Editing Pictures

 

I Heart Faces does Friday Fix It’s.

I thought I would try.

Even though editing is a WEAKNESS.

With a capital W.

And a capital EAKNESS too : )

I met my friend Drew at I Heart Faces.

I Heart her.

She made my blog look SO pretty.

And she taught me how to have big pictures.

Go say hi to Drew.

You will love her as much as I do.

Probably more.

And then I will wonder why

she can never come to visit,

and it will be because she is at all of your pages!

If you want to see more

Wonderful edits,

well, you know where to head-

I Heart Faces!

 

Do you like editing pictures?

Friends: At the Jefferson County Fair

This goat was our friend.

Well sort of any way : ) 

Bumper cars with friends!

Uber exciting!

How  could you not be friends with this little piggy?

And look at this soft brown cow!

Definitely a farm friend.

Awwwww, here is a sweet Mama cow and her calf.

Pop Pop and  Ben are great fair friends.

Good night animals, Good night rides.

One last round of fun before bed!

Jumping on the hotel bed until lights out!

Feeling wild and free in Tighty Whiteys!

You know you have a forever friend

when you can do this with them, right?

What is your favorite thing

to do with your best friend?

I hope you do not jump on the bed

in tighty whiteys with them.

But if that is your kind of fun,

please call me Right Away

because Kaish and Naji

would LOVE to have a sleepover

at your house. : )

Barns, Bikes and Disturbing Food Choices

  You are going to be disappointed today

because I know,

I just know-

you wanted to see pictures

of every single relative we saw at the reunion.

You have just been DYING to see my

super duper relatives, right?

What? You haven’t been?!?!?!?

You don’t enjoy seeing picture after picture

of random person after random person?

Hmmmmmmmmmm!

Well, come back tomorrow

‘cuz you just know I am going to have to put

their pretty faces on the blog soon!

But for today,

in honor of the letter B at ABC Wednesday,

I am going to show you some barns.

Seriously, it just doesn’t get any more exciting,

does it? : )

This is the barn that was on my Grandparents farm.

The original barn.

After my Grandfather died,

my Grammy sold the farm

and bought a trailer because the farm

was too much to handle.

We drove right up the driveway to my

my Mom’s old house and said hi.

People in Clarion and Brookville are SO nice.

Very different than people around Philadelphia for sure!

  Oh no! Some people snuck in!

It’s my Mommy and her brother Tom.

The eldest of 6 children.

He is eccentric.

We love him!

He is raising Pomeranian puppies presently.

He saw this bike by the side of the road for free.

He was very excited.

Kaish and Naji held it while we drove back to his house

to drop it off.

Never a dull moment in our family! This is my Uncle Ray’s Barn.

So many great memories here.

My cousin Curt and I painted it one summer.

My Uncle Ray gave me $25 for helping.

I thought I was the richest kid on the planet.

Here is a corn crib.

Too bad it is B week and not C week

since that is 2 good c’s for sure : )

I thought it was pretty.

And it was next to the barn.

So lucky you,

you get to see it today.

I know that not only were you hoping

to see every. single. relative. that I have

you were also hoping to see a corn crib, right?

And last of all we have Naji.

He has taken to eating something interesting.

I have to let you guess.

It starts with C!

Trust and believe me when I tell you

I am sure you have never eaten this.

This is what his sister drank last summer.

Do you remember that?

I don’t think I knew you then : )

So answer two things for me today, K?

Did you have any barns in your life

when you were growing up?

Do you now?

And what in the world do you think

Naji is eating.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

At the Beach!

 

I Heart Faces is all about the Beach this week.

I love this picture.

Kaish and Betsy were just discovering how freezing

the waters of Wildwoods are.

What is your favorite thing to do at the beach?

730 days

2 years ago,

before we got married,

I could have told you exactly how to have

the perfect marriage.

I would have said things like

‘Never go to bed angry,

be kind all the time,

encourage and uplift….’

well, you know, all the things

that probably come to your mind

when you think of marriage.

I was sure,

that if anyone could have complete bliss

in a marriage it was Gary and me.

I mean, how hard could it be?

And now, 2 years later,

I have no idea how to have

a perfect marriage.

Our marriage is many things

and perfect is not one of them.

It is really hard.

Extraordinarily hard some days.

There are many moments that make me want to scream

and many moments that make me smile.

It’s been an exquisite  journey.

I am  glad I get to be his wife.

I love our marriage

with it’s Ups and Downs

(although truth be told,

I could do with a few less Downs this year)

Our love has changed and grown

over the past 730 days

and I am thankful

we embarked on this journey.

I love you Gary.

2 years down- Many more to go!

"My heart is ever at your service." Shakespeare

What anniversary are you celebrating this year?

Missing my Grandma

This week has been a little stressful.

Boys fight a lot.

A lot. A lot. A lot.

Holy Cow.

Sometimes I feel like all I do is yell.

And, well, even though I am no stranger to yelling,

I don’t like doing it all day.

Every day.

You know?

We are going to a family reunion this weekend.

Brookville, Pennsylvania.

It’s a very happening place.

I have awesome Aunts and Uncles.

Super Duper Awesome Cousins.

But I still feel sad.

(My Mommy made this plate of Ginger Snaps at Christmas because they were my Grandma's favorite kind of cookie. None of us like Gingersnaps so we didn't eat them. They still sit on my kitchen counter so I can think about her thruout the day.)

Partly because I am the fattest cousin-

but mostly because I miss my Grandma.

She was so sweet.

The exact way I want to be when I am a Grandma.

She had blue, blue eyes.

And long hair that she wore in a braid

wrapped around her head.

She wore polyester dresses

and long ropes of pearls to church

on Sunday.

I never heard her say an unkind thing

about any human.

She was soft and squishy

and gave the very best hugs.

She gave people money

even when she didn’t have any left

for herself.

She loved Jesus.

She loved her church.

I still cry when I think about her.

I miss her so much.

She had a special copper cup

in her cupboards that all of the cousins

wanted to drink from.

She put on Vicks Vapor Rub

before she went to sleep.

She lived in a trailer

and I thought having a metal house was

the coolest thing on the planet.

She got water from a Spring.

Other families went to

Disney World or the Beach

for vacation,

but we went to Grandma’s house.

It was the best week of the year.

Her toy box was the best.

It had old spice cans, old purses,

and old dolls.

We just loved those toys.

I will think of her this weekend.

As I do every now and then.

And I hope and pray,

I can be just like her when I grow up.

What is your best Grandma memory?

Aqua Water makes us smile

ABC Wednesday is here.

Wordful Wednesday is here.

How many days a week

do you swim in the summer?

We typically get pruney

5 out of 7 days.

I cried because I had no shoes, and then I met a man who had no feet.

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;

the wise grows it under his feet.”
James Oppenheim

“My imperfections and failures

are as much a blessing from God

as my successes and my talents

and I lay them both at his feet.”
Mahatma Gandhi


“I cried because

I had no shoes,

then I met

a man who had no feet.”

Always something fun

going on at I heart faces.

Dash over there!

And enter a picture

of feet.

Do you like feet?

If I am honest,

I'd have to admit...

they CrEeP me out

a little bit!

Summer Morning Hide and Seek

My best shots aren't usually

my technically perfect pictures.

They are typically pictures

of special moments.

Special moment brought to you

by my amazing (crazy) summer boys : )

Best Shot brought to you by Lolli!

Who do you hide from?

Describe a situation that forced you to confront a neighbor.

This picture was taken from google image search.

It was not taken by me.

I wish it was though.

How adorable!

But anyway, on with the story!

OK, I have to tell you about our neighbor.

I mean, seriously, how can I not since

it's a Mama Kat prompt today.

Well first of all,
you should know,
I adore older people.
Oh. My. Gosh. ADORE!
Just love them to bits.

Basically, if you are over 40-
and there is any way
you could be a grandparent,
well, I love you!
And you are golden in my book.

So please imagine with me,
my absolute DELIGHT,
upon moving in our development
and finding out a Senior Citizen couple
was buying the house next door.


I was ecstatic.
Gary thought I was a little wierd
because I was so happy.
I imagined taking them muffins,
and listening to glowing stories
of days gone by,
and neighborhood bliss.

Well, the first day they moved in,
I happened to be working late,
so I didn't get to take them warm muffins,
or any other delectables for that matter.
It was on my list of things to do the next day!


Early the next morning,
Kaish and I were just about to leave
and there was a pounding on our door.
Not a knock, a definite pound!
There weren't a lot of people in the neighborhood yet,
so I was curious,
and excited about who could be pounding on the door.


Lo and behold, as I opened the door,
I saw a frail old woman.
My face burst into a smile!
I said, "Welcome, please come in,
so nice to meet you, yadda yadda yadda!


Well, the woman did not come in.
She did not smile.
She began screaming.
and I do mean SCREAMING.
I thought something must be horribly wrong.
Perhaps her home had been broken into.
Perhaps her husband was ill.
I couldn't understand her but I was very concerned.

Trying to calm her down,
I came closer.
It was then I understood the rantings.

She was LIVID.
Nope, not a robber.
Not a sick husband either.
She was livid at me!


Apparently, some noise
had kept her and her husband up all night long.
I felt so bad for her.
I vowed to help her find the problem.
I mean, after all, this is a dear sweet lady!


Oh no, she YELLED,
She didn't need me to help her
because she already knew the problem was us!

What in the world was she talking about?
Apparently Kaishon's LULLABIES at bedtime
kept her awake.

I have tried taking her muffins.
And taking her trash can in on trash day.
Shoveling her driveway when it snows.
Smiling and waving.
Everything.
And she still hates me.

So, I didn't really confront her per say,
but gosh darn it,
I have tried to be kind.

Cross your fingers that one day
she might like us.
Oh, and for goodness sakes,
please, oh please,
TuRn YoUr KiDs LuLlaBy Cd's down low!

Do your neighbors like you?

Is it time for Z already?

Well, the day is practically over!

Should I still do a Z

for ABC Wednesday?

Z is for zip and zoom!

With our helmets on!

We ride like the wind with our favorite friend!

Levi!

Sometimes we get lucky
Valerie Zima babysits us!
We LOVE Valerie!
(Zima is her real, honest-to-goodness middle name)

Thank you for a day of zipping and zooming Levi!
We love you!

Do you like to ride on motorcycles?
Wordful Wednesday is here!

My favorite Artists

"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."

~ Francis Bacon

In whatever one does

there must be a relationship

between the eye and the heart."

~ Henri Cartier-Besson

"Art must be an expression of love
or it is nothing." ~ Marc Chagall

Only when he no longer knows
what he is doing
does the painter do good things."
~ Edgar Degas
"Painting is easy for those
that do not know how,
but very difficult
for those that do!"
~ Edgar Degas
"Art is not what you see,
but what you make others see."
~ Edgar Degas

"Art is a passion
or it is nothing."
~ Robert Fry

The most beautiful thing
we can experience
is the mysterious."
~ Albert Einstein

"I shut my eyes in order to see."
~ Paul Gaugin

I saw a little ad
in the newspaper
a few weeks ago
when I was planning
the children's fantastic summer!
This place looked fun.
We checked it out last week!
If you live near here-
Oh wait, no one that reads this blog
lives near here : )-
You should go!
Or, you could come visit us
and we could take you!

I hope you make some beautiful art today!

Do you ever wonder why I love I heart faces?

click me!

I love I heart faces because:

It forces me to take a new picture each week.

It helps me learn more about photography!

It's a safe place to ask questions and grow.

I've met the nicest people in the world there : ).

It's absolutely inspirational!

So, maybe taking pictures isn't your schtick-

I would encourage you,

to look around blog land,

or the real land if you like,

and get involved in something that helps you grow.

And, if taking pictures is your thing,

well then, for goodness sakes,

grab your kid, grab your camera,

and head outside and take a picture

of them doing something sports related

for this weeks fun theme:

Sports in Action!

Now, if you are thinking,

oh, but I could never win,

well me either!

But I never even notice!

I am too busy having fun

and snapping pictures!

Follow your dreams!

Reach for the stars!

“Success means doing the best we can

with what we have.

Success is the doing, not the getting;

in the trying, not the triumph.

Success is a personal standard,

reaching for the highest that is in us,

becoming all that we can be.”
Zig Ziglar

P.S. What is your schtick?

I just LOVE that word.
It makes me wish I was Jewish
just so I could say it with
authenticity... : )

How we roll: CeLeBrAtInG Half Birthdays

Much to my dear Daddy's chagrin,
we celebrate half Birthdays in our house.
Well, only for Kaish.
Gary wants no part of Half Birthdays.
He says it must be a white thing.
I told him that even most NORMAL
white people don't celebrate Half Birthdays : )

I don't know exactly why we do it,
except for the fact that it's a nice time
to remember how much my baby is growing.

This year we invited Sienna over.
She and Kaish were born on the exact same day.
Isn't that cool?
Jen and I have pictures of them together
from when they were tiny babies.
They were so cute!

My Mommy, who is not opposed to Half Birthdays
was a great supporter of our party!
She bought the yummiest cake
(and she vacumed before
Jen, Sienna and Sofia came!)
I love her so much all the time
and even more than normal
when she vacumes : )

“It takes a long time to grow young.”
Pablo Picasso
We have the most wonderful friends and family.
I am thankful every day!

Are these not the cutest children in the world?
Just love them to pieces!

Friends to the end!

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.

It's the life in your years.”
Abraham Lincoln

I apologize for the non edited state of the pics.

My photoshop is acting up lately....

Do you celebrate

Half Birthdays

at your house?