I So Love This Little Man

So, I decided to enter his face in this week's challenge at I Heart Faces.  Stop by and see hundreds of wonderful face photos!

Remembering Sarah

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Back when I snapped this picture, I did not know the battles she had faced already and would be facing again.

Heaven gained a new angel last night.... I am sure she's getting some amazing photos of her new home...

And It Hasn't Happened Since...

I snapped this photo a few weeks back, totally thrilled that after two years of living together, my old guy finally caved and let the younger beagle snuggle with him.  Here I thought it was the beginning of something magical and wonderful that would happen time and time again.... it hasn't since this picture was snapped.

Ruby loves Freckles - I always believed he could take her or leave her but I do believe he has softened a bit.  Why else would he have allowed this tender moment.  My old beagle may be a curmudgeon, but I adore him so.....

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Matthew Morrison! Whoah!!! Gleefull????

I just saw this pop up on my AOL news feed, was intrigued by it, went to the link and totally laughed myself silly.  I love Glee and I love, love, love, love Matthew Morrison!

Two Jobs!

Yup, since January I have been working two jobs, which has left little to no time for me to put together a creative blog post.  Not that my life would excite anybody else, but I love my life and wouldn't change a second of it. We do what we have to do.  I am so fortunate to be able to work from home transcribing for lots of doctors via a transcription service.  Because work had gotten sparse, I interviewed with a private practice and am now transcribing for this lovely gentleman. I also work for another doctor there but I couldn't find a photo of her.  Both of them are very, very kind and not the least bit stuffy as you may expect from a doctor. He's both warm and friendly and funny.  Here's to a nice long working relationship with my new employer and his staff.

Oh, and the day I accepted the position, my boss from my other job called to let me know my work would be increasing by leaps and bounds - hence I type from sun-up to sun-down every day 7 days a week - at least until we are done paying college tuition.

A Slice of Life

Is even better than a slice of chocolate cake with butter cream icing!  And, it's certainly a lot less fattening.  I didn't think I'd have an opportunity to enter the I Heart Faces theme for this week as I am so bogged down with work (which is a good thing).  However, a few minutes ago I heard the familiar sound of my daughter at the piano.  This is a sound I have sooooo missed over the last few months.  I grabbed my camera and voila I had a photo to enter.  The dogs in the background are a bonus.  I think they missed her playing also as whenever the music starts, their games begin!

Be sure to head on over to I Heart Faces where there will be lots of Slices of Life!

Failed Miserably

My daughter had a tough time with her first semester in college.  The academics were rigorous and she just didn't feel at home there.  She couldn't wait to get home for Christmas break, and I assured her that by the time rolled around for her to go back there (in February), she'd be "so sick of us" she'd be looking forward to going back to school.  I figured that seeing her stuff laying all over the house would be too much for this organized mom to bear - I run a fairly tight ship you know. 

Over Christmas break (which ended today) she did an online nutrition course to help ease  the workload for the spring semester.  She worked her tail off every day, sitting at the computer with earphones in watching lectures, making notes, completing projects, and taking weekly tests at the local community college.

As hard as I tried to get on her nerves, i.e. constantly waving my camera in her face, giving her odd jobs to do, having her constantly take the dogs out, she still seemed relatively happy.

We enjoyed tea together (hers was in her Jack mug), we spent time chatting when she had a few free minutes each day.

I did try to get on her nerves so that she'd look forward to going back to school. However, that never happened.  We had such a nice 7+ weeks together.

Today was the day she had to go back to college.  We were both sort of sad but really didn't say too much about it.  We didn't want to get all emotional...

So I took pictures!

With Daddy

With Ruby

With Freckles

But none with me or with her brother -  her brother was too ill to get out of bed.  None with me because I am always the camera operator.

So, she did not fail biology last semester, it was just one of those tough classes that made her first semester in college not the best experience.

I failed at making her wish she was back at school.  But, I guess that isn't such as bad "failure" after all.

She said she actually was "ok" with going back......... she'll be home in five short weeks for my birthday......

A Little of This and a Little of That

Two weeks before Christmas, I had sinus surgery (deviated septum  repair (septoplasty), so I was sort of under the gun to get things done as early as I could because I didn't know how I was going to feel afterward, and I knew I was hosting Christmas dinner for my family (20 people).  Unfortunately, the day after my surgery my husband came down with a cold that led to a sinus infection, and I in turn caught the sinus infection two days after him.  Not at all fun when you are forbidden to blow your nose for at least two weeks after the surgery!

At any rate, I survived and my nose now breathes much better and actually even sits a little straighter than it did before - YAY!

Here is just a smattering of photos covering the holiday season in our home.

Danny with his big gift - a hoodie from Millersville University!

The Nighmare Before Christmas is a favorite in our house - so if we see any "Jack" or "Sally" things, they are definitely snapped up to give for Christmas.

My son turned 17 three days after Christmas - So, his December is always a very "giftful" month.

Freckles decided that my husband's chair is now his own to sleep in all day long...

My niece's little boy could possibly be the next "Woody" in Toy Story - it was one of his favorite Christmas gifts.

I made my daughter go outside and shovel in the snow/sleet/freezing rain because nobody else was around to do it.

And Ruby appointed herself chief window viewer and sofa guarder in our house.

Yes, the camera is pretty much always at the ready....  Now, if I could just get a grasp of Photoshop CS4, all would be perfect!

Totally Perplexed

Noah is my neighbor and we visited with him, his parents, and his new baby sister on Sunday - We go over to their home the Sunday right after the Feast of the Epiphany each year now, this being the third year, to have some King Cake. 

While I was taking photographs, Noah looked up at me with a rather perplexed look on his face...

He then had to get a little closer....

Nope, still couldn't figure whatever it was, so he got a bit closer....

 

If he gets much closer, he'll be IN the camera!!!  However, .....

He  had to get just a little bit closer..  While we're not quite sure what he was looking at, we are guessing that he maybe saw the the shutter opening and closing.  Whatever it was, I'm glad "it" was there because I got to take lots of photos of this very perplexed, and very cute little guy.

Just Put on a Happy Face

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is all about smiles.  I think this qualifies, don't you.

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Be sure to visit over at I Heart Faces and get a your fill of lots of happy faces!

Happy 2011!

I am starting off my year with an entry into I Heart Faces contest this week.  It's been so long since I've entered photos or blogged about anything.  Believe me, my life's just fine and all is going well.  I just stepped back for a while and am working longer hours.  When I stop work by 9, 10, or 11 at night, my brain is just too fried to compose any blog posts.

But, I hope to change that up a little bit.  If I can get my work done by dinner and let the evenings be just for fun and relaxation, then I can get back to blogging more often.  As it is, with college tuition for one I need to grab all the work that I can.  College for the second child is only a year and half or so away - so hard to believe.

So, back to my entry - one of my favorite subjects is my niece's little boy - and he never gives me a hard time about taking his photo - at least not yet.  But, then again he's only three years old.

Be sure to visit I Heart Faces and see all of the Best Face Photos!