Tag Archives: photos

And so it begins…..

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In the beginning…..everything seems so exciting, shiny, full of promise and hope.  New school clothes.  Unopened packets of pens, paper, folders, dividers.  Unscathed backpacks.  Unscuffed tennis shoes.  And then you settle into a routine and as you near the end, ripped shorts, crumpled paper, graffiti’ed backpacks, holey shoes and you plug on with your eye on the prize because the end is just. around. the. corner.

Ah.  And so it realistically be with the blog challenge.  Every day in May.  Seems fun.  Exciting. All these ideas floating in my brain.  And then finding the time to put them down.  Struggling between what I want to say and how it’s coming out of my brain.  Often not even on the same hemisphere!!

The reality is, I LOVE a challenge.  I always work better under pressure with a specific goal in mind. Whether it was when I used to run and was training for a race or with my girlfriends at the beginning of the year when we decided we could do ANYTHing for 12 weeks!!  (here it is into our 4th month and still plugging along in our new routines!)  I’m a structured person.  I wish I was more relaxed sometimes, but it’s not where my comfort zone is…a first-born, goal-oriented, nurturer.

HOWEVER, you may be more free.  Less inclined to stay inside the lines.  YAY! for you.  I’ll live vicariously through you and maybe gain some courage to step outside the box once in a while.  So, join me in our blogging “challenge” for May.  Blog each day.  Blog some days.  Use words.  Use pictures.  Use both.   Send your blog name in the comment section, I’ll add you in.  So far, we are FOUR.  I look forward to sliding into the end of May, tattered, blogged and having “met” other bloggers and styles to steal learn from throughout the 31 days!

Have a wonderful day!!

Brite  (this awesome Mama is the sweetest and gentlest!  with 4 little ones–including a newborn, she homeschools, farms, sews, cooks and sometimes includes great pictures of life’s ups and downs)

Amanda (I just met her yesterday through her blog, and Brite, and I enjoyed her pictures and her theme for May–pictures and Scriptures–FABULOUS combination!)

Lea (her 5th year of this challenge, I stole it from her, she’s crazy busy, the MOST creative person EVER, a God’s girl through and through and after all these years of knowing her I finally figured out how she gets it all done.  She doesn’t sleep.  Which is why I’ll never capture her cape!  I love sleep too much.)

Blog everyday in May…..

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A few years ago, my good friend Lea started a blog challenge of “Blog-everyday-in-May”.  It was a good exercise for me in regular blogging.  She’s crazy busy now with a houseful of teenagers and I doubt she’ll participate this year–boo hoo!–but I will encourage her anyway.

Of course, in this neck of the woods, one MUST be crazy to make MAY the blog-every-day month since school is wrapping up and you know that ALWAYS comes with a whirlwind of activities and brain scrambling, but hey…why not?

So, the deal is….anyone can join, just send me your blog in the comment section and I’ll figure out some way to “link” or include each blog daily for participating peeps, and since it’s international I can include it the next day if you miss it when I post.  You can either blog or put up a photo of the day or combo of the two.  Some days it’s all I can do to log on, so you may see more photos and “wordless” days from me!

Blog on peeps!

**photo cred:  Mag Huybreghs, May 2008 ©

Quality time

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Yesterday was seriously packed full of STUFF!  It started out like any other Saturday with grocery shopping, exercise, etc.  Hubby’s plans to kayak with his buddy fell through and he went solo in the ocean.  When he got home we decided the girls and I would go with him back to the beach so they could kayak, too.  This would take place after lunch and AFTER our son’s haircut appointment.  Our oldest was skating/filming with friends and our youngest was headed to a friend’s house after his haircut, so off we went…the girls and Daddi-O.

Daddy's girls. Be still my heart!

We were racing the impending rain (which finally came at 3:30 a.m.  and kept me up until 4:30!!  WHATEVER!!)  and we actually WON!  The reality is, often it can rain on the mainland, but the ocean breeze will keep the beach dry far longer.  (Little FYI for ya)

Threatening rain....

Our oldest daughter went first and I played football with our youngest.

Heading back in

Then our youngest went out.  On the way in they actually capsized.  Thank heavens for lifevests.  Though for a brief moment I lost sight of our littlest, to which I am certain my heart actually stopped.  And then there they were, swimming in and our oldest daughter running down the beach until she could wrangle the kayak back to the beach.  As they came to shore, our youngest said, “It’s a good thing Dad was a lifeguard, Mom!”  Hubby said she did real well, she didn’t panic, she followed his instructions and both girls are ready to go AGAIN!!  Praise God for a calm Hubby!!

And then we went home and CLEANED!  Woo hoo!!

Purging and room to breathe!!

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No worries, I’m not referring to bulimia here.  I’ve been dragging out Spring Cleaning here over the last month or so and yesterday we finally got to the girls’ room.  Including garage since their room is the smallest there is overflow in the garage.

We started in the garage.  Donate pile.  Evaluate pile.  Keep pile.  Trash.  I prefer to tackle these things solo, I have my own method.  However, Hubby was home and SO EXCITED I was finally ready to clean it out and the girls were home, too.  Once we got through the garage stuff, we were hitting our stride and the girls were THRILLED to have their room back.

I am a nostalgic person by nature and I have to say, although I like things tidy and in their place I struggle with purging.However, I am ALWAYS thrilled in the end and that motivates me.

Nice, huh?  It’s the only way I can do it.  Just get it all in one spot and go through it piece by painful piece.  It’s amazing what you come across this way.

Until we get the time, money and EXACT idea of what we want to build in the girls’ closet, this is FAR more manageable.  If they only keep it this clean…..

And they love their reading area, complete with their personal boards.  (We made those a few months ago and as you can see ONE of my sweeties has lots to save…the other is more discerning!)

Aw, shucks! Golly gosh! Thanks!!

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Today, Off Duty Mom made my day.  She nominated me for:

Versatile-definition via the free dictionary…am I?  really?  let’s see….

ver·sa·tile http://img.tfd.com/m/sound.swf (vûrs-tl, -tl)

adj.

1. Capable of doing many things competently.  I would say yes.  I am a multi-tasker and can generally do it well….or fake it enough that you THINK I am competent.  (though my friend at work and I have a running joke on our incompetence..)
2. Having varied uses or serving many functions: “The most versatile of vegetables is the tomato” (Craig Claiborne).  Cook.  Dishwasher. Personal shopper. Secretary.  Volunteer. Laundress.  Maid.  Nurse.  Taxi driver.  Teacher.  Wife. Friend.  Mom. Photographer.  Sorta-writer.  Full-time worker bee.  Personal Trainer.  Holy cow, no wonder I’m perpetually exhausted!
3. Variable or inconstant; changeable: a versatile temperament.  Yes.  I’m completely inconstant.  Versatile temperament, check!  I’m sure my kids can attest to my head spinning abilities.  Especially when they have a project due this a.m. and forgot to print it last night. And I can love up on them like no one’s business.  My favorite is in Mass…my 14 year old hates it…
4. Biology Capable of moving freely in all directions, as the antenna of an insect, the toe of an owl, or the loosely attached anther of a flower.  This is a fail.  I’m not so loosey goosey.  I taught aerobics, but I’m more of an “Elaine” dancer for you Seinfeld fans.
Now.  Having never received any type of blogging award, I had to check it out and see what the heck this is.  Never mind that someone not only commented on my blog (LOVE comments!), but liked it enough to give me a shout out; I was blown away.
In a nutshell…. it’s a nice way to recognize some of your favorite bloggers and to let them know in a VERY public manner that they ROCK!  Wow.  Thank you, Off Duty Mom!  I enjoy your blog and look forward to your boy’s clothing store opening to broaden the fashion horizons of little dudes everywhere!!
There are some rules and such that go along with this award and I will just cut and paste from Off Duty Mom:

“if you find yourself nominated, you’ve been awarded The Versatile Blogger award.  And then, you need to pay it forward” by

  • Thanking the person who gave you this recognition
  •  Including a link to their blog
  •  Selecting 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly
  •  Nominating those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
  •  Telling  seven things about yourself

Here are my top 15 blogs that I consider versatile in one manner or another:

  1. Charlotte was both
  2. Tamára out Loud
  3. Katrina Anne Willis
  4. Faith Checks
  5. Blog it All
  6. McKMama
  7. Redefining Normal
  8. A Rosey Outlook on Life
  9. Bad Catholic
  10. PhotoBotos
  11. Among Women
  12. In the Heart of my Home
  13. Conversion Diary
  14. Driven!  For His Glory.
  15. Socially Fit

And now for the 7 things about myself that I probably haven’t already blogged about…hmmmm:

  1. I could eat cake and coffee for breakfast everyday.  Apparently so could my grandmother.  But I don’t.  It’s usually oatmeal, a smoothie or eggs.  Cake is more fun.
  2. I love Downton Abbey.  It’s our Friday night date on the couch. Only 2 episodes left until Season 2 is over.  I’ll be in mourning.  Boo hoo.
  3. I am a morning person.  But I like to be up at night when everyone is in bed.  Peace.  Quiet.  AHhhhhhh.
  4. I taught aerobics for several years (stopping with baby #4….ran out of time!)  Loved it.  Paid to work out.  Those were the days.
  5. I am easily overstimulated.  And God blessed us with 4 children.  He has a sense of humor, doesn’t He?
  6. I procrastinate.  Too much. I’m passing it onto my children.  Thank you, Jesus for a Type-A Hubby to save them from this nasty habit!
  7. I am able to help other people figure out a life plan and yet…..those glasses are fuzzy when it comes to my own life.  WHAT?!?!?
  8. I love to snuggle with my Hubby in the morning, unfortunately it’s always right when the alarm goes off and it’s time to get up.  <sigh>
  9. I ran a marathon. Once.   5 hours 40 minutes.  No land speed records, but talk about your endurance.  YOU try running that long.  OK.  I walked a little bit.  Still…..
  10. I am running late for work!  Always!  I’m always trying to do that one.  more.  thing.

Have a great day!!