Kennedy Klan News & Honeybee Heaven

Lousy Blogger

2012-02-02T10:58:00.002-07:00

I admit it, I am a lousy blogger. I can't seem to sit down and think of a thing to say or write about. I haven't been able to use my camera due to my arm injury - and I can't seem to write or talk without a picture. The one thing I am good at is looking at and reading other people's blogs. I will get sarted on one and before you know it I have scanned through all the blogs they follow and grab one of those blogs and on and on I go. Some blogs just really jump out and catch my eye just from their names; others catch my eye from a photo or one of the little snippets that gives you just enough info to make you want more. And when there is a holiday coming up, I just can't get enough of other people's blogs, looking at their photos, reading their posts and learning about their traditions. With Valentine's Day coming up and it being one of my most favorite times of the year, I have been in 7th heaven reading and looking at blogs. One that caught my eye today, and I shouldn't say one, as I found at least a dozen. However this blogger loves many of the things I love. The color red; decorating for each season; fall being the favorite season and her love of pumpkins. Sunnysimplelife - that is what first caught my attention. The older I get the more simplified I like my life to be so just the title made me want to read more, and then to add to the works, she (Elaine), had a post about Valentine's Day. This is Elaine's photo....doesn't this look yummy, and cottagey and oh so Valentinish. There. a bunch of words you won't find in the dictionary, but they really sum up this post.

Click HERE to read more of Elaine's post.

The other thing I noticed while blogging is almost all of the bloggers I like are following or linking up to Between Naps on the Porch; Robin's Nest; Funky Junk just to name a few - believe me there are many, many more. All of these wonderful bloggers and the beautiful homes, craftiness, photography, writers.......are just inspiring. I am so jealous that I don't have many of those talents....I am what you call a Wannabe - I want to be crafty, I want to be a writer. I want to be a lot of things - but I am not, so I enjoy the gifts of others. Thanks to all the wonderful people out there in blogger land, wish I could meet you. Just from reading your blogs I can tell you are all wonderful people, kind, talented, inspiring - just too many words to capture the spirit of bloggers - so I enjoy knowing your through reading your blogs and again - Thank You Bloggers!

Random Thoughts!

2012-01-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

   As usual my head is a blur of a qazillion thoughts, time travels along so fast and I just can't seem to find time to sit down and make a decent post, thought I would jot down a few of those things. I got a chuckle this morning from The Today show when they said that February looks to be a record breaker for warmer days, they called it Juneary, then decided it would be more Aprilary or even better Tshirtary. I can handle that, I love the warmer days - around the upper 60's. Makes my gardening fingers get happy- ready to dig in the dirt. Of course I won't do that yet but I have all of my seed catalogs sitting on the kitchen table with a ton of marks in them. Of things I want to order to put in my garden and well, things that Emma and Jaxon want me to order and then just scribbles from Cash playing with a pen.
   First I have to get through shoulder surgery, come to find out that I tore the rotator cuff all the way through and also messed up my collar bone. I am pretty upset that I tried to get the PA at the clinic to believe me that it was hurt worse than it was. I could have had the surgery a week or two after my accident (fell on the ice Dec. 3), and I would be well on my way to being healed.
   What do you do when a Dr. or in my case a Physician's Assistant won't listen to you - when he comes in with a cocky little attitude and gives you I don't really care because it is a Workman's Comp claim and I am so much smarter than you and know it all attitude? Well he had me beaten down mainly because I was in so much pain, wasn't sleeping and falling in a fog of depression. Luckily knowing my body, knowing that there was more wrong then just a bruise from falling that I got help. Had to demand a referral to a specialist. It took just two min. with him to diagnose a rotator cuff injury. An MRI confirmed it and on Feb. 10 I will be having surgery to correct it. It is my right arm and I am right handed so it can't happen fast enough. Waiting now to hear how long of recovery time before I can be back to work, we are gearing up for our busy time here at the Park.
   Had Brandi's little ones over the weekend. Can't believe how fast Jaxon has grown in maturity and size since he started Kindergarten. He is such a smart little guy and wanted me to search for this Lego dinosaur toy on the computer and when he found he could research all dinosaurs he became a computer junky. YouTube had a ton of dinosaur info - he was in seventh heaven. Between dinosaurs and Power Rangers and playing with Papa at the station he was a happy little camper. Cash Keane - is a force in his own right. What a funny little guy, he entertained me all week with his capers. We were laying in bed, he snuggled up with his blanket and a Nerf football, me snuggled up to him. Both of us supposedly going to sleep but in this quiet little voice I heard him say go gamma, go! Then smack the football hit me in the head. I guess I was suppose to go long for the pass!
   Work is getting busy, we are getting a ton of applications for summer employment. Can't believe it is time to start that already. I still have Boy Scout Tree Plant and National Fire School to get through before opening season. I need to be "back in the saddle" to do interviews the end of Feb. or early March.
   With a sad heart we are now looking for a good home for our old horse Evil. he was just perfect for Adrianne to learn to ride, but she has out grown him. With the price of hay and grain it is time to give him to some other little 'want to learn to ride' child. He is a gentle giant but still has to have someone not afraid to use a firm hand with him - to make him GO, not for any other reason. Hard to catch is the only thing wrong with this old guy, once a kid is on him or under him or behind him, he is just a kind, lazy old gentleman.
   We morn the loss of one of Crawford's eldest and kindest women. Donaldine Avey, the lady we bought our garden from, passed away at the young age of 96. She was best known for her gardening skills, where at one time she and her husband planted about 3 acres of garden and shared all of the goods they produced with friends, family and anyone who wanted them.
   Looking forward to a night with my YaYa's. We are planning a progressive supper for two of the YaYa's birthdays. I am first on the list with appetizers and drinks. I kidded with them saying we would have fat free, high fiber drinks and appetizers; fat free and high fiber salad; fat free and high fiber main course and fat free, high fiber dessert. Seems like all of us have at least one health issue that requires that - guess we are moving into a different 'age' category..............Just kidding. We are all pretty healthy except for a few messed ups shoulders, bad gall bladders and a few other aches and pains.
   Guess I have blabbed enough for today - maybe with the warmer weather, a healthy shoulder I will get some crafting, gardening, photo taking things done and actually have something to blog about.
   Saw this photo somehwere - don't know where but this is where I dream of being on these cold wintery days.

Helping Hands

2012-01-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

There comes a time when someone just needs a helping hand - maybe it is to make cookies, to lift a sofa, or sweep your sidewarlk. That is how it has been for me for the past almost two months. And gosh am I getting tired of it. I am not one that likes to depend on someone else to do something for me, so I kind of started getting crabby. Luckily there may a light at the end of my tunnel. I am scheduled for a long over due MRI on my shoulder that I hurt back in December. Acutally the 3rd. of December.

That is just one of the reasons I haven't been keeping up with my blog. One handed pecking on a keyboard tires my mind even more than my hand.

So here are a couple little fellows that have lent a hand - just can't get better than help than that.

And maybe, just maybe after next week I will answers to my bad shoulder and a fix is on the way. Then I can blog, blog, blog.

HONORED!

2012-01-07T19:15:00.002-07:00

I was perusing some of my favorite blogs and I saw that Robin over at Robin's Nest has one of projects featured on the side of her blog. What a honor that is to see one of my little crafts on such a wonderful blog. If you get a chance and want to enjoy a wonderful blog by a wonderful lady just click on the name above and be ready for a treat. And be sure to check out her other crafts and the GREAT Valentine wreath.......I am so excited about it I am off to make one. Thanks Robin!!
P.S. You can follow her on Pinterest too!!

Gardening in the middle of winter!

2012-01-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

Gardening is not my newest passion, I have loved it forever - but here in the Panhandle of NE one does not get much of a chance to garden during the middle of January. However - fairy gardening is definitely my newest gardening passion. What is fairy gardening you ask? Well it is a miniature garden sized for tiny fairies to visit and relax.

On a recent trip to Elizabeth, CO to see my bestest of friends we stopped by one of the largest garden centers I have ever seen. Tagawas (click on the name to take you to their site) is in Centennial, Colorado and one of their claims to fame is they are the official Garden Center of the Denver Broncos. I fell in love with this place and their miniature gardens or fairy gardens.

The possibilities of these tiny little gardens are limitless and my mind keeps thinking of other little gardens to re-create. Of course I thought I had better try just one little tiny one before heading into the garden of little people and make believe.

Some $50 dollars later I had enough plants (and then some) to start my very own little garden. Tagawas has everything that you need to start one and they even give lessons - also they have a video on their web site.

Can you see the little dragon fly on the little garden trellis? How about the tiny little Mr. Toad sitting just above the little pine cone at the bottom of the photo? And the little birdbath - it even holds water. And of course to round it out is my very own little fairy. Her name is Bella!

I needed to get the plants started as I brought them home way before Christmas and they have been sitting on my kitchen counter needing to be planted. Most of the plants are very common, and eventually they will outgrow this container but I will just start some slips and make another garden.

A little different angle - can you see Mr. Toad? He is kind of out of focus - but he keeps an eye on the garden.

These little gardens are fairly simple. Finding a box that looked a little fairishy (I know not a word - but you get an idea of what I mean) that would fit in the small confines of my home was a wee bit of a challenge - or really the box wasn't but finding something to put down in the box to keep the water from running all over took some thought. At Tagawas they have boxes built to house a clear container but I didn't buy that. Then some good dirt, a few rocks to put in the bottom and to decorate with, a few twigs and natural stuff from the great outdoors and I was ready to put it together. I would like it a little bigger and when the plants grow I know I will need to get a larger container, but for now it works. It is a work in progress, I will be changing things around, adding things but for now it is a fun little garden that my grand kids and well, myself can enjoy during the cold winter months.

Next up............a cute little Thomas the Train track and all garden for the grandsons in my life.

So Much - So Long Ago

2012-01-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

   Hello friends - it has been a long time since I have submitted a post. It all started with some very busy days getting ready for our big Historical Christmas Dinner at Fort Robinson. I made it through November, moving longhorns, sorting buffalo, waiting on deer hunters, decking out the buildings at the Fort, and making tons of preparations for the Dinner.
   The day was Dec. 3 and I was helping the cook peel potatoes - when finished I left the lodge to head home, clean up and make it to my granddaughters baptism. ONLY, I fell on black ice, my hands as usual- shoved into the front pocket of my sweatshirt - I hit the pavement with my elbow catching all of my weight. I never fall, am always very sure footed and actually thought I was going to make it just a skating party, but not fall, and yet, I did - FALL that is. Long story short I ended up in the ER with torn muscles in my right arm - the arm I need for everything including typing and writing. As you can imagine that interfered in almost EVERYTHING I needed to do. Decorating, cooking, cleaning, wrapping gifts - it put the kabosh to a whole lot of things. NOT that dinner though - I had 200 plus people coming to eat, to see the decorations and enjoy the entertainment - I was not about to miss out on this event. I made it with the help of a good friend and my wonderful daughter who had to help fix my hair (blow drying is tough with one arm) she even, bless her heart, helped me get my tights on. So I made it to the dinner, tried to be the best hostess that I could be with a bum arm and pain stabbing through my arm, jaw, neck, and hip andI left the moment it was over and headed home.
    That pretty much put a kink in my Christmas spirit. I am always so excited for the holidays, decorating, cooking, shopping - I love it all, and I did what I could do with the help of my family and friends but it just wasn't the same. I stayed busy, went to Colorado to visit my very good friend, went to Sheridan to help my youngest and their family celebrate Christmas but the fall, the pain...it kind of took a bite into my holidays.
So now.... I must limit my typing and writing but I am looking forward to a New Year and getting my arm back into action. I wish you all a Happy New Year. Will be back into blogging soon.

To deck or not to deck the halls!

2011-12-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

Since September my mind has pretty much been on Christmas, well maybe not Christmas but our Historical Christmas Dinner that we put on at Fort Robinson. For the past six years I have been 'in charge' of the dinner. Now that doesn't mean I do all the work, far from it, but I do a lot of the planning. The table setting, colors, theme, the decorations, finding the history, the entertainment and making each dinner the 'best ever'. (And it doesn't help knowing that we have State Officals, State Commissioners and Midwest Living Magazine coming to the dinner!) So having had my mind set on making this dinner special and decorating it to make it wonderful I have had little time to think about my own home.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love, love, love Christmas and love to decorate and to talk everyone else into decorating, but for the past six years it seems my home gets put 'on the burner' so to speak. I usually muster up some Christmas spirit when I start looking at blogs, walking through the neighborhood and seeing what the neighbors have done, but this year, well this year, I don't know if I can or want to 'Deck My Halls'.

Today I was at work at 6:30 a.m. and finished tonight at 4 p.m. making grapevine wreaths from all natural elements found at the Fort, along with cleaning, walking what seemed like a hundred times from the Barracks to the Lodge and making several trips to town to shop my craft room for supplies. So when I came home thinking/wishing that I had the time and energy to do something with my own home I just couldn't decide if I wanted to 'Deck the Halls' or not this year.

Well after playing on pinterest I did muster up a little bit of the ole Christmas spirit. I was so impressed with a centerpiece I saw on a blog that I wanted to try my hand at it. ONLY I couldn't find that blog so to pinterest I went. And sure enough I found it, and the blog that I saw this wonderful centerpiece. Sweet Something Designs is the name of the blog and it is one of my most favorite of blogs to read - stalk - obsess over, whatever you want to call it. Anyway click on the name and it will take you to this wonderful blog and to the beautiful setting that this young lady made. You can also follow her on pinterest - click HERE to see some of her other loves.

OK here is just a beginning of what I started. Lousy photo I know, way, way to tired tonight to play with the camera and lighting. I had three vases left over from Damion's wedding and I already had faux red berries and greenery, white candles were purchased at Wally World yesterday. I didn't have the wooden stumps however and it was way to late at night to make Jeff go cut up some logs, so right now my candles are all the same height. THAT will be different tomorrow. I also love the plaid blanket that Sweet Something used........"what could I use?" I said to myself, and with some thought - sure enough tucked in the back of my closet were not one but two plaid scarves that I bought on sale for a buck one year and stored in the closet for years. Fit just perfectly into my bay window. So using what I had the whole thing cost three candles of $2.88 each. I do hope to get some time to snap a few 'good' or anyway better shots of my window. It isn't the beauty that Sweet Something cooked up but it will do. - NOTE: I did try to raise the middle vase sitting on a clay pot saucer - didn't work but forgot to take it out when took the pix.

Oh and here is one of the 13 wreaths I cooked up today. The year we are celebrating is 1946 and I have a pine bough, pointsetta, burlap, plaid theme going on. Always a challenge to use all natural greenery and filling and to make it look it 1946ish, or whatever year we are celebrating. I also loved the printing on burlap I found on one my visits to the blog world. I can't give credit though as once again I can't remember the blog I found it on, but whom ever came up with this idea - Thank You!

So with that said - off to watch the last of the CMA Christmas show - I love Christmas but 'decking my halls' just might have to wait until Sunday...or Monday...or...........??????

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Lu

2011-11-27T21:10:00.001-07:00

Nothing to say - NOT!

2011-11-20T20:21:00.001-07:00

A friend asked me the other day why I haven't been blogging. My reply "I just didn't have anything to say". Now when did that ever happen to me I wonder. Thought maybe I should at least put up some kind of a post, and all of sudden I realized I had a LOT to say. There, that's the old me.

So here I go.

Got my computer fixed. YIPPEE!! Sad news, when it crashed I lost all my photos, probably should have taken it in the first time I started having trouble and they probably could have saved some of them - DANG. Good news is that it has lots more memory and an upgrade so now I can play with my photos again. And I bought this little 99 cent app and look what I can do with it.

Isn't that just fun. It takes just a matter of minutes and I could make Cash's eyes blue and highlight that Nebraska hat. Here is another photo.

I just got a tickle out of doing that. Impressed? Just 99 cents........I am. There are several very inexpensive apps for the Mac that can do great things.

While picking up my Mac I ended up bringing home a new couch. We really, really needed one - last time I bought a couch we sat on lawn chairs for almost a year as I gave my old set to my son and his family and then couldn't make up my mind on what I wanted. This time I just took what I saw when I saw something I liked. It's leather, has recliners because that is what Jeff wants and is oatmeal in color, soooooo it matches everything and anything.

Work was very busy with the deer season opening up. On Friday, the day before I worked from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., not a big deal I put in lots of hours all summer but this time I was on my feet from the time I got to the Fort in the morning until 6 p.m. when we had to sign deer hunters up in the draw units. Tucker me out, well my feet anyway.

Also have been working hard on the Historical Dinner. My exciting news - Midwest Living Magazine will be there to do a feature story on it. Sad part - won't come out until 2012. So I really want to do a good job. Have a pointsetta/burlap theme going on.

Here is a photo of Austin's first buck. He almost made grand champion at deer camp 2011 but his dad ended up with a really nice deer, bigger and older than Austin's. But for an 11 year old this is a pretty nice 'starter' buck.

This is probably the neatest thing - a hand stitched quilt well let's see about 8 of them. The friend's place that all my guys going hunting at - we call it "Deer Camp" made each one of the fellows a quilt. I think that has to be the coolest 'warm' gift EVER! Babe, the lady who made these, started working on them last year - not sure how she got them all done but she did. Here they are.

Can you imagine, quilting eight quilts in less than a year and again I add they are hand quilted!! I am a wee bit envious, of the quilts and the ability to quilt like that.

Now with Thanksgiving in the air I am excited to say that all of my children and grandchildren will be home for the holiday. I can't wait to spend time with them and all of their families. Blessed - YES I am!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-31T09:46:00.001-06:00

Check out my little Fiddle Player! I am so proud of Emma for taking up the violin and I hope she keeps it up. Emma went to a small concert out here at the Fort this summer. The band is new but I think will make it big some day. "Dyer Highway" a group of three siblings played for us on the parade ground. I understand why Emma became enthralled. The young fiddle playing lady (age 14) stood on the stage, a soft silky shirt that floated gently in the wind as she dipped and swayed to her music. It was like a feather gently teasing your senses. I guess it teased Emma so much that she went home and asked her mom if she could get lessons and sure enough her mama encouraged her to start.
This violin is just a little larger than her papa's hand and is not the smalled violin that is used for lessons. But it is about the cutest little instrument I have ever seen.
P.S. Please forgive the wild hairdo, she had been playing at full speed outside for hours with her cousins and I caught her just long enough to show me what she has learned.

Reasons to love fall!

2011-10-27T18:17:00.005-06:00

WHY...why...why

2011-10-26T10:25:00.003-06:00

Why do I have so many problems with blogger? Can anybody out there give me a hint? See my last post? Why do I have all that white area after I finished posting? Why after I download a photo I can not enlarge it unless I click and drag? Why when downloading a photo it always puts it at the top of the page even if my cursor is at the bottom of what I am writing and WHY can't I comment on many of the blogs.........it says to comment I need to check my profile and I check google and then I get this:
Your current account (debkennedy74@yahoo.com) does not have access to view this page. Click here to log out and change accounts.
I am so ready to quit blogging because of all of these frustrations. Anyone else have any of these problems?

Herman Hermits

2011-10-24T12:13:00.013-06:00

I would really be amiss if I didn't blog about my chance to see my 'first love' in person. I could only have been all of 10 years old when I fell in love with Peter Noone, yes Herman of Herman and The Hermits. They were all the rage in the 60's and I was just another one of the groupies that loved to listen to "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" or "I'm Henry The Eighth I Am". My cousin lived with me at the time and although they weren't her favorite group she actually bought me one of their 78 records. She didn't seem to mind me listening over and over and over again to their music, so I think she liked them better than she admitted. It could have been that English accent that got me along with his wavy blonde hair. I'm thinking Justin Bieber may have stolen that hair do.

Here is a picture of him now. He joked about looking like Nick Nolte, but really he does, he looks an awful like him. Below is the photo of Peter from the 60's - and if memory serves me right it was the photo on either the cover or back cover of my record. Sorry but it was a really long time ago and although I THINK I have the album somewhere I don't really know where. It is too bad because if I had taken it with me and had him sign it they said it would be worth about $300.00.

Herman and The Hermits and Davey Jones of The Monkeys were to perform in Deadwood, South Dakota this past Friday and my wonderful daughter bought me two tickets to attend their concert. One for myself and one for a friend, she even talked the friend into going. I didn't think anyone but myself would really want to attend and my friend really didn't remember the group - but she went. Now this friend is only one year younger than me, but for some reason, she just didn't remember Herman. Once they started playing she sang word for word along with the crowd and myself, so I know she knew their music just didn't really remember the group.

We made friends with the people in front of us, and well, to the side of us AND the back of us. We had a great time singing along with music and gabbing with the folks. I don't think there was more than a handful of people under the age of 50 except for those poor little children, whose parents drug them to it so we fit right in.

Now..................I just had to see him up close and get his signature so I bought one of his CD's and we waited in line to get him to sign it. And he did, I handed it to him, he signed it said "Thanks Miss" and THEN put his hand out to my friend and shook it and visited with her.......the unjustice of it all, she didn't even remember him! DANG, DANG, DANG. I thought she shouldn't wash her hand for the rest of her life - she thought I was an idiot!! It's ok - I got to see him, and it was all great. Had someone told me when I was a youngun' that I would have seen him in person I probably wouldn't have lived to see the day, I would have died from heart failure on the spot. Isn't life grand??

Happy 6th Birthday Jaxon.

2011-10-19T19:39:00.008-06:00

Happy 6th Birthday Jaxon - Looks like you took a 'bite' out of turning six years old.

My newest Junk find!

2011-10-14T09:32:00.005-06:00

Look what I found for a little bit of nothing!

I haven't brought it home yet but can't you imagine how much it will love sitting in my garden full of pumpkins or pineboughs for winter?

CAN'T WAIT TO GET HER HOME!

Linking to Beyond the Picket Fence

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-13T20:29:00.001-06:00

I love that time of day, just as the sun is setting.

And I love playing in the pumpkin patch with my little pumpkins.

My little pumpkin - Cash!

My Little Lucas Pumpkin!

AGH! Just a pumpkin in the patch...I love the orange and green.

My Mr. Jaxon Pumpkin who is turning 6 tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Jaxon!

Linking to Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday!

Happy 5th Birthday Emma Jean!

2011-10-04T18:51:00.000-06:00

Where I live, love, work!

2011-10-04T09:21:00.001-06:00

Linking to Savy Seasons

My Paint Pony

2011-09-29T13:28:00.000-06:00

Raised on a farm 18 miles from town I had few friends, well actually no friends that lived nearby. That left me with animals as companions and I love animals. I especially love horses. My dad raised and raced Thoroughbreds as a hobby and he instilled the love of horses in me. I married, started a family, and there just wasn't much time to spend with horses, not to mention very little money and having horses takes money. Then my dad passed away and we had to sell off all of his horses, from that point on I never got back on a horse. A back injury left me unable to ride even if I would have had the opportunity. Several years ago, when I was promoted to Superintendent for Game and Parks, my boss pretty much insisted I get back in the saddle..........so I did. Although rough on my back it only took one time sitting in the saddle and all my childhood memories of riding the pasture with my dad came back and I was hooked.

I went on several trail rides with groups that visit our park, riding a borrowed horse from my boss. Then a couple years ago my husband bought me a horse. A big ole sorrel mare who I fell in love with immediately. I said that "Nugget" would walk off a cliff for me if I asked her to. Nugget is about 17 hands tall, a big ole girl, and watching me get on her is - well a source of amusement for my co-workers. As much as I love Nugget I always wanted a paint pony, especially one that my grannies could ride. Last spring I GOT ONE! My husband bought me a 5-year old mare. Sugar was just green broke. Meaning you could get on her but she really didn't know what else to do, she wasn't a bucker thank goodness, but she also didn't know how to rein, stop, or go for that matter. My son started riding her and by the time summer rolled around the kids were able to get on and ride her. Then to give her more training I rode her for 3 days on a trail ride. Some grassland riding, some hills and butte riding and she was really getting the hang of it.

One one ride we crossed a small creek 17 times, we jumped it 11 times before we got the monkey to settle down and walk through it. The amazing thing was, I stayed on when she jumped. So here are a couple pictures of Sugar. She is kind of a flashy little thing, definitely a loving animal and is still a work in progress. But then so am I so I guess we make a good pair.

IT"S FALL!! BEST WISHES TO ALL!

2011-09-23T10:16:00.003-06:00

Can anyone tell me why sometimes when I download a picture I am able to select it and make the photo smaller, larger, full size and other times, like today when I can only select and drag to change the photo? I get so frustrated with this that I don't enjoy blogging at all. Please help!!

2011-09-22T09:49:00.003-06:00

Photo taken from House TalkN
I don't always have something to blog about but so many others do and I just love looking at new blogs, well and old ones too. I add them to my favorites and when I have time I take a look at what is new with them. I found two today that I just fell in love with, mostly because they are so upbeat and full of fun and wonderful things that I love. Just click here to visit House TalkN and here to visit Life and Linda. Both sound like amazing women, full of life and not afraid of new adventures.

Late Summer Garden Walk

2011-09-16T21:51:00.003-06:00

I love the late summer - early fall garden. The colors are so vivid. The one thing I don't like about the fall garden is the clean up -- YUCK! But for now I will just enjoy looking at the garden, there will be plenty of time to clean up the beds.

My little tower adds some height and gives a little support for the leggy plants.

I am amazed that my sweet potato vine made it through some very hot summer days - I kept forgetting to water it.

The asters and mums are just getting ready to bloom. The humming bird feeder saw just a few of these little feathered friends - or I missed seeing them because I was working from dawn to dusk.

My flower beds and gardens have lots of 'old flower art' in them and I love to play around with the camera and software.

I have a love hate relationship with the morning glories. They grow where I don't want them and won't grow where I do want them. They become a tangled mess on most everything and are hard to weed out, but there are always so cheery and beautiful. I think they are related to bind weed and I wonder why people buy seed packets of them in the store when they grow so abundantly. However they sure are good climbers and fillers.

I wonder how soon the first frost will be, our calendar says that my neck of the woods in NE the first hard frost is usually around Sept. 21 - guess we will see.

My fall favorites

2011-09-13T10:12:00.001-06:00

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE FALL! I love the colors, the smells, the food, football, the late gardens....I just love it all. Good things have happened for me in the fall. My oldest son was born in Sept., my daughter got married in Oct., three of my seven grandchildren were born in fall. Life just seems to come together in the fall. My good friend hated fall, she would tell me it was like death to her, as the years have come and gone she now says she sees the beauty and life of fall through my eyes. Fall still isn't her favorite time of year. I can only influence so many I guess. Here are a few things I really, really love about fall. Please note that none of these first photos are mine, some are from Martha Stewart, some I pulled off the net that didn't show any authors, so sorry to those of you with the great photos.

Several years ago one of my good leaf peeping friends decided to go East to see the fall foliage. We flew out of Denver, Colorado with a few stops in between we made it to Burlington, Vermont. Coming from an area with few trees which are mostly pine trees I was in awe from the moment I saw the tips of the trees as we started to descend in the plane until we left to come home. It was so much fun, we rented a little bed and breakfast, a car and toured Vermont, New York, New Hampshire and Maine. We walked the paths through the most beautiful fall laden countryside. Took in some fall events, picked apples, took photos and collected leaves. We had some many news pressed in books that we had to buy more luggage to get it home. One of the funniest things I think I ever saw was my, small of structure friend, carrying a two foot felt stuffed ghost that we had bought at a craft fair, through the halls of one of the largest airports in the US. It wouldn't fit in the old or new luggage so she had to carry it on her lap. Needless to say we were stopped at all three airports on our way home and 'inspected'. This was the year following 911 so everyone was on their guard and I suppose we looked a little suspicious with our overload of leaves and memorabilia - made for a good laugh when we talk about our travels.

I not only love the fall colors but I love the fall garden and MUMS. I think they say 'fall' in the most beautiful way. I actually brought home a fall plant from Vermont. - I know I probably wasn't suppose to but no one said anything about it at the airports so home it came.

I have several varieties growing in my garden and every year I add more. I know they say toss them in the compost pile when you are done as they won't do anything the following year - but not so. Mine always come back and if I remember to clip their tips about the 4th of July, I get an awesome display of mums in my garden.

However the one thing I am really crazy about is pumpkins. I love to grow them, eat them, carve them, decorate with them and when I am done we take them to the fields and let the deer eat them. This little beauty taken from Martha Stewart is so pretty I am going to give it a try.

I love to photography the area around my little home town. This little area is so darn pretty but only in years with some moisture do I get to take a photo of it as the little dam is usually dry.

I love to carve those pumpkins and put them on display. Every year we have a BIG pumpkin cutting party and cut up tons of pumpkins. I invite the local elementary school to bring the younger grades over to the garden to pick pumpkins so they carve them at school.

I love to play in my pumpkin patch - even the neighbor's kitten loves to play in my pumpkin patch.

Oh FALL you are such a welcome time in my life. I hope you enjoyed a little walk through my fall thoughts!

Little Miss Emma's hobbies

2011-09-11T21:24:00.000-06:00

Little Miss Emma has decided she likes to scrapbook - so on a recent visit she and I started her very own little scrapbook. She gets to pick the photos, the placement and the accessories. Each time she comes we are going to do a couple of pages. Her little mind churns constantly and she saw some photos I took of a friend of mine for senior photos and then she wanted her own photo shoot. These are all of her ideas - I just pushed the shutter button.

She wanted to have sunflowers but settled for these instead.

We did find one sunflower in my messy garden - it was her favorite.

This was her inspiration.

And then she had to push the shutter button - oh and I had to have a flower in my hair too.

I think Emma is going to have many talents.

The first of September and APHA ride

2011-09-08T05:29:00.000-06:00

September is such a wonderful month. First of all we close all activities at the Fort. After putting in I don't know how many hours at work the past three or four weeks; dealing with difficult people, loss of employees and 12 to 16 hour days I am always ready for the end of the season. Then wonderfully here comes Sept. and horse rides and less hours and life is as it should be. This year I have made the ride day 1 and 2 and today is the third day. Now sitting on a horse for 6 or 7 hours a day might not be everyone's perfect day but for me it is. I rode my ole' horse Nugget the first day and my new Paint for the rest of the days.

Sugar made some new friends on the ride - for a green broke horse and never having much of an experience she did really good.

Leaving the watering hole.

See the red flags on the horses tails? That means - don't get to close, they may kick. We didn't, see Sugar's ears at the bottom of the photo? We were careful.

Some times it was straight down, but Sugar never failed, she traveled along nicely, but the gal in front of us bailed three times because she thought she was going over the edge.

We stretched out for over a mile when we had to ride single file.
Looks like a bunch of ants on top of the hill.

The 'ole watering hole'!

When I stopped with Nugget she would barely get her feet wet, probably the first time in her 20 years that she had to walk into a lake to get a drink but when Sugar got to the lake she dove right in, deeper and deeper, like she needed to get in the lake further to get more water and the poor hot little thing didn't want to get out.

Well it's 4 in the morning and time to go get the horses up for our next leg of the journey. We have to trailer to the spot we are going. Today will be in timber and I am anxious to get back in the saddle.

Playing with my blog.

2011-09-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

Misty Schell..............soon to be Gregory!

Once again it has been a long time since I had time to play with my blog - first of all I couldn't up load any photos and like those people who talk with their hands.............I talk with my photos. No photos meant no blogging. So I 'buy' some space so I can continue to add pictures only to find that once again my blog has new changes. One of those is that I am unable to change the size of my picture - I struggled with that for umm days, weeks actually and today it worked. Not sure what the difference was, or was I the difference but it worked so I am just posting a little photo I grabbed to see if I could make it bigger. This is a shot of a very special young woman, her two sisters and the rest of her bridal party. We got her down on the lawn for some photos and what goes down must come it. Made for a good laugh. So a beautiful wedding on a beautiful day for a beautiful person - one of those treasured moments in life.

Before - After

2011-07-25T18:52:00.003-06:00

This is one of my favorites from a little photo shoot I did yesterday. This little gal is just a doll and I love the sprinkling of freckles across her sweet little face. But I know from past experience the subject isn't always real happy with their skin when I get the camera up close and personal. So I did a little editing and smoothed out already picture perfect skin and this is the results. What do you think?

BEFORE

AFTER

Photo shoot!

2011-07-25T08:08:00.001-06:00

Had the pleasure of taking this young ladies photos for her senior pictures. Other than make one black and white I haven't had time to do any touch ups to them - don't think I need much.

Isn't she a little beauty?

One of my favorite places in the world to shoot photos - old steps!

It was all of 90+ degrees outside but we had so much fun running around the countryside.

I think I love black and white photography more than anything. Also put a little fuzz around the corners so my subject's face was the focal.

Prayed a car didn't come along!

OR............a train!!

Yep, in the middle of the tracks - but I loved the contrast of the rocks.

We aren't done yet, we have many more ideas to try!

My Chippy Door!

2011-07-21T07:54:00.002-06:00

This is my chippy door - it leads to the cellar at my garden. I don't like that cellar, it is dark, damp and I imagine all kinds of creepy crawlies living down there. However it does have it's use. To store squash, potatoes, pumpkins, onions etc. But I still don't like it. I might if a tornado came along, AND I was down in the garden but mostly I just don't like it - until my good friend Jackie said "Put a wreath on it". Of course decorate it, why hadn't I thought of that? But it worked - it made that creepy ole cellar something of a work or art. Yes, I think I like my cellar now.

Wordless Wed.

2011-07-20T11:56:00.001-06:00

The 'garden'

2011-07-12T17:19:00.003-06:00

This year I OWN my garden vs renting the ground that we have done previously. So with pen and paper in hand, big dreams, gardening books and sad to say little to no money I couldn't wait to get my 3 1/2 acres set up for gardening. Then the weather set in cold, wet and WET! With most of the soil a very non draining clay I couldn't do what I had planned this year and what I did do was a very late start. With the warm weather and nice moisture it is really starting to grow.

Any garden I have HAS to hollyhocks, these are seeds planted from some taken from my mom's home some 25 years ago. They go with me everywhere. And yard art takent fromt he scrap pile. I did say little to no money so I have to work with what I have on hand.

The cream can actually says Kennedy on it - so I guess it's mine for sure!

Started work on the playhouse. Can you see it in the background? Squash........that's the color I started painting it. Just seems like a pumpkin patch and fall lover would need a nice sounding color like SQUASH!!

Someday it will have real paned windows, a split door and beadboard but for now, one side is painted, has a faux window and a little window box.

My corn wasn't knee high by the 4th of July, unless you were looking at one of my little grannie's legs but it was knee high by the 14th of July. That counts doesn't it?

PUMPKINS!!

The new fence that Jeff is putting up around the garden.

My birthday present from Twila, in the little kid's flower bed. BEEautiful!

More PUMPKINS! I did get them in a little late but then, I think they should be just perfect around Halloween - hope they make lots of pumpkins for the little kiddos around the town!

That's the end of my garden walk, maybe a little later in the season we will do it again and see what's growing.

Wandering thoughts!

2011-07-09T10:06:00.002-06:00

I was just visiting with one of my employees. I found that we had some very similar stories about our perception of our childhood, our relationship with our parents and the relationship that we want with our children. Both of us lost a lot when we lost our parents including a relationship with our siblings. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, that mistakes are only bad if you don't learn from them, that possessions are just 'things' and that the important part of your life is the relationships that you have with people. I kid with my children about having a 'dead' letter, one that tells my wishes for my possessions, how I want to be buried, pall bears etc. I always thought that if my folks would have written down their wishes vs telling (me) their wishes that I might still have a relationship, a good relationship with my sisters. So my cure for my kids is - the 'dead' letter. I have few possession that really have much value, more sentimental thanmonetary for sure, so when I am gone I hope that some of those things stay in the family and the kiddos don't fight over it, but again they are just things - HOWEVER what I do want for my kids is to have a good relationship with their mom, like I had with my parents. Amazing, even though I can't touch it, sale it, see it, I know I HAD it, a good relationship with my parents. I shared my love of gardening, crafting, watching my children grow with my mom. I shared my love of animals, riding horses, mannerisms, looks, with my dad. So the possessions I got when my parents left me were things you can't see, touch, sale just FEEL. I loved them, loved being with them, loved visiting them, just loved, loved, loved them. That's the wish I have for myself and my children.

Baby Lu @ 17 months

2011-07-08T10:52:00.001-06:00

Just found this post in the Drafts - wonder why I didn't get it posted - well better late than never.

Can't believe this little guy is 17 months old already. I haven't seen him for almost two months yet he seemed to remember who his grammie was.

Now I have had one busy month (April) and my May is as crazy. I was lucky enough to see Adrianne at her dance recital last Monday. Watch our little Jaxon as he graduated from pre-school on this Monday and last night Austin and Adrianne had their spring concert. Of all things my camera crapped out for the graduation and spring concert. Usually Austin is in the back ground of his band performance and because he is tall is put on the back risers, well this time he was up front and center as was Adrianne and me with NO camera.

I tell you me without a camera is like having my arm cut off, I don't know what to do with myself and find that I get really nervous because I don't have it. What's with that?????????????

Blogging for Posterity

2011-07-05T15:09:00.001-06:00

    It has been some time since I have blogged. As a matter of fact I was going to give up posting blogs, my computer has been on the fritz and I can't seem to tell a story without having a photo, AND the time it takes.....one of those commodities that I just don't seem to have. After spending a few days with my children and their families along with my out-laws, my husband's family, I realized I needed to blog for posteritiy. It is about bits and pieces in my life and gives my children an in-sight into the person that I was, I am and what I hope to be.
I will begin with this past weekend and the holiday. Fourth of July has long been one of my favorite holidays, one I share the love of with my daughter Brandi. We love everything about it, the colors, the smells, the fireworks, the pride in our country, the parades, the BBQ's.......everything - we love it. However the past few holidays have been, well work - not fun. For me anyhow. I have a job that requires me to work on the 4th of July and the days before the 4th are just as busy as the actual day of freedom itself. By the time I have pounded the pavement, so to speak, I don't have the energy to enjoy this favored time of the year. This year was different............
   This year I had two days off before the big event. This year all my kids and grandkids were here to share the time with me. This year my husband wasn't committed to so many community orientated activities that he was around to share the fun - and the work load. THIS YEAR...........was one of the best ever years.
   I rode horses with my oldest child, I golfed with my second born and his son, I watched my grandkids play in the sprinkler, I enjoyed the meals that my daughter crafted for the whole family, I spent time with my youngest and his family and I enjoyed every minute of it. We ate, played, made smores, lit fireworks, rodeoed (not I word I know but - well we went to a rode), watched fireworks, - we did it all and I had time to do it with them. I did work too..........and I worked hard but I was catered to by my daughter, who made me a great lunch, a daughter-in-law who cleaned my house and a family who was patient for my tylenol to kick in.
Do I need to say more about the 4th? Probably not - just know it was a wonderful holiday. When I am old and gray and don't work on the 4th of July anymore, this will be one of those good memories that I will hold dear to my heart.

Springing

2011-04-25T16:51:00.001-06:00

So glad to be back blogging. I have been gone for awhile as I just haven't been able to get pictures to download to the blog, like talking with your hands, I can't write without a picture. Spring is springing nicely in my neck of the woods, my pepper plants are looking good, much better than in this photo as it was taken two weeks ago. Everything in my little greenhouse was looking pretty darn nice UNTIL 35 mph winds smashed into the sides of the greenhouse. Everything was dumped and I mean DUMPED upside down on the ground. I salvaged a lot of stuff but my seed packets that were taped to the sides, the ones showing what was planted in the pots, were knocked off. Hope I can recognize the plant by it's leaves :0) I can figure out the veggies, the marigolds, the petunias but the larkspur; lavender and those types of plants I might have trouble with.

So part of my garden got a good plowing and then Jeff ran the spring tooth over it. I just wanted to get my home grown fertilizer (horse poo) tilled into the ground before I till and plant. I need to get photos of the tree belt that we spent all day Sat. getting trimmed up. I can't wait to get my little building moved down, painted and grass planted.

Been a busy month for April and May is on our heels. At Fort Rob we have the History Conference; school visits; Mother's Day Buffet; Free Park Day, Training and then opening day coming up, should keep me busy. I plan on visiting baby Lu next week. Can't wait to see him as it has been over a month and little guys like him don't stay little very long.

So till next time.........keep on springing Spring!

Precious Little One!

2011-04-12T09:59:00.001-06:00

Caught this little one looking up at her grandma and just had to share.

My wish list.

2011-04-11T15:37:00.003-06:00

Wouldn't the new iMac be just wonderful to have? I probably will just get the old one fixed but a gal can dream!

And this....................

And I'm not really greedy, this would be big enough for me.

And a nice little Paint to go trail riding with or teach the grannies how to ride.

And some chickens, just a few so I could have fresh eggs and Jeff could build them a cute little Victorian chicken house (wouldn't that be cute?)
So for today - wishful thinking!!

I got it!

2011-03-30T15:21:00.005-06:00

Last October my good friend Becky was selling her antique shop/restaurant and she gave me this faux mantel that she had in her shop. She saw me one day in the store and said, "I will just drop it by your house". Two days later my friend Becky passed away before she had a chance to bring me the mantel.

Now there wasn't anything special about this mantel, I had just liked it and thought I could put it in my Cottage Garden Studio but still nothing special...until Becky was gone, and then like all things, it was just one of the ways I could hold onto her.

The mantel went into her estate and my good friends were going to bid on it when it came up for sale at the estate auction. But that didn't happen! The mantel sold during the few moments that my friend had chosen to take some stuff to her car. The lady who bought it got it and an old wash stand for $14.00. My friend. being the good friend that she is, followed the lady around until the lady consented to selling it to me.

That was last Oct. This March I got my mantel. It cost a lot more than $14.00 dollars to get it from this lady but that was ok, it was a just a little part of Becky that gave me a connection to her, I would have paid much,much more just to have it.

So...............here it is. I can't wait to do something with it. Right now, well it just sits in a corner of the living room but soon it will have a place of honor.

Dreamin'

2011-03-24T20:53:00.002-06:00

I couldn't sleep last night, my mind kept wondering over to my little greenhouse and visions of summer danced in my head. All of my little seedlings are up and despite the cold outside they are all snug in their warm little home growing and changing. I just can't wait for some beautiful weather and the soil to warm enough to get my finger dirty. Here's a little walk in last year's garden.

In just one month............

2011-03-14T11:42:00.003-06:00

Wow what a difference one month can make in a person's life. Not only does it seem like time can fly - it also seems like my life is totally differnet than it was a month ago, I am different than a month ago.

So much as happened in the past 30 days - I will tell all the happy parts first.

I believe I left you all off when we celebrated a birthday for my youngest YaYa sister. It was a special night as we were all able to come together at my kitchen table and laugh until tears ran down our eyes.

That weekend my oldest grandson and his 8th grade basketball team won first place at the Rapid City tournament. I didn't get to see that tournament as I told a good friend that I would take her daughter's first birthday pictures. However I was able to spend the next two weekends watching Taylor play in tournaments. It was just a big week for him as he tested out and was chosen for the scholastic team, passed his test to get his learner's driving permit, and now has a girlfriend.

Taylor played some awesome ball and it was fun to be back on the bleachers again watching basketball.

Our little one year old, Little Miss Addy was no bigger than a minute when she was born a little before her due date last year but she sure has grown fast and is just the sweetest little thing.

Damion, Daunee' and Lucas came for a visit the first weekend in March and attended Taylor's games. It was great to see Lucas and all the new things he has learned to do since we last got to see him.

In between games we played on the playground with Emma, her daddy Greg, Uncle Damion and Aunt Daunee'.

My little Emma Jean, always a ball of fire enjoyed her time with her dad and playing with her cousins. She and Lucas had a grand ole time playing on the slides at Bayard.

Then on Sunday I was given just the best gift. Everyone except for Taylor were able to come over to the house. The kids, sneaky little things that they are, got yummy broasted chicken from Staabs and had a birthday party for me, complete with a cake (thank you Spencer and Traci) that looked like it was ready to start the whole house on fire once they got the candles lit.
And look at what I got for a birthday present - Thank you my kiddos, it is JUST what I wanted. I also got a turntable and boxes of coffee.

I have been on a coffee high ever since. This thing is just fantastic - I can pick and choose each cup of coffee, of course knowing me I will always go for just plain ole coffe, my fav.

On Ash Wed, which was actually my birthday, I attended church with one of my good friends. We had decided that we really needed to get back to church and become 'right' with God. I love Ash Wed. and love having Ashes marked on my forehead.

This is my church St. John The Baptist Catholic Church! Not only did I make it to Ash Wed. service but again Sat. night and also made a visit to our priest. Comforting to be back in my church with my church family all around.
I also spent the weekend riding my ole horse Nugget, working on the yard and garden, planting seeds, and well - staying at home. It felt great to just be at home and catching up on home life.

All the while that these wonderful things were going on in my life, my heart was breaking. Breaking for my good friend, her daughter and all of their families.

This part of my post is dedicated to Teresa, who lost her battle with cancer on Friday, March 11, 2011.

Teresa was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer about 15 months ago. She went through 12 months of intense radiation and chemotherapy in hopes to stop her cancer. However, just shortly after months of thearpy, she started feeling a lot of pain. On February 18 Teresa was given the bad news that she only had days to live. A true fighter, Teresa hung on for a few weeks as she had many things she wanted to accomplish. Wife, mother of two, daugher and sister, Teresa wasn't afraid of death nor was she afraid what would happen to her after death as she has the strongest faith in God. Teresa was afraid for her family and she wanted to get some things accomplished so that they, her family, would be able to celebrate her life and live their own lives as if each day was the best day ever.

With amazing strength and clarity, she set about making the next few weeks 'matter'. She lived a lifetime in a few short weeks, spending that time getting her family ready for the years to come and life without her.

With her mom and husband by her side she went to our Heavenly Father this past Friday. May she rest in peace.

Oh Those Faces That I Love!

2011-02-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

It's been kind of a crazy last two weeks. Besides working a good 40 hours a week I also traveled through most of Wyoming and half way through Nebraska (twice). I spent several days making Valentine's with the grannies, then drove to Sheridan to see my kiddos in Wyoming. When I got home I was lucky enough to host a birthday party for the youngest of my YaYa sisters Diane. (She turned the BIG 50). I also was invited to the 1st. birthday of our adorable little Addy, who spent many months in the hospital at birth but is now just a ball of fire. I then traveled half way across NE to pickup my youngest grannie and two days later took her back. But look at these wonderful faces I saw during my journey.

Diane celebrated her birthday for the 3rd or 4th time at my house. Look at this delicious but HEALTHY cake! YUM!

As with all of our get together's with my YaYa's the time is spent laughing, laughing, laughing - along with a tear or two. We were missing one sister, who left this world less than six months ago. We miss you so much BECKY!!

Twila is our hugger so if you sit next to her.....consider yourself hugged. Renee is our entertainer, she has some of the funniest stories to tell, and being a natural story teller - she always has us in stitches.

One of the things we do best is talk about our grandchildren. Amazingly Twila and Connie could both do imitations to the T of their grannies. Grandma Titty - yes, that is what her grannies call her - shows us the face young miss Avery makes when things don't go her way.

YaYa Jacque - a five time cancer survivor, is just an inspiration to us all. Her words of wisdom are always comforting, she has this innocence about her that is just refreshing.

OOPS here is Diane again - well when it's your birthday you should get a couple photos in.

Then there is Connie! She is a heart attack survivor. Always a health nut, it was a BIG shock to us when not only did she have a heart attack but had to be zapped back to life. Because of this scare we all did a pinky swear to get healthy. And no, she really isn't holding her heart - she is imitating her precious little grandson Parker who stopped to sing one of our nation's proudest songs when visiting the 'Faces' in South Dakota.

Which led Connie to imitate her other little grandson Carson, whose casual attitude may find himself looking under the pew at church instead of sitting in the pew!

But this face is a replica of the granddaughters - you know chit chatting like only little girls can do.

Speaking of chatty little girls - my youngest grannie Emma Jean can talk your leg off. I'm not sure she always knows what she is talking about but talk is what she does best. We made some Valentine's on one of her visits.

My trip to Sheridan gave me the chance to play with and photograph my youngest grannie Lucas. This little guy has to be the happiest little thing ever. Taking pictures of him is a little bit of a challenge as he doesn't sit still very long. We had to get very inventive to find something to stop him long enough for a couple of shots.

Then there was the First Birthday party of Addison. She is just a little minute of a thing. Having weighed just mere ounces when born you would never know that she was a little premie from the way she gets around and how smart the little monkey is. We had a lot of fun watching her dig into her cake and open presents.

My little Cash always has a 'cheese' for me when I have the camera. He had just polished off some yummy 'pink' birthday cake and was playing with one of his favorite things in this world - balloons.

So that has been my last two weeks. There were many, many more faces that I was fortunate enough to have spent time with over the last two weeks, just didn't get any photos of them. These people are all so much a part of my life. I am so fortunate to have them.

Getting busy at the Fort

2011-02-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air, or close to it. When we move cattle to the protection of the Ranch I know that calving season and spring is just around the corner. Can't wait to see those little baby longhorns.

Photo shootin' - raw or not to raw???

2011-02-13T19:47:00.002-07:00

Had a great weekend with Damion and his little family. Did a small photo shoot. I am still confused about shooting in RAW and editing it? Can you tell which is which? What should I be doing that I am not?????? I think I am confused

Looking out my backporch!

2011-02-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

I don't really care for those freezin' mornings that old man winter brings but God sure knows how to paint a sunrise and sunset during our season of cold, short days.

2011-02-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is my little Cash. He is one of those 'all boy' boys! He is just a happy little go lucky kind of guy and his little mind is whirling all the time. Cash and big brother Jaxon spent the weekend with me. Well Cash did, Jaxon spent most of his time with his good buddy Preston.

One of the things Cash likes to do, that is besides writing on my furniture, walls and cupboards with a pen or pencil is to wear my glasses and talk on the phone. The glasses are just light readers and we only let him put them on for a second or too but he just thinks he is terribly clever.

Cash also loves, loves, loves his papa, most of the time. He wasn't to thrilled with gramps when, after throwing a whole dish full of cat food at his brother, had to pick it all up. But generally gramps is the one who gets to snuggle with him when he is tired and rock him to sleep. Papa was whistling and Cash worked really hard trying to copy him. I think he thought he was making the noise once he figure out how to pucker and blow. Gramps never told him different.

Come Back Soon Cash!!1

Making cards!

2011-02-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Oh sweet Valentine..........I think Valentine's Day must be one of my most favored days. Maybe it's because I Love Red, or I love, LOVE. I don't know but I never grow tired of celebrating February and the month of Love. One of my gal friends and I started playing with Valentine cards and it just has been so much fun.

We both made the same card with the same demensions and both came out looking so different.

Then we decided to make some just for the grannies. With the majority of them being boys we tried to get away from all the fluff. Can't wait to make some for the girls though. I saw someone use tulle on a card and I think that would be fun to try.

We are both just novice at this so maybe they aren't the greatest, and by far not as wonderful as I see on some of the blogs I ~~stalk~~...I mean follow but they sure were fun to make.

Ramblings

2011-02-01T13:01:00.001-07:00

   With a high of 0 degrees today and a low expected to be -30 it is just to cold to go outside. To cold to do anything so my thoughts start rambling. I have been looking for two posts of someone who made a small conservatory/terrarium/greenhouse out of windows - I think. However it may have been picture frames, just don't remember. Doesn't matter, some day I will run into again but until then I have been searching on the Internet looking for something similar to what I saw earlier. And I was really surprised - I found one made from picture frames on Southern Living and then to my dismay I found the same identical (I'll call it a terrarium) on about 20 more posts. Same photo, same flowers in it same everything - not surprising, it was way cute. What surprised me is that the some 20 other posts the people took the credit for making it, several of those being fellow bloggers. That disappointed me, I know that copying something is the greatest form of flattery and I do it myself - aka I am looking for that post, however, I would never, ever, ever take credit for it being my work.
So end of that thought. My other thought is how when I first started blogging I did it because some of the local gals did and I found it a great way to share my photos. I fell in love with so many blogs that I just couldn't keep up with them. I could spend hours reading and looking at other blogs. Many times I comment, most times I don't. I only post what I want when I want so I'm a boring blogger. But alas so many of the blogs have become, ads and I have lost a lot of pleasure looking at them. I under stand they have anywhere from 100 to thousands of followers and I imagine it brings it a nice tidy income. Just not as much fun I guess to surf through all the wonderful posts anymore.
   Facebook and Twitter seems to have taken over the blogging world also. I do think Facebook is a good way to keep up on current events - and hope to have my business up and going on it in the near future. At a recent meeting I went to they gave the same advice you see on many blogs. If you aren't going to keep it current - no one wants to read it. Guess I will need to get better at it, much better.
    So here comes the sun, can't wait for the cold snap to pass by, Februrary has always been one of my favorite months. It is short, had that beautiful Valentine's Day attached to it and for me one extra paid day off. Stay warm friends.

HELP!

2011-01-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Last year I found a blogger who had made a small greenhouse, or conservatory out of old paned windows. This blogger featured it sitting on her patio, later on someone spotlighted that post. I saved it on my favorites for the longest time as I have a half a dozen windows hoping that my husband would help me re-create it. After much complaining from him about all of the 'favorites' I have on the computer and then just his general negative 'this can't be done' or doesn't 'need to be done' attitude I deleted that favorite on my computer. Well Mr. Grumps is now on lay off from work and decided to build it, he has most of it done but it seems to be there was some scroll work done on it. For I can't for the life of me find that post, does anyone have any knowledge of it? If so could you please pass that on for me?

I so appreciate it. Thanks!

Funky Junk Style

2011-01-18T14:37:00.002-07:00

A friend of mine is opening a new store - we hope. I asked if I could help decorate because I love nothing more than to decorate using money that isn't mine!! She told me she loved the funky junk style that I too so dearly love. I have been saving what Jeff calls 'crap' for years, all packed away in my someday 'cottage garden studio' and I was telling my friend how I have this collection and not doing anything with it. OK not much of a story but it set the stage for an epiphany a little later. Oh and what one man calls 'crap' another woman calls 'treasures' - ole Jeff he gives me a hard time but he brings me home more 'treasures' than not - I just had to add that little note.

Then this weekend, while organizing my scrap area I thought of the little nook in my laundry room that has no purpose and decided it was time to make it useful. So what to do, what to do?? I think I need some more storage, would like to have a place for my sewing machine that I don't use but would if I had a place to put it. I will eventually need a place to put my old extra large chair that will soon need to be removed from the living room. What else could I use this space for and what to decorate it with? And then I thought of my conversation with my friend and the ~~crap~~ I mean junk I have been saving and thought why not - so now here I am on a journey to find inspiration for my funky junk. I went here - one of my favorite blogs to help out. This gals decorating is just amazing to me. Her name is Donna and you can visit her site here: http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ She has so many amazing ideas that I could never begin to tell you about them all. If you have some time stop on over and check out her site. Right now I am going to read her post about PC to Mac review.................... and below, well here are just a few photos I have found that gave me some more ideas.

AND.........I have the stairs to do this!!

I will be taking some before photos of my area and then I am going to strip it down; finish scrapping the walls and repaint and then.............let the fun begin!

Miss Nebraska wins 2011 Miss America pageant

2011-01-15T22:34:00.001-07:00

We Nebraskans have so much to be proud of and Teresa Scanlan's has added to our state's many accomplishments. And folks not only did she come from NE but from our neck of the woods.

As a little girl watching the Miss American pageant was a must in our household. I would sit in amazement watching these beautiful, talented women as they walked down the runway but never, ever did NE get very close to that crown. Congratulations to a beautiful, young lady who has made her state proud.

Photo Class

2011-01-09T17:31:00.001-07:00

Even though it was a tad bit chilly and the snow was falling steadily today I decided I needed to get out of the house and practice what I learned yesterday at my first ever photo class. The class was all about 'knowing your camera'. Now I am not one who really cares about the guts of a camera or really how it works nor more than I wanted to learn the history of art when I started learning to paint. I just want to DO IT!

So I was a little skeptical about taking the class to say the least. I have been shooting photos since I got my first camera at age 8, I even shot photos as a profession when I worked for the newspaper, I can't count how many senior pictures, weddings, sporting events and family photo shoots that I have done, and I am sure that somewhere I learned about exposure, aperture, etc. etc. but most of my training came from the school of hard knocks.

So here I sit in class between 'By the Book' and 'Master of the Manual' thinking "Who cares if my camera is set on the correct exposure for the correct setting for the correct...blah, blah, blah. But then something happened... their enthusiasm was catching and I started learning a few things. And not only did I learn from the teacher but also from the other students in the class.

I could tell that 'Book' and 'Manual' were rolling their eyes at me, I am sure wondering 'how ever did she get a good picture, she doesn't know anything' when I realized something. An epiphany so to speak. When I first took pictures I know I read everything on photography, cameras, exposure etc. that I could. My first five or six cameras ONLY shot manual and I had to KNOW my camera, but alas with knew technology I had become complacent. Part of that being that I had lost a lot of my love of photography and part laziness, knowing that I could shoot on RAW and then use the computer to make up for the lack of bad photographs.

What did I learn you ask? Well maybe not as much about my camera as about me. I need to re-learn how to use my camera, get that old manual out and brush up on things, and I need to regain my love of photography. Don't get me wrong I DID learn new things about my camera and now I need to practice that, hence the photo shoot in the snow. I shot only on manual, I used my historgram to judge my exposure, aperature, film speed etc. and I also played with my new knowledge of white balance. Can't wait until next class - hope I get to sit with 'Book' and 'Manual' again!

Learnin' to drive!

2011-01-05T09:11:00.008-07:00

Is 13 months to young to learn to drive? Well Santa didn't think so as Lucas got a new Lightning McQueen (is that how it is spelled?) car and Emm Jean got a new battery powered 4-wheeler. They sure had fun over the holiday playing with their new toys.

At first Lucas just enjoyed sitting in the driver seat but it didn't take him long to figure out what it took to make it go.

He looks so serious - I don't think he was sure that he wanted to make it go.

Showing off all those muscles it took to learn to drive!!

Then it was time for Cash to get a few lessons.

One show of the button and he was off!

After Emma ran into the neighbors car, over my flower beds and broke off a few of my solar lights she got the hang of it.

Look grandma - no hands!

Santa sure knew how to put some smiles on those little faces.

Big boots or short legs!

2011-01-04T13:50:00.002-07:00

So what's a guy to do when his boots are bigger than his legs are long....Ham it up I guess. Little Mr. Cash is just such a hoot, especially at his age of 18 months. What he doesn't think of to entertain us! So here he is stylin' in his dirty little onsie (that was a drink spill at his gmma Marge's house) and wearing papa's boots.

15 Must For the Photographer - At Little Cost!

2010-12-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

So excited for a photo class that Brandi and I are taking. We have already received some awesome information - some of things I knew and just forgot and other stuff is new to me. When I first started doing photography I read every book I could find and tried every trick someone told me, however at some point I just did my own thing. Some things I got tired of trying, some things made such a little difference the hassle was more than the effects I got. Just reading some of these ideas has me all reved up to take more photos and expand my photography. Just thought I would share these tips.

1. White Foam Core - At around $5 this is probably the least expensive lighting equipment you’ll ever own. The white surface can be used to bounce light into shadows, softening hard contrasty light. Or, place it between your subject and the light source to cast shadows where you want them. You can even place it behind your subject for a clean distraction free background. Buy just one from a craft store for a few dollars, or get a pack of 5 boards on amazon.com for about $15.

2. 18% Gray Card (AKA Medium Gray Card – Use your post processing time to get creative, not fixing basic exposure and white balance problems. A medium gray card helps you get it right “in camera” for just $10. An 18% gray card is designed to represent the average photographic scene by reflecting an average amount of light (18% give or take). Cameras are designed to reproduce average scenes, but not every scene in real life is average. Your camera can be fooled into under or over exposing pictures of very bright or very dark scenes. Using a gray card to set exposure will give you much more accurate results. You can also use an medium gray card to set a custom white balance for more consistent color in your photos.

3. Spray Bottle - The trick to shooting fresh and dewy spider webs, fruit, and flowers isn’t waking at the crack of dawn. It’s having a spray bottle handy. It might feel like “cheating” at first but when you see the results you won’t care anymore. You can’t argue with the price either. Fine mist spray bottles can be found for about one dollar.

4. Lens Pen - Leave the lens fluid and papers at home. The “pen” has a microfiber disk filled with dry lens cleaner on one end. The other end has a retractable brush. Dusting with the brush removes large particles of dust. Lightly rubbing the disk on your lens will remove smudges, fingerprints and spots. A half twist of the pen with the cap on cleans the disk. I swear by this thing. I bought one for a trip to dusty Africa and used it extensively. They’re easy to use, they work perfectly, and they’re pretty cheap (around $10). I can’t believe I didn’t have one before.

5. Cloth bag of rice/beans - If you can’t or don’t want to carry a tripod around, having a bag of rice can be the next best thing. Use it to prop up your camera or rest your lens anywhere. Keep the cloth bag empty when traveling to save space and weight. When you get to your destination buy some rice or beans and fill it up. When you’re done, either eat the rice/beans, or give them to someone in need. You can buy dedicated “beanbags” filled with plastic pellets for exactly this purpose starting at about $8.

6. Remote Shutter Release - Make tack sharp photos and no fuss self portraits for around $20. A remote shutter release lets you take the picture without touching the camera. This reduces motion blur caused by camera shake. Since the cord is a couple of feet long, it can make taking self portraits a little easier too. If you spend some time on Amazon you may even find a wireless remote shutter release that gives you even greater flexibility in the same price range. The camera’s self-timer is a less flexible but free option.

7. LED Flash Light - These things are multi tasking marvels. Experiment with light drawing and light painting at night. And while you’re out there in the dark, you can use it to see where you’re going. They’re not just for night photography though. LED lights can look pretty close to sunlight. If you’re shooting outside they can be an inexpensive stand in for an off camera flash. You can get a small LED Maglite for around $20.

8. Nikon (or similar) Lens Caps - I love my Canon, but they make the worst lens caps. Nikon caps are a lot easier to use. The pinchable area on the sides of the Nikon cap are at least twice as wide as the Canon caps. You can pinch from the center of a Nikon cap as well. This makes it easier to remove/replace the cap when a lens hood is in place. The easier it is to use the more likely I am to use it. The more I use the cap, the safer my lens is. They come in a variety of sizes (make sure you get the right size for your lens) and generally cost a few dollars.

9. A Flash Diffuser (or Wax Paper) - If you have to use the on-camera flash, you can at least soften its effects with a flash diffuser. These come in many styles but they all use a white translucent material to diffuse light. Want to try before you buy? Tape a ring of waxed paper around your pop up flash next time you use it. In principal this will do the same thing as a diffuser, though it’s not durable and certainly not professional looking. When you’re at home taking family snapshots it probably doesn’t matter if you look professional. But, fair warning, it might not be a good idea to let the bride catch you with wax paper on your camera at your next wedding gig.

10. Filter Wrench - If you have any screw on filters, one day, one of them will get stuck on your lens. It’s a sad but true fact of filter use. Filters often get stuck because the pressure from your fingers bends the filter a little when you try to unscrew them. Gripping harder to un-stick a stuck-on filter just makes it worse. A filter wrench distributes the pressure of your grip around the entire edge, gripping the filter tight without bending it. Get a filter wrench before you need one so you’re not tempted to force off a stuck-on filter and make it permanently stuck in the process. A set of two wrenches costs about $5.

11. Reflective Emergency Blanket and/or Circular Reflector - Both of these can be used to reflect light into shadows. The nice thing about the emergency blanket, aside from it being very cheap (a pack of four blankets costs a little over $5), is that the mylar it’s made of is waterproof. Throw it over your gear in a sudden downpour, or toss it on the dewey ground when you need to get low. Circular reflectors can’t pull triple duty like the emergency blanket, but they can still be had for under $25 and unlike the emergency blanket they can be held in place with one hand. Ideally, you would have both and at these prices that’s actually practical.

12. Bulb Blower - It’s important to blow off any large grains of sand and dirt before you wipe your camera or lens. You don’t want grains of sand to scratch your lens as you wipe it. A bulb blower delivers a powerful blast of clean air to blow away any dangerous particles. Skip the wimpy brush/blower combo they try to sell you in cleaning kits. The only thing they really do is shed bristled on your camera. Giottos makes a great bulb blower called the Rocket Blower for about $10.

13. Compact Backpacking Hand Towel - This is a must have if you shoot outside. An absorbent lightweight backpacking towel can whisk drops of water away before they become a problem. It’s also nice just to give your gear a quick wipe down at the end of the day to prevent dust and grime from accumulating. Keeping dust and dirt off the outside of your camera may even help keep it from getting inside your camera when you change lenses. These towels take up very little room and they’re worth every penny of the $10 they cost. *Note: I don’t use this for the front or rear element of the lens.

14. A Flickr Account - Use for archiving, getting feedback, showing off, and tracking your progress. A free account gets you 100MB of photo storage every calender month. For about $25 a year you get unlimited uploads and storage space which is awesome if you want to archive your digital photos. I really like Flickr for the community (which you get access to wether you go pro or not). Photographers start “groups” to share photos and discussions with other, like minded photogs.

Wether you want to ask questions, start a group or just have an online home for your photos Flickr’s got you covered.

15. Hot Shoe Mount Bubble Level- Keep your horizons straight even when hand-holding. It’s just a small bubble level that slips into your camera’s hot shoe. Not having to constantly straighten and crop your photos could easily be worth the $5 this bubble level costs.

These make great gifts! Is there a budding photographer in your life? A gift basket stuffed with a lens pen, compact hand towel, and bulb blower is perfect for a traveler. Are they shooting family events and holidays? Lighting accessories like reflectors, diffusors, and white foam core really come in handy for portraiture. Just bought their first DSLR? A basket with an 18% gray card, filter wrench, and remote shutter release is better than any cheap “get started kit” sold at the camera store.

I’m always looking for ways to do more with less. So, what are your favorite inexpensive photography accessories?

About the Author: Kat Landreth runs a blog called Pare and Focus – it has simple, inexpensive tips to make digital photos look better. There are “in camera” tricks along side tutorials for the free image editor GIMP.

Martha Did It Again - Another Great Idea!

2010-12-30T08:43:00.001-07:00

Was browsing Martha's web page and here is a fantastic idea for those of us who hae priceless ornaments and want to keep them safe until next year when we can proudly display thema again. Thanks Martha!

Protect your dearest ornaments from damage as you pack up after the holiday this year. Cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to line the bottom of a plastic storage bin. Then use a hot-glue gun to attach paper cups to the cardboard. Wrap ornaments in tissue paper, and place in cups. Then stack cardboard-and-cup flats inside the container. Store smaller ornaments in egg cartons.

Article and photo from Martha Stewart website.

A wonderful Christmas!

2010-12-26T20:01:00.004-07:00

Here we are the whole gang! What a wonderful, wonderful Christmas for all of us. This was our first Christmas all together in a long time and we had so much fun, I can't remember a better Christmas.

It was a week long holiday for us, we spent every day enjoying the holiday. Although this was Jeremy's holiday to have the kids he generously let his ex have the kids last weekend, again on Thursday while he worked, and overnight until mid day on Christmas Eve. So some of the events we had planned for the kiddos were changed a little we still had the best of times. You can see those photos below. What a wonderful father he is to give up his time to help the kids through the holiday and let them celebrate Christmas with their mom.

On Friday Brandi and the boys came from Hemingford, Damion and his family came from Sheridan and we all went to Greg's for some of Jeff's famous chili. The night was spent full of laughter, fun and games.

Christmas Morning was so much fun this year watching Lucas open his gifts from Santa. I think his folks had more fun opening gifts than Lucas, he just really wanted to play with the paper and boxes. After a relaxed morning of opening gifts and drinking coffee in our pj's we then went to Greg's for dinner. Taylor Michael drove his new pickup from Chadron and that completed our family. Jeremy had bought and cooked prime rib, Brandi and Shane cooked a ham and it was yummy good. I wasn't sure I was ready for a Christmas dinner without turkey, however it was just the best. We spent the afternoon enjoying each others company, playing games and eating until our eyes bulged.

Our family was just truly blessed this year and I hope that all of my blogging buddies had just as wonderful Christmas as we did. May the New Year bring us all wonderful days, true riches of family and friendship.

This is the gingerbread house we made - it was a festive little home.

Then came the cooking baking! We had so much fun watching the little ones make cookies to put out for Santa. Bless Brandi's heart, she let them use anything they wanted to decorate their cookies.

Emma chose to make gingerbread girls for her cookies.

Helping hands!

Can you see the cookie? This was Cash's cookie, Emma and Jaxon really decorated theirs!!

The shirt does not lie, Cash ate Santa's cookies!!

Lucas Christmas morning with his new car.

Lucas on his new horse that papa made.

My Christmas Card!

2010-12-19T19:03:00.003-07:00

So I got a wild hair and decided that I should do a Christmas card with the horses. Now I take pictures every day; I do weddings; senior photos; baby settings; little kid settings, football, basketball and baseball action shots but this was a first at trying to take posed pictures of horses. I thought I could throw a little Santa hat on the horses or put a little greenery around their necks and YEP get a photo. After all they are a couple of very tame, very old, very good horses. Well let me tell you that only sounded good in theory. When they saw me heading out with a Santa hat and the camera they knew something was out of the ordinary.

Let's just say many loops around the corral, a bucket of grain, a bale of alfalfa and many photos later I had nothing - just a couple of old goofy horses that knew something was under foot and they weren't going to be any part of it.

So I talk Jeff into helping and now I have thrown another kink in the rope. Jeff doesn't usually ride the horses but he is the one who helps me to catch and saddle them when I want to go riding or take the grannies out in the pasture. Those two old horses were sure something bad was coming their way, and made sure neither of us got very close. I finally ditched the Santa hats; the greenery and the bow, all the little props I was going to use for the photo and added instead myself and Jeff.

I drug out the halters and lead ropes, grabbed the tripod and decided that it would be ok to have Jeff and myself in the photo. I didn't plan on my old horse Nugget thinking that a camera and flash on a tripod was a threat. She snorted, pawed, pranced, smacked me in the head, stepped on my foot and did anything to NOT get in the photo. However, we made it. I look a little worse for the wear, Jeff was past the smiling and thinking they were funny stage but dang the horses looked pretty good. It made for some good laughs, helped to pass the day away and I hope friends and family can get as much a kick out of the cards as we did taking the photo.

Thank goodness I hadn't thought about getting the cat and grand dogs in the photo !!

MMM - need a bigger hat!

2010-12-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our 3rd Progressive Supper. My daughter and some of her friends started this tradition with me three years ago and it has just become a high light in my holiday list of seasonal cheer. I was saddened that we had lost one of our original members when she moved away from the area. My wonderfully talented niece Mandy, made the move over the summer so was unable to attend. We also lost our little Angie, who didn't have a babysitter. Angie's home had always been on the list of homes to stop at. She, like Mandy, has a talent that rivals no other and shares my love of Christmas. Our little Lisa didn't come, I am not sure why. She was host one of the years and yum, yum can that girl cook. My niece Phaedra was on the list to come and even host if she got into her new home, always full of sprite we missed her happy go lucky personality. I hope her other party was everything she wanted it to be. HOWEVER when I stopped boo hooing because we lost friends, I rejoiced in the new faces that we were so happy to have join us. Fish, a Chadronite, came all the way over with Jess to help us celebrate. Her name really isn't Fish but what a fun nick name it is. Also new on our list is Tracy, her stay was cut a little short so you won't see her in the photo but believe me we enjoyed her company and I hope she continues to share with us our little tradition. Amanda was also new this year, she so graciously opened her home to us AND did the main meal. Thanks Amanda.

So here goes a little picture story of our dinner.

Our first stop was at Becky's. We had some yummy appetizers at her home and her eye candy was just beautiful as always. Becky added a new tree to her living room and I didn't take a picture - sorry! I think I was so enthralled with her big tree and the view that I forgot.

You can't really see the church's steeple in the window, I tried to capture it, really you just had to be there. Becky's home is on a hill and when the sun was setting that evening you could see the outline of the church steeple, surrounded by Becky's tree lights - it was absolutely blazing beautiful.

When you have been host for a couple of years you feel like you need to mix things up a little with your decorating. Becky made this cool little centerpiece from twigs and candy. Sorry I didn't get a full shot where you could see her pretty decorations on the bottom of the jar. All pretty and blue it was a really sweet centerpiece. After a few bottles of wine, some hilarious chit chat we were off to the next house.

Thanks Becky & JEFF for opening your beautiful home to us. It was so much fun.

Amanda's home was so warm and inviting, I could have snuggled up to that fire and never moved. Her table was set in reds and gold and the food - was oh so yummy! Glazed ham, creamy mashed potatoes; green beans and a pasta salad that I really needed to take a photo of. It was as pretty as a Christmas picture.

Here is the ham. It was cooked to perfection and just melted in your mouth. I think some of the thanks goes to her husband Joe, who was bustling about the kitchen when we got there. Amanda also had some gorgeous Christmas trees in her home too. It is a HUGE home - thank you Amanda and Joe for opening your home to us.

Our last stop was my house for dessert. It wasn't what I had planned on it being but it looked festive...that counts doesn't it? Well I had the best help making my jello and brownie desserts from two little grannies. What they didn't eat they decorated and it was fun in itself.

It wasn't all frosty at my house, I also had some warm hot cocoa in the snowman jar. Isn't he cute? This little snowman belongs to my daughter and if ever I can find one like him I am buying it johnny on the spot, even if it isn't on sale.

So here is our group minus Tracy, who ran home to help with some baby sitting issues. She was with us in spirit though and I want to thank her for helping to make the night so much fun.

So here we are - back row: Becky, Misty, Amanda and Brandi. Front row: Myself (Deb), Fish and Jess.

Oh Christmas Ornaments!

2010-12-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

I think more than putting up the tree I enjoy taking photos of the ornaments. Here are just a few that I have been playing with to get me in the spirit.

MMM - shiney red

I just love how the lights shine through these ornaments.

And my tree wouldn't be complete without some red. Lots and lots of red!

Baby Lou - the BIG 1!

2010-12-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Baby Lucas turned 1 year old!

So hard to believe that one whole year has passed since the young man entered the world, but it has and he is the 'cats pajamas' in our world. Here are some photos - I will let them speak for themselves.

Happy Birthday Baby Lucas!

Waiting for the rug to dry!

2010-11-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

What a stupid title I know, but it is what I am doing. Yesterday began the chore of taking down the fall decorations, cleaning and starting on Christmas/winter decor. As always I am overwhelmed. I don't know what frustrates me the most, having no room to decorate or having no room to store decorations. Anyway, does anyone else have a tiny home? What do you do? I would appreciate any tips that are out there.
   I will admit my depression always sets in this time of year because I feel so limited, trapped, crowded....I don't even have enough words to describe the feelings of entrapment I get in the winter. During the spring, summer and fall months I just extend our home outside but brrrrrrrrr it is just too cold to do that.
   So I woke up this morning and told myself - work with what you got. Be glad you have a snug little roof over your head and quit feeling sorry for yourself. So the fall decor is down; the rugs are cleaned and wet -- thought I would give them a little wash and Jeff is on his way home with one of 3 trees. I am giving up two of my trees this year, hopefully to allow more room for living. With our growing family now up to 15, we get a little squished, and then we all want our friends so let's add about 10 more and believe me the house fills up fast.
  I know that it is just a matter of time when life won't be so full, and I just need to take a breath, enjoy the fullness of my life and - shucks, call Jeff and tell him to bring the other two trees.

The kindness and honesty of others!

2010-11-17T11:02:00.001-07:00

Had to run to the grocery store last night - to get the goods for my new diet. I get to the cash register and no checkbook. I knew, knew, knew that I had put it in my purse, I used it moments before to get gas and now - GONE. Lucky for me I did have another checking account and checkbook to use and was able to check out - but what the devil happened to the other I wondered and worried? I retraced my steps, nope nowhere was it to be found. I was still digging in my purse, the back seat, under the seat, my coat pockets when I heard this very quiet voice say "I noticed it looked like maybe you lost something". And there he was, this very shy young man holding my checkbook. He was on his way into the store to turn it in when he saw, a somewhat frantic woman I must say, searching like a hound dog in her car. I would have given him a hug but he WAS a stranger and very shy one at that. It is so great to find honest people in this world. I should NOT be surprised because I know some wonderful people, but in today's world, we don't always get to experience that. So thanks young man, whomever you are. Not only did I find my checkbook but a renewed faith in mankind.

A new day...a new diet!

2010-11-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I don't usually blog about things like diets however I am told that making a public statement helps you to stay committed to a diet since everyone is looking on. Mostly I need a challenge, that is when I get stubborn and competitive. So here goes - my new goal. I really need to get my blood pressure under control that is priority no. 1. And then priority no. 2 is, of course, is to be thinner.

This is the new diet that I am trying. My friend Becky gave me this diet as her daughter-in-law has been using it to lose weight before her trip to Mexico and her wedding. She looks fabulous and made a beautiful bride. Becky also said her co-workers have been doing this diet and they are all looking good so here goes. Wish me luck.

My Special Buy

2010-11-10T11:24:00.001-07:00

I never considered myself a collector, however pottery, plates, dinnerware......they all seem to be piling up in my cupboard. Being on a small budget I am not one of those people who can go out and buy a whole set of something at one time. Things have to come in small doses and well, they have to come cheap.

I fell in love with a set of dishes that belonged to my friend Becky, who died suddenly at the early age of 55. She has this wonderful set of 'corn' dishes and I just thought they were cute. Becky had an antique store and sold a mish mash of antiques, collectibles and the like. Recently they had an auction of all of her store items and I was fortunate enough to get a couple of her treasures.

This cookie jar was a steal at just $15.00 dollars. I wanted the tea set also but it was cracked and still went for a little more than I wanted to pay.

I think this is a casserole dish. Not really sure but that is what I am going to call it. Can't you just see a table setting in late July or early August or heck all fall using these items?

Aren't they just so cute together. I just wanted to start using them right away so I have cookies in the oven right now and later this afternoon I am thinking a corn casserole would be nice for supper.

After looking on the Internet I decided I had better see if my corn pottery are original and yes, they are! I think I could really get into collecting, and I just saw some items on EBay so I am off to shop.

Upcoming Events!

2010-11-09T19:17:00.001-07:00

Just when I think it is slowing down I find it's NOT! I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that November is here and well...on it's way out. Here's what is going on in my world.

Baby Lucas will turn 1 on Nov. 21st. His birthday is on a Sunday and we are five hours away. Jeff has to work Sat. and well probably Monday so it will be a short, fast trip but I can't miss it.

My days are spent getting ready for the Historical Christmas Dinner. Getting entertainment has been and will always be my biggest challenge. We have tapped out almost all of our local resources, the college, the churches, the schools, friends.......but still I have some great entertainment on the line up this year. Last year the bell ringers were a great hit, hard to top that but I have some wonderfully talented people coming this year.

As always decorating is such a big part of Christmas. Besides decorating Brick 17 I have to decorate for the Historical Dinner, the employee Christmas party and if any energy is left, my house. No I am NOT complaining because I love, love, love to decorate - time however plays a big part on enjoyment of the season. AND it can get really chilly in the highranger putting lights on a 3 story building in the middle of Nov.

Cutting up greenery and making wreaths, centerpieces and decorations for 200 people can take some major planning but it is well worth it. This year has a patriotic theme along with the usual Christmas decor.

I am excited to decorate my tree this year, I don't know if I will ever tire of this chore. I have to be careful because Jeff hates & complains so much about early decorating. In his world perfect would be decorating on Christmas Eve, take it down Dec. 26th...........no better yet, don't do it at all. Not that he helps in anyway but he sure let's me know how much he hates me doing it. What is with that??? I have never understood. Oh what the heck, at this point I think we are home alone for Thanksgiving so why not decorate on my 4 day weekend, or better yet, next week when I am home alone during deer season.

Then there is deer season, now why would I have this on my list of to do's? I hate guns, and more than that, killing something, but working for Game and Parks during hunting season is like being a quarterback during football season. We work long days and stay open 16 hours a day 7 days a week.

And then there is Thanksgiving.....I will be cooking rather it is a 20 lb. turkey or 8. I will still be cooking something for Jeff and myself and maybe two of the boys. And when Jeff takes off to the station up comes the tree if it isn't already. Tee Hee!!

And then I did it...yes I did! I agreed to host something at my house for the progressive dinner. I can't wait for that. We get to see all these beautiful homes, we get to decorate and then eat, drink and be MERRY!!

So what's on your plate in November?

1910 Historical Christmas Dinner

2010-11-05T11:38:00.001-06:00

We are so excited once again for our Historical Christmas Dinner here at Fort Rob. Our 200 tickets sold out by Monday night. We will be celebrating 100 years this year, highlighting the year 1910. Fort Rob was an active military post at that time and we will be eating foods cooked right from the original menu served to the soldiers.

This is one of the groups that will be performing for our guests. They dress in 'Dicken's Costume' and sing Christmas music. Their first appearance will be on the front porch of the Buffalo Barracks at 5:30. If you were one of the 200 lucky ticket takers you will also get to hear them perform on stage after a yummy bigger than life meal.

Also the lights will be turned on from all of the wonderful sponsors of 'Light Up The Fort'.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T20:45:00.001-06:00

We are 'Off to see the Wizard....The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'

The Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man went looking for the Great Oz. Look at all of the characters they found.

The Great and Powerful Oz; Cowardly Lion; Dorothy; Tin Man; The Bad Witch and Glenda The Good Witch. What a fun Halloween we had.

Our whole group.

Fun at the zoo! We went to spooktackular Friday night.

There were some pretty scary creatures at the Zoo.

We also went to the Halloween Parade for some costume fun.

And then we carved pumpkins - and some of us had a little pumpkin snack.

Some of the finished products after a long night of carving; eating chili and making somores.

And finally we went Trick or Treating!

What a busy weekend we had!

Emma in the Patch!

2010-10-25T11:01:00.001-06:00

My beautiful little Emma Jean got to come to the pumpkin patch this weekend. She is just such a natural beauty and I love, love, love to spend time with her. And she does a great job of posing for grandma.

Grandma has loved this pumpkin that grew in the corn field and I try talking everyone into picking it but no one dose. That's ok....I use it as a prop.

Nope, this it the pumkin that emma picked......a green little pumpkin so smal and so green it was hidden in amongst the weeds and dead leaves. One of the beauties of having so many pumpkins is you can pick big, small, green, orange - just anything you like.

Here she is again getting a photo on the wagon. It was such a beautiful day for pumpkin picking. Emma got to play with some of her cousins and then made some new friends who came to the Patch.

Her dad is helping her look for a pumpkin for her little brother Bateson.

Here she is with her little green pumpkin - it is a really cute pumpkin.

Jaxon and Preston wanted their picture taken with Emma too!

We are so looking forward to next week, we will carve all of our pumpkins and we have a ton. TOn Saturday we will gert our costumes on for the Halloween parade, go trick or treating around the town and also do a family photo shoot. On Sunday our whole family is getting dressed up to go around town to trick or treat. I am like a little kid in a candy shop.

Happy Week To All!

October madness or where I have been all month!!

2010-10-21T21:48:00.003-06:00

Oh how fast time does fly, I just can't believe that Oct. is almost over. Only 10 more days until Halloween......zooie I just can't believe that. So I have been busy - on my most favorite month. I almost let it pass me by, or so it seems so here is what I have been up too.

I have been tending this garden - it isn't an Oct. shot but it will show a little bit of what seems to keep me busy any time I am not chasing around with the kids and grannies. The pumpkin patch continues on behind those trees. I planted three areas with pumpkins - because I LoVe Pumpkins - and fall and orange, need I say more.

Here are some of their beautiful blooms. Ouch as I look I see one of those rotten goat head weeds hiding amongst the beauty. Don't they have just gorgeous blooms.

And I keep tending those pumpkins, praying that they get to maturity, not to soon, not to late.

I took a trip into the Hills to see some of the beautiful fall foliage we one of my best buds Becky. We had a great time even though I swear we drove clear through the whole state of SD.

We chased trains by Hill City and we stayed in this cute little cabin pictured below. It was a great get away even if we were lost most of the time.

The beauty of it all, well besides the beauty of the scenery is that Becky let me stop any place my little leaf peeping heart desired and I got a chance to photograph some of the pretty places along the way.

This is Spearfish Canyon and it was just at peak season when we drove through it.

So I also spent time watching my favorite sport ever - FOOTBALL! And making it even better was that my grandson was one of the players. Taylor is in the red - he caught that pass despite the strong defense of the Hot Springs player.

I also got to spend time with baby Lu. It would have been a much better trip if I hadn't gotten sicker than a dog - probably the sickest I have ever been in my life......... but despite that we got in a little pre-Halloween fun. Most of our family is going to get dressed up for Halloween.

Don't know if the kiddos are going to enjoy it as much as we do but I sure hope so. I hope when I leave this world my kids and grandkids will remember that grannie liked to have fun. Those are NOT my legs - aren't they cool looking?

Did I say that I watched some football - oh yeah I did but this is Austin's football not Taylor's. I also made it to one of Jaxon's soccer games but took pictures with his mom's camera so.... I don't have any. Boo Hoo.....come on Brandi share!

Then there were birthday parties - well one that is. Mr. Jaxon turned 5 and his mom sure did put on one fun party. Jaxon said it was the 'best' ever.

Baby brother Cash had a pretty good time too!

The cakes were yummy, even if grandpa threw a football in the middle of it. We were after the little ones to not throw the football around the table and then gramps got the ball and look out. Luckily it didn't damage it to much.

And then.........back to the pumpkin patch - I don't know how many hours I have spent in the pumpkin patch, but a lot. However I love, love, love it and even more, I love when the grandkiddos come to the patch. My other love is to watch kids play in the pumpkin patch and we had some wonderful visitors. Pre-school, Kindergarten, First and Second grades all took a bus trip to the patch. We also have other wonderful friends who support our efforts a the Patch and we so appreciate them bringing their kids over.

I like to photograph my pumpkins too - several pumpkins grew through the rows of corn and gave my little photographic heart something to play with.

And then there were the photo shoots. My great nieces Kamden and Kendall came to the patch for pumpkins and a few photo shots. Kammie is just a natural poser and sometimes we get some good pictures...........and............

...........sometimes we don't. Kendal didn't care for even one thing in the patch. No, that isn't true she loved laughing at her mom and dad trying to get her to laugh - she just wasn't too thrilled about me taking the photos, or the straw, or the wagon, or the grass....you get the picture.

And then there's my Jaxon. He is a good little poser for grandma.

Little Miss Adrianne picked her favorite pumpkin when she came to the Patch with her class.

But first she drew it! She looks so intent on making the perfect pumpkin!

Here they are enjoying the wagon and more pumpkins.

Mrs. Miller has been bringing her classroom down to the Patch for several years. We love it when they visit.

Since uncle Damion and aunt Daunee' weren't here to get their pumpkins Austin wanted to pick out theirs. UMMMM he thought that Damion would love the butt crack pumpkin.

And then Cash just couldn't decide which pumpkin to pick so we looked and looked.

"Maybe grandpa, maybe not!"

"Oh I think I see the one I want!"

"You don't think it is perfect?"

"YUP - I want THIS one!"

"AW the perfect pumpkin - it makes me happy!"

More photo shoots - The Wendland Family!! Don't they look great? I love the red and the Husker theme!

AND THEN...........THE VERY BEST THING HAPPENED IN FALL!

One of my very best and dearest friend's daughter, who has been fighting colon cancer - was declared

CANCER FREE -- YES THAT IS RIGHT - CANCER FREE

It has been the best October EVER!

Oh Fall - how I love thee, let me count the ways.

2010-09-23T21:35:00.001-06:00

Fall IS my favorite time of the year, - I see it through eyes not of an ending of summer but the beginning of something beautiful.

{The scenery........is amazing!}

{Pumpkins......pumpkins..........pumpkins!!}

{Scarecrows}

{Playing in the pumpkin patch - cats and straw bales!}

The colors are so very rich, the fruit so bright.

{The annual Kennedy Pumkin' Carvin' Day}

{Designing your pumpkin!}

{Jack-o-lanterns}

{Being spooky!!}

{Football, football, football and ...............

.........more football.}

{Crafting - decorating - PUMPKINS!!}

{The most beautiful sunsets!}

{Dressing up - you don't need to be a kid to enjoy it.}

{Trick or Treating!}

{Pumpkin Blossoms}

{Sunflowers}

{A harvest moon}

{Geese flying}

{Sitting on the back deck}

{Bike rides with your buds}

{Leaf Peeping}

These are just a few of my favorite things about fall. I also love the smells of the warm earth, the warm days and cool nights, wearing sweatshirts....My list is long.

So all you fall lovers, tell me, what about fall do you love.

Baby Lou, growing big one day at a time.

2010-09-20T20:30:00.001-06:00

Went to Sheridan last weekend and got a few photos of Baby Lou. This little young man changed so much since I last saw him on July 4. He can pull himself up, crawl like he is running from a fire, do 'so big', wave bye bye and get into everything. I love ya Baby Lou! Oh, I forgot, he has two teeth too! Right on the bottom gum, he would make a great pumpkin for Halloween.

I am THIS BIG grandma!

Lucas was showing grandma 'so big' on my visit to Sheridan.

Just chillin' waiting to go to church. I love those baby blues!!

9 mth. photo shoot.

Playing Peek A Boo!

So Big again!

Little OshKosh Boy! AND, look at all that hair!

A boy and his Wagon.

Up, up and away!

This little Lady Bug turned 4!

2010-09-19T19:29:00.001-06:00

My youngest granddaughter - little bug that she is, just turned 4. Emma is the most precious little girl and she is so full of fun and life that I just love spending time with her. Aunt Brandi wanted to make her 4th birthday party so special so she bought her this little lady bug costume and then decorated with that theme.

Red, white and black were the colors of the party. Of course it all of us Husker fans really enjoyed that on a 'game day' to boot.

Emma's cousins and her brother helped to celebrate.

Grandma couldn't find a lady bug cake and was short on time so we had one with flowers cuz we all know what lady bugs like.

The plates, cups and table cloth were filled with lady bugs.

Blowing out the candle and making a wish!

And then there were presents!!

And help from the cousins!

Happy Birthday Emma!!

Followers!

2010-09-16T10:44:00.000-06:00

I love looking at blogs and more than not end up being a follower as there are so many, many wonderful blogs out there and I don't want to miss a one. I am not the best of bloggers, days go by before I get something posted and more likely than not it is because I took a picture of something that I wanted to share or something about a family member. My followers are few and far between but I treasure all of them and frequently stop by their blog to see what is up in their lives. I was saddened when I found that I have lost two followers in the past couple of weeks. Does anyone else pay attention to their followers? Some of the wonderful blogs I follow have thousands of friends checking out their sites and so people should because they are wonderful. But to my very few followers - thanks for sticking with me.

I lost a friend..............

2010-09-06T10:31:00.000-06:00

Today I am grieving for the loss of a friend. A wonderful, witty, wise, beautiful friend and I will miss her so much. This lady worked hard, and had just sold her business so she could take some time with her husband, children, grandchildren, friends and family. She had less than one week of 'freedom' from work and she died. I can't tell you how sad I am for her family, friends, for me, one of her YAYA sisters, for her..............she was just beginning her life. Someone sent me this little verse and I thought that maybe Becky's finger (from heaven) hit the send button to remind us to live life as if today were our last day. Please pray for my beautiful friend Becky and for all who touched her life, as the world is a little less more beautiful today with the loss of such a great person.

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Try everything twice.

On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph: "Tried everything twice. Loved it both times!"

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down.

(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

3. Keep learning:

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever...

Never let the brain get idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'

And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.

Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh,

spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6.. The tears happen:

Endure, grieve, and move on.

The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.

LIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love:

Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever..

Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:

If it is good, preserve it.

If it is unstable, improve it.

If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips..

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county,

to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

I love you, my special friend.

11. Forgive now, those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance..

Remember! Lost time can never be found.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Wine does not make you FAT ...
- it makes you LEAN ....
(Against tables, chairs, floors, walls and ugly people.)

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-08-31T21:46:00.000-06:00

A Butterfly's Tablescape.

2010-08-24T20:47:00.010-06:00

I posted these photos a couple of days ago but thought I would join Tootsie for Flaunt Your Flowers Fertilizer Friday & Cindy for Show and Tell Friday - not that my yard is so beautiful but my guests sure are.

Now don't be disappointed.........it isn't a tablescape with dishes, plates, and oh lala stuff. What it IS - a tablescape that a butterfly would use. I just can't get enough of watching all the butterflies enjoy the purple cone flower in the garden. Silly stuff is really taking over but who cares as along as the butterflies have a table to sit down to and suck that sweet nectar.

This is the table that the butterflies are so enjoying in my yard. No fancy table cloths, or silverware. Just the sweet, sweet flowers blooming in the bed.

I am just so amazed at the markings on this butterfly and the little white dots on the head and body. There must be a dozen or more at one time darting around in the flower bed.

And this old guy, I bet he was a beaut when he was younger - that would be before he lost part of his wing. However it didn't seem to bother him, he kept up with the best of them.

Each butterfly is just a little different.

This little guy was so much smaller and more delicate - there were a lot of these little ones flipping around too.

I wish I knew more about them, what they are called but I don't. This little guy has what looks like two eyes on his wings. I am guessing for protection.

And yet another one that is just a wee bit different than the old guys who was missing a chunk from his wing. So if anyone knows anything about butterflies I would love to hear what kind I have flitting around my garden.

If you love flowers, gardening and beautiful yards please stop by Tootsie's and see her amazing yard. While there be sure to click on the links to all of her participating gardeners and be prepared for an amazing journey. Cindy at My Romantic Home has so MUCH to offer with her amazing home and all of her participants that it takes me a week to get through all of the blogs to visit.

Emma and Capatillers

2010-08-23T21:27:00.001-06:00

Emma was visiting this weekend and while working in the garden she found a fuzzy little caterpillar. We got such a kick out of watching her and what she calls them (capatillers).

Em didn't like bugs especially flies when she was smaller but now is enthralled with them, as you can see by the shirt she is wearing. We just have so much fun when Emma comes to visit.

You can't really see the Mr. Capatiller in this photo but Emma has him in her hands.

I thought that she would go crazy with him crawling all over but she didn't she just watched and watched him.

Mr. Capatiller tried to make an escape, but Emma wouldn't have it.

Can you see him, he is a little fuzzy, well not just his body but the picture too.

I think Mr. Capatiller liked Emma because when she tried to put him down he just clung to her. Well that's what we told Emma. Mr. Capatiller did make it to safety in the flower bed.

Instead of sheep, let me count the butterflies!

2010-08-10T11:56:00.000-06:00

Had a little time on my hands since I once again could not find rest on my pillow tonight, so I played with a photo. Interesting what can be done with just one little picture.

Just the plain ole picture with no playing done to it all except to add my signature.

A reflective frame.

Yet another reflective frame using cream colors instead of black and white. I added a frame to the frame.

How about black and white?

Or as a pencil sketch?

Or in neon colors, isn't that cool the way the butterfly is outlined?

Or made into a collage!

Or, just all jumbled up.....it just so much fun to play with a photo.

OR MAYBE.....Just the butterfly.

My Little Curly Girls!

2010-08-09T11:59:00.000-06:00

I had the honor of having my two little precious grand daughters over for the night. We celebrated Miss Adrianne's 5th birthday on Sat. night and the girls spent the night with grandma and papa. We had a great time playing on the deck despite the heat.

I call them my Curly Girls because they both have these little ringlets of blonde hair. Adrianne's is getting straighter because of the length but still curls in little ringlets when it is all fixed up.

They are so precious and I just love to have them come spend time with me.

Both girls love the flower garden and we spent a little time finding them just the perfect flowers. Emma picked her bouquet to take home to her mama and then I saw that they were still sitting on the counter after she left. Sorry Anne that they didn't get home.

Both girls love animals and papa got a new barn for his 54th birthday...... the girls spent some major time playing with HIS new toy.

It has been so long since Emma let me take some photos of her. She told me I could take exactly four, so I had to make the best of it.

Don't you love the pink stash? Short of using bleach I tried everything to get the Kool Aid stain from her little mouth. I even tried make up remover.

Em doesn't really like bugs but she is intrigued by them and just had to wear her buggy shirt, however when they get close she runs.

Here she is in the tub, she is such a little fish and just lays her head down and swishes around. It was funny the way she told me she needed a bath. I think she called it 'running her through the tub'. It doesn't matter if she just took a bath at her dad's, she come to my house and want to get out the bubble bath and soak. Typical little girl!!

I can't wait for the girls to come again!!