"Super Mom"

I was at church tonight, snapping away on all the reflective surfaces and thinking about how the kitchen is still the center of activity even in a church. I got home and discovered this shot that I didn't even know I took (most of the shots are very close up strange angles and reflections). I loved how the coffee pot and toddler are in focus, but mom is moving so fast she seems in hyper speed. I think it is the way most mom's of toddlers feel.

School daze :)

Today, Miss Athena was 'bored' so instead of doing all the things she was 'supposed' to be doing, she played on the internet, spent HOURS curling her very, very straight hair, and took funny pictures of herself. When I came home from the bank she was all dolled up and still bored :)

This morning before getting bored, she did finish a couple loads of towels and clean the kitchen. So, I'll call it a cosmotology, computer research development, photograph and home ec. day :)

The good, the bad and the ugly....

These two are my 'good' today. They worked very diligently mostly on their own. Even though they totally messed up their first maps of Asia, they redid the maps correctly without one single grumble.

These were my 'bad' today. Bad is a relative term, they were just loud and easily distracted today. I don't think they accomplished very much.

This was my 'ugly' today. I am posting the artsy photo, because the moment I was capturing, a fairly normal sight, was really, really ugly. At this point Juniper has eaten the head off a large mouse and is in the process of disemboweling it to finish her breakfast. The kids told me it was part of my day and I should record it.... I have very graphic shots too for them, but I could not bring myself to subject you guys to it.

First video attempt

Video of Nathan and Athena dancing on Sunday at a showcase. Athena is the one with dark hair in the center most of the time. Nathan is the boy who lifts her completely over his head. I think he is on the left most of the time.

Big Sky!

I took this on the way into the dance showcase that the kids had tonight. There were so many layers of color that my camera didn't pick up, but I still love the shot.

Dance Competition

These are my attempts at action shots. Athena is in the center of the first to and being held in the last one. It is just about impossible to see him, but Nathan is in the bottom two as well. I learned a lot today and I think pushed myself and my camera to the limits. It is late so I am not posting the leftovers until tomorrow. It was another 300 plus shot day :)


And on a side note, the bread I made yesterday that a couple of you asked about was buttermilk rye. No bread making (or cooking at all) for me today!

A typical day through my eyes....6am-7pm

First attempt at the self-portrait.

They are more interested than they look :)

This is part of an oral presentation on the novel The Bronze Bow.

Grammar...timed essay writing!

I actually shot this one while driving about 40 miles per hour. It is next to a traffic light, but I had a green light and still wanted to get the picture because it is something I see almost every time I leave the house.





I finally mastered the timer, but since I can't turn the flash off I continue to look like a dear caught in the headlights and really bad light at that :)

Day of fun surprises!

This is our priest's wife and toddler. The three of them came for a short surpirse visit tonight to cheer up Dirk and bring him Communion. It was really great to see them.

These are Japanese Sticky Rice Balls. The boys decided out of the blue to make them this afternoon and it was just lucky we had everything they needed in the pantry. I am also surprised that I am learning how to get the extreme close-ups to focus.

I woke up to snow!

I was so happy! But all of this was gone in just a couple hours. It was fun while it lasted. I took lots of pictures, I'll put a few more in leftovers and I took a lot of the kids today that I am posting on Musings.

Real Tuesday Picture.

This is my picture for Tuesday because it is the highlight of my month. On the 4th Tuesday of every month we meet and talk, and talk, and talk some more. Some about the book we have read, usually a book on women and their search for the Divine. We have read fiction and non-fiction.

Mostly we just talk about life. These two women know me worts and all and still like me :) They like me on my bad days, they like me when I am confused, they like when they tell me I am wrong. While getting busy with life, I forget how much I need their smiles and laughs and hugs. But once a month no matter what, we carve out time for each other and ourselves.

Another monday picture

For those who asked :) The tree in the top picture from yesterday is a sycamore (not sure the variety). I love it because of how white it gets especially in the winter. It is also really tall, more than double the height of the house.

Monday's lunch break....

This first one reminded me a little of the Japanese prints and I took it because Laura's were so pretty. The colors didn't really come through. The sky is a blue grey, the tree is mostly white and the balls look a lot redder in person than they came out in the photograph.

I went out to take pictures of the birds that were making so much noise today that it could be described as an absolute cacophany.
The geese were especially loud.

However, my companion, made sure she was the only thing I found in the trees!

My new friend!

This is my new scale. It is a week old.
It is very accurate, down to the 10th of a pound. I had to make friends with it and so far we are still on good terms :) We are working together...not against each other...towards good health! We got to record a loss this week.

Guess where I was again today :)

Athena getting off another plane!

Nathan actually offering to help her with her luggage.

The Louisville Airport Pegasus.
I actually paid to park so you guys could see her. She is one of our major landmarks. I remember when the city opened the 'new' airport. I was just a little girl(not so little since I actually did the resesearch), but the Pegasus was in the news and made a huge impression.
When I traveled it was always nice to come home to her :)

A final project....

I was going to use a different shot, but it didn't work the way I wanted. So here is my youngest student this year. He has been studying with me for just about 4 years now. He missed out on doing his oral presentation on something South American because he was sick that day, so he did it today.

He made the poster and memorized the speech :) His family supports a little girl in Bolivia (actually they support 4 total from around the world, one for each of their kids), and he wanted to tell us all about her and how her life is different because of the money and letters his family sends her. He did a great job and was very proud of himself!

I also did another photo story on Musings. It is some teenage boys doing a puzzle race.

He is reminding me to count my blessings....

Coco is up and walking better. He is eating on his own (soft food and broth). He isn't crying or whining, so I think he is in less pain. However, as you can see in the picture his tail is down, and that is a big deal on a chow. They are so proud of their fluffy tails that the parade them high in the air! The vet said it is part of his back problems. And he won't let me brush or groom him at all. So, he is not his usually beautiful self, but he still seems happy just to be where I am.

He is reminding me each day we have together, whether it is just a few or another year or two, is very, very special! I have had him almost as long as I had all three kids at home :) He is here and happy now, in the present and helping to keep me focused there too.