Green summer

I know what the problem is around here!

It is summertime and my world is once again revolving around my kids.
No wonder I have nothing of substance to say to you!

Well, at the very least I can keep up with my picture taking!!

Remember long ago when a friend gifted us with 5 Sago Palms for our yard??
Well, they have been looking nothing but ragged and well...dead!
But no longer, there is hope with the evidence of green!

Ahhhh, lovely right??

Okay, now on to not lovely!

Green sludge!

But look closely, there is a little froggy friend in there.
He was itty bitty, and could have sat comfortably on a dime!


And also for you, some more not lovely!

But interesting!!

I am having a great summer with my kids.
It is keeping me busy and happy!

Happy and busy!

Ahhhh summertime!

Buckets o' fun

I walked around at the pool today with my big old long lens on my big black camera!

I tried to talk exaggeratedly loud to my children so that people would know I was not a creeper taking pictures of bathing suit clad individuals.
Ahhhh ha haha.
Luckily it is loud there and my children just answered me instead of asking why I was talking so loud!!!

This huge bucket is one of my favorite things at this particular pool.

Children of all ages rush over to sit beneath the tumultuous spray which deflects off of the roof it empties onto.
I truly don't care to do that, but some people just love it.


















This pool has a lazy river, all of which is superbly landscaped.
I decided not to risk floating the river with my camera, but did risk all the looks of the floaters as I took pictures of things that interested me along the route.

I tried to make it obvious that I was shooting at plants not people.


Creeper!!!
ha ha ha



There are rope and log enclosures designed to hold the river tubes when not in use.

Rope and logs is beautiful!! I know that is not correct grammar...okay!?!

We are in a strong, long, hot drought around here!
So, I took this lovely blue sky-ed picture and tried to make it look like impending doom...in the form of rain clouds over a giant umbrella.

Whatever, I just really dig how it looks!

Today, I got more laundry done, more cleaning done, and more summer funnin' done.
I hope you got to accomplish as much as I!

Water...

...lily, just beginning to unfurl.






Water....

...melon, first on the vine!!!

I guess I won't keep apologizing for being busy and tired.
I just am.

Hang in there with me through the wax and wane!

I am home!!!

I will admit that the only reason I touched my camera today was to move it off of the desk!

I have sorted through some 500 pictures today, loading them onto facebook for my church family!

That is all...goodbye.

Okay, maybe I will say a bit more.

We had what we lovingly refer to as "Family Camp" this weekend.
It is open to our whole "church family".
We studied from a book called Crazy Love, had fun, played and prayed.

That is all...goodbye.

This is my awesome tomato harvest from yesterday and today!


Looks like I need to be sharing again soon!!!

I will be out of pocket this weekend and may not be able to post for several days.
As in, not able!
Its not like I have been saying much anyway for you to be feeling like you are missing out on a whole lot!

So I may or may not be here tomorrow.
But I may.
But I may not.


But I may.

Either way, rest assured the camera will be out and ready and, I will catch up.

A snack

Uhhhhhh

First do this!



Then do this.


Again!


And again.



And again!


Repeat as needed!

Thanks very much to my friends Nutella and Snyder's for starring in my blog today!!

Pay Attention!

I have been spending a lot of time going through the pictures I took for the wedding last week.
So many of the images full total are just not worth anything...however upon closer inspection I find little details that start to whisper to me.

I look, and look again and begin to get a small nudge of possibility.
I crop and work some levels and then suddenly a whole breath of a story is revealed.

For instance...
These are two things that I saw all afternoon long.

The Bride, gathering up her long dress to keep it up high and safe from trampling feet.


The groom unbuttoning and buttoning his gorgeously fitted jacket as he removed it to take breathers from the heat, then put it back on for photo after photo.


Then I saw this piece of an image....

and knew (for me anyway) that it had to be part of that group!!!

Call me crazy...I guess I am.

Okay, then for today I went once more to my backyard and scrounged around in desperation for a few images for you.

My zucchini is somehow still alive even though a mysterious fungus has attacked it at the base.


I got a bit lower and snapped this shot. It appeals to me somehow.


This little fly landed, hopped, landed, hopped

landed, hopped...and I got him.


Hey...just look at this!!!


It has been here all this time, and never paid any notice to it.
That is just how it is some days!!

Pay attention, you just never know what you may see!!!

Later!!!

This kid

I am not sure how I have run out of time today to share with you but I have!

So real quick I wanna tell you about this kid.

His name is Dillon.

He is so good for my son, and has been since kindergarten when they first met.

I have him over to my home as often as I can because I know he loves my son!



He is polite and well mannered on top of that.
(and he willingly let me take his picture)



He brings out the best in my kid...uhhhhhh

...who you see strangely there in the background...running with the dog???!!!
Poor Shelbster!!!


Man, I love this kid!

I hope they stay friends for a long time yet to come!

Sunday afternoon

Hey Shelby....

It is Sunday afternoon!

You wanna play with your duck/chicken(?) squeaky toy...

or take a nap with me??



Huh Shelby? HUH??



Chicken/Duck(?) or nap???


Ohhhh good,

I vote nap too!!!

got camera in hand

went outside

continued to be uninspired

took photos anyway

sorry

at least I deleted all but these two






pictures taken

blog post done

some days are just gonna be like that

Done!

Oh friends, I am so tired.
Our Vacation Bible School is over and my duties are done!!

I simply had to take out my camera today and keep my promise of taking at least one picture a day. No really I had to!!

My buddy over at her 365 blog is running behind and I give her all kinds of grief about it.
I cannot be a hypocrite, now can I ??
I tried taking shots of Shelby, but she couldn't stay far enough away for my lens to be able to focus on her. ( I have been away from home a lot this week, and she misses me. She is laid out relaxing beneath my feet right now. Content to simply be in my presence! She loves me.)
So, instead....
Sorry, but this is what was straight ahead of me when I raised my camera to my face!

I did take the time to adjust the exposure 5 different times to play with how dark I could make the background without losing the integrity of the spindles.

I couldn't leave you with only that though...

Here is one from a shoot I did...hmmmm, well frankly right this moment I don't remember when it was.
HA!
But I like it and will share.


I hope, beginning tomorrow my life finds some semblance of a summer time vibe!!

Here's to sleeping in!!

Well at least sleeping until my alarm wakes me at 7:20, when I have to get up to get my middle child ready for his day.
Hey...I suppose that is sleeping in...
kindof!!!
smile

sigh

smile

I love my life!!!

Whoa!!!
I have so much to say which I will probably forget...but by then I will have more to say so maybe that will all be okay!

I took pictures today at VBS.
They are boring....well for you they would be.

SO.....I am opting for this on which I took last Thursday!!!




Ahhhhhh ha ha ha!
Do you sometimes feel like a donkey in a pasture of horses?

I really don't have anything meaningful to say about that!!!

Too much sun today maybe!
This busy girl will be here again tomorrow, I know...you are on pins and needles, right?

No worries, I won't let ya down.

Aaaawwwwww, our baby is growing up!!!






Eve was posing for me today! Isn't she a beauty!

Simple things

Today!




A few from the 1300 I took at the wedding!!!














I need to ask the bride permission to share shots of their faces...so that is all you get for now.

I gotta run.
My family is waiting for me to watch a t.v. show!!!

I GOT IT!!!


Whew!!!