Changes

Change is in the air.
Change in the season.
Change in my personal life.
Lots and lots of changes ahead.

I'm trying really hard to keep my head above water.
To hold it together.

I'm hopeful
fearful
relieved


but most of all ... I feel alive

For the first time in years I'm being the person I want to be.

And I'm very, very thankful for that.

Easter fun

We had a nice quiet ... wet Easter.

Macro Monday

Secrets

Hi there!! tap, tap, tap... anyone still out there?
I know I haven't been around in almost a year but I started catching myself writing blog post like comments on other peoples blogs. That's when I realized I need to try and get back to this old thing.

My big second grader isn't the baby he used to be. He's thoughtful and talkative. He's becoming his own person and I love who that person is.
Yesterday he came home from school and this was our conversation.

Bug: You might be mad, well I don't think you will but you might be but I'm going to tell you anyway.

Me (getting a little worried): What? What happened?

Bug: L told me not to tell you but I can't not tell you, you know mom I can't keep secrets from you.

Me: Nope no secrets between us, what didn't he want you to tell me?

Bug: Well we traded DSI games for a little while, I let him have Bakugon and he let me take his Tony Hawk game.

Me: Why didn't he want you to tell me THAT?

Bug: I have no idea maybe his parents would be mad.

Me: Well I'm glad you told me even when you thought there was a chance I would be upset, even though I'm not. I love that you know you can trust me with anything.

Ah I love that kid! I hope he always feels that way about me. I always want him to feel he can confide in me. How do I keep him from changing when he becomes a teenager????

Wordless Wednesday ~ Bad Kitty...

For more wordless Wednesday click HERE

A day with grandpa

A few weeks ago Bug begged me to go see Grandpa. So we called up my dad and he was excited to spend the day with us. His friend was hosting a birthday party at her house and invited us to join them too. So we spent the day and I got inspired to take some shots.






My little Bug is learning that you do what you need to in order to get a good shot!

Can it really be two years?

Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell. ~Edna St Vincent Millay

Can I brag?

Ah heck it's my blog, of course I can!
My boy received student of the month this month for his first/second grade class!
But wait there's more....
During this weeks parent teacher conference I learned that he tested at a third grade level in math!
But the very best part is that he tested at a fourth grade reading level!
He's in the first grade and reading chapter books.
I don't know about you but I only remember learning my alphabet and numbers in first grade.
Either I was in the special class and don't remember it or holy cow they teach kids a lot more these days. But don't you worry my head deflated when later that day he made a huge mess of his room and I noticed he used a stick to poke holes in the canopy on his play structure, completely destroying it. Kids, they seem to know how to balance things out.

Somethings got me a bit prickly

So I thought I'd blog about it. It's been a few ... OK several months since I've set foot in this blog. The only thing that brought me back was a rampant fad that I've found going on over on Facebook.
I started bitching and complaining in my mind about it and then tada! Light bulb moment, this would really be a good blog post!
The fad isn't one that most people would think, it's not status shuffle or farmville.
It's people starting their own Photography business.
After about the fourth or fifth "Come be my photography business fan" request and the twelve thousandth time I've looked at other starting photographers Facebook sites. It dawned on me, a love of photography does not a good photographer make.
Sure some, actually a very small percentage, no make that maybe 1% of the ones that I've looked at lately are NOT GOOD. They do all the amateur photographer mistakes, over lightening in photoshop making the picture look grainy due to their inadequate skills using lighting. Heavy vignettes trying to make a so so picture look OK. It pains me so much to think that people are actually paying for these.
But then there is a flip side to all of this. Those friends of mine who really are totally awesome photographers. Those blogs that I frequent of amature master photographers. To these people starting a buisness makes them take pause. They have such great talent and yet they slowly and methodically take their time to start a business or they don't at all. They remain happy just doing this hobby and creating their art. True artists aren't in it for the money, they're in it for the love of it. Oh how I love these photographers.
In the mean time if you are in the market for a professional photographer, look at their work and compare it to others. Don't just hire anyone with a digital SLR and a willingness to take your money... please!

p.s. The photo above was taken during a cold snap. It's prickly ice on my bob wire fence.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Slither

For more Wordless Wednesday click HERE

Tell me Thursday

Yesterday for wordless Wednesday I showed some pictures of what little boys are made of.

We had a birthday party for my grandma this last weekend to celebrate her 80th. For her birthday she asked that we do some work in her back yard. While weeding her flower beds I found a snail and knew immediately that Bug would love to see it.

Grandma found a nice plastic container to put it in and we put in some water from her pond along with some rocks and leaves. Bug was so excited about it, as new people arrived for the party he was excited to show them his new pet.

When Bug wasn't looking my aunts boyfriend Jim slipped another snail into the plastic container. As more great grand kids showed up Bug ran to his container to show them. He slipped the lid off only to find not one but TWO snails. The look on his face was priceless. Shocked he looked at me "Mom, the snail had a baby!" We all chuckled and didn't say a word as he made his rounds showing everyone the baby snail that just showed up.

When we got home husband couldn't stand telling him a lie any longer and explained what really happened. Poor Bug got a shocked look on his face and said " But I told all those other kids that my snail had a baby!!" Then he said in the next breath " That Jim! I'm gonna get him the next time I see him!"

When I googled to find out what snails eat there was a little tip at the bottom of the page that said "If you have two snails, you will end up with baby snails"

Great, just what I wanted. :P

Wordless Wednesday ~ What little boys are made of

For more Wordless Wednesday go HERE

It's a boy!

There should have been no doubt that it was going to be a boy.

After all, anything birthed at my house ends up being a boy.

Miss Dolly is a wonderful mother. He is all ears and legs! Big, healthy and active.

I promised Bug that if it was a boy he could help name it.

Makes me want to just cuddle him! I'll try for better pictures once momma settles down.

Forgotten treasure

In the far reaches of my hall closet, behind the vacuum cleaner and Christmas wrapping paper, a piece of my childhood sat. Covered in dust and missing several pieces it was long forgotten. That is until it's colorful coat caught Bugs eye. Though it was missing parts and stained Bug instantly fell in love with the old kite that my dad had given me when I was ten. At first he tried holding it above his head and leaping from the table.

But soon he learned that if he gave it just the right toss it would fly for a short distance and then fall to the ground.

It turned out to be the perfect way to spend a warm spring day.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Still waiting for baby

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Sorry I've been missing

I'm really shocked that I haven't written a post in a whole month.

Spring snuck up on me and I've just been relishing every minute of it.

Despite staring at her for over a month, checking her in sensitive areas and trying to just plain will her to have her baby, Dolly is on her own time line.

I'm still checking her every day for "signs" of impending birth.

So far she just keeps getting bigger.

In the mean time I've been mowing grass like crazy.

Planting vegetables in my garden.

Playing with Bug in his newly filled sand box.

And generally keeping my online time limited to visiting other peoples blogs and Facebook.

In the last month another interesting thing has happened.

A small bird has decided he is in love with his reflection in my tinted office window.

He comes every day to talk to himself, admire his lovely feathers and give offerings of bugs and feathers to the bird in the mirror.

Isn't he sweet? He cuddles up next to himself and chirps softly.

These aren't the best pictures but hey, it's hard to photograph through double pained tinted glass!

Hello Dolly!

It's no secret that I have an affection for all animals. It's also widely known that I have a special affection for those of the equine variety.

While perusing the farm and garden section of Craigslist I came upon and advertisement for miniature donkeys. I have wanted one of these for a very long time. Our neighbors two places down the hill have a field full of them. Every year when the babies are born I swear I am going to ask them if they want to sell me one.... every year I don't do it. So when I responded to the add, imagine my surprise when the people selling them where none other than my neighbors!

They were full of information for me. Bug and I spent almost an hour hanging out with them and their donkeys. They wanted to sell me a Jack (boy) and Jenny (girl) package but the Jenny was pregnant and it didn't take a genius to realize three Donkeys and three full size goats where not going to fit in my tiny barn. The whole time I talked with them a sweet little Jenny leaned against me as I scratched her back. I fell in love but knew that Mini Donkeys really do so much better with a donkey friend. So when they told me they were 95% sure she was pregnant that meant she had an instant friend inside her right now. Plus I can't resist having a baby around in a couple months.

So here she is meeting the goats for the first time through the fence.

Charlie (black goat) is certain she is going to eat him! You should have seen how high he jumped when she walked up behind him!

I think that is what fat belly. If she isn't pregnant than she needs to be on a serious diet!

So, anyone out there know anything about pregnant donkeys? I've been reading online and now I'm a little scared at what I got myself into!

Dreams.. was it the deviled eggs or something else?

Last night I had the most vivid dreams. Ones that make you wake up and it takes you a minute to figure out that it was only a dream. Was it all those eggs I ate during Easter dinner yesterday? Or is it something else?
The first dream that I had was a variation on dreams that I've had on and off for as long as I can remember. I get to a parking lot and my car has been stolen. In disbelief I look everywhere for it, thinking that I just forgot where I parked it. I feel panicked and I wake up and feel relief that it isn't true.
After I fell back to sleep I dreamt that my husband and I both woke up late for work. Like seriously late, four and a half hours late. We were both panicked. I woke up on time, husband was already at work. Once again I was relieved it was only a dream.
I was compelled to figure out if perhaps there was more to this than eating to many eggs.
So I looked up what the meaning of each dream was.
This is what it said about my car being stolen in my dream:
To dream that you car has been stolen, indicates that you are being stripped of your identity. This may relate to losing your job, a failed relationship, or some situation which has played a significant role in your identity and who you are as a person.

Hmmmmm......

It said this about waking up late for work:
To dream that you are late, denotes your fear of change and your ambivalence about seizing an opportunity. You may feel unready, unworthy, or unsupported in your current circumstances. Additionally, you may be overwhelmed or conflicted with decisions about your future. You feel time is running out and that you do not have time to accomplish all the things you want.

Kind of go together don't they. Makes me think it wasn't the eggs after all.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Under the Sea

Find more wordless Wednesday HERE.

Odds and Ends... well mostly just odds.

I really wanted to post a photo story Friday again this week. I'm really enjoying participating. I spent several hours trying to edit pictures from our trip to the Aquarium this past weekend. Do you know how hard it is to get a good shot in a dark aquarium without flash, moving fish in the background under filtered light and small child in the dark foreground looking at them??
Oh you do know? Well then you'll understand how many good pictures I ended up with. I'll post them sometime but I'm not done with the massive editing job just yet.
I'm having a hard time finding the inspiration to blog. Several semi funny things have happened in the last few weeks but I just can't seem to properly put them into words. Like the story of the gift I just received. It's really kind of funny but when I type it out it's just lacking something.
My mother in law brought me back a present from Arizona. It's a purse made from crochet plastic bags. I'll let you all digest that for a moment. Yes plastic bags from stores.
You can sort of tell which ones where from Walmart and which are from Safeway. I suppose it could be considered the ultimate in recycling but I'm just not feeling it. See, only slightly funny.
In other news, I've been super cranky this week. Yesterday husband came home and I told him I didn't feel good, that I had horrible cramps. Husbands response was "Oh that explains a lot"
Note to all men... that is NOT the correct response.
Since I was feeling so crappy I went to the store to buy a bottle of wine after work. I got up to the register and the guy asked for my ID. I hand it to him, he looked at the picture, looked at me and then as he was typing the date into the register he says really loud "OH Wow!"
I thought maybe I'd one a prize until he said "You don't look that old!"
Um... ok I think that was a compliment.