Sunday, May 31, 2009

Who's Heart?

The wind is not always your enemy....


Thursday, May 28, 2009

Memory Keepers & Smile Makers

"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty." ~ James Russell Lowell

I came to the harsh realization that up until this point in my life, I haven't taken nearly enough pictures of what is truly important to me. While getting back into digital scrapbooking, trying to find that "just right" photo for a lay out, the lack of photos became sadly prominent, especially when it came to my mom. She never was very camera friendly as she almost always turned away or stuck her hand out at the camera, so there just are not very many photos of her. I am grateful for the photos I do have of her, looking back, though, I wish I had taken more. When all that we have left are memories and photos, those photos truly keep those memories alive and strong.

Unfortunately this realization came too late to get more of my mother, but I made a decision to not let that happen again with anything that is important to me. Family. Friends. Silly stuff. Serious stuff. Any and all things. You can regret not taking enough pictures, but not by taking too many.

With this decision, I made another one. I wanted a new camera, a dSLR. I had been using point and shoot cameras for the past 10 years or so and they have been wonderful, but the dSLRs are amazing and the photos come out beautiful! I did my research and ended up going to a local store that specialized in these cameras. The answered ALL of my questions and then some. I think I was there for almost two hours. After all that I said Happy Mother's Day to me and I went with the Nikon D60 and two lenses: 18-55mm VR and the 55-200mm VR (a multi-purpose and an action lens). This isn't the basic dSLR camera but it's not the top of the line either. I wanted something that wasn't going to overwhelm me, but also something that I wouldn't want to replace after a year of using it. I think I made a good choice and I love love LOVE it!! I think I've taken more pictures in the last three weeks than I have over the last year!! I can't seem to put him down...lol!

I took a few shots today so I thought I'd share :)

This is the tulip tree that is in the front yard and I was looking for blooms and I happened to see this bubbly bit and thought, how odd. I'm not really sure what is going on here but how neat. Just a ton of tiny bubbles. It reminds me of the bubbles in the sink when doing dishes!




This is just a simple shot of what the leaves of the tulip tree looks like. They are so unique and soon will have big yellow blooms on it. Last year there were only a few so I'm hoping this year there will be more. I'll post a picture of the bloom later :)


This is the clematis plant that gets bigger and bigger every year!! The blooms are just starting to pop and I had to grab a picture before they completely unfolded. So pretty!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Growing Up

Eleven years ago today (at 3:46 pm) I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Nine pounds, 10 ounces and stubborn from the get go.

I will never forget that day. My parents had been living in South Carolina at the time and my mom wanted to come up to visit for two weeks so we were trying to plan when would be a good time and guarantee time with her first grand baby. We had decided that she would come one week after my due date because if I went early, she would have the full two weeks and if I went late, the doctor would induce me a week after mom got there. So either way she'd have time with the baby.

I had a doctors appointment the same day my mom was due in and I told her I'd be done in plenty of time to pick her up from the airport. Well, they ended up wanting to do an ultra sound that day so I was running late.

I was so worried about being late because there was no way for me to contact my mom to tell her and I knew she'd be worried. When I arrived at the airport (finally) I ran across the parking lot. Yes, imagine the picture of a big ole pregnant lady running across the parking lot. I'm sure I was quite the sight. Funny thing was when I reached my mom, she was laughing so hard watching me run across the lot holding my belly and it still bouncing up and down.. LOL.

Apparently running induces labor because that night I went into labor. This was still May 22nd. So after a long labor, 3 hours of HARD pushing, she wouldn't budge. See what I meant about stubborn? They ended up taking her by c-section.

Now today I have a beautiful, grown up little girl who's 11. I don't know where the time went. All that I know is that it's going way too fast.

Happy Birthday, baby girl!! Mommy loves you!!

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Ironic?

All this time you were pretending...



*I can't believe this was edited for swear words. I guess it's easier to edit something then show the real feeling. Hm. Seems familiar.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

I'm Up

I've always been a night owl and have hated mornings since as far back as I can remember. Like the day I was born...hee hee. So when I saw this cute picture, it made me laugh because that s so like me in the morning!


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

And The Winner Is...

Well, much to my dismay, Chris Allen won American Idol tonight. *sigh* He is ok, in my book. Nothing phenomenonal. Hell, most times I heard him sing, I had no idea what he was saying, unless I already knew the words to the song. He's cute and will probably do well with the young crowd but he didn't do anything for me.

My bet had been on either Danny Gokey or Adam Lambert, with top dibs on Danny. Unfortunately he didn't make it to the top three. Of course, all three of them will get record deals, as well as others from the top 13, so maybe it's a good thing that Danny and Adam didn't actually win Idol. Perhaps their ties to Idol won't be as long as the winner's term and they can go on about their own thing much sooner.

Congrats to Chris, just the same. :)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Age of Innocence...Or Not

I never have a camera in my hands when I really need one, but tonight created a mental image that I will not soon forget.

I was sitting on the couch with Bug and we were watching American Idol. As always they run rampant on commercials so between songs I'd go back to working on my laptop. I had remembered something I wanted to tell Bug so I looked up and started to tell him but I was stopped short. He had a curious look on his face and his eyes were locked dead on the t.v. I followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. What else, but a Victoria's Secret commercial... LOL. I started laughing and said "Buuuuuggggg!!!". He reluctantly pulled his eyes from the t.v. and looked at me, his cheeks turning bright red and an "I got busted smile" on his face! Even funnier was that his eyes kept drifting back to the t.v. even though I was trying to keep eye contact with him.

I'm in so much trouble with this guy...he's only 7!!

Boys will be boys, I suppose =P

Monday, May 18, 2009

Waiting For Change

This writing every day stuff is starting to get to me. I've been sitting here for an hour trying to figure out what to write about and the only thing that comes to mind is the exhausting day I had. I couldn't sleep last night so if I was lucky, I may have gotten 2 hours of sleep. Too many things on my mind. Too many things that needed to be said. Then I had to get up and get through work. I didn't get much accomplished there either. The things that were weighing on me were expressed and dealt with as much as they could be. I probably said more than I should have but when you're angry, things just seem to flow. As I sit here, I don't really feel any better about what happened or the end results. I keep waiting for change...one day I will quit waiting.



Sunday, May 17, 2009

I've Got Nothing

I've got nothing tonight. I'm empty. Just a few videos to share that I find of interest to me.

Videos by the Foo Fighters rarely disappoint and always keep it interesting and unique...

Foo Fighters - Times Like These


Foo Fighters - Walking After You


Foo Fighters - Best Of You


**sigh**

Saturday, May 16, 2009

What's All The Buzz

I've cut my sons hair since he's ever even needed a hair cut. Grab the clippers and buzz away. He loves it and it's easy enough that I can't screw it up!

His hair started getting long and he was in need of a hair cut so I told him we would cut his hair over the weekend. Mind you, this was about a month ago. He said, "no mom, I want to grow it out". I just blinked at him not knowing really what to say. I have nothing against longer hair on men, and actually prefer it on some, but the look the kids have around here these days, is just pure shaggy and mussy. Not really what I wanted for Bug but....it IS his hair and what harm can being shaggy do? Nothing, so I said ok and he let it grow.

A few days ago he was scratching at his head and he says to me, "Mom, I wanna cut my hair now. It's buggin' me". I tried to stifle a laugh but he caught me and gave me a goofy look.

This weekend we cut his hair like we normally do and he was thrilled. "Much better, Mom!" he said. LOL!

I've added the before and after pictures. In the "after" picture he looks as though he was in some sort of pain that I didn't see when I took the photos originally, but the sun was just in his eyes. Bad photographer! :)

Before - Isn't he cute here? I have to admit I kinda liked it :)
shaggy bug

After - What a difference a haircut makes!!
buzzed bug

Friday, May 15, 2009

Toad-ally Cool

I was on my way home from work tonight and I was thinking about what I would blog tonight and coming up empty handed. Then I pulled in the drive way....

My son comes running up to me with the neighbor girl (Erin) saying "Mom! Mom! Look!! We found toads!" You can't help but smile when you see the light in their eyes at their discovery. They were laughing and giggling and even squealing when it tried to jump out of their hands. I was laughing right along with them.

I snapped a few shots of them and then asked them where they found it. They led me to the window well on the side of the house where they started digging for more through the leaves that had found their way there in the fall. They pulled out one more, then another, and another, and yet another until they had I think 10 of them... LOL. So Bug, Erin, and Kyle (another neighbor kid) were having a good ole time with these toads. Erin (I think she is 5 now) is so cute because she isn't afraid of anything. She wanted to go hunting for spiders! **shudders** At one time she held 4 or 5 toads in her wee little hands and just carried them around all proud!

Keep scrolling for some photos :)

The Three Musketeers - Erin, Bug, and Kyle all holding their toads
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Say Cheese Mr. Toad
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Umm...alot of toads...hee hee
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Erin and a handful of toads
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Erin and the largest toad...ew ew ew..lol
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This is Bug "freaking out" while the toad hopped up his arm...lol
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I had to capture this shot because just before this photo, the toad jumped out of Bugs hands and fell backside down on the pavement...ouch! Bug felt so bad. He gently picked him up and carefully examined him to be sure he was ok. He kept saying, "are you ok toady? are you ok? ok, mom. He's breathing now!" I told Bug that he probably had a headache now and we should put him back.
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So thanks to boys being boys (and girls too), I had me a blog post tonight. Yay!!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

I Love...Part 2

Whoops. I'm a day late on this because I totally forgot yesterday was Wednesday and "Love List" day. Better late than never, they say, so here goes, in no particular order:

Love List Number Two

* I love peppermint sticks in my hot chocolate
* I love to curl up with a warm blanket
* I love to gaze at the stars on a clear night
* I love long walks
* I love when the house is quiet and all you can hear are the birds chirping
* I love big fluffy clouds
* I love my friends. Where would I be with out you?
* I love ink pens. I may need a 12 step program.
* I love footrubs
* I love babies feet
* I love surprises. Giving and getting :)
* I love the movie P.S. I Love you (my kids give me shite, so you be quiet...lol)
* I love long, hot showers
* I love roller coasters!!!!
* I love butterflies. That whole cycle of life amazes me.
* I love four leaf clovers.
* I love pulp in my orange juice. LOTS of it :)
* I love vampire books.
* I love .... this song and video.... **soft smile**

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Just A Phone Call Away

Ever since I had heard Mat Kearney's Breath In Breath Out, I was hooked. When I heard his newest single Closer To Love, it was no different. He has a very distinct voice and his songs are amazing. It's been a long wait for his new album, which still doesn't release until the 19th. I'm waiting....sort of patiently..lol!

So until then I will just keep playing this over and over again..... :D



...and of course, this one. Not only for the music and words, but for the creativity of the video. I love the photography pieces in this...


Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Slow Motion

I have been so engrossed in the Red Wings game that I haven't put much thought into a blog post tonight. However I do have something I really really want to share that made me laugh!


Monday, May 11, 2009

Sweet Geebus!!

I have been totally engaged in hockey the past few months and now the NHL playoffs are in full force. The Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings are the two teams I've been following in the Western Conference (NHL). I keep track of the Blackhawks because they are the parent team to the Rockford Ice Hogs (the local AHL team that got me into hockey in the first place) and I enjoy the Detroit Red Wings because they are a fantastic team and I used to live in Michigan...lol. I have a feeling they are both going to win their series and go head to head in the Western Conference Championship Series!! I can't decide who I want to win (leaning towards Blackhawks) but I think the Red Wings will go on to the Stanley Cup but either way I will be geeked out!! (that means really excited..lol)

So anyway I was watching the Red Wings play the Ducks on May 1st and had unfortunately missed the first period. After the Red Wings took the game they did the re-caps and I can't believe I missed the hit that Hudler took that night! Ufff!! Bam! Blood everywhere...Yah! Ok, so no, I'm not happy he got hurt but WOW, what a hit!! I was suprised that he actually returned to the game.

I know this is like 10 days later but I had totally forgotten about it until it was mentioned again during the Red Wing game I watched last night, so I had to try to scrounge up the video. If blood makes your stomach squidgy, don't watch it!


Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happie Mudders Day!!

That's how my kiddos say it: Happie Mudders Day :) A couple of goofballs they are but definitely sweeties! They came in and woke me at 8:15 a.m (anyone who knows me knows that I do not get up anywhere near that early on the weekends...lol) because they were excited to give me my Mother's Gifts that they made for me at school. This is the best part of Mother's Day. The hand made gifts and the thought that went into each one. This is what I hold dear. I don't wish for a monetary gift or a dinner or anything fancy like that because that is not the intent of the day, despite what Hallmark says. I just wanted to enjoy my kids.

My little Bug made me a little planted pot with purple flowers in it. He also made me a sweet little card that had things that I liked or wished for on it and he filled in the blanks. The one that made me laugh was the one that said "Who (meaning me) is proud when.....we pick up around the house"...LOL. I am constantly getting on the kids to pick up after themselves so at least I know he hears me...hee hee! Another one along the same lines was "Who wishes she could.....keep the house clean". Can you tell what I nag about around the house.. LOL! He also decorated a bag that the flower was in and he put "don't open till Mother's day" and "hi mom, smell the bag". This still makes me laugh!

My daughter also made me a little pot but it was filled with candy! It had Life Savers (because moms are lifesavers) and Hugs and Kisses. How cute is that? The best part was that she painted the pot green (my favourite color) and decorated it with...can you guess? Turtles!! She also made me the cutest pocket card that was full of all the things she loves about me such as: I cook wonderful meals, I make her happy, because I love her, and I give great big hugs. She also did a page on the things I do for her. I giggled when she put "buys Ice Hog tickets".. LOL! There was also another page dedicated to turtles!

These things totally made my day....Thank you my dear little ones! I love you both dearly!

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Even though I don't have my mother with me here, she is and always will be in my heart. I remembered her today by putting together a page for her. I only wish I had more pictures of her....Happy Mother's Day Mom!

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Saturday, May 9, 2009

What Do Stars Do?

After my unexpected 4 hour nap (apparently I was tired) last night, I was flipping channels and landed on Stardust. I've seen the movie before and enjoyed it so it was a pleasant surprise to see it on again, even though I had missed the first half of it. It's a touching love story that has humor and fantasy wrapped up with it, based off of the book written by Neil Gaiman. I have yet to actually read this book but it is on my list, which keeps getting longer and longer.

One of my favourite scenes in the movie is where Tristan gets turned into a mouse and Yvaine thinks that he cannot understand her. She tells him that she loves him. Not just a simple , sweet "I love you" but a deep down, from the heart, expression of love. I guess sometimes we think it's easier to say the things we are afraid to say when we think that person is not listening. Sometimes, though, when we can gather enough courage to say what we want to, it turns out better than we thought. In this case, Tristan really did understand her and later told her that he loved her too. {{smiles}}

"My heart, it feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to you, and if you wanted it, I wish for nothing in exchange....nothing, but knowing you love me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine..."



Of course, this is the song that plays at the end. It was specifically written for Stardust, and a perfect song at that!

Rule The World by Take That



Friday, May 8, 2009

Bitter Sweet

I have a huskie AND kids and boy do I know how this feels...lol



















Thursday, May 7, 2009

Reverse Psychology

My brain hurts tonight, literally, (again - sigh) so this won't be much of a post but at least give me an A for effort. (Which by the way, I never understood that line since effort does not begin with the letter 'a'. Yes I get the concept but I still think its a stupid saying...lol).

Who doesn't love looking at absolutely adorable cute pictures of animals? I don't know of anyone so if you don't, please don't tell me...heh.

Cute Overload is one of my favourite sites to view these undeniably adorable creatures (of all kinds but not enough turtles!!!) and today when I saw this I couldn't stop giggling. The photo is just oh so sweet but the dialog that goes with it is dead on.

Please humor me and click HERE to see just what I mean. Then I dare you not to look at more perfectly pink little noses and tongues, and tiny tocks, miniature muzzles and quite possibly the cutest creatures you have ever laid eyes on :)

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

I Love...

I was thinking about what to write today and realized as I thought back to a lot of my previous posts (and everyday conversations), that I say a lot of things are my favourite things or I say how much I love something. In the midst of my thoughts I was reading a blog I visit (MegFowler) and she did a "Love List" and listed out some of the things she loved as well as suggested doing it weekly. I mean, we all know how we change our minds or come across new things that we fall head over heals with, right?

So guess what I'm gonna do? Yep. I'm going to do a love list, hopefully weekly, hopefully on Wednesdays. Why, you ask? Well, for all you nosey folks out there you can learn a bit more about me (hee hee) and so when I'm old and wrinkly I can look back on these posts and see how much has changed and laugh at myself as well as smile and remember being young. It also gives me time to reflect on what I enjoy. :)

Here goes....

*I love turtles!!
*I love almost all music...with out it, I'd be lost.
*I love the smell of a soft rain.
*I love digging my toes in the sand.
*I love chocolate and peanut butter, together.
*I love sunshine.
*I love the smell of lilacs in the spring and how they fill my house with their sweet scent.
*I love love stories.
*I love it when my kids say "I love you"
*I love to get lost in a good book.
*I love a comfy pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
*I love scary movies.
*I love cake, and ice cream, and gummy bears, and twizzlers, and...{covers mouth}
*I love the first heavy snowfall of winter.
*I love cycling...it takes me to my happy place :)
*I love the colors green and pink
*I love really really big thunderstorms (tornados, you stay far far away!!)
*I love to laugh.
....and....
*I love to see people smile. The kind of smile that reaches their eyes...

Ok, enough for now. Check back in a week :)

Oh, and I encourage you to do your own "love list". If you do, leave a comment and a link to your blog. I'd love to read them :)

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Precious Moments

Sometimes we go about our day and we don't always notice things that we should. We miss out in the hustle and bustle of daily work and life. So when we stop and take the time, good things can happen.

I went to a meeting in town tonight and I took the kids with me. They were bored of course and was to be expected. My son is constantly on the move. The kid can't sit still to save his life... LOL. He wanted to sit on my lap through the meeting so being it was an informal meeting, it was ok. Of course, he couldn't sit still so I said to him, "Sit still you little monkey butt!" He just laughed and wiggled more. When the meeting was finally over, we were walking out to the car and I kept calling him my little monkey butt and tickling him.

Then all of a sudden he stopped and said, "Mom? Will you call me Bug, because I like that best?". {{{heart squeeze}}}

I have been calling him Bug since the day he was born, nearly 8 years ago. I always thought it was cute because as he got older, if anyone called him anything but Andrew, he sternly corrected them. I was the only one who got away with calling him something different. To this day, its still the same.

Yes, my little Bug is a mama's boy :) {{beams}}! I see so many boys his age doing the "ew mommy" thing and treating their parents like they have the plague or something. Not my little guy. I still get tons of hugs and kisses and he tells me he loves me and he doesnt't care who hears it. There was even a time I was mad at him (for what, I cannot recall) but he said to me, "Mom, even though you get mad at me sometimes, I still love you!". {{{heart squeeze}}} I mean, how sweet is that? Of course, his plan worked and I wasn't mad at him anymore. I mean, how could I be.. LOL!

I hope my little man never grows out of his love for his mommy (or as he calls me, his "cutiest love bug"... LOL)

I love you Bug!!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Sweet and Sour

Nooo, I am not talking about my personality, although that could be a post in itself. A debate on which characteristic is more prominent, perhaps? =P

I'm actually talking about one of my favourite take out dishes. Super fast. Super yummy. Super sweet!

Sure, it's probably not good for me and I will be hungry in an hour, but I can't help it. It's one of my favuorites! :)


Sunday, May 3, 2009

Sweet Pea

I am always tinkering with something crafty. I have since as far back as I can remember. Between crocheting, knitting, quilting, scrapbooking, and rubber stamping, I usually have something to pick up and keep me occupied.

However as of late I have been playing around with Photoshop again. I've been creating my blog headers for about six months or so trying to keep a fresh look and to be able to practice. If I don't practice or keep using it, I forget how...lol. After a whole lot of research and playing around with a test blog, I finally figured out how to create my own background and change my fonts on the titles and headings. (Well, the font titles have nothing to do with PS but I think it livens it up a bit.). So this month I created my own header and my background and I really kind of like it.

Another thing I delved back into while using PS is digital scrapbooking. I played around with it a few years ago and really enjoyed doing it. Compared to paper scrapbooking, I save a lot more money and the possibilities are absolutely endless with digital. The only thing I need now, is a 12 x 12 printer, but that will have to come later. For now, I just have them saved safe and sound on my computer and a portable drive!

I've included a couple of the pages I did this weekend. I wanted to take a few photos of my daughter and decided to make it a mother daughter photoshoot. I did get a few really good shots of her as well as of us together (even though the pesky wind didn't make it too easy...mussy hair...lol) and I like how the layouts came out. Oh, and no you are not seeing things. We do have the same hoodie on...LOL. We went shopping last weekend and I came across the shirt and with green being one of my most favorite colors I had to have it. When my daugther saw it she thougth it was for her. I felt bad telling her no because she liked it so much so I got her one too...hee hee!

My Little Sweet Pea

Like Mother Like Daughter

NOTE: You can click on the photos to see a bigger size :)

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Sweet Sacrifice

I've loved Evanescence since the first time I listened to them. Amy Lee has an amazing voice and her songs are very powerful and dynamic. Combine that with brilliant videos and you can't help but to absorb some of that feeling. A true artist is one who can exude their emotion with such great force that you not only believe it, but you feel the emotion and the integrity of it.

This video in particular, seems to stay with me.



..and this one...this one just reaches in and grabs a hold of my heart and squeezes....wow.


"And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall. Pouring life down on me. 'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough. Am I good enough for you to love me too?"

Friday, May 1, 2009

Swine-tastically Sweet :)

I've decided to do another NaBloPoMo which seems to be a good idea since I haven't posted since April 13th...eeesh! For those of you who don't know, NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. During that month you post every day. This normally is in the month of November and there are contests and prizes, but for every other month they assign a theme and its open for participation, but no prizes. I received the email indicating that this months theme is "Sweet". Awww...this one I should be able to pull off. So beware for all the up and coming sweetness ahead...hee hee!

The talk of the nation seems to be the Swine Flu. Ugh. Ok, I know that its not necessarily something that is to be taken lightly but from everything I have read, it hasn't been discovered that it is that much different than the regular flu. It's just new and a different strain so everyone freaks out. I think there are way more dangerous things out there that we should worry about. I agree that we should all be aware of our surroundings (like we always should be) and just like any other sickness going around, be sanitary. Wash your hands, more!

So on that note, a friend shared this below photo with me yesterday and then I saw it on Cute Overload so I thought I'd post it here, because even though its sorta gross, its also sorta sweet.

Don't forget to eat your bacon....I suggest cooking it first though..hee hee!
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