Cleaning off the cards

I found this shot cleaning off the card of my G10. I am getting the cameras ready to go to Branson next week. I actually took this one on my birthday 3/17. I could not resist the spring blossoms. What a beautiful sight.

My last day at ALC. Most of the kids were skipping so we just had a handful of students. This building set was donated by someone. They did a very good job setting it up and running it. I miss the kids already. I hope they have a safe fun summer.


Sprinkler fun. When Sarah can not convince me to take her swimming she asks to play in the sprinkler. Her friend Jordan visited the other day and the pool questions began immediately. The sprinkler was quickly put to good use. The hula hoop was the accessory of choice. They frolicked together in the front yard in the hot Arkansas sun.


Happy Father's day early to Mike. The ipad is still pristine in the box. It is sooooo cool. This is Mike's new toy to take with him on his weekly business trips. The entire family loves it but it's hands off for all but Daddy. I have flipped through a book with it and loooved it. There is a reason this company is so successful. They pay attention to the tiniest details and then some.


Sarah and Jamie both had haircuts this week. Sarah had long layers cut all over. The longest length cut was about 6-7 inches. As you can see it is still very long. The long bangs are a big change and definitely an adjustment. She really likes it so far. Jamie had about 2 inches cut all over and it is still plenty long. We walked out of there with piles of hair on the floor yet they both still have long hair. Maybe Mike and I enjoy their hair so much because our own is beginning to turn gray, thin and fall out. Big sigh.

Summer begins

Our summer begins with a cookout and hot weather. It is already hitting 100 degrees in Benton. It is hot and humid. Thank goodness for air conditioning or we would never make it. The kids are already doing lots of nothing. We have very little planned this summer. I hope to scrapbook as much a possible. Just look at the fabulous pictures I took on Memorial day. All of the rain and sun has been great for the garden and flowers.

I Heart Faces Week 21 Photo Challenge

I really love this photo of Sarah. I am entering it into this weeks challenge at I Heart Faces. It is open to amateurs and pros. The only specifics required are a face and the color yellow. This post will be linked to the website with the other entries. Click on the camera to see other entries. Wish me luck!!

The Performance

Ahhh. Big sigh of relief the recital is over. It was a great show. There is such a variety of dances. Tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop and more. It makes the show fly by. The costumes are bright the music is fun and it is very entertaining. The girls did a beautiful job. It is fun for me to sit in the audience and run backstage to help her change. I get to see the show from both sides. All of the grandparents were there with flowers to give her after the show. The auditorium was full of family and friends who clapped and cheered. After the last number all of the dancers come out for a bow. It is all over now until next year. My favorite shot is the mid air leap. That was just luck and holding the shutter down. Today was a hot summer day and she begged to go swimming. She is totally ready for summer and so am I. We have one more full week and then a few snow days.

Studio One Showase 2010 Photo Shoot

Forgive me for all of these pictures but I could not resist. This is our big dance recital weekend. We have dress rehearsal and the show. Sarah is in two dances. One is a jazz number. The other is very cute tap dance to the tune "Honey Man" Thus the big yellow flowers. We work all year for this big event. This is a bus,y crazy, fun time. Getting dressed for the stage is a deal complete with hair and makeup. Of course I have to do my own photo shoot of the costumes. We set up a little area on the back porch. I would love to invest in some nice backdrops for portraits. This is a small kit I have and it worked very well. Sarah willingly posed for a while. At a certain point she refused to smile again. We were done. I love these pictures. They were so much fun to play with. I have tried a variety of editing finishes on them. She did a fabulous job last night at rehearsal. I will post those pictures separately.

The Joy of Scrapbooking

This week I had the great pleasure of making a scrapbook for someone. I have subbed for Cara Cochran for the past two years. She has been an incredible friend and mentor. This lady is a true example of being the hands and feet of God. Cara welcomed me to the ALC with open arms. She is retiring this year after 25 years of special education teaching. I was given a bag of photos spanning those 25 years. I sorted and organized by themes. It was very cool to see the many faces of students and people through the years. The hairstyles and clothes change with time but her smile did not. We had a celebration lunch this week and I presented it to her. She has given 110% to each child. I am thankful for the opportunity to witness it. The ALC will not be the same with out her. We plan to keep in touch with face book and text messages. I know she will have great advice as I begin the social work thing.

What's in your bag?

This is just a fun copy cat from photojojo. It's a cool photography site with ideas and gadgets to play with. Someone on flickr has tons of photos of strangers and the contents of their bag. Each is unique. Also a good excuse to photograph a new really cute bright spring purse. It's all about capturing the mundane everyday stuff in the scrapbook world lately. The two necessary items pictured are the reading glasses and paperback book. I don't leave home without them.

The 40D is back from the shop. Canon replaced the shutter assembly under warranty. It will be going on ebay soon. It is up for grabs to family and friends first. This is going for $700 on ebay currently. Let me know asap if you want to work out a deal. All of the original items are included. The battery grip is brand new with a spare battery.

If you have not already I would love for you to friend the art studio on facebook. I am administrator for the site. I hope this will be good advertising for Dianne. Summer is hard for the store. Everyone drops classes for the summer and sales go way down. I truly love these ladies and enjoy my time there.