She Quit

My daughter is through with me. Well, she's through with me when it comes to peering through the lens of a camera and snap, snap, snapping her picture. I had to coax, cajole, and bribe her to let me take photos at the beach last month. It was just the two of us, so being the center of attention instead of sharing it with a friend who usually goes with us made her... uh... not too willing.... But I persevered until she finally relented, and I managed to get a few quick clicks in.

It was just the two of us this year - out of the ordinary since she's taken a friend all but one year that we've been to this particular beach. But it was nice. We packed picnics for the days we spent at the beach. We read and talked. We soaked up the sun (and soaked in the pool). Because most of the better seafood places are better known for their long waits and pricey menu items, we dined on frozen pizzas, ice cream, Thai, and Mexican food, and found a little hole-in-the-wall 'dive' that served up fried catfish and shrimp with little fanfare. Our table was on a pier. There was no wait. Just good food and sweet conversation.  

Simple. Fun. with my girl.... 

Lots of Pomp Going on Here

It's graduation season *sniff*, so there's a lot of pomp going on here. We've already had an honor's day and a baccalaureate service. Only one left, and that would be the biggie -- graduation.

I'm not sure when these years got away from me, but they did. Suddenly, we came face to face with the big 1-2. As in 12th grade. Graduation year. Oh, my! Don't get me wrong; I'm excited big time for my daughter to be reaching this milestone, but I just wish the years had slowed down a bit more (or perhaps I needed to slow down a bit more to savor it all a little more savor-ly).

I loved this shot of Hannah and her friends looking at a photo on a mom's phone.

And here she is with Abigail.
 

Now this guy spotted me aiming my camera at him, and I couldn't resist.

And then he smiled a big one....

Hannah doesn't like to be the center of my attention when I have my camera out. I'm hoping that at graduation, she'll be a little nicer about it. I want some of her like this one!

We're in the final countdown. Just two weeks until the final hurrah. 

It Was a Big Fight....

that snowball fight, but I think my husband won. 

Although she looked a bit unsteady after that last hit, she was still laughing. That was pretty much the end of that snowball fight.

Snow Day 2014

We were supposed to get the brunt of the polar vortex, but instead it shifted at the last minute and slipped just north of us. Still, we received some snow, which for the South, meant Snow Days and no school. Our district, hearing early reports that we would get most of the bad weather, cancelled school before the storm hit. I feel terrible, though, for the students, teachers, and others who were caught unaware and stranded for hours and days at school, at work, or on an interstate (my sister included).

The snow didn't reach us until well after dark, so Hannah and I were up early the next day to enjoy it.

We both were reminded of Narnia as we walked through the woods.

Later, we headed to her grandparents house to try a little sledding.

 

I'm sitting in my studio office kind of hiding out. Hannah wanted to have a party for her 18th birthday.... Not a huge one, just a few friends and then some. I really have no idea who will show up; you know how word-of-mouth can make news of a party travel faster than you can say social media. But I'm thinking the turn-out will be okay because, face it, her parents are home.

Every party that teenagers her age have these days seem to take place in the absence of their parents. Hannah doesn't go to too many of them and has even driven up, parked, and after hearing from a friend came back home after hearing about the 'fun' they were having.

Funny girl, Hannah. She definitely takes after her dad's side of the family with her socializing. She enjoys her friends immensely. But at the same time, she takes after me a bit. She enjoys her friends in small numbers. She's already figured out that big parties don't always equate to big fun. 

So, anyway, here I sit on the night of her birth hidden away so-to-speak in my space. I have three hours to go until her official 'birthtime.' When she was little I would tell her all about the day she was born. We would read the diary entries I made during my pregnancy. For several years now, she's had friends over for the night, so the birth story hasn't been retold in a while. Maybe tomorrow night when we're settled in for the night. Yeah. That sounds like something worth doing again.

... in the time it's taken to create the collage, I've begun to hear chatter and laughter on the back deck. I think I'll go downstairs now.... :)

Happy 18th birthday to my girl! I hope this year brings much joy to your life.

 

Love Knots

Cozy. That's what I'm looking for today. It's cold outside, at least the inside of my house is making me think that. Sometimes, I get all bundled up before heading out somewhere, only to find out that it's warmer outside than it is in my house. In the summer, that's a good thing. In late fall and winter, not so much!

If you're with me on Instagram, you've already heard the story about the quilts in the photo above. You heard how I was always nosing around in antique stores looking for old quilts. I didn't mind a little wear and tear because that's what made them special to me.The two on the bottom of the stack came from my mother-in-law's yard sale before I joined the family. Freebies and in wonderful condition. The one second from the top was an antique store find, and the one on the very top is extra special because I actually got to meet the person who made it.

He was Uncle Olen on Craig's side of the family. He pieced quilts in his older age sitting with his wife in their small apartment in Atlanta. He made two for Hannah when she was a baby. One with pink tones and one with blue because I didn't want to know whether we were having a boy or a girl. And he made this top one for us.

The quilts remind me of childhood years at my grandmother's house on my father's side. I didn't spend too many nights there, but I do remember being deep in the middle of quilts on a cold winter night in their white frame house. The quilts laying heavy on my body but keeping the cold out.

They remind me of a poem I read with my students each year.... "My Mother Pieced Quilts"
and of Alice Walker's masterful story.... "Everyday use." Mama and Maggie might not think my displays are necessary, but I think they would be glad to know that the quilts have seen a lot of use. Everyday use. If not now than at least in the past.

It's getting close to the anniversary of my mother's death. December 11. She didn't quilt, but she did spend hours and hours making clothes for her three girls. Easter dresses, school clothes, even when I was grown, she would make clothes for me. So, although she didn't piece quilts, she sewed and with every tiny stitch a little love was added.

Day Trippin'

My daughter had moving-up day to commemorate this as her senior year of high school. It's been so much fun watching her grow up, but it's still bittersweet to know that she will be in college next year and that she won't be my little bird in a nest much longer.

If you have a daughter, I'm sure you know how challenging it is at times to find a dress that you both can agree on. This blue/green number received the okay from both of us, and a resourceful young man helped her tighten up her new shoes by punching an extra hole in the strap. These are two of her best friends....

We were planning on taking a short road trip this past weekend, and I had already decided that I would ride in the backseat with Hannah, so her uncle could sit up front with my husband. I couldn't help but think about Hannah and her best friend jamming out in the backseat on our way to the beach each summer. Usually, they're sharing one set of ear buds. I didn't say anything, but I nearly jumped out of my seat when she offered me an ear bud and said, "See if you like this song."

Of course, I accidentally pulled her ear bud out a few times in my enthusiasm.... I posted this same photo of us on Instagram. I crack up every time I look at it.

Eggs and Ribbon

I have a confession to make. I mentioned how much I like fresh eggs to a co-worker because I was hoping she would bring me some. I do eat them; really I do. But I also wanted to take pictures of them. I'm sure you understand. Completely.

I loved my egg picture on Instagram, but when I first posted it here I noticed that the filter kind of made things a little squirrelly. So I edited a slightly different version on PicMonkey just blurring out the background a little. I think next time I'll use my big camera and get the real soft focus in the background without editing. 
 

I also took a page (literally) from Kelly Kardos who mentioned that she uses scrapbook paper sometimes as her backdrop. So that's exactly what I used for this ribbon picture. 

I pulled the ribbon out the other day to embellish my sweet mother-in-law's Mother's Day gift. That lady (who is 86-years-old) has an amazing memory. I layered a burlap ribbon under the one pictured here, and she remembered that she had given me the burlap ribbon years ago. I'm really hoping that I take after her somehow as I grow older. She is one tough cookie.

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day, whether you were the recipient of some love or had a chance to let someone else know how much you've appreciated their mothering ways. 

Holidays always make me think of my own mom and how much I miss her.

Flowers and Froth and Frills, Oh My!

If you haven't had anything to do with a prom in a while, you might be surprised to know that it is a BIG thing these days! No more buying a dress down the street and 'fixin' your hair all pretty... by yourself. Nowadays, it's just about like getting dressed for a wedding. Seriously.

This was my daughter's first prom. Between hair and make-up, shoe shopping, and all that jazz, our calendar was pretty busy. But today was the day....

So, without further ado, here are Hannah's before prom photos. Her handsome date, Austin, just so happens to be one of my former students (how about that!).

Oh, and you might want to get a cup of coffee or tea.... because this might take a few minutes. I had a lot of fun today.

These two girls are Hannah's 'girls.' She babysits them every day after school. I think they were a bit in awe of all that glitz and glam.
 

 I sure do love that girl.

The Smiles Won Out

I tried to shoot (with my camera, of course) a pair of blue birds today, but I quickly found out that I don't have much patience for wildlife photography. I was afraid to get too close, so I stood in a doorway and waited....

and waited....

and waited....

but they stayed in the blue bird house while I stood there.

I knew the cousins were out on the front lawn on this Easter Sunday, so it didn't take me a minute to decide that the front lawn was where my camera and I needed to be. Faces get me every time.

Especially this little boy's face, which I think is adorable.

And this guy.... He taught me how to make guacamole a few years ago.

And their big brother....

And just when I had just about given up, I spied a streak of blue in the backyard again.

The bluebirds were back. I'm still not very good with my wildlife photography, but at least I was able to get a few photos of this fella before I gave up for good.

P.S. It's Spring Break. I am so ready for this week!

Four Weeks Later

or is it five? Whatever the case, I am better (yay!) and other than the cough that won't go away, most of my other symptoms have left the building. So much so, that I managed to go to Hannah's volleyball tournament on Saturday. I even took my big girl camera with me and captured some of the excitement of the day. I'm the first to admit that I'm not much of a sports photographer. (Confession: my best photos are of the girls waiting for the serve.) But this weekend's photos include the most in-focus action shots that I've taken in the past four seasons of volleyball play. I don't really know why they're better. I really think the smaller gym had something to do with it.

These girls can jump!

I love to see how intense and focused they are when the ball is in play.

 

The team members also serve as referees during the tournament.

Last year, my daughter's team wasn't very good was developing. Because of that, they were usually out of the tournament in the early afternoon, which meant we were home by 6 p.m. or so. This year, they are much better, which has consistently put them in the silver bracket for the play-offs. I didn't know until this year that the tournaments could last so late into the day. But it's fun. And for us it's a family day.