Camera Issues...

Well, I did it.

I bought myself a Christmas present.

I didn't go overboard...I shopped around to find where it was the cheapest...and I just bought it. It isn't fancy, dancy...but it is just what I need!!!



If you know the Paul Simon song...sing along with me...

"I got a Nikon camera...
I'd love to take your photograph...
so mama, don't take my kodachrome away!!!"


What does that song remind you of? Me? College...more specifically...playing football and red rover on one of the first sunny, spring days! I can still picture the details!

Now, I'll have more updates...with better pictures!
Starting with Christmas pictures!

Number 9 (LIVE MUSIC)...checked off in August!

When I lived in Baltimore, I had a favorite local band...Love Riot. My weekend was perfect if I found that they were playing somewhere local! The members were cool, the music was rich, and the whole experience was heady. Ahh...great memories!!

So, it is no surprise that number nine on my list of 22 things was to go see live music. Well, I actually thought I'd go to a bar in Indy to hear a new band, but I did something even better!! I went to Lillith Fair in Chicago!

There were many performers, but here is Mary J. Blige...so eloquently smooth!!!

Sarah Mclaughlin singing..."I will remember you...." sing along..."in the arms of the angel..." Such a hauntingly beautiful voice...

The very cool thing was that I bought lawn tickets...(yes, I cheaped out)...and some guy came up to me and my bff and told us that we could have tickets that were right up front...like about the 12th row!!! We took them...and that, my friends, is how we have such great pictures of Sarah and the finale!

A great band experience (peformances by Heart, Courtyard Hounds --The old Dixie Chicks, and several others!!)...I'm going to put that on my list for next year too! :)

Incidentally, Love Riot is no longer a band...well, some of the members are a new band...called Milkshake. :) They are good too, but it just isn't the same.

Wear Your Spirit!!

No, this is not my new baby, although man!...I'd like to kiss those little cheeks! What I'm loving is the shirt this baby's wearing! LOVE MAGNET...how adorable! It is my new go-to baby gift! (I used to get books or make something...but this is too CUTE!) Actually, the entire website, Wear your Spirit for Humanity, has great sayings on shirts, bags, you name it! I LOVE it...I want to buy everyone I love one of these shirts...

Kids' shirts that say...

• I may be small, but I get it
• Old soul
• Hang up and talk to me
• Don't squash my spirit
• sometimes I amaze myself
• non-conformist
• raising well-adjusted parents
• pardon my exuberance
• I AM acting my age
• Enjoy the ride
• Maybe I just need a hug
• When I grow up, I want to be me
• I am who I am
• This too shall pass

Tween shirts that say...

• Question things
• bring it on
• Fearless
• Been there, not doing that anymore

Adult shirts that say...

• Trust your gut
• embrace your flaws
• grateful mama
• enjoy the ride
• unconditional
• know your story

Anyway...I wanted to update you on my 22 before I'm 44...I already turned 44...and I'll just update little by little all that I DID accomplish. There were several things that I'm either just giving up on...or rather...prioritizing my life...and they are not included! :) In the next post, I'll have some updates on that list!

It's the most wonderful time...of the YEAR! :)

Well...this was a weekend that had great plans...all to be rerouted (as my GPS would say)!

We planned... to write Christmas lists on Friday night...the girls and I SORT of pulled through on that one...but we got hot and tired...and ended up eating a pretzel and heading to Barnes and Noble where we all got our fix of magazines!

We planned... to see our friend, Andy Best, in a play called A Redneck Country Christmas...but the show was sold out and we were turned away! :(

We planned... to go to Kokomo to visit my parents...but the snow was predicted...and we didn't want to chance it with school work and many other things on our "TO DO" list...so we ate out after church and then headed to Walmart.

Our plans were all kind of changed, but it ended up being an excellent weekend anyway! We were able to spend a LOT of time together, laughed a LOT, and we also had our alone time.

We played bananagrams. If you haven't played this game yet...get it, play it, and buy it for someone for Christmas!! We are bananas over bananagrams!!!

We made Christmas cookies. Izzy was my helper...Sophie wanted to watch TV instead. :(

We made hot chocoate.

With marshmallows...only the tiny ones because SOMEONE keeps opening the bag...getting a few...and then leaving the bag opened so that we are left with COLD, HARD marshmallows...who could be doing that? I have my guesses!! (She's watching TV!!)

We shopped...made lists...and DID find some PEACE!

NOW...there's a 2-hour delay for tomorrow!

You know, I can deal with plans changing!
I LOVE it! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

It has been awhile!!!

I'm back...and I'm almost ready to blog consistently again! I have been BUSY with a capital "BuH" (as Sophie would say). :)

We have rearranged our house totally this weekend...moved three rooms...yep...you read it right.

And I am Ex. haust. ed.

My eyes are even a little fuzzy as I write this.

I wish I were a minimalist right now...I'm not.

My muscles wish I had worked out all summer...I didn't.

I'll post pictures of the move very soon.

Izzy and her uniforms...

Isabel LOVED trying on her new cheerleading uniform for us...but when it came to the orchestra jacket, she was a little less enthused. :) She bounced back quickly and put her personality into it...then it became a fashion statement. SO beautiful...inside and out...orchestra jacket or no orchestra jacket! :)

Hoping you feel good inside and out in any uniform you might wear today..

Happy day to you!!

NUMBER 22--CHECK!!

Number 22 on the list...Keep the house clean all week!
Well, no one thought it could be done....and I'll admit, I had my doubts too!

I did it.

I kept the house relatively clean ALL week!!

Here's proof...Sunday night at midnightish!

Okay, now...I've had my share of things to deal with this week...someone gave Sophie a popcorn popper for free at a yard sale...I heard popping, but found that Sophie was nowhere to be found...she was in the bathroom...when you have to go...you have to go...meanwhile, popcorn was popping out all over everywhere!!! :) A fun memory is better than a clean house, right?
Lesson from this week: A clean house is overrated...and kind of hard to do...memories are more fun to make and sustain! Anyway...we all made it and we lived to tell about it. I'm not sure it is good for the family when I'm serious about keeping things clean, that's all I'm saying.

One week

It's been one week since you looked at me...

Cocked your head to the side and said, "I'm angry"

Five days since you laughed at me saying,

"Get that together and come back to see me"

--these are the lyrics from a BNL song...
they seem to fit...
I've been ignoring my blog and I finally figured out why...

I'm wishing my blog were snazzier. I look at other's blogs and get a bad case of "I wish mine looked that cute." No, you have to say it with a more wistful sound in your voice! Anyone who knows about blogs and how to make them cuter, submit a comment and give me some help here. There are so many things I'd like to do...like to know how to do...BUT...I will not let that get me down.

No way...

On the good news front: I've almost gone one week with a CLEAN HOUSE!!! (Number 22 on my list of 22 before 44)!! I have had NO ONE just 'stop by' this week, either. People only drop by my house when it is crazy unorganized, messy, and I've decided to treat myself to a great sleeping in day...THAT's when my company comes. They are always really sweet saying, "OH---you should see my house" or "THIS? This is nothing!" Meanwhile, their eyes are telling a different story altogether. They are saying, "Poor Brenda...is she troubled? I'm seriously worried for her...I wonder how her kids are living in this...what DOES she do when she gets home from work?"


Folks, I'm seriously okay! This week, though, keeping everything super clean...I've felt more stressed than ever. As always, Balance is the answer.

It won't be another week before I blog again... :)

Happy People Beach Scuptures...

These sculptures are about the cutest things I've seen on the beach! Well, there were a couple of cuter guys on the beach...they would have been REALLY attractive to me if they were the ones who had created these sculptures! Anyway...the cute sculptures...

This is the "lady"...

This is the "guy and his dog"...

And here is they are altogether! :)

We will definitely be making our own beach people next time we go...well, at least I will. Hopefully, the girls will want to do this with me...

Home...

Okay, I know I need to stop doing these, but folks...I think they are here to stay. I will maybe begin housing them in a different place on my blog...but I'm addicted...

I love this song with these pics...the girls really are "home" when they are together. Like it or not. :)

I hope you enjoy it like I am!!

Mourning Period...

I know, I know...I HAVE a job, so I should be thankful. And. I. Am. But I'm feeling pretty whiney lately. I loved summer so much that I'm missing it...just like Izzy said the other night on her way to bed on SATURDAY..."I don't want tomorrow to come because then the next day is Monday...and I miss summer!"

MY. THOUGHTS. EXACTLY.

I'm posting some first day of school pics...a week late...(I've been in denial for that long!)

Izzy Grace is in SEVENTH GRADE!!! And she looks like a 7th grader...

Sophie Leigh is a FIFTH GRADER...and she is absolutely darling...

Look at that cutest smile!!!

There she goes...

this is her last year in elementary school...

The picture is blurry because my eyes were blurry...

I didn't take MY first day of school picture...probably a good thing...

the tears would have you all choked up!

Just kidding.

Kindness Project...Sidewalk Chalk!

Shhh...don't tell, but we LOVE sidewalk chalk! We decided that there can't be enough happy messages spread around Frankfort, so we took to the sidewalks! Enjoy this video!!

Yes, we know that happy-ness was spelled wrong...we like it that way. We would really like to create the new word:

Happy-full!

Have a happy-full day! Love, US!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Fishing and Oval Beach

I just tried my hand at making a video and I'm TOTALLY addicted! :) How cute are these kiddos when they're fishing?! I have to say, I've never considered fishing to be hectic, however, with four kiddos needing worms on their hooks (because a fish had nibbled theirs off, or it was in the grass, or the one that got away had a great snack), I had a lot to do...and it was hectic! :)

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

More beach fun...

The sand castle in progress...It wouldn't be an "Izzy" castle without PEACE! :)

Izzy is putting the finishing touches on it...complete with a peace sign and rock wall...it was excellent!

Izzy relaxed in the comfort of her castle and read one of the books from the Percy Jackson series! That was her book series for the summer of 2010!

It's what we did each day...at some point...never got boring...new rocks to discover, games to make up, waves to ride, castles to create, sand pictures to draw, books to devour, plums to savor, meanders to take...and Vitamin D to soak in!!!

This picture is of a rock shaped like a heart...we always look for them...I just happened to have my camera with me when we spotted this one!

We happened upon a girl one night who was very intently sculpting sand...she was only about 10, but she made some excellent pictures in the sand! This one is a happy octopus...pretty great, huh?

This one (made by the same girl) is an alligator!

Izzy drew all kinds of pictures in the sand...this is just one of the many!!!

This is a "drip castle" that looked WAY cool in person...

Those were some of the day-in, day-out beachy things we did...tomorrow, I will post a picture of the cutest sculpture that we came across! Look forward to it...SO cute!!

Tomorrow I'm back to work from my luxurious, lovely summer. So many quotes are running through my head..."all good things must come to an end," "it's better to have loved (summer) and lost, rather than to not have loved at all," "there's always next summer"...but the quote that is most appropriate for this situation is simple: "Whaaaaaaaaaaa."

JET SKI day!!!

Well, the Jet Ski day was the HIT of the vacation! We ALL loved it...we ALL felt the need for SPEED! :) This first picture is of the three of us returning the Jet ski...
Lori, Evan, and Conner are showing their happiness factor...Conner COULDN'T pose any other way...he was too elated! You can see the happy in Evan's smile too!

Here are the three of us! We had a blast...don't let Sophie's sad look fool you! There was a huge swing at the jet ski place and she had just fallen off of it...got all bruised up...seems her little hiney was slippery on the swing! :( We live and we learn...don't you just hate that?!

The funniest thing that happened while we were on the jet ski was when I took a turn kind of fast...Sophie threw her hands up when she was screaming and laughing and she flew off of the jet ski...I knew she was gone immediately...I was only hearing one giggle instead of two! SO fun! She loved it! Izzy worried about her the rest of the time..."HOLD on, Sophie!!!"

Best Feeling...

I used to think that the best feeling in the world was when a baby nuzzled my neck and fell asleep. I'm sure that is still pretty awesome, but this definitely runs a close second...that cool feeling when your feet hit the sand at the bottom of the steps to the beach...the sinking, cool, smoothe-crinkley yum that happens when I first dig my toes in is the BEST!! These are my toes...and my BFF's toes too...couldn't get the kids to stick around for the photo!!

Remember we are working backwards...

On our last full day at the beach, one of our activities was FISHING! :) Izzy wasn't too sure about it...she's smiling, but she had many worries about how humane this activity really is...

How about all of those fish we can see...she doesn't seem to even notice them!

Sophie is deep in thought...everyone was quiet...it was the best!

This is a picture of ONE of the fish that Sophie caught. Of course, as always...she was the first to catch a fish. She is so lucky...lady luck is always on her side...she wins at every game we play, raffles, whatever....even fishing. Happy day.

Vacation...working backwards...

Our last day...so sad...This is the girls on the front porch of our cute little house we rented...called Sweet Retreat! ...and what a sweet retreat we had!

Izzy and I were walking on the beach at sunset and we thought we needed a picture...Izzy LOVES the sunset and I do too...mamas and daughters, daughters and mamas...My two cuties...

The Ward Girls...loving the beach!!

So, this was the last day...I will work backwards in my posts to tell of our great adventures in Saugatuck, Michigan!! I tried to take pics whenever possible!

Shhh...don't tell, but I'm trying to find a way to live in Saugatuck all the time....any ideas??