help.

I need help.
Please suggest songs that would be appropriate for family slideshows.

I can find dozens upon dozens of songs for engagements.
but none for families.

Apparently singing about the idea of loving someone forever is better than a song about what that actually means. : )

So please help.
I can't send another slideshow with better together or these are the moments. I'll vomit.

(and if i browse around on itunes or amazon music anymore my family will have to sell the house. Going to those sites without a song in mind is like going to the grocery store without a list. You get all sorts of great junk...that you totally don't need. )

I feel the need to update...

But I have nothing to say.

still.

I thought titling a post would help. Nope.

Um...Mason's a bugcatcher for Halloween. His choosing.
Grant's a child who doesn't like halloween costumes.

I need to edit three photo shoots. eek.

uh...

I ran 5.38 miles yesterday in 45 minutes.

grant is taking steps!

I need a new sitter for tuesdays and thursdays...any takers? 20 bucks a day...?

I bought the most perfect pair of heel jeans today. I mean perfect. Love them. LOVE them. Did not need a new pair of jeans, but i mean really. They're jeans. I'll wear 'em. I think I'm going to some store tonight just to wear them.

What can I do with that piano picture?

I cried the other night in hastings reading a book about norman rockwell. Silly me. It had his illustrations paired with photographs similar to his work. I'm just hopelessly american.

I need curtains for my office.

I think Yahoo is single-handedly fueling the stock market crash with their end-of-the-world headlines paired with images of traders looking like they just saw the face of death.

I miss teaching writing. I don't miss teaching. I miss teaching WRITING. Do you think Homeschoolers would pay me to teach a creative writing class...probably not.

I think I'm going to start selling artsy photographs. It can't hurt, right?

(see i told you the yahoo headlines are getting to people. I'm searching high and low for ways to make it through the tough times...)

I made my husband's day today by answering the question, "How is my fantasy football team doing?" with the words, "Well, drew brees is having a good day so probably pretty good." I think he fell in love with me all over again. (To be honest though, that response was a TOTAL shot in the dark. one, I didn't know for sure that drew was his qb, and two, I certainly had no clue how he was actually playing.)

And look at that. Surprise surprise! I found something to say. : )

Because I need a break from editing people...

And because I love this quote... and ronald reagan...and this dusty piano that sits outside every day...

Happiness.

This is grant at his happiest - he's got food, his "pappy" and a sippy cup with a straw. Following this meal, he got to do two of his favorite things - take a bath and read stories with mommy.
And, for the record, he loves to hold the fork, stab it at his food, but doesn't quite get the food on the fork or to his mouth.

I love Madison.

Mason asked me how to spell "I Love Madison" about two weeks ago. After a brief discussion on the definition of love and coming to the conclusion that he loved her like a friend, I conceded and spelled the sentence. Since that time, "Madison" has been scrawled on our sidewalk, on little itty bitty price tag stickers, on notecards, notepads, homework...just about any surface. Sometimes it's "like". Sometimes it's love. Sometimes it's just Madison.

Yesterday, when I picked him up from school, we were walking by another class when he said, "bye Madison." I said, "which girl is Madison?" He pointed and she waved. She was pretty stinkin' cute so I said, "wow. She is a cutie." Mason, without missing a beat, looked at her, nodded and said, "I told ya."

***
His favorite game to play right now is "what does d-e-l-l spell? What does o-c-t-o-b-e-r spell? what does.... spell? He just sees a word, says the letters and then asks what it spells? Now, this is great and I'm so excited that he loves learning and can identify not only every letter, but where words begin and end, but have you ever tried concentrating on even the most simple of tasks while "reading" words being spelled to you? It's exhausting.

***

He can recognize numbers now - big ones like 87 and 103. He can count to who knows what. He can sound out almost anything that is spelled like it sounds. i.e. swift. but not swat. He adores his teacher. He is just so big. His face is grown up. His little hands are big boy hands. The way he understands sarcasm and jokes. He's just so big. And I just love him so...

eyelashes.

I'm obsessed with them in pictures. If I see a baby with long beautiful eyelashes somewhere, i have to try really hard not to ask the mom if she needs pictures done. I love them. Especially on the beautiful of eyes of innocent children. They're so...just as God intended them to be....simply beautiful.

hapinesses, headaches, and heaters.

Happinesses:
*i took pictures of two girls in the cutest dresses yesterday. Just adorable! Tutus rock!
*grant, while in the midst of two terrible ear infections is such a happy little man. He loves to draw. Well, scribble, but still. He knows what end of the pen, pencil, marker to use. It's so cute.
* I got my portfolio in - I LOVE IT! It's the absolute coolest, most professional looking thing ever. I might carry it around everywhere I go just to annoy people with the coolness.
*Mason is just the best little guy - he's doing great in school. Everything is just clicking - you can almost see the glowing lightbulb above his head.

Headaches:
*I have the worst one right now.
*Troy is working ALL the time. Last night he goes, "and I have Sunday off...well, I mean I only have to go in for about four hours..." Poor guy. He hasn't seen Mason awake in three days because of his wacky schedule.
*Grant's crying at my feet - what? Does he think I'm his mom or something? : )
*I haven't been able to run since Monday. I wish I could afford a sitter for every afternoon or something. I feel like a fat slug. There is just no way I can run unless I join a gym with childcare and, uh, yeah, we totally can't afford that now. So...hmm.

Heaters:
*Just one bullet here - mine's on and I'm loving it! : )

new header.

I love it!
But is it annoying because it's so big? you'll have to scroll down to read anything....

My Little Monkey.

My little monkey has a big day coming up. It's been decided that he has to get tubes in his ears.

While the little guy hardly ever runs a fever, and sleeps great, and is overall a happy little fellow, every time i've taken him to the doctor, even for a simple check-up, the doctor looks in his ear and just goes on and on about how awful they are. I don't think we've ever left without a prescription.

So, the ENT said tubes are our best option. And I really feel okay about it. Maybe because I'm not really thinking about it too much, but I just want my monkey to be happy and healthy. And I want him to have normal hearing. He hardly speaks at all -mama, dada, and tons of noises, but no words really.

So, November 5th is his big day. Be praying for the little guy...and his momma.

On a completely unrelated Grant note, apparently, because he hasn't worn long sleeves since he was a pretty tiny guy or something, he thinks it is HILARIOUS when I put him in something with long sleeves. I mean he just laughs and laughs at his arms covered in this ridiculous shirt! It's too cute.

Check it out!

So, sprinkle of grace is expanding!
We've added printed products.
I'm super pumped!
I have more to say, but no time!

Check out the 4th SG blog for more of the coolness!!!

http://sprinkleofgraceproducts.blogspot.com/

(and be kind when you critique...i'm a little sleep deprived...)

Oh, and Wendy is the Designer behind all the great layouts...

things you might hear in a 4th grade social studies class

Teacher: Texans are pretty proud of their state.
Students: Uh-huh.
Teacher: we used to be the biggest state until...(eyebrows raised in that complete-my-sentence look that all teachers do)
Students: The war! Mexico! we sold it! Alaska!
Teacher(terrified then relieved): Yes, Alaska!
Class grumbles at Alaska taking away Texas's "biggest state" honor.
Teacher: Oh, we can't be mad about that. We used to be, but we're not anymore.

A brief pause.

Student from the back of the room mumbles dejectedly: Some of us still are...

A bad day for a five year old.

Mason: Boy, today was a rough day for me.
Mom: Why?
Mason: I stubbed my toe, an ant crawled on me and a turtle bit me.

simply beautiful.

When I was taking pictures of a particularly beautiful family yesterday ; ), i couldn't resist these flowers. Aren't they amazing? I want to frame the top one so bad!

sidewalk chalk.

There's just something about sidewalk chalk.
The muted brightness.
The way the color takes over the drabness of any sidewalk.
the way it blends and mixes and how every letter, scribble or doodle looks perfectly imperfect.
How I am a master artist in the eyes of my five year old.
How his drawing of a strawberry is perfectly abstract.
Endless tic-tac-toe.
rainbows.
words that start with s.

It's just happy stuff, that sidewalk chalk.

potato soup.

it really does make me so happy.

With cheese and bacon bits. And buttery ritz crackers.

So creamy and delicious.

I love fall.

(i wonder how many posts I have written solely about food?)

dustin' off the khaki capris.

The acceptably dressy, but still comfy shoes were slipped back on.
My go-with-everything capris were wiggled into.
Grant's bag was packed for a day away from momma.

Mrs. Wilde returned to the classroom today.

I tutor in about 7 different classrooms in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade and I love it. I love it. It was just so refreshing to be back in a classroom. The colorful learning posters, the stuffy smell of crayons and glue, the familiar sound of "we should be writing not talking" from teachers. It was like going home.

The only hard thing - I want to be the teacher. Not for real, but I wanted so many times, mainly in the writing classes, to teach the lesson. Not because the teacher was doing anything wrong or anything, but because it just felt odd to sit and listen and not be teaching.

They were all great teachers. I'm going to learn so much. So much.

And I'm excited about having two days away from the house to be back in a classroom. It's just the most perfect arrangement.

To top off the perfect first day, it was beef vegetable soup and grilled cheese day. A personal fave of mine. And I saw my kindergartner twice.

He's such a good provider. In so many indescribable, inexplicable, perfectly timed ways.

returning the favor.

For three years I looked forward to PTO luncheons like they were Christmas. There were days when that meal was all I had going for me. It was just so nice to go into the lunch room and have a real meal, not a microwave wanna-be chicken parmigian or a pb and J. And I just felt special that people would take care of teachers like that.

Well, it's high time I return the favor! This Friday I will be helping with my first ever PTO lunch at Crockett. I am so excited to brighten some teacher's day! And to just be a part of the giving side of things.

Teachers deserve a whole lot more than a free meal every six weeks, but at least it's something! So...i'm taking a cherry pineapple dumpcake and Texas Ranger Cookies. I hope it makes those tired teachers smile...

priceless.

The Pink Ribbon Run.

I ran the pink ribbon run this morning, bright and early.
Bekah, dear sweet aunt bekah, walked the the fun run with both boys and then watched them while I ran the 5k.

Oh, my time?

: )

24:04!!!!!!!

I was thrilled. I mean - wow! That's less than 8 minutes a mile! (a 5k is 3.1 miles)

So, victory for me!

It's so motivating. I was getting kind of, i guess, bored or something. But now? I am re-addicted.

swamped.

pictures.
like crazy.
hundreds of them.

Ads here and ads there.
new business checking accounts.
new business developments.

tutoring starts next week.
the house is a disaster.
my husband has such crazy hours.

Coffee is essential.
E-ssential.

Grant's got an ear infection.
mason has homework.
I need to pay bills.
Where are the stamps?
Do we have stamps?

Pictures. 7 shoots in 10 days.
So many pictures.

I haven't blogged in almost a week!
I've run only thrice this week.

Where are the stamps?
Did I call her back?
I never replied to that email!

Swamped. That's me.
But I'm totally TOTALLY lovin' it!