Lovin' you...is easy 'cause you're beautiful...

Oh, how we torture them...

Do the Put In

Yep. He's throwing his diapers away.

13/365

Twelvvvvvve/365

Anniversary celebration + Jaegermeister + trustworthy, beloved babysitter + good friends = shit-eating grins all night long.

Corn

Jackson's first experience with corn ON the cob. I love how he tosses his spoon aside after he gets his first bite. It's very "BRING IT ON, WOMAN."

And that thumping sound? Seth kicking the table. Drives me batshit crazy. To all my parents: apologies for doing that to you. Also? For kicking the seat in the car.

11/365

So, yeah. Broken snake.

For those of you who don't know, we have a pet snake. His name is Sammy. He is a three-foot-long gopher snake, and we've had him for three years.

We love him. He is gentle, inquisitive. Spoiled rotten.

As Seth was holding him, Sammy slowly worked his way into the cushions of the chair. Seth tried to pull him out.

Broken snake.

Seth freaks, comes around the corner with Sammy in his hands. I take a look, and see a laceration (or is it a split? AGGGGG!) across Sammy's belly. I freak. Jackson freaks. Windows are open. We live in a valley. I cannot IMAGINE what the cacophony must have sounded like.

The brave and wonderful emergency vet agreed to see Sammy, though he had never worked on a snake in his life. Estimated cost? $200.

Tears. Sobbing. Pacing. And that was just me. I have become the Hysterical Snake Lady. Decide to put Sammy down.

The cost is just so MUCH, and what if he dies anyway?
This vet has never dealt with a snake before. He doesn't really know what to do.
Oh God...what do I do?

Cost of exam and euthanasia? $125.

So. For $75 more, I can try to save him?

Done.

Sammy is stitched up and sent home with six doses of antibiotic, to be given by injection once a day.

Thank you, Daddy, for saving my ass on this one.

I was going to share a photo of Sammy's stitches and needles. You know, to go along with the story. You get this instead:

I can hear Cathy's sigh of relief from here.

10/365. A day late.

A glimpse of beauty before all hell broke loose.




















The regular dinnertime chaos.

And then...a broken snake. Sammy is fine right now, but wish him luck. He'll need it.

Details at eleven.

9/365

New job. Kicking my ass. LOVE IT. But am having time management issues at home.

Like right now.

Should be in shower. Should be running the dishwasher. Should be filling out New Job Paperwork. Instead? On internet, wondering how to catch up on Flick'r. Email. Photos.

I'm gonna go take a shower.

















"Your Moment of Zen."
~Jon Stewart

8/365. Fun with Lingerie.

?? What is this...this...strapped, stretchy wonder ??




















I will run through the house with it, brandishing it high above me with much joy and squeebling...















Looks big, doesn't it? The stretching capability pictured here is wasted on your humble narrator.
















*sigh*

7/365

6/365

Spring? Maybe. Behold, our local forecast.

"One cold front moved across the Appalachians Monday morning. Another surge of even colder air will move through the region tonight with increasing NW winds. A few snow flurries and snow showers are possible overnight (possibly mixed with rain in lower elevations), especially at western mountaintops with a light dusting to perhaps as much as one inch possible in the highest elevations."

Oh my HELL Amanda!

After vehemently discussing with you the aggravation of typos, I discovered that...ah, GOD I don't even want to admit it...

I spell it like this.

"YA'LL"

*screeeeeeeeeeeam*

5/365

Sunday lunch. Pizza.

4/365

Breaking news: Jackson likes the river. A lot.




















So does his brother. But ya'll knew that already. So, not really news.




















Off to crack open a beer and plop down in front of the TV with a bag of salted peanuts. In the shell.

3/365

It's too bad he looks nothing like his Daddy.
















Spent a relaxing day at the park.


































Then the weather betrayed us. Clouds rolled in and the wind picked up, blowing the hazy smoke from a local wildfire into our midst.

Me and Amanda? Wildfire EXPERTS. Nobody seemed to know about or see or smell the smoke. After internet confirmation that yes, there is a wildfire occuring nearby, we confirmed to each other that we are not crazy. No matter what they say.

2/365

Quiet, cool, sunny morning. Windows open, fresh breezes floating through the house...















Jackson is watching "Bindi the Jungle Girl." Bindi is growing on me. As long as she doesn't sing and dance. I know...I'm a bad and evil person for saying that. It's just that when she does the song and dance, she seems like a puppet of adults.

LOVE Bindi's daddy, though.

Lookee who's come back to gorge themselves on nectar.















I put the feeders up yesterday. Today, while on the porch, the first one buzzed by my ear all in a hurry to GET. NECTAR. NOW. Sipsipsipsipsip, then up into the tree to spread territorial fear on the other two hummers who came out of nowhere.














Don't be sippin' on the Hatorade, bro. The ladies like it when you share.

1/365

Day one.

I have three photos. I couldn't choose just one.

Jackson's most cherished book:


















My mom got this book for Seth when he was a baby. Simply named. "Little Pup." Inside are little animals that pop out of different spots. A cat, A turtle, a parrot, a rabbit. Jackson loses his whole mind over this. How can it be? These animals that appear from nowhere? It is all too much. He dissolves into laughter.
















Self portrait. LURVE the timer on my camera. Now I can have photos of me AND my children, together. Since I am always the one with the camera attached to my face, the timer has saved me.

The messy background adds to the realistic portrait I have lovingly shared with you.

*snort*















This one I call "Messin' with Textures"

Many thanks to Amber and Chris for showing me the way. I will properly inebriate you both with wine when I come to visit in September. If that's OK. Don't want to make you do anything that you don't want to do.

Gonna Try Something New

Maile, one of the Shutter Sisters, posted this today.

I'm going to try it. A picture a day. Posted here. Daily. Every day.
Bear with me. I'm convincing myself to stick with something...

Let's see if photography will kick start my writing.

But it'll have to wait until tonight.

Jackson is asleep, and so begins the mad rush to shower, brush teeth, clean a bit of the house, make lunch...

Creative Vein

I think I have one. I am thankful for the one. However, it is limited in its capabilities. It can only hold one flow of creativity at a time.

Right now, it is channeling the photographer in me. Hence, no room for the writer in me.

Or maybe I'm overthinking it.

*nods of agreement from those who know me*

Lack of time seems to be a more accurate reason for the lack of posts here at HMFT.