I remember my first Snow Day, 3 sets of clothes in rotation, a huge snowman, and Grandma's never-ending supply of hot chocolate. Then there was the alley behind Grandma's, cousins, and sleds. I remember freezing at 70 degrees while the rest of the class was in shorts, thanks to growing up in the south.

I remember my dad kneeling in the field next door painting a metal stand, brown and gold, paw prints to match. I remember the Pepsi booth and half-time shows and my mother sewing me into my uniform. I remember . . .

I remember 10 years ago today, standing in front of my family and friends. I remember his face, his touch, the hope I felt . . .I remember saying, "I do" and I would again. I remember . . .and am thankful.

Tiger Lily - Unedited

I seem to be getting better, at least in my own mind. Fewer and fewer of my photos are getting edited. Most just get my signature and a bevel border. This one, however, just has my signature. I promise, this is the true color of the lily on my front patio. It's a gorgeous orange that just begs to be looked at. It amazes me every day, the colors that God gives us.

Oh, and for those of you keeping tabs on the camera contest from Nikon, I didn't get into the finals with it. That's okay, though.

Some-things pretty...

The Sun and a flower

I took this photo this morning before I started work on finishing a raised bed for our garden (yay, cucumbers!). This is UNEDITED but for turning the photo and trying to disguise the power line with my copyright. Aunt Martha, still within the fair contest guidelines, correct?

I have been playing with Aperture and Shutter Speed the last few weeks. Most of my photos are done in my Program setting but I am trying to stretch outside my comfort zone. Plus, Aunt Martha has taken some AWESOME photographs and I am hoping to get some half as good!

Photo Contest

Greetings All!

I need your help! I have entered a contest to win one of 60 Nikon D60 DSLR Cameras. I would love for everyone to go have a look at my photos and, if I am chosen as one of the 120 finalists, to vote for me starting June 25th! Please, help me out!

Here is the link to my photo library on the site. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. There are so many things I could do with the D60! My 9 y/o would love for me to win since he would get to use my Canon S3 for his photos. Again, thank you!

Some randomness

A stack of dessert plates, believe it or not. I couldn't resist.

Napkins. Macro is so much fun!

Post happy...

Yes, I posted many things today. For some reason, I have been very awake! I like it! Especially since it happened without my medication. Not only have I posted the pieces below, I have also cut down a tree that was growing from under my house and had gotten out of control; planted tomatoes and marigolds in the raised bed my DH lovingly added top soil to several days ago (it finally dried enough); and I put away all of Little Pirate's and Mr. Rebel's clean clothes (took an hour but it involved removing winter clothes as well).

Tomorrow's goal? Finish drilling holes in the treated timbers for the new raised bed, sink the rebar, and fill with soil; finish putting all the clean laundry away; and tackle the kitchen! Let's see how everything goes. Hopefully, I haven't aggravated my right hamstring, which got pulled on Saturday from rebuilding the rock walls for the front garden beds so I could plant my petunias and alyssum. Oh, well. I'll find out in the morning.

Goodnight, All! Happy Gardening!

Beautiful...

These were taken a few days ago but I didn't get to them until this evening. My youngest, Little Pirate, was chasing this butterfly all the way home from the bus. It finally landed, once I got L'il P to quit scaring it, and the photo op proceeded.

I have no idea what kind of butterfly it is, just that it is beautiful. Mon@rch (Tom) please feel free to comment on what I am looking at!

I have been...

..playing with my editing program. I discovered a few things that I think I like!

Feeding my flag addiction...again...

A Memorial Day flag . . .

Someone was playing with my camera...

A few weeks ago the 17 y/o took his girlfriend to prom. Since they were all dolled up, I decided that we would go to the river front park near the dance hall. While getting them posed for pictures, my husband decided to play with my camera since it was already on the tripod, with the settings ready to go. I think I will enter this into the contest this summer when I take my down.

For someone who is scared of my camera, he sure does take great pictures!

The end of a chapter...beginning of the book

Last night Chef's (my 17 y/0) girlfriend graduated from high school. It was a wonderful ceremony and one of the shortest graduations I have ever attended. Her graduating class made history in their city, by being the last Senior class to attend the old high school AND the first Senior class to attend the new high school (a mid-year move!). As a little part of their celebration the entire class decided to go outside to the new track and toss their caps together. It was a wonderful sight and a fantastic picture. I wish I could show you the entire photo, so you could see their faces and the joy they feel but this will have to suffice.

School Art Show

Just thought I would share a photo that Mr. Rebel (my 9 y/o son) took for his school's art show. He tried for several days to get a good photo with his camera and did well. However, he wanted a macro shot, '...like Mommy...' So, he got to play with my camera. This is the bumper of a crash guard on a very big dump truck.

Messing with my sunglasses...

Happy Birthday to me...

Well, I turned 30 yesterday. I think I am okay with it. I had a great day. My SIL, my older brother's wife, came over to drop off information for a girl scout craft I am doing with my niece's troop (we're making jewelry!) and we talked for a bit. After dropping the 19 y/o off at work I stopped at the store to get a few more things for dinner and ran into my SIL again! We ended up talking for almost 2 1/2 hours! In the store!!! It was great.

After finally getting home, I turned on the oven to get started on my birthday cake. Several months ago I decided that since I was turning 30, I was going to make it fun. So, I did this...

What do you think? Me? I think it looks so ugly that it's cute! Hahaha! I had such a great time making it! When I started to put the icing on that cake, of course, started to pull apart. I called my DH tell him about it and could hardly talk for laughing so much! It really is an easy cake to create...you just have to use the right cake mix! I wanted a Carrot Cake and it calls for yellow, which of course is denser than the carrot. Overall, I had a blast! I remember my mom making me these really fancy cakes as I was growing up. It was kind of cool to be able to make one myself!

If any of you want to try it out, or see what it was supposed to look like, here it is. Hope you have a blast!

Tulips

Stained glass

I took this photo around this time last year. It is a super-macro photo of stained glass.

Some color...

Textures

Since I was thinking dandelion . . .

A favored flower...

It seems that the dandelion is a favored flower with the children in my family. My brother and SIL, along with their two sons, came for a visit the middle of April. My two younger boys and their cousins enjoyed the time they had together. My youngest nephew, Crumbgrabber as his mother calls him in blog posts, found delight in the MANY dandelions that grow in my yard.

Hair

Well, after almost 5 years, I did it. I had a major cut done to my hair.

About five years ago I had old color and damage taken off the length of my hair. By the end of the salon visit, I had a pageboy cut. During the ensuing years I have had trims that involved only a dusting of the ends to cuts that took off six inches (I cried and needed a supportive hand during those visits). Last Saturday I followed through with what I had been thinking of for almost 2 months.

When I walked inside the salon, I could easily sit on my hair. When I walked out...it hit me at my bra strap. Over 1 foot of hair came off my head. Turns out it wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be. Jim (my hair guy) was great! I have been going to see him for over 6 years. He made me promise when he cut my damage off at the beginning, and found out I was going to let it grow, that I would always come to him for trims and upkeep. He loves long hair and wished more women would let their's grow, so I was in no danger of him cutting off too much. He also made me promise that, when the time came, I would return to him for the big cut. March 1st was it. And like every other time I have gone in, I had to stand. The only difference? This time he didn't have to get on his knees to do the trimming.

Many associates near him stopped their work and watched. They all have kept an eye on my length over the years and were shocked that 'that was THE day'. I like it, though. I can still pull it up. It still moves. Best of all...I have my CURL back! I had so much hair that I was BARELY wavey.

I would just like to thank my SIL, Dana. When I made the decision to let my hair grow and to do it in a healthy manner, she was my biggest supporter. My Hair Buddy. Without her constant support for over a year, I would have just shaved my head and been done.

It may seem sappy to many of you to post about a hair cut but for almost 5 years, my hair was my identity. Now, it can be someone else's. I am mailing my pony tail to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, to use in making a real-hair wig for a woman who has suffered from cancer.

So, that's it for now. I know it's been a while but with kids being sick (real sick!) and my DH and I catching something, I just haven't had the energy or desire to do much with blogging.