Big Changes

It doesn't take a psychic to know, we have big changes coming our way. 

Big Changes

It's another birthday for him today, April 30.  There are so many things coming up for him I haven't even told you about yet; for tomorrow there will be graduations to go to and  scholarships to use. My heart almost skips a beat when I think of these things. 

It all makes me wonder, are we ready for this new chapter in our lives? 

But then again, I'm not the kind of girl that thinks about tomorrow to often.  I can't help but live in the moment of today.  In good ol' southern fashion, I will think about tomorrow, tomorrow and  today, today.                 For as John Paul II said,  "The future starts today, not tomorrow."

Today there is a cake to make, birthday presents to buy and a party to have. 

Happy Birthday my son.  

!!YAY!!

Can you tell how very EXCITED I am?

One of my photographs was picked as a favorite at the Flower Photography blog today.  I am so excited and encouraged I can hardly contain my joy!  Thank you Flower Photography.  

!!YAY!!

Head on over there and play! 

I love thee - I love thee

Love me and the world is mine.  ~ David Reed

Mr. & Mrs. William F. Finnell Jr.

would like to announce 

the marriage of their daughter, Rebecca Joy 

to Mr. Jamie King, April 23, 2011

 I love thee - I love thee,
'Tis all that I can say
It is my vision in the night,

My dreaming in the day.

~Thomas Hood

Joining ~ Communal global

Just a Little Something I Forgot

As I was looking through the archives of all my past posts ignoring the laundry and dishes pilling high behind me completely aware of my surroundings, I noticed I had  forgotten about this very important post dated July 21, 2010. 

  See this tractor? 

Well, if I put this post on, I would have told you all about this tractor needing a home or a barn. 

Specifically a POLE barn. I think that simply means a barn with a pole in it.  

But, anyway, the barn was built.  Bill, both Georges and Tommy...built a barn made out of poles that will last well over a 150 years and this barn will hold a tractor. 

If I put this post on, I would have mentioned the intense heat last July. I would have also mentioned how cool the barn was on the inside when the  doors were left wide open. 

I would have told you how the wind would blow through these large doors cooling everything in it's path. The wind brought everyone much relief. 

I would have told you all about Tommy, my brother's friend, working on the roof in the 105 degree July heat and how he really just didn't seem to mind.  I think he was just happy to have work. 

I would have mentioned to you that Matthew 

and Stephen painted this pole barn in the intense July heat.  I would have mentioned how the boys came home dripping in sweat and how exhausted they were, not only from the days work, but from the intense Southern July heat. 

Did I mention the month was July and we live in the South and IT WAS HOT! It was really, really hot! 

But, I didn't mention any of it at all. The whole event just slipped by me. It wasn't that I didn't think any of this was important. I simply forgot to go back to the sight with my camera and get a new picture of the now RED barn.  So how could I have posted? 

And then of course, I didn't want to hear Matthew say,  "Wow, your finally putting that stuff up?"  Like he just said today.               Stupid Matthew!            

  

WHATEVER!!!!!! 

Playing along with My Choas my bliss and Give me Your Best Shot

Life When Your 4

Everyone should have one of these.  

A lively four year old to keep your day moving and fun. 

Even on the cloudy days. . . to a four year old. . .

Life is always good! 

Playing along with: Live and Love out loud, Black and White Wednesday,

Extravagant Love

Is there such a thing as Extravagant Love? 

A love that you spend everything you have on.  A love that takes a life time to build.  A love that you give over the top for. 

I believe LOVE can be Extravagant and Extraordinary and Beautiful all at the same time. 

I cannot let this day go by with out telling you: Today, April 18th,  would have been our parents 58th wedding anniversary.  I can also tell you,  our father would have celebrated this day with his wife extravagantly. Not because he was a show off. No, he was never a show off. He knew he could never buy her love. He wanted to show just how VERY much he loved. 


He would have celebrated this day extraordinarily and freely by giving the love he had for her extravagantly. . . like, only he could. He would have lavished our mother with great gifts, fine dinning and only the best he could offer. He would do this because of the love my parents shared, and, I believe, still share for each other was IS a GREAT love. 

An Extravagant, Extraordinary Love

Wind

I know! Two posts in one day. . .Well, I have been up since 4 a.m.. With that said,  I've had a little time on my hands. I saw I Heart Faces is hosting another photo challenge.  This one is called WIND

I love this photo of Matthew, Stephen and Kathryn. To me, this is the perfect photo for such a post.  With the sun shining so bright on these young lives, the wind blowing through their hair, rippling through the water, the thoughtful looks on their faces makes me think:

 ~ They are the future defenders of the world and everything is going to be okay. ~  

Shine! & Easter Eggs

My friend Ellie and her daughter Tia came over Friday. The girls colored Easter eggs and played through the morning. 

You may know Ellie from her blog Shine!. It's a beautiful photography blog about her family.  The love Ellie has for her family "Shine!"s through her photography.  

I wanted a little project for the girls to do while Tia and Ellie where here because my little friend. . .Mary Elizabeth. . . is a little reluctant when meeting up with new friends. She doesn't really like change very much. She is happy with her day to day home school life.  Tia is the type of girl who never meets a stranger. Everyone is her friend. They just don't know it yet. 

As the girls colored their eggs, Ellie and I talked about everything under the sun, including the lighting in my kitchen window.  I learned it was perfect for Easter egg coloring shots. I always learn so much about photography when Ellie is around. 

Ellie is the type of friend that just makes you feel good. She is the type of friend you can have over when things are NOT going just right. Things like: when the vacuum cleaner belt breaks an hour before she comes and you don't have another to finish the job. OR  When you ask your sons to mow the grass the day before because, "We are having company tomorrow."  You tell them, "This lady has never been here before. I would at least like the house to  look like we try." and then your sons  come in the house and say "Mom, the law mower is broken. I don't know what is wrong with it." 


She is the type of friend you could have over when you run out of milk and the laundry is pilling high in the hall. You know she is not judging you and thinking, WOW! What a loser! She can't even keep milk in the house.  

You know the type. 

Lizzy and I need more friends like Ellie and Tia. They are simply easy 

 and fun to have around.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mother Teresa said it best: "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." Man! Mother Teresa was a smart woman! 

He's @ IT again

Remember THIS?

Remember, I told you my Stevie Wonder was making THIS for me. . . It was a Christmas present.               Well. . . we are at IT again. 

By saying we. . . I totally mean HIM.

He told me he "hit a snag".  He said, he had to think about how to get everything to fit together just right and it may just take him awhile. 

So, he thought about it 

and figured it all out by himself.  Now he is on a roll. 

I think I just might have my bench before Mother's Day or sometime close to Mother's Day.                  Well, maybe for my birthday. 

Civic Duty, Confirmation & a Few Confessions

Last night, Kathryn received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The ceremony was beautiful. 

As we waited for Mass to begin I tried to adjust the settings on my camera.

And I tried. 

And I tried. 

Not getting the lighting thing down, I thought: "Oh, Well.  I'll just put all my photos in black and white and post Wednesday on Lisa's Long Road to China and Back; Black and White Wednesday.

Then I  realized, the red in Bishop Gulielmone's vestments were too brilliant to put in black and white.  

But, what a minute! There is another problem! Stephen has his eyes closed. Drats! Stupid Stephen!         I had one shot at this last night and we blew it. 

Because these photographs are so important to me,  I did what any good mother would do.

 I cropped Stephen and Liz out of the picture, put a cool frame around it and hope no one will notice Liz's arm sticking out on the right side of this photo.  

Whatever you do, just don't look there.  Okay???

I took what I thought was a decent photo of my mom, Mark and the kids. But, there is Stephen again with "the"eyes.   

       

Then of course, I took this one of Deacon Matt slugging my son in the face.  AND I thought. . .Can I use any of these photos for a post about the wonderful thing that happened last night? 

When I learned from Communal Global Photo Bucket is holding our pictures hostage, I felt is was a civic duty to post and link up to them. 

So here I am:  helping out my fellow blogging Sistas at Communal Global, confessing all my photograph sorrows,  and posting about the wonders of the evening.