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I have always loved photography, even when I was young, I always wanted my own camera. I can remember when I started real scrapbooking in 1995 that I told myself I was going to get addicted to the hobby! Now I am combining photography and scrapbooking to keep a photo journal.

name:

Mandy Smithers

location:

North Texas

gear:

***NEWS FLASH*** I got a new Canon 50D!!

A very old, first generation dRebel that has had the shutter mechanism replaced 2 times. And a cute little Canon Power Shot.

started on:

1/1/09 (Day 1233)

about me:

I have always loved photography, even when I was young, I always wanted my own camera. I can remember when I started real scrapbooking in 1995 that I told myself I was going to get addicted to the hobby! Now I am combining photography and scrapbooking to keep a photo journal.
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Sarah has a loft bed and Cowboy sleeps in a crate under the bed. So sometimes on the weekends, I lift him up to the bed so he can wake her up.
1
Okay, I'm addicted to this dumb 'Bouncing Balls' game. I told Greg that one day when space invaders come to Earth and someone has to shoot something in groups of three or more, then I'll be the hero of the day. Until then, I'll just play this time waste game until I grow tired of it. (It's been since the middle of December when someone turned me on to the game and I'm still playing. Ugh!)
2
In just the last few days, Panda has become rather obsessed with this pink pig dog toy. It makes an 'oink' noise and she won't let Cowboy touch it. She is well known for unstuffing stuffed toys, but so far, she's not even trying to unstuff the pig.
3
I had a meeting in Arlington today and was very near the new Texas Stadium and thought I would take a picture. You can see it from miles away, but when I got close to it, the only word I could think of was 'behemoth' . . . it was huge! So, then I thought I would drive through Irving and take a picture of the original Texas Stadium for comparison. It was very small in comparison and looked like a worn out pair of tennis shoes.
4
Sarah with puppies at Libby's.
5
The freshman girls did not have a basketball game tonight, so I took Sarah and a friend to watch the varsity girls. When the game was over, the girls from both teams gathered in center court. I was very surprised at the high level of sportmanship that must take to meet like that when the game is over.
6
Cowboy wants to take that pink pig away from Panda. He is a very brave young pup to dare to take a toy away from Panda.
7
Rachel was home for the weekend. I got a quick photo before she headed out to go back to Oklahoma. Sarah made a vanilla cake with chocolate icing on Saturday and Rachel is taking some home. That is what is in the bowls in her hand.
8
Rachel was so worn out from her weekend of fun in Texas that she totally passed out on the floor in her room back at Melissa & Allan's house. It's easy to remember when cute little baby Rachel was asleep like this.
9
She shoots . . . she scores! . . . . Sarah scores during the last Freshman Girls basketball game of the season was tonight. Sarah played quite a bit throughout the game. The last 3 minutes were very exciting with the lead changing several times. Our girls were behind by 1 point and with time running out, stole the ball, ran down the court, passed the ball, shot the ball, and . . . . it didn't go in. But, it was a great game and a fun game to watch.
10
Seriously . . . Cowboy sat on the couch with me and watched the Westminster Dog Show on TV. Sarah & I couldn't believe it! Panda saw the dogs running across the screen one time and looked at it and then moved on. Cowboy sat and watched for a good 10-15 minutes! Crazy dog! I bet he was thinking that he needs to be at that dog show because he is very handsome.
11
Melissa & Rachel got curtains for her room. They are pretty cool looking!
12
I rarely get up and fix anything for breakfast. Usually it's more like grab something on your way out the door. Well, we were down to just about nothing for breakfast and the cinnamon rolls were in the refrigerator waiting to be baked. Sarah asked me 'are you really going to get up and make those in the morning?!?' when I told her I was going to make them. So, that's what I did, I baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
13
I have always wondered where Panda lays down in the yard because she doesn't lay anywhere that I can see her. I had suspected that she would lay down near the shed outside, but never saw her there. Today, I was up on a stool while cleaning the ceiling fan. I looked out the window and could see Panda relaxed, asleep, and with a bone right by her. Panda is crazy about bones. Do not try to take away her bone . . . . she won't like it. At least I have solved my mystery about where she lays down outside.
14
A familiar site - - - Greg in the doorway right by the computer desk. So today, he gets his picture taken to be added to the Shuttercal.com calendar.
15
We (well, I) had been trying to get Rachel into the orthodontist's office for quite a while. With her having moved, it was difficult to find a non-school day that their office was open. Rachel has ONE tooth that refuses to move into place.
16
This is a silhouette of the Courthouse-on-the-Square ('CHOS'). Sometimes, at work, we affectionately call it 'chaos'.
17
Jamie made me a Snowman themed quilt that she made herself. I love the colors, lots of reds, greens & blues. Plus the squiggly machine quilting is one of my favorites.
18
Ugh! My continued project of cleaning out my scrapbooking area. I need to go through all of these papers and throw away or file. Obviously, I've been avoiding this project for a long time.
19
Sarah is taking the classroom portion of Drivers Ed online because we couldn't get her into the drivers ed classes at school. Since, technically, I am the teacher, I found the online class for her to take so I wouldn't have to actually teach it to her. When she gets the online classes done, we will go get the learners permit so she can actually drive a car.
20
Sarah & Cowboy were in the Denton Kennel Club fun match dog show today. Cowboy was the only Norwegian Elkhound, so Sarah they won a best of breed ribbon. They didn't place in the hound group.
21
I made breakfast this morning. Greg likes breakfast, but only if it's before 10:00 a.m. It was 11:00 a.m. today, but I made it anyway. He ate it & he liked it too. Then I browned hamburger to freeze.
22
Tonight was groom the dog night. You can see Cowboy right behind my shoulder and a small pile of boy dog hair on the fireplace. Panda, on the other hand, had tufts of hair coming out in the bunches. Sarah & I both combed & brushed her, together for about 45 minutes, and she was STILL shedding when we decided to quit.
23
I played arts & crafts for over an hour tonight. It's very therapeutic. I am working on 2 different card swaps and I would like to get them done sooner rather than waiting until the last minute.
24
I had a fairly eventful day today, but the only picture I got was a close up of Cowboy. I spent almost 2 very pleasurable hours coloring stamped images for a card swap.
25
This is Sarah at the DPS Office & filling out the application for a Learners Permit License. What I learned today is that when the DPS office says they close at 5:00, they mean they close at 5:00. Like, everyone out the door at 5:00, don't walk in at 4:50 and expect much service it it takes more than 10 minutes. Before we went this afternoon, I had to go to the County Clerk's Office to get an original birth certificate because DPS won't accept a copy. I have lots of copies that I made from the original when Sarah was a baby, but I can't find that original. It's probably in the safety deposit box. . . . AND THEN . . . I had to go to the Social Security Office to apply for a replacement card because the original card I used to have is probably hanging out with the original birth certificate somewhere. . . . . I digress even more, there was an older gentleman at the SS office who was 81 years old, hard of hearing, spoke very loudly, and used a doctor's stethoscope to hear better. He was putting the flat part close to this lady's face so that he could carry on a conversation with her. It was really a precious scene . . . . she was a good sport visiting with him . . . another lady sitting beside me was smiling along with me while we watched this gentleman carry on a conversation. . . . . Back to my original story to go along with the picture, Sarah has to go back in the morning to take the written portion of the test to have that one last piece of paper that allows her to drive a car.
26
This is Rachel when Greg was visiting her for the weekend parent visit. (This was taken on Sat. Feb. 28th, but I needed a photo for Friday, so that's why it's here.)
27
This is Sarah after having driven for about 30 minutes on our way to the dog show in Wichita Falls. She was very excited to drive and she did a pretty good job for a rookie!
28