A thank you and split ends

First and foremost I would like to thank everyone for all your wonderful comments yesterday. It was very sweet of all of you! She has really come out of her shell lately and its really great to see.

Shawn was finally cleared to go back to work starting Monday. Yay! Kinda. I have had him home every single day with me since the end of October. I am really going to miss him and I imagine I will be really lonely. It has been so awesome spending time with him plus he has taken over the laundry. I don't want the laundry back. I have forgotten how to turn on the washing machine! Who will vacuum up after his dog? I am accustomed to not having to do it all by myself. I don't want to do it by myself again but I do want more money so its a sacrifice I will have to make.

Since he is going back to work he is in a much better mood than he has been the last few weeks. This morning I was bitching about my split ends and he told me to go get it cut, get out. I was thinking he was being super sweet. Turns out he wants to watch basketball and doesn't want me home nagging. Wouldn't you just know it though. The only salon I will go to is closed. I think my stylist may be on maternity leave. I need to figure something out though because I am considering breaking out the clippers and buzzing my head. I can't take these split ends anymore.

Who is watching Idol? I am so glad the judges didn't waste the save on that girl!

Oh, back to little Miss Sky. Yesterday she participated in Jump Rope For Heart. I went and watched for a bit. It was really cute to see all those kids so enthused. Of course it is a fund raiser and she is one motivated girl. She hit all the neighbors up and ended up doing really well raising money. Some friends of ours have a son that fund raised too. He had 5 people donate a buck a piece. What is up with that? I know the economy is bad but come on. These kids get really sad about stuff like that.

I think that is it for today. Its almost the weekend people!

We now interupt this blog for real life

Last night Skylee had to speak at her schools program. I was so proud and I thought Shawn was going to burst open and a rainbow would shine out of his chest. The reason this is such a BIG ASS DEAL for us........until second grade this kid couldn't speak and be understood. She had such bad speech problems that no one outside of our family could understand a thing she said but there she was last night, clear as a bell!!

Unless you have a child with a speech impediment you have no idea how monumental this was for us as parents. Here is a girl that couldn't say the word cup standing up there speaking as if she has been doing it well her whole life. Yep, very proud Mommy!!

PS. I decided when they were in kindergarten that Sky would grow up and marry the little dude in the upper left hand corner wearing the glasses. How cute is he??

Nothing but spots

Two posts yesterday and today I don't have anything to say.
I may come back later and say something if the mood strikes.

Breaking News....Serial Killer on the Loose

Breaking news.....

This just in.

There is a killer on the loose.

This brutal serial killer is wanted for questioning

in the killings of several small animals.

The murderers name is Linus Badinus

also goes by the alias' of Fucking Cat and Fatty, Fatty Two By Four.
The killer is a grey tom cat who has been neutered and is thought

to be living in the Twin Cities Metro area.

The suspect is highly addicted to cat nip,

sharpening his weapons on leather sofa's and long naps in the sun.

Victims include two muskrats,

one thought to be much larger than the murderer.

Also thought to have murdered and beheaded

several brown field mice, several red robins and their offspring.

The latest victim of this serial animal killer

appears to be a grey rabbit, last seen in the back yard area

of the killers home. Said victims body has not yet been found

but much of the victims fur was left in the backyard area.

If you know there whereabouts of this brutal animal murderer

run, run as fast as you can.

Do not make eye contact as the killer has been known to rub against humans

and make a purring sound.

These are stall tactics that allow the murderer to make an escape.

Please call 1-800-Bad-Catz with any tips.

*The Small Animal League of Minnesota is offering an award for the capture and conviction of the bad ass cat in question.

The One Where She is Broken

My poor, poor Jill. She has had a rough last couple of days. First she got stuck hanging out with me Saturday night. Oh the torture. All the drinking and laughing and trying to find Jessie a guy even though she didn't want one. Then yesterday she had to listen to me whine repeatedly about my pounding head and queasy stomach although she felt fine.

If all that wasn't torture enough she fell off her bike this morning and broke herself, okay not herself, just her wrist. Poor, poor little Kitty Cat. Meow.

In other news, who am I kidding? There is no other news. Things are fairly lame around here right now which is a really good thing. I can totally handle lame. Its supposed to be 60 here today and I fully plan to go outside and enjoy the day. I thought about a bike ride but I will take a lesson from Cat and just leave it hanging in the garage where all good instruments of exercise belong.

Irish For a Day

Yesterday was the annual St. Patty's day festivities here in my small town. We took the kids to the parade for the first time and I have to say it was some of the best people watching I have done in ages. This town takes their Irish heritage seriously and go all out with the dressing up and drinking like good little leprechauns.

The night time festivities are full of debauchery. Drinking, drinking and more drinking. Every resident older than 21 and several younger show up to cram themselves like sardines into the bars and pubs lining our main street. You can't breathe or move, it takes forever to get to the bar and forever and a day to get a drink. I'm not sure why I go back year after year but I haven't missed a year since we moved to this town. I am guessing I keep going because the things that are a pain in the ass about the celebration are the very things that make it so much fun!

The Backside

The weather people have been messing with me and saying winter may be over. I so want to believe them but I don't know if I can. Can I get my hopes up that much? Its supposed to be 60 on Monday and I woke up to the sound of birds chirping this morning. I guess that is hope enough for me.

Finito!!

This is the last of the photos from the cemetery. Thanks for all the comments and the compliments on the series of photos this week. Anyone think there is a market for cemetery pics? lol
I am really intrigued by this headstone. First I am wondering what the funky money symbol on the cross stands for. Anyone have a guess? The other thing that's interesting to me is how much later Mrs. Newell died than Mr. Newell. She lived for 22 years without her husband. Where they happy years? Did she spend those years desperately missing him? I hope to never live that long without Shawn. So we both need to live to be 90!

In other news, Shawn and I finished over at the hell house yesterday. I have never felt so accomplished. We did an entire tear out and remodel of a kitchen and bathroom. How many couples can say they have done that together and not killed one another? I love working with him. We built our deck together, half assed finished our basement together and now remodeled that hell house together. It was not by any means all sunshine and roses though. I can't count how many times I texted Cat to vent to her instead of beating him over the head with a hammer and burying his body in the crawl space. I just don't want to live that many years without him AND be in prison.
Besides all that my Dad can finally move in! OMG! That is fanfreakintasticical!

Happy Friday ya'll!

The Cross

Sticking with the cemetery picture theme of the week. I'm not sure why I like this one as much as I do but I really do like it. I am thinking it is because of the dense fog and the tree branches framing the top of the picture plus I am really interested in the old headstones.

When I was in fifth grade we did grave rubbings, I did my grandparents headstone. I'm not even sure if my Grandma's date of death was cut into it yet. I wonder what ever happened to the rubbing. Any idea Mom? You saved everything else we ever did! You all should see my Mom's filing cabinet. It is like a look back in time. Want to know how I did on a third grade spelling test? Look in the cabinet. She even kept every single award I ever got. Ya know, the paper ones with stars and stuff on them and the smelly sticker in the corner. I wonder if they still smell.

Anyway, I am getting way off track here.

Today should be the last day over at the hell house, errr I mean my Dad's house. We are hanging the last cupboard and the microwave. Yay us!!

Lovely Lady

This marker is my favorite of all the things I photographed at the cemetery. I love the look of the moss growing all over the stone and if you click on the picture you can see the detail of the dress and the wreath. It is just incredibly beautiful. I didn't think to look at the other side and find out what this woman's story was but now I am really curious and think I will go back and look.

200!!

Click to enlarge and look to the left side of the photo

Wow!! This is my 200th post! I cheated a bit because I moved my myspace blog over here but still.....I have posted 200 things and collected them in one place. Go me!!

I have nothing fun nor exciting planned for the big 200. Well maybe fun and exciting for me but not for all of you. Shawn and I should have my Dad's house finished and ready to be occupied by this weekend. I cannot even tell you all how exciting this is to me!!

This photo was taken yesterday on my trip to the cemetery. I think this one is creepy. You all may not but I am afraid of my own shadow. There were crows everywhere in the cemetery yesterday, they all started squawking at once and scared the shit out of me. I had to jump back in my car and compose myself. I'm a wuss.

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Painted

Look at those claws! Good thing he is gentle with them, Blade left scars on my hand with his.

Turtle in the dark lol

She was to far away apparently, he needed a closer look.

This is the shot that got away. They were so cute together but I just couldn't get the lighting right.

So I have been bitching and moaning about my lack of post-able photos, I even went so far as to go out and buy an orchid. My plan this week was to post a photo every day of what I took of the orchid. I did end up with some decent shots. I didn't think they were that good and hadn't planned to share them at all until I looked at Etsy to get some ideas on how I could change my shots up a bit. I must be getting way to picky because the ones I thought were shit were much better than most of them posted for sale. Score me!

Anyway, again I ramble. The babies were super active yesterday and every time I went near the tank Turts would smack into the side trying to get at me, that's code for get me out of here and pay me some attention. I got them both out and played with them a bit before I decided they are so damned cute and I can't possibly keep all that cuteness to myself. Out came the camera. I originally planned to hold them and have Shawn take the pictures. This is where it comes in to play that not all people are good behind the camera. His shots were all dark and blurry and I thought the opportunity was lost but I talked the teenager into holding the babies and I got behind the camera.

These two are such hams! Turts is on the left. Notice how his head is out more than hers? He is in love with her and has to have his eyes on her every second, if he looses sight of her he panics. I know those who aren't turtle obsessed won't get this but turtle have huge personalities and yes they are even trainable.

So I have all the orchid pics and all the turtle pics and then God smiled on my even more and made it so foggy this morning that you can't see more than 50 feet in front of you. Of course I took the gift that was given and ran with it. Ran straight to the graveyard. A graveyard on a foggy morning is creepy. Creepy with a capital C. Dense fog and black crows makes for a horror movie. I got some amazing shots if I do say so myself. Shawn disagrees but after seeing what he did with the turtles yesterday I don't trust his tastes in photography at all anymore.

Be prepared to be creeped out tomorrow!

Coeur d'Alene

Another one taken from a moving vehicle. This place was so beautiful, I wish I could have stopped and taken some shots. Alas, I didn't get to do a single thing I wanted to on that trip.
Bitter? Me? No!

Rocks

I swear I can't catch a break this cruddy winter. I have a sinus infection for the 997th time this season. Okay, I am totally exaggerating but I have had at least 7 since September. What gives?

I don't have anything witty to say today. Do I ever?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Black and White and Yucky All Over

Click to enlarge

Yesterday was a balmy 46 degrees here in the metro area of the Twin Cities. I saw balmy because the air was so thick you had to fight your way through it. The fog so dense it was palpable. What better day to go out for a shoot? Ha!

I took this photo in black and white but I swear this is exactly the way it looked. Everything is grey and white. Its quite a depressing sight to see. I feel as if all I do is focus on the negativity of this winter but I absolutely hate it. I am such a nature girl and am far happier trudging through a wooded area or camping in the woods than I am sitting on my ass staring out the window wishing I wasn't such a weenie when it comes to the snow. Near the beginning of the winter I vowed to not let the winter get to me. I would still go out and take walks, I would have snowball fights with the kids. I would really enjoy the outdoors this winter. Then it hit -50 and stayed there for what seems like years. Yeah screw the cold. I spent most of the winter huddled on the couch under a blanket in turn my car has spent the entire winter under a blanket of metal eating road salt. Blech.

I was so desperate yesterday for a touch of spring, for something more than my hibiscus to be the subject of my photography, I ran out and bought myself an orchid. I took hundreds of shots from various angles. Guess what?? They all suck. Why you ask....because the sun didn't shine inside or out yesterday and the lighting was awful. The sun is shining today and the orchid and I are going to try again. I am thinking of using a black background to make the white and red of the orchid pop.

Okay, enough rambling already. Have a good day!

How to kill stupid bugs

Click to enlarge the stupid bugs

I don't feel like telling the story I spoke about yesterday. It is just to emotionally draining to recall all the details and I can't go there this morning. I'm trying to remain positive so I can concentrate on the things that are of little importance. Like American Idol.

I am so happy that happy that Jessie is coming back tonight. I have to support the home team!

The Little Lady is back today too. I was flipping through this file and realized the stupid aphids and spider mites really stand out in this photo. I have sprayed this plant with every organic thing I can think of, those stupid bugs just won't die. I wouldn't want cayenne pepper extract sprayed directly on me,yet those stupid bugs don't even seem to notice they are supposed to be suffocated to death by the fiery fumes. What gives? Any readers know anything about plants? I am anti-chemical when it comes to my plants so whatever suggestions you give have to be organically based. You all should see Shawn in the summer with our garden, one of the neighbors could sneak over and dump some chemicals on his prized tomato's if they really wanted to mess with him. I think it would make him bust an artery in his head. Hmmmm now I am scheming up ways to mess with him when he pisses me off this summer. Muahahahaha!

'Shroom

This should be the last of the water park pictures. I know you are all breathing a sigh of relief. I'm not, after this I don't know what I will post. I am for all intents and purposes out of pictures. Even the archives have run dry. This 100 pictures thing is much harder than I thought it would be but it has forced me to be a bit more creative than I normally am and that can't hurt anything. Right?

Sorry for the lack of words lately. I have been so disenchanted with the economy and several republicans openly calling for President Obama to fail. It makes me sick. If he fails, the federal government fails. Who would hope for that?

I couldn't take any more and since I cannot have the television on without obsessively checking CNN and MSNBC every few minutes I decided yesterday to tune out. I came home from dropping the children at school and didn't bother opening my laptop nor turning on the television. I instead picked up the seventh Harry Potter book with the intent of rereading it and actually digesting the meaning instead of speed reading the entire thing just to see how it all ends. I read the entire day away, made dinner, took Sky to dance and read into the night. I turned on my laptop long enough to check a few emails and a few must read blogs. I did sneak a peek at CNN long enough to see what the DOW was doing. Beyond that I cut myself off from all technology. I finished reading the book this morning and cleaned the girls room. The break did my heart good and I haven't once turned to CNN today.

Tomorrow if I am in the right frame of mind I will tell you all about the tattoo my sister got last weekend and all about the symbolism behind it. I will have to be in the right frame of mind though as the story includes the ghost of my stillborn son and it isn't a fun story to tell.

WaterPillar

Little Lady

My hibiscus bush is still blooming like mad. As of this morning there are 6 blooms on it.
I sound like a broken record here but I am just dying for spring. I cannot wait to get this plant back outside and in the ground.
I have a midnight blooming jasmine and gardenia that are patiently waiting for spring too.
If you click on this picture and look closely there is another bug besides Miss Lady.

Water Fun

The kids had a blast yesterday splashing around in the water. They were bummed that they weren't allowed in the hot tub or the steam room. Its okay. Cat and I enjoyed both sans kids!
I have a few more pictures that turned out rather cool even without kids in them. I'll share those later this week.

Sky hates having her picture taken so Matt made her hold still.

Coming down the slide

Such a handsome boy....really!

Matt's turn

Great technique sis!