Early Morning Shopper

Those darn early Black Friday shoppers.... why are they so excited and nervous about the whole idea of getting up super early to get the best deals of the season, stand outside in the cold, fight the crowds, haul those huge boxes around just to stand in a check out line that wraps all the way around the store.  I just don't get it.... I am one of those early Black Friday Shoppers but I'm so relaxed about the whole thing.

Here I am getting a really restful nights sleep.

Okay so I sleep in my clothes on the couch, tie my alarm clock to my belly and hummmmm Christmas carols all night until the first chime on the alarm wakes me and sends me flying around the house getting ready before my sisters pick me up to spend the early morning hours shopping for great deals that I need none of but it's so fun I just can't miss it.

As we're walking into Target I slam my face against the glass and beg for Gayle to take my picture so I can send it to the Target commercial lady (she's my idol).  Well no picture, they just walk away from me like I'm crazy..... who knew?

We shop and as I'm walking out with this huge box and 7 target bags wrapped around my fingers.  I peak over the box to make sure I don't trip over anyone and I see this guy I eyeball him up from one end to the other.  I can't take my eyes off his... you know what...... it's GINORMOUS.   He notices me, our eyes lock and it's love at first sight (well for me anyway) I have all I can do to hang onto this huge box, my purse and the bags cutting off the circulation in my fingers, I think I might have to accidentally run into him just so I can have it touch me..... but then it happens....... he talked to me.  I still can't take my eyes off his......... 

Canon camera with a really, really nice lens. 

Guy with really ginormous you know what - "Excuse me, may I take your photo"

Me - "What, are you kidding me I didn't shower this morning, my hair is a mess, I can't see over this box, and my fingers are a deep shade of purple" breath "Sure"

Guy - "Great just keep walking and ignore me"

Me thinking - {Yeah right you have a really huge.....}

Me - "Okay, where do you want me to walk"

Guy - "Where ever you were going to go"

Me - "Okay, this is weird"

Guy - {500 beautiful shutter sounds}

Me - "Wow you're taking lots of frames per minute, what kind of camera do you have"

Guy and Me - {Lots of camera talk that I won't bore you with as it's only 10 degrees outside and my sister Gayle is freezing}

Guy takes a notebook out of his pocket, you know the kind like in the movies with the spiral wire on the top and he flips it open grabs a pencil from his ear, taps it onto the notebook to force it down into his fingers for writing - "What is your name and where are you from"

Me - "Oh boy, where are you from?"

Guy - "The Marshfield News Herald"

Me - "Oh great, if you put me on the front page without a shower that will not be a good thing"

Guy - {laughing}

Me - "I wasn't kidding"

Okay so let's skip to Saturday night about 5:00 - My girlfriend calls me on my cell phone and says "Connie Hemmer I hope that big gift is for me"  Oh no you're kidding me....... Front page and she says like an 11x14..... I haven't seen it yet but at least on line it's really small.

Now if only I would have gotten that guys number.....

Here's the link to the story, only one picture.  I'm not sure what he did with the other 499.  here

Thanksgiving Feast

I was taking photos of our Thanksgiving tablescape and Mr Adam walked through and since I don't get many pictures of him anymore I thought I'd keep this one.  Sorry you all have to see him without a shirt on, it's a good thing he's part of the blurry background or I'd have all the girls knocking down our door...... and before you all call the police I do feed him, I know it doesn't look like it.

So now to the important stuff.  Our Thanksgiving meal was fantastic, everything was perfect the turkey was beautifully brown and carved just right, the stuffing was not too dry or too wet, the mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy, the corn was cheesy and delicious, the buns were browned and warm with butter melting down, the gravy was just the right thickness.  All the kids were there, the grandkids were all humming as they ate.... I breathed in a thankful breath and thanked God for giving me such a beautiful family and letting us all be together around this table of delicious food.  And then I seen IT........ I couldn't believe my eyes, it was happening in my own house around my own table and from my oldest grandchild.  I jumped up with disgust and grabbed my camera so I could show you what I seen.

THIS

Can you believe it, I couldn't believe I seen it with my own eyes and was sitting across the table from it.  In case you missed it which I'm sure you didn't I zoomed right in for a closer look.

Then she tries to hide it from me...... too late I already seen it.   Yes her food is touching..... like really touching and she did it on purpose.

Thanksgiving Eve

This has been quite the busy week and it feels like this hunting season is just flying by.  Normally I find something to paint while John is gone to the hunting cabin but this year I haven't even found the time to attempt to paint it.  Keeps me out of trouble anyway (John really doesn't like when I paint things).

Happy Thanksgiving Eve

More wettness again today

It's Happening

We are offically into our ugly season.  There is no snow, all the colors are gone, it's wet and just plain ugly.  Here is my favorite tree in his ugly stage.

Leather Crafter

I took photos for a local leather crafter today.  He is making leather stamped gun slings and they are beautiful.  Beautiful is probably not the word to use for manly gun slings but I don't know how else to describe them.  The minute I put my hand on this sling visions of my sister Sharon came back to me.  Sharon is an artist of everything and at one time she stamped leather and all the boys in the family got leather wallets or belts.  She can paint, sew, draw, knit..... everything and anything that can be done, she can do it.  When we used to draw names for Christmas all of us would dance a little jig, rubbing it in everyones face if one of the Well's got our name because we knew something home-made was coming our way. 

I'm thinking the guys in this family are going to be dancing the same jig this year if one of these slings is under their tree. 

Smell that leather, feel that texture, touch that home-made gift..... oh yeah

Let me know if you'd like one of these for the guys in your life, I can hook you up.

Grandkids heal everything

Tonight I come home and there is a pair of broken glasses laying on the cupboard, a broken pellet stove, a cold house and a really upset husband lying on the floor trying to see without his glasses to put the stove back together.  Oh boy do I know the signs without any words that things aren't going well.   Now how am I going to ask what happened..... you're right, it's best to ignore what you see and be really, really quiet.  Then Shan drives in with the kids, I stop Garrett-Man from jumping on him for his big bear hug, I tape El's mouth shut so she can't ask questions and we all sit quietly minding our own business.....  He finally gets so upset that he can't see {he's blind as a bat without glasses} that he puts his broken glasses back together with fish line but doesn't bother to cut the excess off so he's got fish line hanging down his face while he manages to fix the pellet stove.  After everything is fixed, this is what Grandpa gets for a reward.

Oh no as I'm typing this the pellet stove is making a bad noise again.....

Getting back to the bricks

Okay so my POTD was to post a Photo Of The Day and I sure haven't been doing that lately.  That is what I loved to do and why I've been doing it for 3 years so as boring as the photos may be I'm gonna try pounding the bricks again, which I might have to do on my lunch since it's like o'dark thirty before I leave work.

Along with my POTD always came some stupid boring stories that made you yawn your way through until you finally got to see the photo.  So I have a couple of them stored up to share in this one post.  First let's talk about how totally embarrassed my mother-in-law made me last weekend at an anniversary party in front of lots of people.  I made the mistake of asking how she was {note to self------wait for private moment to ask about health issues}  She proceeded to tell me how she was and the redder I got the more she detailed she explained the situation.  Don't worry I'll spare you the story but you can bet that the drive home John got to hear as he held his hands over his ears, driving with his elbows and yelling LALALALALALALALALALALA  Gotta love em', she still makes me smile now that I'm not in front of 12 other listening ladies.

2nd story - Sunday night we went to bed and I whined about not wanting to get up for exercise class.  So at 4:45 the alarm goes off and I get out of bed, walk across the bedroom, hit the snooze, walk back to the bed, crawl back under the covers for 7 more minutes.... that's all I want is 7 more minutes.  Well 6:20 I wake up, I missed class, heck I almost missed work for crying out loud.  So I take my work-out clothes with me and have all intentions to go during my lunch.  Nope that didn't happen I went to 8th Street for a burger instead.  While eating the burger I think..... I can go after work.  Yeah that didn't happen either, I had all day to talk myself out of it and make up excuses why I shouldn't go.  Of course they were all for my own good and really reasonable.... promise.   I did make it back Tuesday morning, of course with lots snoring from the class when I walked in.  It's a tough crowd there.

Sneak Peak + Dani's Senior Photos

 Senior photos are wrapping up as the deadline is December 1st for the yearbook.  The weekend was rainy and snowy so we got a few indoor until we can break out into the outdoors.    Dani was comfortable in front of the camera right away, as much as she rocked the indoors I can't wait to see what she does outdoors. 

Air Quality

So this morning I hear we have an air quality warning for our county.... what the heck is a air quality warning?  Should I call in to work because I can't leave the house?  Okay so maybe I was still dreaming on my sleep in day. 

I opened the front door to look at the air, if I need to be warned I better see something out there to be warned about.  All I saw was this and I take that as a warning to GET THE CAMERA!!

My shelf...... finally

John and I hung this window above the couch like in January and bought the supplies for making a shelf to put under it.  Well I finally talked John into getting it put up on the wall and I love it.  We didn't even fight while doing it...... well a little bit since I like to eyeball things and he thinks he needs to measure and level everything.  I really don't care where a stud is...... I want it here cuz it looks stupid over there!!

I was all smiles today, now I have to go buy the frames that I really want on here. 

It's the simple things in life that make me happy.

Up North at Dusk

Went up north tonight for a fish fry and when we got to dad's this is what we saw.  I seriously could not live there and see this everynight without taking a hundred some photos.  I didn't even go in the house, but I scared Joanne walking around outside in the dark.

Misc Picture

Editing family photos tonight and this one stood out in my head and needed to be shared. 

No the family wasn't the ducks.... silly goose!!

Garrett is 2

 Garrett turns 2 today, he is our little man and turning into a lovable little guy every time I see him.  I drove over to his other grandma's to take his pictures and he's outside with daddy but gives me a big ole' smile when I drive in.  Then I get out and tell him "come here buddy" and he stays right where's he's at..... "Come here buddy", doesn't move...... Daddy says "okay you can go" and he comes running with his little arms up waiting for me to grab him and give him lovens.   Oh I love this little boy and with these beautiful blue eyes who could resist a little lovens.... 

Most of the photos were grumpy looks but Shannon really likes the "real pictures" and not the cheezy smiles so we get what we get.  And I'm with Shan, the real looks bring feelings into the photos, even with this grumpy ole' look.

Shan tried to take the hat off but he kinda likes his hat, so on his head it stayed.  He's really good at ignoring me.... can you tell.

We love to climb....

But we don't like it when Daddy leaves me up here on this car.  He's such a little fart and this photo shows his little size.

Happy Birthday little Gar-Man, we love you