Foto Friday

This week I didn't take any pictures in preparation for today.  I jaunted over to my Shutterfly account and grabbed some older pictures of Caden.  He has always been the adorable, gonna-make-you-smile boy!  Enjoy!

My Dart Boy

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

My Dryer Boy (a favorite hide-out of his when we lived in our 50 yr old cabin).

My Garden Boy

This was take when we lived in the cabin.  My grandparents always had a huge garden out back.  When we moved in, we gave it a try as well.  To this day, Caden is a huge help in the garden.  His favorite thing?  Digging potatoes and pulling carrots.

My Phillies Boy

This picture was in 2004 I think.  

We headed back east and caught a very rainy Phillies game. Caden was a trooper - he slept through most of the game and rain.  He was such a go-with-the-flow baby.

So I was up at 5 today to make Jason some tasty Pizzelle treats before he heads out a comp hockey trip to Anchorage.  He has 3 or 4 games this weekend.  He hasn't been feeling well, but he wanted to go anyway.  He is usually at school right now, but its weird how I miss him anyway.  I guess it's just knowing he is on a bus in the middle of Alaska and going to be gone until Sunday night.  Knowing he will be playing hockey games and I won't be able to see them.  Who knows.  Maybe its knowing that there are team mates who are less than desirable in character (that's a whole other post).

Tonight, I plan on doing Carly's finger nails.  That is my goal. I hope she has enough free time for it.  Probably not.

I think we may be cutting wood also to get ready for winter - maybe.  The big boys were going to help do that (so I'll have to get gas for the chainsaws) - but I know there is an Ice Dogs hockey game tonight and John has plans to run video for them.  I don't know what that means.  I hope they pay him though.

And - we got our PFD's from the State of Alaska.  Such a controversial subject.  How do you spend a free $1000.00?  I bought a car with mine.  The kids will get a tad bit of theirs to do as they please - otherwise, the cabinets of groceries will have to appease them.  And the checks I write to their hockey.  And the shoes I have to buy because their feet are endlessly growing.  Jason's feet grew 4 sizes in a year.  1/2 of a size in the last 2 months.  Carly is just growing into mine - easy there.  Caden doesn't complain.  He loves his shoes and he never wants to upgrade.  To him, they just get more comfortable.  Sometimes he will have grown almost 2 sizes before it is a problem for him.

Jay, once again, is dedicating his money to our family bills.  Money will go towards the CC that we paid for our plane tickets to Mexico with (we are going in May with the kids!!!)  We also need to get the kiddies their passports.  MORE MONEY. 

Boy do I need a job.  

Normally, I do some Christmas shopping with our money.  This year we are practicing minimalism.  :)  We won't be good at it.

Someday, I will have a job with my own money to do something wonderful for my husband and children,

Love'n Takin' Pictures!

This picture didn't necessarily need editing, but I was going for a particular effect. I didn't accomplish it even though I layered editing upon editing. I really wanted my stones and blue bells to pop but couldn't do it. I settled for a greenish blend that seemed to camouflage it all, making it appear the blue bells have sought solace in the safety of the concrete stone wall.

I found these buckets walking through the woods by my parent's house. They were outside the site where our root cellar once stood. I use one of those bottom buckets at my house when I harvest potatoes.

This is the side of my Dad's garage. I loved seeing the snow shoes hanging with the summer garden supplies. THEN I noticed the bird's nest. I absolutely love how the hose has deteriorated. The app I used whitened the highly deteriorated spots.

This mailbox is lying on the roadside near our home. The home is for sale, and seems to be all of the time. Like the home, the mailbox seems to have been forgotten.

It is just getting better with my iPhone camera and editing apps! I wish it were this easy on my computer . . . but I'm not quite there yet.

Greetings Autumn . . . so happy to see you. It's been too long.

Hooray for fall weather and beautiful trees, leaves and bright sun shining through the branches! I took the opportunity to bring the kids outside for some pictures. So, it was torture.

First, I suggested to a ten 1/2 yr old girl what to wear. Oh My Goodness! How do you spell the sound a girl makes when she bawls? I then suggested she just wear what ever she wanted *waaaaaa*. So I then told her to just go get herself cleaned up and comb her hair so we can take pictures - MELTDOWN!

Finally, it was all set and I started to take pictures. My camera didn't work. I went in search of another camera and Carly thought I quit because of her . . . breakdown!

Finally I found an old camera, put in a card, and we were on our way to dorky fall photos.

This was torturous as well. I tried hard to get all of my "Bart Simpsons" to settle down and get serious. It just wasn't happening. In every single picture someone was messing around.

The extra gentleman is an Ice Dog hockey player we are housing for the season. He was kind enough to hop into one of our memories - but was as much a pain in ass as the others to get him to stop laughing.

Just goofing around.

One of my favorites!

It was much easier to get pictures of Jason while he had his hockey stick . . . it gave him something to think about other than me snapping pictures. In most of the pictures, he was in a foul mood and grumpy. He didn't want to smile. Didn't want to be with his siblings. I finally got him to smile for a couple by saying some things I am definitely not repeating here on blogger. I think he looked better in the pictures with the maroon t-shirt on also, instead of the green polo - though I do love the polo.

LOVE the blue sky!