Just a few from today...

Just a few photos I took this evening...

Something to occupy your time...

Michael, Jake and I were out in the yard when I noticed two beautiful butterflies fluttering around my wild mum plants...Because they were fluttering I knew they wouldn't stay there long so I ran in and grabbed the camera...I had the wrong lens (28-105mm) on the camera, I would have preferred the telephoto (75-300mm) but didn't have the time to change them out...So I took photos anyways and thought they were kind of cool...that is until Michael decided to throw Jakes ball into the middle of the flowers...Bye Bye Butterflies...

It's really hard to get a decent photo when butterflies are fluttering around and you get quiet a bit of blur but I liked it on these photos...it showed you just how busy they were...

T.G.I.F. and we have a 3 day weekend to recoup from our week. We had good moments and bad moments all week...and just when things looked good we'd have another meltdown...They don't give grades in Kindergarten, but smiley faces, medium smileys, or frowny faces...Michael got smiley faces all week...He also did a really great job on all his school work...scissors and cutting, colors fantastic, writing his name (with help from his teacher) good, finding differences and similiar items great...I was very proud of him! As a special treat after school today I took him into town for french fries and chicken nuggets from his favorite restaurant and he was thrilled...

He knows he has a few days off and then it's back to school...he seems okay with it but we shall see what happens next Tuesday...fingers crossed he does just fine!

I miss him but I have to admit it is really nice to be able to get things done around here...I was able to shred today and it looks really nice...Next week I'll head down to the property to do some work...hopefully the hurricanes will head in a different direction...

uh Oh!!

I know some of you are wondering why I am not blogging and I apologize!

School as gone from good to bad to better to worse!

Neither Michael nor I had a good morning and we both left the house sobbing...

I know if we can get through these first couple of weeks we'll be okay but it is quiet an adjustment for both of us....So bare with me while we get on tract and I'll be back as soon as I can....

Hugs, Wendy

What I did to occupy myself today...

Like I even need to tell you...I took my camera outside and did Photo therapy, lol...

Here's a where are the hummers, instead of "Where's Waldo", lol.







Every year at about the end of September the raptors start migrating. This year they are a month early, yikes! I walked out on the porch this morning and saw hundreds of them circling in the wind currents...These are Mississippi Kites...I wanted to see what the Rebel Xti and the 74-300mm lens could do...ugh!! I so want a better telephoto lens, grrr....These are the ones that were the best of the bunch...



See all those black dots? Those are Mississippi Kites and there were two more larger groups but they were just too far away for a decent photo...


I had one come down in the pasture in front of the house and hunt. Whatever he grabbed, probably a mouse, he would swoop back up into the air and eat it in mid-flight, too cool!

He "loves" school

No photos to share as when you pick them up they practically throw them in your vehicle and scoot you down the road...but the first words out of Michael's mouth were
"Momma I like school, its fun!"

I wish I could have recorded those first words as in a few years when he has homework and the real work begins he isn't going to be a happy camper, lol.

I took Jake with us as I felt so sorry for him and Jake was just tickled to see Michael...

Michael didn't eat but a few grapes for lunch, which I wasn't happy with...Hopefully tomorrow he'll eat more...He did eat his snack at snack time and drank his juice...

He's tired and I can understand that....I'm tired from filling out all the paperwork they sent home with him, lol...sheesh!!

But all in all I would give us an A+ for the day!!

Uh Oh someone is pouting...

Poor Jake...he's lost his best buddy! He has been sitting out in the corner of the yard staring down the driveway most of the day...

I swear if a dog could cry Jake would be....

Photo Challenge ~ Decay

This week our photo challenge was all about decay...

Living on an old ranch in South Texas there is a lot of decay.

Tonka tough *snort - snort *

hmmm this is probably due to my green thumb not doing it's job, lol.

Seeds and the future

BBQ pit a bit over-used perhaps?


Fixing fences is an on going process around here...

Tomato plants don't live forever...

Definite decay here....at least it smelled like it, lol.

If you would like to check out the other photographers work or see what the photo challenge is all about please click here.

It has begun...

Our little M.A.N. is at his first day of kindergarten.

7 a.m. and we are off to school

He went right in and found his chair.

We were the first ones there and he wasn't sure what to do...

Oh goodness he looks tired, ekk...it's going to be awhile before we get into the groove!

While his teacher was busy with other students Michael waits. He's been there 5 minutes and he already looks bored, yikes!! I hope this isn't a look into the future!

I was up at 5:30am to get showered and the animals fed before I woke Michael up. At 6am I woke him up and we cuddled for a bit then I told him it was time to get busy. I made him breakfast and started packing his lunch. I was doing fine until he came in the kitchen and wrapped his little arms around Jakes neck and started telling Jake he was going to school, sigh!! What a moment...We were ready by 7 a.m. and I had a few minutes for photos...It was a bit dark and I didn't set the camera on Auto or the tripod so most of the photos of him messing around before he got in the truck were a bit blurry, grr...Live and Learn. I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to take the camera in the classroom but took it anyways...

Michael was ready and when we got to school he went right to his classroom and his seat. He wasn't sure what to do as we were the first ones there and the teacher was away collecting students. I was tickled as it was a great photo op and took some more photos!

I stayed for a bit and helped him get settled in...He wasn't too thrilled with the coloring page laying there and had his scissors out and was starting to cut it (lol) when I caught him...Ekk...I asked him if the teacher had told him to get his scissors out...NOT!! He has two little girls on either side of him and Ms. Emily (one of the little girls) said the teacher said to either play with the blocks or color crayons...I think Ms. Emily will keep Michael in line today, lol...Poor fella!

7.5 hours and I can go pick him up...I have a list to keep me busy today! And just think I may be able to sneak in a little scrapping while I am at it...

Stay Tuned...

Tomorrow is the BIG day!!

Michaels starts Kindergarten!!

A New Chapter starts in our lives!

Yearly Fishing Tournament

Fred just before the sun came up!

Ahh here she comes! Beautiful!

Good Morning Sunshine!

Storm brewing to the South West!

For the past few years Fred and I sign up for a saltwater fishing tournament that takes place at the end of August. We've never caught anything in previous years but enjoy ourselves. The company that sponsors the tournament has a dinner, door prizes, etc in the evening and we enjoy getting together with friends after a day of fishing. We also take Michael with us to the dinner as this is a family event and they always have door prizes for the kids.

Our day Saturday started at 3am, ugh!! Thank goodness Diana and Larry kept Michael for us so it made it so much easier...We arrived at the bait stand at 5am and decided this year we were going to use live bait and we were going to catch something!! I had spoken with my friend Helen R., who has lived most of her life in Aransas Pass/Rockport area, about where a good fishing spot might be. We don't have a boat so we have to fish from shore, ugh!

She recommended (after talking to her brother) a bridge/causeway in the Rockport area. We found our spot and got everything ready...Fishing poles, bait, me and my camera (lol) and sat down to wait for that HUGE fish to take the bait....Mind you it is dark yet and if you don't have a flashlight (I didn't) you can't see anything. I moved a bit away from Fred down the shore and sat on my camp stool...I noticed a dark spot a few feet from me on shore but thought it was a piece of trash or possibly a dead fish, no big deal...I'd find out what it was when the sun came up!

Fred finally got a bite and started reeling in his line...I ran and grabbed the net and was ready to net his fish...but alas he never got it close enough for me to net it...and he lost it, lol...He was telling me to jump in the water and net it and I was yelling back NO WAY!! You jump in and net it!! So we settled back down for more fishing...Oh my the sun was coming up and the fish were biting and I was torn between the camera and fishing pole...I am sure y'all know what won! Of course the camera, lol...I got some beautiful photos of the Texas Gulf coast sunrise...it was absolutely gorgeous...Fred even managed to catch a fish, a Skipjack. I had a blast watching him get it in as that fish was fighting and even flew out of the water a few times. He caught a few more but only brought one into shore...I on the other hand was sitting on my little camp stool fishing rod in hand and gagging as I had been sitting next to a dead raccoon, Ewww....Nasty....I moved but the stench stayed with me the rest of the day...After I had moved and was quiet bored...camera around my neck, fishing pole in hand, day-dreaming...I had something hit my bait...and it hit HARD...I yelled and fell off the camp stool...LOL...Fred was laughing his butt off and asking me what I was doing...When I told him something Big just hit my bait he laughed and said it was probably a crab...I told him that was no crab!! I didn't even have time to set the hook so whatever it was got a free meal as my bait was gone, grr...So much for fishing!! LOL...I've never had much luck saltwater fishing...give me my bass pole and freshwater any day!

After the sun rose and the fish stopped biting we moved to a few other spots and still no luck...So we stopped and ate lunch and headed home to clean up and pick Michael up for the dinner...It was a very long day and even though we didn't catch any decent fish we still enjoyed ourselves...We are seriously thinking Kayaks next year!!

The rest of my photos are on my flickr site...Thank you for stopping by!

Thank you Tia Anana & Uncle Larry

Fred and I had a fishing tournament Saturday and thankfully Tia Anana (Aunt Diana) and Uncle Larry were able to keep Michael for us. I want to thank them both for watching him as it was really nice to be able to fish and not worry about Michael...But then I also want to tell Tia Anana that buying a lego toy that is meant for a 7 to 12 yr old was NOT a good idea, lol...Pay Backs will be in place...Michael was so excited with is Exo Force Lego toy that even though I had had only 4 hours of sleep in the last 24 hrs we were going to put it together before going to bed Saturday night, ugh!! Sleep was a distant dream and so was Michaels 9pm bedtime, ugh!!

We didn't get home from the fishing tournament until 7pm and at 8pm everything was finally taken care of and Michael was bugging me to put his lego set together...I was dreading it as I remember when Grammie Gerri bought him the lego helicopter and after 2 hours they were still working on it, ugh!! So being how much I adore my son (and am really ready to hurt Tia Anana) we sat down to assemble it! I got the book out and we sorted through the parts...By 9pm I am completely exhausted, Michael is perched on the table trying to help, and...the Exo Force critter is starting to resemble the picture on the box...by 9:20 it is finished, YEA!! Michael is thrilled and none to happy as I tell him it is bedtime, lol...Very mean Momma!! But I was whipped...I managed to get a few photos and after looking at the photos I can tell I am not the only one who is exhausted...poor baby!! He's so tired but so thrilled as we managed to get the critter together and it looks good too!!

Thank you Tia Anana!! Thank you very much!!