He is....

Mighty to Save... simple as that.

Oh, How He Loves Us...

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.

Boys + Basketball= Basketcase.

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...

They're DONE!

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

My favorite group... EVER!

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! ;-)

Life is too busy...

Ok, so because I'm doing things I like, I'm not getting to do things I love... ever been there? Yeah, I know you have, I think we all have. I won't run the list of my likes and loves, but obviously I love my family and I love photography. When those two mix, I'm close to heaven! I haven't had enough of that lately... There's the occasional snapshot of something the boys are doing, but no time to just get out there and get some "good'uns".
Here's where we get close to heaven... Last night, we went to baby E-fun's 2nd birthday party. He is such a great kid... he's not a whiney-hiney, he's pretty much content just playing... he'll let you know he wants something like more 'meawnk' (milk) or when he's hungry, but even then he's just a laid back, all around great kid... so he had the Elmo cake, the cousins, uncle (Blake!) and his "Best Buddy", Hudson to play with... the party was rockin' on. We were eating, watching the kiddos, talking... you know, the normal get-together. Then it was time to open presents... he got the typical 2-year old gifts: balls, cars, games, blah, blah, blah, blah... and then the guitar... yes, guitar. So apparently Hudson has one and Ethan loves it, so the perfect gift from his Best Buddy! And perfect it was... Hudson's guitar was hiding in the car until Ethan opened his... and then, then it started... are you thinking that they were fighting over them or somethin'?? Oh no... they put on a show! For real!! I think it was the cutest thing I've ever seen... I'd pay to see that again!
So here's a few pics of the wILd party...

That's Anna Kate in the sweater'ed tummy.

The leg thing is too cute!

This will make a CD cover one day.

Alright, so my addiction is fed for a little while... but not for long!

A week in the life...

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

BTW, wanna come to BYF with me?!

What'cha think?!

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

New Picasa 3!

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

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

I'm a supa-stahhhhh!

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! ;-)

Blake took this!

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!

Happy B'day T-baby!

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.

Momma loves you, T-baby! Happy Birthday!!

School time already!?

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

Slowly but surely!

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 :-)

Happy B'day Lil B!

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!

HOW CUTE IS HE?!

Is this the cutest picture EVER or what?!
This is our grandbaby, Ethan... or E-fun, whichever you prefer!

Britt, Jase & Cupcake

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

I snapped these at our family reunion a few weeks ago... enjoy!

At the park...

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!

This week...

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! ;-)

I've had a few minutes to post these pics from the Memorial Day Jubilee in Decatur... hope you like them!

Kelly, my ex-wife-in-law (that means Steve's kids' mom) owns the Curves in Decatur...
I thought I'd snap this one for her!

More from Memorial Day...

These guys brought tears to my eyes... and Taps, that gets me everytime.

More from Memorial Day...

Flyin' high! ;-)

Giddy up!

Baby Braden was enjoying his afternoon in the sun!

We finally got out of the car!

So, whatcha think??
We got out of the house today and got some pics of the field behind Mom & Dad's and also the creek out here in the country! Take a look and tell me... whatcha think?!! Please leave some comments below!!;-)