Something Pretty

I was actually planning on blogging today about my recent trips (yes, I said trip-s) to the dentist, but I decided against it. And I won't say how many cavities I had either, because when I told my mom, she gave me a look that said, haven't you learned anything child??!!
The sounds that resembled Jerod's table saw, hammer drill and shop vac are finally drifting away from my memory. But last night, while the left side of my face was still numb, I attempted to eat a BLT. Because I was hungry! But little did I know during the second bite, I was also chewing on my bottom lip. Yeah, not pretty. So we're not going to go there! :)
Instead, I'm going to show you some pretty flowers that are blooming at the farm right now.Tiger Lilys, Phlox, Star Gazer Lilys, Queen Ann's Lace... more of a weed/wildflower, but I think it's pretty, and I can't remember the name of this one... does anyone know the name of it?

Cornfields

When I took photography classes at DMACC a few years ago, I decided to enter a couple photos in the Iowa State Fair. Those pictures had to have a title. I took one similar to this shot below and named it "Stalkers".

We've had some really great cloudy days here lately, and this particular evening was beautiful!

Happy end of July!

Madison County Fair Highlights

Last week I had the pleasure to help out with a few events at the Madison County Fair.  One of the highlights was judging the younger kids projects in grades K-3.  I saw some really neat things and tasted some really yummy food.  I'm sure not all people would be up to trying brownies that a 7 year old made, but me??  I'm up for anything! :)  
There was a really cute boy that baked some really good sweets!  Chocolate chip banana bread, cookies and s'more brownies... YUM!!!  He didn't talk much but had the CUTEST smile!  When I asked him if he already tried a brownie, he smiled and nodded yes.  I asked him if he wanted another one and nodded yes... his smile never left his face!  So I handed him one and then I tried one and they were so good!  All you do is layer a pan with whole graham crackers, prepare a brownie mix and pour over top.  Bake as the box instructs and when they're done pull them out.  Then sprinkle chocolate chips and marshmallows over the top and bake for just a few minutes more!  They were so good that I've been craving them since I tried them.  I was also craving chocolate chip banana bread, but made that the other day! :)  (And it's already gone!)  His brownies could have been made out of cement and I would have still thought he did a good job!  Kids are so fun at that age and every one I visited with that day did an excellent job on their projects!  
Another event I helped with was bottle calf judging!  This is a favorite at the fair as parents  grandparents, aunts and uncles come to watch their little ones.  I especially like it because the kids say the cutest things!  I asked one girl what her calves name was and she said "Darnit!"  When I asked how she came up with that name, she said "Because my daddy said, 'Darnit, we have a bottle calf this year!' "  I asked another girl if there was anything special about her calf that she wanted us to know about and she said, "I put glitter on his hooves."  :)  And another boy showed his calf Dead Red.  The little boy came up with this calf's name because, "His mom's dead and he's red."  Classic.  Kids are so honest, aren't they?  
One of the last events I helped with was herdsmanship judging.  That's when you walk through the livestock barns and check for clean pens, water, isle's swept, etc.  Each 4-H club gets judged as a group in each livestock division.  Nathan came along for this one and so did the wonderful Marcy, who pushed him around.  (Thanks Marcy!)
Oh, and I helped Beth with the cat show.  We controlled ourselves and didn't laugh the whole time we were together! :)  What can I say, I'm a cat person!  Except for the large hissing ones...

46 Days Late

Yesterday, out of the blue, I suddenly realized that my license had expired on my birthday... which was 46 days ago.  I knew there was something about 30 days expired, but what about the other 16?  Jerod said I should go get a new one that afternoon.  My idea to wait until tomorrow for a better hair day was rejected... so we went.
The man who issued the licenses recognized me from helping at the bottle calf show this past Saturday.  He had 3 kids enter calves and one of them was the little boy who named his calf Dead Red.  Just saying that made me laugh out loud!  I remembered his son and he has also won first place in his class!  (More on that story later!)  Anyways, while I was standing there to get my picture taken I was still half way laughing about that name.  After my license was ready, Jerod wanted to see the picture.  He thought it was good, I on the other hand, thought my name should read Gums or Teeth.  Needless to say, my smile was pretty big!  
Thanks Dead Red!  

A Cubby Hole

Sometimes it seems like it takes no time at all for an area in the house to become a mess.  Our house has VERY limited storage space... this is one of the few cubby holes we have.  I think little areas like this overflow quickly because it's not big enough.  So what we need in our new house is LOTS of storage space... with doors, so I can hide it all! :)  
before  
after

The Start of a Lifetime

I didn't think 3 years could go so fast!  Happy anniversary Jerod, I love you!

Spring Horses

I came across a new trick (edge burn) to use on my photos from my new favorite blog.  It's located at this link if you'd like to use it as well.  I tried it out on some photos that I took last spring at Hidden Acres.  Let me know what you think!

A New Favorite

Every morning I make a point to check other blogs.  I learn some neat things and have got some inspiration from other photographers and friends.  But I also have to watch the clock while doing this, because time tends to slip away quickly!  
I came across a new favorite blog just a few days ago.  The Pioneer Woman.  This is one of the coolest blogs I've come across in a while!  Ree discusses it all... cooking, photography, home and garden, homeschooling... it is a reflection of her life on the ranch with her husband and 4 children.  I really like the way she writes, I laugh out loud at least once in each post!  And the comments she receives... are AMAZING!  She just put up a post this morning and there are already over 130 comments.  But that's NOTHING compared to the 13,168 comments from this post that she put up yesterday!  Really??!!  This girls' got a lot of readers!  
Be sure to stop by her blog, you just might learn something from this girl who is "Plowing through life in the country... one calf nut at a time."  (Her words, not mine! :)

Pena Kids

These kids were SO much fun to take pictures of!  After I took was done, Nicholas took a few pictures of me, but I'll spare you all and just post photos of them! :)

Amber and Jonathan: Married (Part 1)

As I mentioned, I had the chance to tag along with Jodi and Rodney Gehman to a wedding.  This turned out to be one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to!  The day was gorgeous along with the locations.  The reception was held in an old barn and I wish I could have had a location like that for my wedding!  Be sure to check here for some pics on the Gehman site.






This field was a beautiful location for shots!









More to come!