shutter love tuesday: fall

this week's shutter love tuesday theme over at the trendy treehouse is fall.  i just took some photos of my kids and i plan on sharing some of my favs. but just for now, i will just give you this one until i get them up.

go check out some of the other wonderful photos and enter one of your own!

edited to add 11/28/10:

I Don't Deserve Awards or Pets

I have received a few awards lately that I wanted to share with you.

First let me say that I received these awards weeks ago and although I do appreciate receiving them (honestly, I do), and am so flattered that anyone would consider me, passing them on is what makes me not really like them.

Does that sound terrible of me?  I don't deserve awards!

The thing is, I don't really know who's already received them, whether or not they really want them, and if those who receive them pass them on just to follow the rules or if they are truly passing them to those who deserve them.

I have felt a little hurt at times to see that the person I have passed an award onto didn't seem to really want it, because they never posted it or even mentioned it.

That's just how I feel. Definitely, no guilt trip implied for those who receive the awards I send your way.

Here are the two I got a few weeks ago.

The first one is from Michelle at A-Tisket A-Tasket.  Thank you, Michelle!

The second one if from Emily at Fat Girl to Thin.  You are so kind, Emily, Thank you!

I have received this award before, but I appreciate that Emily would nominate me also.

I am supposed to tell 7 things about myself for this second one.  I have made dozens of lists with random facts about myself so it is difficult to  find something you don't already know.  So,instead, here is a story about a time in my life that I was recently thinking about.

...

I once thought I lost my mom's dog, Pebbles, a Yorkshire Terrier, when I left the back gate open. My mom just got a new in ground pool in her back yard and I was swimming in her pool while she was off doing some errands.  There was a big wooden fence around the pool and a wooden gate with latch on one side.

I opened the gate to run out to my car for my phone and forgot to close the gate as I was in my car.  As I was going back in the gate,  MY dog, Kay Kay, was sitting by the gate.  I called my mom's dog, Pebbles to make sure she was inside before I shut the gate, but she didn't come.

I called her and called her, but she didn't come. I ran inside and called her and looked all over but didn't see her.  My first thought was that she had gotten out of the gate while I was at my car. Panicked (panicked like losing a child panicked), and still in my swimsuit,  I ran back inside and grabbed the first thing in the coat closet to throw over me...a bright yellow long sleeved rain coat, and ran as fast as I could down the road screaming for her.

A man in a UPS truck stopped to see what I was in distress about, or perhaps he was forced to stop because I was running down the middle of the road, but either way when he came to a stop, I ran to his door to beg for his help. At that very moment is when I realized how ridiculous I looked, but I was a nervous wreck, telling him that I couldn't find my dog and I needed him to drive around and look for her.

I most certainly could have gotten my own car and drove around but I was not thinking clearly.  I had a sickening feeling in my stomach and I was crying by this time. My first thought was what if she got run over. 

Pebbles was old, she would never make it on her own.  My poor "little sister" lost in this big, big world and it was my fault.

I decided I was going to run back to the house and get my phone and call my mom and tell her that Pebbles was missing.  As I was running back to the house to get the phone, there she stood, that long haired 4-legged child, staring at me from behind the glass of  the front door.  Pebbles, not my mom. :)  I don't think I had ever kissed my Mom as much as I kissed that dog that day.

Hallelujah!  You just don't know what a relief that was!

When my mom got home, I told her the story.

"I called Pebbles like a million times!  I was about to have a heartattack!"

Suddenly she laughed.

"Why are you laughing?  This is not funny!"

My mom informed me that Pebbles had just been diagnosed as being totally deaf, and that is why she didn't come when I called...she couldn't hear me!

Crazy white girl running up the road in a bright yellow long sleeved rain coat on the hottest day of summer screaming and crying for "Pebbles"...what a sight!  Hilarious now! Not so funny then!

The End.

True Story! 

 ...

I am passing the Cherry on Top Award on to only one person with an awesome blog.

Chelsey at The Paper Mama

Hopefully, she has not already received this cutesy award.  She certainly deserves it either way!

The second one, I am not passing on since I have received it before and have passed it on once before.

Thanks again to both of these lovely ladies for passing them on to me.

Sorry, but I Decided to Cancel...

The Photog Fine Tune Challenge.

I was really excited about it and then I realized that I have been packing in a lot of extra curricular blog activities. I will continue to post, but I just really don't need any extra stuff right now. I don't want to be tied down to a commitment like this during my Summer. I worry that there will come a time when I won't be able to keep it scheduled. We do a lot during the Summer and it just won't be fair to you to start something I can not finish. My family definitely comes first!

On that note...

Here is just a small sample of what I have been keeping myself busy with...the photos I took of my two baby girls recently. I am currently editing them. More to come before the end of the week.

And here is my submission into this week's theme, NATURE at Trendy Treehouse.

Be sure to go over and check out all of the other beautiful photos and vote for a winner.

Hope everyone has a Happy Tuesday!

Update:  

I Should Get the "Slacker" Award!

I have recently...like 3+ weeks ago...received some awards that I am now getting to.  I have been so busy finishing up school ( one A, two B's, and in my defense, it was a rough semester!), but truly do appreciate that others have considered me for these awards.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The first one is The Preppy Mafia award from Stacey at Kingston Girl. {Thank you Stacey!}

The Rules:

* Click on the above image and paste onto your blog/website
* Answer the below questions
* Pass onto 10 (or 6 like me) bloggers that you Love, go to their blog and let them know they've been given   the award.

1. Who is your style icon? I have no idea! I really do miss my 20's.  I am in my 30's now and sometimes feel old when a see an outfit I really like and then realize I am standing in the juniors department and that Avril Levigne created the garment.

2. What is your favorite socialite book? Socialite Book? Wow what is that?? Does the Bible count?

3. Favorite party theme? My daughter Red has really got me wrapped up in and enjoying the Alice in Wonderland theme lately.

4. Go to Halloween costume? I dress my kids up way more than I do.  This year's theme is Scooby Doo characters!  YES, we plan this early in advance!  WE LOVE HALLOWEEN!

5. Extravagance you cannot live without? My Laptop.

6. Living person you admire? All hard working parents.  Not the lazy ones who only care about themselves, but the ones who truly bust their butts to provide for their family and would do anything for their children. 

7. Greatest fear? Something happening to one of my children.  And spiders...boy, do I HATE those! *shiver*

8. Trait you deplore in yourself? I wish I had a little more patience and I wasn't so OCD about EVERYTHING!

9. Which talent would you most like to have? Photography skills.  AND...I wish I really knew how to sing.  Well, I think I can, but no one else seems to agree with me.

10. Greatest Achievement? My children. Working, raising kids, and going to school all at the same time.  Hopefully I still have time to achieve more in my life!  I want the opportunity to be the positive role model my children look up to.

I am going to pass this award on to my favorite blogs.  Some of them, I have given awards to before, but this time I am going to pick the ones that I admire most, read EVERY day (or at least every time there is a new post), and feel like I have made a friend along the way (the ones I have a blog crush on and would definitely want in my Preppy Mafia...lol).

Ok, here are the blogs I am passing this award on to:

Through Cupcake Colored Sunglasses
The Photog Nazi
Webbisodes
Princess and Pirate Tales
Mean Mommy Academy
Five and a Highchair

If you have never visited these blogs, you are seriously missing out on tons of laughs, a few tears, and so many ADORABLE children.

The second award is The Versitile Blogger award from Sharon at A Flock of Fitzgeralds.  {Thank you so much for this award Sharon!}

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

7 Things About ME that May Not Interest YOU:

1.  I am not a very sentimental person.  I don't keep my children's crafty little school projects.  If I love it enough, I might take a picture, but soon after I toss it in the trash.  By no means does it mean I don't love my children. I just don't feel like I need to keep those things to show my children I love them.  I should do it other ways, like SPENDING TIME WITH THEM.

2.  I get irritated with people easily.  Some people are just straight up morons.  I know I am a fairly smart person, but by no means am I a genius, I have my moron moments.  So, when someone has a stupid moment that I know I can figure out, then I get irritated...and have a hard time keeping my mouth shut about it.  Yes, sometimes I am a jerk moody.

3.  I believe in ghosts.

4.  I hate needles.

5.  I am allergic to grass...Terribly!!

6.  I smoked for 7 years...my first cigarette was in sixth grade (Shh! Don't tell my children!).  I quit when I found out I was pregnant with my first child.  That was 12 years ago. I can't even stand the smell of cigarette smoke now.

7.  I HEART ROLLERCOASTERS!  Love 'em!

I am passing this award on to these 4 blogs (I just don't read enough blogs to choose 15):

Loving Life's Little Moments
The Paper Mama
Lemon Crafts
For the Love

I have recently discovered these wonderful blogs and I think that you should definitely check them out too!

Paper Mama's Photo Challenge - Joy

http://thepapermama.blogspot.com/2010/05/and-winner-is.htmlI am really loving all of these photography blogs I have been reading and participating in lately, so here is another great one.  I especially like The Paper Mama and the photo challenges because the challenges are based around children. And as luck would have it, I have plenty of photos of my children. 

This week's theme is Joy.  This was little Monster's first ride in a swing and he just giggled the entire time.  It certainly did bring joy to his day!

Head on over to The Paper Mama and check out all of the other participants in this photo challenge.

Update:

Click HERE to see why!

Shutter Love Tuesday - Water

Water, Water Everywhere!
 ...but not a drop to drink!

Go on over and vote for a winner (pick me!). There are so many great photographs to choose from!

Update:

They All Stood Up and Laughed at Me! - Another Award

I was so excited when Brianne over at one of my favorite blogs The Photog Nazi, told me I had won this award from her.  She has so much creativity and talent and I just love reading her blog every day.  And we both agree that it is oober creepy how many things we have in common.  I seriously believe our comments back and forth always begin with  "OMG! ME TOO!"  I recently found out we live in the same state.  But still too far to just jump in my car and drive over to hug her for this award.

I honestly believe this award has the most sentimental value because I have always known that I was funny, I was just waiting for everyone else to realize it!  

Haha!  For real though...I really have always thought that I was funny and it is good that someone else recognizes it and I am not just sitting in the room with chirping crickets.

Okay, okay...so on to the award.  It is the Laughing Raptor Award.

The rules for receiving this award are simple...I am supposed to send this on to other bloggers who I find humorous or that would "even make a raptor laugh". I find myself laughing frequently at random blogs on occasion, however there is only one blog that I find myself laughing at every time.

I am passing this award on to:

Wonderful World of Wieners

Go check out this blog!  A guarantee you will giggle, or even laugh out loud.  But first be warned, this isn't for the faint of heart, you must have an open mind. I {LOVE} this blog!  Seriously!  I have been quietly reading it for some time now and I can't help but laugh (and say "Ha, Ha, Look Jason this is hilarious!)

It's Award Time Again!

Joy over at The Practical Mom Guide so sweetly awarded me with this.  Big Thanks to Joy!

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1.  Copy and Paste the award on your blog.
2.  Tell who gave you the award and link to that person's blog.
3.  List 10 things that make you happy.
4.  Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.

10 Things that Make Me Happy

My Family

Having a Relationship with God

True Friends

Pretty Painted Toenails in Flip Flops

a Clean Home

Popsicles

Hearing a Great Song on the Radio

Movies with Happy Endings

My Camera

Bright Summer Sunshine

Here are the bloggers I am passing this award to:

Karisa Tells All

Barefeet on the Dashboard

Angry Julie Monday

Mean Mommy Academy

...

Shannon over at Webbisodes awarded me with this.  Go check her out! Her daughter is so stinkin' cute she will melt your heart!  Thanks so much for this Shannon!

The rules for this award are simple. Tell 10 honest things about yourself and pass it on.

10 Honest things about myself

1.  I am the world's worst procrastinator!  Why has no one given me an award for THAT?  

2.  I am OCD about everything!  EVERYTHING!  I like things to be symmetrical or have a reason for not being that way, every household chore has a specific way of doing it, I don't buy crinkled or dented packaging, if I try something on or open a bottle to smell the contents at a store I put it back and get another one before I make a purchase, messes freak me out.  I could go on and on.  See how bad it is to live with me?  I can't help it, I've tried!

3.  I don't like to walk on my bare feet.  I won't completely freak out, but I just prefer not to.  The beach sand is pretty much the only place that doesn't bother me.

4.  I think I was a Mexican in a past life.  I would eat Mexican food EVERY DAY if my family would let me, my favorite beer is Corona, and I keep a salsa garden every summer in my backyard.  Maybe I just wish I was Mexican!

5.  I love to talk and have no problem talking to anyone, but I do not like to be the center of attention.  Especially at Christmas when everyone is standing around watching me open that one gift that someone is so proud of and I just know I am going to hate and have to fake excitement about.  Those moments scare me!

6.  I secretly wish I were a famous singer but that would never work out cause I hate to be the center of attention, remember?

7.  I do not like to be touched on the neck or on the wrist.  I won't even touch myself there.  Why?  I don't know!

8.  I have 4 tattoos and would love to have a dozen more.  I really want some snowflakes, but I don't like the winter.  Have you figured out I'm a weirdo yet?

9.  Every time I eat, I eat like I am in a race.  I am always the first one to finish eating. 

10.  I love cheesecake so much that one time I got a whole cheesecake and ate the entire thing in one sitting.  I am like that with Doritoes too.

Here are the bloggers I am passing this award to:

Cupcake Dream

A Beautiful Life

The Photog Nazi

I honestly read a lot of blogs, but I try to give these awards to those that stand out in my mind.  Go check them out, they all are great bloggers and I enjoy reading their blogs each day.

And the Award Goes to...

I am honored to have been nominated for two awards. Thank you so much to Margaret at Pickles & Lollipops for both of these!





Now, I am thrilled to pass these on to some other deserving bloggers.

For the "Beautiful Blogger" award you need to:
~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.
~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
~Tell us seven interesting facts about yourself.
~Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you have discovered.
~Contact your nominations and let them know they've won.

For the "One Lovely Blogger" award you need to:
~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog
~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
~Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you have discovered.
~Contact your nominations and let them know they've won.

7 (un)Interesting Facts About ME:

1. I can sing the ABC's backwards
2. Sirens make me cry
3. I not-so-secretly LOVE everything about Drew Barrymore
4. I talk A LOT, but I HATE to talk on a phone. Don't ever ask me to call you...I won't! You will have to call me and even when you do, I will try to rush you off the phone.
5. Spiders and lakes creep me out! I get chills thinking about both.
6. I have major OCD about EVERYTHING. When I think about it, it definitely started as a child. Coloring out of the lines would send me over the edge and if I made that mistake, I couldn't go on and would usually scribbled out the page.
7. Scary movies are my favorite but I am VERY scared of the dark.

The recipients I have chosen for the "Beautiful Blogger" award are:

Magnolia Queen
The Freckled Egg
Xoxo, Trina
You Oughta See What's New with Kari and Nathan Otto
The Photog Nazi
Mimi Bella Boo
Friendly Cottage
Little Big Girl Studio
Three Time Mommy
The Intentional Home
Pixies and Bears
Life with the Grovers


The recipients for the "One Lovely Blog" award are:

Magnolia Queen
Life with the Grovers
The Freckled Egg
You Oughta See What's New with Kari and Nathan Otto
Three Time Mommy
Cultivating Rosebuds
Pixies and Bears
Mimi Bella Boo
Five and a Highchair
The Intentional Home
Cupcake Dream
The Photog Nazi
Magically Ordinary

There you have it! I did not choose 15 for each one because I am very loyal to a select number of blogs (whether I am a lurker or a avid commenter) that I think are very worthy of these awards. I took this seriously when choosing because if you are like me you feel proud that someone would consider you. Randomly giving these away would lessen the meaning of them.

I have enjoyed each of these blogs and feel that they all are well deserving of this award. Feel free to stop by to say hi and congratulate them.

Thanks again to Margaret for selecting me to receive these awards and congratulations to everyone!