I Heart Faces: Black

This weeks challenge is Black.

This picture is five years old, but I love it! In a house full of boys, it's one of the few times they all look sweet and innocent. :D They actually appear to be calm and mellowed out for the moment. Looks are deceiving...quite isn't our strong trait!

Since this time we've added one more boy! ha!

Click the link below to see some great "black" pictures!

Rainy Day Post

A few days ago I went to our local thrift store to see what treasures I could find. I found this shawl,

I immediately thought, baby prop! So I took off the flower and cut off some of the hem and made a headband. Next I cut a piece small enough to use as a wrap.

...isn't she just darling?! Ha! I'll just have to wait patiently for my next newborn girl. :)

I've got a 0-3 mos. stripped tie coming in the mail very soon too, so bring on the babies!!!

The mailbox has been an exciting place lately. Yesterday I got my new Black Rapid women's camera strap and it is awesome!!! I don't think you have to be a professional photographer to own one. I think I'm going to love it for hiking, at the zoo, traveling, photo shoots, and just plain everyday shooting. I love being hands free without my camera bouncing off my belly when I walk...is that a sign I need to loose weight?!.....and not having my shirt in a heap when I'd wear the original neck strap across my body. Pretty cool stuff! Some things are just worth the money! Just in case you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, here is a lovely self portrait. You will find it to be pathetically out of focus, extremely flat, and grainy, but hey, it's rainy here and the lighting is pathetic in my bathroom and I don't feel like spending all day in there perfecting my snapshot or editing the daylights out of it to make it acceptable.

So here you have it, you can at least get an idea what the camera strap looks like and sorta how it functions...which is the whole idea for the pic anyway! :P

Well folks, not sure I have much else to share right now, except well, rain...

Lots of it!

The boys are enjoying it! :) I actually am too, I love rainy days, but I do feel for the farmers. I do wish the crops were already in the ground, but it's out of our control so I will praise Him in this storm!!! And I will be thankful that so far it's just been rain and not tornadoes or other destruction in our area!!!!

On a final note, there is a nest of baby birds near our house who've been surviving the continual rain. Grandpa showed the boys and they had fun feeding the one who would open his mouth for them. :)

Tomorrow evening my parents and youngest brother should be here from TX!!! This house is buzzing with excitement! They will be here for a whole week and we will love every minute of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Budding Artists or Boring Math?

(Vacuum courtesy of Noah)

Budding artists? Ha!

(Spreading Manure by Isaac)

I think not!

(Helicopter created by Ethan)

You see, none of the three students enjoy the art class they go to every other week. (Sorry Loretta & Marsha! No fault of either of you!) But obviously math loses their interest, definitely not that they're ever waiting on their teacher for help! Oh no! ;)

Certainly at times it is of more educational value. Case in point...

(I just noticed that it says systematic review at the bottom of the page.....can you blame him? Who in their right mind enjoys systematic review?!?)

What better time to practice misspelling spelling your brother's name and a brand that makes a big impression around here? See, it's not all bad! Ha!

Actually it gets better. :)

Practicing writing during Language Arts, now that's appropriate!

Never mind the time it took to write it! I call this using time wisely! ;)

*Today's 365 coming later* ....I got side tracked........hmmmmmm, where do you spose my boys get that from?!

Just My Size

Hey! Look what I found!

Hi there buddy! Whatcha doin?

Don't you have anything to say?

Awww, come on, I wanna play with you.

Ok, so you don't wanna talk or come play, but I still think your pretty cool!

Don't you think he's pretty cool?

Specially when all the others are way bigger!!!

Brotherly Love

It's been a long time since I've joined in the weekly photo challenge, but this week I felt inspired with the theme Hearts. :) I had two ideas, but since you can only enter one, maybe I'll show you the other one some day soon just for fun.

(If you click on the picture, it looks much better larger!)

 Thanks for stopping by and be sure and click the button below to hop on over to I Heart Faces to see some amazing entries!

This is.....

getting humorous.....or annoying. I'll let you make the call! :) First I decided to try and do a picture a day this year and it's gone, well, so so. I was doing great at taking a picture each day, but not keeping up on getting them posted daily. So I've turned out to be a super "batch" producer! Well tonight's pics don't even qualify in the "daily picture" category! These were all taken the same day. So not only have I not taken a picture a day, but I'm also going to leap ahead and cover tomorrow's picture. How's that for cheating?! What a mess I've gotten myself in. :)

And while I'm on a roll, I've flunked two other themes. What happened to "Flashback Friday" (that has happened once) and I Heart Details (it got done three times)?! Oh boy, good thing I'm not getting graded! I just hope you all could care less what's going on here as long as you have something to read and look at! :)  Right?

Well enough tattling on myself, if it wasn't already obvious to ya, and on with the show.

***Teresa, ya you, I know how you've anxiously been waiting for this update, but you may as well go get yourself a cup of something warm and toasty before you look further because what your about to see.....well, I'm afraid you just might not appreciate it very much. Can we still be friends though? Perty please?!







As most of you know, we've been dumped on with snow, snow, and more snow and the boys have been loving it! We spent several hours the other day digging snow caves in the huge pile that's been formed from clearing our long lane. These here are in the snow drift that runs along our basement wall.

This last one is for Sunday, which it technically is now. :) This was to be my 4th I Heart Details shot, but my mind is so groggy right now that I'm sure I'm not going to do it justice! This little guy is a true one and only! I've never met anyone like him!!! Often times at loss to even describe him, but oh how I love him!!!!!! And that's all I'm going to say for now about this shiny eyed boy. :) My sweet 'lil Joe, he makes me smile!

Our Impersonator

Today's detail spotlight falls on a very willing, self volunteered Isaac. He bugged me most of the morning about when I was going to take his picture for today's 365. LOL! This son truly lives up to the meaning of his name, laughter. He either makes those around him laugh or he himself is laughing......even over things that are less than amusing..... Anyway, he loves to imitate and can do a pretty good job of it. He can watch a movie once and have the voice and several lines down and will gladly repeat them over and over till you can do it too (or are ready to scream)! Since we've been going through the Andy Griffith seasons he's got several characters under his belt, but in light of his love to dress up, even in his miss-matched suit (that he'll wear all day long, every day....(picture this at a school desk! ha!) and these new silly glasses.....here's day 31............

Yesterday was to be the first "I Heart Details" picture prompted by a fellow photog friend, Salome. I wanted to join in, because quite frankly, I need some direction on this 365 thing!

I've decided to kick off the week with a reminder I need daily!!! I CAN'T help myself!!!!!!!! No matter how hard I try, it becomes only a more complicated mess. The sooner I grasp where my help needs to and will come from the better off I am. It is a huge comfort to me to know that there even is help for me, I'm not left on my own! Praise Him!!!

In the next couple of days I'd like to highlight my boys and a special detail about each of them. Mr. Noah just happens to be my first subject because he was available at the time. :) He's my one who would rather not be in the spotlight and runs from the camera continuously. I have to beg, bribe, or otherwise force him to give me a good picture. Noah is a tenderhearted, quite young man. He has been blessed with amazingly long eyelashes and a "beauty mark"/mole that is completely unique to him. They are his "trademarks" and they are a special part of who he is. Love, love, love this precious son!






Speaking of Noah and pictures......I did get a fun one today that he isn't pleased to share with you all, but I think it just might bring a smile to your face and some cheer in your heart....which is totally worth begging him to be able to share it! :) .....not that you would ever know it was him anyway! hahahahahaha!

Project 365

The title alone makes me shutter! Wow, that is such a long time and so many days!!! I considered doing it last year when I first heard of the idea, but the whole thing sounded overwhelming. Can't say I've moved too far past that point now, but when I saw a facebook friend encouraging others to join her in the fun, I decided I'd give it a try. So here's to day #1, we've been sporting the chicken pox....or rather Isaac has been. I'm patiently waiting for the other four to come down with them. I hope it's sooner than later!!!