Camera Accessory Wish List

85mm lens

Wide Angle Lens

Maybe Macro

too many lenses to count...but a portrait one with special glass, a nice zoom lens, and also a MACRO lens (emphasis on this one) for my purposes, I suppose. But, definitely a couple more to assist me with the portraiture I acquire. I am very happy with what I have, and feel blessed that I can work with it for now. Someday, we'll have a back up camera, too. I just need patience!!

Busy Day- at home

Stamp sets I found for 1.99, not the 7.99 price (at least) I am seeing online!

I added MANY MANY more sites to view here, on my blog. Since I felt sick to my stomach today, I spent time online, more than I normally would have, but I found so much inspiration. Some photography related, but mostly paper crafting and digital scrapbooking stuff. It was quite delightful.

I also read to be caught up in my friend and I's Bible Study, among other topics, too. I think I am going to start a new blog of my own that is dedicated to what I am digging into with my faith.

I loved my class yesterday, and my tag book (not quite yet completed) is sitting on a stand in my kitchen. I have a new area set up with a couple of unique furniture pieces from my parents that they were getting rid of..perfect way to get some crafting material organized, and even nicely in view.

I am thinking that looking into a sofa bed would be nice for us, instead of getting a new plain couch. That way, sleepovers would be easier, especially in the future. AND, it would be nice for when we had visitors. We have three bedrooms, but they are all occupied!

A huge HUGE thank you goes out to my mother who brought my kids lunch. And a big hug for my little helper, Ella. :-)

Love

credits: Aja Abney: cream dot paper, green paper; swirl and love doodles by Angie Briggs.

I love Last of the Mohicans. So does my dad. The bridesmaids at my wedding walked down to the fast violin song of the movie, and my processional was a quiet song from LOTM as well.





My dad got to hear a string band play music from Last of the Mohicans at his Civil War Reenactment setting.





Oohhhhh I am so jealous I have to admit. I told my DH I'll love him forever and ever and ever if he can contact the band so we can go hear this music live. It stirs my soul like nothing else I have ever heard.





Speaking of love, here is a digital layout from today..I am trying to pick my way at some stuff. I downloaded more freebies and also worked on some real paper layouts the other night. Tomorrow night is another class and Jennifer and I's Bible Study right after. I am excited for my girl night out!

What is a well

Well (LOL), a couple of weeks ago I submitted a storyline for a friend's blog challenge. Whichover story was chosen, her very talented writer friend would create a story. Now, I hope not to take away from that upcoming story (my storyline was chosen), but this was too interesting today to pass up blogging.

Here is my storyline:
Fantasy: In the middle of a town, there is a glass well, and steps that wrap all around the well. Inside the well is a small wooden whistle that falls from the top, slowly, towards the bottom. It disappears and then reappears at the top, and falls down again.
No one has been able to touch it, or take it out of the well. No one knows, or remembers, what the whistle does. Except one.

And then, today, the guest speaker used this prayer from, if I remember correctly, a pilgrim, therefore, it's date written is not merely this century.

Here is his quote, which flooded meaning into my little made up storyline.

My mind is a bucket without a bottom. With no spiritual understanding, no desire for the Lord's Day. Ever learning, but never reaching the truth. Always at the Gospel well, but never holding water. Give me a broken heart, filled with your Spirit that carries home the water of grace.

At the fishing hole

I concentrated on Buddy photography-wise. The girls and Rich had fun fishing. But, with one pole, because the other was defective that we just got, and then the one we were using wouldn't work right either. Therefore, no fish caught tonight and we will be returning both of the poles for probably something cheap LOL. The Sponge Bob one may actually be worth the $10 instead of $25 LOL!

So, here are some pics I metered for the sky and then shot of Philip. That's how you do silhouettes, I think! And then, one of the dolls we made. Natalie's life like near perfect one is the far left, then Ella's, then Mine. I gave a chuckle when I saw that photo...it fits our personalities, how we made them.

We saw Ratatouille (spelling?) and it was good. Philip was sleeping most of the time, but he did find some enjoyment to his first time at the theater. It was cute to see the girls try to figure out the steps at Tinsletown. :-)

Tomorrow morning is a busy day, and I fear that I won't get enough rest to be up to par. Good thing we have the rest of the day free. The past two days, and week, have surely been busy.

We Painted Dolls

Ella, her friend, and I....I found these plain dolls at Pat Catan's for under $1/piece, and then got some fabric acrylic paint, and we all went to town. Ella especially loves to paint. If she has an option at school, she'd paint over anything else.

I hope to grab a few pics of them tomorrow. They still need to dry.

Let's just say I was quite inspired by the scrapbooking class I attended last night!

The large canvas is ordered...the one of just Ella. I will eventually order one of Philip but I need the perfect picture, and I will pray it comes soon! Don't want him to be left out, poor thing.

I took the kids to the mouse trap..haha..C.E. Cheese's, I mean. They had fun..after I dragged them around to the craft stores, they needed to run free.

My hubby is outside with them now. I can't believe him..he rode Philip's itsy bitsy bike to be funny. This bike is only slightly bigger than Philip!
Very funny!

Sailor Outfits....Post 1

This made me cry....as a mom, it just struck me.

Artwork

Here is the photo I may make as my canvas. I made it look like art already...so printed on canvas should look really nice (at least, I think so!). The sock on Ella is bothering me and I am trying to decide if I should get rid of the sock, or clone some on her leg. Hmmmm.....

well It's a few hours after I posted this originally and now I think not..this is NOT for a big canvas..someone brought to my attention on my photography board that it would look too blurry on a canvas, b/c it does that affect anyways a tad bit. So...probably the one of just ella..or a few I may have people vote on tomorrow.

My family

got me out of bed tonight and to a nearby lake tonight..I watched them "fish" with weeds. It was funny. I saw them pop bubbles along the pathway. It was a new location for them to play..and honestly, quiet. One lone fisherman..but next time, there'll be three awfully goofy ones once they go to the store to buy some gear. A great place to find some interesting photographs too.

The banjo is really nice. I loved hearing it today. Rich really has mastered music..with any instrument. It's amazing to me.

A friend of mine that had surgery recently called me..well, today she did. It was a blessing that she called, and more so that she is slowly on the way to recovery. Friday, I'll pick up her little girl, Natalie, and she'll spend the night. Ella is very excited. I hope it'll help my friend out, although I am afraid I may be taking her "help" away!!!!

Something Free

And it will be HUGE~

a 16x20 gallery wrap! I found a site that other photographer's were discussing, and it is surely true. Now, my dilemna will be choosing the photograph for my canvas. That is quite a dilemna...this photograph will be in my living room for quite some time! Do I do a photo with just Ella or one with just Philip? Or both?

Jennifer and I had a wonderful study time last night again. Today I am having tea withdrawl as I am taking a test for something for a doctor's appointment..and not having tea, is well, just awful.

Richie brought me flowers today! I had a pretty tough day and it was a real pick me up. Tomorrow he's going to get his banjo. Yes, banjo. We can finally browse the internet normally as we changed our browser..and this is the new email for that..although, we don't use that email...kindof funny..any guesses to the real words? LOL!

harmbanjmandpian

Tap Tap, tappity Tap!

Guess who joined dance?

She had so much fun and will be going to her SECOND class tomorrow. She loved the first class. They are working on "technique" with the tap shoes...Listening to their dancing songs was fun. The music is very cute and fun-loving.

High School Flashback

Here are some photos from one of the SWEETEST girls I have ever known. She's from church and graduating this year.

Link to a photo

I made ordinary to, well...a bit magical?

A Restorative Process

Here is a summary of what I have been told by the doctor and nurse practioner of Advanced Intregative Medicine..after two visits, both in which I cried at.

My thyroid treatment that had been currently underway was incorrect..so a new one was given, and will not be successful for another month or so, the way that it progresses.

My body has a severe lacking in iodine. Magnesium, too, which helps produce metabolic energy. Other supplements to help me are Vitamin C and Vitamin B-5, and a few others, because these are important in reconstituting the ADRENAL functions.

At this last visit, I was told that fibromyalgia is a "catch all" for something that most physicians can't pinpoint, or don't try to completely solve. Something called Adrenal Exhaustion was brought to my attention, and a little pamphlet which, well, explains a lot.

Here's the story of a patient that was included in the pamphlet. Most of it is "me" and if it isn't, I'll place an N beside the comment (truly, though, there won't be many "N's."

The first thing Barbara said as she sat down in my office was, "I am totally exhausted." A thirty-eight-year-old grade school teacher, she was barely able to meet the demands of her work. Barbara was nearly desperate in her plea for help. She told me that by the end of each school day, her muscles and joints ached, her throat hurt, and she would develop a low-grade fever. She couldn't even imagine having the strength to prepare dinner for her family, or keep house. Fortunately, her husband did all the domestic activities. The elder of their two children pitched in as well.

When Barbara was able to get nine houre of sleep, she would arise in the morning with the feeling that if she pushed herself hard enough, she could manage through the day. But she felt hardly any joy, spontaneity, and creativity- qualities she considered essential to teach and to parent. For this reason especially, she was depressed, for she was falling far short of her expectations. But she was depressed all the time anyways, she said, even if she'd had a rare good day at school and everything was going well in her family.

If anything out of the ordinary happened- like having a cookie, having a pleasant dinner with friends, staying up past 10:00 pm, shopping for groceries- then her usual end of the day symptoms would be even worse. She usually needed several days or more to recover. If she drank milk or orange juice (N), she would suffer from migraine headaches- sometimes she'd get them regardless....
As a result of these symptoms, Barbara attempted to control each day. She had absolutely no reserves to deal with unforeseen events. She said she couldn't continue on this way. If she didn't get some relief soon, she was going to have to take a medical leave of absense from her work.
I asked Barbara when she last felt well. She replied that she'd been functioning fairly normally until eighteen months before, when she'd been diagnosed with mononucleosis (N, but I had mono in high school and right after that was diagnosed with fibro). She never seemed to recover fully from the mono, she continued, and it was in the following monhts that her current symptom picture began to develop. After a year of not getting any better, she was treated with an antidepressant. This medication had given her a little relief, but the overall effect was not substantial...

MORE: It is our adrenal glands that buffer stress and enable us to stand up to life's onslaughts. These glands give us the capacity to perform and to adapt flexibly to the demands of everyday. It is also the adrenals that enable us to go beyond our usual limits of endurance when needed and help us to recover in a reasonable amount of time...but plainly, Barbara had little capacity left to perform, adapt, or recover.

Stressors
emotions: worry, anxiety, guilt, anger, fear
Insufficient sleep
Chronic infections
Chronic Pain
and more I won't list

Symptoms (I'll list what I deal with)
Excessive fatigue, weakness, nervousness, irritability, mental depression, apprehensions, inability to concentrate, moments of confusion, poor memory, feelings of frustration, light-headedness, dizziness that occurs upon standing, insomia, headaches, tenderness in adrenal area, low body temperature, hair loss, difficulty losing weight, tendency to inflammation, increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases (I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disorder)...I left out about 1 third of the main list.

Most of these symptoms are "fibromyalgia" symptoms, but now, I have hope that many, if not all, will be sentenced to SILENCE in a few months. I have a peace about it. I was told the fatigue will be the hardest to change though. And that is by far, the worst of it for me.

Artful Blogging

A brand new magazine for people like me!

My Neice

Ella has this beauty

that just comes perfectly through photographs....but this one in particular. She was actually being or pretending to be camera shy here. She loves her pony, and yes that is a tatoo on her arm, but it's not a princess or flower...it's Superman. By the way, those are Gap capris I got for her for $3 recently at the store itself, and they are my favorite. I love that rugged but classicl look on her.

Can you pray for your computer? If so, than I will. I can't yet manage to post pics on here from our own computer at home, and using the browser itself is tricky. Thus, far and few between blogs. I do need to update a few on my second doctor's appointment that I had Wednesday in PA, but I will probably do that later. It was another encouraging appointment.

I signed up for 2 scrapbooking (well, more like technique classes) at a local scrapbooking store, and I am excited. I just had my first high school senior photoshoot that went lovely, but have yet to concentrate and look at my pictures. This week was just super busy, and today is no better, really...plus, I am dealing with more intense pain in my body, all over, today. But, likeI said before, my appt. was hopeful, so we'll have to concentrate on that fact.

I am excited about my scrapbooking again, and have even tried to do some more digital ones. Earlier this week I spent time with a friend and we scrapbooked all morning..I completed 4 pages. Yeah! Plus, I found some nice CK rubon letters for .97/pack. I also picked up Somerset Studio 40% off..I love those magazines. There are two others I like: Somerset Life, published quarterly, and Somerset Legacy (Memories?). The problem is, they are expensive material. I love the artistic nature of them. Sometimes it's a little too much for me, but it soothes my soul to read the articles and look at someone else's creativity.

I am excited that my friend and I are meeting again Monday for another Bible Study. My dad told me he was so pleased that he and I can go back and forth reading similar things and talk about them, too. Jennifer suggested a study guide that she saw that focuses on both Esther and Ruth. I love the book of Ruth....honestly, these two books just lets you soak up so much culture and history of the Bible. Its delightful..really, to think God provided WOMEN as main topics in the Bible. With that in mind, I would say, he is one for ALL people. And isn't that wonderful? I get an ache in my heart when I hear it said that HE doesn't love me, couldn't, etc. I can only just pray at this point for those that they can somehow draw near to God, because when you do that, He will certainly draw near to you.

Sometimes..

I really believe that having a sensitive nature is just plain tough. And so misunderstood. And very hard to deal with when you are a sensitive person..see how that works? It's a vicious cycle. I have things that came about today that just pricked my heart more and more...little holes that probably need to be filled by some quiet time

Tea

and cereal

and a big hug and smile from my hubby

and two cute kids in bed asleep.

HoW CUte IS tHIs SOnG?!

SONG

This is her website...I soooo want this CD!

I haven't been to a Bible Study for a long time

and tonight I was at one!!! It was wonderful. Jennifer and I studied parts of the book of Esther, and will definitely have more to go over. Plus, when I got to the coffee house a bit earlier, I saw Sam and Laura. That was a nice surprise, too.

This nice evening made me forget the news I got at the dentist....it's time for ALL 4 wisdom teeth to come out. I am not looking forward to this, but knew when I went to the dentist today I HAD to tell him about the back of my mouth bothering me. I thought I was going to get out of that surgery, since, my goodness, I still have a baby tooth left in my mouth! Oh well! God will provide the peace in my heart. With my two little kids, I don't want to think about being put out for even this basic surgery.

This is not fun

But there're worse out there. This body of mine does not cooperate most of the time, and after concentrating immensly on playing this morning, and singing, my spine has really developed some pain. I remember now this happening to me the last time I had to do that at church..and now there's the next 2 Sundays lined up. Uh...I am thinking I may have to get someone else to fill in.

Anyways, I know my Grandma is having MORE pain than this..she is not feeling well at all these days and needs prayer. I won't go into it all, but she's a sweet soul that has some physical problems causing much discomfort and fatigue. Prayers are much welcomed by her!

The Twins

I found it quite funny that my friend, Jennifer and I had the same dress on today.

Last time I wore this dress (from Target) to church, another lady had the SAME one on too.

This was the second time I wore it, and well....too funny.

I must say it looks soooo much better on Jennifer than me! LOL! I think the next time we wear this dress, all three should.

Well, maybe not, but it certainly turned heads!

Elijah's BDAY Party Last Weekend

I was requested to take photographs at a little guy's birthday party, and so I did..although, whew, it was a lot of work just to get a few edited this week. It's hard for me to get non paid things done vs. paid things. That made me think about that....that'll have to change and this photographer will have to be faster with stuff for my friends! Unless they don't care!

Ella went to TWO bday parties on this day...lucky her....the second was her pal Alex's and it was at a firestation! How original and cool is that? She loved it!

Childhood Memories

credits (scrapbook page): papers by Amy Tanabe

Ella's bling, and a past memory of the kids playing in Ella's room...finally another scrapbook page! NOTE: I need someone to help us figure out how to fix our computer..I am uploading pics at my in laws. HELP!

Excuse all spelling errors

It's hard to type when you have a lot to type and you are multitasking, and tired.

Tomorrow is the first day of THREE Sundays in a row where I will be leading the worship, and tonight I am really trying to get too much done...it's been a busy day, tomorrow's a busy morning, and a busy day, as well.

We had a trip out to see Rich's grandparents, and ended up seeing lots of relatives, and the kids had so much fun with cousins and second cousins.

Tomorrow afternoon is our nephew Noah's birthday party.

I need a couple of disks ready of pics for a friend at church and myself to take to the inlaws.

And I need rest and time to break to pray for tomorrow's church service.

Just writing this helps, and lays it all out there.

Fatigue. That's the subject of the day.

Also, beautiful...beautiful kids.

And, quilts...I received my second quilt for my "collection" today from my mom. She bought an americana/cabin looking one at a garage sale...actually, two of them and they are exactly the same. Great for a change, and also perhaps Buddy's room when he gets a twin bed.

I am trying to post pics but it's not working for me here. Our computer has had these glitches the past week or so, and won't let us click on links from another website...so, I cannot click on what would let me link a picture and post it here.

Maybe tomorrow. And maybe tomorrow this fatigue will lift. Seriously, it's awful. But it has been there since Saturday, and has just gotten worse. I pray that a little breath of fresh air will come our way!

You hem me in, before and behind...

I found that verse in Psalm a few days ago. It was one of those, thank you, Lord, for speaking to me moments.

I found and bought an old quilt for $10 that was quite brilliant yet in its coloring but had seams apart all over the beautiful wedding ring pattern. The colors reminded me of shabby chic styles and colors, so I had to purchase it. I am trying to collect quilts, and this one was at my price range..handsewn for the most part too.

My grandmother said yes to my request of fixing it up..and she said it'll take awhile. I knew that, but something about knowing she was doing this with so much love in her heart affected me in a way that I started thinking so much about her, her life, and the pain she is in right now.

Soon after this, I found this verse..or was led to this verse. I think of Christ and his pain as he "hemmed" us in, to create a final beautiful masterpiece....and then I imagine my grandmothers hands, bruised and slightly shaken and bent, laboring over my quilt. To hem it in, and recreate the work that was started and finished who knows when. My grandmother wondered about the story behind the quilt. She doesn't have to wonder any longer.

Me

credits: MaryAnn Wise: turqoise paper; Rhonna Farrer: red bird; Sarah Batdorf, frame; Nancie Rowe Janitz: sanded pink and floral papers.

For some odd reason, I cannot type a title into these posts. I hope that changes, but I'll blog anyways!

I took some self portraits, and they are definitely not traditional, but I liked them so much better. I don't know how to do traditional very well to begin with, let alone with myself and a timer!

A scrapbook page is here, too....after months of a dry spell. I am signing up for some classes at a local store, if not to learn than just to get away and do some scrapbooking by myself and get motivated again.

Ella got her ears pierced today! She was a real trooper..only a few minutes of fierce tears and crying, but she did really well. And, know, of course, she loves her earrings. They are teeny tiny pink flowers, with silver...14 kt gold, of course. We ended up going to Afterthoughts and I was very glad we did...I was impressed by on of the girls. She did so well with Ella, and I found out that she was going to school to be a teacher. That explained her soothing voice and wonderful simple instructions to a 4 year old!

I think I did this ear piercing more for me than my darling daughter, though! I figured that there are so many cute pairs of young girly earrings out there and might as well enjoy those now, instead of never enjoying them after she gets her ears pierced as a preteen or whatever.

So glad Rich was into doing this now too!

erf

So, my friend Kimmy tagged me...to disclose Eight Random Facts. I think 9 would've been better :-) But, I don't have 8 people to tag! I am a friendless blogger. LOL!

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.2. Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves.3. Tagees should write a blog post of eight random facts about themselves.4. At the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged (named and shamed).5. Go to their blog, leave a comment telling them they’re tagged (cut and run).

1. Well, I can't whistle and I can't snap my fingers.

2. I could eat cereal all the time..and Dutch House Strawberry Pie.

3. I don't like toys set on my piano.

4. I dream and dream and dream of TOO many things, including writing a novel.

5. I just want to have close family relationships.

6. In my heart, I strongly desire child number three and pray each day to wonder what God's desire is for us as a family.

7. I really don't like dogs...not too much. Sorry out there to my friends that love dogs and have them!!!

8. I love dressing up for church and think it should be a RULE!!!!!

I tag my friend SUE and JESS..

My History, written in November 1998

Here is a sample of all I can muster to write in this post tonight from a short history report of my family, completed for an American Identities class, Black Studies, for my Anthropology Degree, I took as a freshman at YSU.

This paper gave me the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with my immediate family. By meeting with my parents and grandparents as well as reading previously written snips and pieces of family history, I was able to see for myself their emotions and feelings. I knew that what they discussed and informed me was true. In certain cases, I saw their pain and frustration, but most importantly of all, I saw the joy in their hearts that has come from living their lives entirely for God.

I drove to my grandparents' nearby house and spent an entire morning with them. I could tell by their faces that my being there, quizzing them about their lives and the lives of their parents and grandparents meant a great deal to them. The following several paragraphs contain the information that they gave me.

My grandmother's mother was named after her grandmother, Sidonia Endress, who was born April 12, 1835. Sidonia Endress, as a young woman, met my great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Zahner, at a place that continues to be unknown. Joseph Zahner was in in 1834 in Saint Gallen, Switzerland. He later became a smallpox expert following intense medicaly studying in Stuttgart, Germany. This next piece of information is almost unbelievable to me. However, I suppose the proof that my great grandma is distantly related to Winston Churchill is even less believable. My grandfather, with all the seriousness he could muster in a joke, said, "NO! Her folks (mening my grandmother's parents) are related to John Wilkes Booth." My grandma, whose maiden name is Helen Spencer, told me that her great-grandma had been a lady-in-waiting to the queen of Bavaria at the time when she met Joseph.

As young men and women do when they are in love and in these predicaments, Joseph and Sidonia eloped. The returned later after the marriage to the bride' parents and asked for their forgiveness. However, they were disowned. Joseph and Sidonia moved to New York and later to Newport, Kentucky. They had three children, my great-great-grandfather, Gustave, included. Joseph enlisted in the army as an intern during the Civil War. The side he took is unknown. He died within a few years due to influenza. The family that he left behind eventually could no longer survive living on the father's war pension. Sidonia went to New York, her three fatherless children in tow, and later back to Bavaria where she again pleaded for her parents' forgiveness. Like before, she was denied and sent away. In total despair, she committed suicide. Her two sons then were sent to an orphanage out of pity and her daughter became employed as a housemaid for a wealthy family. When Gustave, my great-great-grandfather grew older, he was sent to board on a farm near his new job at at bank. At 21, he went to New York around 1884 to look for employment. He began working for a man by the name of Paul Haller at the grocery store he managed. Through a chashier with whom he worked, he met his future wife, Margaaret. They saw each other in church each Sunday, and for their first date, they took a walk in Central Park.

Cahterin Haller's birthplace, Margaret's mother, was Baden-Baden, Germany. Catherin came to New York when she was four and continued to be raised there. She met her husband, George Brandenstein, also from Baden-Baden. It so happened that as he passed her on a sidewalk in New York, he coat button caught on her shawl. This led to another meeing, more talking, and a marriage. Growing up, Margaret lived near a slaughterhouse, had a pig for a pet, and saw a "black wagon" that would take children away who had contracted black diphtheria. The children never would return.

I discovered an interesting story about Gustave's brother, Frederick. As Frederick was coming back home from the Everglades, he got in the wrong part of the train- the "colored people's side"- and was chased out. not too long afterwards, he contracted malaria, became crazy, which led to him being placed into a straitjacket and to his death in 1905.

Gustave and Margaretn, married in 1887 in New York City, had five children, the last of whom is my great-grandmother, Sidonia Margaret, born in 1902 South Brooklyn. Eighteen year old Sidonia, as a cashier for a department store, met a Pennsylvanian soldier by the name of Herbert Sharpless Spencer. They eloped in Atlantic City in 1919, later returning to her parents, where they received forgiveness.

My great-greandfather had shifted from place to place as a child. When he was 16 years old, he enlisted into the service. Yes, he lied about his age. In a World War 1 battle, he was shot in the leg. Since there were trenches and no foxholes, he hid in the trenches until help came. He returned to the United States with his leg amputated almost to the hip, about 10 inches. All this when he was only 17 years old. While stationed in a New York hospital, he obtained a pass for the city, where he met "Grandma Spencer." They received $100 a month from his war pension.

Grandpa Spencer worked in the coalmines, with an artificial limb, to supplement the income of the family. Then, he got a job in Windam, OH in 1943. The family moved there, where Herbert worked for GF manufacturing, manufacturing warplanes. Did I mention that my great-grandma gave birth to eleven children? One died shortly after he was born, but my grandma, Helen, gre up with 6 sisters and 3 brothers. Their home was void of indoor plumbing. However, they did have a dry well and a hand pump. One of the most significant things about my grandma's family was that every year, Christmas was special. "Somehow, mom made it nice for us kids," my grandma said to me. Each child was given candy, one orange, and nuts. While World War 2 was going on, my grandma worked in a defense plant, none other as "Rosie the Riveter," on fighter planes for fourteen months. She said that there was plenty of work. Women of all ages worked side by side. My grandmother married a WW2 soldier by the name of William George Snyder.

Growing up, my Grandpa Snyder lived on a farm, driving cattle and horses to the watering trough, cultivation crops, harvesting, hunting, and fishing. Nothing was wasted- everything was used. The evening was fun for the family, especially in the winter. His parents read stories to him and his siblings, near a heating stove in the living room. Saturday night was "bathtub night." Cold trips to the outhouse were freqent. As were family worship times together. All five children knelt on the knees every night and prayed after reading the Bible.

My grandfather told me that his family always shared with their neighbors who had difficulty financially. during hte Depression, the family never failed to give out a handout, food, or shelter. One time, a afamily that was moving slep on the community's schoolhouse porch without permission. My great grandpa Snyder, as president of the school baord, asked them to stay in his family's house. Fifty-five years later, a girl asked my grandpa's Uncle Roy what "Snyder" he was. When he told her, she said that her family are Christians today because of how loved they were treated that one night.

The year of 1941 was the last time everyone in the Snyder family was together for Christmas. During World War 2, all three brothers were in the service together. At first,my grandfather wanted to be in the army very badly, but he decided ot wait. My grandpa was sworn in service March of 1943 and had an honorable discharge October of 1945. He recieved 5 battle Stars for the following: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. My grandfather asked me if I had known that a U.S. Destroyer had been pictured on a dime at one time. I said that I had not known that. Then, he gave me something- a dime. As you can tell, my grandpa has a sense of humor-something that has been passed down to my dad and my brother. If only two pieces of mail were delivered to where he was, one was always for him, if not both. My grandmother never failed to send him letters- every day she wrote. They married when he returned to the States in 1945.

Cowgirl Days

Thankfulness Today

I have to post for a minute here, and just express thankfulness for a few things...

I am now a member of PPA...Professional Photographers of America. Now, that's not to say I think I am well, an elite professional. I think I may describe myself as a work in progress professional. I won't debate the definition of the word "professional" but hey, since I am charging I would honestly say I am a professional.

Next, for continued positive response from clients, and friends. The latter can be a tough one. I am very thankful that some of my friends have hired me...honestly, if none of them had, it'd have taken me awhile to get used to that idea. So, needless to say, thank you friends!

I have a potential family reunion/get together in the works, along with my first senior photoshoot..these are ALMOST dedicated appointments.

My good friend who has two foster children LOVED her pictures this time around...and so did I. I so wish she would be able to adopt them, for a selfish reason...so I could use their precious faces and personalities in my portfolio!

I felt blessed with encouragment today, both with my music and photography. I am someone that thrives on feedback..positive feedback. Now, I admit that is probably a fault, but it is part of who I am. Today, I had forgotten to take alllll of my medicine before we left for church. Thus, I was "off" even up til now. So, having some positive comments were a blessing to me today.

The kids and my wondeful husband are gone for the evening at a friends house...I am all by myself! Freedom!

We had a good, but late night, with Rich's parents last night. I even got a small gift, for free from my mother in law, for my dad. He loves it..it's actually a thermos holder but it reminded me of what couriers back in the 1700 and 1800's would use..for carrying scrolls, rolled maps, etc. Blame my passion for Last of the Mohicans for this bit of information. Which by the way, was filmed partly in New York and also in North Carolina. I'd love to go to Chimney Rock again..that's where a lot of the magnificent views were from, and the fateful last mountainside scenes.