Pictures I have messed with

I am on a photography group and we have been doing a technique with our photos using Adobe Photoshop. So, I took these pictures on the Holston River where the lake joins the River and got these pictures...

My BAD PIRATE!!!!!

ARG!!! Just had to share this with you Tom fans...knowing how I like the "bad boy" types...(shame on that preacher's wife!!!) I just love this picture...look at his lips, if that ain't a snarl, I don't know what is!!! Does he EVER smile for pictures???

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

"Tom's Leaving on a Jet plane and don't know if he'll be back again..." LOL, I am singing that song to him...He is leaving tomorrow for Madison, WI to do his clinicals for RN...I am so proud of him. He is scared..I rarely see this side of him...actually kind of vunerable...but I told him to charm the sox off the instructors and he will do fine!!! He will be back on Monday...oooh, I will miss that man...

Scrapbook page in Mom's Album...

I am doing Mom an album for her family...it starts with pages with her parents on them...she actually cried when she saw those two pages...but anyway, that is another story...here is a page I done of the "ol homeplace" I really don't think anyone had ever taken a picture of it, cause when she saw just the picture, she said, "well, where's that at?" You just gotta know Mom... anyway, I thought it turned out really good...It is kinda hard to see that it says Home Sweet Home

Hee hee...after taking this picture, I noted my letters of Home were crooked...but I fixed that....

A trip to the American Flag

I took a trip with the Residents of the nursing home to the city park here in town. They routinely provide trips for them to get "out" and do fun things...and they need a nurse to go with them. So I was asked to go, much to my delight. Okay, for the setting...it was a breezy, very warm day and they were going to have a cookout at the park...there were approximately 10-15 residents that participated...so we were all sitting under the pavilion playing Bingo when John asked to be pushed around to "check out this place". So I agreed to push him. Now, about John Doe, he is from up North, a Veteran, and is soooo northern in his attitude, demeanor, dialect, and personality...I mean, you can't talk to him 2 minutes without realizing he is not from East TN. He is fairly oriented, but confused at times as to where his location is... in other words, he is oriented enough to go to the park without getting lost, but couldn't make it on a trip to Food City by himself....

So, here we go, up to the parking lot...I am pushing him in his wheelchair and he is a pretty good sized man...I am huffing and puffing!!!! Now, at the park, there are only a couple sidewalks...otherwise, it is grass...all grass...well, we get to the parking lot and I say "Where do you want to go?" He sees the sidewalk leading to the flag...I want to go up there....

Well, imagine that!!! That is the sidewalk that leads up to the flag, which is on the HIGHEST point in the park!!! But, you know me, not to deny anyone in his condition anything, I take off...me pushing him...trying not to huff and puff in his ear as I am struggling to push him up the hill (needless to say, my legs were totally sore the next day!!!!!) So we arrive at the top of the hill, where the sidewalk ends..almost at the base of the huge American flag.

As we got to the top, he wanted me to stop. He wanted to salute the flag and he puts his wrinkled hand to his forehead and salutes. It is the most beautiful salute I have ever seen. He spoke these words. "Long may 'Ol Glory fly"

Wow!!!! How touching...so then we pause to look out over the view from the top of the hill...he sees the cemetery which he calls by a different name, thereby telling me that he don't know where he is...I almost laugh...but I don't correct him...let him believe he is where ever he wants to be!

Then he turns back to the flag...and he begins to speak...in a tone that sounds far off...not as if he is talking to me, but as if he is giving a speech to millions of American citizens...and there I stand, with the breeze blowing our hair, with the flag whipping in the wind, and listen.

"That is the best flag of all the nations...even the flags that have alot of colors like...(he pauses to think)....Argentina....they can be proud of their flag because it is so colorful, but even though ours has only three colors, it is still the best flag of all nations...Look at her...undisturbed except by the wind...see the ripples in it? See it waving? It is proud to be a flag. People wonder how this nation could stay together for so long without fighting...this nation was born in 1776...the birthday of a great nation-- we should always take time to honor July 4th as a great birthday. Let's see, the country is how old? 1776 to twenty 0 five..."I corrected him at this point, "twenty 0h eight" Bless his heart, he never did stop to figure how old...he just kept talking..."They placed that flag at the top of the hill so that all could see it. They put it up as the biggest flag in TN"...then he added "at that time" (Now, mind you, this is not a true fact...but how sweet for him to think so...) but I just let him keep rambling on...I wish I had a tape recorder so all could hear what he had to say about the flag...he then started talking To the flag....didn't hear all that he said, but his last words as he saluted were "Fly, Fly, Fly, 'Ol Glory, Fly" He took his hand down from his head and said I am ready to go...

Stunning...Absolutely beautiful...I am on the verge of tears....

My Lukas photos...

I didn't post my pictures of Lukas that I took, so here are a few...

This is his sarcastic expression...Sooo him!!!!!

This one is soooo much his expression!!! It is sooo him!!! So that is why I love it...

Red Bird, Red Bird Fly Away!!!

Five to Six mornings ago, I kept hearing a noise outside my window. There is a tree branch there and on two mornings, I actually went to the window, tried to see the branch that was obviously scraping against my window. But both times I checked, there was no branch..but the noise only happened a few times so no big deal, right??
Well, in the last 4 days, I found out that it is a bird landing on the branch...so is the weight of the bird making the branch scrape my window? still couldn't find no place where it was touching, but I vowed to myself I would cut the branch...just in case I was missing it...The noise got worse and more frequent...to the point that it woke me up on Saturday morning, and on Sunday Morning, woke me up at 6:40am!!! I was irate!!!!! So I stood and watched...a red bird was sitting on a branch and all of a sudden would fly into the window....SMACK!!! The kids tell me that it is also doing it in the living room and foyer window...they call it the retarded red bird...we even explored the possibility that it could be blind..I mean, what bird would intentionally fly into something...don't they have a radar against such things...well, maybe it couldn't see it...??? I am confused, but I do know one thing..I have to stop the bird, cause I have to work graveyard for 4 days this week and I will need to be sleeping...So this morning, I send Tom on a mission...go kill the bird...now I know, I know, I am not a person who is intentionally trying to kill animals or birds, but this bird needs to be put out of its misery..I mean, something is definitely wrong with it, right??? I hear a gun shot and later he says he wasn't shooting "at it" (yeah, whatever...isn't that what all men say when they miss....)LOL
I even get on the web, look up the bird...he is red all over...has an orange bill and a black mask....yeah it is a Northern Cardinal...doesn't say nothing about them being mentally challenged, though...Tom laughs at me for looking it up on the web...
I go to church, ask a bird lover, also ask a vet student...no one knows anything...

So, tonight after church, I go to my parents house and mention it to them...they tell me that it is a superstition that someone is going to die in that house...okay, so that is freaky!!!!! Who is gonna die??? Me, Tom, Lukas or Morgan....???He then tells a story about my neighbor who's grandmother passed away in the last couple of years and there was a red bird that pecked on their window...Well, naturally, Morgan freaked out when I got her in bed and started bawling, swearing that it is Tom that is gonna die on his flight to Wisconsin on the 10th...(another story) but anyway, I calm her down and look on the web...All I can find is that there is no superstition....

I Do find out that a red bird is very territorial. Your typical Red birds that you see are male...(the female has more brown in her feathers...)So this is definitely a male and I find out that alot of people have them pecking on their windows...they see their reflection, think it is another bird, and is trying to fight it...makes total sense...so it said to tape a white paper to the window, so it can't see it's reflection and that would be all it would take...so that is done...let's see if it works!!!!

Where, oh Where...

has my summer gone....I can't believe it is already the end of June...Morgan and Lukas and I have stayed very busy this summer!!! They just got back from a week at camp, and of course Morgan spent a week of recuperating from her tonsils being out and I have worked at least 36 hours every week since school has been out!!!! Wait, stop...I love the summer... I don't want it to go by so fast!!!!!!!!VBS is coming up next week, so that will end up the month and it will only be about 30 some days till school starts back!!!!!! UGH!

A Classic Lukas Quote!!!!

Okay, so Morgan got her tonsils taken out in the last month. Well, her Dad and I have talked several times of how her uvula was so swollen...so one day, Lukas was in the kitchen and said, "Mom, my uvula is hurting"...I said "Son, what is your uvula, anyway?"

Are you ready for this???



"You know, Mom, it is the ball sack at the back of your throat!!!!"

Morgan's pictures of Lukas...

Okay, so I been teaching Morgan some little things about photography..she loves to have a camera in her hand and she is as bad as me snapping pictures...so here is what she captured of Lukas

Morgan

Sadie's Prom Pix

So, Sadie wanted me to take some pictures of them at prom...here is the end result...I took over 100, but I guess these are the best!

Mother's Day...

I took Mom out to Cheddars for Mother's Day. It was definitely an experience, which is what I wanted it to be. I want them to experience "things of the world" that they wouldn't usually choose themselves to do. Now, don't get me wrong, Mom and Dad are all up for new experiences and are great to try new things. Their priorities are just different...I guess that is the best way to put it...They would never go to Kingsport and just choose to eat at Cheddars...that is just not their type of restaurant...they would more than likely choose Ryans or Golden Corral...So, that is why I took them here...somewhere they would never go on thier own. They totally enjoyed it! It was fun, too... Morgan got a kick out of it, just being with them and seeing how they "order" differently than she is used to...a couple of times she cast me a sideways glance and I had to make her stop!!! LOL So, here is a picture of me and Mom on Mother's Day.

Free Rice...

With the rice shortage and all, I found this website that donates free rice for each word you get correct...Now, I know there are some out there who love a challenge, so I am sending the link...
BTW, my highest level is 35...it is addictive!!!!
www.freerice.com

Lukas Quote...

Last night, I told Lukas to catch the bus and he quickly replies....I don't have a mitt...wouldn't I need a baseball mitt to catch the bus?
He is sooo quick on the draw it is not even funny!!! Of course his teacher this year commented time and time again about his sense of humor and how he just cracked her up!!! And he constantly comes out with things that will have you in stitches...Another one I can remember...at Morgan's award ceremony, they gave an 8th grader an award for having perfect attendance all three years at that school, then they gave another 8th grader an award for having perfect attendance for 5 years...Lukas leaned over and said..."that child failed two years!" I horse laughed!!!!!! He was embarrassed because that was how he seen it...too cute

Last week!!!!

This is the last week of school and I can't wait till tomorrow, cuzI will get to sleep late!!!!!!
FYI, I am gonna be working at the nursing home this summer...only about 30 hours a week....yahoo!!!!! I just can't believe that summer is actually cut down to two months these days...I mean, when I was in school, we got three months...then two and 1/2...now, just two months!!!!! I hate that for my kids. By the time we get camp and VBS out of the way, and then our vacation, that only leaves 5 weeks till school starts!!!!! ARG!!! I don't like that!!!!!
Morgan's teacher sent home a workbook from Social Studies and asked that the students complete it the last two weeks of summer...Morgan asked what if they didn't? And the teacher siad they would be behind in 7th grade! I was so mad!! NO, absolutely NOT!!! The school system is not going to take up part of her summer also with work!!!!!!! So what if she is behind! I mean, she is a straight A student!!!!! Who cares!!!!??????
I did get to attend both Morgan and Lukas' end of year programs and will post some pictures later...

2nd Grade Field Trip...

I went on a field trip with the second grade last week, cause my little diabetic girl has to have someone with her all the time...we went to the Doak Museum. We ended up having a great time...First, they did marble painting...cool technique! In this the two pictures below, they threw out 100 marbles between the fence line and she let them go marble hunting...Of course, you can see that some of the boys got kinda rowdy trying to get the most marbles!


By the way, I am posting these pictures, cause no child's face is visible to identify, so therefore, it isn't against any rules, right??!
Okay, they also got to make marbles out of clay...well, this little guy decides to scuplture his own "thing" while the instructor was talking...we were cracking up, the parents and teachers, cause, bless his heart, he had no idea!!! Really, he had no idea! It was funny!

Hair...

Well, I got this funky new hairstyle...well, maybe I should say color...Morgan calls me Tiger...says I have stripes like one! I am now getting used to it, I have had it for about 2 weeks and believe me, the first couple of times I looked in the mirror, I took a double take!!! Red and Blond streaks..along with my brown But, you know me...crazy!!!! I also got some wispy's cut...bangs in the front...I have tried to go without them for several years and I just can't do it no more!!!! I am not meant to show my forehead!!!! I like it so much better! makes my face look less chunky!
so anyway, here is some pictures, which don't do justice to the red!


Oh and I am sitting in my office here...check out the poster behind my desk...Yep, that's Cap'n Jack...

Church Steeple

Took this picture yesterday...kinda liked it....

My Pet Peeve!!! A Sorry ER Doctor

I am gonna gripe here...cause I know enough about the subject to be able to do it!!!!
Tom's leg looks awful and will leave a huge scar! Why? Because an ER Dr. is not concerned about what something looks like, just that they get you in and out. The funny part is, they weren't busy...too many people were sitting around...I did drop some hints...but it didn't help. As he went to sew Tom up, I dropped a few hints saying, "now I've seen good sutures and I've seen bad...so do a good job..." Well, when he pulled out a huge suture needle, I knew we were in trouble...First of all, he didn't do any tissue release. He should have went up under the edges of the cut and released the tissue so that when he went to pull the edges together, there wouldn't be so much pressure against it...It wasn't cleaned like it should have been... He put about 9 sutures in Tom's leg, and truly, it should have had about 20-30. He said he wanted it to drain...well, I have seen nasty, nasty cuts that were sown right and they looked almost perfect when sown together...no need for drainage cause they were cleaned good...A previous Dr. that I worked for did an awesome job at suturing and no one else that I have seen has done such a good job...so that is why I am so picky...and I hate sloppy work....