Kelly's Project 365

I've moved!

2009-02-03T23:00:00.002-05:00

You can come visit me here at my new place.

The Pout

2009-02-03T07:21:00.002-05:00

This is the look he gets when he's pouting. Does it work for you? Yeah, me either. LOL.

I've found a new place for my blog so I'll be moving soon. I'm just trying to dress it up a little before the move. I'll keep you posted.

The Old Man

2009-01-28T14:10:00.002-05:00

He was exhaling his cigarette at the time so it looks funky over his eye. I'm going to have to show him all that gray hair he's got too.

A sweet weekend of doing absolutely nothing!

2009-01-26T08:56:00.004-05:00

My parents came for a visit and we did go out to eat at Longhorn on Friday night but other than that we did nothing all weekend. It was just what we needed.
Can you tell that Colby is a little obsessed with Superman pjs right now?

THE GIRL BEHIND THE CAMERA

2009-01-22T16:10:00.002-05:00

Wednesday 1/21/09 shot

2009-01-22T07:56:00.003-05:00

Fascinating I know. This is my life. Little green army men. If you came to my house you would find a million of them. Such as life with two little boys. He's perched on some ice the boys found in the yard yesterday.

Happy Inaugural Day!

2009-01-20T21:39:00.002-05:00

Dragging the shutter and fun with jumping

2009-01-20T09:40:00.004-05:00

So yesterday the boys played around jumping off furniture. Well, actually, they do that everyday but yesterday I took pictures of them doing it. Great way to send those mixed signals when I'm usually yelling at them to stop jumping off furniture. LOL.

So the first set is just using the flash with a faster shutter speed. Not actually dragging the shutter. But the second set was taken in a completely dark room using my flash. Pretty cool huh? My SS was 25 with f3.2.
I applied the haze action from lilyblue to all of the photos.

BOYS LICKING SNOW

2009-01-19T08:50:00.002-05:00

So it snowed for about 20 mins the other night. The boys were both so excited and ran outside as soon as they saw it. Here they are licking the snow from the grill cover. Yes, I realize this is pretty gross but whatcha ya gonna do.

The Motley Crew

2009-01-18T08:35:00.002-05:00

Shot for Saturday, January 17th.

Yesterday we took Jacob to tryouts for a travel baseball team. Let me just say the kid knocked our socks off. Didn't choke up one little bit. He did great! He didn't get picked but that's OK. This was an established team and they were only looking for one new player.

TWO FOR ONE

2009-01-16T17:23:00.004-05:00

I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get to post my photo so I'm posting yesterday's and today's.

Kind of a boring shot but hey, everyday can't be exciting. LOL.

I thought this was such a sweet capture. It's superman in case you didn't know.

Just me.

2009-01-14T17:37:00.005-05:00

I had to do a self-photo for a scrap challenge I'm doing this week so I may as well use the photo here too. LOL. Good thing it's in B&W so that you can't see the gray hairs!
It was taken in full auto so I won't post the settings. I can't seem to figure out how to take a picture of myself in manual mode. But if you have any tips please share.

Am I the only one who didn't watch Idol tonight?

2009-01-13T21:55:00.002-05:00

I seriously can't watch that show until it gets down to the final 12. So I'll join you all in a couple of months. LOL.

shot taken with 30mm lens at f2.0 and SS640. I really should have slowed my SS and then opened my aperture so that both eyes would have been in focus since he had a slight turn to his head. I also used a light cross process action on this so it looks a little green.

Panoramic Sun Flare

2009-01-12T17:03:00.003-05:00

I took this with my Sigma 30mm at f16, SS8 and ISO100.

A day full of wii and a picture from 1966

2009-01-11T17:01:00.005-05:00

It's too cold to do anything else today so the boys have had fun playing wii.
And that little guy is Ralph from 1966. Ain't he cute?!

Watching the sun come up today

2009-01-10T17:34:00.004-05:00

I was really hoping to sleep until about 8:30 this morning but alas my boys had other plans. Don't they always?

Taken with 30mm f3.2 SS60 ISO400

The winner of the $15 iTunes card is....;.

2009-01-09T14:02:00.001-05:00

Number 5 Jaimie!!
Jaimie, please email me at kellgell@bellsouth.net so I can send you the redemption code for the card.
Thanks everyone for participating!

Little Boy Drew

2009-01-08T20:23:00.003-05:00

This is the little boy that Jacob and Colby plays with almost every single day. They honestly all play so well together and never ever get in any kind of arguments. Is he cute or what! And he is so stinkin' sweet and well behaved.

OK so tonight is the deadline for entering to win the iTunes gift card. I really appreciate everyone who's already commented. It's a lot more fun knowing who comes around to visit. I hope you guys stick around and visit me regularly. Maybe I'll be having some other give-a-ways in the future. But I will be back tomorrow to post the winner. The name will be drawn out of a bowl. I think maybe I'll let Colby draw the name in the morning. So come back to see who wins!

I think I may start posting the stats on my photos that I post. I know I always like to know how someone has achieved the results they've gotten and so I'll start posting my stats with the photos.

On this shot I used my 85mm lens at f2.2 with a shutter speed of 400. My ISO was 200. I used the "honey" action by Lilyblue and the frame is from ittybitty actions.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Hump Day!

2009-01-07T19:32:00.002-05:00

Today I was trying to get some shots of Jacob when Max came running up to give him a big lick on the face. Nothing better than yucky ol' doggie kisses.

I'm giving away a free $15 iTunes gift card!!!

2009-01-06T16:13:00.003-05:00

All you have to do is leave a comment under this post and on Friday I will draw the name of one person to receive the $15 iTunes gift card. Cut-off time to post is mid-night est Thursday.
Good luck!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

2009-01-05T22:33:00.002-05:00

COME BACK SOME OTHER DAY.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

2009-01-04T14:59:00.001-05:00

The boys playing clone wars with their light sabers.

Coral Bark Maple (Sango-kaku)

2009-01-03T21:40:00.003-05:00

This is such a pretty tree. I love Japanese maples and this one shows such a pretty contrast of color during a season where there is little color.

Feels like a month of Sundays

2009-01-02T21:01:00.003-05:00

I swear I'm so ready for work and school to resume. I can't take anymore of this carefree schedule. Give me some routine!!! Now I know when Tuesday gets here and the alarm wakes me up at 6:15 I'll be cursing it but right now I'm ready for it.

Here is a shot of the boys playing on the stairs. They always get their little army men out and play on the stairs.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T10:33:00.002-05:00

and Happy Birthday to the blog. Hope you all have a relaxing new year's day and all your football teams win! Go Gamecocks!

A Sunny {warm} Day in December

2008-12-31T10:06:00.004-05:00

What a day yesterday was. Sunny with highs in the mid 60s. After so much rain we were all ready to get out of the house. Ralph and I loaded up the boys and the scooters and headed up to the basketball court. The boys had so much fun. We had scooter races with friends and played basketball. After a few hours of all this energy burning fun we headed out for some Mexican food. On the way home we rented Space Chimps and we all went home and watched it. The boys enjoyed the movie and Ralph and I enjoyed watching the boys enjoy it. LOL.
And believe it or not somewhere in between all that fun Ralph and I took down Christmas. We knew that was going to be the best weather all week and wanted to go ahead and get everything out of the yard and put away. I must say it's so nice to have reclaimed my house from all the holiday clutter. I love how cluttered it is when I first put everything out but it's very satisfying to have it all put back in the attic.
Hope you all have a wonderful New Year's eve and may you be very blessed in 2009!!!

Christmas day

2008-12-28T22:41:00.003-05:00

So we had a very nice Christmas. We stayed home all day opened lots of gifts and ate some really good food. My parents and brother was in town and it was nice to spend the holiday with them. Both the boys got the Razor Powerwings. Ralph had his doubts that Colby could handle it but of course, in Colby fashion, the kid has become a powerwing pro! Jacob got the PSP that he has begged for for months and Colby got a really cool castle. The first gift we gave the boys were barbies dolls. They didn't think it was too funny. I caught Jacob playing with on the back porch. I'll keep that picture for years to use as blackmail. I got my Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens that I've been drooling over and a very nice set of Calphalon One cookware. Ralph got the ipod touch and lots of accessories to go with it. I had ordered my parents a 24x20 canvas of the boys that got delivered at 5pm Christmas eve! I was getting very nervous but it turned out very nice.
Today I took down the dead tree and I'm ready to reclaim my house!

Now it's clean up time

2008-12-26T11:17:00.002-05:00

My house looks like a tornado came through and destroyed it. My family packed up and left this morning and now it's time to clean up. Here are some photos from Christmas eve. We always let the boys open something on Christmas eve and needless to say they were very happy. Ralph and I went to the Army supply store and bought these outfits for them.
I'll be back tomorrow with some shots from Christmas day.

One day 13 hours and 31 minutes until Santa comes!

2008-12-23T10:27:00.003-05:00

But again, who's counting? My kids that's who!
Here are a few pictures taken over the last few days. I won't be back until after Thursday so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Hope Santa brings you everything you've asked for.

This is my BIL Nat telling me I'd get better results if I take off my lens cap. Of course I looked and he thought that was funny. He's such a silly guy.

This is my nephew Daniel. He was very sweet and played with Jacob and Colby all weekend. He's a great big cousin!

The boys playing basketball.

This is Jacob's nutty sweet teacher playing mutilate the gingerbread cookie.

5 days 15 hours and 25 minutes until Christmas

2008-12-19T08:36:00.003-05:00

but who's counting? ME!!!

Today is the one year anniversary of the death of my brother. This day last year I was out with Ralph Christmas shopping when I got the call. Love you Mike!

So yesterday a third box was delivered from Amazon. We had ordered two scooters for the boys and now we have three. Last year I had ordered a play castle for Jacob and ended up with 12 instead of the one I ordered. I, of course, returned the extra but I'm just wondering who the heck is running their shipping department.

Here is a photo that I took at 11pm last night. It was all foggy outside and thought it looked pretty cool.

6 days 16 hours and 59 minutes until Chirstmas!

2008-12-18T07:56:00.004-05:00

But who's counting?

They've got the naughty part down.

2008-12-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

Not so sure about the nice.

Four years of Santa photos

2008-12-14T09:52:00.005-05:00

So as you can see we go visit the same Santa every year. He's pretty authentic too. Well at least I think so. I can only hope that he does this gig at least through the next 5 years. Or more if we're lucky. Jacob still believes but he's starting to ask a lot of questions. Like the other day when he and I were walking through a Christmas store and they had a whole display of Elf on the Shelf. I walked around the corner and my heart just dropped. Seriously! What were they thinking? Kids are in and out of this store all the time. How am I supposed to explain that to a kid who is already questioning everything about Santa??? He was disappointed yesterday that Santa didn't remember his name. :o(
So any way, look how much the boys have grown. Santa wouldn't even let Jacob sit on his knee this year. He had to sit to the side. I'm a little sad to see how my little boys are growing up. Look at that little pudgy baby of a Colby. He's almost lost all of his baby fat and is growing into a slim little kid. They were both so cute while we were waiting in line to see Santa. They both kept trying to get his attention and then once we get up there they both claimed up and would hardly talk.
But I think they finally told Santa everything, and then some, they wanted for Christmas.

Another one of our favorite Christmas decorations

2008-12-12T09:06:00.003-05:00

This is our Santa that hangs from the chandelier in the foyer.

A non-holiday photo for today

2008-12-11T16:27:00.002-05:00

This is just a cute shot of the boys that I caught today.

ELF ON THE SHELF

2008-12-08T19:04:00.002-05:00

Last year we started the tradition of the "Elf on the shelf" and we've really had a lot of fun with it. The boys are totally into it and I must say it's helped a lot with the behavior around this house.

If you don't have your own elf you might want to go here and read about it.

This is one I took over Thanksgiving

2008-12-07T20:42:00.002-05:00

but I just now downloaded it. I kind of like the way it turned out. He's such a handsome boy. Looks just like his daddy. I wish I had a photo to post of Ralph at this age. Their eyes are just alike.

All Aboard the Ridgell Express

2008-12-07T09:45:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of shots of our train under the tree. I used a really slow shutter speed and my aperture was at 14 so all you see is the blur of the lights on the first one. I thought they were pretty cool. Of course these were taken about 30 mins before our tree fell over and I lost 9 of my cherished Lenox snowflake ornaments.

We have a real tree and colored lights!

2008-12-04T21:24:00.003-05:00

For the first time in about 5 years we have a real tree and I can't remember the last time I had colored lights. It must go back to my early childhood. I do love that smell of pine but the needles are going to drive me insane before it's all said and done.

Somemore photos of a sweet little girl

2008-12-03T12:48:00.004-05:00

I was fortunate enough to take some photos of my sweet little neighbor the other day. Is she cute or what!
BTW, you can find the Magic Blog-it board actions I used to make this story board over at http://www.mcpactions.com/

Tis the season

2008-12-01T12:38:00.002-05:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are ready for Christmas because it's going to be here in 24 days!!!! Yikes! I better get busy with some shopping.
Here is a photo of the little girl next door. I figure since you can't see her face it's OK to post.

Wish you all happy holidays!

2008-11-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

Hope you have lots of family, friends and food this holiday. Hopefully I'll have a some nice photos to share with you when I get back.

I'm leaving you with a shot of my messy little boy. He's lived in pj's for the last two days. I think he's turning into a little Hef. Considering he's only 3 could mean a lot of trouble is in my future.

One of my favorite Chrismas decorations.

2008-11-24T11:55:00.003-05:00

My grandmother had one of these ceramic trees for as long as I can remember. It was one thing that always stood out in my memory of going to her house for so many years while growing up. A couple of years ago my neighbor was selling one just like it at her garage sale so of course I had to snag it!

Can you please tell me how my blog views on your monitor?

2008-11-21T15:06:00.002-05:00

I have a 22 inch monitor and it fits nicely but I'm just wondering how it views on other people's monitors. Do you have to scroll to see the whole page? Is everything too big?
I appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Last December

2008-11-20T20:40:00.004-05:00

I took this picture last December. It was taken in Charleston SC right after my brother passed away. It's coming up on a year in just a few weeks. It's been a fast year and seems only like only a month has passed. It's been a hard year too. It's hard enough to lose one brother but when you lose a second brother it's down right unbearable at times. It's made me question a lot of things in my life. Things that I've just always thought were. Now I'm not so sure. Sometimes I get really pissed off about it. Sometimes I'll make it through a day and not think about it. Today it's been on my mind. Miss you Mike!

Sometimes you feel like a nut

2008-11-18T21:19:00.002-05:00

Another one using the front door light.

2008-11-17T17:53:00.005-05:00

Can't do one without doing the other. LOL.
OH and I want to add a couple of "Colby funnies" from this week. I'm telling you the boy is a riot. Where he comes ups with this stuff is beyond me. So the other day he and Jacob found my old dive whistle. It's a very loud whistle and they were blowing it in the house. I told them to stop and take it outside. Next thing I know Colby comes ups to me and says "mama put your hands up like this (as he puts his little hands over his ears) and go LALALALALALALA". I couldn't help but laugh.
Then today I'm sitting at my desk working and he's laying under the desk playing with the dog. Next thing I know my chair fell apart because he was down there unscrewing the bolts! LOL. What a nut!

Finding the light

2008-11-16T10:07:00.002-05:00

There is nothing better than the lighting at my front door. Can you see me in his eyes?

More storyboards

2008-11-13T08:54:00.004-05:00

So I bought these Magic Blog-it storyboard actions from MCP Actions. If you haven't checked them out yet you must go look. They are very simple and easy. It does all of the work for you.

Christmas card photo take-2

2008-11-11T21:44:00.002-05:00

Went a little better this time. Thank God!

Loving those doggie kisses!

2008-11-09T22:38:00.001-05:00

It's amazing what a little bribing will do.

2008-11-09T09:45:00.003-05:00

So Jacob misbehaved the other day and I took his wii game away from him for a day. He had to earn it back by letting me take his picture. AND he had to actually make nice faces and not silly faces. This is what I got.

Old red tractors, snakes and a clip of Colby laughing when he was a baby.

2008-11-07T21:46:00.005-05:00

Here is a video of Colby laughing when he was about 5 months old. I found this the other day on Google. I had uploaded it there a short time after I took the video. I love this video! Is he cute or what!

Then we have a shot of an old red tractor I noticed on the side of the road. Wonder why I never noticed it before. I'll have to take the boys back and take pictures of them sitting on it.

Then we have the picture of Jake holding the snake that Ralph killed today. The picture was taken after he copped off the head so you can add a couple more inches to it. He thought it was a copperhead but it turned to only be a corn snake. Either way I'm happy there is one less snake out there in our yard!

Choo! Choo! All Aboard!!

2008-11-07T07:29:00.002-05:00

Colby playing with his trains.

Jumping Power Ranger!

2008-11-05T20:45:00.004-05:00

So I was inspired by the other Kelly and her bed jumping photo. I decided to give is a try with a certain little power ranger. It's so funny to see him wear this costume. Jacob was a power ranger for his 3rd Halloween and he used to wear it all the time. The thing is ripped up the side. I'd say we got our moneys worth out of that one!
Boy did Colby have fun when momma (that's what he calls me) told him to jump on the bed. LOL.

They must really hate me

2008-11-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

Every year I try and take some nice photos for Christmas cards. And every year I get this. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. Or maybe I won't.

It looks like Colby is examining Jake's nose for boogers. LOL.

Macro Monday

2008-11-03T19:10:00.001-05:00

It's been a long time

2008-11-01T15:19:00.001-04:00

since I've posted a head shot of Jacob.

Fun at the pumpkin patch and corn maze

2008-10-31T08:29:00.002-04:00

Well not so much fun in the corn maze. I actually hated it but I'm one of those people who has issues with getting lost. When I was very little I got lost in a shopping mall. Mind you it was only a minute before my mom found me but that has stood out in my mind over the years. When I've gone back to that mall in my adult life I always laugh because it's so little that no one could really get lost in it. To this day when Ralph and I go to the mall he'll hide off some where and watch me freak out when I can't find him. He thinks it's pretty damn funny. Me not so much. So I pretty much was internally freaking out when we were in the corn maze. I'm pretty sure that'll be the last one I ever do.

Pumpkin carving

2008-10-30T10:22:00.004-04:00

So the boys and I carved pumpkins yesterday. Well actually I did the carving and they took off to play as soon as I started gutting the first one. LOL. What do you think?

PS...been messing around with the blog design again. I'm not really done with it yet. It's a work in progress.
If you have any suggestions or comments about it let me know. Thanks!

Davey Jones, Batman and one freaky dummy

2008-10-28T21:20:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday was our n'hood Halloween party. They had a mummy wrapping contest and as you can see Colby didn't want any party of it. As the good mother that I am, I stood there watching him cry so I could snap pictures. Ralph thought it would be funny to take along this freaky looking dummy he brought home. I will say all the kids got a big kick out of him. I'm so not looking forward to putting him away in the attic. We have a 5ft Santa up there that freaks me out every time I go up there for something. Imagine what this thing is going to do to me!

Sunflowers

2008-10-26T19:13:00.011-04:00

Can you find the pissing cow?

2008-10-25T16:57:00.005-04:00

So yesterday I stopped to take pictures of all the cows in the pasture down from my house. They were all really close to the road and I figured it'd be a good time to stop. Notice the one up front to the right? She didn't take her eyes off me the whole time.
Can you spot the one taking a piss? LOL. I didn't notice it until I was processing the picture and was like holy cow! You'll have to click on the picture to enlarge it.

What the hell was he thinking?

2008-10-24T18:27:00.004-04:00

Ralph brought this thing home the other night. He thought it was funny. He sits in a chair and his head turns all the way around and makes a cracking noise. The boys and I do not like him. I hide him every night before I go to bed.

I see you.....

2008-10-22T18:01:00.002-04:00

Colby checking out his new hat in the kick plate of the front door.

Freckled Faced Kid

2008-10-21T19:03:00.003-04:00

I just love the sprinkling of freckles across his nose. He's so stinkin' cute! Unless of course he's driving me insane all day and then that's a whole 'nother story.

Where does the weekend go?

2008-10-20T08:19:00.002-04:00

Man do they go by fast. We didn't do a whole lot. Jacob had baseball Saturday morning when it was freezing cold. In the afternoon it warmed up and the boys played outside all afternoon. Saturday night we watched the cocks lose to LSU and Sunday we put out Halloween stuff. This morning Jacob crawled into bed and asked me if it was time to get up. That was at 7:25! I thought my alarm was set for 6:20 but I guess I forgot to turn it on. Great start to the week!

Funny Friday and CS4

2008-10-17T09:45:00.005-04:00

I've been laughing my ass off all morning. I came across this comic strip this morning and literally spewed my coffee everywhere. For the last few weeks I've been waking Ralph up with foot rubs and back rubs trying to butter him up. When I saw this comic strip I felt totally busted! I don't think I realized what I was doing but it's pretty obvious after reading this.
My friend Kelly linked me up to this site a few weeks ago. Very funny stuff. Check him out at What the Duck

In other news....yesterday I downloaded the upgrade for CS4 and I am impressed! I've barely scratched the surface but so far the tab view is my new best friend. Yesterday I played around with the "content aware cropping" and that thing just blows my mind. If you haven't seen the video on that check it out here.
Oh and the new adjustments window in pretty cool too. You can read more about the software review here.
So if you've been on the fence about upgrading to CS4 I suggest you run to Adobe and get it now. You won't regret it!

Did you see the full moon?

2008-10-15T08:50:00.004-04:00

I love full moons. I think they are just magical and beautiful. I especially love it when there is a full moon in the fall sky. I'm not sure why but maybe it has to do with my brother's birthday this month. Tomorrow he would have been 36. Unfortunately he only made it 76 days past his 30th birthday. He was such a sweet kid. I have to call him a kid because to me he'll always be my little brother. The one I loved to aggravate and the one who would always spy on me and my girl friends. He used to drive me insane when we were kids but we were always inseparable. I was 5yrs old when my mom brought him home from the hospital. He was like my baby doll for the longest time. When he got older I would pin him down on the floor and let the spit from my mouth hang down and try and slurp it back up before it fell in his face. Sometimes I was fast enough and sometimes not. LOL. Tell me you did that too. So anyway, this week I've been thinking about him a lot. I think about all the things we've missed out on not having him around for the last few years. I sure do miss that boy. So anyway when I looked up and saw that full gorgeous moon last night I couldn't help but think about Jesse. I think he was on the other side of that moon looking down at us and hopefully seeing what a gorgeous daughter he has and how she is growing up so smart and well adjusted. So with that I leave you with a picture of the moon and a collage of some photos of my little brother that was taken over the years. Ranging from when he was a cute chubby baby to the last Halloween he had with his daughter. No sad thoughts OK!! Only happy thoughts and say a shout out to Jesse and wish him a happy birthday.

Moo cards!!!!

2008-10-14T11:18:00.002-04:00

They are so stinkin' cute. I don't know what exactly I'll do with them but they are so cute. And very heavy card stock with a nice finish. I think I'm going to order Ralph some to use as business contact cards.

Went to the county fair.

2008-10-12T16:30:00.003-04:00

Don't you just love this time of year. The air is cool and crisp and it's fair time!!!! Well at least it's fair time around here. Here is a picture of a Ferris Wheel that was built in 1962 and once ridden by Elvis Presley. I thought that was pretty cool. It was a perfect October night.

Howdy Partner

2008-10-10T07:26:00.003-04:00

Nanananananana Batman!!!

2008-10-08T22:23:00.006-04:00

Guess what came in the mail today? Ain't he cute? I just love the boots. LOL.
Jake got a cool Davey Jones costume. You can expect pictures of that tomorrow;0)

Big fat lip

2008-10-08T08:27:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when you've had Novocain shots in your mouth and you bite your lip. I did warn the kid to be careful but it was inevitable. LOL.
So Jacob had his tooth fixed yesterday and thankfully there were no other cavities! I was so relieved to hear that. He did really well with the whole thing but he was so ready to have that tooth fixed. It had been bothering him so much for the last week.
He has three of his permanent molars in and we had those sealed yesterday. So far he's lost 5 of his baby teeth.

edited to add photo stats: f3.2 iso 400 ss 1600 (could have totally lowered the iso to 100 and still would have had a fast ss but it's one of those things where you grab the camera and shoot)

And yes I agree, the boy totally looks like he's in his tween years! Before school started I bought all size 8 pants and just this past weekend I had to go buy several pairs of size 10 jeans! Boy give the growing a rest for a few months will ya?!

Fall has arrived!

2008-10-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

And the leaves are falling.

What a day!

2008-10-05T10:19:00.004-04:00

we had the best day yesterday! Oh my gawd it was fun. Who would have thought that a race could be so much fun? My parents went with us and even my dad kept saying how much fun he was having. And he almost never has that much fun. LOL. We were out there all day and didn't leave until after 10pm. People go out there and camp for days. Ralph, being the social butterfly he is, met the guy that owns one of the BMW stores in Atlanta. We ended up hanging around his camp site for a long time. He had smokers with chicken, pork, salmon and everything you could imagine. He had a huge open bar that had anything and everything. I took a ton of pictures (367 to be exact) so I'll only post a couple here and you can go to my flickr site to see the rest. They shot fireworks at the end so the boys really loved that!
We're already looking forward to next years race.

Petit Le Mans

2008-10-04T10:55:00.003-04:00

This week Ralph has been working at the Petit Le Mans race. Nothing but fast cars, scantily dressed girls and a bunch of drunks. LOL. I’d say he’s having a good time! The boys and I went out there the other night and we all got to go in “the pit” and watch them work on the cars. The boys had a blast. Today is the big race and we’re supposed to go out there this afternoon.

Say cheese!

2008-10-03T08:14:00.001-04:00

Is it Halloween yet?

2008-10-02T07:42:00.004-04:00

That is what I will hear for the next 29 days. I would say it's going to be a long month but it seems they all go by in a flash these days. I can't believe it's October!

Tranquil morning on the lake

2008-10-01T08:08:00.002-04:00

This was actually taken last November but I just found it in my files and liked it.

I got gas!!!!

2008-09-30T10:54:00.004-04:00

Had to get up at the crack of dawn to get it but I'm sitting on a full tank now. Do you know how nerve racking it is it be sitting on a quarter of a tank and pass station after station with no gas? I tell ya it ain't fun!

If things don't improve around here

2008-09-29T17:59:00.003-04:00

I'm going to have to borrow my son's bike to get around. Seriously, the gas situation is getting down right scary. None of the stations around here have gas and when they do get it the lines are around the corner and down the street. They run out after an hour. They say it should improve in the next two weeks. We'll see.

What would you do if a PI knocked on your door

2008-09-28T09:10:00.004-04:00

on a Saturday afternoon? I'll tell you what I did. I had a mild heart attack. LOL. Not sure why as I really have nothing that I'm guilty of except for maybe spending a little too much time on the computer. You know when you answer the door and it's a Private Investigator about a million things run through your mind in the 30 secs it takes for him to tell you why he's at your door. Turns out he was there to ask me some questions about the dog that attacked a small boy in the neighborhood a few weeks back.

I know this doesn't really relate to the photo that I'm posting but I didn't want to ask the PI to pose for a picture. LOL.

Blowing Bubbles

2008-09-26T15:41:00.002-04:00

Warehouse shopping

2008-09-25T17:49:00.004-04:00

So do you shop at your local warehouse clubs? This is from one of two trips I made this week. My dad has been on me about storing up some non-perishable foods. He's been very worried about the economy lately. So in case something happens we'll at least have soup, peanut butter and tuna fish.

Have you ever seen mushrooms like this?

2008-09-24T12:44:00.004-04:00

I found these growing out in the yard the other day and thought they looked really weird.

No more cute little curls

2008-09-23T09:34:00.002-04:00

Someone got a big boy haircut last night.

Check this kid out!!!

2008-09-20T10:28:00.002-04:00

He's 3yrs and 3mos old and he's riding a bike! No training wheels. I told you I'm in for a bumpy ride.

TGIF....finally....this has been a long week.

2008-09-19T08:46:00.003-04:00

I've gotten absolutely nothing productive done and now I can just say "screw it! I'll do it Monday". Then Monday will get here and I'll come up with some other excuses.

Let's Play Baseball!

2008-09-18T09:39:00.003-04:00

Jacob had another game last night. They don't keep score in the fall for this age group so I don't really know who won. It's all about the love of the game! In the spring season we've got a lot of pushy parents so it's nice to relax and just enjoy it.

Hut 1... Hut 2... Hut 3

2008-09-17T11:34:00.006-04:00

This boy is so into sports and action I know I'm in for some ride over the next several years. Seriously. When Jacob plays baseball the boy tries to sneak on the field several times throughout the game. The kid can zoom down the hill on a razor scooter like he's invincible.

I missed the cutest photo op

2008-09-15T13:31:00.003-04:00

The other night Colby crawled under the table and fell asleep laying his head on Max. Too bad as soon as the flash went off he opened his eyes.

Wow! My colors are really wonky lately. This looks totally different in PS. Hey Kelly. Did you fix your problems with the color issues? I've noticed that the last few pics I've posted on my blog don't look the same as they do in photoshop. WTH is going on?
OK I think I fixed the problem. The top photo reflects what I would see in PS and then the bottom is of course what happened when I posted on the blog. For some reason my ACR program was opening the file in Adobe rgb color space instead of the sRGB color space. Can you tell a difference in the photos?

She's such a little star!

2008-09-13T16:06:00.002-04:00

My green eyed boy

2008-09-11T10:59:00.003-04:00

Spent all day cleaning and had a little helper ;o)

2008-09-10T21:03:00.001-04:00

More pics from our trip to Stone Mountain

2008-09-09T15:10:00.006-04:00

Here is Colby doing his obstacle course.
Jacob at the top of Stone Mountain.
Here is Jacob ringing the bell after finishing his obstacle course. The first level was 12 feet and the second level was 24 feet. He did those two. The third level was 42 feet. He skipped that level. LOL.
The boys at the highest point.
Our friend Austin doing the rock climbing wall.
Jacob and Colby looking over the mountain. Even though the fence was there I was getting very nervous. They were a good 20 feet from the edge but as soon as I snapped the picture I made them move away!
Jacob and Colby having fun on the zip line.

Rule #1: Never look down

2008-09-07T22:22:00.002-04:00

because then your father has to come coax you down. LOL. As you can see Jacob had a fun filled day! These were taken at Stone Mountain. I took a ton of pictures so I'll post more tomorrow.

We're back to baseball!

2008-09-06T20:18:00.004-04:00

and boy was it hot out there today. I'll be so happy when it cools down around here.
Of course I've added one of Colby riding his scooter today at the ball park.

Fun at the park

2008-09-04T12:41:00.004-04:00

Since Colby isn't doing daycare or any type of preschool right now, he and I get to go out and have some fun while Jacob is at school. Just the two of us. I never got to do that with Jacob since I was working in an office then. When Jacob started school my boss gave me the go ahead to work from home. It's been just over 2 years now and while it's not easy to do, I am very fortunate to be able to do it.

Feeling much better today.....

2008-09-03T16:30:00.001-04:00