236/365 My Batteries

236/365 My Batteries

I'm feeling a little drained, this last few days of summer vacation has dragged on and on and on. 

I need something to recharge me. I need a new creative inspiration like a photo walk or some sort of 

workshop, something to make me get up and get recharged.

235/365 I Heart Faces

235/365 I Heart Faces

I have been keeping up with this blog for a while now, although it's been a while since I participated. Here goes, the challenge at I Heart Faces this week is Photojournalism. 

Here is my entry. 

Head on over to the I Heart Faces to check out other peoples entries.

234/365 Cupcakes

234/365 Cupcakes

I'm ready for a birthday, the summer seems like really dry in the birthday department.

233/365 From The Archives

233/365 From The Archives

These are some photos that I took while I was taking a class at the Houston Center For Photography.

At the time I must admit I didn't really know what I was doing, I was just very fortunate to end up with these pictures.

I love them and will probably end up printing some of them for Little Man's room, that is Ramone after all. One other little note, these were taken ontop of a parking garage, I was trying to get the sunset.

While we were walking around I found these little army guys glued to the barrier. I happened to have Ramone in my car, as any good mother of a fan of Cars would.

I broke him out and this is what happened. 

232/365 Dinner & A Beer

232/365 Dinner & A Beer

We took the kids to the dinner and a movie place the other night. I thought it was great for a treat and I think the kids liked it as well. You can even order adult beverages, anything to help get through that kids movie. Although this time we saw Nanny McPhee and I love her so I didn't need any adult beverages plus I was afraid I would spend most of my time in the bathroom if I drank to much !!!!

231/365 Childhood Crap

231/265 Childhood Crap

For some reason I have always kept this. It reminds me of the seventies and my childhood.

I have so few things that I grew up with, this brings back those really strong kid feelings. I begin to remember the green flowered wallpaper and matching curtains in tmy room and the white shutters.

I wish my mom was here to ask about this, I'd like to know the history.

It sits in my house now, I wonder if 'll ever let go of it.

230/365 The Girls

230/365 The Girls

These are The Girls.

They had a girls day out the other day.

It was so great.

The trip home was less fun. 

Brent Riggs Photo Lesson

I ran across this blog today, Brent Riggs, who I'm pretty sure I can learn something from. What I have to do is edit one of his photos and then he will show me how he does it. I'm very excited. 

So I opened it in photoshop and created an overlay layer at 35% then I created a screen layer at 65%. 

I then ran an Eye Candy action called Vintage Wash at 30%

I'm still missing the wow factor, I mean other than it's a great photo, but I can't wait to see how things turn out. 

229/365 Time For A Different POV

229/365 Time For A Different POV

So I would like to say that I'm almost sick of looking at my kids faces both in person and on the screen but today they are all so truely beautiful. I mean I'm looking at them thinking could they possibly have come from me and Rob, maybe it's that theory that ugly people have beautiful kids ?  Although I never actually thought of me or Rob as ugly, I mean we aren't winning any Mr. Universe or Mrs. America pageants but we aren't the bottom of the barrel either. Anyway so thinking along these lines I realized what a rut I am in in terms of pictures. I think I forgot that there is a subject other than my kids to photograph. So for the next couple of weeks I'm focusing on the everyday things around me, then maybe I won't be so tired of looking at my kids beautiful faces. 

This is the silver pattern my parents got when they got married in the late 60's.

I have not a clue what it's called but it seems so modern for the parents that I know.

228/365 Saying Goodbye

228/365 Saying Goodbye
Ok this is the last beach photo for a while, it's heartbreaking. Getting away from all the responsibilities of home is just so amazing and to go somewhere so relaxing and fun for everyone. I think this vacation will remain in my arsenal for the end of summer push next year. So I'm saying goodbye, I had a great time and can hardly wait until next year to go back,
now I will focus on trying to keep my tan as long as I can !!!

227/365 Brilliant

227/365 Brilliant

She's thinking she is brilliant or at least very tricky. This is the face of a kid playing I Spy !!!

The kids have been so funny lately. I almost shot Diet Coke out my nose in the car today !!!

Just thought I'd share.

226/365 What ????

226/365 What???

That's what I thought when I first saw this,

then I figured it out. It's a stop sign for bicycles !!!

225/365 Trip Home

225/365

This is boredom in the car on a 10 hour car ride.

I really liked the way this came out with the little cloud in the back.

Then we stopped in some random town, Ocean Springs Mississippi, and came across this car while getting gas. Now having a 3yr old boy who loves loves loves the movie Cars this is one of the main characters, The Hudson Hornet.

Or Doc for those who aren't familiar.

It's such a cool car and it was so exciting for everyone to see it.

 

It was really restored beautifully .

I am a real fan of antique cars, I might even have one someday.

224/365 What's For Dinner?

224/365 What's For Dinner ?

That would be super YUMMY !!!

I waited until our last night and then I made them all wait for me while I cracked and picked, and it was so worth it !!

223/365 View From A Fishing Bridge

223/365 View From A Fishing Bride

The Rhino was and still is completely obsessed with fishing, so the plan was to do some serious fishing while were are in Florida. I sent them on a deep sea fishing tour, which made him vomit and wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be for him.

So after some serious searching we found a bridge and some worms and these are some of the things I found by the bridge. It's hard to imagine any flowers can bloom in this heat and sun and in the sand and salt but they were very pretty.

I know we have these little Indian Paintbrushes in Texas.

I don't know what these actually are but they sure were pretty.

222/365 Beach Head

222/365 Beach Head

It's what happens when you spend a week at the beach and your mother forgets to tend to your hair THE ENTIRE TIME !!!

Yes I am that kind of mom, there are some others I know. I tell them to brush their own hair but they just forget, I get busy showering or trying to keep everything from getting sandy !!!

221/365 Moonshine

221/365 Moonshine

I love the sky at night with the moon and all the lights around.

We did some exploring and found this little boardwalk place that someone recommended. 

It was fun for the evening, but I'm so hot after being outside in the sun all day it was really tough. 

Can you say sweaty?

This photo is also SOOC.

220/365 The Beach

220/365 The Beach

I have so much to say about this vacation. It has been so great and so fun to watch the kids play on the beach and swim so freely in the ocean. They love the waves and the sand and they love to boogie board and well, they love everything about it. 

Now I'm not complaining but I would like to just say I am so tired. All the sun and the sand and the spraying of sunscreen and the changing of clothes and washing of towels and showering and hauling and loading and unloading and cleaning and then there is the walking in the sand and the actual swimming and the heat, heaven have mercy the heat. It's not so bad in the shade but in the sun it's a killer. We will do this again, hopefully once a year and next year I'll be prepared. I do love this and I love that the kids love it and they are so happy and their faces are sun kissed and they are soooo exhausted !!! By the way this picture is SOOC! 

219/365 Laughter

219/365 Laughter

Sometimes she can make him laugh like no ones business. It really cracks me up and makes me so happy. I love nothing more than a good belly laugh, actually sometimes when I think of funny things or when I'm trying to tell someone something funny that happened I kind of go hysterical and am unable to speak because I'm laughing so hard !!!

I'm not even sure what the subject for laughing so hard was but with these 2 it could be anything !

Maybe it was just the look, who knows .....

Heavens she has a big mouth, I'm sure that has something to do with all the noise that goes on around here.

218/365 My Mermaid

218/365 My Mermaid

That's what she told me today anyway, that she is like a mermaid. Swimming in the ocean all by herself at the tender age of 7 isn't something that I would ever think about doing. After all the shark and scarry ocean creature shows she has seen it certainly impressed me.  Then in the pool she insisted that her legs had grown together like a mermaids.

Our little house here is so cute and comfortable. I could stay awhile, I love the nbeach routine.

Lots of this laying around action. 

LOVE IT !!!

217/365 A Day at The Beach

217/365 A Day at The Beach

Little Man says "I guess my shirt was on backwards you can see the front". Brilliant 

He loved the sand.

Today is his day for pictures only because the rest were swimming in the ocean most of the time.

216/365 Road Trip

216/365 Road Trip

Anyone who has ever been on a true Southern American road trip has stopped at one of 2 places, either Cracker Barrel or The Waffle House. Now neither of these really blows my skirt up but they are sometimes the only options when you are in the middle of Louisianna with no idea what's ok to eat at and what's not.

The trditional game played at Cracker Barrel, I guess they figure well I don;t really know what they figure....

And then The Waffle House which is on every corner literally for 600 miles !!!

I'm not a fan or actually seeing into the kitchen, I'm one of those rather not know kind of people, but here at The Waffle House there are no secrets, about anyone, at all, period.....

Great waffles !!!

215/365 Speechless

215/365 Speechless

214/365 Old/New

214/365 Old/New

So one more little heartbreak, I don't know why I am so sentimental like this. Little Man is growing so fast and he has successfully shown his belly button all summer so I decided it's unavoidable, I have to buy him some new  t-shirts. Also some of these shirts were big brothers, that makes it doubly hard !!!

These are the old, see Sharkys surf shop was also worn by The Rhino.

Here are the new, I think I'm already falling for these shirts, they just look so much like Little Man.

Here's to many new and wonderful memories in these t-shirts!

213/365 Heartbreak

213/365 Heartbreak

I have been holding this little nagging pain in for a while. We took the crib apart and while I am positive I don't want to give birth or carry another baby or even change any more diapers I'm still heartbroken. It was a full on balling session when it first came down about a month ago but now it's just this little ache that seems to walk around with me.

I took pictures of the crib so I could remember, and I'm praying that it will be a significant amount of time before my grandchildren get to sleep in here.

I'm also going to miss the sheets, I used them with all 3 kids so they really are worn in !!!

From this perspective it looks a little like baby jail !!! Hahahaha.