Oh Monday, Here We Are Again…

Since I just have some random thoughts to share, I thought I would link up today at:

1. My hubby and I had a DATE NIGHT on Sat! Woo Hoo! First time in like four months. Okay it was just…

Chili’s (we had a gift certificate), but sometimes it’s nice to be casual, ya know. And since I hardly ever drink, I probably shouldn’t have let the waitress talk me into the two for one strawberry/mango margaritas…….moving on

2. We then wandered over to Macy’s and I found this…

Have I mentioned I’m cheap? And we are on the Dave Ramsey plan? So…when I found this Style & Co. handbag for 50% off and another 15% off if I used my Macy’s card, I couldn’t resist. And yes, the money will still come out of MY envelope!

3. STRESSED OUT!…that’s me at work right now. Things are just CRAZY! I would say more but, well, I tend to want to keep my job ;-)

4. That being said, I’m so sorry I haven’t been around to all your wonderful blogs. I hope to get back into the swing of things soon!

Pesky Little Brother!

This shot really shows my boy’s personalities. Cubbie is the silly little stinker who always bugs his big bro. Sprout is the serious, more emotional one with a tender heart.

I took this right before bath and bedtime. Sprout was tired, hence sucking his thumb, and Cubbie was wide eyed with his endless energy!

Link up at:

Camping with Little Kiddos

This past weekend, we headed out to one of our favorite campgrounds.

The challenge, though, is finding enough for a two and four year old to do.

Going down the local waterslide…not tall enough.

Tubing down the river…I think not.

ATV riding in the backwoods…um, no.

And yes, there is a playground at the campgrounds, but after spending literally HOURS on the equipment, their imaginations run dry.

So what’s a mama to do???

Build a race track!

Thanks to a large campsite and campfire wood, this kept my little guys quite busy.

Sprout, the competitive one, took the race quite seriously.

Cubbie just wanted to make sure Mama didn’t stray too far.

We had a good time and good weather. Just don’t look too carefully at all their welts aka mosquito bites!

Little Hands, Little Feet

 

Little hands

Little feet

We have created

Run, run, run

Between us, around us

Yell, cry, fight, and whine

I look to you

My anchor, my friend

And although weary and worn

We share this

Here and now

These moments of chaos and craze

You are my strength and I yours

Knowing we are in this

Together

And one day

And always

We again will be We

* * * * *

Author’s note: I wrote this poem for my husband. We love our boys dearly, but parenthood is a challenging thing, I tell ya! Cubbie has some back teeth coming in, so this past week has been tough. Needless to say, my baby fever for a third is OVER! ;-)

Linked to One Shot Wednesday

Guess Who???

  Who could it be…a BOY Little Red Riding Hood???

 

 No Mama, it me!

Or is it Elmo???

 

No, NO Mama, it ME!!!

Oh, I know it’s you, my silly baby boy,

I love you.

 

Lub ooh too, Mama!

* * * * *

Hope this brought a smile to YOUR face this Monday morning!

My Friend Started Her Own Blog!

Woo Hoo! I'm so excited! My friend AKA The Mad Hatter just started her own blog! I'm so excited to tell YOU about:

A Gal of Many Hats

Please go, GO NOW (sorry, not yelling, just overjoyed!) and welcome her to the world of blogging!

**Comments turned off so you'll go visit her! :-) **

The Basement

After my mom died, I was forced to go live with my disinterested dad and vindictive step-mother in their one hundred year old house, originally built for railroad workers. The one and half bedroom arrangement meant I was in the half, a converted front porch, winterized and divided from the living room only by a by-fold wall and door.

At fourteen, a new freshman at an inner-city high school, I knew I had only myself to rely on. Graduation and getting a career to support myself was crucial. My choices for studying were either upstairs in my half room or the basement. Trying to concentrate over the TV blaring as a mix of cigarette smoke and Hamburger Helper filled the air was impossible.

The basement was my only option. The musty smell of the frequent flooding made it almost unbearable, almost. I found an old area rug, a card table, and a beat up lamp. Cinder block walls, cold cement floors, and only the washer and dryer to keep me company, I curled my stocking feet up under me as I sat on the folding chair. The exposed rusty pipes creaked as I wrestled with algebraic equations.

That is where I spent almost every school night and even some Sundays, bundled up in a sweatshirt, studying.

* * *

This snippet of memoir was inspired by the above image, the prompt at Magpie Tales.

Photoshop – My First Attempt

Before I get to today's post, I have to say Thank YOU for all the kind comments on my post yesterday! I really appreciate every single one.

Last weekend, I purchased Photoshop Elements 8. I’ve had a chance to play around with it just a bit. So today, I thought, what better way to show what I’ve done than to link up with Before and After over at Monica’s beautiful blog, Pixel Perfect.

Here is my SOOC shot of my silly Sprout:

 

And here is my edited shot:

Pretty subtle, but for my first try, I’m happy. I increased the hue and saturation, lightened the midtones, and increased the contrast slightly.

If I knew what I was doing, I would have rotated the pic slightly and removed the dump truck, but that will come in time.

Once I have time to play around more, I want to learn how to load presets/actions, and understand the layering thing. Eventually, I want to figure out how to digital scrapbook too.

So I’ll keep ya all posted on my journey into learning PSE!

Link up at:

My Story

I step tentatively

towards writing my story.

I tear a piece off,

lay it down

and cringe.

How do I share

what I spent so many years

forgetting?

But it is my story

and who I am today

was formed

from those scraps

sewn together

with time, love, and

the grace of God.

* * *

Author’s note: This refers to my crazy, chaotic life growing up. I’ve written pages and pages of memoir, attended writing seminars, and even had some awesome instructors who said I should share my story. But for some reason, I guess fear, I don’t. Maybe some day, like when I’m 80.

Linked to One Shot Wednesday

Surprise!

(Cubbie, Mother’s Day 2010)

I’m entering this shot I captured of Cubbie in this week’s challenge at i heart faces for “Surprise!”

We were at a State Park, letting Cubbie and Sprout collect rocks and sticks, and for the life of me, I can’t remember what he saw that caused this expression!

I Did It, I Took the Leap!

I saved up my pennies, used MY envelope (thanks, Dave Ramsey) and bought Photoshop Elements 8!

Here’s as far as I’ve gotten:

Um, well…ahhh…(scratches head) ok then.

Any advice, websites, blogs, books, ect. that YOU recommend???

Ribbit

Well, aren't you just the cutest…at least when it comes to frogs!

This little guy decided to park himself on our deck while we were grilling.

 

My little guys wanted to touch him, but since we were about to eat, I just let them say, “Hi”. I didn’t want them to get too close for fear that the frog would jump to his death off our deck. Maybe the frog would have survived, but I didn’t want to find out.

The top photo of the frog is my entry for:

Oh, by the way, TGIF! What are YOUR weekend plans? We have some landscaping in our future…ugh.

Remembering

My mom’s brown hair,

the one thing in common

we have.

I see myself

as a version of her,

yet she drank and smoked

her demons away.

In two years, I’ll be the age

she was

when she died.

I try so hard to remember her face,

her smile, her voice.

Then I look in the mirror

and there she is.

* * *

Author’s note: This is the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the theme for Theme Thursday was “Brown.” My mom died when I was 14 in a one car accident, alcohol was involved.

What About the Victims?

I fight for justice

EVERY DAY

And none is found

No one is held accountable

All are free

To terrorize our society

And the court system

Where deals are made, plea bargains arranged 

The lightest sentence, if any at all

But what about the victims?

No one listens

No one cares

As they bravely testify and relive their horror

For what?

A protection order that is only as strong as the paper it is written on

* * *

(Ok, I had a bad day at work and this is what came out for One Shot Wednesday. Don’t hate me and NO OFFENSE to ANYONE who may read this. I’m just venting here!!!)

With a Little Help From My (Blogging) Friends!

Yes, that’s the Beatles and yes, I’m actually too young for their generation, but I love their music all the same.

What’s my point? Thank YOU so much for all the great advice I got on my “Baby Fever” post! I appreciate everyone who took time to tell their own stories. Here’s just a few:

1. Arizona Mamma’s Comment: “You could just allow yourselves to be open to it one more time. Give it a six month window where you feel "free" to let it happen, and if it's God's will, then it will.”

Well, (TMI WARNING!), let’s just say I’m crazy _______ (rhymes with “Myrtle”), so I better be sure before I even go there!

2. Marydon’s Comment: “IF YOU KNEW HOW OLD I AM, which you won't, I never stopped having BABY FEVER”

What a good point! I bet I’ll never stop having an urge to love up and snuggle little babies!

So, you all have given me and my DH a lot to think about as we try to make this decision. Thanks again for all your input and now, in order to show my appreciation…

I leave you with the Beatles! (I love this song, well, except the part about getting high with my friends :-)