Catch Up: 52 Week Challenge

I'm a tad late (imagin' that!) gettting my Photo Challenge pics posted from last few weekends...which explains why I would have never committed to the 365 challenge! I have a month worth of weekends to make up for! So here goes....

I had the opportunity to attend a "Ballerina" themed photography club meetup. The ballerinas came and participated as our models. There were some wonderful shots by other photographers...I'm just there to learn and this is one of the better ones I got.

My Studmuffin! This is Gabe going to his girlfriend Cate's birthday dinner. He was dressed so nicely! I think he's quite a hunk!

This picture is from a church dinner. They celebrated the older gentlemen Howard's 85th birthday-he is surrounded by his children and family members.

On Saturday  2/5  I took Jakey to Home Depot for their monthly Kids Workshop. Did you know that every Home Depot has a free wood project for kids. Did you know that you DON'T HAVE to wake your child up super early, shove food down his throat and drive like a wild maniac to get there at 9 AM on a Saturday? Well, I know that now....they do the craft project from 9-12. It doesn't START at 9 and LAST and until 12. It's a floating craft time. ;) So, now YOU know! See how informative blog reading can be?


In other news:

• I've been going to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University for the last six weeks. Very enlightening. He has a way of bluntly pointing out my lack of responsibility and accountability with my finances. No more running away and doing trips on the weekends....I have to save, invest and be frugal. What a party pooper! HA! If you have the opportunity to do the 13 week course- I HIGHLY suggest that you do. My boss paid for the class for me as a Christmas present....and the money and time invested will pay off in many, many, many ways!
• The last few Sunday's sermons have been a study on the Beautitudes. The study guide is from a book titled, "The Beautitudes From the Backside" by  J. Ellsworth Kalas. Very insightful. After learning the political upheaval in the area during that time period and about the Romans taxing and taking over the region, etc, etc....it's very enlightening to hear "Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Putting ourselves in the midst of the political and spiritual climate of the day this sermon must have really raised eyebrows and caused quite a stir! Studying the sermon on the mount from a new perspective over the last few weeks has made the text new and inspiring to me too! ;)
• Ooooh. I have big, happy news to share too! I'm going to see The Celtic Women in concert next weekend!
• God has been blessing me with several free-lance SEO jobs lately. They ( jobs) keep falling in my lap.
• God also blessed me with new tires for my van. Talk about a BLESSING- I was going to have to go tire shopping and these also fell into my lap....good thing I have a big lap!
• More big, happy news! I have a very big secret. I can't tell. :) I'm a terrible secret keeper. Just terrible. <----- See, if I was a good secret keeper I wouldn't have even said this! Ha! But someone is having a baby. I can't tell WHO. Or WHERE. But someone is. :)
• I have been in a Zumba class for several months now. It's somewhat of a love/hate relationship between Zumna and I. I love to hate it. :D  In all seriousness, I've never had sooooo much fun exercising in all of my life. It's great...and oddly enough- I'm hoping to get a smaller lap. I know I'm a corny nerd....but hey, I think it's funny.
• Last Friday was my Doodle-Bug, Sarah's 13th birthday. Because it was her Dad's weekend with her we will be celebrating her day tomorrow. We are going to see Gnomeo & Juliette and do some clothes shopping.

Shine All Your Light.... Cass

52 Challenge

A lot of photographers are doing the 365 challenge (fyi- that means they're posting a new picture each and every day.)  I would love to think that I would be up to snuff to do the challenge- but the truth is that I wouldn't be able to make time to post a picture each and every day. So, I will do it my way....I'll post one picture each weekend. Hopefully, like the 365 Challenge- you'll see creative and artistic growth in my photography- and maybe even get to know me better through the year. ;)

And- since this is the 3rd weekend of the year- I will go ahead and post 3 pictures for the past few weekends I've missed....because one of my New Year's Resolutions is to stop procrastinating and always be running behind....so I want to start off "caught up".  :)

This picture is from my Uncle Jim's funeral last Friday. My mom comes from a family of 11 brothers and sisters. This pic is of some of her siblings and some of their spouses....it's difficult to get everyone together...and once they ARE together it's twice as hard to get them all in one photo-looking straight-eyes open, heads back...well, you get the picture. :)

Taken 1-09-11 Ice on Zebra grass.

My Uncle's service was very touching. This is of one of the military men presenting the flag to my Aunt Media. I wish I had a better view- but I was quite a ways back and didn't get the flag in the photo nor the fact that the presenter had tears in his eyes....nevertheless, it's still a touching photo.

Until next weekends Challenge....Shine all your light- and snap a pic or two! :)

Cass!

Spazz Begats Spazzes

So. For Christmas I buy my sweet, feminine, lovely, set-apart daugthers facial masks and cleansers as stocking stuffers. I was envisioning an evening of us girls sitting around doing ped's and facials...listening to classical music and using fancy lotions.
 Because....I like to pretend we're normal. Make you think that we're just like everyone else....we do normal things like pop popcorn and drink cocoa on snowy nights at home.

But- in reality- this is how our pseudo cozy night at home goes..... Kiddles (Rebekah) puts on the stress relieving masks and realizes with great delight that it will scare the snot out of her little brother (which it did!)....and one thing led to another....and here is some of the outcome.....

Kiddles thought she looked really creepy.....so she decided to eat her sister.....because creepy people eat their siblings.


 

And what goes better with a slab of arm than hair and brains???

---

And....just to not completely creep you out...and so that you don't think we're totally off our rockers- let me leave you with one of those pictures that implies deep meditative thoughts, warm fuzzies and all the wonderful things that normal people impart.... HA!



Yesterday morning- I went out at sunrise to take some pictures of the ice storm....yes, normal people go outside in their PJ's and boots to take pictures of ice- right??? Right?? Say YES- or I'll sic my flesh eating daughter on you! :)

Shine All Your Light!

Cass




























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Christmas Wishes....

I took this pic a few years ago at a local church...

(This is circulating via email....thought I'd share.)



To All My Democrat Friends ~


Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the Winter Solstice Holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great.


Not to imply that America is necessarily Greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference, gender assignment, of the wishes.


To My Republican and Independent Friends ~


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!




Cass

Through The Eyes of A Child

So, Jakey drew some pictures of me doing what I always do....you know....nothin' much.

This is me sitting on my front porch swing  (notice the Christmas light garland over the door!) looking at the tree in the yard that I have yet to get Christmas lights on. The life of a mother is Sooooooooooo relaxing. :)

After I get weary of sitting on my porch swing thinking of all the things I would like to do....I go take a bath. I splash, splash, splash....and just have a great time. No worries here!!

Then- once I get out of the tub...I check my Facebook or blog!! :)

Yep, that's about all I do.....hopefully your life as a mom is just a cushy as mine! And if it is....then it should be no problem to SHINE ALL YOUR LIGHT! :)

-Cass

The Griffin Girls..and Jakey

So, the kids and I are in Powell Ohio, celebrating Thanksgiving. I have finally had the long awaited meeting with my nephew- Caiden. Caiden is now two and is the "Big Cheese" of the family. :) He's the "big cheese" because #1 he's the star of the show. #2 he's the cutest little star ever #3 No-one has even been a more enthusiastic sayer of "cheese" for pictures!!! :) "Cheeeeeeeeeesssse!" is what he'd say and then he'd inhale real deep and start over! Just a cute, cute, cute little guy!! Loved him to pieces.

My neice Rachel has become a phenomenal dancer- and I so enjoyed seeing her perform her recital solo for us during a sneak peek at the studio the other night.

Today we ventured out into the quaint town of Powell.  

The girls and Jake outside of one of the several little boutique's we went into.

Snow flurries flew today!!! Rebekah photoshopped this picture for me- it wasn't snowing when this pic was taken. The girls and Aunt Marshy crossing the street.....

Little man has been floating around in a house of five females....Today he spotted a bag of Star Wars Silly Bands...how could we possibly say no? :) He's saved a few aside for a special friend.

Kiddles wanted this headband in one of the boutiques. It was $34- of course I said, "You can have it baby!!! I'd love to see it on you!!! You have money!" Suddenly she didn't want it as badly.

Caiden and Jakey.

Renaissance Festival: A Huzzah-tical Day!

My day spent at the Renaissance Festival was huzzah-tical! (<----that's my own word meaning totally off the charts- GREAT!) Do you know how you can tell that I had such a great day?? Because my pictures are less than great. :( I was really disappointed in the pictures once I got them off the card. Oh well. That just means I was more involved in the overall experiences around me than the technical aspects of taking a picture. And all in all- that's a good thing.

I owe a huge amount of gratitude to my mother for making me my renaissance costume. I regret that we never did slow down enough to get Mark to take my picture. It's totally my fault. However, I will get a picture of me in character taken and posted as a very grateful THANK YOU to my mother. ;)

The first shoppe we really slowed down and paid attention to was the glass shop. I was amazed at the detail and exquisite medieval designs the man was making. It was phenomenal to watch.

I saw this guy several times throughout the day. He was like a "Go-Go Gadget" from the middle ages.

I thoroughly enjoyed the patrons as much as I enjoyed the scheduled shows. This lady and her husband were dressed as fairies with their animatronic shoulder friends.

It's hard to tell whats going on here- but this man had a dragon "hat" on his head. The sticks in his hands made the wings of the dragon appear to be "flying". He's ducking down to say hello to this little girl- who understandably was a little skittish to be nodded at by a flying dragon!

Speaking of dragons...this mans costume was incredible! He and his wife had matching leather dragon costumes....complete with tails, feet and painted faces.

This act is called "Barely Balanced" they were awesome. You're looking at three people balancing at each other and the guy on the top is juggling knives. Notice the girl has a bare foot and one blue boot? That's because she's got a broken foot and had undergone surgery on WEDNESDAY. We saw this act on Saturday morning. Talk about dedicated.

The Queens chocolate shop. Oh my. Chocolate fit for royalty....to be sure. A friend and I split a chocolate and caramel cracker with marshmallows and nuts in it. Oh my. About a million HUZZAH's worth of praise for the concoction...adn I dont even like marshmallows or nuts! LOL!

I shot a bow and arrow for the first time. The first four arrows never left my little booth. LOL. I wasn't "getting it" and then.....Wah-lah....lookey there! I shot this guy right in the face! It was fun!!!

The "royal family" attending the jousting match.

The faeries of the realm come out to play during the Renaissance festival. The faeries are beautiful. This faerie named, Twig doesn't speak. But she dances, plays a flute and happily poses for pictures.....

Twigg had just shared some pixie dust with an elderly, disabled man and he was blowing her kisses and they rolled him away.

As we left this mime was entertaining small children.

He wasn't as impressive as the mime my family and I had encountered in San Francisco, but he was quite entertaining to the little children. ;)

I have many more pictures to share- just not the time to post them....

Until I get more time- Shine all your light and have a Huzzah-tical day! :)

Cass