118 - And One

John playing in a Derry, NH tournament. He made it in for a basket and got fouled - made the extra point as well.

117 - Circles of love

A couple of bracelets that Tia received as gifts from Grandma.

116 - Surprise!

Tom, my sweetheart kid, bought balloons at the town market and spent the evening blowing them up on the sly. He then waited until his sister was asleep, then sprinkled them all over her bed and the floor. She will wake up to quite a surprise!

115 - Green carpet

Green! The forest floor outside the house is beginning to get the carpet of green. Spring is here, summer not far behind!

114 - Wii!

Tom takes a break with one of the new birthday Wii games.

113 - Metal work

My Dad was a craftsman disguised as a sheet metal worker/welder. This was one of his goofy ways to use up some scraps. I treasure this, miss my Dad like crazy.

112 - Hoops

John playing in a tourney in Lowell, MA. They won this game (I think).

111 - Chimes

Soothing sounds of the windchimes. These, however, hang in the basement and the kids hit them every time they walk by. Hey, we do it a bit different here.

110 - Yeee Haw!

Is there an unwritten rule that states you must embarrass your teenagers? Took John out for dinner on his birthday today, let the waitress know, but what WE didn't know is that they roll over a saddle for the birthday boy to sit on as they SCREAM to the entire restaurant that it's his birthday and everyone yells YEE-HAW (yea, it was a classy joint). He took it in good humor!

109 - Let them eat cake!

No, it's not a planet full of craters, it's John's birthday cake being baked today for his 15th birthday tomorrow. Counting down, 6 months and he will start driving (*yikes*).

108 - Bunny on my pillow

So I go to get into bed after a long day and am ready to snooze. Hey, what's this tucked in and sleeping on my pillow? Tia's Easter bunny!

107 - Bubbly Tia

We went to the mall tonight and it was Tia's turn to try the bubble (John declined, too cool for teens I guess). She had a great time!

106 - Homework

Tia and I are sitting side by side doing homework. Right now, I'd rather have her packet over mine!

105 - Iridescent "eyes"

For a present at Christmas, Tia received these peacock feathers. The iridescent colors are just gorgeous.

104 - Cookie drop experiment

The cup was made by Tia and me during a "girls night out" (she loved the pottery place). This is our attempt at capturing a picture of a cookie dropping into milk. Obviously, we need some more practice! But it was a fun experiment and one we'll try again another time.

103 - Jellyfish

Tia's first grade class had a field trip to the New England Aquarium in Boston today and I got to chaperone. They have been studying penguins and had a great time visiting the penguins. While walking around the exhibits, we found these really neat jellyfish.

102 - Pens 'n stuff

The cup of pens and stuff from the kitchen. Exciting stuff for today's picture! I like the composition though.

101 - An April day at the beach!

At 89 degrees today, we skipped all responsibilities after school and headed straight for Plum Island! Gorgeous day. Tia is playing in the sand, John is relaxing just behind her, and Tom is throwing stuff into the surf. Feels like summer and it's hard to think that there is homework waiting for us when we go home - we'll go to the ice cream shoppe first!

100 - Another late night

Another late night picture! We are sitting in the parking lot at 9:20pm waiting for John to get out of basketball practice. He was nice and loaned his iPod to Tia and she is comfortably settled in playing games.

099 - Blue means sports

The Daily Shoot challenge for today:

Blue is the color of sky and water. Many call it the color of hope. Make a photo with blue and what it represents to you.

Blue is the color of sports. Specifically, John's sports (Tom is red and Tia has no preference). I always have sports drinks and water in the back of my truck, especially with warm weather in the works. We are at a sports practice or event every day and the kids grab their drinks and go work hard at the physical activity. So if blue is hope and blue is sports, I hope my kids are having fun as they keep active in both body and mind.

098 - Get us out of here!

Although Tom helped for a bit, this was Tia's project. She sat at the table and sang as she colored a carton full of eggs, mixing the colors and making them all beautiful.

Happy Easter!

097 - Books

I took on a Daily Shoot assignment for today's picture:

Paper is versatile and malleable. From napkins to origami, it's all around. Make a photo of something made of paper.

One of the favorite pastimes in our house is reading. This bookshelf is in Tia's room and is stuffed full of her books. It used to be the bookshelf in my own bedroom when I was a child. Tia and I repainted it bright shiny colors and it now sits in her bedroom. There is even a sticker on the side that we didn't paint over that has been there for decades. A link to the past.

Yes, I know the picture is sideways. I like it that way!

096 - Water fight in progress

It is in the low 70s here today (yay!) and Tia is refilling her water tube to continue the water fight with her brother John and his buddies. Four high school freshmen against one first grade girl. Guess who is winning? Yup, Tia is.

095 - Happy Birthday Tom!

Today is Tom's 12th Birthday - he's my April Fool kid and has the mischief in him that makes it his day! Happy Birthday kid!

March 2010 Mosaic

A collection of the pictures for March 2010.

094 - A bit of sparkle today

The little princess has on her sparkle shoes. Very nice to bring a bit of dazzle into an otherwise rainy, dreary day!

093 - Sick of it all

Several more inches of rain to deal with. More flooding. Very depressing. And the kids are all feeling their spring allergies so I'm headed to the pharmacy for meds. We are all sick of it!

092 - Memories

I pass this church once a week to bring Tia to dance class. It's the church where Tom and I got married over 18 years ago. It's also the church where we had the funeral services for both of my parents. The minister, a family friend, left us a couple of years ago too. It's where my father began and continued meetings that were life-altering for him and make me so proud of his accomplishments even as he struggled. Lots of memories and I'm feeling old today!

091 - Renewal

Springtime renewal brings a lightness of step and a sparkle to eyes as we see, once again, that life starts again.

090 - Flowers for tix

I sent my husband and 2 boys to see the Harlem Globetrotters as a birthday treat for the boys (they both have April birthdays, so does my daughter... go figure?). They had front row, courtside seats and young Tom played Knockout with the team. When they came home that night, they brought me flowers as a thank you. Very sweet!

089 - Masterpiece by necessity

The story behind this "masterpiece"? My Dad was a craftsman and worked his own sheet metal shop. Now the guys in the local businesses always knew, and helped move info through the grapevine, when certain inspectors were heading to the area. Well, one was on the way shortly and my Dad had a batch of paint hanging around that needed to be disposed of first. Instead of doing the environmentally irresponsible thing of dumping it all, he took old jagged pieces of plywood and dumped the paint all over them creating "art". When dry, he hung them up on the walls of the shop with ridiculous price tags. No one ever bought one, but I have a couple hanging up in my garage to remember my Dad and his wonderful sense of humor. Wow, I really miss him and can't believe he's been gone for almost 17 years. *sigh*

PS - he passed inspection!

088 - My evening

John has AAU practice and I'm sitting above with free wifi doing homework. He's in the red shirt on the court below. I think this will become a usual spot for me this Spring!

087 - Mailman Tom

Tom helping me by getting the mail out of the mailbox as we head home from school. I love the reflection in the rear view mirror here.

086 - Rainy night

Another rainy night, another couple inches of rain, another night on the road headed home.

085 - Headlight in the dark

Headlight on my truck. The lighting and angle intrigued me.

084 - First time on ice skates

First time on ice skates and he can go F A S T! We were at a birthday party. Tom's hands are freezing, but his skates are hot!

083 - Simple joys

Sunshine and temps around 70F. Spectacular! Tia and I are taking advantage of the great weather and have all the windows down. Love seeing her enthusiasm and joy in the simple pleasure of warm wind blowing through the windows!

082 - Tooth!

Tia lost a front tooth and is having fun experimenting with lots of new and interesting sounds she can make. The "th" sound, for example, fascinates her right now!

081 - Pump

The Daily Shoot assignment I undertook for today:

Find something that's so old it's almost timeless and make a photograph of it.

From an aunt and uncle's house came this old pump that used to sit out in front. After they were gone and the house was being sold, I wanted the pump as a reminder of them. My aunt used to hang a bright basket of yellow flowers from it each summer. I miss them and I miss spending some of my summertime at that house.

080 - It's here! It's here!

It's here! It's here! The new phone book is here! (reference to "The Jerk" - my husband and I used to laugh so much at that movie)

Anyhoo, Spring has Sprung and it's right beside my front steps. Seriously, how much do you LOVE crocus? They give me hope.

079 - Nostalgic for ceramics?

I had a set of pasta dishes that my mother-in-law gave me as a gift. Just the perfect size, the perfect shape, they were just right. She had a set as did her daughter. Over the years we used them like crazy and now most are gone. We've never found replacements that were as good. It's late and I'm nostalgic for ceramics? Maybe...

078 - Beyond soggy

The Plains in Kingston. We've had around 8 inches of rain in places around here (so thankful it wasn't SNOW!) and we are beyond soggy. Where is the sunshine?

077 - Soggy? Our house is becoming an island!

More than 3 inches of rain and it hasn't stopped yet. Looking out the "front door" into the woods and all the puddles. Wet, wet, and more wet!

076 - Flag football at the dome

The Daily Shoot for today has us looking for:

Curves, squiggles, and flowing lines interest the eye. Make a photograph dominated by a curvy shape of some sort today.

Last flag football game for the winter league inside the dome. Tom is in the lineup second from the left - he's sizing up the situation and is just about ready to explode and run for the catch. They won this game.

The dome itself is fascinating to look at with the curves and flowing lines. A great backdrop for the game.

075 - Fridge

Part of my never-ending circle (dishes, laundry, groceries). Y'know... they can make ice and water magically appear out of the fridge door, why can't they do that with milk too?

074 - Porch guardian (he's thinking about it)

Poor gargoyle. It's been a long haul since summer. He's covered in cobwebs and dust as he contemplates guarding our little porch. Spring cleaning time is coming soon!

073 - My big BIRD mistake

Back in January I posted a picture as "Tia's bird". My mistake. That was actually the bird made by her art partner, Cole. I am finally getting around to correcting my mistake and posting a picture that really and truly is... Tia's Bird. It's definitely my favorite of the two!

072 - Stone Feathers

So the daily shoot today invites us to:

Most of us enjoy some symmetry in our lives. Look around for it today and make a symmetrical photo.

This is from a statue that my husband bought in his youth. It is of an Indian and I like the symmetry of the feathers on the headdress. Each is unique, yet they are together symmetrical.

071 - Monday blue

So the daily shoot today invites us to:

Take care of the Monday blues by picking up your camera. Make a photograph dominated by the color blue.

Little Miss Tia is wearing blue today and it brings out her blue eyes. Here's one of them!

070 - Artwork on the kitchen wall

John painted this when he was in middle school. It hangs in our kitchen & brightens up the space.