Shoot Me - 30 of 52 - Birthday Edition

Yesterday was my 47th birthday.  I know, I know...I don't look a day over 46!

Anyway, my friends took me to lunch at Red Robin and the hapless gentlemen who held the door for us all as we were leaving got roped into snapping one photo.  While he had us all facing into the sun, the fact that we actually got a picture still makes me smile.  (Did I mention he was wearing biker gear and Harley Davidson written across his back?  It was really too funny.)

So, my Shoot Me for this week is a picture that was actually taken yesterday...how cool is that?  These are some really wonderful women who went out of their way to make me feel special on my birthday.  I am truly blessed.  (Oh, and because we're out of school, we didn't have to line up in height order...I don't have to be at the end of the line any more!  Woot!)

Head over to Carin's and join the Shoot Me party.  Just get in the picture...it doesn't have to be a special occasion.  It is just your life...real and uncensored.

Shoot Me! 30 of 52 - New Photographer

 

Yesterday, while I was sitting at my desk in the "Macaroni & Cheese" room (aka our family room), Valiant gave the "Hey, Mom", call.  I turned to look at him and he snapped this picture.  He decided it was his turn to take my Shoot Me picture.  Again, I think I should hand over Shoot Me to my kids...I like the photo he snapped.

Shoot Me.  Time to get yourself in the picture.  It doesn't matter how you do it, just make sure your family record includes you!  Head over to Carin's place to see her amazing "hockey season" photo.  It is terrific.  Then head to over to see the rest of the gang.  So many people, so many ways to be in the picture.

Shoot Me - 29 of 52...Lawn mowing again...my life is exciting!

Last week I cheated and had Buttercup take my pictures for the garden meme I do on Fridays.  While she was at it, I decided she should take my Shoot Me picture for this week.  I just told her to get me something I could use this week.   After seeing the shot she got, I think I'm going to have her do it every week!

You know how some pictures of yourself you see and think, "Huh? I never thought I looked like that? I never realized." Well, Buttercup know how to take pictures that I look at and think, "Wow!  That's me?!  Cool!"  Even in the midst of lawn-mowing, the girl knows how to get a good shot. 

Now, the girl is not responsible for my wardrobe...notice my overalls and my gloves...I look cool when I'm mowing, don't I?

Head over to Carin's place to see what everyone else is doing this week.  Shoot Me is simple you taking the opportunity to get in the shot rather than being the one holding the camera.  Your kids/husband/friends/ see you every day and love you just the way you are, so saying that you want to wait until you "look better" doesn't work, now does it?

Shoot Me - Fire Pit Fun - 28 of 52

We love to go camping.  Seriously love it.  Unfortunately, with all that went on in the Nagle5 world this summer, we found it impossible to go camping even one time.  It was terrible.  Fortunately, the cool nights have made using our fire pit fun again.  (Sitting around a fire when you're sweaty just isn't fun, you know?)

Last week, I got the opportunity to keep my pinky-promise to Buttercup and we did s'mores.  (I don't get s'mores...I love cooking marshmallows over the fire, but I don't like eating them.  Do you see my problem?)

Valiant (aka the Lord of the Fire!) started the fire...he doesn't like s'mores, either.  Can you tell how thrilled he was?

Buttercup, however, was thrilled!  Can you tell?

Even Charming showed up and enjoyed being with us (even if he hates having his picture taken!).  (He brought homemade pumpkin pie...wasn't that cool?)

The great thing about having a fire pit in our own backyard?  I can show up in my slippers!

 

Look!  We did scary Halloween lighting by turning off the flash.  It is getting us in the mood for October.

Head over to Carin's at Forever in Blue Jeans to see what everyone else has been up to this first week of autumn.

Shoot Me! 27 of 52

It is hard to believe it has already been almost two weeks since Superman flew back to work overseas.  The two weeks we had together made the time we'd spent apart feel like it hadn't happened.  As it drew to a close, we gathered all the people who'd helped us welcome Superman back to the states and we went to a farewell breakfast before we saw him off at the airport.

The R family (sans the Gamer who wasn't feeling well) and our dear Miss S joined the Nagle5 at Denny's.

We were tired from two weeks of fun and games, but we gathered one more time.  Do you see me?  I'm there! 

With no prior planning, the Nagle5 wore black...including the one of us who doesn't even live at home.  How funny is that?  Anyway, it made for some fun photo ops.

Look at my new header picture.  Don't we all match?  Notice that Charming is watching me try not to crack up.  It was all fun and games.

Even got a hug with Superman for posterity.  We are so cute, if I do say so myself!  (Although, I did notice immediately that I need to cover my gray and cut my bangs...we are so that way, aren't we?)

So, here you have it.  My Shoot Me for this week.  Thanks for sharing my last morning with Superman with me.  I hope you can see how much fun we were all having.

Head over to Carin's to see what everyone else has been doing these past few weeks.

Shoot Me! 26 of 52

Right before I headed off to Seattle to bring my husband home, i was running errands like crazy and trying my absolute best to keep the secrets I carried around in my excited brain.  The kids and I drove the car through a car wash.  ($3 Thursday!) Why get my car cleaned before it was going to be splattered with bug guts, you ask?  Well, you'd have to know Superman, but I knew he was already going to be upset because my engine was, well, dirty.  Yep, Superman is one of those guys...the kind that keep their engines clean and revel in the compliments of the guy at the oil change place:  "Wow, you've got a mighty clean rig!"  in response to the view under the hood.  These type of men don't usually notice the outside of the car, but I was hoping Superman would take comfort in the shiny exterior of my "rig" and forgive me for not being man enough to wash the engine.

We even had the requisite "tri-color" foam that my kids think is absolutely vital to a clean car!

Anyway, I told the kids that a carwash was the perfect "shoot me" back drop.  So, here I am...grungy, hair pulled back with a clip and more excited about the next day than I've been in long time.  Can you tell?


Buttercup had no idea that she'd be seeing her daddy the very next day!

Neither did my boy Valiant!

Oh, I was so excited. And Superman would have a semi-clean car to distract him from his dirty engine.  It was definitely a good day!

Halfway through the year!  I've done 26 of 52 entries for Shoot Me!  I can't believe I've made it this far.  I can't say that I've actually enjoyed it.  I know that sounds weird, but seriously, I still haven't gotten used to taking pictures of myself.  I know Superman loves seeing pictures of me included with those of his family, though, and that helps me do it.  Maybe by the end of the year I'll be better at it.

Head over to Carin's place and join the others in the Shoot Me party.  (Her picture this week is sooo cool...you'll be totally impressed!)  So many of the participants have gotten so creative.  It encourages me to keep at it.

P.S.  I was right...Superman was horrified at how dirty his "rig" was, but he appreciated my efforts to impress him.

Shoot Me - 25 of 52 (Hair Extensions Gone Wrong Edition)

So, my life is not particularly exciting or glamorous, but it is mine and it makes me smile most of the time.  It is not the special trips, the special occasions or the special times that really weave the fabric of our lives, but instead it is seeing the humor in every day that brings joy to my heart and laughter to my kids.

Last week, I was minding my own business, kicking back after a hard, hot afternoon working in the yard...

...lifted my hair up off my neck,

and this happened!

Yep!  Bean decided I needed "hair extensions" and set herself up for the job.

She had me good and pinned, so I had one of the kids run to get the camera and this week's "Shoot Me" was born.  (Can you tell that Bean is the social kitten?  The other ones are around, but they are quite shy and don't like the paparazzi!)

Head over to Carin's place, Forever in Blue Jeans, and join in the Shoot Me party.  52 pictures in which you are featured...you can do it.

Shoot Me (24 of 52) - Broken Wrist Edition

I haven't been keeping up with my Shoot Me submissions because life keeps getting in the way.  That's not to say I don't think about them...I just find it hard to put myself in front of the camera (still).  The kids and I were clowning around today, though, and I thought I'd share the results:

A broken left wrist...oh,no!

Oh, wait...are you sure it's mine?

Nope, it's Valiant's.  Poor guy.

Yes, it's true.  A week and a half ago, Valiant broke his wrist.  We just found out yesterday for certain that he won't need surgery on it (phew!).  Here's the story I'm supposed to tell you:

"A box full of kittens was left in the middle of the street, in the path of an on-coming semi-truck.  Valiant being, well, valiant raced into the street in the face of certain peril to rescue the poor, unfortunate kittens and was clipped by the semi truck, leaving him with a broken wrist and a boxful of healthy kittens." 

The true story involved a scooter and our driveway and isn't nearly as interesting.

Head over to Carin's at Forever in Blue Jeans and jump into the Shoot Me party.  Trust me, they won't mind if you miss a few weeks here and there...they still let me play and 7 posts behind!

Shoot Me - River Edition (23 of 52)

Sunday marked the occasion of my dad's birthday.  I loaded up the kids, a cooler, and headed out to his new place to help in celebrate.  (Wasn't that nice of me?  With Superman overseas and Charming on his own, we're not so much of a descending hoard of locusts these days.  Now we're more like annoying gnats...you can't really avoid us, but you don't run for cover, either.)

Anyway, Grandpa John and Nana's new house is on the river.  Unfortunately, the path to the river is a) in disrepair and b) down a steep incline.  That means the kids love it and the adults often take a pass.  It was hot on Sunday, though, so I headed down to join the kids.  It wasn't easy.   Seriously.  I descended the last 8 feet on my butt.  Once there, however, it was bliss.

See?  Here I am.

Did I mention I wasn't dressed for swimming?  No?  Well, I didn't let that stop me.

As you can see, the kids were having a blast.

What can I say?  A day at the lake brings out the goofy in everyone.

Man, I love these kids.

Our neighbors were there, too...Buddy seemed to be having a good time.

In the end, so did Grandpa John and that is what it was all about, right.

The end of a long, fun day.

Head over to Carin's at Forever in Blue Jeans and join Shoot Me.  Get yourself in the picture (as you can see, it doesn't have to be many of them!) 

What a Difference a Day (and modern drugs) Makes!!

I woke up feeling much better than yesterday; a phenomena I attribute fully to the power of Doxycycline and ibuprofin.  (Sorry about the whining post.)  Regardless of the reason for my improved health, I am grateful.  Grateful enough that I'm combining two posts into one and joining both Shoot Me (23 of 52)...

...and Fertilizer Friday with this post.
 

The days here, like in so many parts of the country, have been unseasonably HOT and my potted plants have needed some tender loving care.  The sun is HOT, however, hot enough that I've been forced to drag out my sun hat, which doesn't stay on well, but does shade my face.

As you can see, I'm still under the weather and feeling tired, but being outside feels fantastic, even with the hot sun.

My garden makes me smile and I love spending time in it.  If you had told me give years ago that I would be a budding gardener, I would have said you were crazy and yet, I love it.  It is so gratifying.

Here is a glimpse of the back of my house as viewed from the backyard.  When we bought the house, the deck was uncovered and bare.  There were overgrown bushes everywhere and we didn't even know that was an apple tree.  (It didn't produce fruit for the first two years we lived here.)  Look at it now!  Covered deck looking out onto a gorgeous garden.  Superman and I did it all, with the help of our children, the donations of plants from generous neighbors, oh, and five 8 yard dumpsters stuffed full of ripped up, overgrown, plants.  I love how it has all come together.

These  lily-type plants with little purple flowers were gifts from a neighbor who was desperate to get rid of some.  You just separate them the way you do day lilies and plant the sections. They grow so quickly, they already need to be thinned.  The petunias in the hanging pots were wintered over in my dearly departed greenhouse.    (The silly lights are Buttercup's under deck lights, but something chewed through the wire last winter, so I have to get them fixed.)

Sorry for the horrible picture, but this is our koi pond.  I don't even remember what was here before...I don't think anything other than overgrown bushes, but maybe Superman will remember better than I.  It has a waterfall that burbles all the time.  I love the sound of the water feature.  Since two of our koi were roughly 2 feet long, we found new homes for them and only have two little ones in the pond these days.

Not part of the view, but still amazing are these Asiatic lilies...look how many we have!  The pink color has faded, but they're still gorgeous.  (Doesn't the football add that little something?  Yes, this yard gets used!)

Superman, look at the day lilies we transplanted last year...we put them along the fence to add some no maintenance color and they are doing so well.  They obviously love this strip of fence because they don't look like stragglers, do they?

Oh, and look at our squash...they obviously have no problem with the lasagna gardening technique I used to plant them.

So, there you have it, my garden tour for this week.  All these plans make for a beautiful view out my window as I sit at my computer.  I love sitting down here, listening to the waterfall and looking out at the fruits of my/our labors.  Head over to Tootsie's to see what everyone else is up to.  Oh, and don't forget to join in the fun at Forever in Blue Jeans...get yourself in the picture.  You won't regret it.  (Three more and I'll be halfway through!)

Shoot Me: 22 of 52 - More Painting Edition

Got these lovely polished brass planters from my friend and neighbor down the street.  I saw them and thought, hey, these will work on my patio.  I just didn't think polished brass would work on my patio.  So, I painted them.

And that brings me to this photo.   It was a bright, shiny day and the sun felt fabulous.  I decided it would be the day I tackled the planters and so I headed outside and grabbed my trusty can of spray paint.  Little did I realize that Valiant decided to help me continue my participation in Shoot Me.  Yep, he snapped a picture of me before I knew what he was doing.  I decided he was right and so here you have it, my 22nd Shoot Me.  Only 30 more to go!

Oh, and while I'm more than willing to have my snazzy for-the-yard-faux crocs and overalls photographed, Valiant wisely deleted the picture he took of my rear!  There is only so much reality I'm willing to deal with.

Shoot Me is the brain child of Carin at Forever in Blue Jeans.  As she puts it:  Shoot Me! It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!

PS.  Hey, Superman, it was black paint so the over-spray won't leave much of a mark.  (Now, the bronze I used last month?  That is a whole different situation!)