Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to share a little of your story with me.
You weren't suppose to say nice things about me!
But you all did and that is very humbling and makes me say 'shucks' a lot.

The cool thing is...THAT is the kind of people who read this blog;
Really kind, respectful, delightfull people.


I am the most surprised by the age range! Teens to great grandparents. Wow!


I wish you all LOL.

(That's code for....Lots of love)


****



Last week when I was shopping for shoes, tights and cami's for the play on Saturday that Katie is performing in, I spotted these boots.

Katie has been wanting a pair of Uggs all winter.

She googles Uggs on the computer and wishes she had a hundred dollars.

At our house, that is too much for children's shoes so I would always say...if we find some on sale.


So as we were picking out ballet flats at Shopko's shoe section, I spotted these Ugg knock offs.

Katie tried on a size two and I said yes.

Yesterday she woke up on her own for school and was dressed and ready to go at 6:30. Boots on.

I think it is the best thing I have ever bought her.

****


I jumped back and forth between Idol and Biggest Loser last night so I didn't catch everything.

That Adam is so showy he makes everyone else look super boring. I actually thought Adam's performance was the most indulgent thing I have ever seen on the show.

And Paula. I put the tv on mute when she speaks. I can not bear to listen to her.

Who will go home tonight?


I also skipped between DWTS and BL.

Bruno put it very well last night when he called the Cowboy, the gentleman and Steve-O the childlike clown.

The right person went home. Next to go are the Cowboy and LT.


The right person also went home on BL. Is anyone else totally bummed that Tara keeps winning every weekly prize.
Talk about Supergirl!!

I don't know why they have not played the game and gotten rid of her!!!

I would. In a second! But. I don't think they have had the chance, have they? Has she ever been under the line?

The makeovers were fun!

****

Tea Party in Madison today. I may head up there to take pictures.
Young Congressman Paul Ryan from Janesville will be speaking.
I have seen him on television a few times and was very impressed with what he had to say.
Nancy's (from the comments) daughter will be speaking also.

Should be informative and exciting!


Happy Tax day to all.

I hope you have all your ducks in a row and aren't running around like a chicken with it's head cut off today...and are happy as clams....

What's your favorite cliche'?


Love ya like a friend!!
Donna

Come out.
Come out.

Wherever you are!



In the last month or so I have gotten wonderful comments from people I do not know.

And that is wonderful. Fantastic. Super great!

BUT.

I want to know more about you.

So if you are new here or if you are a LURKER, come on out of the shadows and introduce yourself!

People are kind and friendly here.


Please leave your name (screen name is fine) and location (if comfortable with that) and something about yourself so we can get to know you a little bit.

And those of you who have been around a long time...you can introduce yourselves to the newbies.


Doesn't this sound like fun!?

It sure does to me.


Can't wait to meet you!

Encourage one another,
Donna
Wisconsin
Blessed


(I generally have 1200 visits a day and 15 to 40 comments. You can imagine my curiosity :o)

I am not Martha Stewart.



In fact, I am the antithesis of Martha.





Katie does not care that I am not Martha.

I am careful not to even show her creative, beautiful, fabulous easter eggs.

This is all she knows.

Don't tell her.


***

A few things that have piqued my interest lately.



Jessica Claire posted a wedding shoot on her blog over the weekend.

I found it wonderful and interesting to peek in on an Orthodox wedding.

(un)orthodox wedding


***


Anna Kuperberg posted this video last week.
I have never seen anything like this before.
Keith Loutit is a photographer using time lapse photography.
Wow!



Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.


***


The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds. ~Will Durant


***

And this.








What's been on your mind?



Encourage one another,
Donna

South West Wisconsin









I am always pleasantly surprised to see an Amish buggy on the road.


Saturday Six

What are your Easter plans?
Will you be dying eggs today?
What is in your Easter basket?
Did someone buy you an Easter Lily?
What does Easter mean to you?
Does it change you?



Little Donna circa 1961



Easter blessings!

Donna

Good Friday






photo of Christ the Redeemer, Rio

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts

What a moving hymn.
What a perfect Easter sentiment.

'Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.'

That about says it all.


Encourage one another,
Donna

We went to pick up Emma today.



How fun is this??


It feels odd to post something this late in the day.

I hope your day has been blessed.
Donna

It sure is nice to get out of town for a little bit.
Katie and I drove 60 miles exactly and arrived at my friends farm.

It was clear and bright and WINDY!
My senior was really great! He was gentlemanly and polite and didn't look at me funny
as I did my thing. He has beautiful brown eyes that I could see a twinkle in from time to time.
In these parts, brown eyes are very rare.

Since he was so tall I had to find rocks to stand on and I even stood on a bale of hay.

I forgot to ask his mother if I could post a picture of him here on the blog...so that will have to wait.

Sorry.

On the way home, Katie and I took pictures of the super huge windmills.






I was enamored with the clouds yesterday. They were wild and dramatic.






***

Feel free to dish about Idol and Dancing and BL.


I really enjoyed hearing about your mother's sayings yesterday.
Thanks for sharing those!

Hey! What was your dad know for saying or doing?

My dad was a real tease.

He called cows alligators and told us that toll booths were popcorn machines only he didn't want to wait for the popcorn.

He also use to say when we drove past a cemetery, "People are dying to get in there."

And when I brought my report card home, "D is for dandy!"

I miss him, too.



Alright. Gotta go!

Encourage one another,
Donna

My mother was not an octopus.

"I'm not an octopus!", she would declare as her seven silly charges called out for things during dinner.

Nor was she a short order cook.

"This is not a restaurant." she said.

Actually there was one meal that she was a short order cook and that was on the wonderful mornings we would have french toast.
She'd cook em like crazy and they would get gobbled up as soon as that small batch of four hit the table.
We loved her french toast and I think she liked doing this for us!

"Esther, sit down and eat." My father would say.

And she finally would. And we would tarry a bit longer at the table with her.
But eventually we would leave her to her breakfast and coffee and dad.




I, on the other hand AM a short order cook.

Here is how I served hamburger's the other night.


Papa Bear


Mama Bear


Baby Bear


(Baby Bear's burger is smaller than it looks here. That is a salad plate :o)
She had a hard time eating the whole thing,)


I used Baby Bella mushrooms. They were wonderful sauteed with the sweet Texas onion.



****


We have a visitor for spring break.





*****

Are you a short order cook around your house?

What did your mother say so often you know it by heart?


Encourage one another,
Donna

I have a Senior Photoshoot this afternoon! Can't wait to go out to the farm and see Jean and her children....
and her donkey. Katie is coming with me. She is hoping to do some cat wrangling.

My favorite.





Flickr favorite.


That's what makes the world go round.
The world go round.
The world go round.





***




HT to Tara.



For some odd reason that video makes me want to keep at it.
Keep doing with I love.
For no other reason than I love it.

It takes courage to put myself out there but doing my art really does make my head fill with ideas and my soul
fill up with joy.

The challenge makes me feel excited and determined.

It doesn't feel like work.

It feels wonderful...



Encourage one another,
Donna

P.S. I just thought of something.

That's the way I have always felt about mothering.
Not work at all...
but wonderful.
Exciting and joyful and wonderful.

It's such a blessing to love what you do.

Katie's school put on a Lenten Retreat for the children yesterday morning.
They went to Mass then they made crafts, sang songs, ate sting cheese and jello and read special readings.
Finally they went back to the church to experience the stations of the cross.




She came home with all sorts of goodies.

The staff works so hard at that little school to bless those little children.

It makes me very thankful!




The sun shone so pretty in the back yard at 5:30.

I wore my yellow sweater again.

I took a picture of Katie.




She took a picture of me.




She goofed off.

We went out to eat.

I read funny comments all day.

I didn't get any mail to speak of.

It was a good, quiet day.



If you and your family want to go out to eat and spend as little as possible, where do you go?

We thought Ian's would be a good choice.

Three people= $13.00.

Sonic might be good if you stick to the dollar menu.

But then there are those drinks. Those drinks are yummy and really add up, don't they?

Where do you go for a 'cheap date'?



Wishing you a wonderful, snow-less weekend!

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

- Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926

Encourage one another,
Donna

**

I think I will stop getting the mail.

For Good.

The last two weeks had brought only bad news and bills.

Last night, I received a real doozy in the mail.

A Letter for the Office of Homeland Security saying my blog was under suspicion for terrorist activity.
They have been watching my traffic and see some real bad dudes hanging out here.

They said that they would be watching and if they found more visits they would need to make a visit to our home in less than 24 hours.

In the final paragraph, Ned Emerson Undersecretary, said they would leave a message in my comments to alert me as to whether I had again been visited again.

The code to watch for was "The hurricane has impeded the Eagle."
This code was to be left on April 1, 2009.


Um.

I did get that weird comment on Wednesday. I wondered what it meant, but ignored it because it was kind of creepy.
You may call me the Queen of Denial now.

So, my heart started beating really fast and I called my husband at work. He was not there so I left him a message.
I googled the Office of Homeland Security to look for a Ned Emerson. No Ned Emerson visible on that site.

My husband called back and I read the letter to him.

I wondered if it could be real. He suggested I google hoaxes.
I realized that the message was sent to my blog on April 1st.
Nothing showed up in the google search as to April 1st Homeland Security Hoax.
BUT. I did notice something odd when I googled Ned Emerson.
Those are both names from a favorite tv show. Pushing Daisies.

Hum?

While I was googling away with shaking hands and burning cheeks an email entered the system.

It was good friend, Amy J writing to ask if Katie could get together with Carrie next week when they came to town.
She then asked if I saw that odd message in the comments "hurricane/eagle"?

Oh no! I thought, NOW "they" will follow Amy's message and start watching her!

I called her to warn her!

She asked where the postmark was from. I couldn't really tell. She seemed properly concerned by had to run one of her kids to a meeting. (I can't really even remember where she was going, I was too rattled.)

Fortunately Patrick came home. He knows things. He knows how to ping websites and track down IP addresses.

But before he did anything he said, I think this is from someone who knows you.

"No one I know would do this!", I was sure.

"Well, lets look up the zip code." He said.

"Arlington, Virginia"


Oh no! That would be DC. That would fit with the Homeland Security.

"Do you know anyone from there?" Patrick pressed.

"No!" I don't know anyone from there......

BUT Amy J has a BROTHER who lives in Va."


Oh! The clues quickly flooded in.
Amy wrote the email to check up on her plot.

And I called like a scared bunny.

How fun that must have been for her.

Just one more thing to try to see if we were on the right track.

The IP number.

And there it was, sent from Amy's husband's place of business. The stinker!!!

The whole family was in on this little April fools joke.

Patrick thought it was GREAT.

I am still recovering!



Wicked.



Make no mistake about it, that innocent gal holding the dog is not as innocent as she looks.
I have a feeling she is the mastermind behind this whole hoax. She is too smart for her own good.

And look at that awful woman torturing her poor little girl.

Strangling her beloved. And enjoying it.

Very sad.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of Mark, the man behind these sly women.
He was naughty, too.



I don't have the strength to do a Friday Five this morning. Recounting that story took a lot out of me.



Recovering in Wisconsin,
Donna

This talkie blog was so spur of the moment I didn't turn off the TV or get my sunglasses.
It pains me to look at it, BUT both Katie and Patrick said I should show it.

So there you go.


Yup. I'm really still a nine year old girl at heart.

Going to hide now.



***



Talk about LOST, please.

I loved the time travel discussion between Hurley and Miles.
And I was surprised and so happy to see Locke.

Wow!

What a show!


***

There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat. ~Tay Hohoff

I wonder what that would be like?

It doesn't do to be sentimental about cats; the best ones don't respect you for it. ~Susan Howatch

R*E*S*P*E*C*T



***

I'm off to school.

Have a great morning!


Encourage one another,
Donna

The sun shone for five minutes last night.


(sooc)


I dashed outside to take a few pictures.

It was very pretty warm light.

Not like the 'dark' light I mentioned in my 'Very bad day' talkie blog.

It wasn't until I opened this up in photoshop that I saw the bokeh.

Swirly circles of wonderful light.

Aren't they cool?

That's just a little water on the shrubbery.











Up close and in color!
Woo!

I was wearing a yellow sweater and can see myself clearly in her eyes.
The yellow is a big freaky/cat like.




I have noticed a lot of photographers wearing black during their shoots.

Is this so they don't find themselves in their client's eyes?
Or do you think they want to blend into the background during a wedding?
Or do people just like to wear black?


****

On to other things...


What did you think of American Idol?

I really like that Megan. I know many of you don't. And that is fine.

You don't have to agree with me...really you don't.
(Don't you like when people say 'that' Megan'. Like 'that Todd'.)

I like Megan and Fred Gokey.

What is his first name?

Larry,Opie, Rob, Ted, Vic,

Nope. None of those.


Who will go home tonight?



****

Dancing with the Stars.

They are on the right track. Right people being sent home.


What great dancers they have this year. I NEVER would have guessed it from the original line up.

But Miss Bachelor is so great, and the French dude is amazing.
I love how well The Cowboy is doing and that little gymnast is a natural.

Even Lil Kim danced a beautiful dance this week. Her lines were as lovely as one of the pros.

It's been a pleasant surprise.


****

Does anyone watch Biggest Loser?

I watch it, but not very carefully.

Last night, the woman who lost 87 pounds at home earned her way back onto to ranch.

I swear I heard the hostess tell her that she would have immunity.


But she did not have immunity and it was never mentioned as the same young woman fell below the line and was sent home again.

Did I miss something or did I hear it wrong?

Signed,
Confused in Wisconsin.


*****

I needed to zone out in front of the TV last night after ROUND TWO with the IRS yesterday afternoon.

Heaven help me.

I'd like to say it is resolved but I just won't believe it until they send us the money they STOLE from our Tax Refund.

Again, I have to thank Amy J for her good advice.

"Do not hang up until they have this problem resolved."

And I didn't. And I think they have.


*****

That's all I know....

Have a great Wednesday!


Encourage one another...you are so very good at it :o)

Donna

Happy 20th Birthday Emma!




Make a Wish!





A birthday gift for you: Your favorite family picture!

I can see why it is your favorite :o)

We love you very much, Em!


*****



I made a really delicious sandwich yesterday.

Whole wheat bread.
Toasted.
A little whipped cream cheese with green onions in it.
Tomato with salt and pepper on it.
Avocado.
Broccoli.
Alfalfa Sprouts.


Sprouts.




I had forgotten how wonderful alfalfa sprouts are on sandwiches.

This is a wonderful, healthy sandwich.

I love it!



****


I never heard my mother say a negative, rude word about a friend or neighbor or brother or sister.

She lived by the old wise saying, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

I do not live this as well as she did. But, staying kind and positive on the blog, at a message board, or in real life has earned it's reward.

In five plus years, I can count the number of unkind comments on one hand.

I think I have deleted only four comments in all those years.

That is pretty amazing.

I am thankful for those of you who take the time to share a wise word, a funny story, a commonality, or a kind note.

Because of all of you, I exist in a sweet little bubble of love here at the blog.

And that's just the way I like it :o)






Thank you!









Oops....almost forgot....






Encourage one another,
Donna

Dear Anonymous Commenter,

I have deleted your comment because it's my blog and I can do whatever I want to do.

I advise you to avoid my blog due to the fact that I will continue to post pictures of my children.

Lots of them.

Katie is my muse.

She does not think she is special. She is wonderfully photogenic. She poses for me so I can learn new things.
Her little heart is more beautiful than her face.

She does not think she is royalty.


If anyone is royalty around here....

it's me!

Signed,

Donna Boucher aka The Queen

"What did he do with Eve?
"He made her a housewife."

Oh my. So funny.



Quiet Life Edition of Kids say the Darnest Things.

Do you keep a little list of the funny things your children say?

My sister Cindy was always telling me I should keep track over the years.

I remember better the things that popped out of my mouth when I was a little girl better than the things my children have said.

I was without filters, I'm afraid.


Years ago all of the little Glyman children were at the dentist.
This was an hours long ordeal. My mom would try to squeeze four/five appointments together.

So we were stuck in the waiting room for a long time.

As we waited, a very heavy man entered the room.

I walked right up to the man and said, "Boy are you fat!"

My mother said she wanted to die and wished she could escape the waiting room.
But she was stuck.

More evidence of the fall, I suppose ;o)


Why don't you share in the comments one of the darndest things you or your children have said.

We could all use a little chuckle on a Monday!


****

The Quiet Life gathering at Panera in Madison was off to a slow start...



Without a cell phone I was in the dark as to why no one showed up.

But then Lynn came. My constant. I knew she would come.

Where was Steph?

Sweating it out at a different Panera, void of any welcoming, adoring faces.
Steph, fortunately had her laptop and was able to recheck the plans on the blog and realize her boo-boo.



Lynn and I were super happy that she found her way!

What lovely, smart, creative, faithful, beautiful women they are!

Such a blessing to me in so many ways!

Do not underestimate the importance of prayer.

I prayed for friends.

They have come along.

And I am so blessed.


***

Now. Share your darndest thing!

Thanks :o)




Encourage one another,
Donna

We were both happy to see the sun shine yesterday!

And today, I see the sun hitting the house next door.

The weather man says we will have snow.

Perhaps he will be wrong. That would be nice.




It's a perfect day for a visit with some friends.

You are welcome to join us!

Don't forget!



Katie and I will tackle her bedroom.

I have had a hard time giving her clothes away. I just love her little clothes.
But we have run out of room.

Perhaps I should keep one box full of special clothes. Just one.
Or two if absolutely necessary.


So upstairs we will go with a big black garbage bag and by the time Katie goes to bed tonight I think she will have a brand new bedroom.

There is nothing like a decluttered space to make you feel all happy and free!!!

At least that's the way I feel about it.




Katie's freckles have come out of hibernation.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

Encourage one another,
Donna

***


After much hemming and hawing, and wringing of hands and a phone call to Courtney and a pep talk from my husband....

I am sending the D300 back to B & H.

The camera did not do what I had thought it would.


SOOC
(If you look at this blown up you can see the hair is a mass of noise. I don't mind bokeh, but I do mind grain.)

Other than try another D300 I will take the plunge and buy the D700.

This is the best decision I can make with the information I have.

It's tough.

But B & H has kindly sent me all the information for the refund without any hassle at all.

So I am relieved.

Now I just need to get a happy phone call from Miss IRS and I will be able to sleep again!



****

In Katie's classroom the children gather on a carpet a few times during the day.
Around the carpet sit four chairs. I have noticed that those four chairs fill up first and are the special place to sit.

Knowing children nature I was surprised that these special chairs hadn't become a problem.

This morning as Katie and I headed out to the car she said she wished I was coming 'in' today.

I said, "Oh, I know. You like to get to the classroom first so you can get one of those special chairs."

She told me, "We are not allowed to sit in those chairs anymore."

Ah ha! When did that happen, I wondered.

Katie said that yesterday afternoon the teacher made the rule.

No surprise.

I told Katie that when we were children we always wanted to get the end of the banana in our cereal.

"But Why?" she wondered.

"Because it was special."

"It's not good." she said.

"I know, but there are only two."

(I should have gone into a lecture on supply and demand at this point but I was on to the next food we coveted.)

There was a very special roll in the bag of brown and serve rolls we would fight over.

It was a little crescent shaped roll that had kosher salt on it.

It was the best little roll.

There was one of them in the bag containing thirteen rolls.

We had seven children in our family. It was highly prized.

"Why did you want that one?"

"Because it was soooo good. It tasted like a salt bagel."

Friday Five

Did you fight over a special food when you were children?
Do your children fight over something now?
Did you get to sit in the front seat of the car with your parents?
Did your parents drive a Chevy or a Ford?
What age can children sit in the front seat now? Katie is dying to sit up front.

***

Gathering at Panera (Grand Canyon and Mineral Point Rd.)
Saturday 10:30-12:00 (tomorrow)

Stephanie is coming to Madison.

Lynn(I think) and I will be meeting her there!

You are invited.

I will wear my glasses so you can recognize me :o)

Hope to see many of you there!


Encourage one another,
Donna


Happy Birthday Janice and Janet. They are partying over at Facebook.

*****





More practice shots. Yesterday after school.



On the way home from school.
Some grain.
Nice and sharp.
Better white balance.



*****

This morning....


Eureka!!!
I think I have solved the noise/grain problem.

Nikon sends the camera to you with default settings.

They had the in-camera sharpening set to '5'.

I noticed some over sharpening right out of camera and wondered if this could be causing the noise.

I snapped one shot of Katie at 800 ISO last night before she went to bed.







SOOC.

Much improved.

Now that's a much nicer way to start the day!



*****

How about the ending to LOST???

Shocking!


****

I haven't watched all of American Idol yet.

What did you think?


***


Today's my day to help in class.

Ski ya later!

Encourage one another,
Donna