Professional -- haha!

I got an email from my mom a little bit ago saying that I was now a "professional" photographer because I got paid to do a job. HAHAHA. Struck me as funny.

I agreed to do a friend's wedding photos. I told her it was her gift. She still insisted on paying me -- so now I'm professional. OH.SO.FAR.FROM.IT.

I might not be able to take a professional photo, but I can certainly edit it to where it looks like one! :-)

Kevin, Josh (and Ellie??) and I got everything ready to haul off to the first consignment sale tomorrow. I'm glad to have it moving out of the house. After seeing the room it freed up, I'm going to be hard pressed to buy anything at the sale. :-) Famous last words.

Here's are two really cute photos of the bride and groom from today's "professional" shoot. HAHA. Still laughing over that one, mama!!

Congratulations to A. and B. on their wedding!

Midol - Part II

My understanding -- through the various methods of communication I have coming at me from one direction or another (blog comments, email, facebook, telephone, text message, in person convo) -- is that there were folks who thought that maybe my discussion of all things "dotty" and my new found re-discovery of Midol was an inappropriate blog topic and maybe just too "personal." Key word here: personal.

People, I have PMS - pre and post and DMS (you can figure it out). Those three things cover THREE WEEKS of my month. This means I can be pretty grumpy a lot of the time. Figure out where I am in the cycle by the next statement, "If you don't like the topic I'm writing on in this blog, DON'T READ IT."

This is my blog; it's personal. I make the decisions about what I write about, how much I disclose and whether I care if the ENTIRE WORLD reads about it.

Every women who ever lived has a "dot". Men know about it. God even saw fit to talk about it in the Bible (see Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-47 and Matthew 9:20-22). I think if God can talk about it, then my blogging about it is probably OK. However, if you don't want to read about it -- DON'T. Think of this as a TV. If you don't like what's on that day, turn it off. Skip to another channel. Won't hurt my feelings at all. Come back when there is a topic that you might be more interested in.

AND... along those lines, turns out I had a MAJOR kidney infection as evidenced by the HIGH white blood count in my urine at the doctor's office. Wasn't even "dot" related after all. I'm on a round of antibiotics and I'll be good as new!

Here's a few funnies related to "all things girly" to make you smile. Seems like more of us need to be taking life a little less seriously and laughing a little more -- myself included.

Midol

If you are a man, just stop reading now. You won't enjoy it and there is no reason to go further.

I haven't taken Midol since I was a teenager. Honestly, I'd probably forgotten it existed. But, as of late, my ... (what's a good word here???) ... dot (my friend says she calls it a dot instead of a period so the guys won't know what she's talking about, so... my dot) has been causing me a LOT of issues. I've been to the doctor and will have a "procedure" when school goes back, but until then, I just have to "deal with it."

This month's dot was especially painful in my back for some reason. It has hurt so badly that I can hardly bend over, walk, etc. So tonight, while I was out at Target, I saw it ... right there on the shelf ... MIDOL. And I decided it was time to break it back out.

Interesting thing. As a teen, I never read the label about what was in it -- who cares when you are a teen, right? But tonight I read the label and was SHOCKED to see it is acetaminophen, CAFFEINE, and a diuretic. The first and last ingredient aren't so surprising, but the middle one -- CAFFEINE, was. Why caffeine? Any suggestions? I might just have to google this one and do some research.

I will report that it has eased my back pain and created the most unusual side effect (I took it around 9 p.m.) -- I'm SLEEPY. Now, as of late, I'm NEVER sleepy (well, except during the middle of the day). I'm up until 1 or 2 in the morning unable to sleep. Now, it's 10:15 and I'm ready to fall out. Interesting.

Thought you all might like to know that Midol is still out there and working hard for all of us with problematic dots. AND, it's bonus -- it makes you sleepy!!

*** UPDATE ***

Googled caffeine, periods and MIDOL and on the Midol website FAQS it states, "caffeine is added to MIDOL Complete to help fight fatigue and act as a diuretic."

Hmmmm.... interesting because in many other places I read that caffeine actually makes menstrual cramping worse.

SERIOUSLY ... changing my blog title to this ...

Truer words were never written.

What Brothers and Sisters Do Best

We were at a retirement party yesterday for a friend's dad and I looked over and caught this sweet sight. Now, most of the time they are fighting, but on a few occassions, I get to see these sweet moments. If they could just all be this sweet.

Ellie's First Carnival Ride

Tonight we went to a carnival in a neighboring town, Summerfest, and Ellie got to ride her first carnival ride.

I had no plans whatsoever to let her ride, but one of Josh's former baseball coaches saw us and just kept asking Ellie, "Don't you want to ride a ride?" and then she wouldn't stop. We caved and let her ride the "boat" ride. I was so afraid she was going to get in there, start screaming/crying, try to get out, fall out and be hurt. I talked to her a long time about what would happen and how she had to stay seated and did she really want to do this. She said, "Ride!" so off we went.

She did really well. I wish I'd had my camera, but all we had was the cell phone, so I'm glad we got these. I'm proud to report she sat the entire ride (never taking her hand off the steering wheel!) and never cried one time.

Josh only found ONE ride that he wanted to ride, but I think it was because we went on a spur of the moment and didn't take a friend with him to ride. Better planning for the fair come August, I think!

There was also a fireworks show and I got a cute picture of the three of them, but, alas, it's on Josh's phone. Since it's nearly 1 a.m., I don't DARE wake him up to get it.

After a long day, with a friend's retirement party and then the trip to Summerfest, Ellie passed out on the way home. Josh and I (I just heard him drop something upstairs) are still up and wired. Kevin is snoring away on the couch. It's been a full day!!

Not to Be Outdone, Pampers Releases Designer Diapers

Not to be outdone by Huggies release of denim jean style diapers (see here for post about that several months ago), Pampers has just released it's new "line" of diapers, Pampers by Cynthia Rowley. According to online articles, the duo announced a partnership to take diapers beyond form and function and make them fashionable.

The collection will include 11 diapers for boys and girls. They will premiere mid-July at Target and will be priced several dollars more than the regular Pampers.

To see a complete list (with images) of the line, click here.

Now, I'm going to 'fess up here and say that I DID go out and buy some of the Huggies Jean diapers. I didn't actively search them out, but I was buying diapers (with a coupon, of course) and saw that my local Harris Teeter had them. They were the same price as the others and I thought, "Why not?" Honestly, for a girl I don't really like them as well as regular diapers. I don't know why, I just don't. I like some of the Cynthia Rowley designs, but truly not enough to spend extra for them. Honestly, who is going to see them?? If they are the same price or (with a coupon) cheaper than the others, I'll try them, sure, but I will not pay more for them. And, to be really frank, we are pretty much only using Pull-Ups at this stage of the game. If she were still a tiny baby, I might be tempted ... And, they probably will make cute shower gifts. It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out and how hard they will market them.

Hear No Evil, et al.

We have an above ground pool behind the house. This year we had GREAT PLANS for getting it running early so the kids would have a pool to play in. We filled it up -- twice -- and it leaked out -- twice. Apparently, there is a hole somewhere in our liner. Because we were so crazy busy, we gave up on that project and decided to wait to replace the liner in the fall or very early spring next year.

In the mean time, we've had visitors move in out back. I've come to fondly call them, "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil and Do No Evil" or Hear, See, Speak and Do for short. When the pool was full, they would sit on the edge of the pool and hop in if someone came by. Then, as the pool started to go down, they'd sit on the steps -- descending a step with each inch lost. Finally, the pool stopped, luckily for them, just at the bottom rung. They are out there in mass or in various combinations pretty much all the time. I did manage to sneak out one day with my long lens and get a few pictures of them. They crack me up. Of course, I am amused by the craziest things.

And, as an aside: does anyone know if the markers they use to verify if a large bill is counterfeit leaves a permanent mark on the bill or if it fades. So, here's why I'm asking. I had a bill marked at the store the other day and there were no other marks on it. It was not a new bill and so it got me to thinking about this. I've asked several cashiers and several stores and they all seem to think it stays on the bill, but honestly, I can't say I've ever noticed it on the (two-haha) few bills I've had that were marked.

Back to the story at hand. Here is a picture of Hear, See, Speak and Do -- doing what they do best -- nothing. Please ignore our pond water. Why clear it up when it all has to come out? *sigh*

A Good Mom ...

A good mom would post more often, take more pictures, record more memories. Therefore, I am not applying this year for the "Mom of the Year" award. I'm not sure where every day goes. I think a lot of it involve mundane (yet necessary) things like, feeding children, changing diapers, dropping off at daycare, picking up from daycare, paying bills, sweeping floors (not enough -- another ding in that "a good mom" thing), washing dishes (not enough), doing laundry (not enough), working, picking up toys (times 100), saying, "You two please stop that", saying, "Josh, what are you doing??", saying, "Ellie, don't hit your brother". Occasionally, there is a rare moment to take a photo, think a thought, take a shower, read a few pages of a book before falling asleep with it open. When i can multi-task, I can even watch one 30-45 minute television show -- but only when the cartoons are over and the Disney channel boy goes to bed. I'm not complaining -- I know the time will pass way too quickly. But, honestly, there are only so many hours and something eventually has to be cut. Sadly, as of late, it's been dear blog.

I try. I "think" blog post thoughts. I even think that I "should" take pictures to post. And, then, I don't. If I have a camera, little fingers want to play with it so sometimes, it's not quite worth it.

However, today, I'm managing to squeeze in a few minutes to catch up all things bloggy.

Ellie has really come fully into her "twos" in the last few weeks. Her favorite phrase lately, "I not want it." This applies to EVERYTHING: her clothes, her food, going to bed, watching a television show, going anywhere. She has become of STRONG mind as well. Just yesterday, she was in meltdown mode over her "SNACK" (everything is very important and always said at a capital letter level for her). She got a banana from "E-nana" (DeeAnna) before she left her house. Then, when she got home she had a yogurt and then it got CRAZY. She wanted crackers -- only to leave them, crying, "I not want it!!" She wanted an orange -- ate two pieces and "I not want it." Then she cried for cereal. I made her a small cup but apparently it was the WRONG KIND and, "I not want it." I finally made her cry a LOT when I said that I was done. I picked up the left over oranges, set her crying on the couch with the orange and said, "It's orange or nothing." She ate the orange, finally, even though through her crying she was wailing, "I NOT WANT IT." Oh well.

She wants to pick her own clothes now as well and will tell me, "I not want it" if the outfit is not to her liking. Again, sorta' tough, chickie. :-) Today I wish I had had a camera handy as she was wearing a pair of tights, a winter crocheted cap and one glove. It was F.U.N.N.Y!!

She has developed a real love of pretend play lately. She rides her babies around, cooks in the kitchen, makes me tea to drink, plays more with her dollhouse. I'm picking up a WHOLE LOT more toys every day all of a sudden.

Her speech has BLOSSOMED lately with her talking/communicating a lot more. She is very much the repeater so you best watch what you say around her. I've had to caution Josh about this a lot. She thinks he is a great role model for learning things. I also love how if you give her something -- no matter what it is -- she wants to get one for "Bubba" too. And she'll take it over and give it to him. Such a sweet spirit.

We have enrolled her in a 2 year old preschool and mother's day out program at church. She starts in the fall. It's a 9-2 program every day, so we'll see how she does. I'm excited because I think she will really enjoy structured learning. The preschool classes are three days a week so I think that will be just about right for her. I'm hopeful they'll help her finish learning that ABC song because I've heard, "A, B, C, D, E ... jabber, jabber. Now I know my jabber jabber jabber A, B, C" more times than I can count. And maybe, they'll help her finish learning, "Jesus Loves Me" because in her version, "Jesus Loves Me jabber, jabber, jabber. He is STRONG!!" is all there is. Jesus is ALWAYS strong in her version. He even has muscles apparently as she makes muscles with her arms when she says it. Buff Jesus. Who would have thought? :-) Love kids' singing!

We are gearing up for football season -- only a few more weeks before summer practice starts. It's Josh's last year to play for this rec team and then we'll move on to middle school. I hope he will enjoy this last year with the kids he's played with for seven years.

School starts back in less than a month -- WHAT??? So, now I'm in a frenzy thinking about back to school shopping. Consignment sales start in less than two weeks and are back to back for a period of a month. I'll be crazy, I'm sure before it's all done. I'm going to dig out all my stuff this weekend and start washing, hanging, tagging and pricing. Yay.

And, for those who made it all the way through this post, here's a couple of cuties of Ellie from today while she was dressing up. She created this "look" all on her own (should I be afraid???) complete with the cat mask and accompanying, "Meow!!" vocals. Funny girl!!



OH, how I WISH the girl would keep a hairbow or clip in her hair to keep that hair out of her face. But, alas, "I not want it."


And some from the 4th of July at our friends' house. It was dark, so they aren't great. I really like the first one -- a mistake in the camera -- because of the contrast between Josh and the tip of his bright orange punk he was using to light fireworks.











I thought this lantern thing the Fitzgeralds had was really cool. It flew for EVER. I wonder where it landed.

Happy Birthday Emily!!

Our niece turns 10 on July 14. Since they were in town this weekend for the holiday, Emily wanted to celebrate her birthday with everyone. She told her mom that her birthday would be perfect if she could just celebrate it with Ellie. Isn't that sweet.

I took a ton of pictures, then uploaded them to her sister, Dani's computer and deleted them off my memory card. Smart, huh? I have after present time and cake time though, and they are pretty fun.

After all the birthday fun, we sat outside and got to watch the fireworks in Todd County, KY at the Elkton Middle School.

Ellie LOVED helping Emily open her presents, but she is so sweet and won't help until she's asked to. Here are she and Emily putting the presents away.



Ellie LOVED the Slinky Dog toy. Emily got quite a few Toy Story 3 toys and Ellie was really excited about them since we just took her to see the movie on Thursday.



Emily's cake:




Does everyone look bored out of their minds or what?? They are SO not good party guests.



Making a wish:


Who can have birthday cake without ice cream?


This girl LOVES cake and ice cream!



After cake, Ellie turned into "Sparkles" when we put the cake toppers into her hair. I'm pleased to report, she has worn them several times over the weekend!


This is how Josh filled some of his time while waiting for the fireworks to start:


The birthday girl started us off with some sparklers!






Waiting for the fireworks to start.


We watched the fireworks from Nana's front porch. It was a great view and we didn't even have to leave the house.

Pretty!!






Does anyone else think these look JUST LIKE music notes?


Ellie wasn't really "FOND" of the fireworks, but she didn't scream in terror. She did ask a couple of times to go in the house and she would not be set down, either sitting on my lap or being held by Kevin. All in all, she did well. I remember taking Joshua to the Nashville Sounds' game when he was about 2 1/2 to watch the fireworks on the 4th and he cried because they scared him, then fell asleep in the middle of them!!

The Cousins Come for a Visit

Josh LOVES when his cousins come for a visit, and now that she's older, so does Ellie. Steve and Angie and the girls are here for the holiday weekend. Last night, the kids got to play at the park near Nana's house in Kentucky. Kevin took the pictures (and remember, I have NO photo editor right now so I can't crop/edit/anything!!).


I remember having a picture of us playing at Steve and Angie's with Dani when she was about this age. She was also in the swings and we were swinging with her. She was about three -- now she's 16. Where does the time go????



Look at the look on Ellie's face!


Lauren and Josh were born six weeks apart and everytime they are together they are INSEPARABLE. Lauren spent the night last night. Here they are "skateboarding"




Wipeout!