Amazing Bird Watching!

I know these pictures are not the best but there was no way in h*ll I was gonna get any closer to that thing for fear that it would kill me!!

So I was forced to zoom. Plus it's my phone camera.
But I had to get some shots!

Zoe and I were totally tripping out getting to see this guy so close and for so long.
It's as if he was just there for us to see.

Trinity was tripping out on us tripping out!
"You guys! It's just a bird!"
lol

Camera Critters!

She thinks she is hiding from me.
How clever.

Love Critters?
Go check out
Camera Critters!

Blog Hop '09!

BlogHer! HA!
As if I could leave for an entire weekend!
They'd hunt me down!!
But that's okay. I can stay right here and make a bunch of new friends!

A Little About Me...

I'm a Mom to two special needs girls - 8 and 14.

I'm an artist and I like to take pictures.

I have an etsy shop.

I've been blogging for about nine months and I love it!
I've made so many new friends and connections with people
who probably would never even talk to me if they saw me in public! lol

I have some fun giveaways from time to time.
You can always see what's going on by checking the sidebar! :)
<--- I also have another blog, Wouldn't You Like To See Something Strange?,
if you like things a little more on the creepy side.

And if you enjoy art challenges, join me every month at
Good Mourning, Glory! Studios!

And.... that's pretty much it!

Can't wait to hop around this weekend and say hello!!

Blog Hop '09 is hosted by
Robin @ Pensieve
and
Jo-Lynne @ Musings of a Housewife

If you wanna join in,
head on over and sign up!

Aloha Friday!

Aloha Everybody!!

So, how do you like my purse?

Kinda cute, huh?

Yea, well I've been carrying that sucker for like TWO YEARS now!!! :(

It's not that I haven't tried looking for a new purse,
I just get so settled into something sometimes that it's
really hard for me to make a change!

Plus this one fits so comfortably under my arm.
And it holds everything.
Really. Everything.

One day I'm going to have to find a new perfect purse.
I mean, this one's not going to last forever.

So, how about you?
Are you one of those match-your-purse-with-every-outfit kinda gals?
Do you change with the seasons?
Or do you find a trusty bag and stick with it until it falls apart?

Dudes, sorry I guess this is not a question for you.
But please tell us, how long have you been carrying your wallet?
Do you fear changing wallets, like I fear changing purses?
If so, why are we so neurotic??!! lol

For more Aloha Friday visit
An Island Life!

Just... Stuff

Aside from reading the phone book - and oh, do I ever love the phone book company people right now because they also sent us a small one that is perfect for the car!! - Trinity has also been very interested in the show Family Feud lately.

It comes on every weekday at noon, right after The Price Is Right, which is also a favorite, but not so much as Family Feud. So, she always has lunch during these shows and watches as she munches away, shouting out answers. The whole thing is pretty entertaining cuz it's just kind of adorable in a quirky way.

Anyhow, today one of the questions was

"According to 100 women -
When you see an attractive man, what do you wonder about him?"

Trinity shouts out, "Why is he so cute?" lol

But then everyone on the show starts shouting out things like,
"Is he married?"
"Does he have children?"
"Is he gay????"

I instantly had a really bad feeling wash over me.
I knew, I just knew, she was going to ask me.

"Mom, what are they talking about? What's gay?"

I so do not want to be having this
conversation with my eight year old right now!

Under my breath I cursed the producers of Family Feud and attempted to explain this very sticky subject to my daughter for the next 40 minutes, ending the conversation with the ever so brilliant, "It's complicated."

*sigh*

Hopefully I come up with something better between now and the next time this subject comes up. : /

Not that I have a problem here - other than just exactly how to go about explaining it....



Did you know

that there are only 99 days left until Halloween???

There's just not really much time!
Trinity is pacing the floor daily interrogating me,
"Where are we going to find a Sally wig that doesn't look lame??!!"

I don't know!
But I better get on it!!



And, hey, while I got you here...

You know my friend Joy? Well, her husband Eric is job searching right now, and her family could really use any and all prayers, well wishes, positive energy, and etc sent their way. So, if you could put them on your list, I would really appreciate that!


Happy Thursday,

Win A 16" x 20" Rolled Canvas Print - Online Poster Printing Giveaway

This is one of my very favorite photographs of Trinity of all time. She was four. And very full of sassafras, as you can plainly see. And she had verrrrry long hair. This was actually right before the first time she donated her hair to Locks of Love.

So, yea, instead of it sitting in my computer for the last five years, how cool would it have been to have a nice big print of it on my wall?

Well, yay me! Online Poster Printing is gonna give me one - a 16" x 20" Rolled Canvas Print! I've already started shopping for the perfect frame!

And, guess what? Yay YOU! Cuz you're gonna get one too! Well, one of you! A 16" x 20" Rolled Canvas Print of your favorite photograph!

About Online Poster Printing
Online Poster Printing specializes in printing high-quality posters using premium materials. We offer a money back guarantee on all our products, such as photo canvas prints, vinyl banners, wall stickers, and rolled or mounted poster prints.



Here's what you gotta do to get it...

* Be a follower of my blog.

and

* Leave me a comment in this post telling me about a photograph that you'd love to have printed on canvas.

Entries will be accepted until midnight July 29th. A winner will be chosen by random draw. Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents. Shipping of prizes is not included and must be paid by winner. Online Poster Printing reserves the right not to print obscene or offensive materials.

Happy Birthday, Zoe!

Thanks so much to all of you who wished Zoe a Happy Birthday!
She definitely had one!!

There were a couple tough moments -
the little boy she likes made her cry.
(I could have killed him!)
But she handled it gracefully and maturely.
I was really proud of her!

Tomorrow is her treatment plan and we are going to
be setting a tentative date for her to come home...

I feel excited.
Scared.
Strong.
Nervous.
Happy.
Weak.
Optimistic.
And not so sure.
All at once.

Honestly, I don't know how to feel.

But I do think it's time.
And it feels like a new beginning.

I LOVE these pictures of her because I've honestly never seen her so happy!

For more Wordful Wednesday, visit Angie @
Seven Clown Circus!

My Almost 400th Postaversary... Errr, Whatever.

So... I'm less than 20 posts away from 400. I got a lot to say, apparently.

To mark this ever so momentous occasion,
I wanted to do something fun.
Yes, there's a little giveaway involved.
But more importantly, maybe a chance for me to connect with all of you guys a little better.

So, here's your chance to ask me anything!
That's right, anything.

It can be kinda silly.
Or deep and personal.
Seriously, whatever you want.



And, yea, it's just that simple.
Ask me a question, and it enters you to
win a $20 Visa or Mastercard Giftcard
that you can spend anywhere your little heart desires.

To submit your questions, leave them in the comments section of this post.

You should be (or become) a follower of either this blog or my other blog, Wouldn't You Like To See Something Strange?.
I kinda figure otherwise, ummmm, why would you even want to ask me a question, ya know?

If you want to ask me more than one question, I'm okay with that.
Each question counts as an entry.
So, ask away.

As questions come in I will begin answering them.
I'll do a couple posts each week until all questions are answered.
And I will link up to your blog in my post so that other readers can stop in and say hello.

But I'm only accepting questions until August 1st!
After that, everyone's name goes into a hat and I'm going to randomly choose a winner for that $20 Giftcard!

I will announce the winner no later than August 5th.

So... what do you want to know?

Musical Monday ~ What Moves You?

~ Brought to you by Jori and Diane ~

There's not much I like more than listening to Mike Ness' sexy voice...

Social Distortion - Ball and Chain


Except maybe looking at sexy pictures of Mike Ness...

*happy sigh*

So... what's moving you this week?
Post, link up and sign Mr. Linky.

And don't forget to spread the comment love!!

Organization For Bat Conservation

We were lucky enough to get a visit at our library from the awesome people at the Organization for Bat Conservation. They operate out of the Cranbrook Institute of Science.



I apologize for the dreadful photographs! But please check out the video!



We had a great time and I was really happy to see all the kids learning how special bats are and how vitally important they are to our ecosystem. Bats are our nighttime guardians, eating literally millions of insects every night. But sadly, humans are their biggest threat.

If you'd like to learn more, please visit the Organization for Bat Conservation.

My Dad is responsible for all of this beautiful-ness. :)



For more A Thousand Words Thursday visit Jen @
Cheaper Than Therapy

Guitar Rug WINNER!!!

Guess who won my super cool Guitar Rug Giveaway from Beddingsets.com????

By random draw of all entries, it's...

Danielle aka Yellie @ Finally Finding Me...I Think!!!

Congrats to Danielle!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned!! More great giveaways are coming soon!!!!!!!

The Haunting In Conneticut - Movie Review

The Haunting In Connecticut, from LionsGate Home Entertainment, stars some familiar actors - Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Kyle Gallner (HBO's Big Love), Martin Donovan (Showtime's Weeds), Amanda Crew (Final Destination 3) and Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

Supposedly based on actual events, this movie depicts a family already in turmoil, who rents an old Victorian home closer to the hospital where their son, Matt (Kyle Gallner), is receiving treatments for cancer.

Upon moving in Matt begins to have disturbing visions involving a young boy and a menacing mortician, but fears that it may be side effects of his treatments. However, it isn't long before everyone in the family realizes that they are now living in what was a funeral parlor with a very dark history. All this demonic activity naturally needs to be exorcised out of the house, and when Matt befriends a fellow patient, Reverend Popescu (Elias Koteas), he helps them out with this task. Unfortunately, things do not work out as planned.

Watch the trailer



I'm sad and disappointed to say I don't really have anything much exciting to say about this film. The entire screening I just sat there questioning, "Why don't they just leave?!"

In fact, I had a lot of questions. For instance, if Matt's afraid of sleeping in the basement, why doesn't he bunk in another room? The house is huge. Of course I know it's because he needed to be within close proximity of a mysteriously locked room for the sake of the story - but I'm just sayin'.

The special effects were good, but it was nothing special.

And there were a few scary parts in the movie. But I could have just been easily startled because I'd started to fall asleep. :(

Honestly, the best part of this DVD, in my opinion, were the special features. "The Fear is Real: Re-Investigating the Haunting", a two-part documentary, was pretty interesting. As was "Anatomy of a Haunting" - which features Barry Taff PhD and Psychic, Jack Rourke.

My very favorite special feature though was "Memento Mori: The History of Postmortem Photography". (Of course, I am a huge fan of postmortem photography, so yes, I'm biased. This ten minute documentary would probably easily bore most.) I was very excited to see that the commentator was none other than Stanley B. Burns M.D., author of Sleeping Beauty: Memorial Photography in America - a book that I would LOVE to own, except used copies are going for like $400, so too bad for me! :(

If you would like to get your own copy of The Haunting in Connecticut so that you can judge for yourself, it is available today at the LionsGate Shop.

Three Things You Didn't Know About Me...

I skipped third grade.

I've never been on a real vacation. Trips, yes. But not a REAL vacation.

I will put off cleaning my car as long as possible. It's pretty gross. :(

My Random Thoughts Turned Out To Be Not So Random Afterall

Random Tuesday Thoughts... Hosted by The UnMom


So, I quit taking my medicine and I actually ate something today.
And enjoyed it!
Yea, that stuff is poison.
I probably shouldn't have taken myself off of it abruptly like that. But... I did.
I live to tell. And I'm not hearing voices or anything.

To be honest, my mood was good while I was taking it.
I just couldn't handle the side effects.

At least I think it was.
Of course I was being super extra nice to everyone.
Just in case I actually was as close to death as I thought.
So, who really knows?

I've mentioned before that I'm not a tv watcher.
Except for that one very special show that only comes on in the Summer!
(And also in the Spring if there's a writers' strike. Yay for the writers' strike!)
BIG BROTHER!
(Oh! And Peanuts specials! I do so love those!)

I have no idea why I like this show. Or why I like it so damn much!
But I do. I really, really do!

So anyhow, since every Summer (and one lucky Spring!) I'm like a tv virgin all over again, I'm always taken aback by the barrage of advertising on the screen.

Last night I saw a commercial for Latisse. Their lovely spokesperson is Brooke Shields.
Latisse is a topical prescription drug (aka chemical) that you apply on the edge of your eyelid to help you grow longer, thicker and darker eyelashes.

Okay, this is a wonderful option for those suffering from an illness or side effects of a treatment that causes them to lose their eyelashes.
I think that's great.

But, let's keep in mind here that Latisse is made by the same folks who make Botox.

And also let's keep in mind that eyelash growth is incidentally a side effect of this medication, that is actually made for the treatment of glaucoma.

Read more information from the NY Times here.

This is not sounding good to me.
Personally I recommend getting some good mascara and a life.

This combined with my recent (and past) experience with pharmaceuticals, along with the experiences I've had with my daughters being on medications, I'm starting to really have a love/hate with the pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

My youngest daughter has had great success with the medications she's on. And my oldest is doing well with the ones she's on currently. However, we've experienced some living nightmares in the past with her medications, including a permanent tremor of her upper body that she now has to deal with everyday for the rest of her life.

I'm not dissing pharmaceuticals. In cases like my family's and many others I know, it can save your life.

But when a glaucoma medicine is now being turned into a cosmetic cash cow, and my insurance won't pay for me to at least try acupuncture... well, I'm not exactly suggesting that there's some kind of conspiracy going on, but it all smells a little fishy, ya know?

I won't even get into how many times I've waited in my doctor's waiting room, suffering from a five day long migraine while three pharmaceutical reps came and went ahead of me.

Or how when I worked in a restaurant we would cater for the reps so they could take lunch to their favorite doctor's offices.

Well, I knew this all along.
But it all just sorta hit me last night when I saw that commercial.

Pretty depressing.

On a lighter note, this Friday is Zoe's birthday! She's going to be 14!
She gets to come home for the day on Saturday and I'm going to have a little get together for her.
She's so excited! "I'm going to be fourteen, Mom! That's a huge deal!"
:)

It really, really is. Especially considering all that she's been through.
I'm so thrilled to see her doing so well and we are all anticipating her coming home for good.
I'm not sure when it will be exactly, but I know it will be soon.

Musical Monday ~ What Moves You?

~ Brought to you by Jori and Diane ~

Trinity is already preparing for her school talent show.
Because "It's only seven months away!"

Well, at least she'll be ready.

So I've been hearing this song over.and over.and over.

I used to like it...




I decided to show her the original Simon & Garfunkel version.
Ha! You should have seen the look on her face!!
"What the...?"



Ok, it's your turn!
What's moving you this week?

Post, link up and sign our MckLinky!

And be sure to make your rounds and
spread the comment love!

***

I feel REALLY bad about the MckLinky not working! :(
Especially because I know we have at least two new players this week.
So I'm going to list everyone's links here in the post for your convenience.

Please leave your post's URL in the comments section.
I'll try to keep the list as updated as possible but I do have a couple of appointments today.
I'll do the best I can.

MckLinky is in the beta stage so we do need to be patient.
Or we might need to go back to Mr. Linky for a bit.
We'll see.

Anyhow... here are our players!
(And don't forget to check out who's playing over at Jori's!!)

Thom @ Thom's Place 4 Well Whatever
Bunnykissd @ Diary Of A Crazy Rabbit Lady, Too
Carleen @ Life, Liberty And Good Coffee
Sarah @ I Blame My Mother
Eve @ Through Eve's Looking Glass
Caravan Trading Group @ Egypt Everlasting
Joy @ joy to the blog
Amy @ Keeping Up With The Schultz Family
Robin @ Cinnamon & Honey
Denise @ Full Nest
Cherie @ C'est Moi Trois
Amanda @ Moore Blog Life
Valerie @ It's A Wonderful Life

Camera Critters!

Love critters?
Even when they're naughty?
Then check out Camera Critters!

My Faith In Humanity Is Slipping...

They keep finding more and more missing bodies. Including children.

This is really.really.sick.

I'll Be Back In A Day Or Two...

But don't forget to enter to win my Guitar Rug Giveaway from BeddingSets.com!!!

Okay, gonna go puke now... :(

Love you guys!

Skin Free Giveaway Winner!

By random draw of all entries, the winner of my $30 Skin Free Gift Certificate Giveaway is sAm!

Thanks to all who entered!