Taking a Profile Picture

I couldn't imagine being an only girl in a family, probably because I had 3 sisters. Can you imagine never having anyone to whisper with about boys? Or arguing with about clothes? Worse, can you imagine being the only girl with 2 brothers? My daughter can relate to that.

My eldest informed her that she needed a new profile picture, the one she had made her look fat (his words, not mine). So she and I tried to get the perfect picture for her profile.


I loved this picture and I told her I loved this picture. But evidently, you cannot have a profile picture featuring a happy teenage girl smiling the prettiest smile in the world. It just isn't done. Perhaps she should have listened to me. Because...

We were being stalked. Slowly and surely, we were being stalked by the bane of every teenage girl's life-


her little brother.



Who just happens to be my baby, and that makes him somewhat attention deprived, as most youngest children are.

She persevered, barely grimacing at first...


begging me to banish him from the room, perhaps the moon she suggested...


that's not a smile, that's her threatening to break his arm while I snap pictures and she's still posing away...


do supermodels put up with these working conditions? Do they keep smiling through the pain of a shoot when all they want to do is slap someone so hard they scream for their mommy?


Do they gently nudge those sharing the spotlight with them into their proper spots?


Do they yell at their photographer when they get no cooperation?



But look, wonder of wonders, the frustration of being the only girl resulted in the perfect angsty profile picture!!!

Happy News!

Guess who has been returned to us, safe and sound-Butch the Bassett Hound!!!

My eldest is deliriously happy to have him home and Butch doesn't seem to be any worse for the adventure. I only hope the lady that mistakenly took him finds her dog, who is similar but longer (I didn't think that was possible!).




Welcome home, Butch!!

My Summer...So Far

I have taken the last two months to just enjoy the summer with the kids. I have had a ball-not sure about the kids.

We welcomed a new member of the family, Butch the Bassett Hound.

Unfortunately, someone else was enchanted by those big brown eyes and stole Butch just two nights ago.

Which broke the heart of my eldest son, since Butch was technically his dog.


Speaking of the eldest, he joined/formed a band. We've had lots of teenage boys hanging out at the house, playing loud music (that makes my ear drums bleed), and eating the groceries quicker than I can replace them.


Which has resulted in my daughter spending most of the summer at her BFF's house.


She and I took a day a few weeks ago and went flea marketing, a first for her. We found this chair for $5!!



And transformed it into this. Not to bad for our first try at something like this. It isn't perfect, but she's happy and I'm just glad to be done with it.



We have went riding up old hollers and down old roads and seen some really pretty things in our part of the Wild and Wonderful. I think I'm going to frame this and hang it in my dining room.



We have taken our kids swimming, much to the delight of Otis the Water Dog. It is harder to get him out of the water than it is Art!

We enjoyed a small circus that came through town.



There was tigers, that made us 'Ohhh'...



there was this cute goat that rode on a miniature donkey's back (I don't think the donkey enjoyed it as much we did)...



and a llama (I think) that fascinated Art. But the best part was when Art got to make me a nervous sweaty mess by fulfilling one of his dreams...
he not only held, but hugged-HUGGED- a baby alligator.

Hope everyone is having as great a summer as me and mine.