Friday, January 30, 2009

Snow Fort



This is the snow fort Jacob made in the front yard yesterday. This morning, a small corner on the left side wall had some yellow snow. I guess the dogs claim it as their own now!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Quilt Top


We were home for another snow day today. I cleaned out the craft room the other day in hopes of making a quilt. Last night, I pulled out the fabrics I wanted to use and drew up a pattern. This morning, I cut all the fabric. Lauren and Madison helped me to lay it all out. Madison sewed a little, as did Jacob. I finished the top tonight. I am hoping to get it to the quilter soon. I can't wait to put the binding on it!!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Snow Day X2



We got to stay home again today. Yesterday was pretty dreary out as we had a wintery mix fall all day. It was just overcast and grey. Last night, we got about 4 inches of snow. The kids and I spent about an hour outside playing today. The first picture was taken about 5:45pm yesterday. The second picture was taken at 4:35pm today.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Begging


Sometimes I give the dogs a treat once I let them in the house. Today, I was holding a few treats in my hand and they were all begging for them. They were excited once I snapped the picture and gave them to them!

Monday, January 26, 2009

So Cool


I just set up my camera on my new gorilla pod Mike got me for Christmas. I was trying to capture the glittery looking snow as it falls. Instead, I got this really cool shot of the railing on my front porch! This is with no flash! :)

Cold Dogs


Friday night we got a little snow. We got up Saturday morning to about an inch of snow on everything. It was mostly gone by Sunday with just a little left on the ground today. We got out of school early today as the forecast calls for ice, sleet and snow all night tonight through tomorrow. School has already been called off for tomorrow! The above picture was taken Saturday morning. I'll be sure to post one tomorrow of how much snow/ice we get!!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Loss of Power



My goal was to post a photo every weekday this year. I missed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Last Saturday, my power cord for my laptop stopped working. Without juice, my laptop was powerless. I actually cried when I realized that I would have to go without my laptop while waiting for a new power cord to arrive. On Monday, I upload a picture here using Mike's laptop. I didn't get on the computer much the other days as it just wasn't the same without MY laptop! I felt so loss. I guess it can be viewed a shame that I rely so much on this machine. Our budget is stored on my laptop as well as alot of my photos. I backed up my photos to my external hard drive at the beginning of the month. The only ones I don't have backed up at this time are the ones I've taken in this month. I really need to save a copy of the budget on the external hard drive as well!!

Today's picture was taken on Wednesday. I do home visits for work, and I got permission last week to take pictures of this cabin on a clients property. The owner is a principle who lives in the cabin on the weekends. It is located on my clients property, across the pond from the 'main house' where my client lives. I was given a tour of the cabin last year and must say how charmed I was. I can't wait to take another picture in this spot in the spring/summer once the leaves are green again. Just looking at the pond and cabin, I feel a sense of peace and tranquility.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Pack Away your Pride and Dignity



The kids put in a talent show after dinner tonight. Lauren did a dance followed by a wrestling match with Jacob. As they were preparing to fight, Lauren said to Jacob to pack away anything he didn't want to get broken. Jacob's response was "Then you should pack away your Pride and Dignity". It was quite comical. Jacob did nail her twice!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Dessert


I am going to a pool party tonight. Indoors of course, as we have snow on the ground!! This is the summer dessert pizza I made to take with me. YUM!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Computer Geeks


Three years ago, right before Mike was deployed, our desktop computer died. Mike had just purchased a laptop to take with him. We bought another laptop, for me to use for schoolwork. Last week, we got the desktop fixed and gave it to the kids. Tonight after dinner the kids were all hanging out at their computer. Matthew was coaching Lauren on how to use the drawing pad. Jacob was sitting his doorway watching. I thought a it was a perfect photo op!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Turkey



I cooked a pretty big turkey for Thanksgiving which resulted in a good bit of leftovers. We ate on them for a few days and I was even able to freeze some of the turkey for later use. Tonight, I used the last of the left-over turkey to make soup. I just learned how to make soup about 2 months ago, when I was trying to figure out what to do with the left-over turkey a day after Thanksgiving. The kids have mixed reviews about it. Matthew loves it! Jacob only likes some of the ingredients and will pick out what he doesn't like. Lauren won't eat it or complains the entire meal if we do make her eat it.
The picture above is my bowl of soup tonight. I used turkey, celery, parsley, onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, cabbage and egg noodles. Below, is my bowl when I was done! The weather is supposed to dip into the negative digits tonight with the wind chill. I thought it was perfect weather for soup!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Really Cold


Two years ago, we had the worst ice storm I have ever witnessed. That doesn't say much, as I'm from Louisiana and we don't get snow or ice. January 2007 was beautiful and COLD! The temperature for the next few days is going to stay below the freezing mark. Tommorrow night, with the wind chill, it is expected that the temp will be -10*! BRRRRR! Thankfully, it will be dry. Today's picture was taken two years ago. I was standing on my front porch, looking at the left hand side of my yard. I hope we do get some ice and snow this year, and not just the sprinkles we have had here and there. I hope we have a really good, deep snow!!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Lauren

I don't know what is her deal lately, but Lauren has been quite a challenge. She argues over dinner every night. She makes a choice to do the opposite of what I suggest, even if what I suggest is what she really wanted. My friend suggested that maybe it's a growth spurt causing the moodiness. I'm not sure, but I hope it passes quickly. Here is a picture of her from Sep 2006. Moody.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Demon


We adopted a new dog from my Uncle. This is Demon. He is a pure bred Siberian Husky. We are still training him to recognize the boundries of our property and to not beg for food. He seems to be doing much better since he has gotten here. He has been with us for 2 weeks now. I think he is going to be a great addition to our pack! The other two dogs seems to like him and he fits in well.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

I've been Tagged

Ros tagged me! The rules are you go to your fourth picture folder and choose the fourth picture in that folder and post in with an explanation as to what it's about. Then you can tag someone else. Have fun! (IF you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!! Please post in the comments if you do post so I can visit your site!)

I had a little trouble with this as my pictures are in folders grouped by the year, then month then day uploaded or taken. So, I went to my 2009 folder and then to Jan, because it's the only folder in there. I picked the fourth pic in the folder and here is what you get:


This picture is Logan, Dyson and Matthew in the front of an Army bull dozer. When my sister was visiting last week, we took the boys to see all the big army equipment set up on post. They had a great time running around and checking out all the big green machines.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Hangin' Around


This is a picture of Mike from Warrior Tower last June. Warrior Tower is an obstacle course used to develop confidence in trainees. Mike was demonstrating one method of rapelling for the troops.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Back to School


Today's picture was taken on the first day of school, August 14. The kids are all lined up youngest to oldest; Madison, Lauren, Jacob and Matthew.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Old Ice

As I was going through some pictures from last February, I came across these two of one of the trees in our front yard coated in ice. Since I was asking for snow yesterday, I thought it appropriate to share these.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Where's the Snow


Here is our house and front yard on December 10. We got a little snow. The kids can't wait to get some real snow on the ground so they can built a snow man and attempt to slide on the ice! After two weeks off school and work, I'm looking forward to a snow day or two!

Saturday, January 03, 2009

My Jake

I drove for almost 12 hours today. Holli and the kids are back home, safe and sound. Jacob was my travel buddy. We met Devin 1/2 way, which brought us just south of Memphis. Jacob and I had a nice, quiet ride home. He spent the day with Mike yesterday and when asked if he enjoyed having each of us to himself for the day, he replied "we should do this more often".
I really enjoy when I get to spend one on one time with the kids. It helps us to reconnect and get to know each other a little better. I am proud of the people my children are becoming. I get sad when I think about them growing up and away from me. I want them to be independant and well adjusted adults. But at the same time, I struggle with the thought of them being adults!
When I though of having kids, I never really thought past the kid stages. I don't think anyone starts out wanting kids just so they can raise teenagers! I absolutely love watching children grow from a helpless infant, into a thinking, caring, loving being. But I have to admit that I am struggling with the thought of my kids being so independant. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a Mom. To think of their being a time, in the not so distant future, when my kids will not need me, breaks my heart a little. I can't imagine my life without the responsiblity of my children. For so long now, they have been a huge part of how I defind myself. I know in the long run, it will all work out. I guess I'm just afraid of what the future holds. There are so many evils in this world.
I'm sure my Mom had this same thoughts about us as we were growing up. I joined the Army and left home a week after my 18th birthday. I was the first and only of 5 to leave home. Thinking back, I can't imagine what she must have felt. I can't imagine just letting my kids go out into the world. For her to have just watched me pack a small duffle and walk away must have been so hard for her. But, I am so glad she was able to put her feelings aside and allow me to become who I am. I only hope I can find that strength in myself when it's time to let my kids grow.

Today's picture is Jacob. This picture was taken on Friday when we took the kids to see the tanks and other Army equipment on post. My nephews really enjoyed running around and checking it all out. Jacob doesn't let me take his picture often, so it's a realy treat to capture a genuine smile from him!

Friday, January 02, 2009

Going Home

My sister and her three kids have been here since last Saturday. The kids have done great. They have really enjoyed spending time with each other. They don't get to spend much time together, as we live so far apart. I've really enjoyed seeing my nephew Dyson, as he has the best expressions. He talks really well for an almost 2 year old!!


Today's picture is me and my sister, Holli.


If you click on any pictures on this blog, it opens them bigger.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

New Year

I don't like to make resolutions. I never seem to keep them. I think this year, I am going to try something. Starting today, I want to try to post a picture here at least every week day. I think it will help me to take better pictures because I will only want to post good pictures. It will also help me to see how far I've come with my pictures. I LOVE taking pictures and would like to improve. I'm hoping this will help!

So, here is my first picture post this year:

This is my nephew, Dyson. He has the cutest expressions!


Dyson is in the foreground here playing his brother's Nintendo DS. In the background, you can see Lynzi and Lauren playing thier game boys as well.