Making Lists…

Forget checking them twice… I am just lucky to not lose the list before I finish the tasks on it!! 

Today’s list.

Pack gift boxes for shipping

Mail boxes

buy stamps

order cards

laundry

wrap 10 gifts.

I didn’t get all the things done on my list today, but I did do some things that weren’t even on my list.

make chocolate covered pretzels with Leah & her friend & her friend’s mom.

go buy a Christmas gift that I know I am going to regret buying.

Yesterday’s list

finish designing my Christmas Cards

buy some shoes for Leah to wear to the dance.

take the dress Leah wants to wear to grandma to alter it.

buy groceries

wrap 10 gifts.

make “goodie” to take to a goodie exchange.

go to goodie exchange.

Tomorrow night Leah has a winter formal.  She has a beautiful, altered clearance rack dress & shoes from the consignment shop!  And her 2 dozen chocolate covered pretzels to take along.

Meanwhile, Zach has a game and James has a swim meet.

I will be at the dance.

My mom is keeping the younger kids for me.

I got a call from my kid’s dad this week.  He is asking to have them all on Sunday from 9 am to 8 pm. 

It’s good for them to know that he cares.  And it is good for them to spend some time with him.

But, its hard.

It’s hard for them too.  Hard to understand why it’s so rare that they see him.  Hard for them to understand why it is what it is.

Hard for me when they come back and they are full of all the hurt and take it out on me and on each other.  Stirs things up.

We have a full 2 weeks  of school off for Christmas break.  I am praying that I can enjoy it.  That we all can enjoy it.  It can get pretty crazy around here.

I am glad to be all caught up on my “work” & don’t plan to start up again on any new projects until after they go back to school.  Then I have tons of pictures of James & another photo shoot I did of a senior to edit.

I am also taking lots of sports pictures at school when I am there.  I am excited to edit some of those pictures.

Off to bed now… tomorrow there will be another list…

Pam

One Person?

Yesterday I read a twitter from another mom. 

She was talking about how busy her day is.

She asked if anyone else ever had to remind themselves they were only one person.

ummmmm….

yeah.

Only I don’t remind myself. 

Nor, do I even try to only be one person.

I try to be 2.

Or 4.

Or 6.

Sometimes more.

It really hit me, this tweet.

How in the world can I only be one person?

I don’t know.

I’d like to try.

Odds are against it.

As a single parent you already naturally have to do the job of 2.

So…

Yeah.

No answers.

Praying God shows me the things HE wants this ONE person to do each day.

What else can I do?

Maybe it’s more like through HIS strength I will be able to do more than one person should.

Is that it?

Maybe.

Pam

Wind Water & Shopping

It is so windy today that my dog is barking at the fireplace! 

We drove home in slush last night.  Only one small step up from ice.  Going 30 mph it about pulled me off the road twice.

Thankful Zach wasn’t driving in it.

He will have to go out and get experience in the winter weather, but it won’t be dark with a van full of family when he does!  (and I won’t be with him if I can help it!!!)

James diving career took off with a splash last week… it’s been a little more challenging since then. 

In fact last night he tried a dive of higher difficulty.

It didn’t go so well.

It was a “failed dive”, so he ended up in last place. (out of 3 divers)

I missed Zach’s game on Monday night & Leah’s cheering… shopping ya know!

I hope to see & get photos of Zach tomorrow night.

So far this is about the best we could do.

He is dressing JV…

He’s trying to mask his excitement. 

He’s dressed 3 JV Games and played 43 seconds.

Another C-Team game coming up Thursday & Friday nights though!

Weather permitting.

Christmas shopping is going pretty well!  Making some things this week & trying to get organized to see what gifts we still need to find!

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 

Don’t Blow Away!!

Pam

Do I Just forget and go on?

In the past week I have heard of so much pain going on in this world… 

Death.

Illness.

Sin.

Betrayal.

Nationally & right here in our little community.

A good friend of mine knows a young  mother who was killed in a car accident & my friend is weeping with the children while trying to feed the baby a bottle he’s never had to take… while his 2 year old brother cries over “mommy being broken” because he saw it all.

A young mother goes in for surgery and a doctor makes a tragic mistake.  And she is gone.  Leaving a 7th grader and a 4th grader.

Another young mother suddenly has an aneurism and isn’t expected to recover.

A young father, and husband of an old classmate is suddenly killed while at work in an accident.

A young father has cancer & he and his family sit in another country for over a month seeking treatment for a disease that has taken so many.

A highly respected community leader falls to the sin of adultery and 2 more marriage’s go down the drain. 

All of this in my own little circle of life.

I would imagine that each of you could add one or more to this that you have heard in the last week.

I find myself hesitating to enter into their pain.

My own pain is still too close to the surface.

I may have to acknowledge it’s existence if I enter in to someone else pain.

But, what can I do?

To be quite honest, I don’t know what I can do.  But, something in me deep down does not want to just move on and pretend that I have not been through something so tragic & painful… and God has not shown himself utterly amazing in the midst.

What does that look like?

Pam

Keeping up? Not Really.

Wow.  I find myself sitting in front of this blank screen not knowing what to write. 

You all really don’t want to hear from me how busy I am AGAIN do you?

Didn’t think so.

So, I won’t tell you that.

You can just know it.

My dad is going to try to be me tomorrow afternoon and evening. 

My sisters and Mom and I are going shopping.

After I spend all day on a field trip with Lucas.

And then Dad is going to pick up Kiahna from preschool.

Come home and meet the bus for Jadon.

My friend is bringing Lucas home.

Dad will do his spelling words with him.

Then my brother-in-law Ben is going to be at the game that Leah is cheering at, so he will bring her home when Koty is done playing and she is done cheering.

My dad is going the other way with the kids to Zach’s game. 

James will have swim/dive practice then he will go to Campus Life.

Then dad will bring Zach home after his game & put the kids all to bed.

Forget what I said about being busy.

I am not busy.  Dad is.

I am going to be Christmas shopping and enjoying some time off!

(that is of course if I am not too exhausted from the field trip to enjoy myself!!)

Hope they all survive!!

Pray for him!!!

Pam

YOUR Gonna Miss This…Moment… Week 62

I have spent my week going through the photos on my computer.  Downloading them onto a photo ordering site. 

I am working on May.

I’ve been at it all week.

I don’t think I missed much this year!

Good Grief!

It’s a little out of control!!!!

Along with everyone else, I think that this time of year is so busy it makes it especially hard to stop and really capture a moment.

I know I am struggling to slow down enough to enjoy it.

The next few days are busy enough to make my head spin thinking about them. 

Perhaps I will miss being so busy my head spins? 

How’s that for a really lame one.

Sorry.

I know you have a better one… Inspire me!!

Please.

Business & a Thank YOU!

Are you still without a Christmas card for this Christmas? 

I am booking quick photo shoots for this weekend!! 

You will receive one family photograph.  One custom designed card. And then pay for the cards you choose.  Card prices vary based on the style of the card & then of course  how many you purchase. Contact me for pricing.

You will have the option of purchasing more prints of the photograph if you choose!

The cards that I create are done based on the information you give me & the style you want. 

It is an interactive process where I will send you a proof I have designed & then you will tell me yes or no, & make suggestions.  It is custom for your family.  You choose the words, colors, photos & we work together to create something just for you!

See more of the cards I have created here.

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Gift Certificates are available!!

I am including $20 in free prints to anyone who buys a gift certificate to give this Christmas.

Contact me for pricing.  Half of the sitting fee will be due now and the other half at the time of the photo shoot.

I am not booking large photo shoots until spring.

This winter I can only offer quick shoots indoors (which are very limiting) and newborn photo sessions.

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I am very blessed to have found a way to support my family & thank you to all of my customers!! 

I am blown away by God’s faithfulness to our family over the years, and I am searching for words to convey that. 

This will be the fifth Christmas we have went through without HSSH.  Its mind boggling sometimes. 

Another thing that is mind boggling is the financial support that our family continues to receive from this community. 

In so many ways I would say we are “healed” and “peaceful” about where we are.  Yes, the kids have moments of struggling and I don’t know that they are as healed as I am.

The one thing that just doesn’t end is the finances needed to raise this many children.  My brain can’t even go to where we would be without our church’s support. 

Cardboard boxes & rags come to mind.

Seriously.

So, I hope that when you book a photo shoot with me and you work with me, and as I work with your photographs, you understand how blessed I am to have work and to be able to do something I love.  I hope that thankfulness never ends.

Pam

I didn’t think he could dive…

Who knew?

Not me.

So, when he came home a few weeks ago and told me that he was going to dive this year.

I honestly didn’t think too much about it.

He’s never dove before.

Figured he wouldn’t do to well.

Yet another lesson learned from my children.

You never know how good you will be at something if you never try.

You could go in to your first diving meet of the year and win first place.

Who knows?

Pam

I Heart Faces: Tooshies

This week’s themed contest at I Heart Faces is Tooshies…

I had this perfect one of my boys this fall…

Brotherly love.

If you remember right though, it did wonders for Zach’s ability to look more natural for the camera!

Pam

YOUR Gonna Miss This… Moment… Week 61

It’s been an interesting week over here.  Thanksgiving. Busy. Family. Busy. Christmas Tree. Busy. Kids causing stress. Busy. A little back pain. Busy.

Will I miss pushing a shopping cart that looks like this one day?  Weekly??? 

Dealing with some nagging back pain?

Taking pictures of seniors & newborns?

Seeing my oldest son & his girlfriend look like this?

Sitting at ball games night after night?

Wondering if my kids are going to survive the effects of divorce?  Or adoption?  Or both??

Trips to the counselor?

Feeding players?

Watching my kids learn to use chop sticks?  Absolutely!

Dealing with a 5 yr old who doesn’t want to eat?

& is stubborn & pouting in Walmart about the lip gloss that she wants & is still angry about  having to give up in the Christmas Shoe Boxes?

Listening to them argue on the way home? 

Finding distracting games like “how many Christmas trees can we count on the way home?”  Yes.

Until they start to argue about whether a bush counts as a tree.

Sigh.

Which do I choose this week??

Thanksgiving day with the whole family.  And getting a good picture.

Too many to choose from.

Life is a lot of good, a little hard & a whole bunch of prayer.

Pam

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Do you have a moment this week (or 2 or 4) that you’d like to share?  Link them up here with me!!  Get the code for this photo link in the side bar to add to your post!