my new camera...

So, Santa came to visit me this year (thanks mom & dad!) and I got this SUPER FABULOUS new Nikon 300S!!!!!

I love it, love it, love it! The owner's manual is like an inch thick - it will take me forever to figure it all out ( really half of forever to read it and the other half to figure it all out!! The mini get started booklet was as much as I could digest so far!), but I have already shot a few shots with it on the auto and a few of the easier settings and it is FABULOUS!!!

Some day I will be like all those famous photographers and will have a lens display like this one!

Some day, when I have money (I know, ha ha), I'm going to have some of these mac-daddy lenses that all the big pros have! I though it was just sports photographers since you always seem them at sporting events and I thought they were special for action and speed, but NO, apparently regular professional photographers have them to - I have actually seen them being used by other photographers in my field! I get total lens envy ( who me? really? I know you're shocked!!) when I see those big gray lenses, but the cheap ones cost as much as my new camera body, so that's not happening!! (can't count on another santa delivery like this year, this was a big treat!!)

I am torn between thinking the person who photographed all these lenses was very creative and that they were a great big show off! It is a cool picture, but come on, how many of us have that many lenses? I'm going to tell myself that they were hired by a camera shop to to a cool picture for their advertisements - sounds likely, right?

I have hired a friend to redo my website, so hopefully it will be up and running soon - she's waiting on some stuff from me, so I better get off this blog and do what needs to be done! I'll let you know when you can go visit it!!!

Over and out!

thousand word thursdays

Complements of my dear friend Jen over at Cheaper Than Therapy I have decided to join the ranks, who join Jen for thousand word thursdays! I just took this picture a couple of weeks ago, so it's a goody, but not an oldie, anyway, I let the dogs out into the backyard and I noticed this beautiful image on my porch lamp! I ran inside to get my camera and prayed that it didn't disappear before I got back! In my opinion, a message from above about what life here on earth should really be about! Enjoy!

So, you may or may not know that my faith is a very important part of my life. It hasn't always been I am sad to say, but it has been a growing part of me since Big S was born. Since my conversion to Catholicism is 1999, I have developed a strong devotion to Mary and have also challenged myself to learn more about the saints. As far as the saints go, there are more than I can count, so one of the tools is http://faithofthefatherssaintquote.blogspot.com/ . I get a daily email with a quick little quote of the day from a saint - some old saints, some relatively new. I enjoy reading it and it always seems to have something relevant to say - check them out!

Saint Quote : Saint Basil the Great O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity. -- Saint Basil the Great

can we talk tuesdays....

I know it's only January 5th, but I am really, really tired of this bitter cold already! Yes, to those of you non-mid-westerners, it has not been above the teens in too long for e to remember (I do have short term memory issues, but that's a subject for another day!). Single digits are totally unacceptable to me - even as wind chill temperatures, but DEFINITELY NOT as the raw temperature on my little outdoor thermometer! I know that without winter, I would not appreciate spring and summer nearly as much, but I am being honest when I tell you that a month of cold is plenty to make me appreciate warm weather again! So if there is any chance that I have any influence out there, I would like to plead to whatever powers there may be that would have an influence on this particular subject and say that I am all for global warming, or at least Indiana warming!!!

For I have sinned mondays..

I have had this on my sidebar for a long time, but fail more than I succeed at actually writing an appropriate post for this on a monday! I got the idea (and graphic) from mom on a spin. I don't believe that she still does this, but I'm going to give it a try for 2010! My first visit to this particular confessional will focus on my glee that school has started again today! Now don't get me wrong, I adore my 3 crazy girlies, but at some point you reach the point of family time saturation and my darlings are at that point! Now hubby and I would be perfectly content with another week of down time, family time, sleeping in and staying up late! The three young ladies in our fold however have perfected sleeping in and staying up late, but NOT managing to be pleasant to be around when sleep deprived! We have had a lot of Jekyll-Hyde moments in the last couple days! One minute they are playing nicely together, the next we hear blood-curdling screams and the tears begin to flow! So my friends, I admit publicly, that I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to send them off for some learnin' today! My money is on significant grouchiness upon their return to the homestead this afternoon, but hopefully the exhaustion will lead to earlier bedtimes tonight!! And with a Hail Mary and an Our Father, I am done with my confession for the week!!

my favorite saint...

Today is the feast day of my confirmation saint - Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton! I chose her as my Confirmation saint for several reasons; some of which include that my middle name is Elizabeth, that she was raised protestant like me, she is an American saint and she was a wife and mother. Her life is very interesting and shows us all how with faith and hard work, we can turn our lives around from any adversity! Happy feast day!!

Saint Quote : Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.

We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.

--Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton from her writings

courtesy of http://faithofthefatherssaintquote.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010 friends! My wish for you for this new year is health and happiness! I hope for quality time with friends and family, a healthy perspective on the world, enough of a balance between the good and the not so good to appreciate the good!

Blessings to you all!