Well, it seems like it's been 4eva since I've posted... so sorry for that!

So a few weeks ago, the HGHS football coaches hosted a 1/2 day camp for the 'little kid' football teams... there were probably 100 kids out there learning the game from the high school coaches. Blake had a great time and learned a lot! Here's a few pictures from the camp:

Toward the end of the camp, an adorable blonde-headed, pink-polta-dot-dressed little girl comes up to me and says "You take piture 'me, k?" So of course I took one, how could I resist! Little did I know that this 'little girl' was a 'little diva'! She had gotten some dirt on her dress, so I told her it was on there and she looked down and said, "I go get s'more, you take piture 'me, k?" So of course I quickly scanned the parents looking for her Mom... "I have a visual"... but to no avail, by that time, Lil' Diva was D.I.R.T.Y... I mean dress and all... "Oh goodness... lil Diva's dirty and Momma's gonna have a come apart" was going through my mind... and then, lil Diva headed over to Momma, "Oh no, she's gonna say something about a camera, point my direction, and then..." was running through my head... "Whew, Momma knew about the dirt adventure and thank the Lord, I went to school with her... now maybe I won't be in too much trouble!" She didn't look too happy about the dirt, but it appears that she wasn't going to fight that battle today... We've all been there, huh Mommas?! :-)

So here comes lil Diva... she said, "I'm go down'dayer, you take picher, an I come riiiiite back, k?" I thought I'd giggle my head off as she came back a little dirtier than the time before, repeating the EXACT same statement each time! So here I was, taking photos of the rough and tumble boys out there on the field and this adorable, dirty little girl... when I came home to download the pics, there was a football pic, a diva pic, a football pic, a diva pic... here are a few pics of Ashlynn, aka "Lil Diva"









This is from Traci, aka "Momma"... "Girl, they are soooo good!!! Thank you so very much! I appreciate you sending those to me, you are a great photographer!... She loves having her picture taken, she is a little diva, hahaha! And BTW, that dress came all clean, thank GOD! That is the first time she has really ever gotten dirty haha!!! Thanks again..."

To Traci... thanks for allowing me to take pictures of your little Diva... she's adorable!!

It's hard to believe that our grand-baby girl is already 9 months old!!! She's grown so much... time passes too quickly...

Posts are always better with pictures, so here ya go!

You can see more on my Flickr... (look under 'babies')

Make it a great one!!

Hi everybody!
This is a strange one, I know... but I love to check out what "I heart faces" is up to each week... this is my first time to participate, usually I'm just an innocent bystander. But, since this week is all about feet, I decided I'd take part! I love taking pictures of baby feet... they're just so precious! So here we go!


What's funny is that I was really wanting to get a good 'feet' shot on Sunday afternoon at Jackie & Chris' after the kids played on the Slip-n-Slide, then came home and found out that this contest was going to start today!

Have a fabulous week!! :-)

This weekend was really... well, great!

Friday: I was able to be off work which is pretty rare... I went shopping and had some fun out messin' around with Mama & Blakers and lunch with my hubby! We went b'day shoppin' for Blakers, can you believe my BABY is SEVEN YEARS OLD!??!?!! Besides asking for a 4 wheeler or dirt bike, we had it pretty easy... we took him to Toys R Us first... and crazy as it seems, he really didn't want too much! He wanted a Pitch-back (pitch a baseball, it bounces back) and some baseballs, but then he wanted to go to WalMart... yeah, WalMart... that's where he went partially crazy. He started wanting everything!! He wanted a bunch of 'odd-n-ends', so instead of making him tell me different things that I could go back and pick up later, I went ahead and let him just put them in the buggy so he got exactly what he wanted... but he didn't know that Mom had gotten him a new PSP at Toys R Us and he didn't know that I had gotten him a new game, so he was REALLY surprised!! It was so funny to watch him open the game before the PSP! He was so confused...
Saturday: Steve was off work, which was VERY rare... we slept in (another rare-ity) then went to get fireworks... that was super-fun... well, for the boys that is! Dad and Uncle Wayne met us over there... they were checking out the Big Stuff while the boys were throwing stuff in their baskets faster than Lil E on race day! We left with $220 worth of fireworks... this is the yearly 'boy trip'... I always go along, but I don't answer questions such as "Mom, can I have this" or "Mom, what does this do"... I throw my hands up, raise my eyebrows and make a wierd 'i dunno' face and say "This is a boy trip, ask a boy"... I love it!!
Then we headed to Aunt Ann & Uncle Jip's new house for Dad's side of the family's get-together for the 4th.... there was food, fun and swimming! We had a ton of fun... I took Blakers a cake (that he picked out!) and everybody sang "Happy Birthday" to him!
Then it was time for Fireworks!! Chris, Jackie, Ethan, Anna Kate, Jamarri, Mom, Dad and Memaw came over to see the whole neighborhood 'light up'! It's always fun to watch one road 'battle' the other!
Sunday: We slept in again... yes, I was convicted... but I'll have to say it's been a LONG time since we've done that... anyway... we went to eat and then to see TRANSFORMERS at the IMAX!! It was definitely a great movie and a cool way to see it!!

Well, that's our weekend in a nutshell... time for nighty-night!!

These are the ABC's about being Karen.


(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your ABC's of Me, tag 20 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.


A - Age: 22... that's what Keith said on my bday and I'm sticking to it. JK 33...

B - Bed size: King!

C - Chore you hate: laundry

D - Drive a: SUV, Buick Rendezvous

E - Essential start your day item: juice or milk

F - Favorite Foods: Tokyo Japanese or Rosie's Mexican

G - Gold or Silver: silver

H - Height: 5'3

I - Instruments you play(ed): trumpet and the microphone.

J - Job title: Ministry Assistant

K - Kid(s): 5... 26,24,22,11 & 6 (3 are step, I have stretch marks to prove the other 2)

L - Living arrangements: home in subdivision

M - Married or single: Married

N - Nicknames: KAY-ren, Kar'n-Earl (thanks Jim McClure),

O- Outdoor activity you enjoy the most: to watch? Baseball and football... to do? sit

P - Pets: none, but am currently being begged to get a dog

Q - Famous Movie Quote: "Help me, help you"... "You had me at hello"... any guesses?

R - Right or left handed: right, but can use both sometimes...

S - Siblings: Nada.

T - Time you wake up: 6:30-7am

U - United States favorite place to visit: Beach!

V - Vegetable favorite: Tomatoes, I know the whole veggie/fruit thing, but tomatoes.

W - Ways you run late: um, anything... always late

X - X-rays you've had: can't remember!

Y - Yummy food you make: Hamburger helper, spaghetti and that bbq chicken my kids ate like they had never eaten before!

Z - Zoo favorite – tigers

Ok, that was fun... fun over.

Yeah, I know, I spelled it wrong... but that's where being the owner of this blog comes in handy! :-D So, I'm just wondering... does it seem like you're staying bizzy all the time?! I can't seem to slow down!!! We're either at the ball park, church or work ALL.THE.TIME. My house looks like a tornado hit it... messy and laundry needs to be folded and put up... and I just stare at it like it's gonna clean itself. (Boy, what I would pay for a self-cleaning house!)
So tell me, is it just me? I have a list of things I'd LOVE to do, but I can't seem to stay home long enough to do them!!
I love my life, though... maybe being this bizzy has something to do with a fun heart!
Love til next time... whenever that is!!

I just wanted to take a minute to invite you to
“Pierced”

the Annual Easter Production at my church, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Hazel Green!

Admission is FREE! Also, sign language interpretation will be provided for the deaf!

I hope you get to come!!! Bring friends, family and neighbors to see the Real Story of Easter!

This has taken me way to long to post, but I had a lot of folks asking what I did to my SUV a couple of weeks ago... well, here's the story:

I backed into the garage to unload the groceries as usual, but what was UNusual was that Steve was home to help unload... so he opens up the back hatch and takes in a few bags. Nothing bad about that, right?! That is FABULOUS! Here comes the bad part... I realized I had parked too close to Steve's van to get me and the supper out of the car, so I thought I'd move over a tidge... (yeah, you know where this is going)... I forgot that the hatch was open when I pulled up!!!!!!!! The rear windshield wiper got caught on the bottom lip of the garage door and bent the door... but that's not the worst part... because of the pressure on the wiper, the BACK GLASS SHATTERED! Here's a nice little pic of my damage:I have to take a moment to brag on my hubby... he didn't KILL me! This is my 2nd run-in with the garage door (pun intended)... we bought the current door only 3 years ago, so I thought I was a goner for sure... he did turn around and walk back in the house to the refuge of the 'big chair' in the living room (his non-matching eBay find) for about 10 minutes, then he walked to the front porch and said "Don't worry about it, we'll get it fixed"... WHAT?!!?!! I said, "Are you ok, are you in shock or do you have a fever?" He chuckled and said he was fine and came over and gave me a hug and said, "That's why we have insurance."
I was blown away!!! So to all you hubbies out there, take this little piece of advice from me... next time she does something really stupid, just take a time out and evaluate what's most important... her or the boo-boo... I bet you'll react like Steve did if you take this little gem of advice!

So now for my MasterCard commercial:
1 garage door repair: $110
1 rear glass replacement: $250
1 husband that didn't scream or kill: Priceless

(((Been a while, huh??? Well, if you're missing me, it's cuz you're not on Facebook!!! I am loving that site!!!)))
You're probably wondering WHAT IN THE WORLD I'm talking about when I say ""I love Picnik'in!!""... well, I'm so glad you asked! My friend, Amy, told me about a FREE (yes, FREE) photo editing site named Picnik... You can upgrade to the 'ad-less', bigger workspaced, Premium version for only $24.95, like I did, but you have a BUNCH of options available on the Free version!
If you've edited any pics or gone farther in photography than just taking pics of your kids and pets, you've heard of Photoshop... I have tried to take time to learn it, but to little avail. I have learned a few things, but only a few because I learn by doing, not reading a book... I definitely do not have a 'technical mind' so I thought, "Why not! I'll try Picnik!" (Ok, so it wasn't that dramatic.) So I tried it... and I LOVE IT! Before taking the full dive, I Googled some reviews... I found one review that really stuck out... Pam said something like 'I have Photoshop CS2 on my desktop and everytime I open it, I look at it, then close it'... I'm pretty much the same way, so I contacted her... come to find out, she's a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER in Okinowa, JAPAN!!!! Her photos are truly amazing...
I have Photoshop Elements 6, which is much easier to use than CS2/3/4, but still aggravating with all the layer stuff and 'technical mess'... I love photography because I can be creative and capture moments in time that would have passed and been forgotten, but because I had the guts to snap the button when no one else would, I have captured a memory that now can never be completely forgotten. With so much going into an image, whether its a pretty landscape or a gorgeous baby or a beaming bride, I don't want to spend my precious time trying to figure out what layer I should put in or whatever... so I find my self clicking open Picnik 100% more than I click open the Photoshop...
Will die-hard, pro photographers gasp at the thought? Of course!
Will people like me love the ease and fun of Picnik? YES, YES, YES!
Will I eventually learn Photoshop? I dunno... I may try, but for now, Picnik is my obsession!

You're probably wondering why I posted about Picnik instead of something grand going on in my crazy life... well, it's cuz right now, my boys aren't currently playing a sport and it's cold outside... Needless to say, I'm not getting out much... that is, not past going to church and work (which is one in the same) Mom's house, Wal Mart or some other warm spots around Hazel Green... I can't wait for SPRING to get here so I'll want to go outside!!

Ok, so tell me what you think of this... of course it was edited on Picnik!

Ok, so you know this is my 'digital journal' for my kiddos so I have to do this one... this came across FB today, and I thought I'd put it in my blog so they could read about themselves in a few years (or decades!). I'm gonna do it a little different though, instead of doing it only for the 'first-born', I'm gonna do both kiddos... Answers for Trey on top, Blake's on bottom.

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED?
yes
yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
yes
yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
excited, but scared
excited, but dreading diapers after having one that was potty-trained!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
21... yes, 21 and pregnant, just my luck. :-) jk
25

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
Pregnancy test... 3 times!
Pregnancy test... once!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
Trey's dad, Mike... then my Mom
Steve, then Mom!

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
Not at first, then the closer it got to us being able to find out, I wanted to.
Yes!

9. DUE DATE?
Aug 19... and he came on his due date!
July 4th... and he came on his due date too!!

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
yes... so bad that I was put in the hospital for dehydration... I had VERY bloodshot eyes, pale skin, pregnant and barefoot... I looked like I had just arrived from Redneck Central!
No... the pregnancy was wonderful, the delivery... not so much.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Ice Cream... but that craving is still there, I never lost it!
Ice Cream again!

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
Smelling a Chicken sandwich... I had left the lunch bag from Checkers in the car by mistake, it took me SEVERAL years to finally eat another chicken sandwich.
I don't remember with him... it was a great pregnancy.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
male
male

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No, but I would have sworn he was a girl until they told me different... I just knew I was having a girl...
No, but again, I would have sworn I was having a girl until they did the ultrasound... I can usually guess other people's, but apparently not my own!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
28
8

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
yes, probably too many of them!
yes, at Calvary Assembly

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
they were planned
it was planned

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
no, just the dehydration and nausea in the first tri-mester, after that it was smooth sailing!
not at all...

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Huntsville Hospital
Huntsville Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
12 hours, started at about 5 in the morning, he came at 5:03pm
10 hours, I was induced at 7, he came at 4:57pm

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Mike... he drove while I 'bout beat out the window with every contraction.
Steve... I was headed to be induced, so no pain this time!!

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Mike, but before I had the baby, I had 22 people in my room!
Steve, because I had to have a c-section

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural
C-section... he was up too high, cord was wrapped around his neck and he was breech!

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
ABSOLUTELY!!!!
ABSOLUTELY!!!!

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
8 lbs, 4 oz.
8lbs even

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
August 19th, 5:03pm
July 4th, 4:57pm

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
James Michael III, "Trey"
Steven Blake

31. HOW OLD ARE THEY TODAY?
11 yrs
6yrs

So there ya go boys... a little about your birth into this great big world!
I Love You Both!
Mom... :-)

25 Random Things About Me...
Ok, I got this from a friend of mine from High School... I thought it was pretty cool, mostly because there were things on her list that I didn't know about her, even though I've known her for what seems like forever! So, I thought, Hmmm... maybe there's some stuff about me that I take for granted that everybody knows and just maybe they don't! So here ya go... sorry if you didn't really want to know, and if not... well, stop reading! :-)

1. I am a Daughter of the Most High King... therefore, a Princess!
2. I have a great husband, that's 15 years older than me!
3. I am a Mommy of 2 wonderful, growing, talented, sweet, competitive, sport-loving, smart, sneaky boys
4. I am a Step-mom of 2 beautiful girls and one handsome boy... the oldest is only 6 years younger than me, so maybe I should say young ladies and young man
5. I am a Step-Mother-in-law to one beautiful step-daughter-in-law
6. I am a Mimi to 4 terrific grandkids... 3 boys, 1 girl...
7. My doggie that I've had for 5 years and I loved more than any other animal I've ever had died 2 weeks ago.
8. I love to worship God... singing, dancing, whatever... just PRAISE!
9. I love photography, just wish I had more time to do it and learn more!
10. I love heights...the higher the better... being on the Empire State Building observation deck was AWESOME!
11. I have to sign my kids in at school way too much.
12. I HATE DOING THE LAUNDRY!!
13. I don't watch the news much because I think the media stirs the pot too much: economy, etc
14. I'm not a fan of the rain... I know we need it, but I still don't like getting wet in good clothes/shoes.
15. I love to laugh. If you know me at ALL, you already knew that.
16. I want to be a size 10.
17. I am a procrastinator... but thankfully I work well under pressure!
18. I was saved on September 14, 1993.
19. I think this is making me think too much.
20. I am an only child... yeah, I know SPOILED ROTTEN.
21. I love my job.
22. I love Mexican food!
23. I miss Team Hearn, mostly Tiff
24. I can't wait to go on our Cruise to the Bahamas in October!!
25. I was totally at a loss when I wanted to make the last one the best. Oh well, sorry.

I started this blog as a 'digital journal' of sorts for my kids... When they're all grown up they can look back and read this and say, "Yep, she was actually as goofy as I remember." Love ya T-baby and Spunkadoo... KL ;-)

Ok, I love my kiddos and they love their sports... and boy, it seems like this year's basketball season has lasted FOREVER! It was really the same as last year, so I guess we were just busier this year or something... I took a TON of pictures (did you doubt that I would?) I'm trying to get them uploaded to my online gallery for folks to see, but for some reason I can't get that blasted thing to cooperate with me... which is really why I came over to my little blogity-blog... I haven't posted anything since DEC 22ND!! It's really hard for me to think of something to say 'cuz I'm just one of those girls that 'lives in the moment'... by the time I get to where I can write, I've forgotten what happened that day or get busy doing something else (cough-facebook-cough)... Facebook has become pretty fun for me, I don't get into all those little game-things, but I really like being able to 'stalk from a distance' :-) Seriously, its great to keep up with my friends (new and old) without having to sit down for hours to catch up and forget half of the things I was going to tell her!!! The only thing is that I've gotta get better at keeping MYSELF updated! Much like here, I like to check on other folks, but not keep my own updated! Well, with this little post, I got a two-fer... once I click 'publish post', it goes on Blogger AND Facebook!! Woo Hoo!!! Once again, I'm multi-tasking!
Here are a few of those basketball pics I was talking about:






Let me know what you think about the pics!! Hugs, KL B-)

Mighty to Save... simple as that.

So, it's definitely been a while since I've posted... its been SUPER BUSY lately, of course, I say that everytime it's been a while... but seriously, I know your house is probably the same this time of year!
I guess you're wondering why I'd post at 12:50AM when I have to get up and get kids to school and me to work tomorrow... and here's why... it started out as just 'wandering around' my email, which took me to my Facebook, which took me to Santa-ing myself, which took me to wonder why this won't let me send it to anyone right now?... which took me to wonder what Heather Bookout has on her photography site?, which took me to her blog instead, which took me to this video...

funny how the Lord worked this one out, huh? Keep in mind, I haven't wondered about HB's photography in a long time, but I saw one of her ads on my kitchen table this afternoon before leaving for a Christmas party, it musta been stuck up there in my 'check out this site' brain-file... and to be honest, this is nothing like what I expected... I just thought her blog would be about her recent photog adventures and that's it, but God knew exactly what she had posted there back in JULY, and HE knew that I would keep looking at her blog as if I were looking for some photography tip to jump out at me... the thing is I have a hard time sometimes picking up the Bible instead of my favorite photog magazine... yes, I still pick up the Bible and I read it, but it seems so much easier to read that magazine because well, I love photography and learn something new on every page... the thing is, God wants me to be more interested in Him than I am in photography(or anything else!) and sometimes HE has to remind me by jumping off the page at me... well, that's exactly what happened tonight.

I don't know what your hobbies, businesses, busy-ness-es, obsessions, addictions, etc are, but I know mine and I know that God sometimes has to stop me in my tracks to turn me around and make me realize that I didn't stop to take time with Him today... it's easy to do, we have so much to do and so many places to go and so many people to see, but don't fail to realize that being in His presence and seeing Him and doing His work is the most important thing we can do on any day of the week... not just Sunday.

Father, I am so sorry for not taking the time to be in Your presence today. Thank you for using my hobby to remind me....thank you for Your Love, Your Grace, Your Hope, Your Guidance and Your Holiness.

I love my boys! I like basketball! Those two make me a basketcase! (Stay tuned in the spring when the equation changes to baseball!) We joined the local gym a few months ago, thinking that we could go as a family, but as life would have it... we haven't even stepped foot in there in about 2 months... it lasted for a little while and was great while it lasted!

Anyway, back to the story.

So, Blake had practice tonight, then we jetted on over to Trey's first game of the season... they won! 17-12! T made one point from a freethrow, got some rebounds and stole 2 balls away!
Blake has his first game tomorrow morning, I hope they do well!!!

Thanks for listening, but enough of my ramblings...

WOO HOO!! I finally finished Wendy's pictures!!! Let me know what you think!

Hey, so who loves Casting Crowns more than me? Yeah, that's what I thought... nobody. I was just listening to Mark Hall on Rick and Bubba a little bit ago and heard a snippet of their newest Christmas song, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"... ok, so I LOVE IT! That CD is on my "Must Buy For Myself Before Christmas" List... I make that list every year, cuz I'm sort of an impatient kinda girl... But in this case, you HAVE to HAVE this BEFORE Christmas 'cuz you want to play it as Christmas gets closer... and closer... and closer! I've been telling the kiddies that its "not time to put up the tree yet, Thanksgiving isn't even over yet!" (I'm the one that HATES to see Valentine's candy on the shelves in December) But the more I hear this great Christmas music, the more it makes me want to climb up in the attic to get the tree down! Ok,
so go on over to the CC website and hear the song for yourself... it plays automatically... you'll love it, I promise.... Merry Christmas!... I mean, Happy Thanksgiving! ;-)

Hey folks!
Well, this is probably my busiest week EVER! At least it feels like it anyway... we're having BYF Day (that means Bring Your Friend Day) at church this Sunday, and it is B.U.S.Y. around there! We've been doing a lot of construction over the last few months 'cuz we're bumpin' up the coolness factor in the youth & kids areas... well, since we have guests coming this weekend, we've been bustin' it to get our house 'in order' plus we started setting up tables, media and other stuff today to get ready... (hey! even Steve got in on it... on his OFF DAY!) I was so impressed... cha-ching on the brownie points!!
And since it was Daddy's day off, we had lunch at school with the boys and Abby... we took Happy Meals from MickyD's... cha-ching for us! (pun intended) We all had a good time, its so funny to watch the other kiddos when parents come to lunch... they get so excited that "outsiders" came inside with them! ;-)

Ok, bad mama on me... my T-baby celebrated his "first kill" (his words) on Sunday and I still haven't shared it with you... I'll post some pics tomorrow, I'm too tired to walk out to the car to get the camera... I'm tellin' ya, I'm pooped from all that manual labor today!

Here's a few more pics from the library... (they were already in the computer) these were from the Lincoln County Fair a few weeks ago... of course, I forgot to post them... I promise I have good intentions, just a bad mem

I've tried something new, let me know what you think of this photo and logo...

Google has a photo-editing software that's free, yep FREE, called Picasa... I couldn't say enough about it when I first found it about 2 years ago and now it's even better! I like using it when I don't have much time... you can get it here. The picture at the top of my blog that Blake took was edited using it... really all I did was add the text to that one, but you get the idea... You can retouch a photo (like if you had a spot on your lens, you can take it out!), you can make movies, slideshows, collages, upload directly to your blog or web album, add text & watermarks to your pics, and much much more! (I'm sounding like an infomercial now, so...) I'm just telling ya, it's great... and did I mention FREE?! ;-D

Ok, well, maybe just in my own mind... but seriously, this is so cool! Go here to see the profile that Gary Cosby Jr over at A Little News did on l'il 'ole me and my car reflectors... I'm so excited!! He's a great photographer for The Decatur Daily that also writes for Digital Photography School. His blog is mostly for photojournalists and professionals, but I happened upon one of his DPS posts when I bought the reflectors... you'll see, just jump on over to my "Reader Profile"! Leave me some comments! ;-)

I'm completely blown away... you know I love photography, but to know that my kiddos are beginning to love it as much as I do is great! I needed a photo of myself for the website and also a reader profile over at A Little News, so I asked the boys to help me out... Trey took the one with me and my car reflectors (read the profile and you'll get it) and of course, Blake wanted to to what his big brother was getting to do... so we strapped the camera around his neck and told him to tell me what to do and he could take the pics... bless their hearts, I'm constantly telling them how to stand, smile, etc... so I figured it was my turn to do what they said for a change! Well, Trey decided that he was done and went to play with his friends, Blake wanted to keep snappin' so I let him! He let it go on continuous and took about 100 pics! I deleted out a few and kept the good ones... I think he did a great job, especially considering he's only SIX!! Well, let me know what you think!! Leave a comment below!

Some of you may already know that's what I lovingly call my eldest son, Trey... he has many nick-names, even "Trey" is one! I started calling him "T" when he was about 4 or 5 when he was playing T-ball... it has definitely stuck with him! Hardball is one of his favorite movies of all time (I wish it didn't have all that cursing because the story is great), the little boy in there is called G-baby... I guess that's where I picked up the T-baby, along with saying "Come on T, Baby... hit it hard!" when he was up to bat! Anyway, today's post is all about his b'day!!
He's ELEVEN today!!! It's sooooo hard to believe!
There are many stories to tell about him, but probably the best ones come from his aggravation of pronouncing words wrong... like "counch" for couch, "pidget" for pigeon, "Giggilan" for Gilligan's Island, "Chagganooda" for Chattanooga, there are many more, but my all-time favorite is, "swip-swipers" for wind shield wipers! (We still call them that when it rains!)
He has the cutest little look when he's being sneaky... and the funniest dances when he thinks no one is watching... and the biggest heart in the world when someone needs help or is hurting.
I'm tearing up just thinking about how tough this little man is, he just amazes me. When he was 2, his parents split up... when he was 3 his parents married other spouses... when he was 4, he had a little brother (and a step brother & two step sisters) at Mom's and little sister at Dad's... he moved to a new home at 5... he had six surgeries by the time he was 6... and the list goes on to just this past year when he endured the hardest year of school yet, when he had the toughest teacher on the planet and was so relieved to find out that he had passed!!
I'm so proud of how much he's grown and matured over the last eleven years (yes, there's a long way to go, but)... he was saved 2 years ago and with the heart that he has for others, I know he'll impact many people in his lifetime... He's turned out to be a great kid... the Lord said "Train a child up in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it", he will always be one of my "true gifts" from God and even though I know that the teenage years are on their way, Trey has a heart as big as the world and I know he is and is gonna be a Mighty Man of God.

Wow, this summer has just ZOOOOOOMED by! The kiddos start back to school on Wednesday... and yes, there is a reason that you are sensing a bit of a grin on my face... ;-)
I dearly love my kids, but I'm not one of those moms that says, "Oh, school is already starting back, how I wish the kids had more time at home".... Oh, no, no, no my friend, this is more of what you'll hear coming from my mouth... "THANK YOU JESUS!" (Yes, that's all caps because it's a SHOUT!) I have said many, many times that I could never be a 'homeschool mom', believe me, my kids would hate it and so would I! The ONLY thing we would all love is that we could sleep late! We're social butterflies that LOVE to be around other people, my being at home for 6 years with "baby Blake" was enough! In fact, I'm not the only one that is glad that they're starting back, they are completely STOKED! I was always really glad to start school too, I couldn't sleep well and was really nervous my "First Day of School Outfit", you know what I'm talking about... it has finally hit Trey... up until this year, he hasn't really given a rip what I laid out for him to wear, but yesterday he was with his Dad when he was told I was school shopping and I heard this voice on the other end of the phone that said "Mom, can you please come meet Kristen to get me so I can pick out my own clothes, PLEASE"... I told him that if I picked up something hideous that all he had to do was tell me he didn't like it and we'd take it back, no questions asked... he agreed and all was well... SO, when we got home, I was anxious to show him all his new clothes... we were getting out all the "stuff" in the garage when they pulled up and he was ready to inspect the days finds... all I had to do was pull those shoes out and his eyes lit up and the grin was from ear to ear... all I could hear was "and its headed over the fence, ladies and gentlemen, its a... a... HOME RUN!!!" Oh yea, Mom's still got it... ;-D

Well, I'm beginning to see why I didn't do so well in my scrapbooking endeavors... its very few and far between that I get a chance to sit down and do anything for a long (or short for that matter) period of time; whenever I do, I'm watching a little tv with the kiddos or its with my nemesis: the laundry. My cutie-patoodies can definitely attest to the fact that I HATE LAUNDRY! I don't mind the washing and drying, its the folding and putting up that I can't stand... I was watching Jon & Kate+8 tonite for a little while and I heard her say the same thing... that's when it really hit me. "I only have 2 kids and I hate laundry... she must REALLY hate laundry to the 10th power!" I did learn that she has some really great neighbors that help her on Thursdays to fold and put up, which I think is just FABULOUS! What a terrific idea! The only thing is that I don't think my neighbors will have as much pity on me... yeah, I can count on that. Anyway... its been a while since I've 'talked' to you, so I thought I'd post a little sumthin' sumthin'!

I've taken some great photos lately, some of my cuz'ins and the boys at the beach that I haven't taken the time to work on yet because of everything making me busy as a bee... you know, I remember being busy when I worked at the Courthouse and Bob Wallace, but it just wasn't like this... I don't think... maybe that's because back then I only had Trey?? I dunno, I guess life happens when you least expect it, huh? I'm learnin' everyday...

Something I'm loving is working, though. The only thing I don't like is... well, two things... I don't like getting up early during the summer, but more than that, I don't like having to take my kids to babysitters. BUT, thankfully, my Thurs & Fri's are VERY flexible during the summer, that makes it MUCH easier to 'cope'. Believe me, because of the first reason I really look forward to Thursdays now!

Ok, so I've GOT to learn how to use my new Photoshop Elements 6... I think I'll love it, but I'm so accustomed to using Picasa that I'm hitting walls... not that its too complicated, its just that I hate to read owners manuals and it seems that I'm gonna have to or teach myself over a very long time... anyway, Britt, I'm gettin' there, I promise Bailey will still be 3 when I get those pics to you!!

Well, I've gotta go... I was writing all of this while waiting for some files to write to my external drive and its done! Now my darling little laptop won't go crazy on me! ;-)

Y'all have a great Thursday, I know I will!! ;-D
Hugs,
Karen :-)

Hi everyone!
Wow, have we been B.U.S.Y! I'm telling you what, my life has been CRAZY lately... but the cool thing is that it has been such a great busy... I just thought I'd update a couple of things today... I can't even remember all the things that has kept us busy, but there's no way I can forget Blake's Birthday this past weekend! His birthday was Friday, the Fourth of July... and yes, he's definitely a firecracker... he got some great gifts, but of course the best in his opinion was the money! ;-) I think the 2nd runner up is Guitar Hero... Trey was pretty excited about that too!
Lil B, I'm so glad you had a great birthday and party! Those little men are growing up so fast...
Pictures will come soon, I haven't had time to download them!

Here's a few pics of my cousin, Brittany, her daughter, Bailey and her boyfriend, Jason...

Sorry it's been sooooo long since I posted... we've been busy with church events, work and our trip to NYC! I'll be posting more about all of these asap... yeah, asap... that means as soon as possible... not right now! ;-)

Anyway...
I met Jalen and his grandma, Yvonne (which I thought was his MOM because she looks so young!) at the park a few weeks ago... I noticed that she and I have the same kind of camera so we swapped a few tips... she also allowed me to shoot a few pics of this little cutie-pie... he's such a happy baby, and a pleasure to be around! Stay happy Little Man! ;-)

Enjoy!

It's VBS week at BBC! The kiddos are having soooo much fun! I noticed that there have been 44 visitors to my lil ole blog! I'm so excited! I never expected that, I thought it would just be me, Steve and Mama! Y'all keep checking back... I'll post some pics later this week... I've gotta work tomorrow, then VBS tomorrow night, so I have to get to bed! Thanks again so much for checking in... I really appreciate it and can't wait to post new pics for ya! ;-)

Ok, so I didn't make it to bed yet... I just remembered to post my friend Amy's blogsite on my Links to Love... she is very new at photography, but she has a great eye for it!! I'm very impressed and proud to call her my friend... check out her work here!
Huggins, Amy! KL ;-)

Today was a L..O..N..G.. day, no pun intended... we left the house at 7:45 this morning and didn't return until about 8:45 tonight! Wednesday's are long days for me at work, I work until 5pm, go get the kiddies and then go right back to church so we can eat supper, then we go to worship/kids activities and leave late... not a big deal really, I'm just not used to it yet! ;-)

I promised I'd show Lil B's graduation pic... a little late, but better late than never!

I accidentally left my camera at mom's, so as soon as I get it back, I'll get more pics up...

The boys are having a pretty good summer so far! We haven't done too much really, but Sunday starts VBS at church, so that will officially start the Summer Activities... T-baby will get to participate in Funday Mondays with BJ (that's what the pre-teens get to call Brother Justin, the Children's Pastor)... Lil B's age will have activities too, but not as much as T... Lil B just doesn't get that part yet... he hates that he's the "little" bro...

It's now after midnight, so I better hit the pillow before my chillren (yes, I said "CHILLREN") decide to wake up and make their way to our room...

See ya tomorrow!

Hi folks... it's Memorial Day weekend! It's a day to REMEMBER... we must remember those that have served in our nation's military, whether they are serving today or have served in the past. I pray that you will stop to remember them while you're out enjoying your days off... it's important to remember them everyday, but especially this weekend... reach out of your comfort zone and find someone that's served and tell them "Thank You!".

Well, its officially summer! The kids are out of school and the "Mama can we" questions are in full swing! Since starting work at BBC, things have changed a bit... I'll work 3days during the summer, so they'll stay with Memaw, my neighbor Lisa and Aunt Christine. They got up pretty good today, but I don't know how long that will last!
Blake graduated Kindergarten on Monday... it was the cutest thing watching all those 3ft boys and girls wearing caps and gowns... just adorable! We got his graduation pictures back from school yesterday and they look great! I'll post it tomorrow, I'm too lazy to walk out to my car to get it!
Trey passed to 5th grade!!! We are ALL soooo glad that his 4th grade year is over! We're praying that 5th will be better... he struggled so much with staying on track and dealing with his and his teacher's personality clashes... Trey is VERY laid back, to say the least and his teacher is VERY not. I'm telling you, its been like trying to pull Trey through day old mud every step of the way... he'll change classes next year, so maybe it will help that his environment will change several times throughout the day... if it's another year like this one, y'all will have to come pick up all my hair and try to plug it back into socket!
I don't know if you've noticed or not, but not much gets written about Steve... it's probably because his daily doings are very predictable: get up, make coffee, computer, shower, computer, get dressed, computer, tell everybody bye (including Missy), drive to work, work, take lunch at around 10:30 (yes, I typed it right and you read it right), get back to work, get a snack, work, drive home, go potty, change clothes, we'll call this eBay time- he could be found on the computer, packing or unpacking an item, taking pictures and posting items, etc...then he may watch some tv, and then goes to bed. That pretty much sums up most of his days... there is the occasional change, but he needs to know about 3 weeks in advance. ;-) If his schedule changes, I'll let you know. HA! ;-)

Well, have a great day! Lunchtime is over...

Ok, so I did it again... I haven't posted in quite a while... but I do have a good excuse, well, I think it is anyway... I started working again! Yes, after SIX years, I started working again! I'm working for my church as a Ministry Assistant. I'm really liking it and thankfully I don't work many hours and even better, I'll only be working 3 days during the summer weeks! When the kiddos are in school, I'll work 5 days, but still, they're short days... I feel like HM, I "get the best of both worlds"!
I took a few pics of the kiddos for the Mother's Day books I made for my Mom and Memaw, I hope you like them!

See ya later! BTW, check out Trey's blog!

It's been a busy last few days! Thursday we had concession duty at the park, then I worked the sound for a wedding on Friday and Saturday, Trey had a tournament in Anniston, Steve had to work, Next Generation danced on Sunday morning, but all Blake was worried about was that he wouldn't get to swim in the indoor pool at the hotel! Trey's Saturday games were rained out, so the boys were able to swim till their little hearts were content! (Thanks Mom & Dad for bearing that 'burden') The Trojans took 2nd place in the tournament! Take a look at Trey in the 2 pics... the only part of his body he moved for the goofy shot was his eyeballs!

I think it's past bedtime, 'cuz I hear my pillow calling me... more to come tomorrow!

Hey, hey, hey!
Ok, so today I went to have lunch with my hubby, get the pool water tested and cleaned out the monsterously dirty SUV... I love it when it's clean, but I sure hate to clean it between the 'dig deep cleaning days'... We just about live out of our car, so it stays piled up with dirt, too many water bottles, baseball equipment...well, just too much STUFF!

Lunch with Steve-o...
We went to Little Paul's BBQ today... they have GREAT TATERS! We had fun together and even had a chance to get to Wal-Mart to pick up some stuff... when I took him back to work, I was able to talk to Chris (our friend and Steve's co-worker) about photography and I realized that the time I spend on Digital Photography School, All Things Photography and different folks' blogs (namely Natalie Norton!) has been very much worth it! I didn't realize how much I've learned over the last few weeks, but one thing I did already know was how exciting the subject of photography is!!

GOOD NEWS KIDS!
The pool water was in better shape than we thought! The bad news is that its still C.O.L.D! It won't be long before we're a splishin' and a splashin'!

Here's a quick pic of Rambo and Commando at ball practice a few days ago... those kiddos are somethin' else! ;-) To be a kid again...
Ok, you photo-greats tell me what you think about this pic... I'm still a newbie, I need the help... no meanies, constructive criticism welcome!

See ya later!

Don't you just LOVE to laugh... uncontrollably!!?!???! Oh, I do... if you know me at all, you know that I laugh at just about everything... even when folks would think I'm crazy or even inconsiderate... I promise you, I'm not inconsiderate, it probably just seems like it to them because they're just way to uptight... ;-)
So today I just have to share someone with you that graduated a year behind me, her dad has been my boss at one of my previous jobs and he's the administrator at my church... so needless to say, we go WAAAAAAAAY back... back to the day of nicknames like "Stuff-enie" and "Kar-an-ta-un"-- silly? yes, so high school, but so us back then-- anyway, you've gotta check out her blogspot. So here's where you get to see our humor... she wrote about her 2yr old being lost on the elevator at their condo and what did I do? I LAUGHED UNCONTROLLABLY!! You've gotta read the blog to find out why... and if you're a Mama or a Granmama, you'll laugh too... Daddies and Grandaddies may be too uptight for this one... consider yourself warned! Check it out here.
See ya next time! Hugs and giggles... KL ;-)

Oh my goodness!!! It's been a really long time since I've posted! I didn't realize it until I was reading Natalie Norton's latest lesson about blogging on Digital Photography School just a little bit ago and realized how right she is about posting everyday. I soooooo look forward to her new posts, so it made me realize that you's guys might want to hear from me more often! So sorry if you've been checking back and I haven't been here... I'll do better... promise!

Ok, so I took some pics of the boys at their games this weekend... here ya go!
I'm headed out the door in a minute to meet with Doc at church to finish setting up our LIVE feed on the site! We're so excited that we'll be able to furnish this service for members that can't make it to church- like those that may have health problems, etc but also we'll be on the web for those all around the world! We have several guys serving in Iraq and other military bases, now they can be a part of our service each Sunday! The services will also be available for playback, so if someone can't be at church or on the web at 9:15, then they can catch the playback whenever they want! If you can't tell, I'm very excited!

See ya tomorrow!!

Well, today was very interesting... my Dad was sent to the hospital after a doc appt on Wed, his heartrate was a WHOPPING 133 and fluctuating down to 80 or so... They kept him overnight and then called at FIVE A.M. to tell him that they were coming down to get him for his procedure... well, FIVE HOURS LATER, they showed up to get him! A nice phone call to say, "Oh, Karen's Daddy, I'm sorry, but we had to put some folks ahead of you, go ahead and go back to sleep and we'll call you in a little while, k?! Ok, buh, buh, nuh." Oh no, they couldn't do that, but thankfully he was put to sleep for the procedure, and when he came back, he was SNORIN' and I mean LOUD! ;-) So you're probably wondering what the procedure was... he had to swallow a camera so they could see if he had a blood clot, which thankfully he didn't, then they shocked his heart back into rhythm, now he has to take Cumadin and shots for a week to thin his blood so it will pump through his heart better... the top part of his heart wasn't working right, so the bottom part was being overworked, causing the rhythm to get off and the pulse rate to skyrocket... He's not feeling very well, but hopefully that will get better really soon...

And being the greatest Papaw & Grannan in the world, they showed up at Trey's practice tonight... talk about dedicated grandparents! ;-)

Get better Daddy, Love you!!

Sorry it's been so long since I posted... I figured it would be this way, I only have a million things going on everyday! Well, we've had a lot going on lately... baseball, church, etc... but last week, Steve & I went on the Couples Retreat with our church to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! We had such a terrific time and learned soooo much on how to be a better hubby & wifey... its working!!! We're getting along much better and treating each other the way Jesus would have us to... its great!!
Ok, so Steve & I had FREE lunch today! Steve loves to listen to boring ol' talk radio all the time... but today it paid off! We had "Free Lunch in the Park" today at Big Spring Park in Huntsville... some local radio shows were hosting the event, so there was a TON of folks there... I had my camera, but because Steve had to get back to work so quickly, I wasn't able to take any pics... dog-gone-it... oh well... but I do plan on going back there to take pics of the kiddos when school is out or on a weekend- if we can seem to find a free one! Ok, time to get up from here... Trey's doing his homework and Blake has practice in a little while... see ya tomorrow!

Here's a collage of my kiddos that I put together not too long ago, I just thought I'd share! ;-)

hi everybody!

it's April Fool's Day Eve, and i've finally opened a blog-spot. i didn't really think that anybody would be interested in what i'm doing... or not doing... but then i thought, HEY, it doesn't matter if folks read my blog or not, it can be like a dear diary or something that my gorgeous kids can look at when i'm gone and remember their momma... i hope you enjoy reading my blog and hopefully it will make you smile... which is really my goal everyday!so, here goes...

a little about me and my fam:
my hubby's name is Steve, we've been married 8 years... blended between us, we have a quite the family... 5 kids- 3 sons & 2 daughters, 3 grandkids- all boys!, a doghter & 2 grand-doghters. I really want to take a family pic this year... I'll post it when we get it done! hopefully we can get it done before Blake starts to lose his teefies.

well, i'll be back later... trey and blake have baseball practice tonight, so i've gotta get some yummies in their tummies... quick! (if they eat too close to practice time, they'll toss their cookies all over the field-ies)

c-ya's! KL ;-)