Sweet Shot and Texture Tuesday

We are settling into a new schedule and with that comes more regular opportunities for me to choose sedentary activities (my favorite).  Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself while the boys are down for nap and Zion is finding a quiet activity.  Today I am choosing to spend a little time blogging and what better spur of the moment topic than a photo challenge (or two).  Especially since I just spent the weekend on a little getaway with a friend and have a ton of pictures.  Most of which I haven’t had the chance to look twice at but I do have a stand out or two.  For today, my sweet shot:

We were truly blessed to find this cross standing at the very spot we found to pull off to photograph the rainbow.  Wow, just wow. Thanks, God!

OK fine, I’ll post another.  After I picked up my friend we stopped at a camera store.  It’s the one I like to go to but a bit far off and not at all kid friendly.  I had some money set aside for a lens or maybe two and I wanted a chance to shop. I came home with a 50mm 1.8 and a 90mm 2.8 macro (sweet!).  While my friend and I had lunch before heading for home I took this one because she’s got great eyes and I couldn’t help myself:

Please go check out more Sweet Shots at My 3 Boybarians!

And for Texture Tuesday, hosted over at Kim Klassen’s Café (LOVE it there – go check out more!).

This one was taken with my new macro (I am SO in love with that thing, it makes my heart sing – funnily enough I wrote that line before I discovered that Kim had made this week’s Texture Tuesday theme “love”.  I’m so glad I did because now I can join in with the theme and feel like I’d intended that way, LOL) as we were walking around the grounds where we stayed.  We found a few snail shells placed randomly on rocks and in the flower beds, this one was partially buried.  I added a layer of Kim’s Corrugated Crack with soft light at 100%, adjusted the levels a little to brighten it, cropped it and added a light vignette around the edge. 

Sweet Innocence

Last week we took the kids to the local Fair.  It was a blast (though the time we had was too short) and I’ll post pictures soon.  But apart from the usual eating of Fair food and riding of rides a funny thing happened.  We went to look at the cows.  That in itself is not the funny part (aren’t you relieved).  We were walking through the cow barn and Zion asked someone if she could pet a cow and they said yes.  While she was fawning all over a very pretty brown and white cow Gabe asked the farmer how to tell which ones are the boy cows.  *gulp*  Poor farmer.  He made a valiant attempt.  He pointed to a small solid brown steer that was tied off to the side and asked Gabe if he noticed the difference between that one and all the other female cows standing around with udders bulging. 

Gabe said “Oh, I see.”  Our collective minds went “Phew, we don’t have to take it any further.”  But Gabe continued “That cow is all brown.”  I laughed the hardest, poor farmer stuttered and didn’t know what to say I believe.  I finally told Gabe that it’s the same way with people, they have different parts.  I *think* he understood when we left.

But I could be wrong.

My Storyteller

Zion has the biggest imagination.  Really truly.  And she tells stories with such conviction that many people believe them.  One of her MOPS class teachers got a little miffed with me for not telling her that we’d changed Zion’s name to Claire.  We hadn’t.  Zion is just that convincing.  And even when it is obvious she’s telling a tall tale she’s just so entertaining.  I keep promising myself I’ll get her on video.  For now, here’s a transcript of a story that she told in school the other day, her teacher wrote it down as she was telling it.

Once upon a time there was an apple tree in the park and it fell down and hit my head and I didn’t know it fell down on the gate.  And I was so trapped.  And I had to go in the tree trunk and I didn’t know there was a door there and it slammed it and locked it and I was so trapped.  There was no way out!  My mom and dad didn’t know and I didn’t eat any food and I fell asleep in the tree trunk and my mom and dad found me.  And then I woke up and it was just a dream.  The end.

And I can hear her telling it as I read it and see her gestures and her laugh.  And this isn’t even one of her best stories.

Today she told me she needed help writing a list.  I figured it would be a wish list but it was a chore list.  She had me write things like “wash windows” and “clean the table” and when I was done writing her list she proceeded to do the chores.  Love it!

Getaway–Pt 3

I kinda sorta forgot that I hadn’t finished blogging out vacation photos.  ha ha ha How unlike me <not>.  Here’s a few from the Sunday of our vacation.  First though we paid a visit to the little Methodist church down the street.  I loved that it was a beautiful day and we could walk there.  I think I was born for a small town.  But I also want property some day.  Not sure how those two can work together.  I digress (how unlike me – again).

After church we walked down (yay, more walking) to the café and had lunch then walked home to put certain kiddos down for nap.  While they slept (or, I found out when I got home, fussed until Rob let them get up) I walked (again with the walking) down to the yarn store.  Yep, you heard me.  A yarn store.  Within walking distance of the little house.  How I didn’t spend the whole week there I don’t know.  I bought yarn.  Oh yeah.

Later we hit the beach again (we did NOT walk).

Rob jokingly commented something about earth, wind, water and fire when he saw the one above and I don’t think he could have been more right.  Elias – earth.  Digging, digging, digging, digging.  Gideon – water, my little dowser remember.  Zion – fire, of course.  Gabe – wind, mostly because that was all that was left but he can also be a bit flighty and distractible.  A bit wind like.  Don’t know where he gets it.

That’s pretty much it for this day.  More later.

Eat Your Veggies!

How many times have you heard that, right?  Or said it?  A million times probably if you have kids (like mine).  Well after weeks/months/years of Rob and I talking about how we are going to start eating better we finally joined a CSA.  If you aren’t familiar with that term it stands for Community Supported Agriculture and it’s essentially a farm share.  So once a week we go to the farm and pick up our box of fruits and veggies.  We are super lucky that the closest CSA to us is FANTASTIC!  I thought I’d like it but I LOVE IT!

Not only do I get the box of fresh picked produce but I can also wander the grounds and cut my own flowers and herbs and pick other produce that they have in abundance like kale and swiss chard.  They also have an area where they have produce that you can buy in addition to your box, today we bought two containers of raspberries.  Not sure why but as soon as the kids saw them they went nuts about them.  OK, so the kids are freaking out about raspberries like it’s candy so am I going to say no?  Heck no!  They had cups of berries for an afternoon snack and they weren’t pestering me for treats.  Hm, things are going well already.

Here’s what we got in our box:

That’s lettuce, romano beans (that stuff that almost looks like pasta), cherry tomatoes, strawberries, summer squash, onions, watermelon, peaches, kohlrabi and beets (I forgot to put the herbs and flowers I cut in the picture).

Let’s take a closer look at those strawberries.

They were the BEST, SWEETEST strawberries EVER!  Seriously, no exaggeration. 

And another great thing about this CSA is that they have amazing recipes on their website.  How else would I have found out what to do with kohlrabi (which is a root vegetable and raw tastes a bit like jicama in case you are a veggie newbie like me).

That was some AMAZING soup, let me tell ya!  Kohlrabi, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes… do I need to continue.  I don’t think so.  yum!

And the farm itself is so beautiful.  I asked the owner if we could come back later and take some pictures and she said sure so we did. But we missed the good light by a few minutes and the sun was already behind the trees.  Still, I got a few… (and we plan to go back tomorrow)

And then on the way home my sis and I were like crazy tornado chasers trying to find a good viewpoint for the gorgeous sun.  Turn here!  Go there!  U-turn!  We stopped in what turned out to be someone’s really long driveway and naturally they came out just after we started shooting.  Drat, had to move and find another spot.  The sun was not waiting for us, what is it’s problem anyway?

This photo does NOT do it justice.  The sun was RED.  Really red. 

I know people always say fresh is better and I always knew it but I just really didn’t understand how much better.  I know the few things we have grown tasted better but still … AMAZING!

Firsts

Two of my babies started school in the last week.

Gabe started second grade on the 1st.  I’d say I can’t believe it but that’s what I always say.  I meant to get good pictures but they changed the bus schedule on us which meant that we needed to dash a bit at the end.  No carefully staged and taken pictures this time just a quick shot of him dashing for the bus.  Ah, memories. 

Zion waits for Gabe’s bus so that she can run to hug him like it’s been a decade since she saw him last.

I’d intended to make cookies and meet him at the bus with them but I was off by just a few minutes.  I pulled the first tray out of the oven right when I needed to leave to meet the bus so he got to have a cookie when he got home instead.  I made oatmeal scotchies.  I don’t make them often which I really need to change because they’re one of my favorites.  And I really must not make them all that often because Gabe, with amazement in his voice, said “What kind of cookie IS this?!”

Then Wednesday Zion started her PreK class at a local church’s preschool.  She goes a few days a week for a few hours.  She has been looking forward to school for years.  Before we left she posed for a few shots.

Then when we got there she and Gideon dashed ahead.  While I was getting my camera settings adjusted I overheard her tell Gideon that she was going alone and he’d be without her for a while.  I wish I could remember her exact words, they were so, so sweet and thoughtful.

Once inside the children put their backpacks away and then sign in.  Each day there is a question and then they put their name under yes or no depending on the answer.  Apparently all the children in her class are NOT the oldest child in their family.  Huh.

Then she gave me a hug and ran off to play.  No looking back and no hesitation.  I love my girl!

Meanwhile back at the house Elias took a nap and Gideon and I got some one-on-one time.  I can’t recall the last time he and I got to hang out with no other siblings present.  We read books and did puzzles and talked about colors and had a great time.

I wasn’t ready for summer to end.  After all, we only JUST started to have decent weather (my tomatoes still aren’t ripe) but now I’m starting to feel better about it.  I’m just so blessed and feelin’ it big time!