Sunrise Steeple

As I was taking my daughter to her last Grinch Week practice I noticed how the sun was lighting up the windows in the steeple of this church. So, I dropped my daughter off at the Y and came back down the road to take a few pictures (ok, and to get a cappuccino at the gas station down the street). This is what the sunrise looks like coming through this steeple.

Lovin' The Dog Park

It was our puppies' first trip to the dog park. They loved it so much. There were 11 Scotties there, total and about a dozen other small dogs. Izzy found a Corgi she really loved. Here is a picture of Izzy and Livvy really enjoying the freedom of the Dog Park.

The Road to the Y

This week my daughter is participating in a very rigerous practice schedule. This week is known as Grinch Week for the swim team. They have two practices a day. Every morning except Friday is a two hour practice (including Saturday). Friday morning is a three hour practice. Every evening is at least two hours (Monday - Friday). Three of those nights are three hour practices which includes an hour of dry land practice. It is not only intense physically but mentally. At her level she had to be invited by the coaches to participate. So, we have been driving to the YMCA twice a day. Usually when the sun is rising and again when it is setting. So, I made a collage of the sunrise and sunset on the road to the Y.

WWYD 39

 This is a picture I entered into a challenge on 365project.

Burnt

We have a bulb burnt out in our bathroom light fixture

Such a Beauty

Izzy right after her grooming appointment

Football Trophy

My MIL and FIL gave me a light box for Christmas. I've already played around with it some. This is one of the pictures I took of my son's football trophy for this year's football season using the light box.

Where's Our Snow?!

Our town has what they call "Christmas Traditions" every year from the weekend after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. Part of this includes Christmas Characters wandering Main Street. They will stop and tell you who they are and the history behind their character. They also give out "trading cards" with their pictures and info on them. This picture is my son having a discussion with Jack Frost about the fact that we are NOT having winter weather this December. It was warm enough to wander around with light jackets unzipped/unbuttoned on Christmas Eve. It's supposed to be COLD and weather people around here told us we'd have snow in December this year, doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Livvy Up Close

Watchin' Youtube

One thing that Scotties are known for is their "arrrooo roooos" (talking). However, not all of them do this. Our Izzy has arrooood a couple times, so I've been trying to get her to do it again. I pulled up Youtube videos of other Scotties arooooing and she was mesmerized by them.

Food Hipstamatic

Ok, this is my attempt at hipstamatic. I have to tell ya'll I had no idea what that meant when I drew that tag for this challenge. This is an entry for Tag Challenge XX. I got the tags "food" and "hipstamatic." I looked at tons of hipstamatic pictures and hope I got the interpretation at least close. This is my daughter making supper all by herself for the first time... no help from mom at all! It was quite nice to not have to make supper myself.

17 Years

This was an ornament given to my husband and I in 1994, our first Christmas as a married couple. It is now 17 years old.

Purple Ornament

Tug O War

Livvy is just now starting to understand the concept of tug o war. She has a tendency to just give up when she realizes her opponent won't let go, but she's getting the hang of it. It's most fun when she a Izzy play tug o war together.

♥

I love this little boy beyond reason. There are no other words that can even come close to describing what he means to me. He is my heart and soul. He is the breath I breathe. He is the reason our house feels like a home. Being a mom to a son is an amazing gift.

At the Turn

My daughter on a turn during one of her events

Mario Cart Concentrations

My Celloist

My son had his winter concert this week. He's only been playing the Cello since the middle of September.

New Old Fashioned McDs

This is the McDonald's my daughter and I had lunch at coming back from her swim meet. It's located in New Baden, IL. It's a fairly new building that has been built to look like the old McD's. It was kind of funny because they had booths like an old diner and some of the old posters that would have been hanging in the older McD's, but yet there was a man there using the WiFi and a Redbox right outside the door.

Centralia Bicentenial Park

Here is another view of the wooden water tower with the pump house in the foreground. I did a little bit of processing with this one. The railroad tracks for IRCC line are across the street and on the other side of a small parking lot from the water tower and it's pump house. They have created a small park here with a few benches and some trees to aid in preserving this part of their heritage.

Wooden Water Tower

Wood and Water
This is a historic water tower. It's capacity is 50,000 gallons. It is one of two still standing built for the IRCC line. I believe the other is in Kinmundy, IL. This one is located in Centralia, IL. We were there this weekend for my daughter's swim meet and this water tower was just across the street from the recreation complex that housed the swim meet. The sign on it says "Merry Christmas." I did not get a chance to get a picture of it at night when the sign was lit up. The old pump house still stands, too. It is located to the side of the water tower. I have a picture with the pump house in it, too that I will share later. I got lucky with this because I've been wanting to do the tag challenge thing and it just never works out. Well, this time it has as the tags I got were wood and water. So, here it is....

Old Farm House

Snowy Lane

The Giving Tree

This stump made me think of one of my all time favorite books by Shel Silverstein.

Birdhouse

I went for a very short walk in one of my favorite parks today. I love taking pictures in this park. I only had my cellphone with me, so my pictures are not as great as I'd like them to be, but still I think most of them turned out pretty good. I just could not get the close ups I would have liked to get. There were so many opportunities for great macros especially with the snow falling, but I have to just be happy with what I got. This is one of them. I love this bird house, it always catches my attention when I'm there, but seeing it amongst the bare trees and the snow, made it even more interesting.

Nap Time

I actually had planned on posting this a few weeks ago and forgot about it. This was taken in the hall way along the windows over looking the pool at our Y during a home swim meet. I think Daddy and Baby were tired that day.

 

Cookie Monster

One of the older swimmers REALLY enjoyed the cookies. Yes, he really did pull the whole platter over in front of himself and was eating one right after another.

VIPs

I have always believed that people come into our lives for a reason. Today, my daughter's swim team had their Christmas Party. We had it at a bowling alley and as I was wandering around snapping pictures, something else occurred to me.

There are those people that show up in our lives in different places. The three ladies in this picture are a few of the people that are a part of different parts of my life. They not only are a part of the swim team (which is a huge part of our lives in our house), but one of them is a part of my church life, has been a part of football life and girl scout life and is one of the girls I go to girls nights out with. Another one has been a part of football life and swim team life and has a few of the same friends I have. The other one is a huge part of my girl scout life, swim team life and is a friend because of her friendship with another one of my friends.

As I was realizing how much of my life is spent around these ladies, I also realized that those people I know from more than one positive influence, also have a huge positive impact on my life and are the ones that really help me challenge myself to become the best I can be. They are amazing women, along with the others that share spaces and times with us. This picture is dedicated to ALL those people that I spend a lot of time with in different spaces of life. Those people who have not only enriched my life, but my family's lives, too. I am not sure any of them will ever truly understand what they mean to me.

Shotgun Shell Santa

This is one of my husband's ornaments. He is a duck hunter and this Santa is made from a shotgun shell.

 

Cillaxin'

Livvy hangin' out with Daddy

 

Waiting for Santa

Izzy has decided the best place to snooze is under the Christmas tree. This being her first ever Christmas, she really does not know what is going on, but if she's anything like her predecessor, Abby, she'll end up loving this time of year.

 

Vintage Santa

One of my favorite ornaments I bought myself. I love old fashioned Santas .... love Santas period. I have a collection of Santas from around the world, too. I might have to take some pictures of some of those.

 

Bottoms Up

another view of my ornament from when I was a baby.

 

Christmas Memory

I grew up in a house where the ornaments on the tree each had a story behind them. We did not worry about color matching or giving our tree a "theme." Our tree was all about us. I have carried that tradition into my adult life and actually handed it over to my MIL in that I give her a "personalized" ornament every year for her birthday which is three days before Christmas. I started this about two years before my husband and I got married. This picture is of an ornament that I have had since my first Christmas. My mom wanted ornaments she could hang down low that would not break so I could touch them. My first Christmas was just 17 days before my first birthday so I was already toddling around. The ornaments my mom bought were plastic with Christmas trees inside them. There are only two out of a set of six left. Three were just like this one and three were yellow tear drops with green trees. My brother has the only yellow one left. My children know the story behind this ornament and the only reason it is not hanging on the bottom of the tree this year is because they were afraid our puppies would knock it off and use it as a chew toy. But, it is still where I can reach it and touch it, which is the point anyway.

 

Are You Done Yet?

My Izzy girl wanting me to put away my computer.

 

Ornament Tops

It is that time of year again. Time to get out the Christmas decorations and make my home cheery and merry. I love this time of year and everything that goes with it. These are ornaments on a wreath my mom made me. I love the rich colors of them.

 

Dresser Drawer

Laundry Basket

This is the door on the cabinet of our entertainment center.  It's a hand me down from my husband's parents.  My husband had to have it.  I did not want it.  But, I have to say I do like the storage in it, so it's not all that bad. 

Panel Door

This is the door to my bedroom. We put in white six panel doors not long after we moved in to our home. That was 16 1/2 years ago. I would not do it again. Dust clings to them and sits in the bevels of the panels and it's just annoying as all get out.

 

Acoustic Ceiling

This is an entry for the theme: patterns.  This is what the ceiling in our house looks like.  It was a major pain in the butt when we first moved into our home.  We spend two days scraping it off our master bathroom and bedroom ceilings because we didn't really want it, only to find out pain was not going to stick to our ceiling after all our efforts, so we had to pay someone to come in and "blow it" back up onto our ceiling.  To this day, I really, really, really dislike it and would not buy another house with it.

Fluidity

My entry for this week's theme... liquid

2nd in Division

My son played his third season of football this year. Last year his team did not win a game. This year we got 2nd place in our division and went to the playoffs. We played for a spot in the super bowl last week and lost. Today is his last game and we're playing for 3rd/4th place over all in the league (4th grade). Our team has lost 3 games and the team we're playing has lost only one.

My Donkey

Ever since the first time I saw Shrek I have wanted a talking Donkey. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the character of Donkey. Well, this may not be a talking donkey or even a real donkey, but he sure does have his own character and I love him. We bought him at the Gypsy Caravan back in May.

Fall Flower Embelished

Played around in Picnik with this photo.

Group of Photographers

The leader that was in charge of our Mother/Daughter dinner asked me to take a picture of all the leaders. So, I helped all the leaders to get in position and when I turned around to walk back to where I needed to stand to get the photo, this is what I saw... actually they all kind of startled me... was not expecting a crowd behind me as well as in front of me!

Mother ~ Daughter

This past weekend was our annual girl scout Mother/Daughter dinner. It was a pj theme. I always do the pictures for our Mother/Daughter dinner. This is one of the leaders and one of her daughters. I thought this was such a fun picture, I wanted to share it. Some day they are going to let me pick the back ground, though.

A View of a Yard

Effects of Fall

I have always considered myself very lucky to live in a part of the world that sees all four seasons, that gets the advantage of all four seasons. I love watching the seasons change and seeing the changes take place in nature. Each season has it's own beauty. Fall is no exception, for if we cannot see the beauty in the endings of things, it is impossible to actually see the beginnings of things.

Home

This is my entry for the weekly theme. I chose to do this because this is the house that my husband and I bought when we'd been married just 7 months. On November 12, 2011 we are celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary and still living in this home. This is where we are raising our children in the same town we grew up in. This is where our marriage has had it's ups and downs. But, most importantly, this is the home where we have grown together and have fallen even more in love than we were when we first got married.