Saturday, September 27, 2008

More fun with my camera

I have been enjoying my new camera. I do wish I could spend more time to really learn about the different features, but all in due time, I suppose.


Today Eliza Grace, Will and I went to "Henry Paloozza," an event to help raise money for a couple who is adopting their second child from China. It was fun, full of bounce houses, face & hair painting and the kids got to see their first hot air balloon up close and personal.


It took hearing the blast from the flame machine (or whatever you call it) at least 10 times before Will would stop running to hide behind my legs.


And where was Scott while we were having fun eating free cotton candy and listening to great live music? Well, he was working on his latest cooking contraption: a home made smoker.
What you see here is a ceramic flower pot sitting on a single electric burner. Inside is a cast iron skillet on the bottom with hard wood chunks in it and then a grill grate, upon which the food sits. It is all topped with a ceramic flower pot base. Scott drilled a hole in his "lid" in which he inserted the thermometer.

Alton Brown of the Food Network has had quite the effect on Scottie and I for one am THRILLED! Tonight, if all goes well, we will have some very yummy chicken created in his flower pot device. Things look quite promising at the half way point!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

15 years and we are still saying "I Will"

15 years ago today, Scott and I said I will in front of God, family and friends.

So what does that mean?

It means I will be there to help you go to the bathroom when the stomach flu has kept you in bed for 3 days and you can hardly walk

It means I will not say one negative word when you gain another 30 pounds on top of the pregnancy weight

It means I will let the grumpy mood slide by without striking back (well, most of the time!)

It means we will sit up all night and stare in wonder at the newborn babies God gave us

It means we will argue but apologize and move on

It means we will laugh together so hard that we cry

It means we will drive each other crazy...but learn to get over it

It means we will treasure and enjoy the good times

It means we will encourage each other through the tough times

It means that we will acknowledge every day that God has blessed us beyond what we could ever deserve

It means we will trust each other

It means we will choose to love each other every day...despite the good, the bad, the what ifs and what nows.

Here's to the next 15 years... and more!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

And the wait is over!

SQUEE!

Ginormous kudos to Amazon.com! I got my camera today - less than 48 hours from the time I ordered it...with FREE shipping!

So the deal with this camera is that it is at the very bottom of the SLR camera family. Great for novices like me who want to take really great pictures right out of the box and then have the ability to learn to use the features as I desire. And it did not cost me a mortgage payment :)

I.love. it.

Not really sure how much better I could do above and beyond what I have done in the past couple of hours with the basic auto features though...take a look!

First, the standard flora and fauna up close shots...these are un-retouched...and from my yard :)


little red rose


little pink flower

I love the detail of the "hair" on this plant


Minnie Mouse (our fish) thru the glass tank

And then some family shots (the plant life was way more cooperative!):


kids and hubby

the kiddies

Will says, "Help! Attack of the kissing sissy!"

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Waiting is so hard to do...

I just ordered (well, really Scott just ordered) my new CAMERA!! I have been wanting a really good quality SLR camera and decided upon the Nikon D40 SLR.

I cannot wait until it arrives. I hope to start posting some really great pictures in the near future!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Vacation? Define vacation.

Well, I guess it was vacation in the sense that neither Scott nor I had to be at work. And Kiawah Island, SC was most definitely its typically beautiful self.

But really, how much rest and relaxation can anyone expect to get when your two and six year old kids take advantage of the only allowable time they can spend an entire night's sleep in the same bed with mom and dad?
And night frights? Will has got 'em. Twice during the week he "woke up" around 3am screaming "no mommy, go away mommy!" at the top of his lungs, kicking and hitting me. What a way to wake up.

Really makes you feel like a good parent to hear that coming from your child in the middle of the night. Both times it took him about 10 full minutes to calm down, go potty and fall back into a real sleep.

The other nights he would simply wake up at 5am demanding food. So he and I would pad out to the kitchen, grab a breakfast bar and some juice and 20 minutes later he would be ready to go back to bed for a bit longer - thank goodness! Of course he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed no later than 6:30am most days.
Thankfully, Eliza Grace was so worn out that she was out like a light each night with not a word - hallelujah! She attended 2 mornings of Kamp Kiawah and, even though there were only a couple of kids and she was the oldest, she still had a lot of fun.
We got in a few nice bike rides and some delicious afternoon naps. The ocean was really nice and we spent a lot of time floating on the waves and playing on the beach building dribble castles. Both Eliza Grace and Will have no real fear when in the ocean, which I am both happy and nervous about.

One highlight was fishing at one of the lakes on the island. At first I was just concerned about Will falling off the small pier because of the threat of drowning...until the alligator showed up! It swam right up to and under the low pier that we were fishing from and swam around a bit. I, quite understandably, did not let go of Will's shirt after that and managed to talk him into going back to the car with me for a snack...lest he become one!
We also survived our annual South of the Border stop that Eliza Grace so desperately loves. Dang, that place is nasty. I cannot for the life of me figure out how that place stays open for business. Oh, well...the kids enjoyed it.

It was a nice get away but both Scott and I commented more than once that we are too old to still have kids this young. We eagerly await vacation a few years from now where we will sit with a cold drink and a good book under an umbrella whilst the kiddies entertain themselves!
Will enjoying a rest by the pool
This fella was munching on someone's lawn as we peddled by on our bikes

One of the many egrets wandering the island. Mom, is that a "snowy" egret? :)

No comments needed for these!