Ordinarily Extraordinary

Photo Session Sharing

Sharing a recent photo session over on the photography site. Click here to see more from this session with these precious girls.

Grilled Cheeses & a Scaredy Cat Dog

During the school year we don't go through a loaf of bread very quickly. The kiddo usually eats at school part of the week and takes his lunch the other part. During the summer though we go through it rather quickly. This summer grilled cheese seems to be the sandwich of choice. Most days I just leave the griddle out on the counter.

July 8 - POTD - Grilled cheese anyone?

If you're a regular blog reader then I'm sure you know that this is my girl. She's our sweetheart and other than probably adding 10 minutes onto our walk each morning because she sniffs everything in creation, she's a sweetheart. But a little known fact is that she's a big 'ol fraidy cat. The least bit of thunder and don't open the door because she will dart inside and not leave. And at 61 pounds she's really hard to drag out again. Most times we just give up and let her stay inside until the storm has passed. Such was the case this evening. Thankfully she just lays down and is content to be there with you.  Yes, she sits funny. She hurt her hip as a puppy and has never sat right since. It doesn't seem to bother her to walk 3 miles with me each morning though.

July 9 - POTD - The Scaredy Cat

Age is creeping up on me.

Earlier this summer I increased my time walking from 2 miles to 3 miles which takes me about an hour going up the hills in my neighborhood. I usually get in about  4 or 5 days a week and I think I'm more consistent during the summer when school's out.

But I have a little problem. I love food. Mainly sweets and carbohydrates. Pasta and potatoes being my favorites.  Sugar -- it's my nemesis.  And so I'm not seeing much pay off from that extra mile a day. I think age is starting to creep up on me. I used to could push myself a bit further with the exercise and see quick results.

I'll be the first to admit I don't have a lot of will power. If you put a candy bar in front of me I have a difficult time resisting the tempation if it's one of the ones I like. And let's not even talk about pasta with pesto. Tomato based sauces I can resist.  I have a weakness for pesto, though. I must stop thinking about it. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. Chips and salsa and mexican? Oh let's not go there. I would be happy to alternate between Italian and Mexican every night.

Yesterday I woke up a bit late to walk so I decided to do 30 minutes of Wii Fit. Crazy me decided to do the body scan thing at the end. I did not like what it told me. So with a little more resolve I started today trying to watch what I ate and cut back on portions. Surprisingly I never felt that hungry today.

I'm not really sure why I'm posting this here. Maybe to give myself some accountability. Hopefully it will help me keep myself on track though. I'm going to try and start doing some weight exercises for my back as well. I know lifting weights will help strengthen my back, but also help in burn fat.

Some things about getting older I've embraced. It's never really bothered me that my hair started turning gray at 23. Most days I like my gray hair. But the metabolism slowing down I'm not sure I'm ready for. Like I said - I love food.

So is there anything you do that helps with the food cravings? Any snack foods you've found that taste good and fill you up?

The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg

In The Prince of Frogtown Alabama author Rick Bragg completes his family stories with the story of his father, a story he never intended to write. Spurred on by his relationship with his stepson, Bragg realizes he must come to terms with his own issues of an absentee father in order to become the step-father he wants to be.

Bragg claims he is not a man suited to fatherhood. Staggered by his devotion and love for his stepson  inspires him to dig into his past yet again for The Prince of Frogtown. 

Bragg's upbringing with an absentee, alcholic father trying to escape the terrors of his wartime service necessitated a tough and independent childhood.  A stark difference from his gentle, sensitive stepson who was more comfortable in piano lessons and gifted classes. A childhood so vastly different from Bragg's own.

Bragg digs deep into not only his father's history, but his extended family's. His trademark storytelling style transports readers back to an age of mill villages and what life was like for those who labored, but never seemed to move up in the world. 

Bragg alternates chapters between the stories of his father and his own story of life with his stepson.  To understand his growing relationship with his stepson he drags up memories he thought he would never revisit. He needed to understand his own father's life and how that impacted his own.

Again, Bragg brings readers his remarkable gift of storytelling with insight and humor. If you enjoy stories, true stories, about southern life then you won't be dissappointed with The Prince of Frogtown.

Afternoon Swim

At least 2 or 3 afternoons a week we spend a couple of hours at my in-laws pool with a couple of friends. This is almost always my view.

July 7 - POTD

The heat has put me in a fog this afternoon. We're about to head out to eat mexican with friends and then I think I'm turning in early. It was a day of disruptions or at least it felt like it. I didn't seem to accomplish much at all. Some days are just like that I guess.

Science Experiments: Anti-Gravity using a Magnet

I'm starting a new series on Tuesdays where I'll post different science experiments for kids or links for doing science experiments with children.

This first one we found in a book I bought at the Museum of Natural History & Science. All you need is a decently strong magnet, a glass, paper clip, thread and tape.

Take your magnet and lay it over the top of a glass. Attach the paper clip to the end of the thread. Stick the paper clip to the magnet. Tape the thread to the table and pull until the paperclip is no longer touching the magnet and stick the tape down better. The clip is suspended in mid-air caught in the magnet's force. Try placing a penny, piece of paper, another paper clip and other objects between the paperclip and the magnet. Ask your child to observe what happens. Which objects break the force and which do not.

Be back next week with another easy experiment to get the little minds (and maybe your own) thinking.

Pop, Fireworks, Getting Wet & Flowers

Kiddo was so excited to see his Pop! My dad was able to come home for a couple of days after being away since May 28 training to go overseas. He and the kiddo love the porch swing. Snapped this one of them without them realizing it. They were in deep conversation about something, probably military related.

July 3 - POTD - Porch Swing with Pop.

My original plans for going to a fireworks show changed.  DH didn't want to drive to the big one near us so we stayed and watched his brothers & the neighbors shoot off some fireworks. I wasn't able to get the shots I had envisioned. Just didn't have the space to get a wide enough shot. Still got a few though. I love this shot of the pier, lights and moon though. And other than resizing for web it's straight out of camera. I love how the sky turned out in it. I used a narrower aperture to get the starburst effect. And of course a couple of fireworks shots for good measure.

July 4 - POTD

On Sunday, we stopped by my in-laws to check on my mother-in-law and 3 of the cousins were there. They decided to swim, but the kiddo didn't want to. He didn't mind goofing off on the diving board though and just as his dad told him he was going to fall in, he lost his balance and fell right in. He's strong enough (like his daddy) not to go under though so thankfully we didn't have to dive for his glasses. The whole episode was quiet funny. He even laughed about it.

July 5 - POTD - Getting Wet

I'm really proud of my flowers and herbs.  Loving the bright red flowers and the pop they give to my porch. Not to mentioned amazed we have kept them alive for a month now. Of course the kiddo has really been helping a lot with the watering. Especially after the snake incident (I'm still having nightmares. Hey no judging people. Serious phobia at work here.) Trying to figure out how to keep the herbs alive through the winter. Any thoughts?

July 6 - POTD - My flowers are still alive. It's a miracle!

Stampin' Up Cards

Just thought I'd share a couple of cards with you. This Trendy Tree set in this first one  from Stampin' Up is becoming one of my favorite sets. I'll probably be making a few more cards similar to this one. Change the wording up on it and it works for so many different occassions.

 

A Few Tips for Photographing Fireworks

Happy 4th of July! I'm not at home and don't have my external hard drive with me or I'd add a fireworks photo to this post. Check back tomorrow for photos (hopefully).

It's my sister's favorite holiday and since she's lamenting the fact that she will not be able to see any fireworks tonight I'll be seeing a fireworks show on a lake with camera in hand to hopefully ease her pain.

So I thought I'd offer some tips about shooting fireworks. Mainly I'm offering these to remind myself. Not because I'm a pro at capturing fireworks photos.

First, a tripod is pretty much necessary. I've gotten a sparing few without a tripod (one even from a boat without a tripod), but I'm pretty sure I'll be much more successful with a tripod. I can assure you that those sparing few were nothing more than luck.

Second, you'll need to use a slower shutter speed or even the bulb exposure (where you control how long it stays open) if your camera has one. And that slower shutter speed neccesitates the first tip.

Third, just as with any other type of photography, think about your perspective. Do you want to also get scenes from the ground in your photos as well? The few years I have taken fireworks photos I've only shot scenes of the fireworks up in the sky. Tonight I'm hoping to get some with the lake and people sillouhettes in with the fireworks.

Fourth, turn off your flash.  You just don't need it and it will mess up your shots anyway.

Fifth, take lots of photos. If you're like me and don't have a ton of experience getting firework photos take lots of shots and try different things. You'll see what works and what doesn't and be better prepared for your next try.

I'll be back later this weekend. Have a great holiday!

Artist at Work - Part 2

So my photo of the day for yesterday was of the kiddo doing an oil pastel. He started it yesterday and finished it up today. He ended up giving it to his granma who is in the hospital.

And here's a close up of it.