My Best Gal Pal and I are 27 years and 1 day apart. I know what your thinking what can a 37 year old and a 64 year old have in common ? Bonnie and I started hanging out at bingo 8 years ago, then coffee, then just coming over to each other houses. We talk about everything from our kids to our grandkids and everything in between. Bonnie recently widowed has had her up days and her down days, which I understand through the eyes of my mother both whom lost the Love of their lives early. I would ask my mom how do I comfort her ? Mom's answer was just be there for her, listen to her, be a shoulder for her to cry on. Thursday night I get a call from Bonnie she didn't sound as if she were having a good day I instantly told her I would be right their. When I got to Bonnie's house she was sitting on her couch with a box of tissues and the portable phone. I asked Bonnie " What's up Chic "? It took a minute before a realized weeping, Ever so quietly she asked me if I Believed in God. My answer was yes, i then asked her what brought that on since we have discussed religion from time to time. She asked me if I thought she was a bad Christian, my answer was NO why would you think that. She had gotten a phone call from the Minister of her husbands church asking her if she was ready to give tithes ( I hope I spelled that right ) to the church, she responded to him I gave on Sunday. That's not what I mean he said your husband always gave big to the church and I was thinking that you would give half the insurance money he left. ( By that time I was seeing RED). It's your Christian duty he said, this is what God and Gary would want. I explained to Bonnie that Gary ( her husband ) left that money to insure that she would be taking care of, he would have put it in his will if money was to go to the church, and if she wanted to give money she could give to orphanages, animal shelters,the local food bank, if she wanted to give to the church it should be an amount that she was comfortable with that wouldn't leave her short.Giving should be from the heart God does not ask you for monetary things, being a good Christian doesn't mean you have to give money . Give of heart, be kind to your fellow man, and believe in God. Do you think I'm wrong for wanting to protect my friend from this Shady Man in the things I told her ?, When did Church become all about money?, Your comments and thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I started out in photography working for a WELL known school portrait studio ( no experience required they would train )about 13 years ago little did I know I would fall in love with taking and making memories for people. The first camera besides a Polaroid I worked with was a Micro Z this was great for taking school pictures what could you mess up, the film was easy to load, and the backgrounds we had to set up were amazing this one weighed about 10 - 15 pounds. The second camera I worked with was a Camera Z,( these are the kinds you would see traveling around to different stores ) this camera weighed about 15 - 20 pounds to load the film you had to put the cartridge in a black bag ( so you wouldn't expose the film ) and work blind eventually I could do this in my sleep. I would eventually work with 35 mm and 120mm formats doing sport and dance pictures. My oldest girl Ashley ( if I could just nail her down to take pictures of her) bought me a Canon Rebel XSI in January just because( I was relly surprised and flattered )I've had my eye.Yeah great kid we haven't always seen eye to eye. Any who on Tuesday since I was off work my youngest girl wanted to hang out so I said great lets go to the park and grab a dress while your at it ( I was stashing my camera and tri-pod in the car ) of course she was like O kayyyyy your weird MOM( my kids made me that way ) when we get to the park I instantly start clicking .
Karma got bored pretty quick or should I say distracted... BOYS,BOYS, BOYS everywhere OMG this is the child that rarely paid attention to Satan Spawns ( also known as BOYS ) my baby has been sucked in to Oh he's cute blah, blah, blah I can't think on this to long my horns start to come out. You would think I would be use to this by now having raised 5 girls previously. I was hoping she wouldn't notice them until she was ummmm 100 or older

I have this one in color to, you can see the water shimmering on her are. yes I was standing in a creek while she was nice and dry on a fallen tree.

She loves to read so I thought why not take a picture with a book.

With this little guy, you have to snap the picture fast. He probably thinks the camera is part of my face. AJ 3 mo. old

It's hard getting the kids not to fight. I had to threaten to hog tie them. I'll do it I swear I will. the boys have a knack for turning picture day into a " Mom he's touching me, make him stop burping, gross who did that" ! Left to Right ( Mercedes ( head band ) 18 2008' graduate, Robert 7, Cassie 19, Karma 13, James 17

Karma and Robert my youngest it was a royal pain for Karma to take this picture, it's so funny to see those 2 together. He follows Karma around as much as she would follow the older girls around ( payback ).

Needless to say I had a lot of fun spending the day with mostly all of my kids taking pictures and just HANGIN OUT, now if I can get the other 3 to come over so I can get their pictures I can finally complete my wall.

Tim's Garden

I have been putting in 40 plus hours, and haven't really had time to spend in our garden ( not to mention the mother of all toothaches ) I noticed that all of my gardens ( flower, herb, veggie, pepper, strawberry, and potato ) were in need of a major weed pulling. I couldn't even begin to do that without my ice tea, so I grab a few sprigs of mint out of the herb garden and begin to pull weeds until I notice we not only have 2 pumpkins that are big but 5 with loads of female plants with bees all over them getting pollinated.So of course I grab the camera and my husband to show him. And of course he instantly starts naming all the wonderful things I can make with fresh pumpkin ( cookies, pies, bread, etc....) cold pumpkin soup he then looks at me with the worst face I've ever seen and screams " Have you lost your mind, why would you do that ! " My husband vegetable list consist of..... Can't think of one thing he likes. ( him and his sister used to hide vegetables under the table when they were younger)Part of the pumpkin patch. We put this at the back of the garden so the vines could trail down the hill ( NOT ) it's gone wild the vines are every where.

the first one to start turning orange

little baby one it weighs about a pound.

Peppers from the pepper garden. I used to grow about 10 different kinds, this year I only grew the 2 kinds ( jalapeno and hot banana ). Our tomato plants are loaded. I thought about canning but quickly dismissed the idea I'm feeling kinda lazy. So I've decided to start featuring recipes I've made with everything . So if anyone has any good ones pass them along.

Thank You !!!

My first Thank You goes to my Favorite SISTER !!! Thank you so much Bec for mentioning my blog in your post today.It's Your Day Girl CONGRATS it looks wonderful ( I'm SOOOOOOOOOO jealous ) My second Thank You goes to everyone who stopped by to welcome me to the community, I promise to come by all of your sites and Thank You !! So tomorrow when I get home from work I made my list already make a Strawberry Sangria and start blogging ( ok not when I first get home ). Thank you, Thank you, Thank you I can't wait to see all of your sites. Missy

2nd day of Camp McKenney pontoon boat. Hey Bec, SNAKE !!!!!!hehe. I'll tell everyone more on that story later. Have a great Day

My Sweet Peas

LeiAnna 2 going on 22, has just discovered the joys of flushing. This morning I made a list of the things I needed to after work. Cash check, slide in a nap,cook dinner, go to sister in laws blog. I don't remember putting fishing My Little Pony out of the toilet. She's being potty trained refuses to use the lil peoples toilet so from start to finish use potty, flush toilet wash hands okay this is going smoothly until.......I turned my back and I quote " look gee ma horsey swim "she had the look of an ANGEL on her face how could I be mad her horse just wanted a swim. So with a smile (grimace ) on my face and the precision of a surgeon I extracted the offending object before poppa got home.

AJ 2 - 1/2 months old. His favorite game to play with grandma is..... Wait til she changes my diaper I know I can hit her if I wiggle just right. I'm just wondering what my daughter tells them that makes it big fun to torture me. After all I am the one with the goodie bag.

PMS

I didn't put pictures up because well I just don't have the patience at the moment . I'm sitting in my room mad at everything for no reason other than I have PMS.you know it's bad when you put yourself in time-out. Today I have put myself in time - out 3 times I feel it comin on. My Kids and husband have scattered, my mom won't talk to me. Just because I'm a little CRANKY. My grand babies are the only ones that will have anything to do with me ( they don't know any better ) the Lil darlings that's why I gave LeiAnna my 2 year old granddaughter CHOCOLATE. That'll teach em'. I have come up with a small list of signs that will keep them clear of me for the next..... few days

1. If my head is spinning WALK AWAY
2. If I cry over a toilet paper commercial WALK AWAY
3. If I set my book down in the wrong spot and swear up and down you moved it AGREE and WALK AWAY
4. If all the chocolate and potato chips are gone RUN RUN I may have a melt down!!!
5. If I put the dogs out with a hobo stick YEAH I'VE LOST IT.

My sweet and wonderful husband the most laid back guy I have ever met SWEARS ON EVERYTHING that if this is a preview to menopause he's leaving me, taking the kids, my mom and the dogs and moving.

THE LAST 4 OF MY KIDS

These lovely ladies are the last 3 of my girls, Tabetha ( black ) Sonya (gold ) ( they are my sisters kids I raised ) and Ashley (pink)( Belongs to me) Tab 27 has recently started back in the nursing program ( after I had to threaten to disown her if she didn't ) has 3 beautiful children ( spawns of Chucky ) ha ha just kidding, and an it ( husband ) even though I raised her as my child she is also my best friend . Sonya 25 lives in Tennessee with her 2 kids and husband I don't get to see her much but she calls daily just to say hi. Ashley 21 ( will kill me when she See's the picture I have up of her ) I think she looks beautiful all pregnant and fluffy she still calls me Mommy and her dad Daddy which makes me feel really good because I still have my little girl even though she's a Mama now. All three of these girls have perfected rolling their eyes at me ( until I snatched them out, set them on the table )

.
These handsome guys are my son Robert and my husband Tim, Robert dances to a beat all his own, but he is a joy to have. I'm thankful that god found a way to bring him into our lives. I find myself telling Rob the same things I tell James our oldest boy. Rob if you touch that bee you will get stung, Rob don't eat worms that's gross ( his cousin Sarah talked him into that one ), Rob if you try and ramp that skate board your gonna get hurt ( 3 stitches ). But with all of that he still makes me laugh like when he asked me " Mom is bingo your job ? " Um mm no honey it's my hobby hehehe Tim just rolled his eyes at me. Now you've met all of my kids. Enjoy