Flea market...

I wondered today why the "Flea" markets are called "FLEA" Markets.  I never see fleas and the wind was blowing SOOOO hard today at the "FLEA" market, there wasn't any dogs around to have "FLEAS" there!

Mike, Britt, Court, Grandma Terry and myself went and nearly froze to death and had wind damage to our hair!

Here's Gma Terry freezing in MY COAT!

and Mike doing his thang...

and Court doing her thang...

after freezing to death, we headed back to Mike's Ma's house and the girls took the camera outside and took pics of the boys,,,

and anotherand another

Speaking of her...she sent some MORE PICS!

and here are more...

That's about it for the moment...I gotta get to work!  Have a great day everyone and ASHLEY...EMAIL MEEEEE!  or TEXT MEEEE!  or CALLL MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Joan

Mauldin High Chrous

Last night was the anuual Chorus Dinner Theater!  We had a good time too.

We ALWAYS have fun going where you can eat!  hee

Mom and dad love it too!  Mike's parents went, but didn't go to the "dinner" part because the Arnold Family had another reunion dinner and they were to go there.  They went to the show part.

Courtney had a solo part again this year and Dad's pic was better than mine ONLY because his lens is shorter than mine...i should be getting mine soon...it's on order. 

Now I took this next one...notice the FAR superior quality of this photo.  It's definitely "Blog-Worthy"!  haaaa

Dad...don't EVEN think you took that! BAH-HAAAA!!!!

Also, I had a preminotion before we left to go to that, that Ashley would be emailing me while there...it usually happens that way.  BUT, because I have a Blackberry Curve 8330 in PINK, I was immediately notified of the email and was able to read it there!  She also included 3 photos that was taken with her friend "Jill" camera...

I've been SO worried that she's extremely...

homesick and just GRIEVING over not seeing her Mama 

and STARVING for some good home-cooking (her Great Grandma's, NOT mine!  haa) 

and wet, 

sick and 

all alone....

WHA????

Notice the ANGUISH in her face of stifled home-sickness...

It's OK, baby...hang in there...

I'll update with more photos as I or dad, get them edited...mine require MINIMAL editing...just thought I'd add that.

More soon-

Joan

The Great Rain...

Our Lake Hartwell should be nearly full by now after all this rain we've had!  At least we don't have it like out west!

NOTHING new has happened around here the past few days.  I haven't heard 1 single word from Ashley either OR had one single alphabet letter emailed to me either.  The General-Admiral of the Coast Guard needs to let her call/email home.  I sure hope she's doing good and eating enuff and ain't fell off the boat and all...

Tonight is Courtney's school chorus "Dinner Theater" evening.  It includes a dinner and then a show!  And before all ya'll are wondering if there will be photos taken...HAAAA...of COURSE!  AND, since I'm off work tomorrow, I will have time to put them on here! Dad will be taking his camera too, which, out of daughterly duty, I will include some on here, but the GOOD pictures that I take, will be featured...naturally!

I haven't taken any pics the past couple of days due to the weather.  I have taken TONS of the dogs laying around, but I'll spare ya'll those.  Poor Boomer...he's gotten so used to me taking his picture that when he's laying down and I say, "Smile for the camera, Boomer", he don't even open his eyes anymore.  I don't reckon my blinding him with the camera flash every few minutes has helped either. 

SO, I dug thru some pictures that I have taken and don't remember posting these...

Ashley, that one was for you!  

This next picture I took the other day when the plumber was over at the house and I was trying to occupy myself outside...

That picture was taken at a distance and I haven't edited the picture.

This last picture was taken when Courtney went horseback riding.  It was taken with a cell phone as I wasn't invited to join her and capture the moment...

I could SOOO have taken some great pictures....sniff sniff....!!

Well, that's it for the moment.  I actually went grocery shopping yesterday, so I no longer have the excuse of not cooking becase we don't have any groceries.  (I tried to sneak the groceries in the house so they wouldn't see them, but the ever vigilent Courtney sniffed them out.) So, now I gotta go cook breakfast.

More soon!

Joan

My pic of the day

It's off to work I go...

The down side to having sooooo many days off a week now is actually going BACK to work.  The alarm on my phone scared me because I had forgotten what it was.  BUT...things went up from there when I migrated to the kitchen to feed Buddy and smelled the freshly brewed coffee in my NEW Black and Decker programable coffee pot that Mike got me for our anniversary!  WOO-HOO!

All is well in the world!

Have a great day!

Joan

I For-rayed

Or however you spell it...anyways, I went out to the backyard and this is what I found...

First...this...

I know...impressive.  BUT...I couldn't resist another HR pic...

I know...then I saw wild life...

I won't bore ya'll with the rest...but that's what I did!

More later!

Last Picture...I promise...

Here, I took 1 pic...lightened it and saved it, darkened it and saved it, and kept 1 normal...then HD'd it...this was taken in New Jersey when we went to pic ash up from basic last year...

Better than those below, but not good enuff....it looks like a paining and I want it to look like a photograph.  HMMmmmmm...I'm SURE I'll figure it out.

MORE SOON,

Joan

ASHLEY CALLED!

Just a short note to tell eveyone that Ash called yesterday and today and is doing GREAT!  

She was lying out in the sun in the caribbean!  AND....JUST to let ya'll know about our FANtabulous genes...she just bouught a new FLIPPIN CAMERA!  A Canon something or other with "10 Megs of Pickles"!  HAAAAAAA...She has taken loads of pics but has no way to upload them on the internet where she is, but will when she can.  OH the PRIDE I am feeling!  ha! 

HEY BABEEEEE!  We sure are missing you!  Don't forget to leave a comment so that can be your email to me!

Keep reading down and check out daddy's Birthday party...O.....M....Geeeeeee......!  HAAAAA  It was SO much fun and I still can't believe how Papa was dressed!!! 

We LOVE you!

That's it for the moment.  I'm off WORK TODAY and I plan on enjoying every second of it!

More soon...

Joan

another pic I worked on...

OK...I'm gonna keep working on this till I get it right...this is not any better, but an attempt.

Because it's the freeware version of software, it has the wording on it..it may be TOO complicated for me...I'm just experimenting!

These are the 3 pics I used to make this...

and 

These are blended together to make this...

OH well....more soon!

Joan

Quick Pic

I was messing around with the camera and exposures etc... and figured out how to take HD pics....here is the only one I've done so far...

That is taking 5 pictures and blending them together....COOOOOOOOL!

Joan

Mikes Birthday Party/St. Patricks day Party

I got off work last night and rushed over to Mike's parents house for "The Party"!  Check this out...

HAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa....Actually, it had begun long before this pic was taken...

We had Pizza and salad first...

MMMmmmm....then we moved into the dining room for the cake and ice cream part...

here it comes.... BAH-HAAAAAA

We couldn't believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mike then blew out the candles...

Even Cujo got in on it, but he got scared and ran under the bed.

Harley enjoyed it!

No party is complete until SOMEone puts the bow-tie on their head!

Here's Britt...she has been sick with the "crud" going around and this was her first time out of the house....

NOOOOOOOoooooo...this ain't Hilary Clinton....HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

This next pictures is enough to make any Mama proud - 

Awwwww....she's still my baby!

Donna didn't want her picture taken, but that never stops me!

Ashley, this picture is for you....

I thought this was a great picture of Chuck-

and Grandma Terry...

and Mike and me...

and needless to say, Mike had a great evening of party!

Here is a link to the pics where there are more....

http://picasaweb.google.com/joanandmikesc/MikeSBirthdayPartyStPatricksDay#5314451096413048098

That's about it from that...oh...here is Court's gift to Mike...It had two little Debbie Cakes in it!  ha! and also a "Country's greatest Hits" cd.  Britt's gift to him was a bag of pistacheos and peanuts, which he LOVES and will have it all eaten today!

***ASHLEY** - I know you're reading this on your boat...I've tried emailing you, but the emails come back, so I'm assuming your emails are down.  NOT TO FEAR! We're all fine, as you can tell!  We miss you and love you and Boomey does too!  BE CAREFUL out there and don't fall off the boat and as usual, DON't BE GIVING YOUR BLACKBERRY CURVE 8330 in PINK's number out to any BOYS. HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!  Blackberry IM me when you can as well as email!  We love YOU!

Well, I'm going back to bed...it's early and I don't have to be at work till 1pm today, so I might as well take advantage of that and SLEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

More soon!

Joan