FOTOFRIDAY~ Edible

(October 7, 2011)

transfered from Multiply blog

 

Picture Perfect ~ Edible

my boys making a turtle out of cupcakes

delicious and cute!

laughing at my kids poetry...

(Sept 21, 2011)

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"The Best Birthday Ever"

by Jack Durrant

Hurray! I’m having a birthday!

My family is coming too.

It's going to be awesome.

I can't wait to spend it with you.

I hope to get some video games

to play on my new tv.

It won't be peaceful like poetry

but Yay! It's great to be me!

"The Pwner of Toads"

by Spencer Durrant

I am sad for toads

because they are so weak.

Poor small stupid things

that are covered in spores

Most think they are a freak.

I am sick to death of homework

that makes me write poetry

I'd rather be killing a foe

on a game made just for me.

Corinne: Life Must Go On

(September 7, 2011)

transfered from Multiply blog

As I look back on Corinne's life so far...

I am so grateful for where she is headed!!!! She's had a rough couple of years, growing independent and rebellious. I wasn't sure what to do or where to turn, but it seems we have made it through those years.

To begin with the present, she is 17 and ready to move forward, to establish and work towards new goals, to create a brighter future for herself.

(btw--seeing these guys tonight in concert!!!)

August 11th, 1994 I had my one and only girl. She was certainly the joy to my life and to our whole family. She was always a ray of sunshine. Even as an infant, her cry was so little and cute it made me laugh.

Of course she was my princess and I had to dress us alike at times. :)

Her smile was always a big one. She would wake up happy and ready to play, or even help the grown ups. She was one of those who tried very hard with something we asked her to do and wouldn't give up until she got it done.

Even though she and her older brother did not get along, she would have her times of trying to be sweet to him. She loved playing servant...which sometimes made me mad because her brother and friends would make her do everything! haha.

I remember well the summers of her (middle) and her cousins creating dances in my back yard. I would see this view from my kitchen window as they performed for their ghost audience. I snuck this pic and they about died. :O

Each of the girls did take dance...and as usual she gave me a big grin right before her jazz performance at one of her recitals.

This was a very happy day, when Corinne was baptised. I love how this shows our whole family.

Beach bunny with her lil bros. She was a great mom for both of them. As a toddler, Spencer called Corinne mom. I was the "other one mom". lol

I'm sure my friends have seen this pic before. I've used it on Picture Perfect a couple of times. As you can see I used it for the theme THREE. One of my fav pics. :)

Yes...then she turned into a punk. ;) She was still a cute pink punk, but at 14 her head (not just her hair) went a little crazy. She started 9th grade out fine, but by Christmas she had made some not so good friends. In January I would take her to school and instead of entering, she would walk past the school to the townhouses where some older boys who had dropped out (ages 18 to 21) were doing drugs and about nothing else. No good kids. Older boys looked fun to a young 14yr old. About a month later I found out and things exploded. Long story short, after several calls to us by cops, calls to cops by us, sending her to my parents for the summer, counseling and pulling her out of public school and home schooling...it took a year for her to get back on the right path.

It was a roller coaster even when she started down the right path. We were taking it day to day, trying not to get too excited when she was doing good, but definitely showing her our love and gratitude when she was. We have learned a lot of patience.

She has come out of a dark place

and is ready to bloom.

Yes, we all go through the Topsy Turvy (she modeled for my PP topsy turvy pic)

and we learn and grow through such experience.

She decided she wanted to learn more about photography when I was home schooling her and joined our PP group for a while. Two of her photos where applauded by our administrators.

de coloures was given honorable mention

and urban decay was chosen for top 10! she was thrilled. :)

Well, she is settled in her new digs and very excited.

Her first day (yesterday) was an experience. She broke her acrylic nail on the way to school *gasp* and they didn't have her schedule ready when she got there. She texted me both times frustrated. haha. I told her take a deep breath! She called me right after school and said it was good. She likes her teachers but the "kids" can be annoying. lol. kids...

But at lunch she was sitting at a table by herself and a girl came over to her and asked her to join her and friends at another table which she did. YEAH!!!

I LOVE YOU CORINNE!!!! I MISS YOU BUT AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE MOTIVATED TO TAKE THIS ON!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND REMEMBER NOTHING WORTH HAVING IS EASY.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

free field trip day at science center!

(August 31, 2011)

transfered from Multiply blog

well all of our wreckage has been cleaned up. just need to put a new soffit up where the awning tore away from the roof. brian had a little help from the boys putting the trash into his pick-up. he paid them each $5.00 woohoo! ;)

After a long day of cleaning up at work, at his boss's house and then our house...Brian took the time to relax with his music and a fire. Well deserved!!

TODAY: I found out that if you got to the Science Center this morning between 10 and 11 they gave you free admission!!! We did pay to watch an IMAX 3-D show "Wild Ocean". Let me tell you...IMAX & 3-D is AMAZING!!

The boys were able to pet a 15yr old python,

analyze how a tornado forms,

play a cordless harp (thanks to lasers),

pulley to the stars,

tug of war pendulum...one side was easier to pull because the pulley was at the top while the other side was at the bottom,

shoot off styrofoam pool noodles (oh yes, they did this for quite a while)...

shooting from the 2nd floor-

picking up from the 1st floor (notice one of the noodles is stuck on top of the high bowl of water)

archway of blocks..it takes two to put this together without it falling!

don't lean too hard!

electrifying!! yes he shocked me when he got off the stool. ;)

laying on a bed of nails. spencer said it did wonders for his back. lol

the view of Baltimore's Inner Harbor from the 2nd floor of the science center

another view from the elevator. the building with the triangular rooftops is the aquarium. to the left of that is the hard rock cafe. :)

reflection of jack/me :)

it's starting to get a little cooler, but still warm enough that jack ran through the fountain. reminded me of watching the kids in charleston! spencer would not get in. lol

Baltimore Grand Prix going on the next 3 days. wow.....streets blocked off and grandstands all through the city. crazy!!!

loved the clouds above the Bromo-Seltzer clock tower.

Didn't take my real camera. These were all taken with my phone, so not the best. But it was a fun fun day! Leaving tomorrow to move Corinne to my parents house. Will stay there a couple days and be home Sunday. Boy it's been a crazy month! Sad to see summer end though

FOTOFRIDAY~ Senses

(August 20, 2011)

transfered from Multiply blog

Picture Perfect: Senses:

SENSE OF SMELL

SENSE OF TASTE

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THESE JR. CRABBERS WHO CAUGHT A BUSHEL AND A HALF THIS MORNING!

MARYLAND IS FOR CRABS

AND OUR OREGON FAMILY WHERE ABLE TO PARTAKE OF THE AWESOMENESS.

 

 

Project 365/ Day 50 END OF THE LINE

(July 19, 2011)

transfer from Multiply blog

I'm feeling a little photography geekish after I got all giddy when I found this old caboose on abandoned property. I drove around it (in high grass which looked like it hadn't been stepped on in at least 10 years) to take some shots and I ended up getting out of the truck, walking around this beauty and climbing in! LOL At least with my PP friends on this blog I feel like ya'll can understand my excitement more than my other friends. ;)

I took a lot of shots of this gem and will put together an album. It was 2 1/2 hours south of us in Beaver Dam, Virginia. I made another delivery for Brian's company. I so love taking my camera when driving around! I climbed up inside the caboose. It was all torn apart....wonderful. haha. But I didn't stay long because I was greeted by some angry hornets. I made it out ok!

Project 365/ Day 49 ICE ICE BABY

(July 19, 2011)

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We got HOME MADE ICE CREAM in tha house!!!!

A friend of mine saw I was making those brownies last week for swimathon and told me home made ice cream would be perfect with it. We planned a date for her to come over with her machine, but plans fell through. She didn however bring her ice cream maker and recipe book with hundreds of different ice cream flavors for us to use for a while! Bless her....hahaha

Project 365/ Day 48 STROKE

(July 19, 2011)

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Finally putting a picture in my 365 of Jack SWIMMING!

This was our next to last meet. Our early mornings will then come to an end. Bittersweet.

Project 365/Day 47: WE ARE FAMILY

(July 19, 20111)

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I GOT ALL MY SISTERS IN ME :)

My daughter, momma and I last Friday.

Corinne spent a few days at my parents house by the beach and on Friday we met half-way in Easton and had lunch at Applebees before heading home with my sweet girl. Funny how I miss her after just a few days. Jack took this pic of us.

Project 365/ Day 46: HELLO GOODBYE

(July 15, 2011)

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GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS!!

Yesterday was my loooooong day. Wake up at 3:30 to go to work cleaning the offices at AC&M. Rush home to get Jack off to swim team practice at 7:00. Eat breakfast and head to Tae Kown Do by 9:30.

At TKD I was chatting with one of the other mom's who actually lives up the street from me. She had invited me last Friday to a party...food, drink and pool and she was showing her hand made cards she has been making and has just started to sell. I wasn't able to make the party so asked her how it went. She ended up inviting Jack over for a playdate with her Christopher and I tagged along to look at her cards. Of course I brought my camera. :) These are the cards I ended up buying......so cute!!! I stayed for over a hour taking pictures of her various collections and I'm putting them into an album on FB for her and will help her start a web-site. It was exciting!!