Yay! For the. . .

It's Father's Day tomorrow and "The Paper Mama" is having another photo challenge: This time the picture has to have a father in the photo. The father I am featuring today is my brother in law. As far as brother in laws go -  He's okay, kind of nice, really great. Actually, this man is many, many things;  we just won't go into ALL that today. That's just not the kind of blog I'm running here.  I just want to win a button.  So back to Riener and my photo. 

As I was saying before you distracted me ~ Reiner is  many, many things. 

The one thing Riener  IS - is a good Father.  So it just seems natural I would use this picture today. Plus, Lizzy said she really liked this photo. I keep on losing these contests so yup! that's right. I'm depending on the four year old to help me out.  


I tell myself it's okay I lose these.  I really don't care.  I'll just get better AND I just do these for fun. It's all just fun. See? It's all in how you play the game. . . Yup!    I'm happy for those other people. . .those stupid winners.                    OKAY!             

 I'm happy for them ~  Darn-it!  ~  Just plan happy about the whole thing! ~  

Yay! for the stupid winners. 

Bigger then Themselves

On this Fabulous Friday we are redefining the finer things in life while we embrace every moment in the Studio of our Lives. . .

as all three of our older children volunteer through out the week for VBS and for a cause that each one of the three knows is much bigger then themselves. 



 

Mark, Me & An Anniversary . . .

A life time ago on this day, I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance, a church filled with family and friends.

I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for.

He said, "He didn't care. He would marry me anywhere.  He only dreamed of a wedding that would make me his wife." 

This is Big!

Guess who's swimming by herself. . .

 under water and everything. 

YUP! 

It's Mayree-Lizzy-Beth! 

Playing along with: communal global 

Bright & Vivid

So, I heart faces is looking for  Bright and Vivid photographs today . . .

I ask you... can bright and vivid be defined in our body language too? 

Bright and Vivid. . . I Heart Faces

Not Easier

So, here's another attempt at yet another photo challenge. This one has to have the color green in the photo.   Today I am thinking . . . Geee, trying to win these things is quickly becoming an obsession for me.

 It's almost like when I would see a trophy for a kick-boxing tournament. 

In those days, when I would hear about a tournament, my first thought was always "No, I am not going to enter. It would be crazy for me to enter. There is no way I'm going to do it."  Then I would see the trophy and something would click. It always happened. I couldn't help but drool a little and think "Ohhhh! That's nice..." Before I  knew it, I was playing.  Funny thing about those trophies, each time I won one I gave it to my kids. They collect dust on their shelves. I guess these challenges are a little safer and not as intense. But, I tell you, they are not easier to win. 

My Sunflower

On this "Fabulous Friday" we are redefining the "Finer Things in Life"  as

"We Live Every Moment"  "In the Studio" of our lives carefully growing the treasures we hold so dear in our hands. 

Playing along with: 

    

"Take Pictures"

I know.  What can I say? She is the only one I have left that will let me take her picture over and over again.              ~  And yes. . . there is another contest. ~

This one is over at "The Paper Mama".  The contest is called "your best shot". This contest is being judged by some of my favorite bloggers. With these woman ~ I feel comfortable enough to give this contest a try. 

You see, I love snapping pictures.  AND. . . I am told I take a lot of pictures.  There are times I think, they might be right: I just may be taking way to many pictures and I should give it a rest.     

That's when some of the last words my father  said to me creep into my mind:   

He whispered ~ "take pictures."  With those words always on my mind and the sheer facts that I not only want to please him,  I really want to improve on this photography thing: I snap click. 

The only way to improve is to practice, practice, practice. Right? Oh! yeah, and have fun while your doing it too.  So here is my attempt of my "best shot" of yours truly from last week. We were just about to have a swimming lesson and she couldn't have been happier . . . dirty face and all. 

A Day without the Best Nana Ever

Mary Elizabeth and I went to the Scottish Games at Furman University last weekend to see the activities and in hopes to meet up with "the best Nana ever" and Auntie, her sister. 

We saw men is skirts doing all kinds of things like: throwing sand bags and polls, playing bag pipes and flutes to beautiful dresses for woman.   ~ Sadly, we never found Nana or Auntie.

Without finding "the best Nana ever and her sister",  quite honestly Mary Elizabeth was not very impressed with the Scottish Games or the men in skirts. 

She wanted to feed the Swans. Now to her, that is something to see. Everyone knows Furman is the place a person should go to feed ducks.  We left our hopes of finding Nana and her sister: We left the Scottish men in skirts and went to the ducks and swans.  

Although the swans were very exciting the day was hot.  We decided blue ice cream was in order and thought just maybe Nana and her sister might have the same idea.  They like ice cream.             But, it ended up just being the two of us.               One of us was happy about that ~ the other one. . .well. . . she just wanted to see "the best Nana ever. . . that was all."

When we saw balloons in the distance our hearts soared with pure joy . 

We thought it would be fun to call Stephen to ask if he wanted to join us in our great balloon chase. After all, everyone knows,  if you can't see "the best Nana ever. . . and her sister" "the best big brother ever" IS . . .well. . . second best. 

So we quickly picked up Stephen and began our adventure (( with our second best))  "the best big brother ever" by our side.

 and we  "chased balloons ALL. . . Night. . . Long" ~   as my youngest daughter tells the story. 

The End! 

Playing along with: 

In the Distance

 The theme over at I Heart Faces this week is Distance.

I took this photo of balloons in the distance last week when Mary Elizabeth, Stephen and I went out "to chase" balloons that flew from Freedom Weekend Aloft.  


In this photo, if you look closely, you can see a person in the basket of the balloon releasing the fires. You can see the excitement of people running around as the balloon takes flight. You can see the Carolina sunset sinking into the trees as the balloon and it's passenger reaches for the sky to bid good night.  

I Heart the Best Face of May

I heart faces is having a "best face photo/people's choice" challenge for the month of May.  

Since I'm pretty partial to this face and I feel like these little challenges are helping with my photo skills, I thought I would post this picture.  I love how the blue glasses brings out the color of  Liz's eyes in this photo.   

                           I Heart Faces ~ Give it a try. 

Slipping right into Summer

I really don't have anything to say today except; this is my favor photo this week. I was just taking photos, practicing really and I came up with this. 

I just love the brightness of it all. The motion of Kathryn's strokes in the water. . . By the way ~ In the South, we have slipped right into Summer.  Have I mentioned that the pool is open? 

Artist in the Making

On this very rainy Friday morning, "In the Studio"  today 

  

we are working on a little self portrait. 

. . . I did???

So the other day, I was talking to one of the kids about something in the kitchen. I can't even remember now what the conversation was about. Matthew sidled up to me, tucking me into his arm.  

He said very sincerely, "Mom, I would just like to thank you for home schooling me."  I said, "What???" He said, "I just want to tell you: home school is the best thing you could have done for us. I know it was a lot for you to home school me. I just wanted to thank you. I realized when I was talking to someone the other night, you not only gave me a great education, you taught me how to think."  

I said in Awe. . .

~  I did? ~ 


Playing along with: http://andthenshesnapped.blogspot.com/

Best Friends and a little bit of Yellow

The photo challenge this week over at I Heart Faces is Yellow.

This is a photo I took of Mary Elizabeth and her "Best Friend" Madalyn Grace. The girls were waiting, with much anticipation, for an outing to the park with "the best Nana ever". . .Nana Grace.