chez moi

2012-02-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a few from Durrel and Lori's session. We had fun even though it was cold and Lori had to rescue me from my soaking wet feet! I discovered my boots were most certainly not for practical purposes. :D

Thank you guys for trusting me with this important event! Many happy days as you prepare for the big day and the beginning of the rest of your life together! :)

~ellen

2012-01-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

Two favorites from this week!

~ellen

2012-01-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Just some shots from today- braving the cold. I hope to regain feeling in my toes! :-D It's the first time I was successful capturing snowflakes! So fragile looking and beautiful. The tiny specks are from the metallic paint on the truck.

I think need to focus more on the beauty of winter and little less on the cold and wind. :)

~ellen

2011-12-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

Who knew that getting macro shots of water drops in poor light could be so hard? I will not say how much of my time it consumed this afternoon. (But hey, I forgot about this horrid stomach bug for a while!)

Upside down reflections of the Christmas tree! :)

~ellen

Day 30

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

And here is yesterday's post. Sorry, it's a bit more than one photo again! I took off with my camera towards evening, not sure that I would find much of anything in the dead and snowy landscape. I was uninspired and planned to 'just shoot something' from the warmth and dryness of the van. But I did find something, tucked away in the corner of a parking lot, and I felt like God had it there just for me. Such gorgeous colors! Winter may be coming- but it will go again! I know, bad place to live if you don't like Winter. But Steve lives here. :)

I really wanted to just lay on the ground under the tree and soak it up till it disappeared! But my coat would have done plenty of soaking up too...

I kept walking...

And finished off with this! Walking around in the cold and snow in flip-flops made it necessary. :)

~ellen

Day 29

2011-10-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

A photo with clouds. No big puffy clouds or even wispy scattered clouds. And not because it was a beautiful cloudless Fall day. No, it wasn't that at all.

I got to see this huge thing bite the dust. :) The train came along and stopped and sat there till the ruckus was over, then blew it's whistle and chugged along.

Well, tomorrow is the last day and it is again, a photo of whatever I please. What do I please? Someone please shout out a suggestion!!

~ellen

Day 28

2011-10-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

A photo that incorporates motion. Panning fascinates me, but I've never been to successful. Maybe cause I don't use a tripod. I don't think you have to though if you're settings are right. Anyway, I tried it again. Victoria was at one spot, Cameron at another, and they kept calling Riley back and forth. :)

Poor dog. He's so eager to please. :D He did get some treats for his efforts though!

~ellen

Day 27

2011-10-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

Day 27 was supposed to be using the sun as my lighting. There was not even a hint of sun that day, so I will just post a few pictures of something we did. Pinterest has me feeling quite crafty- I dug into my stash of reject clothes (that hasn't made it to any donation center yet!), and from three t-shirts.... we now have two skirts!

(sunglasses not needed... gloves, scarves, hats and coats? needed.)

They are happy, new skirts. I am happy, easy care skirts! :)

~ellen

Day 26

2011-10-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Intentional shadows. :) I'm pretty much scared of my flash and need to get over it!

I told them they look like they want to bite each other, then they had to laugh!

Tomorrow is a photo using the sun as my lighting. We shall pray for sun! :)

~ellen

Day 25

2011-10-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

Combining my missed sunset day with today's photo of whatever I please. :) A perfect ending to a perfectly beautiful day!

Happy sigh... oh for weather like this for another two or three months! Tomorrow is a photo playing with shadows. Shadows from the sun? or create my own?... that is the question...

~ellen

Day 24

2011-10-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

A photo with a color scheme... This morning I decided to go with shades of blue, because the sky was soo beautiful..... But, this being Garrett County, by the time the kids got home from school it had completely changed . By then I couldn't seem to come up with another plan so I forged on without the blue sky. Gray and dreary, but I had the balloons and Kalei's jacket. :)

The balloons wanted to blow away and K wasn't feeling to great so we soon gave up. :)

Tomorrow is again a photo of whatever I please. It's a good thing the month is almost up. I'm feeling rather uninspired!

~ellen

Day 23

2011-10-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

A photo that makes me think of childhood... well, what's IN the photo makes me think of childhood... dolls and swings. I can picture many dolls through my growing up years. I remember a certain birthday (I'll never tell you how which one!) thinking I'm probably to old now to play with dolls. And I really didn't want to be. :) This doll was a special one. One I played with at Grandma's house. She made it and the clothes and there was a little quilt that I'd play with too. After Grandma died a little over a year ago, this doll became mine.

The swing means something too... I loved to swing as high as possible and try to touch the branches with my toes. One time when my dad was pushing me, the chain broke and I remember falling and falling and hitting the ground so hard it knocked the breath out of me. And I remember his strong arms picking me up and making sure I was okay. I think I was more sad about the swing being broke than anything else!

Tomorrow is a photo that has a color scheme. ??

~ellen

Day 22

2011-10-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, there was no sunset yesterday... I'll have to catch up on that one too! Today was a photo of the one I love. :) Since I wasn't with him today to catch him at work outside, I caught him tonight, chillin'! :)

Tomorrow is 'A photo that makes you think of childhood'.

~ellen

Day 20

2011-10-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

A photo of whatever I want. And it is proof that I am working on a project that I pinned on pinterest! Yay for me! You may or may not see it once it's completed...

Tomorrow is A photo of the sunset. I may be out of luck there.... more like clouds and snow.... ARGG!

~ellen

Day 19

2011-10-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, this was what the landscape looked like today! Foggy, rainy, windy...

And a close up-

Tomorrow is a photo of whatever I please. Any suggestions? :)

~ellen

Day 18

2011-10-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Street lights. I managed to find a few in our little town that were actually on! (I guess the lights on the building count as street lights?) Even though this shot feels really blah to me, I love this little street. :)

Tomorrow is a photo that involves landscape. Sounds pretty broad to me!

~ellen

Day17

2011-10-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

I will post yesterday's picture. I will! I just didn't do it yet. :) And I'm a bit mixed up... today's was supposed to be a photo with street lights and I had in my head that it was a photo depicting emotion. So.. tomorrow I'll try for the street lights! But here is emotion- joy? happiness? delight? Take your pick, this kid can giggle like no other! :)

~ellen

Day 15

2011-10-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Why is it so hard to stick to it??

Tomorrow is a photo experimenting with light trails. I better read up a little before I try that one! :)

~ellen

Day 14

2011-10-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Focus on eyes!! :-D

Tomorrow is again, a photo of whatever I please. :)

~ellen

Day 13

2011-10-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

An edit I like... well, I guess for the most part I just like a clean edit. I don't like for it to look to 'messed with'. How's that for interesting? :-)

Tomorrow is a photo focusing on eyes. Whose eyes should I focus on?

And here is a link for anyone who really wants to try yesterday's bokeh! http://www.diyphotography.net/diy_create_your_own_bokeh

~ellen

Day 12

2011-10-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

The shape you see on the blurry little lights in the background is the shape of the opening inside my lens. I had fun with it and changed it by cutting out a shape (pretty small) on a piece of paper, then holding the paper in front of and against my lens.

And we have Fall leaves! :) The darker edges are because my leaf was almost to small and my paper curled a little.
Aaaaannd, because everyone loves chocolate chip cookies...

I certainly wouldn't want shapes in all my pictures, but it's fun to play with!

Tomorrow is a photo edit that you like. Hmmm...

~ellen

Day 11

2011-10-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

A very common sight around here!

Tomorrow is a photo experimenting with 'bokeh'. Bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. (from wikipedia)

~ellen

Day 10

2011-10-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

This makes me happy! :)

It also makes me laugh because he spelled zebra with a 'd' and she marked it as correct. Maybe she was as excited as I was about all the other ones that he got right and didn't even see that! He brought it home yesterday and I put it on the fridge, and didn't see the d until this morning when I was looking at it again. :)

Tomorrow is a black and white photo.

~ellen

Day 9

2011-10-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

From a distance... Way out in the distance, we can see the church where we got married. :) Taken from our back yard...

And this one just had to be shared too. Today was a day so incredibly beautiful!!

Tomorrow is a photo of whatever I please. :)

~ellen

Day 8

2011-10-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Close up... from the blueberry bush. I do love red!

Tomorrow is a photo of something from a distance. :)

~ellen

Day 7

2011-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

A silhouette...'puppy love'. :)

Tomorrow is a photo of something close up.

~ellen

Day 6

2011-10-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

A photo from a low angle...

Another sure thing about Fall is football. Sometimes I ~~love~~ like it, sometimes I ~~hate~~ don't like it. :)

Tomorrow is a silhouette photo. Should be fun!

~ellen

Day 5

2011-10-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well, my plan for todays photo didn't happen. (again!) So here's what I have...

The back 'path'. I love to go back this way to walk, run, or bike. :) So it is one of my favorite places to be. Especially in the fall, in the evening! I took a couple more. :)

One of the lovely views from my path... Garrett County in the Fall is just awesome!!
And this one is on the other side of the road... also a great place to walk!

Tomorrow is a photo from a low angle...

~ellen

Day 4

2011-10-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

From a high angle...

Tomorrow I will try again for 'A photo of your favorite place to be'. :-)

~ellen

Day 3

2011-10-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, today was supposed to be a picture of your favorite place to be. I wasn't able to get that, so I took the liberty of switching it with day 5. A photo of whatever you please. This is from the book Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein.

Some days it just feels like not a whole lot of love shows up....

Tomorrow is a photo from a high angle.

~ellen

Day 2

2011-10-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

What you wore today.... the whole outfit wasn't that exciting so I picked out what I liked. :) My scarf from Seattle and my shoes that don't get worn very much because they make me tower above Steve. :)

Tomorrow is a photo of your favorite place to be... If anyone else is doing this I'd love if you leave a link to yours in a comment here!

~ellen

2011-10-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

We went on a drive today, planning to see all the gorgeous fall leaves and also go hiking. As we drove higher and higher into the mountains to a place where Steve tells me the views are incredible and I MUST remember my camera, the temperature kept dropping and the sun disappeared. It got foggy and misty...

And suddenly my happy world came screeching to a halt....SNOW? On October 1st?

It most certainly was and the kids were delighted. :)

The first taste...

We decided it was Narnia. :)

And I was warm enough until someone ran off with my scarf...

The stone table?

On the way back down...

And when we got back down, we stopped to get some hot drinks. (which they didn't have and we got cold drinks. Let's just pretend we had hiked and gotten all hot and sweaty and needed a cold one) These creatures were parked beside us.

It was a good day anyway, even if it wasn't all we had hoped for. We had a good time just being together and doing something that didn't HAVE to be done. I love my little family. :) And hopefully we can go back in a week or so and actually see the wonderful views!

~ellen

2011-10-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new challenge for the month of October and I would love to have anyone join me! It's one picture a day... not to hard, right? :) I thought October would be a good month because it is one of my favorite months in my favorite time of year! And the garden stuff is mostly done and hopefully things will slow down a bit. :) The first day is a picture of yourself...... I HATE being on the 'wrong' side of the camera, but I'm told it helps in more ways than one (photography wise anyway) to get comfortable on 'that' side. I didn't take the picture, but I checked the settings and handed it off to Victoria, so I guess it counts. :) (and yes, that truly is snow, and the picture really was taken today. I weep...)

Here is a link to the whole list if someone else wants to do it too! :) friedmanphotofall11.blogspot.com

~ellen

For Amanda :)

2011-08-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Some very active little kiddos! It was fun trying to catch the moments with them- I still have to smile just looking at these images. :) Thanks for trusting me with the job Larry and Amanda!

~ellen

2011-07-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

AWWW!

No, this is not the best family one that I got. It just makes me laugh the most! :)

~ellen

2011-07-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

It's Red, White, & Blue week at http://www.iheartfaces.com/ !

2011-03-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of silly pictures here! The girls actually had so much fun doing these that they forgot about the wicked storm and the fact that their Dad wasn't here. :) And they're just to funny not to share!

I hope they made you laugh too! :)

~ellen

2011-01-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

One picture that I found on my camera that I have no idea who took. But I love it. It's kinda' almost surreal. What an awesome worship time we had on Sunday morning with Steve's family! Heaven came down and Glory filled my soul. :)

Sneak Peek for Kendra!

2010-10-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

I had the privelege of doing senior pictures for Kendra this week. The weather cooperated and we got to be outside for some of them. :)

And one from inside...

Thanks for the fun Kendra! :)

~ellen

2010-09-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

What better way to break my long silence than a sweet, new baby? This is Shiloh Grace with her proud big sister Taliya. I didn't jump on my chance when she was sleeping soundly, so I didn't get as many sleepy baby pictures as I wanted. But it was still fun. I'd love to have a new baby to shoot every week!

I think she looks like her Gramma Petersheim in this one!

Love how she's looking at her mom here... kinda' like she's in awe of her. :)

Congratulations to Steve and LeAnn on your beautiful baby girl!

~ellen

2010-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

iheart 'Flowers and faces'.... :)

This week is 'Flowers and Faces' at iheartfaces . Check it out for more awesomeness!

2010-05-12T05:08:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun doing pictures for Ron and Lisa! Such a sweet, soft, little baby. She slept a lot and let us move her and bend her pretty much however we wanted. :)

Congratulations again Ron and Lisa- she's a doll!

~ellen

2010-05-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby, on loan from above,
No better treasure could I er' more love.
I stand here beside your bed as I pray,
I lay my hand on your head and I say,

May you grow up to serve Him, all of your days,
May He lead you and guide you, in all of your ways,
May His hand bless your future with friendships that last,
May you cherish your youth and not grow up to fast,

I stare in wonder at your tiny frame,
Just to think that God knows your name,
He knows every hair on your beautiful head,
He knows all your thoughts before they are said,

May you grow up to serve Him, all of your days,
May He lead you and guide you, in all of your ways,
May His hand bless your future with friendships that last,
May you cherish your youth and not grow up to fast,

May God grant you peace in the midst of a storm,
may God give you strength, even when you're forlorn.
May you answer the door when Jesus comes knocking,
May wisdom guide you when your mouth is talking,
May discretion protect you and keep you pure,
May you never stumble and fall for allure,
May your heart remain humble to the very end,
May uprightness and truth be what you defend,
May the world not ensnare or change who you .
May the light that's within you, shine like the stars,
May Angels surround your body, spirit, and mind,
May favor and peace be yours to find.
May rejection and pain never reach you,
May your spirit grow bold for what you are called to.
As you rest in God's care, I will rest too.
Knowing that Jesus is watching over you. Amen

Beautiful, beautiful song by Rachel Aldous! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re5EIUIXbhc Listen to it- it's worth the four minutes. :)

This week the theme is 'Celebrating Mom' at iheartfaces. I thank God for allowing me to be a mother!

2010-04-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

Lori and Andy's wedding..... It was a gorgeous day! All the family together- I just tried to soak it up, but the weekend went by so fast! I went through my pictures and just picked some out that I like. Enjoy!

Wake up the Bride!

I love this one- and I wish I could remember what they were laughing about! I set it as my screensaver because it makes me laugh just looking at it. :)

All us kids...

And all the nieces and nephews except one who was traumatized by it all.

The beautiful cake.... The abundance of red roses everywhere was so, so pretty. And calla lilys and hydrangea...

My hansom hubby and fine young man- wish Cameron was in it with them!

Here they come! Lori gave her bouquet to mom...

And they're off!

~ellen

Spring....in macro

2010-04-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I'm obsessed with water droplets! I've been out several mornings when it was dewy or rainy. On my knees, on my stomach. And been quite wet and dirty when I was done. I just love the clear reflections!

I was going to write more, but it's time to leave for church. Hope everyone is delighting in the Spring as much as we are!

~ellen

2010-03-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those people who lets bouquets of flowers sitting around till they stink because I don't want to throw them away. But when they're making more dirt than beauty, it's time to do something. :) This afternoon, I took the scissors to two bouquets, clipped off the dried roses that still had nice color and some of the baby's breath. Put them in a bowl and added a few drops of essential oils and put it on the window sill. When the sun hit it, (yes! we've had two full days of sunshine!!) it warmed it enough that I could smell it really good. Can I say I was pleased with my idea? :)

Valentines Day Potpourri! :)

Valentines Day

2010-02-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hope your day was sweet and full of love!

~ellen

2010-02-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

This weeks theme at iheartfaces is kissing. I had to think of this shot- I was 'helping' the photographer with the bride and groom, getting all the kissy pictures. I guess you could say we got inspired. :) We grabbed our hubbies and I handed off my camera to my SIL.

Click the iheartfaces button for more kissing!

2010-01-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

Recent happenings and catching up from Christmas! I shouldn't wait so long, because now I don't have much to say but I still want to post pictures. :) First of all, Antoine's birthday. I made a couple cupcakes with some of the cake batter for his cake and let him start 'celebrating' before lunch. I had the camera in the kitchen and caught him praying before he ate his cupcake. :) Sweetness....

People we don't see often enough...

If you ever want to do something nice for me, buy me a sock monkey.

Cameron started the day off by shooting his first rabbit. :)

And a surprise bridal shower for Lori.

And lastly, we had Christmas with Steve's family over New Years. The first evening we were at his mom's house for supper and 'The Game'. Then we headed out to a big house at the Chesapeak Bay. It was a great place to be with so many people. Now of coarse, I'm wishing I would have ventured out and about more even though it was blitzing cold and windy. Wish I would have taken more pictures. Steve took some for me. :) I mostly stayed inside and tried not to be sick. But even inside, I pretty much left my camera up on the shelf.

The brave ones who went out for a walk in the ice and snow.

Hot Chocolate...

Hmmm... something going on with scotch tape here...

I think this was beyond brave. Some of the guys and one girl (Larissa :) ) went out and jumped in the bay. Just to give you an idea of how cold it was, the next morning it was frozen over! And none of them got sick. (or at least if they did, they didn't let us know!)

A bridge through the bamboo out to the docks. And the one morning we saw quite a few eagles out over the bay. It was the first time I saw a bald eagle- they are soo beautiful!

until next time...

~ellen

2010-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

Zachary was absolutely thrilled with all the gifts and stuff going on and got almost as excited about everyone else's gifts as his own! Go to iheartfaces for more 'best face' photos!

2009-12-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas time... Time for gingerbread houses...

The boys disappeared before it was finished, but of course the girls didn't mind. :) They ate leftover sugar and candy until they were bouncing off the walls.

Time for Christmas stories...

I love this book- have always liked books with animals as the characters.

And gifts start to show up under the tree...

Antoine made this 'card' for me and put it with the gifts...

Making snowflake cards for cousins...

And Christmas programs... Kalei's first one at school...

Victoria couldn't stop smiling and choking herself with her braids. :)

And Cameron was a father who went off to war and never returned.

This little guy would turn around and stare at me almost every time he heard the camera. Then he would just grin and grin!

And of coarse, there's cookie baking, candy making, menu planning. For today though, I want to focus on Antoine's birthday. Need to bake and decorate a cake (cringe!) and wrap his birthday present. But oh joy, I don't have to make supper- we're going out for that! Then having cake and ice cream here. :)

Off to the races...

~ellen

i♥faces...

2009-12-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

This weeks theme is 'Sweet Dreams'. This picture has been posted before, but not for the contest. It's my dad, a hardworking farmer, on a typical Sunday afternoon. :) Go to http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/2009/12/week-48-sweet-dreams-photo-challenge.html for more sweet dreams photos!

~ellen

2009-12-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful snowy day yesterday. Quiet and windstill.

Transforming this place into a wonderland.

The kids wanted to go outside and build a snowman so I bundled them up. That can still be a lengthy process- their time outside usually lasts about as long as the bundling up. :) They finally got outside and then forgot about the snowman.

Why is it so fun to taste the snow? To catch it on your tongue? I don't know, but I must admit I still do it too.

Even the animals seemed to be having a good time. :)

Cameron missed out becuase he was at basketball practice. But I was right, it didn't last long and they were soon back inside asking for hot chocolate with snowman marshmallows.

The snow was also perfect for putting me in the mood for decorating the tree.

Here we are. :)

Hope you're enjoying the season!

~ellen

2009-11-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

iheartfaces...... this week it's "we ♥tooshies" :)

I picked this one out because it's just always made me laugh! You can see his backbone, but his little belly is hanging out the side! Hop on over to iheartfaces to see more tooshie shots. :)

~ellen

2009-11-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

Thankful for a husband/father who works hard and is a great provider for his family.

2009-11-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

Thankful for beautiful weather in November.

We took our chance, loaded up the bikes and went biking. The kids were delighted!

Antoine cried big tears when he realized his bike wasn't going to work with a broken training wheel. But all was well when he got to ride with Steve. :)

my boys :)

Saw some milkweed along the way. I love how the pods look when they pop open and the seeds go floating away.

I'm still trying to convince Kalei that her shoes are cool. For a buck, brand new, you know they're cool!

And I'll leave you with one more... ;)

~ellen

2009-11-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Thankful for HOPE...

I bought mom some flowers for her birthday. They were white and a very pretty pink

and I could hardly look at them enough.(if that makes sense?) For some reason, they made me think of hope. I can't explain it. I wanted to try and capture it, so I shot around awhile from different angles and lenses. And I got a few that I liked. :)

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24

~ellen

2009-10-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

I better blog about my birthday while we're still in the same month! It turned out to be a wonderful day, even though Steve was gone. Two of my best-est friends took me out for breakfast at a restaurant I'd never been to. Big and old, quiet and dimly lit. I ooh-ed and aah-ed and declared I'd be back with Steve. :)

High ceilings and beautiful chandeliers...

great coffee...and good friends...

Elizabeth....we were in diapers together. And in a lot of other stuff together. I'm sure there were many times our parents despaired over us.... She is now a wonderful mother herself!

Anna...who would probably murder me if she knew I posted her picture. :) She used to giggle like no other. Still does sometimes, actually! Now her little girl sounds just like her... :)

This girl should have been there, she's one of us :) What words can possibly describe or sum up our years of growing up together and then going our separate ways? I can't find the words. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes, missing her... wishing she wasn't a thousand miles away...

We declared the empty chair was hers. :)

The three of us...

Steve and the boys were gone for the weekend and the girls were in school. Liz and Anna both had babysitters and we took our good old time. Sat and talked and talked, then went to Wal-mart, (since we're all three moms and had no kids with us, of course we took advantage of that and...did some grocery shopping!) Then we went to the library and checked out stacks of books. Finally got home from 'breakfast' at two-thirty. There was a gift bag on the table from another one of my dear sisters with a delightful coffee mug - which I've used consistently ever since- and deeee-licious chocolates, and a heartwarming note. Flowers from another sister and fresh bread from another. Phone calls/messages from three others. Yes, I have lots of sisters. :)

That evening at home, I made chocolate fondue for me and my girls and Lisa came over and we watched a little girl movie. It was a full day, and I felt 'loved and celebrated'. :)

~ellen

2009-10-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

More fall pictures....what can I say? Fall renders me gasping and speechless...

Hope you're enjoying the season!

~ellen

2009-09-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

The ever beautiful Swallow Falls State Park. I was there again on Sunday. It was miserable and cold and wet. By the time we were done with lunch, I had almost lost my inspiration to take off with my camera. I wanted a book and a blanket and fuzzy socks. But Steve said I should take my 'stuff' and go. If it was to rainy, I could stop somewhere for coffee and dessert. (since this terrible mom hardly ever makes dessert, even for Sunday lunch) So I went. When I got there and stepped out into the mist and smelled that wonderful, wet, earthy, pine-y smell- I forgot about coffee and dessert. I wanted to roll in the pine needles instead. The rain meant there was a lot less people... :) I love to go off by myself......

Can't you tell I'm in love with all the different trails? I think I walked further than I ever did before. I really didn't remember the smaller falls, anyway.

The sun peeked out a few times.

Top of the big falls.....

This is one of the spots I don't remember- on top of one of the falls.

By the time I left, it was much later than I realized. I dashed home and made the required Sunday evening popcorn. And warm brownies...... and watched The Waltons with Steve and the kids. Great way to top off a great day!

~ellen

2009-09-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love playing with/editing other people's pictures. On iheartfaces.com, I can do it every week if I want! That's where this one comes from..... I love dad's hand in the shot.

This is the original picture....

and this is with my edit....

To see what others did with the same picture, check out iheartfaces.com

2009-09-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

This year was the 60th Annual Harvest Sale of Swan Meadow School. It's quite a different story than it was when I first started school. We used to have it in the basement there at school. It got to crowded to do it there, so now we have it at the community center. Now it's so crowded at the center, that I know some people don't come cause it's hard to find a place to sit. Two things that we made at school, big things that we looked forward to making and then buying and eating, were patties and flavor chips. Lots of grease and sugar on the patties.... I don't know if I'd still like them now. But they were so much fun to make. To dip the patty iron into the batter and then hold in in the hot oil and watch it fry and slip off the iron in a perfect flower or butterfly. Then we had to wrap them very carefully so they wouldn't break.

And the flavor chips... does anyone remember those? I don't think they're around anymore, but I can wish can't I? Little hard pieces of.....something.... that when dropped into hot oil, they expanded and grew. There was red, green, yellow, and brown. The brown was bacon flavored and I really don't remember what the other colors flavors were. If I remember right, it was the fifth graders who did those and it was something everyone seemed to look forward to.

Mom was usually in charge of the taffy pulling. She had (and still does) a special touch with taffy and it very rarely 'flopped' for her. The eighth graders would come to our house one day that week after school and help pull and wrap and bag the taffy.

The cider....the older kids still help make that. Gallons and gallons of cider. And I had not one sip this year... Which is not nearly as tragic as almost missing out on the donuts. They make oodles of them and they sell out in no time flat. I waited in the long line for a long time and when I got about half way up, they announced that the boxed dozens were sold out. Lucky for me, later in the evening I was at the craft table with Kalei and Antoine doing sand art when one of the teachers came out with four more boxes of donuts that they found. I don't know where they were hiding, but I was thrilled!

Another tradition is that the 6-8 graders usually sing a song or two before the auction starts. This year, they asked some students from thirty years ago to sing with the kids. Thirty years ago?! There's two of my sisters in that group! I wonder how old we must seem....

Always lots of things to sell. For quite a few years, there was always a black walnut cake there. I don't remember the exact amount the year it brought the most, but I do know that it was over four hundred dollars. I can't say that I would give five dollars for that, but it became a bit of a competition I guess! Good for the fund-raiser, anyway! Or how about two moon-pies for fifty dollars? If you don't know what moon-pies are, I feel sorry for you...

Beautiful flowers, brought by my sister Clara from her garden.

The school's new cook book. The first cook book with my name in it. :) And my kid's names, too. It's their best looking cook book yet.

Several people made things from the book to display on the table with the cook books, then the food item and cook book were sold together over the auction.

Shoo-Fly pie anyone? They also sold a 400+lb pumpkin. I kid you not...but I can't prove it, cause I didn't take a picture. All in all, it was another successful Harvest Sale.

2009-09-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

'nuff said!

Kalei's first day of school....

2009-09-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

That first day has come and gone. Kalei has been waiting so long to finally be able to go to school. If it were even remotely possible for me to but the brakes on life, I would. It gets harder for each one....letting them go off to school. I thought it should get easier?! I wanted shake my fist at the disappearing bus and tell it to come back.

Waiting and watching....
I think these pictures pretty much show how Cameron felt about going back to school. Or how he wanted me to think he felt. It was a change for Cameron and Victoria to this year. Different classrooms and different teachers to get used to. Cameron is in sixth grade and one of the 'big' kids now. I remember how intimidating those big kids were when I was in first and second grade. I mean, they were big, and they had been in school for years. They knew pretty much everything you need to know. Well, it looks a little different now- being the mom of one of those big kids. :)

Grampas were gone so Gramma didn't get to watch them get on the bus. She likes to watch from the window down there. And I like it, just knowing that someone else is keeping their eye on them too.

Here she comes....
And there she goes....not feeling the tearing as her new independence starts to pull her away from me. It's like the first step to being her own person away from mom and dad. And I feel the need more than ever to get on my knees for all my children.

~ellen

2009-08-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

So now my 'littlest' brother is married. It's hard to believe.... I felt rather emotional all day. And forgot to take tissues.....

First dance...
Dad and Mom with their baby. :)
Not sure whose arm is whose in that jumble!
All the little girls were so excited about having their own goblets and could hardly wait to drink their grape juice.
Adorable babies that we don't get to see often enough! It was just so good to have everyone home again but the time went so fast, after everyone was gone again I felt like I had hardly connected with any of them!
LeAnn and Tia taking a moment during rehearsal for some chocolate. ;)
Doesn't this just make you laugh?! Her soft little open-mouthed chuckles were too cute. I have no idea what was funny. It's interesting to look at all the different expressions on faces in a family picture of 40+ people!
Lisa and Regina...

School starts tomorrow. We've all been counting the days, for opposite reasons! Up at six to get them on the bus at 6:55. Will we make it through the year without missing the bus? My fingers are crossed....

~ellen

2009-08-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of taking pictures of my cousin's kids a few weeks ago. It's been awhile since I'd seen them, so I was picturing 'little' kids in my head. :) They are quite grown up! Here's just a couple for you Sheila.....
I love black and white...
And of course, since it was at our house, there was a considerable breeze blowing and Mallory's hair didn't want to stay in place!
Thanks for the opportunity Sheila- I had fun and I hope you'll be happy with them!

~ellen

2009-08-21T10:44:00.001-07:00

Just playing with some pictures... This one is before...
and this one is after...
From iheartfaces.com.

2009-08-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

Steve and I did something we never did before. At least not since we have kids. We went camping, just the two of us, for a long weekend. It was so absolutely wonderful- I can't describe what it did for my mind, body, and soul! No schedule, no internet, tv, phones, etc. Lots of reading, campfire, talking, and laughing. We've gone on vacation before without the kids, but somehow, this time was different. Life slowed down, we could relax and breathe deeply....
Steve read an entire book. :)

Oh yes, and peanuts and LOTS of tea. And Solitaire.
The sun shining through the trees...
Cool mushrooms...
Bacon over the fire anyone?
There was a 'Rails to Trails' close by so we went biking one day. Packed a lunch and biked until we came to this 'snack shack' along the way. It started to rain just as we came out of the woods so we sat under the roof at the picnic table to eat.

He had drinks, snacks, candy bars, ice cream and I'm not sure what all in there!
It's a good thing you can't see just how hot and sweaty we were! We biked about 23 miles that day...
We came across these steps going down over the bank, so we took a break and went and sat on the rocks and listened to nature. :)

And even if you're camping, you must still have popcorn on Sunday evening. We did a little more sight-seeing on Monday before heading back to real life.
Thank you Babe- for thirteen years of being the lucky one! I'd marry you all over again. :)

~ellen

2009-07-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

I would love to cuddle this little one again. She was so soft and chubby and baby smelling.... :)
For anyone who missed the Miller Reunion and would like to see pictures, go here- MILLER REUNION
My camera was passed around a bit, so I can't tell you who took all the pictures!

2009-07-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, after the Miller Reunion, Kalei went to Lancaster with Jeff and Larissa. Then on Monday Cameron left for Ohio, Steve left for West Virginia/Kentucky and Victoria, Antoine, and me headed to Lancaster with Steve's mom and sisters. They talked me into going to their house for part of the week since Steve was gone anyway. :) I felt a bit lost for a little bit there with my family scattered 'to the winds'. When we finally got to mom's house, Kalei was waiting for me with these beautiful roses that her and Larissa picked from Larissa's Grandma's garden. They were so beautiful and smelled so good! And I forgot to bring them home with me....
yummy picnic food....
We had a lazy week. Carolyn spent so much time playing with the kids and going on walks with them. I read, shopped a little, slept in, and had a wonderful surprise from MaryLou. :) We went on a picnic one dayand saw this baby miniature horse at a farm along the way. On our way back, we stopped and asked the girls who were outside if we could look at their horse. They said we could and even went out to the pasture to bring the horse over to fence so we could see it better. It was unbelievably small! Like the size of a lamb. The kids were in awe!

Lots of coloring.....

And campfire time. Marshmallows, toasty toes..... :)
And this was my delightful surprise from MaryLou. Two blissful hours devoted to my feet with absolutely no effort on my part. My feet never knew what hit them. I read and ate grapes and cheese and pound cake. And sighed with happiness.... And like a fool, I could not find the words to properly express my thanks to MaryLou.
I still smile at my toes at random times throughout the day. ;) (forgive me for posting two pictures of my feet!)
Being in Lancaster helped the time go faster, but the week was still loooong. I couldn't even talk to Steve because they hardly had any cell service where they were at. But the week did finally come to an end and Steve is back where he belongs. Cameron is coming home tomorrow (finally) then we shall be complete once more. :)

~ellen

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

We actually got to see fireworks down at the lake again this year. The last few years it rained and they canceled. The lake is always full of boats. We'd love to be able to be on the lake sometime to watch them, but we don't own a boat or know the right people. :) Kalei was sick, but she still wanted to go, so we left and before we got there, she threw up a couple times. (I was prepared for that, so all was well!) Then she felt better, so we went on and had a good time. I got the best fireworks pictures I've ever gotten. Since you only get about half an hour once a year, (if it doesn't rain) there's not much time/opportunity to practice!

By the time we got home, I was feeling quite sick myself. I collapsed into bed and prayed there would be no more throwing up by anyone. Steve graciously assured me that he would take care of anyone needing anything during the night. He ended up being the only one going to church today. Bible school starts tomorrow morning- I hope we all feel fine till then....

~ellen

2009-06-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a week late with my Father's Day post. Is anyone surprised? ;)

I'm thankful most of all for my Heavenly Father. I fail over and over, I slip and slide and get distracted and absent-minded, I'm like a broken record saying "I'm sorry Father, please forgive me". But He doesn't get impatient or short-tempered with me. He loves me still!

I'm also thankful for the father of my children. :) He's a great Dad. The kids have no question about his love for them. Spending time with them, playing with them, teaching them things, praying with them.

He took Victoria to a Father/Daughter Gala earlier this spring. She's a daddy's girl and she felt so special going alone with him for the evening. They had a dance after the dinner and even though he 'doesn't dance' and thinks it's so 'Richard Gere', he asked her if she wanted to dance. Lucky for him, she was to self-conscious. :)
Cameron....
Victoria...
Kalei...
and Antoine.
And my own dear Dad. Catching his afternoon nap in the midst of all the action and noise when family is home for Sunday lunch. He has taught me more than I can even begin to tell you. I love you, Dad. From the bottom of my heart....

~ellen

2009-06-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

A Sunday afternoon......with extended family at this lovely farm. It's my Uncle Paul's farm- they had a cow sale there on Saturday and thought with the tents still being up, (and yummy food left over!) that we should get together for Sunday lunch. Wonderful. Doubly wonderful if I don't have to cook! I won't embarrass myself with my lack of knowledge on cows and try to explain what a big time cow sale it really was. If you're interested, google Paul Yoder Cherry Kreek/Red Vision. They had free coffee, donuts, milk, chocolate milk, and soft serve ice cream. :)
Sitting around with the aunts and uncles and listening to stories and whatnot is always fun. And on occasion something will come up that totally gets them in stitches till they have tears running down their (the ladies) cheeks. You don't even have to know what's funny, but you'll soon be gasping for breath too just watching them. That I would love to capture on my camera!
Someone had lots to eat..... ;)
They had ice cream mix left over too, so we got to have more. What's better than soft ice cream? Free soft ice cream! I think the kids thought it was a bit of heaven, making their own ice-cream cones with ice cream from a machine. Little Miss got all smiley and pose-y when she saw the camera aimed at her.

Who can resist a teary baby? Tell me you didn't "aawww!" when you saw his tears?!
The buggy on the left goes back in my memory as far as it can go back. Alphie and Frannie's buggy. :) Playing in the back with my sisters and cousins. You could change the seats around and make them higher or lower and they were soft. Nicely padded. Pretending we were moms with our own babies.
The Gortner Airport is beside the farm.(or maybe it's on the farm? I'm not sure) Steve and Antoine and I climbed the lookout tower and I took a couple shots from up there. My legs are still complaining about that climb.... The steps were steep and a little rickety!

As I sit here typing, I can hear 'Spirit' playing in the livingroom. Only about the 50th time. My kids know those songs and the movie pretty much from beginning to end, but they were SO excited to watch it with their cousins who have never seen it. Not even ONCE. Can you IMAGINE?! Oh the dramatics of kids.... :) Ah, yes- and we have seven this week instead of four!

And I must write one more thing. Antoine got his first kiss from a girl who was not his sister. Right before my astounded eyes. In Sunday School. The little girl was extra bubbly that morning and while Antoine was talking, she bounced over and flung her arms around him and kissed him. He stopped talking and just looked at her for a split second then kept on talking. Never said a word about it then or later. May he remain indifferent to kisses from girls for years to come.....

~ellen

2009-06-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers. Picked by my honey, given to me. Means more to me than a dozen roses delivered by someone else.

2009-06-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Some of my family went to Miracle Mountain Ranch last weekend. Steve and I were both kinda' dreading the drive, but soon decided it was totally worth it and thought we need to go back next year and have the rest of the family go too. :) So those of you who weren't there, start planning!
Ella Mae pretending to be the secretary with a 'clackity' old typewriter...
We went on a trail ride. I wasn't allowed to take my camera on the horse, so this picture will have to do. None of us were to excited about the helmets and the ride got a little monotonous because we had to stay 'nose to tail' and not go faster than a walk. But it felt good to be on a horse again anyway- it's been years (I think!) since I rode. The little ones had pony rides. Victoria was old enough to ride a big horse and that made me terribly nervous! We couldn't double ride so she was by herself. But the ones in charge were quite sure she would do fine, so I swallowed my tongue and ignored my churning stomach. Of coarse she did great and is now more horsey than ever!
Another thing we did was a confidence course. The first one was made up of five stumps and three 2x4's. We had to get everyone from one end to the other by moving boards while on the stumps without falling off. And pretend we were 300 feet up. For some reason, this touched me...young man reaching out to help the 'older' man. After we got through each part of the course, our guides would talk a little and have a biblical application to what we had just done.
The Wall. We had to all get across here. It was to high to reach the top and there were no hand or foot holds.
And this one was walking on a cable. Everyone had to be on this cable before we could move around the tree (without touching the ground) to the next cable. Balancing that many people on the cable with two loose ropes to hold on to actually went pretty good. The next one got interesting- there was one rope to hold. Picture four or so people losing their balance, falling forward and backward hanging onto the rope for dear life!
Went on a nice long hike. Slogged through/around mud. The kids caught salamanders and picked flowers and collected pretty stones. We were all tired and hungry when we got back and they had a great meal ready for us at the Buckboard Cafe'.
A shot down the 'street'.
Caught Mom and Dad playing. :)

Cool antiques...
The kids painted dolls...
Lou Sterrett. This guy was amazing with his horse! We had a 'Sermon on the Mount'.
This was a different horse that he was working.
The kids all seemed to feel right at home with the cowboys/girls.

Another one from the stables. Victoria in paradise...
From there we went to Faith Builders to see where Lisa's been working. We were all quite tired, but some of us stayed up late drinking coffee and talking. Drinking coffee and talking makes me happy. :)
Sunday afternoon in the library. Steve with Ronald Reagan...
....Josiah and Cameron with Webster's Dictionary. And we won't talk about the pet tarantula on someone's desk. It was real. And alive. And hairy. And no, I did NOT take a picture of it!
And a studious Ruthann.

We putzed home with a jerky, stuttery van and lots of prayers that we'd make it home. Thank you to anyone else who prayed. We got home in one piece with no problems!

~ellen

2009-05-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

The last time we had a complete family picture? Much to long! I need one for the wall, but would prefer one where the kids are clean and the clothes are ...... planned. But I still really like this one, maybe because it's how we usually look. :) Jeff and Larissa came for the weekend and we had a great time with them. Jeff helped Steve with the mowing at church and the graveyard and Larissa showered the kids with love and helped me cook. Saturday afternoon we went to Swallow Falls.
Wonder if anyone knows what they are doing?
Try taking a picture of these two- first you get this.....
then this....
and finally!
When we got up to the top, Antoine ran out towards the edge of the rocks and my legs turned to jello and I screamed desperately. Thank goodness Steve was closer and could grab him. I don't think he had any idea what could happen.
Here's another thing boys do....make ears behind anything getting it's picture taken. It's a toad, by the way.
A quiet moment with dad...
I think this must be the best way to go hiking

monkey see....
monkey do...barefoot. And then needed help getting down!
The girls are amazed.....something doesn't look right...
That's more like it!
We stopped to eat on the way home, we were all tired and hungry. And stopped again after that for soft ice cream. Which was the second time that day for a select few. That's what happens when there's an ice-cream stand so close to home! Jeff and Larissa, it was great having you. Do come again. :)

------

On a completely different note, yesterday and today we had a little girl here who had not been here before. I guess Antoine wanted to make a good impression. He knew exactly what he wanted to wear and when it took him a little while to come back downstairs, I went to check on him. He was standing there in his room, thinking. He couldn't find the right shorts so I helped him find some others. He smiled a little as he was getting dressed then looked at me and said,"Mom, I think Lizzie is going to like how I look!"

Oh dearsy me!

They were fast friends....

~ellen

2009-05-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

What to do when it's late afternoon and you haven't had drop of coffee all day and your exhausted and you have four hours to drive and your sisters are about to head off in different directions? Take the advise of two nieces (thank you, Cherie and Christy) and go to a wonderful coffee shop. At least I think this is the one they said. Wallhouse in Sugarcreek. Inside the first set of doors you are greeted with heavenly aromas and two urns filled with coffee beans. Step through the next doors and swoon! The coffee was great and the ice cream..... my choice was Mocha Monkey.....and it almost made a monkey out of me, it was so good. Do try it if you ever get a chance...you'll not regret it!

Raw coffee beans ready for roasting....
My poison of choice.....
chunks of brownies and peanut butter cups, topped off with espresso....
rain outside and good friends inside...... for some reason I didn't get a picture of Lori and Andy. I was to taken up with my Mocha Monkey I guess...

Liss and I... we both look tired.

I tanked myself with coffee and started my four hour drive, which turned into five and a half. Jumping Jacks in the rain and vigorous walking through a closed mall (how fun is that?) and more caffeine and gross fries. Only to finally get home and crawl into my soft, warm, dry bed and my zapped brain would not let me sleep. But thank God I got home safe- I hate driving in the rain.

~ellen

2009-05-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

Last evening I went with Victoria to a dinner for young authors. From all the schools in our county, there was one winner in each grade for poetry and one winner for short stories. Victoria's short story won in the second graders catagory. So the Garrett Reading Council had a dinner and awards ceremony for the winners. Author Anna Egan Smucker was there to speak and sign books and hand out the awards. Victoria was really worried that she would have to read her story to everyone there. :)
Anna Egan Smucker's book 'Golden Delicious' was signed and given to the younger winners. The older winners got a gift certificate to a local book store.

Not all of the winners were able to come, but these are the ones who were there. Swan Meadow was well represented!
Victoria also won this basket of Junie B. Jones books, which she loves!

I was just thrilled and proud of her for winning the contest. Actually, I'd be thrilled and proud of her even if she hadn't won. I think reading and writing is so good for you in lots of ways.
One thing Anna Egan Smucker told the kids was not to get discouraged if publishers send their work back with a 'no thanks'. Dr. Suess (who doesn't know and love Dr. Suess) had his first story sent back 27 times! I'm glad he didn't give up....

~ellen

2009-05-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Mr. Postman, look and see. Please, please Mr. Postman,
I've been waiting, Mr. Postman, so-o patiently,
for just a card, or just a letter
sayin' she's comin' home to me.
So Mr. Postman, look and see.

So many days you pass me by,
till the tears stand in my eyes.
You don't stop to make me feel better....

My attempt at a representation of a Beatles song. :)
~ellen

2009-04-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

Antoine's expression here is just like it was when he got the puppy for his birthday. Adoration and happiness.

What's more fun than giving your puppy a bath on a hot summer (spring) day? Especially if two of your most favorite aunts are in on the fun.
Annie calmly accepted her punishment. She seriously had a 'whipped dog' look in her eyes and didn't realize this was fun. :)

A little resistance here....

And she ran straight for the camera here and shook herself viciously. And proceeded to go bury herself in the leaves and dirt. I think little boys and dogs have something against being clean!

~ellen

2009-04-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Taking another jog down memory lane...Gramma's house just has so many memories. I sat and watched her many times using this sewing machine. She used to sew 'mutza' for men in church and if a dating boy showed up at Gramma's house (which was in plain sight of our house- just across the yard) then us kids were in on a secret. Engagements were not announced until two weeks before the wedding, but no suit coat and vest and pants could be sewed in such a short amount of time so they had to be ordered before the two weeks prior. And I remember feeling just a little smug that we knew something no one else did. I was (and still am) amazed at the precise and straight seams she made with her machine. In my younger years I didn't think anyone else even knew HOW to make those suit coats. I can still hear that needle going up and down and hear her foot pumping on the foot pedal.How sad that handwritten letters are becoming a thing of the past. Seriously, an email is just not the same! Although I do appreciate those. :) Another treasure from Gramma's house....
And her lamp still sits on this shelf by the window. The winter or two that it was my responsibility to keep her woodbox filled I saw this a lot from outside. Glowing in the window...nice and warm inside where she often had something for me when I was finished. Most times it was a piece of bread with jam.
And this last picture is actually not Gramma's house, but another empty house. I just love the wooden porch floor and the old chairs. And it kinda' fits in with these other pictures. :)

~ellen

2009-04-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

I love seeing dads play ball with their boys. Especially when that dad is my hubby! Not really loving the grass stains in the pants. But really, I guess I don't even mind that all that much. Antoine's getting big enough that swinging the bat doesn't topple him over anymore!

Best Buds....

Those first boquets in the spring are so sweet and delightful..."I picked these for you, Mom. Aren't they beautiful?"
And a few more lovely signs of Spring in this cold windy little corner of the Earth...

Yesterday may have been almost 70 and 'hot' (according to the kids who so badly wanted to go barefoot), but today was rainy and windy and colder, then this evening it started snowing. Oh joy...! I love Garrett County. (I do, I do)

2009-03-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

I love fog. It's so dreamy and mysterious, and sometimes spooky. I saw a deer this evening when I was walking. Of coarse I wasn't watching for it and wasn't ready with my camera but it would have made a great picture! Next time I'll be ready....

It's amazing how seeing something can bring back a host of memories. This card with the Lords Prayer written in German resurfaced from who knows where. It's dirty and creased. But my mind went back to when I started going to Sunday School when I was in first grade. Gramma was my teacher and I remember feeling like such a big girl carrying my sunday school book and my little song book to church. I was nervous about going up to sit on the first-graders bench in front of the church. There were a lot of stern looking men and women who could watch us while we sat in class. I was proud of my gramma- she was my teacher and I thought she was the prettiest of all the old ladies with her snowy white hair! We learned the alphabet in German and learned to read German and each of us got a German copy of the Lords Prayer. It brought back other memories that had nothing to do with Sunday School, but still had to do with church. I remember sitting with Gramma in her spot on the front bench and during church, the lady behind Gramma would lean forward and over the bench and slip some candy in my hand. I remember precisely how the road felt to my bare feet on those hot summer days walking to and from church. We'd squish the tar bubbles with our toes and if it got to hot, we'd walk in the grass at the side of the road. I remember when I was old enough to sit with the other girls my age instead of sitting with mom and realizing I was now to old to go barefoot to church.
Oh, I could go on and on....

I think I'll teach this to my children.

2009-03-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

The sign of a little girl taking piano lessons.....I thought I better capture it before it's gone forever. She's learning the names of the notes now and starting to play by them instead of by her 'numbered fingers'. Kalei and Victoria are both excited about going to the recital this year.

2009-03-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, gotta' try out blogspot. See if I like it better than xanga! My brother and his wife were long-suffering enough to let me get this shot. And I won a contest with it! Yay!