So this photo has technical flaws, maybe, but I like it.  It’s my top pick of the day.

I like this one best without the backstory.  It leaves a lot to the imagination.  Your imagination might make it a little more interesting than it actually is.

Maybe I shouldn’t give backstories on any of my photos.   I don’t know… just a random train of thought.

This photo is misleading.  It would lead one to believe that we have not only decided what Christmas gifts we are making  family this year but that we have already started making them.  Nope… these are the angel ornaments we made last year.  It is almost Thanksgiving and we haven’t settled on an idea yet, much less started the whole process.   It seems so extra busy this year.  What gives.

Ky has been finishing up a project for school.  Along with her book report and other various character studies and what not for the book “The Hobbit”, she had to make 3 creative illustrations.   One of her ideas was to take a photo of Gollum’s ring (well, my wedding band posing as the ring) on the cave floor (which was actually the big flat rock out back) where Bilbo finds it.  She took this herself.   It’s a little out of focus but in a right kind of way and, I must say, I really like it.  Pretty good for her first time ever laying hands on my camera.  : )

She’s now all spots and legs, legs and spots.  She’s a puppy still… but on stilts, kind of.  And she’s lost that cute puppy smell.  She smells like dog.  So far I’m ok with that… because I love her, I guess.

Abe was very proud of his “golden soccer”.   His primary motivation to try soccer this year was getting a “golden soccer” at the end of the season.  He sat for ten minutes catching the sun reflecting in it from every angle.   So proud.

Josh swept me off on a mini-day-trip to Crossville, TN yesterday to see this giant tree-house.  It has been said that it is the tallest or largest or somehow otherwise most impressive tree-house around… but we don’t really have the facts on that.   It is by far the biggest tree-house we have ever seen.  Our kids are really into tree-houses and currently have blueprints for 3 more in our yard… you know, one per child.  We checked out this one pretty thoroughly and soon we will take them out to be awed.  However, they will be a lot less impressed with what Josh has already built them in our yard once they see this.

This photo doesn’t do it justice.  A photo can only capture just a tiny section of the monstrosity.

I taught the kids when they were babies that “ching, ching” is the sound a bike makes (“Old MacDonald had a bike…with a ching, ching here and a ching, ching there…”).  Josh is a bicyclist and he’s always slightly annoyed when I imply that all bikes have bells that say “ching, ching”.

He’d also be slightly annoyed that I am posting a photo of a Huffy because, as he would put it,  Huffy’s suck.

Tech. Sgt. BJ Kelley talks with a Chilean air force maintainer before launching a KC-135 Stratotanker during Salitre, a multinational exercise focused on interoperability between servicemembers from Chile, the United States, Argentina, Brazil and France.

Sergeant Kelley is a crew chief from the 161st Air Refueling Wing.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky)

Robert Evans photographed at home in the ’70s for W Magazine

* My journal of inspiration, because a picture is worth…

Hee… he has popcorn in his teeth… as usual.  Man, that boy loves him some popcorn.

They walked around and talked and talked and talked.  I wonder what it is they talk about.

As easy as it would be for me to claim this as my own, I will admit that Josh took this one.

You know when it’s chilly but the sun is warm on your skin… yeah.  I like that.

Continuing the series of “old things we find in the basement”…

“Newfangled” is a mighty cool word.  However this Pringles can is oldfangled.  (I looked it up… “fangled” is not a word.  “Oldfangled” actually is.  And here I thought I was being clever.  Now I know better.)

So this was found in Sam’s folder from school.  I am pretty certain it’s not an official form from his teacher.  It is wide open for interpretation.  (Especially the “pectre” part… anyone?)  I interpret that Sam was caught helping a girl and a friend (or friends) requested that he not do that anymore.  I’ll have to ask him when he gets home.  I doubt he’ll tell me.  It’s probably the type of thing a 7 year old boy may want to keep top-secret.

I know I have been extremely inconsistent with POM posts lately.  Sometimes I am putting out so many little fires here and there (not literally… although it wouldn’t surprise me) that I have to shift my priorities.  Do you know I took nary a picture of my kids dressed up for Halloween this year?  A little voice inside of me said “Go have fun… and don’t bring the camera” and I listened.   Speaking of fires, we’re having friends over this afternoon.  I need to go make snacks.

Gahhh, rain.  On a Saturday?  On Halloween?  Gee whiz.

Here’s a rainy day photo in honor of you, rain.  Now go away.

(Rain go away… not you guys reading this… if there is anybody reading this… which there probably is because, well, it’s raining… what else are you going to do today?  I digress.)

I refuse to beg Sam to smile for a picture any more.  Beg or not, if the mood isn’t just right, this is what I get.  Eh.

Two out of four of our uncarved pumpkins chosen this day less than two weeks ago have already melted into rotten mush on our front porch.  Very disappointing.  My parents have a few pumpkins leftover from their garden so everyone will still have one to carve tomorrow.  A toast *clink* to free last minute pumpkins.

Oh… and a toast to not spending a dime this year by recycling costumes from years past *clink, clink*.