Instagrammin' It

Here's the third and final draft that I wrote and never posted.  Things that were happening in my life last year...

Snow.  This is right out the window where my desk is.  Sometimes it's hard to work with scenery like this!

Being silly with Hubby. I actually posted this on Instagram for Valentine's Day when everyone else was posting their sappy, romantic photos of red roses and filet mignon.  I'd take this kind of a Valentine any day over one who takes me out for $200 meals!  (Thanks to the kids for the fabulous photography work!)

Sisters.  I walked into their room to check on them and this is how they were sleeping!  I absolutely love that!  (Yes, we actually have bedding that matches...I don't know exactly what was going on here.)

A sweet text from a very dear, older friend.  I greatly admire her and hope I can be like her some day.  I'm glad I saved this photo.

My Instagram

Here's what's been going on with me lately on Instagram...

My dear friend bought me this candle for my birthday and I think it's the best thing I've ever smelled.  Ever!  It's from Bath & Body Works and is called "Pink Sangria."  I wish they made it in a lotion!

Remains of my birthday lunch at PF Chang's.  The Chicken Lo-Mein was amazing!!!

Yeah, I scored 96 points in one turn against my aunt, who is a semi-professional WWF player.  Just to clarify, I have no clue what "Vina" is and didn't know it was a word.  Does that still count?

This is a life-sized self portrait of Baby Girl on her sister's bedroom wall.  The medium of choice- Turquoise Sharpie.  It's still there if anyone wants to come view this work of art 

(and will still be there until I repaint).

She was studying that day.

And loving her dad.

Finally, not yet posted on Instagram, is my husband "hunting" through the kitchen window.  He's out to make all the squirrels in the neighborhood die.  Sorry, animal lovers.  He's had enough of the squirrels that chew through our siding and invade our home.  

Just because I photograph it doesn't mean I'm in favor of it!

By the way, an app that lets you share pictures with all your friends...right up my alley!

Rain, Rain Go Away

I'm very thankful for all the rain we had over the weekend.  The grass needed it; the garden needed it.  But now I'm ready for the sun to come out and dry everything off!  Our warm summer days are numbered.

Cell Phone Pics

I keep getting error messages that all the space on my cell phone is filled.  So I began the process of deleting old text messages and photos.  It pains me because I like to save everything.  For example, I have one text message from my son that actually uses the word "love."  I will not be deleting that.  He isn't very affectionate so I treasure the few moments that he is.

Some of the pictures on my phone were quite interesting.  About halfway through the big delete, I thought Man, I should have posted some of these on my blog!  So even though several are already trashed, I decided to go ahead with the project.  Here are the kind of pictures I save:



Baby Girl's first Carousel ride at the Fair



Baby Girl's first "roller coaster" ride.  She was so excited to
ride the dragon.  Poor thing screamed her head off!



While walking past the bathroom one day, this is what I saw.



While cleaning out the basement, we discovered

this old police scanner radio.  I sent this pic to
Hubby telling him I found his very first cell phone.



Also while cleaning out the basement, I found these sweat

pants that I hid from Hubby years ago.  Yes, he wore these

on one of our first dates in 1992.  I couldn't bear to actually

throw them away but I don't want to take a chance that he

might wear them again.



Son #1 bragging that he knew his piano lesson so well, he
could do it blindfolded.  (That is a throw blanket on his head.)

 

Another discovery of the crazy things Baby

Girl does in her spare time.



Potty training at its best.

Things I Want to do Again

I have my computer's screen saver set up to run a slideshow of all my archived photos (and there are A LOT).  For quite a while yesterday, I just sat there watching the slide show.  And I came to the realization, I've done a lot of neat things in my life!  Maybe it's just the fact that this long, cold winter is dragging on and on, but I'm getting a little cabin fever.  I feel like getting out and doing something exciting!  So I thought it might be fun to post some pictures of some of the more interesting things I've done in life.  Please excuse the quality of some of the photos....they were taken before I had a nice camera!


This isn't exactly something I would want to do again but it was neat.
Once when we were out eating, a tornado came through our town and took down
these two pine trees in our front yard.  It was really surprising coming home to find this mess!

 

We got the opportunity to see American Idol on tour.
Carrie Underwood was my favorite performer of the night.

 

Hubby and I snuck backstage at a festival concert to see our favorite artist.
The thousands of people in the crowd were a sight to behold!



Hubby and I had the chance to see a Denver Broncos playoff game at Invesco Field.
I'm not really a fan but it was a once in a lifetime experience.
(My team of choice is too embarrassing to admit.)
I fell in love with the city of Denver during this trip!



A scenery pic from Denver

 

We were able to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary aboard the Disney Wonder.
That is definitely something I want to do again!



Brookgreen Gardens south of Myrtle Beach, SC is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited!

 

Taking my very own Princess to Disney World was one of the best trips of my life!  This was the
only time we purchased the dining plan at Disney and it made the trip even more enjoyable!  I ate
like a crazy person that week (which you all know I love to do)!



A view from Dumbo

 

I will never forget the first time I rode a roller coaster with my son.  I was scared out of my wits
and screamed like a mad woman!  He was braver than me and held my hand the entire ride!

 

The week I got a new daughter and my first niece was such a special time!
This is a picture of the newborns together in their hospital bassinet.



This is a picture of my boys recording in the studio.
They are both fantastic singers and were featured on a children's CD.



Ah, New York City!  My first time...it was indescribable!



This was the day that 14 of my friends and I ran in a marathon together. 
We're doing it again this year!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

With the winter blahs setting in, there isn't much to do around here and even less to photograph. So I decided to shoot some of my favorite things from around the house, maybe sharing a couple stories in the meantime. (Of course my family members are my most favorite things. But this project is for inanimate objects only.)

My mother bought us this picture for Christmas and I think it's one of the best presents I've ever received.  The photos spell out our last name, which I must admit is a really unique name.  I love how it's personalized just for me.  I haven't found a place to hang it yet because I am The Procrastinator of Procrastinators.  But I look at and admire it every day.

My dad is the King of Woodworking.  He doesn't just build things like cabinets and shelves.  He is an artist.  Here is a sample of some of my favorite pieces of his, from turned bowls to flower pots.  Some of them were gifts to me and others were rightly stolen from by me.  (Hey, I'm his only daughter and I still have him wrapped around my little finger!)  I display these pieces proudly throughout my home.

I feel so blessed to have a piano in my home.  I took lessons for years as a child.  Unfortunately, I don't have much to show for it today.  So I'm going to make sure that I influence my children to become accomplished musicians.  Son #1 shows the most potential...he is taking piano, guitar, and tuba lessons.  Son #2 and Big Sis have both recently started taking piano.  The "noise" they make sounds like beautiful music to me.

This is Hubby's Teddy Bear from when he was a little boy!  How precious is that?  His mom didn't save many of his things so this is really special to me.  Notice how one of the eyes was replaced with a button.  This heirloom has been a part of my home decor since I discovered it in a box right after we were married.

This isn't so much of a favorite thing as it is a favorite place.  The best place for me to unwind and let the day's stress melt away is in a nice hot bath.  My father remodeled our old bathroom a few years ago and it has been one of my favorite places ever since.

I went a little overboard with Christmas decorations last year.  I bought three miniature trees several years ago when we couldn't put up a full sized tree due to remodeling.  Since then, I have tried to find a place for them somewhere around the house.  I usually just leave them bare, no lights, no decorations.  But last year, I decided to add some holiday spirit to our bedroom.  I draped the trees in clear lights and placed them on top of an old blanket chest.  We have enjoyed them so much that I just left them there.  Baby Girl asks for them to be plugged in each morning as her brothers and sister get ready for school.

This is the ginormous, red stockpot Hubby picked out as a Christmas gift for me.  I usually hint pretty strongly about what I want so I was touched that he personally chose this for me.  He is smart for buying me kitchen things because I immediately start using them.  I've already cooked up a small storm in this pot.  I think it will be one of those heirlooms my daughters fight over one day:  the big red pot that Mama cooked many a soup or stew in. 

Family pictures that surround the house are my most favorite things of all!  I love to reminisce about the days when my kids were tiny and how sweet and precious they were.  My walls are covered in family photos.  If my house were to catch on fire, I would make sure all the kids were safely out of the house.  Then I would run back in and grab as many pictures and photo albums as possible. 

What are some of your most favorite things???

Saturday Sighting

Please pardon the horrible clarity of this picture but we were moving in a car when I shot it.  I saw this sign on a storefront as we were sitting at a red light.  By the time I whipped out my camera, Hubby started driving.  But I thought it was worth posting anyway.

The name of the store is actually The Help Button.  But I thought The Help Butt was much funnier!  I wonder what one purchases there???  Ah, my corny sense of humor!  And pardon the harsh language today.

The Real Me

I am thinking of ditching the cartoon profile picture of myself and using a real photo. What do you think of this one? Does it represent me well? And yes, this really is me. I don't have many photo choices since I am always the one behind the camera.