My Week 81

April 16th was a pretty typical Monday.  Sugar Bear and I rushed home to get some fun time with the baby quail and the baby bunnies.  I know I've said it before, but seriously.....there is nothing better than some free time with baby animals.  They just have this way of snuggling into your soul and cleaning out the ick that the world tried to put there.  The sweet innocence is just hard to beat.  ♥

April 17th was a plain old Tuesday with nothing really special going on.  I was at a complete loss for what to photograph, so I just nabbed a shot of getting the mail.  It's something I do everyday, but it rarely is a cause of joy these days.  Nothing fun ever comes in the mail anymore.  This particular day we did get Sugar's Highlight magazine.  It is usually pretty fun.  Sugar loves to get mail.

April 18th found us at the library after work/school.  That is always a PLUS for our day.  I took this shot of the tree blossom petals the litter the streets this time of year.  It is the BEST type of litter.  :)  Spring is good.

April 19th was a busy busy day for me at work, and the normal Thursday plan for Sugar fell through, so she spent a bit of time at work with me.  I enjoyed some quiet reading time while she was in dance class, and we rushed home to feed the baby birds. They are growing like weeds.

April 20th was a jammed packed day starting with an early morning, and ending with a late night.  A friend took Sugar into school, so that I could head the opposite direction to an all staff training for work.  I rushed back to town at the end of the day to grab my Sugar, have a fast dinner, and then head back to the school to see the Talent Show.  Oh my....it was fun.  So many sweet acts.  One of my favorites I captured here.  Two lovely 5th graders I know choreographed a dance, and did such a wonderful job performing it.  Stunning. It was a 3 hour show, and we got home soooooooo late, but it was worth it.

April 21st was just as jammed packed as the day before, which is unusual for a Saturday.  I volunteered out at Sugar's School from 9:30-2:30pm, while Sugar Bear ran around enjoying the beautiful day of Soccer games.  Sugar doesn't play soccer, as she is very prone to side-aches.  She does like watching her friends play though, so that it fun.  I worked the snack shack, and had fun socializing with new and old friends.  As soon as I wrapped up the shack, we jetted off to the Pottery Company for a little 6 year old's birthday party.  This is the monkey Sugar painted.  So cute, cute, CUTE!  I can't wait to see it when it is fired.  :)

April 22nd was a glorious day.  Sugar Bear played outside while I mowed the lawn.  We caught frogs, cuddled bunnies, and just plain had an amazing day.  It reminded me so much of Summer that I got itching for summer sooooooooooooooo bad.  I can't wait.  The frog in this picture is by far the biggest frog we have found in our yard.  I loved him.  He had the coolest eyes.  I love spending the day with nature. 

52 Weeks of me 2012~ Week Seventeen

The theme/prompt for the week was: Circles 

 I'm willing to admit that somehow....someway.....I completely forgot about this project this week. It fly right out of my mind. Hard to believe when I've been doing this for almost a year and a half. Saturday the family went for a walk, and it dawned on me early on that I forgot to look for a circles shot this week, so I mentioned it to Sugar Bear and told her to keep an eye out. She had some darn good ideas, too. The best moment was we walked out onto a huge rock and all around us were holes in the rocks, many of which were circles, and Sugar exclaimed, "They are EVERYWHERE!" 

 She nabbed this shot of me, enCIRCLING our dog in my arms. :)

The theme/prompt for this coming week is:  Rule of Thirds

Have a great week!

A froggy friend

We found this lovely frog in our yard this weekend. It was much bigger than the usual frogs we find. Sugar Bear was a little intimidated by it. She wanted to just look at it awhile before handling it, so I put it in her favorite tree. When she was finally ready to hold him, and grabbed him up, shot a quick picture or two of him in my hand, and then he jumped.....and made a break for it. He disappeared in a wink of an eye. Poor Sugar never got her chance. Here are some frog jokes I used to try to cheer her up. 

 Why are frogs so happy?

They eat watever bugs them!

 What's green and red? 

A very mad frog. 

 What do you say to a hitch-hiking frog?

Hop in! 

What do frogs do with paper? 

Rip-it! 

 How does a frog feel when he has a broken leg?

Unhoppy. 

What do you call a frog that crosses the road, jumps in a puddle, and crosses the road again?

 A dirty double-crosser! 

 Why did the frog go to the hospital? 

He needed a "hopperation"!

tee hee

52 Weeks of Me 2012~ Week Sixteen

The theme/prompt for the week was: Looking In

 Okay...okay...okay....so guess what? I really cheated this week! I had a real hum dinger of a busy week, and just didn't get around to taking a picture for the week. BUT.....a few weeks back, I took like 67 bazillion, so I nabbed one of those that fits the theme. :) I don't want this project to be a chore, so I'm easy about things like that. Gotta do what I gotta do. The theme/prompt for the coming week is...........CIRCLES! oooooo interesting. I have NO idea what I'm gonna do.

My Week 80

April 9th was......ummmmmmm a Monday. Yup....that's all I remember. I have no idea why we were outside by our Walnut tree, or why I snapped this particular shot, but I'm glad I did. I can never get over how grown up my girl is getting. sigh........

April 10th was a busy Tuesday, but there is always time for a quick stop by the library.....which is where I found this tiny, delicate flowers. I love to take photos like this because most people walk right by this teeny tiny little wonders with out even thinking twice about them, but like to remember to look closer at the world around me. When I do....I'm never disappointed.

April 11th was clipping along nicely....until I got a phone call from Sugar's school saying that she had a rash?????? and suddenly she vomited while we were still on the phone. I rushed out to the school to find her feeling quite a bit better, but still rashy. It looked like hives to me. We went home, and I gave her some benadryl. She felt so much better, and we spent some sunny time with the baby bunnies. That particular activity can heal anything.

April 12th started with good health, or so we thought. Soon, Sugar was covered in HUGE, HORRIBLE hives. I could have posted a hive shot, but I chose the one of Sugar waiting to see her doctor instead. At this point the benadryl I gave her had finally kicked in and the hives were retreating. We are unsure of the cause but I know I'm hoping they never come back. They were awful.

April 13th was FINALLY Friday! whew......Sugar was able to stay at school with only some minor hives appearing. The doctor had her on benadryl for the day. She felt fine. I got some much needed work done, and we were both so very glad to get home, and spend more time with baby bun buns! :) These darn bunnies are so adorable.

April 14th was a busy sort of happy day. Sugar was hive free! woo hoo......and we spent the morning observing, and loving on some new babies in our house. Baby quail. Don't ask......I have no idea why we have them. The Hubby just does such things. They are darn cute though, and Sugar Bear is in love with the runt. His/her name is Pip. :) Later we attended a really fun birthday party for a little classmate at the local bowling alley. Good times.

April 15th brought Sunday to us much too quickly, but we made the most of it. We attended yet another classmate's birthday. This time....it was at the park. The weather was overcast, but doable. I nabbed this shot of Sugar playing on the park equipment. She enjoyed some fun active time with her friends.

woo hoo....I'm all caught up! That feels good.

Week 79

April 2nd was a beautiful Monday. It is such a blessing to have daylight and sun when we get home from our day. We love having time to enjoy the outdoors together. Sugar has been spending more time outside on her swingset and climbing trees lately. It is so wonderful. That's what life should be about . I spent time getting us ready for our strange week. There was much packing involved.

April 3rd was a pretty typical day for Sugar Bear ending with a not so typical Tuesday night sleep over at her cousin's house. I, on the other hand, spent a good portion of my day traveling east....alone....through some snow. The roads were clear, and the music was good. I had just purchased "The Civil Wars" cd, and was LOVING it! I arrived at my conference destination in plenty of time for a nap, dinner, and reading in bed. It was lovely.

April 4th, I awoke to some fresh snow on the world around me, and I had to snap a few pictures before my conference began. It was a good day of learning, and after lunch many of my co-workers joined the conference party, and we settled into a condo for the rest of the week.

April 5th was an entire day of trainings for me, and sadly Sugar Bear spent her day really sick. I got a call first thing in the morning letting me know that she had been up all night ill. Grandma was there to take good care of her, but she wanted her mama, and I missed her. I stayed focus on my work, and enjoyed a great class on "Dealing with Change" where they provided chocolate and toys. :)

April 6th Sugar Bear was still sick......and missing me. It is so hard to be away when she isn't well. I had a morning of trainings, and then head back home through the beautiful snowy mountains.

April 7th we were all back together and prepping for Easter. We colored hot boiled eggs with crayons. I didn't have any dye. It was fun, and pretty. We played with baby bunnies, and just had a relaxing day at home. Loved it. Sugar was feeling better, but still not 100%.

April 8th was Easter in the rain......per usual. Sugar made the best of her egg hunt though, and she found 25 out of 26. That last one.....we might find this summer. :) She was feeling quite a bit better, so we headed into town to my brother's house for an Easter dinner with my family. Sugar enjoyed some time with her cousins.

52 weeks of me 2012~ Week Fifteen

The theme/prompt for the week was: Shadow

I didn't get too creative this week. I was just lucky the sun came out a few times to even give me the opportunity. :)



Next time, I'll take off the bulky sweatshirt before getting the shot. tee hee....I look so plump around the middle.


Next week's Theme/Prompt is: LOOKING IN

Sugar Bear.......

- is SEVEN years old. How can that be?

- is my bestest little friend. I am her mother.....but she is definitely my favorite person in the whole wide world. It is my greatest hope that it always stays that way.

- has amazing hair. I waited soooooooooooooooooo long for that hair to show up, and oh how it takes my breath away with it's multi-colored, highlighted loveliness. I am sad to report that she wants to cut it this summer. It is KILLING me, but we'll do it and give it to Lock for Love.



- blesses my heart each and every single day with her continued, all encompassing, love for her mama. She looks at me with eyes so full of love, that I often feel like I can see her soul.

- loves yogurt, spaghetti, and fruit. She is a pretty choosy eater, but I'm mostly to blame for that. One thing I love about this girl is her ability to stop eating when she is satisfied. She won't eat something for the sake of eating it. She turns down dessert or a treat nearly 50% of the time. Wish I had that control.

-loves to listen to Adele, and more recently, The Civil Wars. She has good taste in music.

- is growing into her new teeth. It has been a hard transition with these new BIGGER teeth, but her smile still lights up the world of those she blesses with it. It changed her little face, but it isn't the outside that truly shines....it's what's on the inside that makes her the amazing girl she is.

- is brave and strong. She most recently was sick with vomiting while I was away for several days. While she prefers to nearly crawl back inside me when she is not feeling well, she will also just buck right up and take care of herself. She got ill in the middle of the night, and decided not to wake her grandma, and just clean herself up and go back to sleep. It is times like this when I can't deny she is growing up.

- likes school, but isn't an over achiever. She just doesn't like anything more than anything else. You can ask her, "want to go to the park?" and you'll get nearly the same reaction if you asked her, "want to go take a bath?" She is willing to do most things, but doesn't show GREAT enthusiasm for anything in particular. It is never a chore to get her to go to school, but she doesn't get all giddy about it either. She isn't a fan of reading, but is progressing.

- prides herself in being quite a funny little person. She will always be "my little ham sandwich". She continues to be shy around people, but one of her main coping mechanisms is humor. She has been using this technique since she was about two years of age. She LOVES to make people of all ages laugh. Lately, I've noticed how much she enjoys making her friends laugh. She can be a real goofball. She appreciates a good Ol' corny kid joke. A favorite right now: Why did Tigger look in in the toilet?...........He was looking for Pooh! tee hee

- is tenderhearted, but not overly emotional. I have NEVER seen her mad. oh wait....once when she was like 18 months she threw a tantrum. Other than that.....she is the most even keeled person EVER. She cares deeply, but is able to be reasonable, and is one of the most understanding individuals I have ever met.

- loves the colors BLUE, PURPLE, and GREEN. She tolerates pink, but would really love to do without it. She isn't a foo foo sort of girl, and only asks to wear a dress once in a rare while. In fact, she never really cares what she is wearing. I still pick out her clothes for her (blush).

- is really enjoying the rare sunny days we've had lately. I love to see her outside playing with our dog, or climbing a tree, or singing loudly as she swings back and forth on her swing set. That's what childhood should be about. Nothing rocks our world more than some time before dinner hanging out with the newest babies bunnies. ♥

- deserves so much more that I can ever give her. Of all the things I've ever done.....creating this special little person tops them all. She has given me FAR more than I'll ever be able to repay. ♥ I am one VERY lucky mama!

I love my little Sugar Bear to the moon and back.....and more than all the stars in the sky.

Week 78

ACK! I've let myself get behind again. I ALWAYS take the pics. ALWAYS, but haven't really been on my computer much recently, and find myself so behind on the editing, and blogging. I soooooooooo need to catch up. This is from ages ago, it seems.



March 19th was a "go here do this" sort of day. It was a week of half day classes for the Sugar and suddenly, there was no bussing. Luckily, I have wonderful friends. I took this shot downtown when I went to pick up Sugar Bear. I love daffodils. They certainly remind me of Spring. After this shot, we headed back to work, and Sugar Bear accompanied me to an evening meeting for my work. She was a big helper, and even helped me present my Dental training in front of strangers. This was a BIG step for my shy girl.



March 20th was the beginning of "observation week" at the dance school. I have to great pleasure of getting to see my little honey dance. I always look forward to this time of the year, so that I can nab some shots of her dancing. :) Here she is in her recital costume. They were trying them on for the first time. She was so excited to get to choose the color this year. Blue is by far her favorite color.

March 21st.....ummmm....was a Wednesday. That's pretty much all I remember of it. I know I took this photo of an enchilada dish I made in my pressure cooker. I had forgotten to get a shot during the rest of the day....so a dinner shot it was. I love this dish. So easy.

March 22nd was the last day of Observation. I adore this shot I got of Sugar dancing. I take 62 bazillion, and finally get the shot I was looking for. ♥ This time of year.....Sugar Bear grows a bit tired of dance class. I just tell her we are on the home stretch, and she makes it through. Can't wait for recital.

March 23rd was the Friday before Spring Break. I had planned to have Sugar Bear go to my brother's house after school to play with her cousins so that I could go see The Hunger Games movie. Then....my brother fell ill. I had to make some last minute pleas from friends, and someone came through. I feel like I'm always the one asking favors, and I hope that someday I can repay them. My nieces and SIL were sad that Sugar didn't come over, and asked us to stop by real quick. They had made this chalk art for her before they found out she wasn't coming. I grabbed a quick shot of Sugar with the art. It was awesome.

March 24th was a stay home and get things done sort of Saturday (as far as I can remember). I do know that Sugar Bear entertained herself with her Bendaroos nearly all afternoon. She made this cute little scene. It says, "What a life for a flower".



March 25th we met a friend, and attended a local show called, "Little Ol' Big Band". It was great. We had a chance to see two friends and an acquaintance perform. This photo is of a beautiful friend of ours belting out her song. What a treat. Afterwards, we went out to dinner together. It was a perfect sort of Sunday.

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Fourteen

The theme/prompt for the week was: UNDERNEATH

AGAIN, I had hopes of taking my time and really coming up with something fun for this theme. I spent the week traveling, and hoped to really jump into the project while I was away. ALAS....I didn't. I totally forgot about it. I am such a forgetful person. Soooooo I found myself in a rush on Saturday. I tried a few ideas, and nothing was really what I was looking for, but I'll post two of the ones I got, regardless.

This one was taken by my little Sugar Bear. I was up in a tree, and she was Underneath me.

For this one....I was laying on top of the monkey bars, and Sugar Bear was underneath.

The theme/prompt for next week is: SHADOW

I feel almost Famous

Hey there Friends! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo over the top excited to share some BIG BIG BIG news. It makes me feel quite nearly famous.

You see, I have some really really really awesome friends that have done something so very special. I'm bursting at the seams to share. I "met" Megan and Laura over 8 years ago on a pretty well known website called, Babycenter. We were all pregnant with our first child, and seeking some companionship through out our pregnancy. We ended up on the same "birth board" with our children being due January of 2005. After the birth of our girls (yes....we all had girls.) several of us, (about 100) decided to go to a private board so that we could get to know each other better, and share more of our lives in a safe fashion.

We quite literally learned to be a mother together, and I am so very grateful to have been learning right along side such truly amazing women. I can't tell you how much I have appreciated both of these gentle loving mamas in my life.

I am so proud to announce that they are taking their amazing knowledge and skill and sharing it with the world. These ladies wrote a book....oh yes they did, and it is for sale as we speak on AMAZON! oh my gosh.....I love it. I am so pleased to be able to say that I knew them BEFORE they knew anything. tee hee....just kidding. Both of these fabulous ladies knew a lot going into this journey of parenthood, and now, with practice....they know so much more.

Please go HERE and read all about their fabulous book.

They are having a big "book buying party" tomorrow, so if you feel so inclined.....buy one up....or refer a friend to it. I just know it is going to be a best seller.

I'm so proud of you, Megan and Laura! You deserve the very best! ♥

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Thirteen

Theme/Prompt of the week was: WORK

I was home on Spring Break on week....and boy oh boy did I NEED it. Such a great time at home.

I almost forgot to get my shot. IN fact.....I only took this a few hours ago when I started thinking about going to work tomorrow. yeah.....I make this face when I think of it. sigh...

The photo has double meaning though. You might have noticed that only one of my finger nails are decorated. I'm testing it to see if it WORKS. I have super oily nails or something because NO nail polish stays on my nails for longer than 1/2 a day, and EXPENSIVE fake nails...I've tried several times....and they come off in 3-4 days. UGH. I gave up ages ago. My SIL is into the new Jamberry nail wraps, and really wanted me to try it, so she did one nail for me yesterday. While I hope it sticks....I feel a bit odd with only the one done. Time will tell....if it will WORK!

The theme/prompt for next week is: Underneath

I'm hoping for inspiration on this one. :)