June 30, Night Arriving

For Wordless Wednesday.

June 29, Industry Giant

I can understand why people would have a love/hate relationship with industry. It’s not really pretty but apparently the warm water run-off from the generators make good fishing.

So I’ve been told. We didn’t catch anything that day.

June 28, For You

On this beautiful Monday!

Of Course You Are Casey

Ahhh…LCAT Casey.

He kept coming to the command post to hang out with us all week. He was supposed to be emptying the garbage cans but somehow he would end up talking to the girl.

The girl is very shy. Extremely shy. LCAT Casey tried and tried and couldn’t get her to talk to him. He told the boy, “Your sister hates me.”

The boy assured him that she didn’t. That she was just shy.

LCAT Casey said to me, “Ms. Miller, you daughter doesn’t like me.”

I said, “Of course she does Casey.

I was only half listening because I was doing a task, and he knew it.

So he said, “Ms. Miller, you think I’m weird don’t you?”

I said, “Of course you are Casey.”

I only realized that what he said when everyone started laughing. What a jokester he is.

I wanted to tell him that, this really isn’t the way to get girls.

But even though the girl is shy…

There are other girls who aren’t.

Neighbor Amy was happy to flirt right back.

I am having fun with the kids at this age…please remind me the next time I write about messy rooms.

Hello Gorgeous Canvas!

I won! I won a photo contest at Shutter Sisters and won this beautiful canvas with one of my photos on it from Hello Canvas. I wasn’t sure what to expect but when it came in the mail, the entire family literally gasped.

Now before you say something about it being in the kids’ bathroom, I want you to know that it was purposeful.

I had always planned on getting them something for their wall now that Neighbor Kel took some time from his job to help us finish.

We still have to put a shower door in but right now the polar bear shower curtain works just fine. We want to show off this beautiful tile that Neighbor Kel put in. I thank all of you for weighing in on my whole tile drama. And I want to thank you for stopping me from putting in that blue mosaic tile.

You’re right, it wouldn’t have worked.

I was shopping for a print to go above the commode and the husband said, “Hey, you take pictures.”

Hey, so I do. When I won the canvas, it was my desire to put a piece of my own art up there for the kids.

And I absolutely, aboslutely love it.

I love it so much and I’m going to order a couple more, one for my bedroom, one for the livingroom and the girl wants a few for her bedroom of what else? Horses from the farm.

I’m excited to do it for her.

Now that the kids have a beautiful remodeled bathroom, they actually want to keep it clean.

Here’s a reminder from the girl. I believe I know who this is directed toward.

Thank you Hello Canvas, for the beautiful piece of art. I’m so pleased. Thank you Shutter Sisters for choosing me. And thank you Neighbor Kel for helping us navigate the remodel in the bathroom.

Our master bathroom is next. Everyone tighten your seatbelts.

The Lost & Confused Boys

The boy hurt his hand on the last day of school. I thought it was broken so I took him to the hospital where he was x-rayed. It was determined that there was no fracture, just sprained. We were all relieved, he is really busy this summer. I think he’s doing some kind of yoga thing here.

I always thought I was a fan of girls, I can relate to their daintiness and their grooming habits. Boys and their smelliness with their in-the-moment-only focus would cause me to shake my head.

So I came up with this Lost And Confused Adolescent Teen (LCAT) title for the boy’s friends because it was a way of dealing with boys without killing them. It’s has become a noun in our house.

We are going on vacation next week, the husband asked, “Are we taking any LCATs with us?”

Why yes we are.

This week I was observing the boy’s closest friends while they served during vacation Bible school.

And each boy demonstrated a great work ethic…

Okay, most of the time.

They were charming and playful. And they wormed their way into my heart even more.

So now dang, I’ve developed a fondness for them that is permanent which just means when they become men, they’ll still have to put up with me asking about their lives and ruffling their hair.

It’s the price they pay for being the boy’s friend.

See this boy? This is LCAT Casey. I dropped him off at his house a couple of weeks ago. Then I saw him at the grocery store a day later and he had a mohawk. Teens have a very misguided perception of what is attractive and what isn’t.

And this isn’t. However, after spending the week with LCAT Casey, I’ve fallen in love with him, mohawk and all. I have another post which will demonstrate my point and I think you’ll fall head over heels too…maybe.

Posted on SOOC Saturday and Photo Story Friday.

Admended to say…please visit me at Vision and Verb today…

June 26, Coolness

This week was a very hectic with our once a year vacation Bible school committment AND my air conditioner broken with record heat. The humidity was such that I found myself wish I lived in Arizona where at least I could say, “But it’s a dry heat.”

I admit I didn’t handle it as well as I would hope. There were a few times when I really thought I would have to go to work and sleep. I couldn’t think to put two words together and my creativity was at its lowest. My camera felt like a stone around my neck as I wandered aimlessly around the sea of kids.

However, now that the air is fixed (I nearly kissed the air conditioner man) and now that we don’t need to get a new unit, I once again have a level conciousness.

I wrote the next installment of my little story on Vision and Verb on Thursday, in the midst of the heat.

I still hope you enjoy it anyway…Please visit me there.

Okay, Enough Is Enough

It’s my corner of the internet and I shall use it as I wish.
 

 

Okay…I tried. I am still trying.

I’m trying to be gracious in the face of adversity. I’m trying to be calm in the storm. I’m trying to be patient with circumstances that are not under my control.

BUT I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! It was 101 degrees F yesterday!

We are in the midst of a heat wave here in the Mid-Atlantic states. The temperatures are in the  high 90’s during the day and in the mid 70’s at night. The humidity has been in the 90% percentile.

Our air conditioner has been out since Monday. MONDAY!

The husband was home Monday and he was his optimistic self.  “We can swim in the pool to stay cool.” Okay!

Then he leaves for his trip early Tuesday morning and his optimism doesn’t carry long distance. I’m sure his hotel rooms are temperature controlled.

It was 105 degrees Fahrenheit today when I got in the car to take the kids home at about 1 pm. Here’s the proof.

I’m going to throw in some political statements here. Guard your ears if you are easily offended (like I am at times) or if you don’t want to hear any political ranting (like I don’t at times) then stop here. Don’t read anymore.

But if you are a brave soul and not easily offended then feel free to bring your open mindedness to this one-sided conversation.

I’m really taking this photo, I am.

Since this whole global warming “debate” started I have been very cynical about the science leading up to it. As a former scientist myself (loosely speaking) I will tell you that scientists are human too. Just sayin’.

So all thinking human beings have biases and opionions no matter how much they deny it, because they are human, they do.

So what does this have to do with my air conditioning? It doesn’t.

Except for this.

It’s easy to say that Global Warming doesn’t exist when you have regulated temperature control that works in your house. It’s easy to say that Climate Change isn’t real because, well, it’s called the weather. It’s easy to poo poo the argument that we’re all going to die because of man’s inhumane (ironic statement) indifference to his environment for pure capital gain. It’s easy to say that climate change has always existed (anyone heard of the Ice Age?) before we came to this earth and think that the history of earth evolution and revolution began when we first started remembering weather (I remember when it snowed all the time.)

But when one’s air conditioner is out for a week and it’s horridly hot with 100% humidity, the only thing I can say is this…

Global Warming is REAL! And it’s happening right NOW!

For those of you who I offended with this post, I truly apologize. I’ll be back to my old sort-of-happy self when the air conditioner gets fixed tomorrow.

Team Up Thursday, Chaos

Left is Kristina’s chaotic schedule. The right photo shows in chaos in youth group. I think side by side, these photos say a great deal about how life marches on.

Thanks Kristina! What a great partner you are.

See more Team Up Thursday at The Hip Momma’s Journal and at Mental Inventory.

Fabulous Find – Sirius2 Photography

As I I have been wanting to write about Sirus2 Photography for a while now, about two years. I came across John Maslowski’s photo over the internet and I was immediately – I repeat, immediately – stupified. I frankly had never seen anything like it before.

I know it’s not saying much since my first DSLR was purchase less than two years ago but it didn’t lessen the awe I felt as I clicked through his site.

I sit here at my counter, the sweat dripping off of me because my air conditioner is broken and it’s 98 degrees outside with A LOT of humidity, I started thinking about John’s waterfalls…and I began to grasp the wonders of self suggestion. I am literally putting myself in the middle of his pool of cool water. His HDR just adds to the effect. How can one man be so talented?

John sent me this photo a long time ago. It’s actually one of my favorites. I love the colors and the playfullness. And I’m sure the store was air conditioned.

If you ever consider dabbling in HDR photography, you should explore John’s work.

Or if you air coniditioner is broken and you need to escape in your mind to a cool waterfall in Ricketts Glenn, Pennsylvania…then go here. It’s where I am right now.

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