Some Natural light

Some days there is really nice light through the sliding doors in the living room...if the glass is clean and the sun is not out..today was that day. I made L grab his soccer ball...so I could try something...this isn't bad ..but it's soft....more practice but I like this one

And of course one of C with his new electric guitar, still soft but I like this one too...chapped lips and all And I tried to get one of the two of them..outside this afternoon..the white snow makes their skin look grey...ugghh. But it was funny...Yes , that is Gum in C mouth...they wouldn't sit still and kept making jokes...I gave up :)

A little Macro fix

I have to thank L for these...If he hadn't run the snowmobile into the metal pole of the shelter...I would have never found these beautiful Ice Crystals... Yes everyone is fine...the snowmobile was barely moving... and the hollow metal tubes that hold the tarp on....are flimsey to say the least...the shelter is weighted down with some of Mike's old tires (on rims)...so when we took down the shelter and put the tires in a pile...I noticed these inside the tire rims...like natures diamonds....ohhhhh Pretty!

I re-sized these wrong..ughh

Snap Shots of Christmas

We had a GREAT day! Stayed in our PJ's most of it. C played his electric guitar, L figured out his cell phone, and M played with his new GPS mapping CD. And Chloe played with her new toys. I took pictures and we all ate too much. We managed to get outside for some fresh air , and Woody (the woodpecker) made an appearance...Life is Good!
Hope you all had a wonderful day full of laughter and love.

December 24th , 2008

Tis the night befor Christmas

where should I begin.....

Log's acting gay,

Corbin needs ridilin..

Mike came home early,

And headed out for GAS

Left without the Boys

Should kick him in the *SS

Daddy returns,

fills the sled with some fuel,

the boys are excited,

"Start up the old Mule"

Around the yard

At the speed of light,

The kids screaming "faster!"

Oh what a fright!

With red windburnt faces

and grins to their ears

Best Christmas Eve ever...

They'll remember it for years

Still Freezing and going insane

I have no pictures to share today...I should take some pictures of Chloe (the dog) . Took her to Steph's...no full cut this time ..it is just too cold for her to have no hair. So she received a clean up..her face, paws and butt...Steph (the amazing dog whisperer/stylist) also brushed her out and got rid of the matts...Chloe now looks like a backwards bobble head dog... little tiny head and this huge puffy body...a big white marshmellow. She looks like an over weight cat..and acts like one too. She lives in front of the fireplace sucking up the warmth.
I feel bad for her. We have to take her out the back door to pee...her feet freeze instantly and we have had to save her more than once...no snoopin' by the fence, no playing in the yard , and for the past 2 weeks no walking to the bus stop to wait for the kids (her favorite time of day). Poor Pooch!
I will go take a photo of the marshmellow and add it later

Stupid Pecker and Frozen Termites

Do I sound like the cold weather is making me crazy? YEP! Being stuck in the house for fear of frostbite, usually does that to a person. WE have watched every movie known to man, or at least quite a few that you can rent, that are appropriate for all ages.
We have been eating non-stop...so that if we can't get to town , we can live off our fat , or maybe eat our young..mr C better get some meat on those bones..haha
So now for the stupid pecker....we will call him Woody... this is not his real name , we are trying to protect his identity. Woody has been flying around the yard like a crazy man. He has become delusional, he is pecking all the trees, the cloth line wheels, you name it woody pecks it.
I caught this shot of him at the suet feeder (reminder to adjust CWB on camera, trees should not be blue).

Then woody the crazy pecker, decides to let us know it's cold outside and the suet is frozen. If we don't do something about it, he will be forced to break in an steal from the fridge. This is woody pecking on our bedroom window... In an effort to keep woody from wrecking the screens more, we went to Safeway and bought him beef fat... and guess what? We haven't seen him today....Stupid Pecker Now for the frozen termites...Not really, but it looks like a termite hill...not that I have ever seen one (except on Discovery channel). This is the ice column created from the exhaust of the heater outside the garage. The steam forms water drops (how scientific is that ?) and in these cold temps , it creates this ugly yellow THING. Looks like it has warts.
And a close up...I am easily amused lately..I think I'm sick of watching TV

And the COLD continues

Yep! Still freezing! It's suppose to be like this all week. School buses are still running, so everything continues as usual.
It's harder to get pics of L...he hates it! So I occassionally get a quick shot. No stop and look photos , just casual ..when he's not looking photos.
We'll let you know when it warms up, Can't stay -30 forever..right?

Baby It's Cold Outside!

It's cold to say the least. That doesn't seem to stop us from going outside, we just bundle up more. WE only stayed out for 30 minutes, that was enough. Just some quick sliding and a couple of snapshots...Back in the house to get warm . It's -20 and the wind makes it almost unbearable, Oh well , better than the freezing rain

Winter Sky

These are from last Sunday when we travelled out to Spokin Lake...at the 6km mark the road turned into a goat trail with two tracks . Needless to say the minivan is not a 4wheel drive and the clearance is low...I thought we would get stuck , but we didn't
This one is over the top but I'm leaving like this because Mr C says it looks cool.

Happy Birthday Mike!

I know I'm early. Your Birthday is Sunday...but I will forget to post this tomorrow. Happy Birthday....you are an amazing Dad and a wonderful husband. We are so lucky to have you.love you lots....Shan

And now to show everyone our tradition on Mike's birthday. Ever since L was 2 we have bought a gingerbread house for Mike and the boys to make. This is 11th year that they have done this...I think. And it never ceases to amaze me how UGLY they turn out...haha.

Tonight they put it together, C gets everything ready, we buy extra candy, because there is never enough in the kit. And then the assembly...so far so good. I take a few pictures, I don't help do this project, I never have, it's their Thing! So they decide to decorate the roof before they put it on the house...hmmmm, not a good idea. After alot of laughter and eating most of the candy...this is how it turned out....the roof pieces wouldn't stay attached, Mr L decided to uses the chimney and a tree to brace the roof on one side, the other side...no saving it! they just lied it beside the house and gave up. Mr C had us all laughing so hard that Mike had to get up and walk away. L was doing that laugh that sounds like an asthma attack...you know.. holding his chest and sucking in air ,like it was the last breathe he would take. L and C had a hoot. L said it was the best house they had ever made....he is still laughing.

This is the one they will remember ALWAYS!

Oh What a day!

Well it started as snow on thursday night...so pretty and we knew that we would get a dump. It all changed by friday morning ..Ice pellets and then freezing rain. Last night it was pour rain ....not just a little but the kind you get when a thunderstorm blows through...yucky!
Everyone made it to school and work, and I cancelled my appointments in town. I was staying home, not worth driving on the roads. So here are some snap shots from around the yard
The ice on the wires coming into the house
The deck railing, coated in a sheath of ice

My hydrangea bush

and the ice on the tarped shelter in the back yard

Today the freezing rain has stopped (Thank you!) And we have a ton of shovelling to do. Mike is out plowing the driveway for the neighbour and then he will get the 6 inches of slush off the drive way. Hopefully this is the last of it....Please! We would probably have about 2 feet of snow if it had just snowed....I like snow!! Rain in the winter...hmmmmm...not so much

24 more Days

Can you believe it's December? I can't. Only 24 more days till.... well you know!
We have a tiny bit of snow, nothing like last year at this time. Mike and I hung the Christmas lights in the yard on Saturday....a step in the right direction.
I have been playing around with Christmas ornaments in the snow...I'm so easily amused..haha
So here is the best shot ..what do you think. I bet it would make a great Christmas card...hmmmm, ACK ! I haven't even started those , Better get on that too

C and Me

A couple from today. I think this is my new favorite of C. The light was good where we were caching this afternoon. My shutter was way too slow...about 50...it was overcasts

and I had my ISO set at 400... I like that there is no harsh shadows and his skin is the color of his skin...he always looks olive/yellowish. YES! Those are his lips...no, he doesn't wear lipstick...I'm suprised that they aren't blue ,cuz it was chilly. This is the best shot I took today...of a person. I'm working on M and L's photos but I don't have the right one yet. And here is me. Mike took this shot today also , while we were in the woods. I converted it to black and white...I don't look so old then...hahah

My new kiln

This is my new kiln....It's HUGE! It's 42 inches high and 36 inches wide ...the way you see it. The inside is 27in x 27in. 9.9 cubic feet...Seriously it' HUGE! Mike thinks I will fall into it and get lost..haha.

And this is my little kiln, I left the milk jug in there so you can see the size difference. She is a great little kiln and it has served me well...I have fired it for the last .....almost 10 years.

I sold it and used my birthday money to buy the bigger kiln.

I can wait to fill the new kiln...It will hold 3 times as many pots...I better get busy!

Cuz I like this one

This is from last week too. Look...no cheezy grins...just the 2 of them ..and they are not fighting!
Must have been a good day

A Day with the Boys

Yesterday we went for a walk....it's fall break and the boys are off school for the week. The weather was beautiful (15C above 0) . And I got a couple pictures of each of them, and a couple together...AMAZING! Took these in the shade...I think a reflector would have helped a bunch.

And the almost full moon last night at 6pm...right outside the back door . Different settings on both. ISO 200
iso 400

For Norma

Well, these are the ones I liked ...you look like such a happy family, I have more...I'll call you

This says it all

We played with some glow sticks last night...the boys thought the number 40...was somewhat funny....hmmmm? not really....haha. I wrote my name..or something close and M and C made the circular thing in the bottom left. I merge the 3 shots together and this is what I got.

Ahhhh...and a cake with many candles...ignore the background ...fridge covered in pictures and ribbons and the counter covered in the Chinese take out we had....yikes! not the loveliest shot..but at least it has been documented.

Let it Snow

These are from Yesterday! Old man winter decided to let loose. It snowed all morning, and the wind made it blizzard like. I couldn't see across the driveway at one point...crazy!
Out the back window in the garage

On the deck

And the front yard across the driveway

And this arrived in the mail yesterday...my mommy made it for me...isn't it beautiful...I absolutely love it ...Thanks Mom!

Winter is Here

Well, winter has arrived. We shouldn't complain, it has been such a warm fall. The snow is coming down this morning and I guess it's time.
A couple shots of the Thickle seed plant in my front flower bed. The gray background is the siding on the house...these are kinda dull and blah....but the days are gray and the warmth seems to be gone....too bad. Time to get the winter coats out.