How desperate do you have to be

to steal pumpkins off someone's porch?

I mean, seriously! We had a grouping of pumpkins, ready to carve this weekend, on our front porch by our door. And sometime last night someone decided they were actually out there to share with others.

And they also TOOK THE DECORATIONS WE HAD HANGING ON OUR TREE!
We had hung about 20 tiny plastic pumpkins and three large ones (you know, the ones you use for trick or treating). This morning two of the large ones were GONE.

Seriously? Plastic pumpkins worth about a buck each and a couple $5 pumpkins from Sam's club? How desperate do you have to be to stoop so low that you have to take that from someone's property??

Fall Festival and Drill Team

The kids' school had a fall festival last week and Rick volunteered to be a part of the Trunk R Treat - of course with his jeep. So we turned it into a pirate ship - complete with a mast in front and pirate flag in back. We put all the candy into a treasure chest and the kids had to walk the plank to get it. So fun :)







Arrrrgh!


Violet also had her first Drill Team performance for a Citizenship assembly for the school. She was so cute :)






She's decided that instead of basketball, she's going to do gymnastics this winter. She still loves softball and is trying to decide what she will do for the spring season, since most of her team will be aging up to the 10-under league. It's audition only, so there's a real good chance Violet won't be on the same team as her friends. So we are weighing our options on that. I think maybe she should try a different sport in the spring anyway.

Our backyard is coming along - we've been digging and planting and building walls and trellisses and bought trees and stones and added lighting and moved our sheds... it's really going to be great when it's done. Our goal is by the end of the month... so we'd better get working! LOL :)

Silly children

Another installment of my children and their video camera. Enjoy :)

Hey Shontell!

Look here!

:)

This face

can only mean one thing...

Softball season has begun again!

We almost didn't sign her up for softball - we thought it might be to much with drill team and a tougher teacher for 2nd grade (we love you Jo!)... but at the last possible minute we alled to see if Violet could join her old team from the last 2 seasons. Unfortunately the league was full... so I called her old coach and said if a spot opened up to let us know. Wouldn't you know it - the day before their first game, they called and Violet was back on the team! She was thrilled. The cool part is that almost all the girls from before are back. AND the group moved up a division and is now 8B instead of 8C... so they are running the bigger bases and the rules are a little stricter. And they are playing some teams that are tougher, so it's a good challenge. And of course, Violet loves it. She's pitched a few innings, but is really hitting her stride as shortstop - totally stopping the ball, covering second base, and even tagging out some runners. Totally cool to watch her play her part so well!

Her games are Tuesdays and Saturdays through the end of October - call if you want to join us for any of the games. I know Violet would love to see friends and family watching her play.

Update.

Yardwork.
Poop patrol.
New BBQ grill.
Planning.
Designing.
Dreaming.
Budgeting.
Planting.
Digging.
Shoveling.
Raking.
Pruning.

Must be fall... we are officially working on our backyard. Our goal is to finish it by the end of October. Okay, that's *my* goal. Hopefully we will have most of it done by then. Maybe not the grass, cause that's a bit of a chore and budget-eater. But at least we will have planters and retaining walls and rock moved and stuff like that. Pictures to come... if I get my act together.

Ok so this is why I love YouTube.

And The Internets.
Cause you know, no matter what, you can answer a question with a little search on the Internets.

So after my last post I did a little YouTube browsing, wondering if there were other versions of Canon in D that people had done.

And I found this one... which I know Melinda will appreciate even more than the last one... :)



Click here for the direct link

Pachelbel Bedtime

The best Pachelbel adaptation I have heard in awhile... ;)



If the embed code didn't work, click here:

Pachelbel Bedtime

Melinda, I thought you would definitely appreciate this! :)

Getting there!

The Wii fund is growing! We took all that change from Rick's jar to the Coinstar machine... nearly 3000 pennies were in there! We left with just over $60 to add to the Fund, which means the kids have just surpassed the $100 mark. They are pretty jazzed about that... too bad I have to break it to them that they are only 1/3 of the way there... lol

The Wii Fund

The kids want a Wii.

Naturally, being my father's daughter, I am going to make them earn their Wii.

The kids have started what they call "The Wii Fund"...

Any spare change they find, they put in the big jar. They are volunteering for chores they normally won't do to get some extra cash... and just a couple weeks ago, they had a lemonade stand at the entrance to our neighborhood.

It was a nice, hot day. We had a 4 gallon jug of freshly made lemonade, a cooler full of extra ice, and nice, big cups. We sold the lemonade for 50 cents a glass... and, in just over an hour, the kids sold it all! They made THIRTY BUCKS PROFIT in one hour!! It was insane.

And so their Wii fund grows... Rick added a whole huge jar of pennies he had been keeping in the garage too. A couple more lemonade stands, some dog poop patrol in the backyard, and a little creativity (yes, Riley is working on his artwork to be sold at an etsy shop), the kids should have earned their Wii by Christmas. :)

Best $100 ever spent

A couple months ago, Violet earned enough money doing chores to get this camera. Since then, she has been making all sorts of movies, music videos, plays, and more. Sometimes they are really inventive, creative, and fun. Other times, well... here is a typical day at my house:

My children are so precious :)

(and how cool is it that Blogger now has an option to upload video?!!)

Links on the right --------->

Check em out! I put links to my site and my *new business blog* up so you can see what I am up to. The business blog will be there to showcase images from recent sessions and give my clients a little "preview" while they wait for their proofs.

And, coming on Monday on the business blog... a special announcement for my past clients! Exclusive *Limited Edition Sessions* will become available on a first come, first serve basis. This will be a great chance to get that updated family photo for Christmas cards without having to book a full session. You won't want to miss it!

Like my new banner?

I made it with some fun digital scrapbook elements I got online, mixed with some that I designed myself :)

I also updated the look of my blog... I was ready for something different after 2 years! Tell me what you think...

First day of school

Monday marked the start of a new school year - Violet in 2nd grade and Riley in preschool!


This boy makes me giggle :)

I can't wait to see how Violet's looks change over the year with her new teeth growing in... :)

My favorite part about the first day is that Rick always takes the morning off so he can be there when the kids start school. I love that about him. :)

Oh yeah - and my apron came in! I love love love love love it :)

As of Monday...

...I will be prancing around my house in this happy little apron. I adore it!

...both kids will be starting school. Violet in 2nd grade in my friend Joelle's class (yay!) and Riley at Violet's school in their Early Childhood Ed program. Riley is going to be what's called a "typical peer" in a special ed classroom. He will get the chance to learn about kids who are different (and how they are not so different after all), to model appropriate classroom behaviors, and to go to school 4 mornings a week with his sister. I am really excited about this for Riley. He is thrilled too... because the other two typical peers (in this class of 8 total students!) are his friends. Nothing like stacking the deck in your favor!! Joelle's son and Erin's daughter will be in there with Riley. It will be fantastic. :)

...I will be attempting to stick to a "work" schedule that coincides with Riley's school schedule. So from 9-11:45 every morning I will be doing stuff for my photo business. Hopefully this will start eliminating my late-night editing that always seems to happen. Of course I will be wearing my apron, which I am sure will motivate me even more!! LOL

Well, that's it for now. I have to get back to some late-night photo editing. My day shift doesn't start for a couple more days ;)

On the beach

These two had so much fun! Riley and Violet played all day. Violet spent about 90% of the time boogie boarding (by the end she was catching waves, then getting up on her knees with no hands!). Riley spent his time digging in the sand, making sand castles, and smashing them with his Uncle Luke. Good times :)

I didn't get to surf this time but I did boogie board with Violet a lot - we caught a ton of "family waves," which were awesome! Violet and Riley wore life jackets the whole time they were in the water and it was a great idea for us - I had the peace of mind knowing that if Violet was accidentally caught in a rip she would still be okay, and Violet had the confidence knowing that she could be out with the bigger people and catching the superfun waves. I don't know if she will need the jacket next summer... she was already doing really well. Riley definitely will, though. He was still pretty timid about the waves in general (though he did do a little boogie boarding one day... it was hysterical!).

Rick got to surf, and found himself his very own longboard for quite a steal at the local surf shop. He needs to practice some more, of course, so I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of summers in the years to come at the beach so he can "hone his skills." ;)

The TV stayed off the entire week. I LOVED that. When we weren't at the beach, we were reading, playing cards, or napping. The perfect way to spend a vacation. And of course the house we stayed at was phenomenal! The woman who owned it was definitely an interior designer - all the furnishings, paint, fixtures, hardware, even appliances - were completely fabulous. The house looked like it was taken straight out of Cottage Living Magazine or the Pottery Barn catalog. It was a little nerve-wracking staying there with all the white furniture (the couches and chairs were all white slipcovered, and the beds in the room we stayed in were pure white - from the sheets to the pillows to the comforters), but it sure looked classy! And we didn't even manage to spill any wine!

Of course a trip to California isn't complete without a stop at IKEA, and I finally got to use my $100 gift card that I have had since Christmas! Rick and I got some cool barstools to use as seating around our pool table-pingpong-top-slash-dining-area, under-cabinet lighting for the kitchen, wall shelves for Rick's office, more shelves for our stairway "art gallery," a desk lamp for my office and a couple more lamps for our living room, a cute little table for next to our couch, and some fun hanging organizer things for the kids' rooms. Of course that totalled a bit more than $100, but it was still a great deal! :)

I ended up coming back with an ear infection, which kind of stunk, but otherwise the vacation was relaxing and beautiful and wonderful.

We spent the week after getting back preparing for Grandma's memorial service, which was lovely. We had no doubt she was loved by many, but it was wonderful seeing all the people whose lives she touched over the years join us in saying goodbye to her. Melinda played her flute (and did an incredible job, especially considering that she was crying while playing), Liane and Dad spoke, and I did a reading from Psalm 139. Heather did a New Testament reading, and my aunt Tish spoke too. Afterward there was a lovely luncheon reception at the church, followed by a family gathering at my parents' house. I had created a guestbook/scrapbook that was signed by all the guests and it was great looking through all the old photos and thinking of Grandma as a younger woman. I am so glad she is no longer hurting and is with God right now, no doubt looking as beautiful as her photos from so long ago.

Now we come to the task known as "Clean and Purge"... when Rick and I bring large black trash bags into our children's rooms and GET RID OF STUFF. It is a happy time for me, because my children accumulate far too much stuff. Especially Violet. Her room is an ever-expanding swampland of paper scraps, Polly Pockets, and Beanie Babies. No more. Tonight she will sleep in a clean room, with hopefully 2/3 less STUFF than is in her room. Of course I am procrastinating by writing my blog... but now I will go and work in her room. Hopefully I will come out in one piece!

In the Tube

An image from our California vacation... Uncle Luke, Riley's idol :)

more later...

Remembering Grandma

you can click on the image to see it bigger...

My Grandma Jane passed away on Friday while we were still in California. We knew she wasn't doing well but we thought she could hopefully hang on until we returned on Saturday. Alas, she had other plans - as an independent woman she always has had her own agenda - and she decided Friday would be a good day to go home to be with the Lord. She was with my aunt Tish when she died, so she was not alone. And because it's still summer, Melinda will be able to be a part of her memorial service. Anyone in town is welcome to attend - we will be saying goodbye to her on Saturday, August 11, at noon at Christ Church Episcopal.

Vac-tion

Oh yeah!
A week in San Clemente. In a beach house. With the fam. Should be freaking AWESOME.
I am gonna surf (YESSSSSS) and boogie board (OHHHH YEAH) and just generally enjoy the fact that I am not working at VBS doing crafts anymore, or proofing a million photos anymore.

I am even bringing more books to read. I can't wait!
See you in a week or so... hopefully with pictures of a superfun family trip!

13 hours

including lunch, dinner, snack and potty breaks...

And the final chapter of the final book in the Harry Potter Series is done.
I already miss it.