376

376 Posts later...and hell, I'm still talking!

I was working on the taxes for a bit...waiting on a couple more W-2's to show up so I can finish it up. Love that Turbo Tax this year! It's SO dang easy...they walk you through everything!

Anywho...that refund is spent...on Vacation and a few other things!

See you in JUNE BABY!!!

Love,

TT

Game Gone Bad

Well, we lost.
We need more hustle.
We need more basket practice.
And we need more sprinting and endurance.
'Nuff said.
TT

Hottie Thursday

It's Hottie Thursday again.

Not only do I get to get some tips from Coach McHottie, but I get to see that Hottie secretary too! All in a day's work I tell ya. Hehe.



Anywho...

Just a quick note...I got a baby girl home sick today and tomorrow...who wants to Virtual Babysit? Dr. Salvo said she gets to stay home today and tomorrow as well. That means no game for her tonight, as well as the other kids. And since Tommy had to take her to the Dr.'s office, he's not going into work either.

So, just me will be shooting photos at the game tonight.



One more day until the weekend...
Happy Thursday!
Love,
TT

Natalea's Tournament

So my girl got to play last night...because they were up by 40 points against Reidsville. Needless to say, Reidsville is done and out of the tournament now. We play again Thursday in Claxton, probably against Glennville. When we left just before the halftime of that game last night, Glennville was ahead of Metter.

Coach McNeely hooked me up with some great camera settings and some McHottie Tips on shooting basketball. Now I just have to figure out how to edit and crop those shots...for some reason my usual editing isn't working...give me a weekend, and I'll get it figured out..along with some other camera settings...until then, enjoy these photos.

Happy Wednesday!

Love, TT

Monday Update

Happy Monday.
I still don't feel to good.
Dang colds kick my ass every time.
Slow but sure, I'll get over it.

I found all my birth certificates and marriage license for Tom to take to the prison.
Even printed out a 4x6 photo for them and made copies of the high school and college diplomas.
He's getting another hearing test on Tuesday at 1:00pm and if he does considerably better, we'll schedule the vision test. They must want their employees in tip top shape. Hehe.
Now, if I can just get him to start getting into shape so it's not such a shock to his body. Hehe.

Natalea has 2 games this week.
Tournament games at the high school even. Which means I must get those photos off the camera after I'm done with this, charge my battery, and go into work early today and work through lunches and inform the higher up's.
She missed the last game of the season due to illness on Wednesday, as did I, but that's ok, we're on our way to healthy now!

Ha. Erik has boy scouts tomorrow too. Don't know HOW I'm going to do that. He may have to miss this week.

In the process of finding diplomas and license's, I had the boys bring in the memorabilia tubs. Our project this upcoming weekend is to condense from 3 to 1. We'll see. I wonder if I can scrap as fast as they sort? Probably not. But I can page plan...hmmm...let me think on that for the week.

We also need to get organized to maybe have a yard sale in April. With Tommy starting at the prison on the 9th, he'll be in Reidsville for a week, then Forsythe for 4 weeks. April sounds good.
Then before you know it, June will be here! We can't wait to see everyone...we miss you and love you all very much!!

On that note...Have a great day!!
Love,
TT

Little Ditty

Here's a little funny I got from my Classy Coordinates board. Enjoy and Happy Friday!!

Shrek, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez were all having lunch together.
Shrek said, 'I have always thought that I'm the strongest man in the World, but how can I be sure?
Brad Pitt said, 'I'm pretty sure I'm the hottest man alive but I've Never had it confirmed.'
Jennifer Lopez agreed. 'I'm told I'm the sexiest of them all, but Sometimes I wonder.'

They all decided that the best way to find out if their beliefs were true was to approach the wicked Queen's mirror to confirm for them whether Shrek was the strongest, Brad Pitt was the hottest and Jennifer Lopez was the sexiest.
They agreed to meet again the next day for lunch to discuss their findings.
The next day Shrek walked up with a smile.
'Well, it's true. The mirror told me that I am th e strongest man in the world.
'Brad Pitt followed and boasted, 'It is true, it has been confirmed that I am the hottest man alive!!'
Jennifer Lopez walked in, head bent, tears in her eyes and asked, "Who in the hell is Tonja Trump?"

After you can control your laughter... feel free to copy and email to your friends! ~Give your friends a good chuckle for the day:) Have Fun!!

Out Sick

Yesterday I was out sick.
Dizzy, feverish, just plain yucky-blah.
I certainly wasn't driving 15 miles and arriving safely, so I called in.
And spent most of my day in bed.
Natalea came home at 10a.m. sick too.

Today it's back to work and normal.
And waiting on the W-2's to arrive from Minnesota.
If you see them, let me know.

And if you have any algebra tips, pass them on too.
I'm having a tough time with the fractions part of a linear equation.
Who dreamt up this crap?
I'd rather learn Geometry.
Gimme the shapes anyday!

Hey y'all...we have a black First Family!
I'm still tickled about that...and they're such a beautiful family too.
Stylish, graceful, and gorgeous!
We are truly lucky...and did ya hear?
President Obama froze the White House staff salaries...now that's what I'm talkin' about!
I think we're gonna be okay now.

Erik started baseball on Tuesday.
Natalea missed her last game yesterday, as did I.
I'll have to do a photo post soon.
Playoffs start next week too....Go Bobcats!

Happy Thursday!
Love,
TT

Inauguration Day 2009

I tried to get my mom to call me in sick for the day.
She wasn't having none of that.
I wanted to stay home and watch all the coverage of the Inauguration, but my boss said I had to work. They don't see the signifigance of today like I do.

Here's what I see....
I see a black man that will be President of the United States.
A BLACK MAN. FOR REAL.
Only thing better than that, would have been a BLACK WOMAN.
(That woulda sent people rolling over in their graves!)
The still segregate in the south. I've seen it.
In my 38 years, I never thought I would see this day. EVER.
I thought my kids would see it first, after I was dead and gone though.
Not today. Not in present day America. Not ever.

I can't tell you how proud I am of America today. Proud of my heritage and proud of my family too. I'm sure I'll be emotional all day, much as I try to be a tough broad, that ain't happenin' today.
Let me 'splain.
I grew up in North Minneapolis. There were no color boundaries in my neighborhood. I thought I was just as much black as Mrs. Johnson thought her family was white. REALLY.I.DID.
(I have the butt to prove that)
We did everything together, me and Nichole. Even after we moved to Faribault, I spent summers there.
(Wish I knew Aunt Mary's last name...I owe her a precision haircut..and she's in Atlanta.)
And all my life, my family has been multi-racial. My cousin is Mexican. My other cousin is Mulatto. My uncle and brother are black. My cousin in laws are black. You get the picture.
Love knows no color, and it's not just black and white either. (Hi Rellies!)

Anywho, today is signifigant because the rest of the world will be able to experience what I have been experiencing first hand for years.
Today brings hope, peace and love to all the world.
Today dreams do come true.
Today is the beginning of the rest of my children's lives and all the children of the world.
Opportunity is knocking, let's open the door and let him in.
All the fighting that the black man, woman, and child has done for all these years, ends today.
Today, we are equal.
If you don't get on that bus, you'll be left behind.
It's gonna be a remarkable ride!

48 years ago today, JFK was sworn in.
It's funny how history repeats itself.
Let's see what change will come about, and let's embrace it while we have it.
Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.
Go for it! The world is at your feet begging for you to pick it up!
Happy January 20, 2009!!
Love,
TT

Jason Tako

Ok......Check out the link to the right...to see more of this...he's AMAZING!!!

http://jasontako.com/follow_the_leader.htm

I don't mind giving this hometown boy a shout out and publicity....this guy has worked damn hard and he's got talent to boot. I am so stinkin' proud of him...and to think...I knew him way back when...

Week 2 Assignment

So my assignment for week 2..one of them anyway..was to take a photo and "trace" over it with the "Pen Tool" in Illustrator. Good thing I had a good photo...I can tell it's Ash...can YOU?
This surely gives a whole new meaning to caricature. Click on it to see it larger. IF you'd like one of you done, please provide a photo via email! Lord knows I need the practice...The original photo is copyrighted to Katie Brien Photography.

You can visit her here:
http://katiebrienphotography.com/

Happy Saturday!

I'm off to practice more Illustrator...MAN there's ALOT to learn!!!

Love,

TT

100 Things

Here's my list of 100 things...Thanks to Petra for this!! I see I need to travel more as well!!
Go ahead...do something different today...I double-dog-dare ya!!
What I've done is in BOLD.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (I was on the news when I was 6)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (Cracked my tailbone)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100.Read an entire book in one day

Friday, Friday

Man O Man...what a WEEK!
I'm so glad it's the weekend...
Here's what's on our plate...
Today...we have to work, of course, and kids have school.
Natalea doesn't have basketball practice, but they are having a Coach's Luncheon at noon.
Erik has to help with the Cub Scout Derby tonight and tomorrow in Vidalia.

{Anthony's mother in law passed away, so he can't be there. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Anthony and his family in this tough time for them. He's a "Good Ol' Boy" and we really like him as Erik's Troop Leader.}

I have a portrait assignment to finish up, and then some scrapping to do. I want to participate in that 52 week challenge...so far, so good. I'll post that portrait assignment to see if you can guess who it is when I'm done.

I need to study my algebra on Sunday. I will work the problems in my book for more practice. I am going to conquer my fear of that subject one way or another.

It's 30 degrees outside right now. It was so cold in Minnesota yesterday, they closed schools...I see many are delayed today...check your local news station. They don't close school here, so if you want a quality education minus the snow days, head south to our neck of the woods. Hehe.

Happy Payday!
Love,
TT

7 Weeks

Is it March YET?
I am counting down the days until I can be done with Algebra.
I'm telling you...I DON'T LIKE IT.

Hope you're staying warm.
It's 55 here today...we had a windchill advisory...I was laughing hysterically as they have no idea what a windchill is down here!

Anywho, Happy Thursday.
Here's to ALMOST the weekend.
I'll be hibernating...with my Algebra book...and my Illustrator book.
I might have to do all the lessons in that one..that's a really fun class and certainly the shiny spot in my day...I can't do that class until I've done Algebra...it's my reward...TOTAL PSYCH OUT!!
And it works for me.
Monday will be back to a regular school schedule. Thank goodness. I hate being out of routine.

Love,
TT

Happy Anniversary to Us!

No it's not our REAL anniversary, but still an anniversary of sorts.
We have been in Georgia for 1 whole year now!!
I can't believe the year has flown by so quick too.
A BIG HONKIN' Thanks to Tiffany for getting and keeping us here...we REALLY couldn't have done it without you girl!!

Speaking of Tiffany, she's got lil Bassett Hound puppies for sale!

Did I mention I really don't like math? This will be the true test of my ability, this semester. I already want to avoid this whole semester. But I really like my Digital Illustration class and the hottie instructor is the same from the Intro to Graphic Design...that's my little ray of sunshine in this semester, right there! Pray that we win that Mega Millions so I can retire and concentrate on school and be less stressed. Pray hard.

Tyler Perry sent me an email and told me to Pray, Believe, and have Faith...I went to Wordle.net and put in this phrase..."Pray, Believe, and Have Faith" and it kicked out some cool collaborations...I printed 2 of them to frame. For the Studio. I may put one up at work as well.

Speaking of Studio....MY dear friend and schoolmate and lakemate Jason Tako (Gene's stepkid from the little village down the road between us and VanDerVeen's) has apparently been creating and you can check him out at JasonTako.com...YOU WON'T be disappointed!! He is AMAZING!!! And who knew?? Damn Tessie keeping secrets again!! I always liked Jason and he was such a good kid..didn't get into drugs or crime...turned out very well.

4 more days until Friday. Why is it we want the week to hurry up and the weekend to last forever? Weird, but true. Then we sit and wonder where the time went. Heh.

Happy Tuesday...
Love,
TT

Urban Dictionary

Kitchenheimer's
When you're in the kitchen going around in circles because you can't remember what you were doing there.

This is genetic, so cousin's beware.

This and other amusing (moreso than I) things can be found here:

www.urbandictionary.com

I'll be ordering up desktop calendars for my kinfolks. Hehehe.
And I'm done with my layout...only took me about half an hour.
Happy Saturday!
Love,
TT

Requests

Apparently, I am very entertaining to my mother and aunt. Who knew? HA!
By request, I am blogging today, purely for their entertainment only.

Erik and Gabby made the Honor Roll, and all of my childrens had good report cards brought home. Now if I can get the other 2 on the honor roll, we'll all be there!

Natalea scored a goal at the free throw line yesterday!! Her very first one...I'll post it later after I edit it further. One day, I'll figure out how to shoot basketball photos...they move so fast that everything is a blur!
Oh and they won the game 44-4 or something like that...a blowout of sorts. That's why Nat got to play..lol.

They lost the game the night before by 1 point, so they were pretty stoked last night.

School started yesterday...My Algebra instructor brought up Math Anxiety right away...GO HIM! They actually have a name for all this apprehension I have! Now I'm pumped up for this class..must be a mentality thing...who knew? HA!

I'm off to scrap really quick...a sketch challenge...52 weeks of sketch challenges...this is week 1! For those that don't know...in scrapbooking a sketch is like a blueprint for the layout that makes scrapping quick and easy like this fabulous one by Susan Weinroth for Fiskars:

http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/tools/viewlarge.aspx?img=/Projects/jan09sketch/large.jpg

I plan on using this for part of Ashley's secret graduation project to be revealed in June...kinda like Ty Pennington's Secret Room!! WOOHOO!! GO TY!!

Besides laundry, assignments, and scrapbooking...that's all we're doing this weekend.
What's going on in your world??
Leave a comment...it's lonely at the top ya know!

Love,
TT

Notification

Please be ADVISED...
If I have photos of you prior to the year 2000...
YOU WILL GET THEM BACK!!!
Please email me with your address so that I may get those to you in the next month or so.
If NOT, I WILL be contacting you via MySpace or FaceBook!

My purpose is 2-fold here.
I need to organize my photos and
also make space for the 6000 I took last year...hehehe.

No, really though, I need to declutter my photos and well, I've already said that having this many photos should be against the law.
At least my heirs will know I loved the camera and life.

Classes start on Thursday apparently.
I can hardly wait to get this quarter over.
Algebra is good and I will master it.
Algebra is good and I will master it.
Algebra is GOOD and I WILL master it.

Let's hope that works. ALOT of self talk is good.
Lord hear my prayer.
Can I get a HollyLouYer?

Kids go back to school today...YAY!!!
I'm off to get ready for work and get them up.
Happy Hump Day!!
Love,
TT

Death By Seizure

How tragic and sad.
To lose a child to a seizure.
I don't know John Travolta or Kelly Preston or their family.
But I do feel for them though.
My condolences and sympathy go out to them and their family as they try to grieve their son.

What I do know, is that seizures are a very scary thing for a child to go through.
And then to lose a child to a seizure, well that's just unheard of nowadays.

I also believe that if it's your time to go, God will take you.
And I believe that children are a loan from God, only here for a short time sometimes.

As I type this, I can't help but tear up.
That could have been me, at any given moment in my childhood.
I was always taught and told and preached to that seizures were no big deal, that under supervision of a doctor, they weren't dangerous. At least that's how I perceived things in my mind. It's understood now why my parents sheltered me so much and kept a tight reign on me. They just wanted to protect me.
I wasn't allowed to do alot, for this very same reason, even though my seizures were small. Even now, I'm careful about who I surround myself with trying to always have someone who's aware of my health history in close tow. Only those extremely close to me know what to look for. Everyone else has no idea.

So as you kiss your kids goodnight tonight, say a prayer for Jett Travolta and his family, that they get through this tough time.

Love and hugs,
TT

Frames

So I put this photo into a frame today...
I've had the frame for years and decided this was the year to put photos in frames that didn't have them. Print this out...and hang it up on your wall.

I'm not feeling so hot today...so I don't know how much I'll get done.
I did manage to at least get the photos into less boxes...and I'm even considering another CM Photo Keeper...it holds 2000 photos and mine is full now...I'm thinkin' another one would purge some space here.
At the same time, I need to scrap all those photos and should dig out the Becky Higgins 10+ photo sketches and crank out some massive pages. That may be on the agenda for tomorrow.
I'll ponder that one.
Happy Saturday.
TT

Watermarked

Ha! I figured it out. Or rather, googled it.
How to make a watermark.
(Don't pay attention to the room, just the cool cock-eyed Trump's Treasures 2009)
From here on out, all photos will be marked with this "stamp" a.k.a. watermark.
If you'd like a photo, please email me with your requests.
That's a $5 fee for each photo. Nah, just kiddin'.
Now, I'm on my way to professional photography...I even have a logo started!

I'm off to scan in some hot chick's photos...seems that in 6 months and 5 days she'll be graduating from high school!!! I don't have much time!!

^^ LOVE This^^

TT

9 Months

Heh.
9 months until my birthday Mom.
This year, I'll give you that much notice.
Heh.

I have only 3 days left of vacation and tons to do, so this will be a short post today.
I'm about to turn on the tunes and immerse myself in my scraproom. Finally.
It's gotta be cleaned, organized, and put away.
If I don't emerge from here by supper time, call the National Guard to come find me.

Happy Friday!
Love,
TT