A photo a day

Where Oh where has this year gone ?
Anyway,it's the first of the December,whether I like it or not.
So two days ago in a brief email exchange,Patti and I decided we'd do another photo a day challenge....no rules this time.......well maybe the odd weekend one.
I believe Nathalie is joining us too :)

Anyway after a little thought I decided I needed some kind of theme(for want of a better word) for it.
I definitely want it to be Christmas related but also include more shots of us and the everyday things that we do.....I kind of got away from that as these challenges became more about me finding out more about my camera and what it can (and can't) do and generally trying to take better pictures.
But,what about all the times I know I'll be drawn into the garden to take something nature related as I did in April.Every time I do one of these the nature shot nearly always beats whatever else I've taken that day.

The answer.............2 photo's a day !!

The everyday pictures I want to scrapbook as a weekly page.
It's my solution to not getting my act together with the December daily album for the second year running.
I hope to scrap them as soon as I can so they don't sit there waiting for me to do them in 4 months time !
I think Patti's got her own version of a December album in mind for hers.

Anyway,enough waffling,the photo's as always will be on my other blog but I'll post today's here,since this post needs an image.

The everyday.....


As soon as he gets off the bus and comes in the door we have to go and get the mail.
From the garden.....

The droplet it's self is a little out of focus,as I was standing on tip toes and rushing a little as I knew any minute it was going to drip !! I just love it for the bokeh background.

Teenager in the house !

Son number one turns 13 today.........


OMG,where Oh where does the time go ?

No way !!

It's official,I have a son in High School.......where has time gone.......a few weeks away from having a teenager,gulp !!

Adam's first day was actually yesterday but it was only half a day and I had baseball to blog about and take my mind off it.

We had a day together over the summer,where I dragged him along shopping for fabric,cushions that sort of thing.
Just to torture him !!
We went to Starbucks for a coffee and hot chocolate and I asked how he felt about High School,since he's been quiet on the subject.
He was fine.
The size of the school didn't bother him.
The close to an hour bus ride did a little.
The biggest issue was none of his friends were going.
I told him if you value the friendships you have you will find a way to continue them.
I also reminded him that he made friends easily,and whatever instincts he's had over making those friends to keep following them.
We left it at that.

So he came home yesterday.
I grilled him the moment he was in the door !
So far so good.
His maths teacher is his home room teacher,she seems nice.
He got his first choice of Drama as his option.
His class is all kids in enriched English(remember he's at French school)
The funny thing is there is a girl in his class,that has been in his class since grade 2......at least there was one friendly face !
The bus ride was not so bad...I'm not sure if that was because it wasn't as long or because he was sat with a group of girls :)
He said the school was crowded....... and 2 grades weren't even there.

Today is his first full day.
I am going to take myself out and run a load of errands so I don't think about it too much because I am sure I will pounce on him again as soon as he comes through the door around 5.30.
I'll probably be greeted with,it was OK.........I'll know OK means good and it will be like pulling teeth to get anymore info than that for now,I was lucky I got as much as I did yesterday.


I can only imagine the change that will take place from this photo from one 5 years from now when he leaves.
We'll see how the week plays out.

Where have I been ??

Since last Saturday I have been lost in a haze of baseball.
If I don't write it down now I will forget.
Stick with me I am not a great writer.......it's a long post with no photo's !!

It's been crazy,coupled with all the usual stuff and getting ready for back to school.
I've drunk more take out coffee than I should and eaten so irregularly I've forgotten what a decent meal is at a decent time of day.
It was like groundhog day !
So 8 of the last 9 days have seen us in Lachine(a 90km round trip) 3 of those days beating rush hour traffic........4 of them freezing our butts off wondering if it really was August still!
The plus side was I was at least sitting each night with one of my bestest pals,Carine,so we could at least joke about it and have a fun time.
If you have no interest in baseball I'd just given up reading now !!

We lost a game last Sunday(7-6) so that meant to stay in we had to win every game because loose 2 and you're out.
We had most of our players give or take 1 or 2 every game.
Tuesday we win.
Wednesday we win.
Thursday we win.
Friday we win taking us to the finals.
Our opposition hasn't lost a game,so even if we beat them Saturday we have to play again Sunday to determine the winner.
This may be little league but there are rules regarding use of pitchers,number of innings,amount of rest,a pitcher can't catch in the same game,all that sort of stuff.
It's normally not a problem.
When you've played 4 nights in a row it is ! The up side to playing so much ball.......they were playing like a team should play.......and with each game they wanted to win even more.

So Saturday,lovely cold wet August day........everyone expected the game to be cancelled..........we played.
Us,the parents were wrapped in blankets under umbrella's......some were wearing winter hats and luckily one brought a huge flask of hot chocolate !!
We were winning,13-4 I think,when the game took a turn and all of a sudden it was 13-11 with 2 on base, 2 out..........when that ball was caught in the out field,the kids went berserk all running out and charging on W and so did we,jumping around in the stands,forgetting we'd sat there in the freezing rain for close to 3 hours.

Which brings us to yesterdays final.
The weather was better,slightly.
We had an almost full team.
Pitchers were good to go.
Play ball :)

Carine's son B pitched a 3 up 3 down first inning,just like that.We came on and scored 3.
Bottom of the 4th we are 5-1 up when they call a 10 minute rain delay.
It broke the momentum and before we knew it we were in the the bottom of the 6th 5-6 down.........1 run to stay in the game and play another inning.
J comes up to the plate.This kid can hit and can run like lightening.I don't remember what the count was but he hit that ball to the out field and made it all the way home.
6-6
7th inning...no scores
8th inning...no scores
9th inning...no scores
into extra innings........this is little league,we normally play 5 sometimes 6 innings !!
10th inning...no scores
11th inning....they score 2 runs.
We need 2 to stay in 3 to win.

Tense is not the word.
No one can sit down we are all pacing and shouting encouragement,well actually were were screaming encouragement,that would be more like it,I'm surprised any of us had voices left.
It all becomes a bit of a blur here.
We score 2 runs.
8-8
We are 1 out with bases loaded,Adam,is up to bat,it's the bottom of the order.

I will be the first to admit my son is no all star baseball player.He gets his sporting genes from me,unfortunately.
But,what he lacks in talent he makes up for in determination,effort and enthusiasm.
He strikes out a lot,more than he hits....but I know he can hit.
Last night that was to his advantage........they swapped the outfield positions.
All I can think is we just need one run.
I don't remember the count,Stuart was coaching first base and said something to him,I didn't hear what it was.
I don't know if it was Stuart's comment or channeled anger from being benched for 3 innings or both.
He hit the ball and you can tell from the sound what sort of hit it was.......that ball was going and it flew between two players and he gets a double,brings two players home.....not that it mattered,we only needed one.

All the kids piled out the dugout onto him and that's all I saw as all of us mums were jumping and hugging and going berserk too.......the end of an amazing,intense crazy 9 days !

Everyone gave it there all.
The kids were tired(we were tired!!)but they played like we've never seen them play.
Sure there were tears of frustration at times.
There was shouting and yelling !
They totally deserved the win.....they sure earned it.
B pitched 5 amazing innings,J pitched 6 amazing innings.
Everyone did what they had to do.
I am so proud of my son for doing what I know many people thought he couldn't.

One dad said to me right after,it couldn't of happened to a nicer kid......and he's right :)

Regional Champions..off to the Provincials we go !!

Woo! Hoo!

To blog or not to blog......

That is the question.

Right now I am enjoying just hanging out at home with the boys.
Taking it easy....still nursing a poorly shoulder....another reason to stay off this evil computer :)

I'm dying to scrap again........it's been so long.
I have a desire finally to make new slip covers for my much loved but sad looking sofa's.........I think I have at long last found the perfect fabric.I covered one of the sofas 5 years ago and I remember what a huge project with much swearing it was but it needs doing again and sooner rather than later.
In fact I have desire to generally spruce up my entire house,finish all the unfinished projects,shelves,photo's in frames,new cushions that sort of thing....the house needs a pre fall boost !

I'll leave with just a few photo's from our vacation.
The first day we went to watch the Blue Jays play the Red Sox.It doesn't look it from the photo but we had a great view,better than last year.
I was pleased as the roof was open...unlike last year.
The boys loved it,Ad cheered extra loud due to the fact we were seated in a mainly Red Sox area !!
Anyway,a great day was made even better by the fact we won...Go Jays !!

We spent some time at our friends cottage and lots of fishing was done.
Stuart's tackle box is just one big box of goodies to Ol!


It is the season of these.......

Of course I took a ton of photo's of them (again)
My boys were patient with me though and when I turned round one night from snapping away on a walk after dinner I saw this.......


...I think it's my favourite of the trip.

Back sometime :)

The weekend (photo heavy !)

We finally got to meet up with our friends at their cottage this weekend.
Saturday was cool and cloudy but Sunday was glorious and sunny,shame we had to leave early,since this was the nicest day we'd had in a while.
I had been messing about with settings on my camera and changed the brightness of the screen but of course I forgot that and still took pictures allowing for the fact they appear darker than they are.
The result...... over exposed and blown out pictures,Oh well,excusing that and the fact I haven't had time to make a montage:

Stuart caught a big bass,which we released although would have made a tasty dinner....


This monster was lurking in the canoe.....


I swear spread out like that it was nearly as big as my hand,I have never seen a dock spider that big.I will never get in the canoe without scrutinising it thoroughly first !!

Our friends are American and being the 4TH of July we lit some fireworks and the kids had sparklers........


Sunday,Adam did a fair bit of this.......


Oliver preferred this.......


And found a friend....


I spent time taking pictures of these by the water's edge......

A rare picture of us taken by Oliver since it's well known I'd much rather be the other side of the camera.....


This was my favourite shot of the weekend,can't explain why but I love it....


Other stuff.
Last week I had to bite the bullet and made an appointment with the physio in town(I don't have insurance which was the biggest factor in putting this off)but my shoulder just wasn't getting better and I was just getting more and more frustrated.Which isn't fun for anyone around me,I can tell you !
That decision made I decided to stop running,ice it up when possible and managed 2 days of no driving (both are cars are manual and the gear changing aggravates it)and it was a little better.
Anyway had the first session so we'll see how it goes,got some exercises to do and he's not too keen on me running for a while........not sure I am able to obey that one but I'll try for a week and ask again !!
Out comes the bike.......and once Mum has gone back we can all bike down to swimming lessons so that's some exercise at least.

I so badly want to get those running shoes back on because I have missed it.I've been using the use the map my run site for keeping track of all my activities and I only just found the elevation feature when you map out a route......it's pretty cool.Well I think so !

Mum leaves Wednesday evening and then I thought I had 5 days before the next set of visitors arrived.Plans have changed it seems so that saves me doing a bit of furniture re-arranging and major cramming of stuff in cupboards.....Thanks Nic :) !!

OK well hopefully back later this week with a new layout...........I really want to get back to scrapping.