A Scrivnerburg 365

February 2, 2012

2012-02-02T18:35:00.001-08:00

Little Man had a great time scratching and bopping at this box. Babies are so easy to entertain.

Blessings:

1. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now it’s time to Praise the Lord. We play a game in Scrivnerburg when we see a clock showing 12:34. I sing-song “1, 2, 3, 4. Now it’s time to Praise the Lord!” and the kids each share something they’re thankful for. Today the kids who were present thanked God for Gavin, family, and the world.

2. Babies are so easy to entertain!

3. Good friends. I love my good friends.

4. I have 8 kids who think I’m pretty wonderful.

5. Um…in 5 years the things that are weighing on me now will hardly even be remembered.

February 1, 2012

2012-02-01T20:37:00.001-08:00

Udderly Peanut Butterly ice cream with chocolate chips. Do you think my husband might like chocolate and peanut butter?

Blessings:

1. My mother. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful mother, and that I still have her with me. And that she has continued to love me even when I haven’t been lovable.

2. Tender hearts. We were watching American Idol and the story about Jessica Phillips and her boyfriend D'Angelo Perry came on. After hearing about this young man who'd had a devastating stroke Andrew asked if we could pray for him. I love the fact that our kids see and feel the needs of others.

3. When the blessings are hard to find there’s always ice cream.

4. Impromptu Coffee Klatsches. This morning Felice dropped by, my mom came for coffee, and my friend Deb called to see if she could visit. The four of us had a wonderful visit!

5. As my friend Elle says, “from rain comes flowers.”

January 31, 2012

2012-01-31T18:00:00.001-08:00

While Ken and the bigger boys were off at the Winter Special Olympics today, Caleb, Kristi, Little Man, and I did all sorts of useful things. Caleb chose to clean windows, and after helping clean up the living room, Kristi chose to practice math. The big boys had a great time snowboarding – I’m sure we’ll have some pictures tomorrow.

Blessings:

1. A low-key day. No school in Scrivnerburg, so it was a mellow day. We got some stuff done!

2. A fun project at work. I was asked to do a short project at work today, and it was different and fun.

3. Once again, one of my blessings is food. We had Honey Sesame Chicken tonight, and it was AWESOME!

4. My father-in-law. He may not have the health he used to enjoy, but he still has his humor, and I love him dearly. Today he was here visiting for a while, and he watched me (finally) take down the lights that hung around my dining room window. As I finished he said, “It’s almost Christmas.” (With the implication that I could have just left them up until next December.) He has always loved laughing at me. He has also always told me that he only picks on people he likes. I guess he likes me a lot.

5. My Kindle. I didn’t use it for a long time, but I’ve really started making use of it lately, and I’ve found a great benefit. I have all the books I’m reading in one place! I haven’t had to run back and forth to get the study book that I’m using with my Bible, and my fiction book hasn’t fallen under my chair once! (But that doesn’t mean that Ken and I don’t have a stack of “real” books on our living room table. You’d think we were readers or something!)

January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T18:51:00.001-08:00

Family fun.

Blessings:

1. Sometimes our bodies can get by on very little sleep. That’s a particularly good thing when the baby is awake most of the night with a head cold.

2. Sometimes Mama gets a nap. Yay!

3. Dual monitors. Yes, I’m a geek. I’m thrilled with my new, two-monitor setup for work. It makes my job so much easier!

4. An evening with my sweetie. I’m all set to have some free time with my husband this evening. I always look forward to that. Maybe we can do some work on the Bible study materials we keep forgetting to do.

5. Games with the family. The kids love having a game night. I love the happy sounds.

January 29, 2012

2012-01-29T21:28:00.001-08:00

I made Stuffed Wheat Bread for the church potluck today. Apparently it was okay - we didn't get to bring any home. I will post the recipe when I get it typed up. Topped with a bit of spicy brown mustard…mmmmmmm.

Blessings:
1. A great joint church service. Our church ventured down south a few miles to meet with a sister church on this 5th Sunday. It was wonderful.
2. A nap with a boy. I love it when one of my kids wants to nap with me – especially when they actually let me nap!
3. Health and safety. I have heard some heart-wrenching stories over the last few days. I pray for the affected families, and I thank God that my family is okay.
4. Music. God's music. It lifts my spirits like nothing else. That’s been a real necessity lately.
5. A new week. We get to start a whole, brand-new one!

January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T19:01:00.001-08:00

Fresh bounty!

Blessings:

1. Bountiful Baskets. I got two “baskets” of fresh produce through Bountiful Baskets today. I had to put some of them in this colander and take their portrait. They are just so beautiful!

2. My Dubbies loves me. Of course, I already knew that, but it warmed my heart to see it in action today. He enjoyed his one night at Nana’s, but one was enough, and he was ready to come home.

3. A happy dinner time. The kids were joyful, everybody was laughing…it was a very enjoyable meal time. And Nathan wanted to eat ALL the bell peppers.

4. A happy Kristi. Sometimes life can be challenging for Kristi, but today was a good day. She was pleasant and helpful almost all day. Yay Kristi!

5. Lactaid tablets. I don’t know why I hadn’t tried them before. For years I suffered without realizing why I was so miserable – until I discovered I had trouble with lactose. Then I spent a couple years just avoiding dairy altogether – unless I just couldn’t stay away from the ice cream. But now I know that Lactaid tablets will allow me to indulge in ice cream periodically without being miserable for three days. Yay!

January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T15:17:00.001-08:00

Blessings:

1. Nana is awesome! Not only does she do all the other wonderful things that Nana’s do, she also cuts Ken’s hair! It saves us money, and we get to spend more time with Nana. Yay and Yay!

2. Two monitors. I finally took the time to hook up the monitor for the old, dead computer to my laptop so I have two monitors. I have them set so they work like one wide monitor. It is sooooooo helpful in my work!

3. Hearts heal. We all suffer heartbreak – sometimes over and over – but God has designed us so that our hearts heal and we can move on. Praise the Lord for healing hearts!

4. Fellowship with other believers. Our family (and other people from our church) will be joining another nearby church for some worship and fellowship time this evening. This will be the first time we’ve done this (in this church), and I’m really looking forward to it!

5. Weekend! I’m almost done with work for the week. Yay for the weekend! I love my job, but I also love time off.

January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T22:09:00.001-08:00

Blessings:

1. Sunshine. It’s a soppy, drippy, muddy mess outside, but the sun is currently shining, and it’s wonderful to see it again!

2. Growing things. As you see in today’s photo, Caleb’s hyacinth (I think) bulb is happily enjoying January. I think Caleb checks it 74 times a day to see how it’s doing.

3. Things that really matter. I encounter lots of little irritations throughout the day, and it’s easy to focus on those and be completely annoyed. But, really, if I stop to consider the things that really matter – eternity with God, health, home, family, to mention a few – I’m set. I just need to remember what really matters and quit spending so much time on the things that won’t even be remembered by Saturday.

4. Friends sharing great recipes. You already know I love Pinterest. One of the reasons I love it is that my friends share wonderful foods on there. Tonight we had a meal that everybody liked! I’m sure you can imagine how often that happens in a family this size. (We had Creamy Chicken & Noodles.) And speaking of Pinterest, if you need an invite let me know.

5. Free books! I know – I’m starting to sound like a series of commercials – but one thing I love to do is read. And I especially love free books! Being the geek that I am I love to read on my Kindle, and recently I have been getting books from Pixel of Ink and Inspired Reads. I have had much time to read them lately, but just having a whole “stack” of books waiting for me makes me feel rich!

January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T21:38:00.001-08:00

I loved the sky full of Heaven Rays we saw on the way to Hamilton today.

Blessings:

1. A great afternoon in Hamilton. My mom, 3 of the kids, and I had a nice, productive time today.

2. Dinner provided for us. My lovely mother bought us dinner so I didn’t have to spend too much time fixing food when I got home. Yay! It’s especially good because I didn’t get time to work before going to Hamilton, so my whole work day has to fit into my evening.

3. Heaven Rays. Just a reminder that God is keeping an eye out.

4. The cutest pout. I wish I could show you the picture of Little Man with the cutest pout in the world. I can’t share that yet, but just know that it makes us smile every time – even when he’s really getting ready to cry.

5. My life is great. I’m truly enjoying my life right now. Remind me of this next time I start whining.

January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T18:52:00.001-08:00

Who doesn’t love Angry Birds?!? The kids love to earn time to play on the school tablet – we have Angry Birds and Bejeweled just for fun, in addition to the learning games they get to play in free school moments.

Blessings:

1. Hilarious kids. Overheard in Scrivnerburg (another quote from Nathan): "Dale hilariates me."

2. Happy, happy kids. They are frequently laughing, joking, playing, and smiling.

3. Healthy kids. I’m so thankful that we haven’t had any sick kids recently. AND we stayed out of the ER with kids in 2011!

4. Harmonious kids. There was almost no bickering or squabbling today at all! Whoohoo!

5. Husband ‘o mine. I know I’ve mentioned him a time or twelve, but that’s only because he’s wonderful. He’s a good man, and he still loves me after almost 24 years.

January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T19:39:00.001-08:00

The kids have some new winter gear. This intrepid explorer (or something) is Austin, but the only way I can be sure is that I recognize his coat. He climbed Mt. Church Street and lived to tell the tale.

Blessings:

1. A good school day. We’ve been homeschooling for half a school year now, and I must admit (despite my fears last summer) that most of the school days have been good ones. The kids do a good job and get their work done fairly quickly. Everyone enjoys that!

2. Conveniences. I have so many things that make my life easier, and I think I tend to take them for granted – TWO washers and dryers, a dishwasher (and kids to load it!), a microwave to make quick work of defrosting, easy access to any information or entertainment I could want…the list could just go on and on.

3. Home. We have a 4-bedroom, 3-bath house that fits our whole family. We have space for the things we need and want to do. We are so blessed.

4. Crunch. Not the sound – the cat. I don’t thank God for him very often (for good reason) but he has his moments. This morning he started my day off with a laugh when I caught him playing with a baby sock. He was tossing it in the air and jumping up after it. It was quite amusing, and kind of made up for the fact that he’d peed on the bathmat – again.

5. Monday. Monday is one of Ken’s days off, so we actually get to enjoy each other’s company all evening. I like that.

You get a bonus – here’s a conversation in Scrivnerburg:
Andrew: "Can I have a pet monkey?"
Ken: "You can have a pet toothpick. You could call him Splinter."
Ken again: "Or you could get a pet potato and call him Wedgie."
Ken again (to Dale): "You could get a pet piece of Velcro and call him Sticky."
Dale: "No."
Ken: "It's better than calling him Hooker or Loopy."

January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T20:40:00.001-08:00

It was another beautiful morning in the Bitterroot Valley. This was taken with my htc Incredible. It may not be the best cell phone, but it sure makes a nice point-and-shoot camera!

Blessings:

1. Days of Elijah. This song just makes me happy.

2. Joyful time with God’s people.

3. Caleb’s brain. I love the way that kid thinks. He told me this morning that I’m the best mom he knows. I told him he’s my very favorite Caleb. He thought about that for a minute then said, “It makes sense that I’m your favorite Caleb because you know other Calebs. It doesn’t make sense for me to call you my favorite Mom – you’re my only mom.” True, Son. But I like being your favorite anyway.

4. Little Man’s happy. That child is just so happy – it’s infectious!

5. My husband. I just love him.

January 21, 2012

2012-01-21T17:01:00.001-08:00

Little Man has toofers! He's been using them to gnaw on everything that gets close to his mouth - including me!

Blessings:

1. Another lazy Saturday. It’s nice to have a slow, quiet day after the busyness of the week.

2. A chance to visit friends. We have been invited to spend the evening visiting at a good friend’s house. I’m looking forward to it.

3. Wise words from friends. This actually showed up yesterday, but I’ve been keeping it in my mind today – “[I am] realizing it's ok to grieve relationships that are no longer what they were & reminding myself that God sees the bigger picture & knows what he's doing. I rejoice in the fact that we are being obedient & are blessed.”

4. Toofers. Since Little Man’s second tooth broke through he’s been less fussy and has slept better. Whew! We actually got 5 straight hours last night!

5. Wii. After the huge snowfall a few days ago, the melting yesterday, and the rain all morning today, it is a yucky, snowy, icy, muddy mess outside. I am so thankful that we can let the kids play Wii when they get tired of their other indoor activities. (We made them use their imaginations until late afternoon – we’re so mean!)

January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T20:01:00.001-08:00

Earlier this week we got record-setting snowfall - today we get ice jewels. (Oh, and I finally used my real camera for a daily photo!)

Blessings:

1. Staying home. I don’t have to go anywhere in this ice-coated world today!

2. Kodiak Jax had some good deals today. Yay for not having to cook dinner.

3. It’s almost time for snow-worn kids to head to bed. Everybody is waaaay overtired, so bed is a good thing today.

4. A glimmer of hope. There was an incident today when one son inadvertently hurt another. Both boys took responsibility for the accident, and they did NOT get into an argument or fight about it. Yay! There IS hope!

5. Cookies. My honey is making the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T19:49:00.001-08:00

We had to go to Missoula for an appointment today. Almost all the area schools were closed due to the weather today – I think you can see why. When I took this shot it was snowing, but as we got down the road a bit it was raining. Not a good thing when the temperature is around 30F.

Blessings:

1. We made it to and from Missoula safely. Whew!

2. Medical professionals declared our baby “absolutely adorable.” I know…kinda a “duh” statement, but it never hurts a parent’s feelings to hear how precious his/her baby is.

3. Felice. I know I mentioned her just recently, but she has to be on the list again – she babysat all of our children for 6 hours today.

4. American Idol. I just love that show. I feel like I got rewarded for a busy day.

5. Snow day! We had our first “snow day” at Scrivnerburg Academy. The kids spent almost the entire day playing out in the snow. So fun!

January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T20:40:00.001-08:00

We finally got snow! I don’t know how much we actually got here in town, but I’m thinking it was close to a foot. The kids loved it!

Blessings:

1. I love snow! It’s pretty, it keeps the kids occupied, and I feel so cozy sitting inside watching the snow fall.

2. My mother loves me. I may be 42 years old, but when someone sets about to hurt me, the mama bear in my mother still shows up.

3. Little Man is growing. I was hoping for 15 lbs at his WIC appointment today, but he didn’t quite make that. That’s okay – he grew an inch! He’s now 14 lbs, 12 oz, and 26 1/4 inches. I asked them to weigh his happy instead of his body, but they didn’t have their happy scale with them today.

4. Friends that share. We got 3 bags of clothes that will keep Little Man clothed in style for some time!

5. Health. We are all healthy, happy, and (mostly) energetic in Scrivnerburg.

January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T19:36:00.001-08:00

Today you get the blessings and then the picture. Sorta.

Blessings:

1. Funny, funny kids - Best explanation I've encountered for my gibberish: "So your mouth is overflowing with so many words that you can't make a real word?"

2. A clean bathroom. I finally took the time to clean my bathroom today. Whew. I have to do it whether I want to or not – before I cleaned it the last time Caleb was in there to take a shower and he looked around the bathroom for a while and then asked, “Mom, who cleans THIS bathroom?” Oops. Caught in my laziness by a 6-year-old.

3. Pinterest. When I need a little lift, or a few relaxing minutes I head over to Pinterest and browse through craft ideas, funnies, or my friends’ favorite things. It picks me right up!

4. Funny, funny parents. Here is an email my mother sent out yesterday -

“No matter what you may have heard, I did not steal a black, padded bra from the Stevensville thrift store. I went into the store in my power wheel chair (named Ben)and drove around the store looking at various things. After about 15 minutes I decided that there was nothing for me and after thanking the clerk, Ben and I drove out of the store and straight home, I parked Ben in his usual spot and went about my business. This morning while talking on the phone to a friend I spotted something hanging off the foot my resident flamingo. This flamingo rides on the back of Ben and has never caused a problem. Closer observation revealed that the flamingo was holding a black, padded bra, still on it's hanger. I swear I never saw that bra before and it certainly was not my size.

I didn't steal that bra, my flamingo did it!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.”

5. Brownies. My husband makes very yummy brownies, and the kids didn’t eat all of them before I got any! Yay!

January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T19:31:00.001-08:00

Bible story time with the family. I used Vignette and the toy camera settings for these. I just liked the family moments.

Blessings:

1. A new day. I’m starting this post at 7:30am. All sorts of great things could happen today!

2. Good friends. We (Ken and I) have a lot of friends who love us and appreciate us. I am thankful.

3. Romans 8:28 – “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” God will use everything to work toward His purpose.

4. Getting to know my co-workers. One of the drawbacks of working “virtually” (we all work at home and usually communicate via email and phone) is that we don’t get to know each other the way we would in an office. It was nice to spend some time working with a couple co-workers today and getting to know them a bit better.

5. Spiritual insights from little theologians. Tonight Caleb told me that God sends our friend Joe to bring us bread so we can share it with others like Jesus did when he fed the 5,000 with the five loaves and two fish. I love his young heart that understands those things!

January 14, 2012

2012-01-15T20:46:00.001-08:00

Another “macro” using my cell phone and my 50mm lens handheld and reversed. This is a glass ornament that is hanging in my kitchen window. The entire ornament is about 4 inches long, but this section is probably 3/4”. I’m going to have fun playing with my gear this way! Thanks to Dieter Tracey for the inspiration!

Blessings:

1. A great day in church.

2. We had a fun Bible study at our pastor’s house.

3. I got the lesson plans done before school starts tomorrow!

4. My husband loves me.

5. Caleb thinks I’m the best mom in the world.

January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T20:39:00.001-08:00

It was a very crafty day today! I made a whole bunch of fun things…

1. A diaper/wipes case; 2. A fun pincushion; 3. A cute headband – I didn’t make the girl today – just the headband; 4. A rice bag for a gift.

Blessings:
1. Craftiness. I had another fun crafting Saturday! It was awesome!

2. Bountiful Baskets. We got our first Bountiful Basket today, and there was so much wonderful, fresh food in there! What a blessing!

3. A good friend. I love my friend Felice. I just love her!

4. Funny moments. Dale came and asked me early in the day if I knew where the pliers were. He needed them to fix something, and he searched and searched. After dinner this evening I just happened to find the pliers when I was looking for something else…in the freezer! Everyone keeps their pliers in the freezer, right?

5. A high chair! Little Man got to sit in a real high chair today for the first time. He loved being with everyone at the table and being able to see everything. He was quite amused, and quite amusing.

January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T20:40:00.001-08:00

Just playing with Vignette and my cell phone again. This time I don’t remember the options I chose, but I kinda like the outcome. This is a small portion of my collection of glass apples.

Friday’s blessings:

1. The school week is over. School is going well, but I’m always ready for Friday.

2. Budgeting with my husband. Setting a budget isn’t fun, but it’s good to get it done, and I love that we did it together. We’ve tried for several days to sit down together and do this, but this time we put it on the calendar and got it done! Whew!

3. Have I mentioned that I love my job?

4. Have I mentioned that I love my husband?

5. Cupcakes. My friend Nancy tells me that one must make cupcakes when a storm is coming. We’re expecting quite a bit of snow soon, so I made cupcakes. I love cupcakes. I love the word “cupcakes.” The storm isn’t due for a couple days…wanna take bets on how many cupcakes are left by the time the storm gets here? I’ll have to make more, I guess.

January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T20:12:00.001-08:00

This was shot with the tilt-shift effect in Vignette for Android. Austin is hard at work on his cursive handwriting.

Blessings:

1. Lunch out with Nana. Ken’s mom invited all of us out to have lunch at Kodiak Jax. It was nice to get out for lunch for a change!

2. Cuddly blankets. I get really cold when I’m just sitting at my computer working. I have a couple wonderful blankets that fix it all up!

3. Time to sew. For the third day this week I got my work done before dinner. That left me with time for kids and for sewing. Yay!

4. Elle who keeps me inspired. Turnabout’s fair play, right? I’m thankful that my friend Elle reminded me to count my blessings. She has a wonderful outlook on life, and it’s infectious!

5. Getting stuff done. I always feel better when the little tasks that have been waiting around get done. I didn’t get anything really exciting finished, but I did get some nagging little things taken care of. Whew.

January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T21:17:00.001-08:00

Last week the administrators of Scrivnerburg Academy decided that the classroom could benefit from having a tablet computer. We received some Amazon gift cards for Christmas, so we used those to purchase a neat little tablet just for the kids to use in school. It arrived today – fun times! (Those of you who know me will realize just how fun that really is! I love geeky gadgets!) After I spent some time pl….ahem…setting it up, I let the kids have 15 minute turns with it. Now they’re hooked, and it will be a great incentive for a while, in addition to being useful for looking up necessary information.

(Brief review – so far I’m very happy with this Creative Ziio tablet. It was $130 on Amazon – a great price for a tablet computer. It seems to do what we need it to, and the kids are thrilled. I call it a bargain.)

Blessings:

1. My children are so funny.

2. God’s provision. He continues to shower us with exactly what we need at the moment.

3. Forgiveness. What a relief to have someone forgive you when you have wronged them.

4. Sunshine to chase the SAD away.

5. Easy food. My kids love Hamburger Helper, but it has things in it that I don’t want to feed to my kids (MSG, dyes). Today I found a blog post that spelled out how to make your own hamburger helper to keep on hand. Yay! http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/

January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T20:06:00.001-08:00

Inspired by this post - http://365project.org/dieter/365/2012-01-10 - I decided to try my 50mm lens with my cell phone camera. This shot was taken with the 50mm reversed over the cell phone lens. It came out nice and clear, and quite a bit larger than in real life. Cool! I had never thought of trying that, but I think I will do more experiments with this variation on "freelensing."

Blessings:

1. A lightbulb moment – “"Prayerlessness is our declaration of independence from God." I downloaded a free book for my Kindle called Transforming Prayer, by Daniel Henderson. This quote was the first of several (so far) that really struck a chord with me.

2. Kissies. Little Man has started offering kisses. If we ask for kisses he will usually open his mouth and lean in for a kiss…but he loves to play hard-to-get with me. He’ll kiss Ken, Dale, our friend Deb…but he turns his head away from Mama. Stinkbug. Adorable, funny, squishy, precious stinkbug.

3. A good day. This has just been a good day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing unhappy. A good day.

4. Boys’ Club. My boys went to their first Boys’ Club meeting this evening. We only had 3 kids at home for an hour and a half, and I was done with work…I was able to read, play with the baby, eat some ice cream… niceness.

5. God is in control. Whatever happens – whatever curve balls or disappointments come our way – God isn’t surprised, and He has it all figured out. Whew. It’s not my responsibility to control the world.

January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T14:40:00.001-08:00

Another Little Man picture…being adored by yet another kiddo. He has quite the fan club around here.

Blessings:

1. A great group of people to work with. I love going to a company meeting and laughing while we work.

2. Coffee. This was one of those days when a keg of coffee would have been fine.

3. Progress. Little Man may not be speedy at hitting the gross motor milestones, but he’s working on them. He can roll over and over both directions, sit up for about 2 seconds unassisted, and hold on to a toy while he chews it. These are all things he wasn’t able to do a month ago.

4. Minions. I did something to make my shoulder complain, so I’m only half capable today. It is a blessing to me to have a bunch of able-bodied minions to do my bidding.

5. A basketball hoop. My kids have suddenly been enthralled with our basketball hoop again, and all of them have spend considerable time out in the driveway shooting hoops for the last couple days. I love it because there’s much less fighting when they play basketball. (It seems that basketball is important in Scrivnerburg!)

January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T19:24:00.001-08:00

I love Sundays. I enjoy worshipping with my church family, and I love relaxing at home. After church today I fed my family and then took a nap. It would have been perfect if I hadn’t had kids waking me up. The funny one was when Caleb came running down the hall, banged on the bedroom door, and asked for permission to watch “mphthshsdhehsht.” (I couldn’t understand him through the door. I asked, “Where’s Dad?” Caleb answered, “He’s sleeping!” Huh. So was I, Son. Until you woke me up. Oh well…I still got a nap in. I don’t know if the kids watched mphthshsdhehsht or not.

Here’s a shot I took for the Oh, Shoot! assignment, “Square.” It’s just a Sunday snapshot – another one with my cell phone. I’m taking a week of cell phone photos just for the fun of it.

Sunday blessings:

1. Worshipping with my friends. It was a great day in church!

2. The days are getting longer. It’s not too noticeable yet, but we’re getting a little more daylight each day. That’s a very good thing.

3. Naps.

4. Happy children. When the noise starts to get to me I try to remind myself that most of the time the kids are noisy because they’re happy. Remind me of this next time I start to go over the edge with all the chaos.

5. Music. I saw a funny on Pinterest that said “My brain is 70% song lyrics.” I think that’s so true. I sing constantly – in my head if not out loud – and I burst into song at the slightest provocation. It pleases me.

January 7, 2011

2012-01-07T19:13:00.001-08:00

Today’s assignment over at Oh, Shoot! was "Shiny things attract attention. Make a photograph of a shiny object and post it today. Focus in on the reflections." Here’s my shiny thing.

Saturday blessings:

1. A do-nothing day. It was nice to have a day when I didn’t have to run from one task to the next.

2. Cheeseburger Soup. It is one of my favorite new recipes, and it’s one the whole family likes. Great winter food. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cheeseburger-Soup

3. I like sewing! Well, sewing crafty things, anyway. I thought I hated sewing!

4. Little kids using big words. I love to hear the big words our kids use – the 6yo who “attempted to slide across the floor” and the 8yo who thinks my cooking is “magnificent.”

5. My hard-working husband. He works nights stocking the local grocery store – it’s not the best schedule in the world, but he goes in with a good attitude and just does what needs to be done to provide for his family.

January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T21:42:00.001-08:00

A few of my boys were playing with my cell phone camera and the Vignette app. They spent quite a long time taking pictures of each other, so I decided to use those for my photo today instead of my own - theirs are much more...um...playful! I used the PicsArt app to make the collage.

Here are today’s blessings:
1. Friday. The end of the work/school week, the night my sweetie and I can enjoy time together, something to look forward to each week…I love Friday.

2. Crafting. I had let it slide for a while, but I love creating things. I’m currently working on projects for a Facebook game – each person makes handmade gifts for the first 5 commenters – and I’m loving it!

3. Freedom to teach our children the way that works for each of them. Our school day isn’t typical, but it’s working for our kiddos. They’re enjoying homeschooling (except when the parents are so mean about studying).

4. Great co-workers. Part of what makes my job so enjoyable is working with people who “get” me.

5. Sleep. I’m looking forward to sinking into my bed and drifting off to sleep…

January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T19:51:00.001-08:00

The photo for today is a self-portrait taken with Vignette for my Android phone. It has so so so so many options – it’s mind-boggling!

Today is one of those days when it’s a bit harder to see the blessings. I guess I’d better just look a little more closely.

1. Super 1 cereal sale. Yay! We’re rich again! I always feel better when we have food stored in the closet, and today’s cereal sale allowed me to put more than 50 boxes of cereal away.

2. I say “allowed me to put…cereal away” but I didn’t actually do it. I have six children who are able (if not always willing) to do some of those chores for me, so I didn’t even have to go up and down the stairs to put the cereal away.

3. The new cereal is now put away on a NEW shelf in the downstairs closet. My sweet husband spent the afternoon fixing up the closet in our basement so it would hold the cereal we wanted to store.

4. A pleasant dinner time. There were no arguments, no whining, no complaining…it was relative peace!

5. Friends who will watch 7 children while we go out on a date. Tomorrow night is date night, and it’s such a blessing to have people who will take care of our crew so we can go out alone.

I’ve really slacked off…

2012-01-05T12:37:00.001-08:00

…on my book reviewing. It’s been waaaaay too many months, but I just haven’t had the time to read, let alone actually reviewing the book I’ve read. The most recent book that WaterBrook Multnomah gave me for the Blogging for Books program is The Chocolate Diaries by Karen Scalf Linamen, and I’ve enjoyed the book, but the way it was formatted for my Kindle has kind of thrown me off. It has made it less enjoyable to read. But anyway…here’s a brief review:

(Image from Amazon.com)

What happens when you mix an encouraging message with chocolate? You get a book that can help you learn to continue on when life throws you a curve ball, and you get to savor the sweet parts along the way.

My favorite part of the book has to be all the chocolate recipes! I love chocolate! That’s part of the reason I chose this book, and there have been some wonderful recipes along the way in The Chocolate Diaries. But there are more than recipes – in fact, more than chocolate – in this book. There are many stories, lessons, and anecdotes about making it through the “Rocky Road of Life.” I found that many of the stories in the book reminded me that we can get through the hard stuff with God’s help and a bit (or more) of chocolate. The Chocolate Diaries also indirectly pointed out that I have no reason to feel sorry for myself – most of my problems are really pretty small.

I do recommend this book – especially for those who feel like life is just a bit too bumpy. Happy chocolate, everyone!

(A free Kindle version of The Chocolate Diaries was given to me by WaterBrook Mulnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of this review.)

January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T18:46:00.001-08:00

Blessings:

1. We have a great group of neighborhood kids (and parents!). Today’s photo was taken at the neighboring apartment complex where my children were playing with several of the kids in the neighborhood. I love knowing my neighbors and knowing my children are safe when they’re playing over there.

2. Being done with work before dinner. Most nights (after homeschooling, baby-tending, and all the other interruptions) I still have work to do after dinner. Tonight I’m all done and I can just enjoy some crafting and tv with my family. Whew!

3. A teenager who can cook! (A different teenager than the diaper changer.) My younger 13-year-old made dinner for the family tonight! Awesome!

4. Bedtime. Particularly the kids’ bedtime. I love my children completely, but I also love the calm that descends upon the house when all is finally quiet.

5. A happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, baby. Have I mentioned that he’s a happy boy? It’s such a joy to be around him because he is just sunshine in baby clothes.

January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T12:57:00.001-08:00

Does it make me a geek if I loved my mini-video setup so much I took a picture of it and posted it on my blog?

This is how I listen to music while I work (or watch Netflix while I play).

Today’s blessings:

1. A teenage boy who chooses to change stinky diapers. Can you believe that?

2. Friends to share my journey with. I’m so blessed to have friends to help in our homeschool journey, friends to share my photo journey with, friends to walk with on my spiritual journey…I’m just blessed.

3. Technology. I really love playing with new tech gadgets and learning new geeky things. I just wish I knew a whole lot more.

4. Diet Pepsi Vanilla. My husband and a couple other people went to a lot of effort to get 8 12-packs of Diet Pepsi Vanilla for me as a Christmas gift. It’s been discontinued by PepsiCo, so it’s hard to come by. I’m relishing each one.

5. Funny children. I love the funny things my kids say. I suspect this blessing will pop up often. Today’s funny – Kristi came skipping through the kitchen sing-songing, "I'm as happy as a giraffe!" Did you know giraffes were happy animals. Well, apparently they are.

January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T20:25:00.001-08:00

As some of you know, we are homeschooling our children this year. We call it Scrivnerburg Academy, and so far we are all enjoying it! We have some wonderful helpers that come in and listen to our children read. Monday is Nana’s day to come, so here are Dale and Nana during their reading time.

My blessings for today:
1. Nana – she’s not only a reading helper. She’s Ken’s mom, my mother-in-love, and a lovely, thoughtful person. I am so blessed to have her in my life.

2. A short school day – I don’t know why, but the kids all got their work done quickly today, and everyone was finished before lunch. Yay!

3. My job – I have a great job for me. It’s geeky, work-at-home, maybe even tedious, but I love it, and it seems they appreciate me.

4. Quiet time – I love the peaceful time after the kids go to bed. On the nights when Ken is home we watch tv together and just relax. On the nights when he’s gone (he works 3 nights a week) I watch tv by myself and just enjoy some “me” time. It’s nice not to be “Mommy” ALL the time.

5. Chocolate – I love the velvety, smooth, creaminess of a good milk chocolate. Mmmmmm…and I happen to hear one calling my name right now!

Happy New 2012

2012-01-01T18:51:00.001-08:00

Welcome to 2012! I’m sure this is going to be an amazing year! I plan to do a third 365 project this year – this time it will be focused on what my family is doing each day.

As I’ve done the last two years, I took some pictures of the kids today just to see how they’re changing from year to year. We were without Rose and Virginia today, but I’ll get shots of them soon.

Here is today’s collection of kiddos…

Just for comparison, here is last year’s…

And 2010…

I think Kristi and Caleb have changed the most. I think I’ll start a collection of these collages on my hallway wall. I just love them!

I’m adding another aspect to this 366-day project. In addition to my daily photo, I’m going to share my 5 blessings of the day. Check out my friend Elle’s post for the inspiration - http://thegratitudegarden.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/day-1-every-journey-begins-with-a-single-step/.

Today’s 5 blessings:

1. A wonderful, healthy, fun family - I often get frustrated or irritated, but I have amazing kids and a fantastic husband.

2. Worshiping with a great group of sincere people – our church isn’t just a “smidgen of religion” – it’s a true group of worshipers!

3. Down time – I love relaxing on a Sunday afternoon.

4. Little Man – that giggle just fills me with joy!

5. Hope – this new year is completely unwritten (at least from my perspective). I’m looking forward to seeing how the story goes!

Such a pretty day at the Refuge!

2011-10-17T22:06:00.001-07:00

More fall colors at the refuge, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

You can read about our trip at http://scrivnerburg.blogspot.com. Thanks!

Up close and personal

2011-10-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

The daily assignment at Oh, Shoot! was to get in close to our subject. I don’t find it difficult to get close to this subject – he’s so adorable, wonderful, and precious! Nope. No bias here.

A Daily Shoot That Features an Old Subject

2011-09-15T23:36:00.001-07:00

TDS-old, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
This iron staircase model was made by my grandfather probably around 50 years ago. He designed and patented this type of circular staircase that didn't have a center pole. My grandparents had a full-size staircase in their house that was more elaborate than this one, and as a child I loved the sound of that staircase and the entertainment it provided - it was better than a jungle gym for a kid!

I love my Daily Shoot photo

2011-09-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

Today is National Chocolate Milkshake Day, and the Daily Shoot assignment was to depict our favorite interpretation of "equality." Equality = sharing our chocolate milkshake equally.

Still just love this man to pieces. :: happy sigh ::

Fancy and Dale and Smoky Golden Light

2011-09-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Fancy wanted a new profile photo for Facebook, so we hurried down the street to catch the last rays of golden light. The smoky, smoky air gave the warm light an even oranger tone, but we got some nice shots.

And some goofy ones…

A path to follow

2011-09-09T20:35:00.001-07:00

TDS-path, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

If you were to follow this path you would find a river, pieces of a concrete something-or-other (old bridge? pier?), and smoke. And more smoke. And you'd probably find some smoke, too. Today's Daily Shoot assignment was to make a photo with a path or road that leads the eye through the shot. I'm not overly enthusiastic about this one, but it has the required elements, so here it is.

I would have skipped this one altogether except that I needed to go scope out locations for some headshots I need to take next week. I want outdoorsy backgrounds, and this "park" (Stevensville River Park) offers plenty of outdoorsiness. (Is that a word? Let's say "yes.")

I'm a bit tired of the smoke - besides the fact that it clogs all our sinuses and heads up, it also keeps the kids inside. Can you imagine the result of 7, 9, or 10 (eventually, we had 10 here today) kids stuck indoors for hours on end? Yeah - the headlines would be MOM GOES STARK-RAVING MAD! Fortunately for all of us, the wind must have changed direction this evening because it cleared off enough that I could let the kids out for a while after dinner. Whew. I didn't have to pull out the duct tape.

It feels like bedtime around here, so I'm going to go see how much sleep I can get before Little Man calls for his next meal...but I think I might forage for chocolate first.

Time for baby photos!

2011-09-08T16:03:00.001-07:00

A friend posted some adorable infant photos on Facebook yesterday, and she inspired me to take similar ones of our Little Man. I can’t share all of them here, but I specifically took a couple that I would be able to share…

I’ve gotten back into the habit of shooting daily since Oh, Shoot! has taken off. We are using The Daily Shoot for daily inspiration, and it’s been great. Today’s assignment was to shoot a simple shape using light and composition to “make it sing.” This was my shot for that assignment…

(The object is a ring that I just purchased for myself.)

Testing again

2011-09-06T18:39:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous G, a set on Flickr.

I found out during my last test (which I deleted) that the set of photos won't update when I edit it on Flickr. Phooeys. So I'm posting it again.

There seems to be a trend…

2011-09-02T07:51:00.001-07:00

…in my daily photos.

August 29

August 31

September 1

I may not be able to share his face on my blog, but Little Man is certainly making a showing!

If you haven’t already checked us out, be sure to stop by Oh, Shoot! We have a scavenger hunt going on today – it’s going to be fun!

I’ve been so busy…

2011-08-28T22:13:00.001-07:00

…with the baby, work, family, and the new Facebook group, Oh, Shoot! that I have neglected to post any of my recent photos here! I’m going to just post a few so you can see that I have been shooting, and then I’ll try to keep this blog a bit more current.

Here’s my favorite from Creamery Picnic…

And one that was taken for a photo scavenger hunt…

(Edited with ReDynaMix HDR plugin for Photoshop Elements)

This one was from today – a response to The Daily Shoot assignment, “a single element”.

See? I have been taking pictures! If photography is your thing, please come on over to Oh, Shoot! and join in the fun and frivolity!

Please join us!

2011-08-02T11:48:00.001-07:00

Our Project 365 fan page on Facebook is moving over to a more user-friendly group format. We’ve changed the name to Oh, Shoot!, and we’re having a great time sharing photos and thoughts. Please come on over and join us! http://www.facebook.com/groups/ohshootgroup/?ap=1

Today we were challenged to shoot something in our favorite color. My favorites are blue and purple, so I went in search of some bluey-purpley flowers…

The vintagey collage frame came from The Coffeeshop Blog. I just love her stuff.

What have you been shooting lately?

Exciting times in Scrivnerburg!

2011-08-01T20:41:00.001-07:00

Nana got us an Insect Lore Butterfly kit a while back, and we got our caterpillars and started watching the whole metamorphosis. It was fun and interesting, but nothing compared to the unbridled excitement of watching butterflies emerge from the chrysalises!

I wish I had had the time and inclination to chronicle the entire process with my camera, but it’s just been such a busy, busy time…

Here’s an over-processed shot of one of the butterflies immediately after it came out of the chrysalis. It’s over-processed so you can really see the butterfly.

One more shot of the excitement…

There was so much squealing, dancing, yelling, exclaiming, and exulting today that I finally had to send the kids around the corner to play. Well, I didn’t really send them – they went. But I didn’t bring them back. I did go check on them a couple times though. It was such a relief to have a semi-quiet house for a while! I’m sure the butterflies thought so, too. Kathy, thank you for allowing my children to take over your space this afternoon – you don’t know what that did for my dwindling sanity!

Here’s one last shot of Flyer One showing off (they’re all named Flyer – Flyer One, Flyer Five, and the Flyer Triplets.)

Guess what I did!

2011-07-31T20:44:00.001-07:00

I finally took some pictures! It’s about time! Here are a few from today that I really liked…

I love taking detail shots of a moment. This is Caleb’s new whistle (thanks, Mom), and he has been enjoying it ALL day! I’m sure you can imagine what that means.

I went over to my neighbor’s sunflower garden this evening just to take a sundrenched sunflower shot. I love sunflowers. I may have mentioned that before.

I just love the sincere happiness on his face. (That weird cheek shape is from the dappled light through the maple trees.) He was having fun playing with our pastor when I took this shot. My boys do not believe in shirts in the summer.

Thanks for stopping by! I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get back to taking photos regularly – I’ve really missed the creative outlet!

Life is so busy around here!

2011-07-13T16:41:00.001-07:00

We have so many things going on these days! Baby feeding, me working, Ken working, baby cuddling, kids’ appointments, baby feeding, plans for family activities, baby cuddling, people visiting (the baby, I’m sure), baby feeding, housework, more appointments, more feeding, more cuddling…

(This close-up makes Little Man look bigger than he is – he actually weighs somewhere around 9.5 lbs, and is probably 21-22 inches long.) He’s really not very big, but he’s growing well! At his well child check last week he had gained 14 ounces in 14 days. Whoohoo, Little Man!

He’s still waking up 2-3 times (at least) a night, so I’m not getting nearly as much sleep as my body and brain would like. I just keep reminding myself that I’ve made it through this 4 times before, so I can handle this. The only problem with that is that myself always responds with “you were younger then.” Whiner.

Dale is turning out to be a great babysitter for Little Man. He is a natural with a tiny infant – he isn’t afraid to carry him around or change his diapers. That is such a help to me! The other kids love to hold him, but most of them are very stiff and awkward with such a little person. I’m sure they’ll be more comfortable when he’s not so fragile.

I am so thankful for all the blessings that friends and family have bestowed upon Little Man and our family. He is completely outfitted now, thanks to the generosity of so many people. I also discovered Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program! Yay! We can subscribe to have things like diapers sent to us on a schedule, and we get a discount on them. It’s a great deal for someone like me who lives near the boonies and can’t get to a discount store easily. And I discovered that the price was actually less than I could get in Missoula, anyway (as far as I could tell from home). Whoohoo! Convenience and savings! I love it!

Okay…I must get on with making dinner. These kids like to eat. A lot. Tonight I think they’ll have bread and water. I don’t have the energy for anything more complicated than that.

Oh – and one more picture, just because I love my son’s fashion sense…

(For my long-time followers – I apologize that all my photos these days are cell phone snaps – I promise that I will pick the big, bad 7d up again soon.)

Oh, and an update – Ken has suggested that we toast the bread so the kids have toast and water. Variety, you know.

I’m past due for a book review!

2011-07-11T14:46:00.001-07:00

Life has been so busy in Scrivnerburg the last few months that I have not even had time to post a review of the most recent book I received from WaterBrook Multnomah. The book, which is the first fiction book I’ve reviewed, is called Lilies in Moonlight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Okay – that’s not much of a review, so let me give you a little more detail.

Lilies in Moonlight is by Allison Pittman. Ms. Pittman captured my attention immediately with a struggling but spirited young woman determined to make her way in the world. Although the book was set in the 1920’s, I really felt like I connected with Lilly, the main character, from the beginning. That doesn’t happen often. Lilly was living the life of the world – poor choices and all – before she was taken in by a Christian family. As she dealt with the idiosyncrasies of this family, she came to seek her peace in God. Lilies in Moonlight is very definitely Christian fiction, but it doesn’t have a syrupy, smarmy gospel message. The characters are portrayed as typical, flawed people who learn through their mistakes. I loved that aspect of the story – the people came across as real, as did their faith in God.

If you enjoy Christian fiction, or even if you don’t, I recommend this book for some fun summer reading. It will take you on a joyful journey!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Just a reminder

2011-06-18T07:47:00.001-07:00

For my regular readers here who might be missing me (?), I am posting about our Little Man/NICU adventure over on my family blog. I’m posting several times a week, so you can keep up with me there. I’ll be back here when I have time an availability to do the daily photo thing again.

Thanks for following!

I have not been posting!

2011-06-13T19:19:00.001-07:00

Our family has been very, very busy with a special project lately. I haven’t even had time to take many pictures, let alone share them on my blog. If you’re my Facebook friend you probably already know some of the story, but for those who aren’t on Facebook, and for those who want to know more, you can check out my family blog.

I do have some photos to share, and I will probably post a catch-up blog post soon. Thanks for “following”!

American Flag on Memorial Day

2011-05-30T10:10:00.001-07:00

American Flag on Memorial Day, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I am so thankful for the heroes that have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom. Please take a moment to read this post by Admiral James Stavridis - blog.usni.org/2011/05/28/the-words-they-leave-to-us-adm-j...

Sunday Brunch

2011-05-29T18:44:00.001-07:00

fruit salad, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Our church didn't have services here today, so my mom invited us over for Sunday brunch. She planned sourdough waffles and blueberry syrup - deciousness! I offered to bring a fruit salad, and my mother-in-law brought whipped cream...doesn't all that sound like a perfect combination? It was.

I didn't remember to take pictures of the waffles, syrup, and whipped cream. Oops. Something happened to them. They were on a plate, and then they were gone. Sorry. Well, not really sorry. They were absolutely magnificent!! The fabulous sourdough waffles, the tart blueberry syrup, the creamy/sweet whipped cream...ahhhhhhh. It was wonderful. Oh yeah, and the fruit salad tasted fresh and summery too.

Thank you, Mom! It was just perfect, and we all really enjoyed it!

I think my mom found the secret to getting yard work done too. After the perfect meal we went outside and dug up this part, tilled that part, transplanted these, weeded those...and Caleb relocated some worms. He's a very careful gardener - he even knew the new flower bed needed worms.

Can you guess what I did after I came home? Yes, it starts with "n" and ends with "ap". What a nice Sunday!

Rainbow Pitstop

2011-05-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Pitstop, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

As we were coming home from Dale's baseball game we saw this lovely rainbow. We were actually able to see the entire thing, but I didn't have a lens that would capture it (I need a wide-angle!) and I haven't put my panorama together yet. I love the serenity of this photo.

I also love the fact that when we stopped in the roadside pullout to take pictures, my kids hopped out, oohed and aahed, and then started picking up garbage along the side of the pullout and road. Without any prompting from me, they just picked up trash and found a bag in the car to keep it in. Awesomeness! I love those people!

I love these puffypinkballs.

2011-05-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

I love these puffypinkballs., a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

I got a new add-on for my Retro Camera app (for my cell phone) and I tried it out on these puffypinkballs. (What are they really called?) I love them, and I like the aged look to the photo, but I will take some "real" shots with my good camera too.

We've been having quite a bit of non-camera-friendly weather lately. It's kind of a bummer. I would like to get out and take some joyful pictures of my kids! I love this blog - http://www.kellehampton.com/ - I love studying her joyful kid photos. Maybe I'll get to take some tomorrow.

A trip to Michele's

2011-05-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Michele has two Norwegian Fjord mares that recently had the most adorable babies...

We had a baseball game out in her neighborhood, so we stopped by to see the horses. Oh my goodness - they are the cutest things!!! So soft, sweet, funny...we all loved them! The one little lady - Tule' (pronounced Tula) - loved all the kids, but Kristi especially. She followed her around and kept begging for more attention. The other little lady - Tine' (pronounced Tina - they are Norwegian, after all) - was more shy, but quite willing to be photographed. They are both so beautiful. The mamas, Tone' and Tessa, were content to nibble grain while we admired their offspring. All 4 are lovely ladies, and it was a fun visit.

A new experiment

2011-05-21T15:47:00.001-07:00

I’ve been trying out a new (to me) concept of “freelensing.” Here are a couple shots I’ve taken this way…

This was one of my first attempts, and I removed my 28-135mm lens and turned it around backwards to get the macro effect. Here is a shot of this stem of flowers with the lens mounted properly…

This one was taken with my 50mm lens removed and turned backwards…

Here is one taken with the 28-135mm removed and held in its normal orientation…

Now I’m going to go back to planning camping trips! I love planning camping trips! I think I might even like the planning more than the implementing. But it’s all fun. I do wish I could get a fold up kitchen that would unfold and be complete – sink, stove, garbage can, canopy…all set up in one motion. But I guess I’ll make do with the setup we’ve been using.

(You may remember this shot from last year’s South Dakota trip.)

Fields of Sunshine

2011-05-20T15:03:00.001-07:00

Fields of Sunshine, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

I stopped on a side road on the way home from Hamilton to take this shot of the lovely sunshine flowers. They sure do make a pretty field!

I took this photo with my HTC Incredible. I used to hate posting cell phone photos on my blog, but I have a different view on that now. First, I have a great cell phone! It takes 8mp photos, and it's quite fast. I love the results I get from it. But beyond that, I have concluded that one does not have to have the big guns (Canon 7d in my case) to get good photos, or to capture memories. Sometimes it's more important to use what you have available - if I had waited until I could come back with my 7d this field would have been full of poofyheads. That might be a nice photo in itself, but not the lovely spring image that I feel I captured here. Granted, the quality is not perfect, and the window glare in the bottom left might be a distraction, but the moment - the spring beauty - is here for me to remember.

I have found this especially important when it comes to shots of the kids. Some of my favorite kid photos have been taken with a cell phone because I had that in my pocket. Those moments would be lost to me and to my loyal readers/viewers if I had to go get the DSLR. So...all that to say this...I am so thankful for my cell phone camera!

Here are a few of my favorite cell phone shots (if you get the email version of this blog, please go to the web version to see the additional photos).

As you can tell…

2011-05-15T17:55:00.001-07:00

…life has been very busy in Scrivnerburg! We’ve had a lot of baseball games…

Spring (and flowers) has really sprung…

We’ve celebrated National Chocolate Chip Day with chocolate chip pancakes…

And after an afternoon spent with Caleb, Mom and Elaine planting flowers, I went on a search for the Daily Shoot assignment, “leading lines.”

We’ve been busy!

Lovely Weather!

2011-05-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Lovely weather storyboard, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
It is a gloriously beautiful day in Western Montana! FINALLY! The weather is perfect, the kids are outside, the sky is blue...ahhhhhhhh.

I loved this view...

2011-05-08T20:55:00.001-07:00

IMAG0217-1, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

I took this shot with my cell phone on the way to Hamilton. Spring is slowly working its way into the valley.

It was a good Mother's Day, although my sweetie wasn't here to celebrate it with us. While he was attending church and shopping in Indiana, we attended church and worked our little fingers to the bone here.

Andrew and Caleb cooked scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast today, and then we all headed off to church. When we came home Austin and Nathan prepared pizza for lunch, and then all of us started cleaning the front yard and the front of the house. I told the kids if they worked hard and did a good job I'd take them to Dairy Queen. It seems kinda crazy for a near-hermit like me to take 6 kids to DQ by myself, but I thought it would probably be the incentive they needed to work. It was a good plan - they all worked really well, and my house looks so so so so so much better! The broken toys are gone from the front yard, the mud is off the front of the house, the mess is out of the flower beds...yay!

So we headed to Nana's to drop off her Mother's Day flowers, and then we all went to DQ. They were almost perfect! It wasn't even stressful for me! Whoohoo!

We all enjoyed our ice cream, and then came home and collapsed all over the living room. We were so tired and stuffed with ice cream that we didn't even get around to the dinner Dale wanted to cook until 8pm!

It was really a nice Mother's Day! Thanks, kiddos!

Caleb at Tylers Party

2011-05-07T21:04:00.001-07:00

Caleb at Tylers party.jpg, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

I took my four younger boys to a birthday party today. They had a good time playing in someone else's yard and eating Spiderman cake. Caleb wore his Spiderman mask on his head most of the time. Goofy boy.

After the party we went to K&S Nursery in Corvallis. I love that place, but my appreciation is nothing compared to Caleb's opinion. All the boys were eagerly choosing hanging baskets for Grandma, and finding treasures they wanted, but Caleb was asking, "What's this one? Doesn't this one smell good? Will this one keep having flowers?" I asked them how old one has to be to become an apprentice at the nursery - I'm sure Caleb would love it! They said he's a bit on the young side. Bummers.

It's a Bug's Life

2011-05-06T22:07:00.001-07:00

It's a bug's life, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

I wanted to capture the detail in these budding maple leaves...they're so tiny, and rough...very interesting. I've never photographed them at this stage. While I was studying and shooting this one somebody showed up for the photo op! Have I mentioned how much I love my 7d? The detail and sharpness I get with this camera just thrills me!

Another point - the fact that these leaves are coming out and the ant was crawling around means that spring really and truly is here! Whoohoo! Caleb keeps picking dandelions and asking me each time if it means spring is here. It's really hard to teach kids about the seasons when the seasons just won't change!

Random Dandy

2011-05-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Random dandy edit, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The Daily Shoot assignment was "randomness." The first dandelion bouquet of the season has gone to seed...but it was the first random thing that caught my attention. I like how it looks now as much as when it was yellow.

Was it supposed to be about baseball?

2011-05-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

When we go to our children’s baseball games we’re probably supposed to focus on that…and take pictures of that…right? Oops. I found this irresistible “little” guy that had my attention for a whole lot of the game.

I have the bit of Caleb’s head in here just so you can really get an idea of how big this baby is. He’s 15 weeks old, and he’s humongous! And adorable! And sweet! His name is Zeus, and I just love him!

Oh yeah…and Austin played baseball.

(He’s batting.)

A lot of our family life revolves around baseball right now. For about 6-8 weeks every spring we seem to do almost nothing but baseball. These junior boys of summer have been having a great time!

Such a happy/sad day

2011-05-03T06:17:00.001-07:00

Fancy and Ken left this morning for Indiana. I am so excited for Fancy, and I am very proud of her. She has come so far and become such a loving, caring young woman. I can’t wait to see what God does with her now! But I’m also sad because we are all going to miss her so much. I keep reminding myself that this is the way it’s supposed to be…they’re supposed to grow up and move on into life. That’s right.

I made a video for the graduation party – it seems like just the thing to share on this amazing day in Fancy’s life – the day she steps out of the familiarity and comfort of Scrivnerburg and into the big, amazing world.

Seven Goofy Scrivner Kids

2011-05-02T19:43:00.001-07:00

Seven goofy Scrivner kids, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

We spent some time at a park today, visiting with Fancy and Dale's birth mom, goofing off, and taking pictures. I wanted one more shot of all 7 kids together...so what do I get? Goofiness. What do you expect in Scrivnerburg?

Fancy the Graduate

2011-05-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

Fancy the graduate, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Fancy did it! She made it through high school! They even gave her a diploma! We are so proud of her. She's had quite the journey to get here. I know that all of that was just preparing her for an amazing life! Fancy, in the words of the Great Nate the Bean, you're magnificent!

We had a wonderful party for her at the church after the ceremony - many people came out to celebrate with her and wish her well on the next leg of this great journey. Overall, it was a wonderful day!

Next comes the sad part...Fancy is leaving Tuesday for Indiana. We will all miss her, but there is one person who is just devastated at the thought of her departure...

Fancy finds herself comforting Caleb often.

The Daily Shoot suits my mood

2011-04-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

black and white maple buds, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

The Daily Shoot assignment was "black & white." The black and white treatment suits the weather today. It did NOT feel like spring today. The high was in the 40's, I think, and it was windy, cold, and blustery today. Really miserable weather for spring, but nothing compared to what people are dealing with in the South. The horrific tornadoes across the southern states are unfathomable to me. I have been thinking about and praying for all those affected all day today.

Track & Field Day!

2011-04-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Nathan racing, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

The second and third graders had track & field day today. Nathan ran in a few races and did a few other activities (potato shuttle, t-ball...something else). I don't think he won anything, but since they don't really recognize the winners, it didn't matter. He just loved participating. He had a huge grin on his face the entire time!

Kristi was there too (she's in 3rd grade this year) but she didn't participate in any of the activities. She stuck with her teacher all afternoon. She had a grand time too. I saw her yelling and jumping up and down like a cheerleader several times. I think she probably got more exercise cheering her friends on than they got running!

The only down side was that it was cold. And windy. And cold. And threatening rain. And windy. And cold. Nana, Grandpa, Felice and I ended up leaving before all the events were done because it was too windy. And cold.

Fancy finished up high school today. Zowie! She graduates on Sunday. The other kids have all next week, and then they're done for the year too. This year has been a challenge (with the school days being longer) but it's gone by so fast!

(I'm not sure if I've covered this before, but our school year is short this year because of a major construction project at the school. They have to be out - everything out - by May 6.)

There's so much going on in these last couple weeks of school. Field trips, concerts, activities, ceremonies...busy days!

Through the knothole

2011-04-25T18:33:00.001-07:00

Through the knothole.jpg, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

The Daily Shoot assignment for today was "Make a photograph that features a circle today." When I was outside looking for circles I found a knothole in the fence. I liked the different (maybe quirky?) take on the "circle" theme.

This is what I really felt like all day...but I didn't take the nap. I probably should have.

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T18:45:00.001-07:00

Easter 2011, a set on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
A few shots from our wonderful Easter afternoon.

This was a test to see how Flickr's new sharing setup works on photo sets. I'm not thrilled. Since it only brings square thumbnail photos into the blog you'll have to click the Easter 2011 link to get to the set on Flickr and see the photos in their true glory (or whatever). Thanks for looking!

Visitors!

2011-04-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

My dad and my brother came for a short visit. During their brief time here we seemed to have a bit of a theme going on... I think these two were Velcroed together. I took other photos too, but the majority were definitely of Trouble and Double Trouble. I really did take some photos with my 7d, but I haven't even had time to upload them yet.

Argh!

2011-04-20T08:54:00.001-07:00

Argh!, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

I wasn't kidding about using my calendar for today's post.

Via Flickr:
This calendar doesn't include my husband's full-time school schedule (he's in college) or my work schedule (I work at home part-time). Right now I am really looking forward to the middle of May!

Birthday Daffodils

2011-04-19T21:23:00.001-07:00

birthday daffodils, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

My mother brought me these lovely daffodils for my birthday. I adore the vase! I should have taken the time to set up my lights and do this up right, but time is in short supply this week. I love how sharp my photos come out even in poor light with the 7d. It's awesome!

This week has gone from busy to crazy. I might just take a picture of my calendar tomorrow instead of trying to post some inspired creation. We have work, church activities, baseball, a school concert, family visiting, baseball, more school functions, more work, more baseball...

Next week we have more school functions, Special Olympics, graduation festivities, church activities, and guess what else...? Yep. Baseball. I just hope I get to see some of it! I also hope the weather warms up so it's fun to watch the games. We love to take a picnic dinner to the ball fields and eat out in the fresh air... Spit sunflower seed shells on the ground... Hand out brownies to more kids than we knew we had... Drink Capri Suns with the kids... Sounds like baseball to me! We didn't get to do all that last year - it was too cold all season. I'm really hopeful for this year, but April hasn't been encouraging. May will be great! I'm sure of it!

Anyway...I'd better quit rambling and get myself to bed. I have to get up early to finish the work I was too tired to finish tonight.

::sigh::

I was caught up once.

Birthday narcissus

2011-04-17T15:28:00.001-07:00

Birthday narcissus, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

My local "birthday twin", JoAnn, gave me this beautiful plant for my birthday (tomorrow). I love daffodils/narcissus. They always look so happy and delicate.

Uhoh - I just remembered that I was supposed to get laundry done today. I guess I'd better not spend anymore time ruminating on my blog post. Bye!

A new self-portrait!

2011-04-16T15:53:00.001-07:00

One of these days I’ll get a good shot of my new haircut (if I can get it styled like Corey did), but today you just get a quick self-portrait taken with my HTC Incredible and Retro Camera. I love my new haircut – it’s so springy, swishy, and sassy!

Not award-winning photography, but…

2011-04-16T15:52:00.001-07:00

I love all the textures in this little patch of spring. The grass gives me hope that we will soon have warm weather and sunny days. I just liked the combination of pine cones, grass, sticks, lumber, and who knows what else. This was shot for the Scavenge Challenge on Flickr.

More pets!

2011-04-16T15:49:00.001-07:00

I promise there are other beings in Scrivnerburg besides the pets. As I said before, it’s been a very busy week, so I’ve just snapped photos as the opportunity arose. I just caught this moment between Crunch and Molly. Two best buddies who like to pretend they’re not.

Again–apologies for a lack of posts

2011-04-16T15:47:00.001-07:00

I had a couple very, very busy work weeks, and I just wasn’t able to get everything done. I had to let the blog slide until I was caught up on work. I’m thrilled to say that I am currently all caught up! Whoohoo! I don’t have to work extra hours, nor do I have to put in any over this weekend to “finish up.” Whew!

I think Queen Cheerio was feeling a bit left out with all the focus being on the recently shredded Crunch. She’s been much more affectionate and talkative than normal. I took a picture of her for a photo challenge, and to stroke her ego just a bit.

Easter Pretties

2011-04-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

Easter pretties, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

My precious friend bought some Easter clothes for my kids. This is Kristi's dress and headband. I can't wait to see her in it! It's so girly and pretty! She bought dresses for her girls too, and I'm going to take pictures of all 3 girls in the Easter Pretties. Fun, fun, fun!

Look who came to visit!

2011-04-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Dove, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

This dove and another came to visit our yard, and I think they may have brought spring with them!

We celebrated Nathan's birthday today...here's my favorite shot from the day.

Crunch is home.

2011-04-09T18:07:00.001-07:00

Crunch is home, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

My apologies...this should have been posted yesterday.

Here's the sequel to yesterday's sad story. Crunch is back home with a stitched and taped up foot, a shaved and doctored head, antibiotics, and pain meds. He was one torn up kitty! He and Kristi are both happy to have him home, but Crunch thinks he should be allowed to go outside. His humans think he should stay inside and avoid the shredder he obviously went through yesterday.

Date Night!

2011-04-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

A converted version of my TDS Grid, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

We got to go on a date! Whoohoo! My sweet husband took me out to the steak house (dinner and peanut butter pie - magnificent!) and to see the movie Limitless. Based on the info I saw online I wasn't too sure I would like it, but it turned out to be a pretty good movie. I liked the premise. It had a bit more gore than I really wanted to see, but otherwise I enjoyed it. The date was wonderful! I enjoy spending time with my sweetheart. I guess that's good, because he says I get to keep him for a long time. :-)

Anyway...that's the news for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Sadness

2011-04-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

Sadness, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Sometimes only cuddles with Daddy will make it better. Kristi's cat is at the vet's overnight because he injured his foot and needs to have it fixed up. She is worried and despondent. Crunch will be fine, but it's hard to convince her of that right now.

Sorry - but this must be done.

2011-04-06T20:55:00.001-07:00

I apologize - I realize I haven't even posted photos for the last couple days yet...and I didn't take any of these...but I loved every single one. I MUST share it! Please, please, please take the time to check out this link.

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2011-03-16/50-photos-of-basset-hounds-running/

I desperately need a basset.

Some assignments are hard!

2011-04-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

The Digital Photography School weekend assignment was “street photography.” The idea is to shoot people and activities out in public – most street photography has an urban edge, they’re often black and white, and they generally have people in them. Stevensville is not urban. In fact, the sidewalks are practically rolled up on a Sunday afternoon. I strolled all the way down Main Street (both sides) and I only saw 3 other people the whole time! I did see this guy – he’s pretty reliable…

He’s made up of old vehicle parts. A very cool sculpture.
I got some exercise in, anyway. Yay!

It’s time for a family portrait!

2011-04-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Fancy will be graduating (GAK!) in a month, and then she will be heading off to Indiana for who-knows-how-long. I wanted to be sure to get a new family photo before she’s gone. I wanted to go down to Father Ravalli park and use the great expanse of grass…but it was quite rainy. Instead, we cleaned the living room, moved the furniture, set up the studio lighting (Felice, I LOVE that new flash!), and took a new family photo!

We tried to get Molly in the shot(s), but she wouldn’t cooperate, so we didn’t manage to get even one family photo with her in it. Oh well. All the kids cooperated, so I’m happy. After we were done shooting we went to the grocery store and everyone got to pick out candy as a reward for getting a good family portrait.

We finished up Saturday by watching Tangled. It was great! We all really enjoyed it! The whole day turned out to be a good Saturday in Scrivnerburg.

April Fool’s Fun!

2011-04-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

We had an April Fool’s Day party at the church. We ate good food, played a lot of games, and had a great time! Glenda brought spaghetti and meatballs – in the form of cupcakes! What a great treat for April Fool’s Day!

If you’d like to see more photos of the fun evening, you can find them here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=286729&id=78635363756. (I hope! Facebook’s new photo stuff doesn’t always work the way I would hope.)

It’s book review time!–Awakening by Stovall Weems

2011-03-31T09:07:00.001-07:00

I was given the opportunity to review Awakening by Stovall Weems. It was interesting to me because it promised an awakening in my relationship with God. I have been walking with Him for a couple decades now – I love Him, and appreciate all He’s done for me – but I had let my relationship get stale. I was eager for a boost in my personal connection to God. The cover copy promised a satisfying and passionate relationship with my Savior – I love the word “passionate!” It exudes excitement, energy, enthusiasm! That’s exactly what I was looking for!

The subtitle of the book is “A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom.” I’ve never been one who fasts often, so I wasn’t sure how that would work for me…but maybe that’s the reason my relationship was stale? As I began to read the book and understand what the Bible has to say about fasting, I realized I have been missing a large facet of my spiritual life.

Now I must admit, I haven’t started the fasting portion yet. The math doesn’t work out. The fasting plan is a 21-day program. Because I blog my reviews for WaterBrook Multnomah, and they ask their reviewers to post within 30 days, I had a bit of a mathematical issue. I couldn’t read the book and do the fast within the 30 days with my current schedule.

With that said, I have to say that Stovall Weems has already jump-started my renewed relationship with God. He speaks of living daily in a passionate, joyful walk – that’s exactly what I want, and some of the concepts have really opened my eyes:

Passion – “God created us to be passionate about what we love; therefore, we should always be passionate for Him!”
Creating space – “Don’t try to figure everything out. Just create some space for God.”
Fasting – “Fasting hits the reset button of your soul.”

Just these small snippets have made a difference in my spiritual walk. If you’re looking for renewed zeal, want to take another step forward in your Christian walk, or are just starting along God’s path, I recommend that you read Awakening.

I’m going to make some spiritual space for God!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

My littlest artist

2011-03-29T19:30:00.001-07:00

TDS inside activity, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Caleb loves loves loves artistic activities, so the Daily Shoot assignment (being inside) worked well for us today. It's a very chilly spring day - one that called for a fun indoor activity. Maybe I'll share some masterpieces later - this was shot just as Dubbies was getting started painting.

Oh - and I actually got my 7d out for this photo! No cell phone shot today!

It’s a monochrome Monday

2011-03-28T21:07:00.001-07:00

The Daily Shoot assignment was black & white, so I played around with a variety of black and white images. I ended up liking two that I took with my cell phone more than any others. This first one is my new cabasa. I love it! It makes great sounds that add some texture to our worship music at church.

I can’t wait until I have really mastered this thing. There’s more to it than a simple shake. Some really cool sounds can be made with it!

This one was taken with my phone and an app called Camera360.

This is the pencil sketch option in the app. I like the minimalist-type feel to this one.

My sweet friend Felice gave me an early birthday present – a new Canon flash! That means I once again have 2 working flashes! I can do some real indoor portrait work if I want to! Yay! I can’t wait to get stuff set up and really play with my 2 flashes now!

What are you working on in your photography skills?

A sure sign of spring

2011-03-27T16:19:00.001-07:00

A sure sign of spring, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Okay, now I believe it! My mom's and my neighbor's crocuses are coming up! Whoohoo! Spring is really coming! It may not feel like it yet - it's only 47* F outside - but these crocuses really do mean spring! Whew!

Caleb went on a crocus hunt for me. I asked him to check Bonnie's yard for any flowers peeking up, and he came racing back to the house yelling, "They're UP! They're UP!" He was so so so so excited to see flowers! We are going to have to get that kid a garden plot. Who needs Transformer toys and video games? Give him a shovel, some seeds, and a watering can and he'll be a happy boy.

Happily snoozing together

2011-03-26T19:31:00.001-07:00

Happily snoozing together, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

The Daily Shoot challenge today was to capture "happiness." These two guys were unquestionably happy. It was a busy Saturday - especially for Ken - but he took time to have a few moments of peace.

Have I mentioned how much I love my new cell phone? The phone signal is terrible inside my house, but otherwise the phone is perfect! I think that problem has as much to do with my house as anything - Ken's is the only phone that has ever gotten a good signal inside this house. Anyway, the camera is great, and the photo apps that are available are so fun! This one is (once again) Retro Camera Xolaroid.

I'm ready to watch a good movie. Have you seen a good movie lately? What was it? I need some Netflix ideas.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Dubby in motion

2011-03-25T19:30:00.001-07:00

TDS Motion Dubby, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

The Daily Shoot assignment for today is "Make a photograph of something in motion. Use blur to help convey the motion you are capturing." I don't really have blur for this, but I did catch his motion. He was having fun taking the biggest possible steps to get across the field. I love the simplicity of childhood!

Fuzzy spring

2011-03-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Fuzzy spring, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Caleb and I took a walk to see if spring was going to come. It looks like it just might! Caleb loved the fuzziness of these little guys!

What time is lunch?

2011-03-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Lunch time for birdie_edited-1, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

My neighbor has all sorts of interesting things around her house and yard. This is the first time I've seen this one with a visitor.

Lemon Bar Heaven

2011-03-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Lemon Bar Heaven a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

This was a very, very yummy lemon bar from The New Coffee Mill in Stevensville. Absolutely delicious! Caleb and I spent a couple hours working/schooling there, and it worked out okay. We are so glad that the Coffee Mill has reopened!

I had visitors!

2011-03-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Miss C and Mister C 1 a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

These two sweethearts came to visit me today. They just came (and brought their mom) to see us - not for formal photos - but I took their pictures anyway. They are so sweet! They're such happy little people! They are 4 months old, and cute, squishy, cuddly...so precious!

Just a couple kid snaps

2011-03-20T20:17:00.001-07:00

My dad told me today to keep sharing kid shots. I realized that I hadn’t been taking many pictures of the kids, so I decided not to keep waiting for the right moment to get the big camera out. I didn’t even get off the couch! I just went ahead and took a couple cell phone snaps while the boys were just hanging out. The girls weren’t in positions that would allow me to capture them, and I don’t know where Dale was. But here are 4 of my handsome boys.

These guys are just so cute!!

I have to laugh at Nathan though – I don’t think I have more than 3 photos of that child where there is no motion blur. When he was just a year old my dad called him “Wild Man.” Boy, was that the truth! I don’t think he’s still for 5 consecutive seconds!

Thanks for dropping by!