It's on the tip of my tongue...

I Heart Faces–Silly

2012-01-30T15:12:00.001-05:00

Three people in this picture know what’s going on. Two don’t. Silly Dad!

Sarah:)

A Glorious Morning

2012-01-26T21:13:00.001-05:00

Some times in life just grab my attention and make me know that God is so present in my everyday life.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Blueberry Crisp

2012-01-25T23:17:00.000-05:00

Our blueberry season here is in the middle of the summer. Blueberries are in season somewhere because for the past two weeks Publix has had them on sale for $1.99 a quart. We're eating them as fast as we can buy them! Making blueberry crisp is one thing I like to make with them.

I found the pin on Becky Bakes.

Here's the recipe!

Blueberry Crisp

Filling:

5-6 cups blueberries

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping:

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white.)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (I didn't have a lemon so I just added a few splashes of lemon juice.)

1/2 cup butter, melted (I used Brummel and Brown.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish, set aside. Place the berries in a large bowl, set aside. Whisk together the cornstarch and sugar. Sprinkle over the berries and toss together. Add the lemon juice and toss until well coated. Place in a baking dish.

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, spices and zest in a bowl. Add the melted butter and toss until it is all well combined. Sprinkle the topping over the blueberries. Bake for 45 minutes or until the berries are bubbling all along the edges and the topping is golden brown.

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I can't wait to see what you've made! Please link up with Katie and me!

Sarah:)

Perspective–It Matters!

2012-01-24T19:09:00.001-05:00

If you know much about Lightroom 3, please read my previous post. I need help!

Thanks for checking out my Wordless Wednesday post!

Sarah:)

I Need Help in Lightroom 3!

2012-01-23T22:03:00.001-05:00

Hello! I'm experiencing computer difficulties at the moment. Well, not really difficulties, but, shall we say, adjustment problems. We got a new computer a few weeks ago in prepartion of the laptop dying. I needed photoediting software on the new computer so I've installed a 30-day trial of Lightroom 3 to see if like that or want to stick with PSE. I think I will grow to completely love LR3, but right now I'm just confused! I can't find the "undo" button and can only undo something under "Edit". That's too much work for these arthritic hands! Do you have a tutorial your can recommend to me to start learning this new program quickly?

Another problem I'm having is that I messed up the laptop somehow and cannot get anything to download and if I accidently forget to now download anything (like a pdf from a site or something like that), then I can't open up any other programs or tabs online. Drives me nuts! Not sure what to do about it either. It's not a virus (not one that can be detected anyway) and I've tried to fix it via internet options in Google Chrome and Internet Explorer, but to no avail. Frustrating!!!!

Signed,
A very frustrated mom,
Sarah:)

P.S. I'm also having bad luck with that picture up there. I can't get it to resize. Goodnight.

Project Pinterest: Map Art

2012-01-19T09:48:00.001-05:00

I saw this pin on Pinterest and knew I had to make it. I fell in LOVE with this idea!

My husband and I have lived in four states together. I had four old canvases that I had painted years ago with each one having a letter of Ryan’s name. They have been sitting in his closet for probably three years. Each was a different color. I thought I wanted each canvas brown. So, I painted each canvas brown. Sticking to my true wishy-washy nature, I decided I didn’t like them in brown. So I repainted them in bright colors. These darn canvases have at least nine coats of paint on them!

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I've very happy with how they came out! This project cost me about $4 in paint and that's it!

Here are the rules:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!
5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

**Please go to Katie's blog to link up and get the button code. I can't get it to work right now.**

Sarah:)

“O” Family Photo Shoot – Lexington, SC

2012-01-18T09:55:00.001-05:00

I had a great time with the “O”s at Harmon Tree Farm for a photo shoot. I continue learning new things about family photography and really do enjoy working with the families and love the post-processing aspect as well. Here is a sampling of our time together.

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If the “O” family were a band, I know they’d choose this as their album cover!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah:)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

I Heart Faces - Family Fun

2012-01-17T13:57:00.001-05:00

I "mustache" you a question. Don't you just love this family photo?

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-14T21:52:00.001-05:00

Stacked Up

This moss is stacked layer upon layer upon layer.

Winter Wonderland

I’m sure there will be no snow for us this year. The gorgeous dawn skies are our winter wonderland trademark I think.

Sweet

Sweet berries. Yum!

Hole

These gas prices are putting a huge hole in my pocket. I’m getting pretty tired of it.

Frozen

My mom gave Ryan money to go get hot chocolate at the flag football game. He came back with blue raspberry frozen ice. What a nut!

Sarah :)

Project Pinterest: Roll-Up Shade Covered with Fabric

2012-01-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Project Pinterest!

This is the pin I pinned.

I was so excited to see this! Poor Ryan has had an ugly plain roll-up shade for as long as we've been here.

It was one of those deals where it was supposed to be a temporary window covering, but I guess we've just never gotten around to taking care of it.

First I ironed the very thin fleece fabric. I do not iron so this was the hardest part of the project for me!

There were a few repair issues that needed to be addressed. Like a true "let's get this done quickly" kind of DIY gal, I used my trusty Scotch tape.

I vacuumed the floor first so the fabric wouldn't be all full of dog hair. With my son's help, I put the fabric on the floor and the placed the shade on top of the fabric. I measured the actual length of the window so I would know how far to go with the fabric since you don't have to put fabric on the part that doesn't roll out. Make sense?

Would you believe my glue gun quit working at this point? Yes it did. I was so aggravated that I was willing to try anything. Elmer's All-Purpose glue it was going to have to be! Once I get going on a project all I want to do is be done with it. I am not what you'd call a detail-oriented person.

So, I applied glue to the shade the laid it on the fabric and smoothed it out as I went along. I started at the top part of the shade.

Periodically, I rolled the shade tightly to ensure the fabric was adhering to the shade.

After the glue had dried (in hindsight, it would've been prudent to wait to get a new glue gun) I hung the shade back up without any problem. It rolled up perfectly! That was my only worry that the fabric would make the rolled up shade too thick and it wouldn't roll back up well. This was no problem though.

This was such a simple and great project. Ryan's shade looks much better and he likes the fabric we picked out. He was pleased. I would highly recommend this project if you already have roll up shades and want to spruce up the shade without purchasing new window coverings.

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Wordless/Wordish Wednesday

2012-01-10T22:44:00.001-05:00

I love when I’m at football games and I get to shoot other kids without them even knowing!

5 Minutes for Mom, The Adventures of Supermom, The Bonafide Life, Not Your Mom Blog,

Sarah:)

When to Change From Color to Black and White

2012-01-09T18:56:00.001-05:00

Don’t you love that title? Makes it sound like I have THE answer, right? Ha! I can tell you my answer, but please, whatever you do, don’t go and try to google the correct answer because I’m pretty sure my answer wouldn’t be it!

Basically, I opt for B&W editing when 1) the colors in the shot are distracting from what you were trying to portray or 2) you’re going for a more dramatic look with highlights and lowlights.

I chose to edit this shot in B&W for reason number 1. The colors were very distracting from what I actually wanted the picture to portray. I wanted the focus to be on their love for each other and their eyes, not the colors of their clothing or their surroundings.

B E F O R E B&W E D I T

B&W E D I T

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-07T20:46:00.001-05:00

One Color

Garnet. He has been wearing this new garnet (USC) t-shirt for about a week straight at this point.

Laundry

I am such a less-that-stellar housewife. I detest doing laundry. Here is the iron; I purposefully put the focus somewhere other than the iron. My focus in life is about 180 degrees from this iron. Ugh!

Empty

This house will be empty next week. The Mommy Mafia is losing one of its members to Alabama. Nothing to be too sad about though. We’ve already planned a spring trip to Atlanta together!

One Dozen (minus one)

Soft

An oldie, but a goodie.

Have an excellent week everyone!

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Crockpot Steel Cut Oats and Apples

2012-01-04T20:36:00.002-05:00

I am so not a resolution person. I find it causes anxiety and a “do-or-die” mentality. That doesn’t work for me. But, I’ll save all that for another post. OK? ;)

Something I can do is to choose one food over another food. One health issue I’m not facing now is high cholesterol, thank God! But, rather than wait for it to get me, I’m trying to keep it at good levels right now. I saw this pin on Pinterest and I’d been wanting to try steel cut oats so I tried this recipe. Steel cut oats are simply whole grains that haven’t been steamed or rolled like old-fashioned oats. Ryan and I love oatmeal and I’ve been looking for something to keep the little guy full until lunch. The steel cut oats that I bought have four grams of fiber and five grams of protein in one serving and this recipe was particularly appealing because it was something I could put in the crockpot before I went to bed and it’d be ready when I woke up.

The recipe is simple!

1 C steel cut oats

1 1/2 C milk

1 1/2 C water

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 peeled and diced apples

2 tsp. ground flax seed (which I didn’t have so I didn’t use)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I used 1 tsp.)

1 1/2 TBSP butter cut into pieces

1/4 tsp. salt

First, spray the crockpot with butter spray. Then mix all ingredients together. Turn on low and cook for 7 hours.

Voila! Breakfast is served!

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Sarah:)

Also linking up at Toys in the Dryer, My Chaos. My Bliss and Tip Junkie!

Easy Sausage Gravy

2012-01-03T20:38:00.001-05:00

It’s COLD in the South. Brrrrrrrr! The heat even kicked in this afternoon. That doesn’t happen much here!

The chilly temps prompted me to make something I rarely make: sausage gravy. It’s easy, tasty, and comforting.

Linking up with the following lovely ladies.

Sarah:)

Drum Roll Please!

2012-01-01T21:20:00.001-05:00

And the winner is...#18, Shannon! Shannon is an old college friend of mine. She is going to spend her cash on coffee drinks for herself! Wahoo! Congrats Shannon!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2012-01-02 02:16:54 UTC

Sarah:)

Memories, Dreams, and Reflections 2011

2011-12-31T20:56:00.001-05:00

I am just glad I made it through this very trying year!

I Love You Kurt

Still Laughing...

Read the sign on the car and notice the toddler is in the front seat, isn’t in a car seat or isn’t even buckled up!

Winter Wonderland

Birthday

Friends

I Was Inspired...

Spring Fever

Travel

Summer Days

A Day In My Life

All Smiles

Autumn Harvest

Not your typical Autumn harvest, but it’s Autumn in SC!

Home

This is not my home, but I’d like it to be!

Celebrate!

Every fourth of July we go to the Gilbert Peach Festival. Every year we don’t want to go to the Peach Festival, but we do anyway. Maybe in 2012 we’ll celebrate a different way!

Let's Do It Again

I Miss You

I miss swimming every day.

Beautiful

Whatever this is, the colors are absolutely beautiful.

Dress Up

Macro

Holidays

My birthday parfait, made specially for me by my boys.

My Favorite

Once a year I eat these little beauties. I look forward to October every year just so I can indulge in these mini-donuts!

Don't Ever Change

I never want to change my sense of awe in everything that God created.

Just Because...So There!

Hopes and Dreams

I hope to get my photography business off the ground in 2012!

Sarah:)

2011 in Photos

2011-12-31T16:20:00.001-05:00

See you next year!

Sarah:)

2011 in Facebook Status Updates.

2011-12-31T11:20:00.001-05:00

I did one of these last year and really enjoyed reading through it. Now, on to a photo collage of 2011!

Have a wonderful last day of 2011!

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Family Shadow Photo

2011-12-28T21:58:00.001-05:00

This photo was my inspiration for Project Pinterest this week.

We’re two hours away from the ocean so I couldn’t use that as a backdrop, but that’s okay. The time of day is a little different too.

Oh well! I love the shot anyway!

Can’t wait to check out your Project Pinterest posts!

Be sure to enter the “You Deserve It” giveaway. You will be thrilled with the prize, I promise!

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Sarah:)

Top 11 Pictures of my Children in 2011

2011-12-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

What a year it’s been! It’s hard to believe it’s already almost over. Here are my top 11 shots of my boys this year. Really though, this isn’t my top, top 11. There’s no way I could go through each and every shot of them from an entire year!

Charlie enjoyed the first snow of the year.

This shot was taken in Camden, SC at a old Revolutionary War-era home.

I’m finding that I’m loving the headless shots just as much as shots of their faces.

The boys love riding their bikes on trails.

This smile makes me melt!

There’s an awful lot going on in that mind.

I have a feeling he’s thinking about Lego “dudes”.

The boys are in the middle set of swings.

Ryan LOVED soccer this year and is so excited to start in the Spring again, which, by the way, is in just a few weeks here in South Carolina!

Hosted by NaptimeMomtog, Click, Pray, Love and Click it up a Notch.

Sarah:)

Second Family Photo Shoot

2011-12-27T18:01:00.001-05:00

***Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post for an important reminder!***

This was my second family shoot. I used many of the things I learned on my first shoot to better the second one. I SLOWED down and made a mental note to think before I act. I tend to be a fast talker and doer. I can slow down if I keep reminding myself.

We had some fun!

I tried to mix it up between poses and candids.

I saw a shadow picture like this on Pinterest and wanted to try it out with this family.

We even got a little goofy!

This mother/son shot just melts my heart.

The adorable little girl wanted to pretend she was holding up the sun. I tried to make it work for her, but it was just too early in the day for this to happen. I thought it was great that she asked me to take a picture of what she thought would be cool! There is a pretty little natural sun flare in the shot though.

It’s no wonder that these two people have children with the most beautiful eyes!

It’s interesting how everyone’s hands are clenched like this. I certainly didn’t say, “clench your fists.” Perhaps this was in anticipation of their near-future jumping.

If the family was a band, I think this would be an excellent cover for their CD.

Sarah:)

P.S. I hope you scrolled all the way to the bottom because I want you to enter the awesome giveaway I have going on now through January 1, 2012!

Buster Bar Dessert

2011-12-26T20:38:00.001-05:00

Do you have a dessert you just CRAVE? I do! It’s Buster Bar Dessert!

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Here’s what you need.

1 package Oreos

1/4-1/2 C butter (melted)

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

2 jars hot fudge sauce (or, if you’re a go-getter, make your own! There are some great recipes on allrecipes.com for homemade hot fudge)

1/2 can Spanish peanuts

Directions: Crush Oreos in a food processor or with a meat mallet in a Ziploc bag until there are no big pieces. Add the sugar with the Oreos. Melt the butter and mix with Oreo crumbs until it forms a stick-together type crust. Press Oreos/butter mixture in a 9x13 pan. Let that sit in the freezer for a little bit (10 minutes or so).

Unwrap the ice cream from the box so you have a brick of ice cream. Use a knife to slice off sections about an inch thick of ice cream to place in the pan on top of the Oreo crust. Use the whole brick. Fill in spaces as necessary. Freeze again for another 10 minutes or so.

Pour the hot fudge (when it’s cool, not hot) over the ice cream layer. Freeze again for another 10 minutes or so.

Sprinkle on the Spanish peanuts. Freeze again until ready to serve.

Before serving, let sit out for a few minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Sarah:)

P.S. I have a very awesome giveaway going on right now! You don't want to miss this opportunity to win $25 for YOURSELF, and only yourself!

Linking up to Tip Junkie.

You Deserve It! CASH Giveaway!!!

2011-12-26T11:07:00.001-05:00

I was blessed beyond measure this Christmas season. Not in just gifts, but in overall life circumstances at the moment. I’d like to pass on some of that fortune to you! Moms tend to put themselves on the backburner during the season (and most seasons actually!). I want this “prize” to go to you! I want you to spend $25 on yourself, and only you! Some things I’d consider buying just for myself if I won, would be…

There are five ways to enter! The first one is mandatory!

1)Mandatory – What would you buy FOR YOURSELF with this money? Leave the answer as a comment.

2)One more entry if you follow my blog. Leave a separate comment that you’re a follower.

3)One more entry if you tweet about this giveaway. Leave a separate comment if you’ve tweeted.

4)One more entry if you blog about this giveaway. Leave a separate comment if you’ve blogged about this giveaway.

5)One more entry if you like my Facebook page. Leave a separate comment if you’ve liked my Facebook page.

I will use randompicker.com to pick the winner. The winner will be chosen and notified on January 1, 2012.

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Family Jumping Photo

2011-12-21T19:09:00.001-05:00

I have always loved jumping shots. They are just so much fun. I have this image pinned on Pinterest.

I did my first family shoot last week. This was one of the first shots we did. The mom commented that this was a great first shot because it really loosened up the family and lightened up the atmosphere.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Sarah:)

Three Unrelated Pictures

2011-12-21T14:55:00.001-05:00

The Paper Mama, Naptime Momtog, Live and Love Outloud, and

Sarah:)

December Sunset

2011-12-20T10:37:00.001-05:00

Aren’t December sunrises and sunsets amazing? I just have to stop and marvel at God’s amazingly beautiful creation!

Sarah:)

15 Things I Learned at My First Family Photo Shoot

2011-12-17T20:17:00.001-05:00

I did my first family photo session today. I learned a lot!

1. ZOOM IN! For some reason I forgot to zoom in and really wish I had. I am super happy with the “far away” shots, but am sad that I didn’t get more close-ups. Next time I will shoot at as many focal lengths as possible.

2. TAKE YOUR TIME! I rushed and rushed and in hindsight, just needed to slow down. Breathe. Relax. Take your time setting up your shots.

3. I really enjoyed doing this! I have always thought I love taking nature photos, but it was great taking shots of a family.

4. SLOW DOWN! This is directly related to #2. I should have slowed down to check the shots I’d already taken. For instance, if I wouldn’t have been in a hyper-speed mode, I would have realized that I needed my other lens for this picture.

5. Take advantage of the time between poses. They can be the best and most touching shots.

6. Sometimes the best shots are shots that you didn’t plan out at all, but the ones where the people put themselves in their own “poses”.

7. Make sure the kids have fun. If the kids aren’t having fun, no one is having fun.

8. Be sure to capture the essence of the children in between planned out poses.

9. Shoot, shoot, shoot! I took over 300 shots in about 30 minutes and I’m so glad I did. This picture captures this family so well! The mom laughs like this a lot. The older son has this somewhat serious quality to him. The younger son is quite the little comedian and the dad stands and smiles like this a lot. If I hadn’t been shooting away, I wouldn’t have caught this “real” moment.

10. Have some fun with it!

11. Try poses even if you think they’re kind of dorky. They might turn out great like this shot!

12. Ignore the rules. This too-sunny shot is perfect, even though it’s technically not perfect.

13. Be sure to capture some special moments between all family members.

14. Getting a picture of just mom and dad is important too.

15. Make sure to take individual shots of all of the kids.

Thank you so much Joly family for giving me the honor of photography your family!

Sarah:)

Kayaking in December When It’s 72 Degrees

2011-12-15T20:38:00.001-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Kitchen Chalkboard Calendar and Menu Planner

2011-12-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

This was one of the very first things I pinned on Pinterest. I knew I needed one of these, so I went to the local thrift store to see what I could find. I found a four-panel, old, garage door that called my name. I loved the color of the paint already so all I’d have to do was cut it in half to have two panels. My husband did that part for me. I painted the two panels with cheap chalkboard paint and am thrilled with the result!

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The original pin can be found at Apartmenttherapy.com. The original used an old door, not an old garage door. Since doing this project a few months ago, I have become obsessed with chalkboard paint. I’ve painted the insides of several cabinets, paper, and old boards for my boys to be able to use in their rooms. The teacher in me is still in love with chalk!

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Sarah:)

Guessing Game!

2011-12-12T20:54:00.001-05:00

Can you guess what event happened to make these boys crack up like this?

I’ll give you some clues.

Clue #1 - It’s a very typical thing for 10 and 11-year-old boys to laugh at.

Clue # 2 - They were all glad it didn’t happen to them.

Clue # 3 - They’re playing flag football, ya know, where you have to pull the flags off of their belt on their waist. I think you must’ve guessed it correctly by now!

The answer: A boy on the other team had his pants pulled down below his butt by a flag-pulling go-getter. I was so happy to have my new lens to be able to capture their reactions!

Sarah:)

How to Have a Cheap and Easy Family Fun Night

2011-12-11T19:31:00.001-05:00

Here is a recipe for a cheap family night of entertainment

1. Tell your family that you are going to have a family fun night, but first tell them ya’ll need to work together as a team to clean the kitchen (or whatever room of your house must be cleaned up). This is about the only way I’ve found to get cleaning done without any hassle from anyone. If they know something fun is coming they’re more likely to whistle while they work.

2. Poll your family what they would like to have for supper. My family chose taco dip. Luckily, I had almost everything needed to make taco dip already on-hand. Some other fun choices are upside-down pizza in a cup, French bread pizza, or delivery pizza.

To make easy taco dip, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning packet with a whisk. Spread refried beans in the bottom of the bowl. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the refried beans. Top with cheddar cheese. If I had gone to the store to get the ingredients for taco dip, I would have also added lettuce, salsa, black olives, green onions, and cilantro, but only on three of ours because the fourth person does not like anything that resembles a fruit or vegetable in any way.

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3. Eat!

4. Do a family drawing. Each family member gets a blank piece of paper and crayons. Decide on a set amount of time to draw. We do about two minutes. When two minutes is up, everyone passes their paper to the right. Then set the timer again for two minutes and draw on the previous person’s paper. Continue to do this as long as you see fit. We usually do it so each drawing goes around the table twice. We keep our family drawings in a binder so we can look back at the creativity and fun we’ve had before.

Pin It

Pin It

5. Play an engaging game like Ruckus, charades, or The Story Telling Game.

6. Share in a special dessert like orange sherbet cake, ice cream, or a Little Debbie snack cake.

7. This step is essential if you have children that need some transition time between fun and bed. Watch a movie or favorite family tv show together while snuggled up on the couch.

Hope you try this family fun night!

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday–Pictures, Poems, and Thoughts on the Nativity Scene

2011-12-10T16:33:00.001-05:00

I just counted and this will be my 35th Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

Less is more

Sometimes the most simple things are the most amazing. After having my dslr for a year, I finally bought myself a new lens! I’m thrilled with its capabilities and am so exited that I finally went ahead and bought the darn thing so I can capture God’s simple wonders, like the moon.

Christmas lights

Ornaments

Nativity

We have multiple nativity sets at our house. Unfortunately, our dog has a craving for Jesus because he has eaten all of the Jesus’ figures from our various sets. I even tried to mix and match sets to have a full nativity scene, but in everyone, Jesus was missing. That holy dog!

Even though I don’t have an actual nativity scene shot, what I do have is very special. Have you ever noticed that the sunsets in December are remarkable? I had to pull off the side of the road to take this shot and the thought crossed my mind that perhaps, this is what Mary and Joseph’s trek looked like as they were walking to Bethlehem in preparation for the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s so comforting to know that this could’ve been a very similar backdrop over 2000 years ago; how things are so very different, yet still so the same. Profound!

Cup of Cheer

***Please read my cinquain about my Cup of Cheer.***

No cup,

No shot of cheer,

No cup of cheer for me.

I can not find a cup of cheer.

No cheer.

Have a wonderful week! Sarah :)

Lexington, SC Christmas Parade 2011

2011-12-09T07:54:00.001-05:00

I love a parade! Here’s a picture-story of our town’s Christmas parade.

Sarah :)

Project Pinterest: Garlicky Steak Fries

2011-12-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

We have always loved steak fries, because of course, regular potatoes are no good (according to the children). They have to be in the form of a fry. I searched far and wide for a great steak fry recipe. I pinned this version of steak fries quite awhile ago.

I did something I rarely do; I followed the recipe to a "T".

8 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 12 wedges
3 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

I used my favorite kitchen tool to mince the garlic: the Pampered Chef Garlic Press. Now, let me tell you something you might not know about me, I LOVE garlic. BUT, this recipe was so garlicky that we could barely eat the finished product. The original recipe says to combine the oil and garlic and microwave for one minute. Then discard the garlic and just use the oil. This did not work well for me, so every time I've made them since, I've totally skipped this step.

I drizzled the oil over the cut up potatoes and covered with Saran Wrap and microwaved for five minutes.

I combined all of the spices and sprinkled them on the hot potatoes. I placed them on a pan and baked for about 30 minutes on 440 degrees.

This was the end result! They were perfect in texture and color. What they were not perfect in is flavor. It was garlic overload to the tenth degree. However, I've made these many times after this first time and simply did away with the garlic. Sometimes I add some ranch seasoning to kick it up a notch.

If I were you, I'd definitely check out the recipe from the Purple Foodie and change according to your preferences.

Pin It

Ready to link up your Project Pinterest post?

Here are the rules:
1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.
2. Create it!
3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.
4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!
5. Link up (on Thursdays) and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Also sharing with Tip Junkie!

Sarah :)

HDR?

2011-12-05T21:02:00.001-05:00

Going solely by memory, I created what I think is a very basic version of an HDR (high dynamic range) image. I took four different exposures of the same shot and then used Photomerge in PSE 8 (File>New>Photomerge Exposure). I’m intrigued by HDR images and cannot wait to get a tripod so I can get some better results!

Sarah :)

I Heart Faces–Footography

2011-12-05T08:05:00.001-05:00

These feet belong to some special women in my life. I wish I would’ve had my feet in the picture as well because I was wearing the exact same flip-flops as my mom was. My grandma and Norma (my surrogate grandma) were wearing the same shoes and we didn’t plan it at all!

Sarah:)

Hello Blondie, Errrr, Monday

2011-12-04T20:24:00.001-05:00

Hello Monday!

Hello second to last full week of school before Christmas break.

Hello week of decorating for Christmas.

Hello week of beautiful holiday desserts…ok fine. I’m just dreaming about that, not actually doing that.

I can’t get these super-easy chocolate chip blondies out of my mind.

Pin It

1 1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan with butter spray. Mix the brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread gooey goodness in the pan, that is, if you have any left after sampling the batter.

Hello delicious calories!

Have a wonderful week!

Sharing this at Tip Junkie!

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday–December 4, 2011

2011-12-03T19:01:00.001-05:00

Portrait

Hello there, pretty lady. Looks like you might need a little moisturizer. ;)

Nostalgic

I loved making friendship bracelets when I was young. Seeing string/thread like this makes me go back down Memory Lane.

Time

By the looks of this picture, it is so hard to believe it is the time of year it is. How can it be December and a hydrangea still be in bloom?

Full of Light

Specifically, full of back-lit sun.

Motion

It was hard to capture this butterfly while he was in (near) constant motion.

Sarah:)

P.S. Don’t forget to join Katie Lloyd and me for Project Pinterest every Thursday!

Toilet Papering

2011-12-02T08:19:00.001-05:00

Some mature friends thought it would be funny to add a little decoration to our yard last night.

This group of ladies and I call ourselves the Mommy Mafia.

Our friendships' formed when we all had little ones seven years ago and we were all active in the MOMS Club. Even though we can go months without seeing each other, when we get together we have the best of times.

We laugh until we cry or pee our pants.

I am so thankful for the Mommy Mafia! What a wonderful group of nine beautiful women!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Gum Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T17:38:00.001-05:00

Do you believe that it's December 1st already? It's hard to believe, isn't it?!

Every year we do some kind of Advent calendar with the boys. In more adventerous years, I've made bags with sayings and candy and strung them on yarn in the kitchen and did similar bags and attached them to a yardstick with clothespins. This year, I really wanted to get them the Star Wars Advent calendar, but sadly, didn't see that until yesterday (online) so it was too late.

A few days ago I saw this wonderfully thrifty Advent calendar on Pinterest and was delighted to find a wonderful blog called http://www.jessicalynette.com .

I love this simple idea of using gum (in lieu of the typical sugary chocoalte) to help count down the days until Christmas. Do check this blog out for other great Advent calender ideas as well!

So I we went to the Dollar Store and bought gum that punches out of the foil wrapper. I bought four packs of gum with 12 in each pack.

I wrote the numbers 1-24 on each piece of foil where the gum pops out.

I wrapped each box with Christmas wrapping paper, then taped the two boxes together.

I made a little tag in Word so the boys would know whose is whose and not fight over it every single morning.

I think they're adorable! It's not the Lego Star Wars Advent calendar that they wanted, but it is sure cute and will serve its purpose of counting down the days until Christmas!

Pin It

Ready to link up your Project Pinterest post?

Sarah :)

P.S. Also sharing with Tip Junkie!

Hello Monday

2011-11-28T07:56:00.001-05:00

Hello last Monday of November.
Hello Monday’s high temperature of 75 degrees.
Hello week of scouts and football practices.
Hello week of wellness (I’m thinking positively here!).
Hello Cyber Monday. I love you so much more than Black Friday.
What are you looking forward to this last Monday of November?

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday – November 27, 2011

2011-11-26T19:25:00.001-05:00

Waiting

We have been waiting and waiting for Ruckus to resurface. We knew it wasn’t lost, lost, just lost. The boys and Kurt cleaned out the garage and found Ruckus in our “donate” pile. What a tragedy that would have been; this is seriously one of the most fun games ever! You don’t have to take turns and you just grab, grab, grab!

Foliage

Candid

Fork

This looks like an ordinary fork, doesn't it? Look closer. This fork was a wedding present. We got married in 1999. This fork has lived in three homes. This fork has been used literally thousands of times.

Rule of Thirds

Don’t forget to join Katie Lloyd and me for Project Pinterest every Thursday!

Sarah:)

Upside-down Pizza in a Mug

2011-11-25T17:37:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday ya'll!

I wanted to share this awesome kid-friendly recipe with you that a scout mom shared with us at a scout meeting. It's so much fun for the kiddos and so easy and pretty healthy too!

Upside-down Pizza in a Mug

1. Spray butter spray in mugs or other similar size dishes (we used little ramekins too) that are oven safe.

2. Combine the following ingredients for the crust. Mix the dry first, then the wet, then together.

2 C wheat flour

1 C white flour

2 1/4 tsp (or one packet) yeast

1TBSP sugar

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP olive oil

1 C very warm water

3. Divide dough into portions (we had 10 mugs) and make in to circles a bit bigger than the mug.

4. Put cheese (we used about 1/3 C, but you can use any amount you desire) in each mug.

5. Put toppings over cheese. The sky is the limit here folks!

6. Put a spoonful or two of your favorite pizza sauce. I go bargain on most things, but splurge on good pizza sauce (Classico) because it makes a world of difference.

7. Put a circle of dough over the opening of the mug.

8. Place mugs on baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

*I know I am a pretty horrible food photographer. I think it's because I just want to eat the food and not mess around taking pretty pictures of it. If I were to take a picture of a Brussels sprout it'd be pretty because I'd do everything in my power to try and stall so I didn't have to eat it.

Sharing at Tip Junkie and

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Don't forget to check out Project Pinterest every Thursday with Katie Lloyd Photography and me!

Sarah:)

Time4Learning

2011-11-25T10:39:00.001-05:00

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for a month in exchange for a candid review. Their online program can be used for homeschool, as an after school tutorial and for summer learning. My opinion will be my own, so come back and read about my experience. You can write your own curriculum review, too!

I'm excited for this opportunity because I am really searching for some assistance in teaching science and social studies. I LOVE teaching ELA and math, but just can't seem to get it together with science/social studies.

In a month, I'll share my review with you!

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Paper Beads

2011-11-23T20:59:00.001-05:00

Happy thanksgiving everyone!

I saw this pin a long time ago and have been itching to make these beads. I used to be in to scrapbooking so I have a lot of great paper to work with. This is the original pinner’s beads.

Basically, you cut triangle pieces of paper. Glue the back side and roll them tightly around a pencil or paint brush end. Gently pull the bead off the pencil and place on wax paper. Spray the bead with a glossy or matte glaze. Let dry. Bead up!

Ready to link up your Project Pinterest post?

Also linking up to Fun Stuff Fridays!

Sarah:)

Looking Back One Year

2011-11-21T22:04:00.001-05:00

I am so grateful that Charlie is so happy right now. Last year at this time, things were not good. At all. Makes me stop and think about when people say, “Time heals all wounds". While I don’t necessarily agree with that, I do know that when you look back to a very difficult situation, the time that has passed does seem to shed some light on the situation and make it easier to handle.

Sarah:)

Hello Monday

2011-11-20T21:55:00.001-05:00

Hello Monday of a (very) short week.

Hello week of giving thanks for all God has blessed me with.

Hello week of intensive antibiotics and no Humira.

Hello week of probable hurting and fatigue.

Hello wonderful SC fall weather.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday–Saluda River Edition

2011-11-19T20:46:00.001-05:00

Mainly One Color

I nearly always have my camera with me. I was thankful the other night when it down poured and I had my camera with me to get night with rain shots.

Around the Home

Around our home this week has been filled with all things ankylosing spondylitis. Sometimes the treatments are as bad as the disease itself, but unfortunately it’s essential to take the meds. This past month I’ve been plagued by stomach pain. Turns out I have a bleeding ulcer from years of NSAID for the inflammation and H. Pylori bacteria (that most people do have) in the stomach that turned infectious due to my lowered immunity from the Humira. Ugh! It’s hard to not get down about me health and lack of control over it, so I continually give it to God and know that He has plans to prosper me and not harm me and plans for my future.

Oh, and I knew about that white dog hair on the bracelet. My dog, God love him, sheds like a crazy and his fur is everywhere.

Water

Remember when these were all the rage in the blogosphere? This one features the Saluda River.

Reflection

Another Saluda River shot.

Words

See where it says “water”. Yeah, I could’ve used this shot for water too.

Have a great week!

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Citrus Hand Scrub

2011-11-16T21:07:00.001-05:00

I have to tell you, when I saw this pin on Pinterest I almost screamed with excitement. I love scrubs and always forget to use them. What I really loved about this scrub is that it only had four simple ingredients. (Click on the photo to go to the original source.)

Instead of the posted recipe, I used:

1/4 C olive oil - 1/4 C course sea salt - several orange slices- a few drops of lemon juice – blender/food processor*

*I ain’t got none of dem fancy blender or food processor gadgets, so I jus use what I got. Ahem, I’m back now. Had a little episode of backwoods redneck for a minute there. (Don’t go thinking I was making fun either. Some of my favorite people ever are backwoods rednecks and they’re everywhere, not just in the good ol’ south!)

The pseudo food processor/blender didn’t do a great job of making the salt any finer or the peel any finer. It was basically just like putting the ingredients into a bowl and giving it a good stir. I think the results would be better had I used an actual appliance that didn’t cost $10.

My nose tells me that the smell of olive oil is still very present in this ratio so I added more orange peel and juice and I can say that the olive oil has lessened in the past several hours and now smells more citrusy.

Next time I think I’ll use kosher salt instead. The sea salt just seemed to be too large of a peice to me.

I’m going to keep on working on this to fine tune it to my liking. Don’t you think scrub in a cute little glass container like this would be cute for a little gift? I do!

Ready to link up your Project Pinterst post?

Photography Challenges Galore!

2011-11-14T19:55:00.001-05:00

The autumn sky always amazes me. A few nights ago the sky looked like it was straight out of a fairy tale.

I was “stuck” at soccer practice so I was very limited in where I could go to shoot it.

I love PSE actions and have come to rely on them for quick edits. I used Nelly Nero’s Autumn Vintage on this shot.

Have you used any of Nelly Nero’s actions?

Almost everywhere else I’ve lived, the autumn leaves are much more vibrant than they are here in SC.

However, autumn is still pretty, mostly because it’s about 75 degrees in the middle of November and that makes me happy!

Have a wonderful day!

Sarah:)

P.S. Katie and I would love to have you link up to Project Pinterest this Thursday!

Hello Monday

2011-11-13T21:16:00.001-05:00

Hello first week of being 36.

Hello week of no appointments!

Hello Monday, day of beginning a diet after indulging sinfully on my birthday.*

*This was the birthday parfait the boys made me for breakfast (that and pancakes, eggs and sausage) and I would consider this to be healthy. It was all the other things I didn’t photograph that, once added together, make for a crazy calorie fest of a day!

Hello first week of flag football and last week of soccer.

Hello week of homeschool that I completely have not planned for yet.

Goodbye insecurities, heartbreak, pain and anxiety of 35!

Have a great week everyone!

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday and Watermarking Photos

2011-11-12T11:48:00.001-05:00

After reading several posts about the importance of watermarking photos, I have decided to start doing it. I was hesitant because I did not want to appear like I think my shots are the bomb and therefore watermark them because people were just dying to get their hands on them. Now, however, I see it a little differently. I don’t want to be like the family who saw themselves in an Ikea ad and they had no idea that their picture was being used by anyone, much less a major company.

Little Features

What pair of shoes should I wear?

Custom bokeh

Opposing lines

Before/after

Have you checked out Project Pinterest hosted by Katie Lloyd and me? If not, check it out!

Have a wonderful week!

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Paint Sample Gift

2011-11-10T06:39:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Project Pinterest!

My husband's birthday was on Halloween. Since we have basically been a one income family for ten years now, we rarely exchange gifts (hey, you gotta cut corners somewhere) but always do something homemade-y for each other. This year I got to use an idea from Pinterest! Have I mentioned my affinity for that site?

Paint sample and I have always been best friends, as long as I can remember. Going to a hardware store and looking and actually getting to keep the paint samples was like Christmas morning to me.

I grabbed some cool toned paint samples from my stash. Then I used Word to create a title and type all of my pages.

I glued two paint samples back to back and then glued the text on each side.

Then I hole punched the tops, attached them with a ring binder thingy and my project was complete!

Pin It

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

Also linking up to My Repurposed Life.
Can't wait to see your projects!

Sarah:)

Me and My Blog

2011-11-09T09:45:00.001-05:00

I started blogging a few years ago because I had to find something on the computer to occupy my time instead playing Farmville for hours at a time. Since then, I’ve come to really like blogging and reading others’ blogs. I’ve found a love of photography and a place to store some of our families memories and photos.

Thanks goes out to Charlie for taking this picture of me and my blog.

Also linking up at these wordless/wordful Wednesday linkys too.

Sarah:)

P.S. A new Project Pinterest starts tomorrow! Please join us!

Funk and Funky Rug

2011-11-09T07:52:00.000-05:00

I'm just in a funk. It's the almost-birthday funk that I get in each year. There's something about looking back on another year and looking forward to another year that stirs my insides.

I don't think I'm where I want to be in life, but then again, I really don't know where I would be when I was this age. Sometimes I feel like I'm too young to feel this old. Sometimes I feel like I'm no where near mature enough to be an adult, much less a someone who is closer to 40 than 30. Wishy-washy is how I feel. Yeah, wishy-washy.

On a totally unrelated note, here is my most recent rug adventure.

Pin It

***Instructions on rug can be found here.***

Have a wonderful weekend ya'll!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Link up to Project Pinterest if you create something this weekend!

Sarah:)

I Heart Faces - Black

2011-11-07T08:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween birthday Kurt!

Sarah:)

P.S. Please check out Project Pinterest!

Hello Monday

2011-11-06T20:29:00.001-05:00

Hello Monday.

Hello last week of being 35.

Hello week of appointments with a therapist, rheumatologist and pediatric endocrinologist.

Hello last week of soccer.

Hello week of Harry Potter themed homeschool.

Hello week of gorgeous fall weather and beautiful skies.

I am trying a new link-up today! I’m in a rut and need to try something new. I think it’s a good think to try new things!

Hello Monday with Lisa at http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog

Sarah:)

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Project Pinterest!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-11-05T20:04:00.001-04:00

Happy Sunday ya’ll!

Purple

Have I ever mentioned that purple is my favorite color? It is!

Food

Ryan’s favorite candy is Almond Joy. I don’t know how I birthed this child that loves coconut.

***Please don’t be too grossed out by his dirty fingernails. He is an 8-year-old boy and as much as I try to keep up with this, there was no way he was going to let me help him clean out his fingernails before he tore into his Halloween candy.***

Shapes

I made this from paint samples and it’s on my mantle. I love it!

Photographer’s Choice

Although I prefer Diet Mt. Dew to Coca-Cola any day, an old Diet Mt. Dew sign just doesn’t compare in coolness to a Coca-Cola sign.

In Disguise

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s SuperDog!

Sarah:)

P.S. Don’t forget to link up to Project Pinterest!

Happy Birthday Kurt!

2011-11-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

Thirty-seven. That's how old my husband turned on Halloween. We have a family tradition of eating cake for breakfast on our birthdays. Since Monday was a school day, we were up early and we ate cake in the dark!I love the graininess of this shot.

Don't forget to check out Project Pinterest!

Sarah:)

Project Pinterest: Orange Sherbet Cake

2011-11-03T07:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Project Pinterest! I’m so glad you’re here! My obsession with Pinterest came a few months ago. I had heard people talking about it for some time, but being one who’s not too quick to jump on the bandwagon, I didn’t even check it out. When I finally did, my life changed forever! I am such a visual person that when I went to add a site to “My Favorites” I’d totally forget to go back to that site. Now with Pinterest I never lose track of any of the things I love online!

Here are the guidelines for Project Pinterest:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up and check out other bloggers’ posts!

This pin intrigued me. Cake + me = true love forever. Like most folks though, my love for cake cannot always be realized because I’d weigh even more than I do now if I indulged in cake every time I wanted to.

Stumbling upon this recipe was my destiny! I could have my cake and eat it too!

I’ve seen lots of variations of this recipe, but this is the one I chose. Click on the picture below for the original source. There were many similar recipes. I omitted the eggs in this recipe (because I didn’t have any) and that did not effect the outcome.

I chose sugar free yellow cake mix (made with Splenda and reduced in calories by about 50 calories a slice when compared to the original cake mix), diet Crush, and lite frozen whipped topping.

Pin It

Measure out 12 ounces of diet soda.

Pour the soda into the cake mix. Whisk for 30 seconds.

Bake according to the directions on the box. Let the cake cool (if you have the patience for that sort of thing). Top with thawed whip cream. Put on a paper plate. What? Ok, fine, I was too excited to try the cake to even be thinking about photographing in a nice way. You can put it on a nice plate if you’re in to that type of thing and don’t have half of the neighborhood kids waiting for this cake to be done.

On a scale of 1-10 on the diet dessert recipes index, this yummy cake earns a 10 from me! A six-year-old neighbor boy even asked me to write the recipe down for his mom because it was the best cake he’d ever had!

My next flavor combo will be diet Wild Cherry Pepsi with sugar free chocolate cake. I can’t wait to try it!

Can’t wait to check out your posts!

Sarah:)

P.S. Also linking up to Tip Junkie!

Robert E. Lee: Then and Now

2011-11-01T09:08:00.001-04:00

Robert E Lee Trick-or-Treated with us last night.

The first shot is SOOC.

The second shot is doctored up a but.

I ran PW’s vintage action, PW’s heartland action, and PW’s warmer, and a quick edge burn at 55% opacity.

Sarah:)

P.S. Project Pinterest starts THIS THURSDAY! Are you READY?

Happy Zombie

2011-11-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Are zombies supposed to be this happy?

This is my blooper shot from last night because you would’ve thought a zombie would give me a little more scary pose for a picture.

Have a fantastic Tuesday ya’ll!

Sarah:)

P.S. Project Pinterest starts THIS THURSDAY! Are you READY to link up?

Scavenger Hunt Sunday and Project Pinterest Reminder

2011-10-29T19:45:00.001-04:00

Let’s be honest, all of my shots this week are kind of weird. Weird in just, well, a weird way.

I can’t explain it, so I’ll just get on with it and show you my shots.

Macro

Any guess on what this is a macro shot of?

Found Texture

Again, any guess what this found texture is?

Home

What kind of soil do you have? We have red clay and it drives me nuts because it is EVERYWHERE!

Cover

Most are red. Some are blue. It’s comforting to know we have a fire hydrant in our side yard.

Tree

We have one tree. :( When we saw this lot we like it because it was all trees. We assumed they’d keep at least some of the trees, but we assumed wrong.

Project Pinterest, hosted by Katie and me, will start this week!

Get your post ready to link up on Thursday! For an example post, click here.

Have a wonderful week ya’ll!

Sarah:)

Some of My Favorite 2009 Posts

2011-10-28T20:08:00.002-04:00

One reason I love blogging is because I love to look back on life and see what seemed pertinent enough to blog about back then. These few posts were way back in ‘09.
I blogged very infrequently back then and wasn’t in to photography at all yet.

My very first post brought back memories of how little the boys were. They were eight and six (seven and five in the picture) when I started this blog. I had forgotten that I started blogging to stave off my obsession with Facebook games!

I was a little taken aback by this post. Sad to say we are still dealing with the same issues and although we’ve made progress, we still have a long way to go!

Sadly, I am still dealing with this issue. Perhaps it will always be something I need to work on. Do you struggle with this too?

Amazing how much changes, and even how much more stays the same.

Sarah:)

P.S. Don’t forget about Project Pinterest coming up this Thursday!

Project Pinterest: Seven Day Countdown!

2011-10-26T22:38:00.001-04:00

Project Pinterest starts in seven days!

This cake is the subject of my first Project Pinterest post.

I can’t wait to share it with you!

Here are the rules:

1. Decide which pin on Pinterest you’d like to recreate.

2. Create it!

3. Flop or success, create a blog post about your re-do and include the original pin’s url.

4. Add the Project Pinterest button to your post so others can join in too!

5. Link up your post and check out other bloggers’ posts!

To see a post for Project Pinterest, starting Thursday, November 3rd, click here .

Please spread the word. Katie and I think this is going to be great!

Can’t wait to see you in one week!

Sarah:)

P.S. I'm also linking up to

I Heart Faces–Ryan on Church Steps

2011-10-23T20:47:00.001-04:00

“Let them be little” is the name of the game for I Heart Faces this week.

My “baby” seems so little here.

Maybe it’s the big steps.

Maybe it’s the hands on his face.

Maybe it’s that he’s no longer little like this.

Whatever it may be, this picture will always make my heart go pitter-patter.

Click on the button below for more entries.

Sarah:)

P.S. Please check out Project Pinterest!

Two Homeschool Internet Organization Tips

2011-10-23T19:15:00.001-04:00

As much as an educator's job has to do with expanding the students’ mind and facilitating students’ gaining insight and knowledge through experiences, an educator’s job is also to be able to organize those experiences and that information in a meaningful way.

As most of you know, I have taught in some capacity for all of my adult life. I’ve taught preschoolers up through adult education. One thing that remains consistent in teaching all age ranges is the necessity to organize your materials.

Tip 1. One thing that has really helped with homeschooling Charlie has been to take advantage of some great sites that offer quality practice worksheets. Don’t reinvent the wheel on basic concepts; use these quality worksheets sites!

Click on the screen shot to go to the site.

Tip 2. Because I don’t have a wireless printer, I became very annoyed at having to stop what I was doing on the computer and go plug in the printer to print one sheet for Charlie’s use. Poor me, huh?! So I thought of an idea that would limit my having to get up and carry the laptop to the armoire where the printer is (again, poor, poor me!) and plug it in just to print.

I created a weekly favorites folder (labeled like this, 10 24 11) and added each page I’d need from online to that favorites folder for the week. Now I only have to get up one time and plug the laptop into the printer, open my weekly folder and print away! This has saved me a lot of time and annoyance!

I know these are both small tips, but they both can make your homeschool day run a bit more smoothly!

Sarah:)

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the linky “Project Pinterest” Katie (from Katie Lloyd Photography) and I are hosting.

It will start on November 3rd! See this post for an example.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday–SC State Fair 2011

2011-10-22T21:23:00.001-04:00

Words

At first glance, one might wonder why I chose this shot for “words”. I took lots of pictures of words at the fair. However, if we look deeper, we can almost see the naughty words that were coming out of the mouths of these eager riders.

Under

While watching the boys on their favorite ride, the swings, I was standing under this ride.

This is the same ride where the riders were saying all sorts of naughty words.

Orange

Who could pass up fair mini-donuts? We could not!

Fly

This is the the closest the boys have come to flying (not in a plane). They enjoyed every second of it too!

Look on the Bright Side

The sun shone so brightly the day we were at the fair.

Sarah:)

P.S. Don't forget to check out the upcoming new linky, "Project Pinterest"

hosted by Katie Lloyd Photography and me!

Brown Balls and Small Intestines

2011-10-20T18:43:00.001-04:00

Which do you prefer? I tend to do this…play with one image over and over and over again.

I guess I chalk it up to learning more about PSE.

Sarah:)

P.S. In science we’re learning about the digestive system. Oddly enough, that ball reminds me of small intestines. And irony at its finest would have it that while we’re studying about the digestive system, I caught a stomach bug and ended up in bed/bathroom all day. Was that unpleasant imagery or what?! When I plan a lesson, I PLAN A LESSON!

P.P.S. Katie, from Katie Lloyd Photography and I are hosting ‘Project Pinterest’ coming in November. Stay tuned for more details!

P.P.P.S. Do you have any remedies for gastroenteritis?

How Pinteresting! – Butterfingers

2011-10-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

I pinned this on Pinterest on my “Dessert Goodness” board. Who could resist a homemade Butterfinger?! I did something I rarely do; I bought candy corns. My kids would tell you I’m a mean mom because I never just have candy laying around. It’s never just laying around because we all devour it like hogs at the trough.

Click on the picture for the original recipe.

I didn’t want to make a full recipe because I didn’t’ want to ~~waste~~ use a whole bag of candy corn if the recipe didn’t turn out. So instead of the given recipe of one pound candy corn and 16 ounces of peanut butter. I used one ounce of each.

I followed directions and placed the candy corns in a bowl to microwave. I did not use any butter spray because the recipe didn’t say to, but I wish I had. I ended up with a big old gunky mess! Once I got the one ounce of peanut butter mixed in with the melted candy corns, I transferred them to a buttered dish. The directions said to use parchment paper and I don’t think I’ve had parchment paper for about seven years.

So I scooped it out on to a plate to let it set.

Once it had set out for about an hour, I melted one tablespoon of chocolate chips and drizzled/spread it on the mixture. Then I offered some to my husband. He replied, “I used to have a cat. No thanks.” Apparently this looks like something to do with a cat? Hmmmmmm. I’ve never had a cat but I could guess about what he means.

Despite it’s less-than-appealing aesthetics, the taste was AWESOME! It wasn’t crunchy like a Butterfinger, but it tasted remarkably similar to a Butterfinger.

Do you think you’ll try this recipe? I’d say it was definitely worth it!

***This post is how “How Pinteresting!” posts will work. Click here to learn more!***

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday–Not Following the Rules!

2011-10-15T21:06:00.001-04:00

I must confess upfront that I am so not playing by the rules this week. My shots are all old.

Some of them are even so old they’re with my point and shoot.

This week has just not been the week to get out and take pictures.

Regardless of my cheating, I hope you enjoy the shots!

Round

Abstract

Seeing Faces

(Do you see it?)

Fire

Star

Don’t forget to read about the new blog hop, “How Pinteresting!” coming soon!

Sarah:)

Soccer Shots

2011-10-12T10:27:00.001-04:00

Since I can rarely get a straight-on shot of my boys, I tried shooting some other boys.

They actually didn’t run away from me.

Mine were too busy doing this to stop and pose.

While others stopped their playing and let me get a standing-still shot of them.

Check out the only girl in the picture. I’m thinking she’s a little leery of all my picture taking.

There’s some serious thinking going on before this game.

Linking up with The Paper Mama, Naptime Photog, And then she snapped, Live and Love Outloud and Five Minutes for Mom.

Sarah:)

P.S. Don’t forget to check out “How Pinteresting!”

How a Mom with ADD Makes Lunch

2011-10-10T13:48:00.001-04:00

This is how a mom with ADD makes lunch.

She tells her children to go play on the trampoline so she can fix lunch.

She walks to the fridge and notices a dirty drawer.

She takes everything out of that draw and needs some cleaner so she goes to the laundry room to get it.

She notices laundry needs to be washed, so she puts in a load of laundry and grabs the cleaner and goes back to the dirty drawer.

She cleans and organizes the dirty drawer.

She wanders back to the fridge to figure out what to make the children for lunch.

She sees some cheese that was in the dirty drawer and decides lunch will consist of grilled cheese sandwiches, grapes and pretzels.

She places the pan on the stove and butters the bread.

She realizes that she wants salmon cakes instead.

She whips those up as the pan heats up.

She, wait, what was she doing? She hears music….and she starts to dance.

The children come back in the house ready for lunch but nothing is ready yet and they only see their mom shakin’ her booty in the corner.

***Basically, this same scenario, with many different variables, plays out in my life daily. Guess it’s nice to be able to do several different things at once, but I would really just like to be able to do one thing at a time sometimes!***

Don’t forget to read about the new blog hop, “How Pinteresting!”

Sarah:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-10-08T13:43:00.001-04:00

I had fun with the prompts this week! Did you?

Landscape

Complementary Color (red/green)

Black and White

Food

He could go either way; he could be the food or be searching for food.

Blank Space

Any guesses on what this is?

It’s the reflection of the moon in the pond at night.

REMINDER!

“How Pinteresting!” blog hop will be starting soon!

Please check it out here!

Sarah:)