Not For Sale

I'm not much into selfies, and I have a most unattractive hand, (but I'm not trading in it because it's my Dad's hand) so this was somewhat out of my comfort zone. But a smart, talented lady I admire and whom I am currently taking a photography class from brought this to my attention today, and I couldn't let it just slide by. 

I have ranted against very few things in my life, especially on my blog, which I usually reserve for family posts and photos. But once in a while I realize that I can't go on claiming to have faith in God, wearing my CTR (Choose The Right) ring, and do nothing to try and change what is evil in the world.  I don't know much about this issue, except that human beings have always enslaved other human beings, but I really thought that, in the United States, at least, that ended with emancipation.  Apparently I was wrong and millions of people are still being used as slaves.  And that is just wrong.  But worse, many, if not most of those millions are innocent children.  And that is more than wrong. 

This is near to my heart because, but for a few hundred years, I have grandchildren that could very likely have been slaves.  Beautiful, smart, wonderful children that, a hundred years ago, would have been counted as 3/5ths of a human being.  And it took a war to overcome that kind of thinking.

In a book I am currently reading, "The Storyteller" by Jodie Picoult, one character, Sage, says, "Can you blame the Nazi who was born into an anti-Semitic country and given an anti-Semitic education, who then grows up and slaughters five thousand Jews?  Yes. Yes you can."  Evil is evil, no matter how you paint it, and nothing changes if we are unaware that a change needs to be made.  Here is a link to my photography teacher's weblog where you can learn more.  http://www.karenrussell.typepad.com/   

The BEST Valentines Day

                                  Is spent with your grandkids.  And we got all the Moab ones. 

              Aiden spent the night and he and Grandpa worked on the tree house on Saturday morning

 And I got him to sit in the tree for about a second and a half while I worked on some of my photography assignment. One thing I've learned is not to worry about a blown out sky, because you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

 This was Friday night.  Capri was playing with the tape measure, very focused on keeping it in the air while at the same time saying, "Take a picture Gramma."  So I did.

                                        We got to keep cute little Charlie.  Such a sweetheart :) 

                          And this?  Well, this is a very vivid reminder of why I don't like dogs.

Basketball Skills

 After the Lady Antebellum concert, which lasted until 11:30 that night, we went to Kimbrey's to spend the night.  The next day Chase just happened to have a basketball game, and WE got to go watch it, 

 There are quite a few skills you have to master in order to play the game of basketball.  You have to master the dribbling of the ball,

And team work, and passing . .

                                                      .

And shooting.  He shoots . . .he scores!!!  Well, not this time, but he DID score a basket in this game.  And I even took a picture, but there were so many little people guarding him, you couldn't even see Chase.  Even so, he made that basket!!

   

 Dribbling . . .dribbling . . this is the hardest.  And Chase does it SO well.  

 

And hustling down the court.  Chase is a good hustler. 

                           

             This is a tricky one.  You have to know this.  You NEVER take the ball away from your own teammate. 

Basketball skills . . Chaser has 'em!!

Lady Antebellum

This was our Lady A crew this year.  At our first Lady Antebellum concert several years ago, when they were actually the pre concert band for Tim McGraw, there were just three of us.  We are growing!  It's appropriate that Darleen is in the middle, flanked by three of us on each side of her.  She is responsible for every one of us being there.  She is the Lady A follower, knows when they are coming to Utah, became a fan club member so we could get pre-sale tickets and spent her days off jumping through Lady A web page hoops getting enough points so she could qualify for enough tickets for everyone.  The rest of us just showed up at the concert.  Kimbrey got roped into the concert this year when Darleen bought three tickets for seats on the floor, then realized she wanted to be in the pit, and so did her girls. Because of that, she had an extra ticket.  So, I called Kimbrey and asked her if she wanted to buy a Lady Antebellum concert ticket, promising that we were a fun group and she wouldn't regret it.  Although you can't tell from the picture, she woke up with pink eye Friday morning and was faced with wasting the price of a ticket or coming to the concert with pink eye.  I think she made the right decision.  But, if we all come down with pink eye . .

Great show Lady A!!!!

The Love of Learning Week One

 Photography Class week 1 - I have learned that:  A photo that you shot too much on an angle . . .

 Can still be straightened.  Although you loose the pretty mountain scenery, you get to keep the cute girl eating snow. 

Filling the frame can be overdone, but you get a lot of detail in your photo.  And if the subject is cute enough, who cares?

 Your grandson may think you are crazy as, during piano lessons, you climb on chairs, lay on the floor, and kneel down by his side, constantly hitting that shutter button, but if it gets you this expression, well, Priceless!

 And actual evidence of a musical boy.   Aiden made sure to let me know he was NOT going to grow up to be a piano player.  We'll see, kiddo.  We'll see.

And this shot, totally cropped to the new guidelines of composition that I've been studying this week, Aiden and his Mom on a sunny day, sledding in the mountains.  Good memories.   Bring it on week two!

Packard Family Pictures

 This weekend Jill and I had the fun opportunity to take family pictures for this group of people who touch my life in so many ways.

 My friend Marie, right there in the middle of the group, has been my walking partner for the past 26 years.  I work for the two boys on each end, many of these people are my neighbors.  I was thrilled to be asked to snap a picture or two of them.

This is Trisha and her cute family, minus one who is currently on a mission. 

 And this is Traci and Ryon and their darling bunch.  They are my across the street neighbors, and Madi, that beautiful girl in the front....I get to be in Young Women's with her.  I also get to be in Young Women's with Traci.  Love those girls!

 Travis is one of my bosses and his lovely wife, Janae is a good friend.  Their kids are the cutest!!

And I also work for Trenton.  He and Kelly are my "just down the street" neighbors.  Kelly is such a good Mom and is SO creative!

 And this is Trina and Linda and their two cute boys.  That red head is just full of personality.  Can't you just tell?

This is my favorite picture of the whole group, but, as in any large group, I suppose, there is a flaw.  Cute little Hudson's face is partially hidden behind Trevon's head.  I might have to learn photoshop well enough to fix that.  Because this is a pretty darn good picture of a pretty great family.  Thanks Packards for letting us shoot you :)

Attempting a Charming Kitchen

Last year I happened upon a fun blog called somewhatsimple.com.  Stephanie is the blog author and she has so many cute, low stress, easy to accomplish ideas.  This is one of them. The October Charming Home Challenge.  Each week a different room in the house is given with the challenge to do three D's - Declutter, Deep clean, and Decorate.  The first week was the kitchen, and now that it's the third week, I'm 

finally getting the kitchen done.  Yeah, I'm a little slow.

First I decluttered and deep cleaned every cupboard and drawer in my kitchen.  That alone was a monumental task.  I have a lot of cupboard space, and those babies needed some decluttering and deep cleaning!! 

 

And I made a few changes.  Probably the  biggest was moving the cereal.  For years the cereal has been in the lower cupboard on the lazy susan.  That's where it made sense because it was low enough for the kids, who were the ones who ate the cereal, to reach it without help.  Now the kids are gone.

 

So the cereal is in another cupboard.  My kids kind of hyperventilated  a little bit when they found out I had moved the cereal.  But, hey, you're the ones who left.  You want the cereal back, move back home where you belong. And bring those cute grandkids with you : )

Then I moved on to decorating.  This was just supposed to be something simple like changing up pictures on the wall, so I did that. 

 

This shelf that everyone who sat at the back of the dining table bumped their heads on and then whined about it?  I moved it .  Can you tell where? 


 I also recovered the dining chairs.  Out with the old, tired, spot covered blue - in with a fresh new coral color with white dandelion print.  A brave splash of color for me, but I love it.

And a new burlap table runner, Pottery Barn inspired, that I made for WAY less than the $50 theirs would have cost. : )   I love the simple updates, and I REALLY love the clean, organized, shelves and drawers.  Thanks for the challenge, Stephanie,  I needed it!!