simple woman's daybook for june 14th

Alright, guys, you know the drill! Another Monday means another Simple Woman's Daybook, so head on over to Peggy's to read up on all the rules and regulations, then come back and type up your own post, link up and...volia! You've just particapted in the blog carnival that is known as The Simple Woman's Daybook. I don't care if spell check thinks that "Daybook" isn't really a word; I'm still going with it.

For today...June 14th, 2010. Ya'll, five days until my birthday and I still haven't really wrapped my brain around the fact that I'll be 15, much less what I what to do in celebration.
Outside my window...A heat index of 105 is keeping everyone inside, so we're closing the blinds and curtains in hopes of giving the air conditioning a break. It so dark that Mama and I are about to fall asleep! 
I am thinking...About how hot it's going to be when we go to the grandmother's house to visit with the cousins so she can go to work. Poor, poor, SA. :(
I am thankful for...Grandparents who pay you to watch your younger cousins. I never got paid to watch Clark, so this is pretty exciting for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you Gran Jan! 
From the learning rooms...No math today. I just wasn't feeling it, and Mama didn't push it, so I opted out of it. I think the heat's making us just feel blah about everything
From the kitchen...Leftover homemade chicken salad with multigrain crackers for lunch. Summertime food is the best, no? 
I am wearing...A green tissue tee with white shorts. I think I'm in love with these pants! Thanks for passing them on down, Emmylou; they really are a favorite pair of mine.
I am creating...Nothing. I've let myself down, again. 
I am going...To go insane if Clark comes into the schoolroom to tell me that I need to finish up my lunch RIGHT NOW. Never rush a girl when she's blogging...and eating. It makes for one cranky person later in the day, I'll tell you that much. 
I am reading...I've started to pace myself with the book Sam gave me, so I'm on the lookout for another summertime book. Or Sam could just read faster and then give me the next book in the series. If you're reading this, Sam, read faster! :)
I am hoping...To not pass out in the car while we're riding to my grandmother's house. If you think about it, pray for us, okay? The whole not having air conditioning in the car is really wearing down on us, and eating right before you get in isn't the best thing to do, but we didn't have a choice.
I am hearing...Clark walking up the stairs to brush his teeth, which is my cue to get a move on! I'm typing so fast you wouldn't believe it. 
Around the house...Everyone's bracing themselves to go outside. This simple woman's daybook is revolving around one thing...the intense heat! 
One of my favorite things...Spending time with family, like we are this afternoon. 
A few plans for the rest of the week...Hanging out with the cousins this afternoon, CBS Craft Day tomorrow, a possible hair cut on Wednesday. Busy week, huh?
A picture for thought I am sharing...

I get to hang out with this cutie later on! As you can see, we take Bop-It very seriously in our family...

swimming with the cuz

Now I'm only mildly convinced that Blogger is the one to blame for all my uploading woes. Dad suggested that I try uploading less photos at a time, as opposed to the way I used to do it by uploading them all at once and coming back later on. I tried that, but it didn't really work out much better than before, so I tried Internet Explorer. I know, I know...I reverted back to the dark ages! That experience was even worse, so I gave up last night. I gave Blogger a break from all the pictures, and tried uploading three/four at a time this afternoon, and it worked, wonder of wonders. I'm still open to uploading via Flickr or Photobucket, but I'm just not sure. Thought or suggestions?
Back to what this blog post is really about!
On Thursday afternoon Sam came over to swim. The funny thing was that as I was getting out of the shower that morning, I thought about calling her to see what she was up to, and if she wanted to come out and swim. I've never known her to turn down a opportunity, unless she had to work, so I was pretty sure she'd say yes. When I turned off the TV and was getting ready to call, my phone rings and it's her! Anti-climatic, I know, but I thought it was funny that she and I had the same thing to say to each other.
Pictures, anyone? I've now discovered a love for taking pictures of everyday life and posting them, rather than waiting until something special comes along. You can thank me later...

I don't know why, but I have a fascination with the fact that the inner tube makes a green shadow! I think it made a great shot, but Clark was less than amused that he had to hold it still for me to take the picture.

Another new favorite thing: Jumping in the pool with the inner tube. Poor thing isn't going to last long, but we only paid $2 for it. Gotta love those weird stores in small towns where you've never seen a name brand in the place.

I totally got Dad to do a jump shot! I'm pretty proud of myself, actually.

And I'm even more proud of catching these two shots...

Shooting some hoops in the pool. I never noticed that I managed to get both basketball goals in the shot.

Clark was fed up with me taking pictures of him, so he shouted out something about the paparazzi and how they were relentless. They being me, obviously.

Sam and her glorious hair. Really, it's beautiful...like Taylor Swift's.

We took a break after a hour or so in the pool to eat a snack...and play some baseball! America's favorite game, ya'll.

Swing...and a miss. Sorry, bud. Maybe next time, okay? Now move, because it's my turn! :)

We play baseball in our bathing suits. Don't judge us!

For some reason, the ball was really white looking in the picture. Also, see my toes and flip-flop in there? Oops.

No baseball game is complete without fishing a ball out of the ditch. I think we played until they were all in there, then we gave up. Plus, it was hot out, so we were dripping all over the place. 

Walking back to the pool. See the black blob in the picture? We use shoes for our bases. 

I spy with my little eye a girl with a camera! See her?

After we went through a whole bag of popcorn, we jumped back in and stayed there floating until Mama came home. Can anyone say refreshing?

Samantha figured out how to get Clark to be quiet and not splash us. Why didn't we think of it before?

After all the Blogger hassles I've been through, I've decided to not do the Zoology co-op party pictures. Apologies all around! I promise I'll be back with more posts next week, so keep a look out, okay? 

five reads for friday

I changed the link color, so it was easier to know what to click to visit the blogs I linked to, and so it wasn't that hard on the eyes. You're welcome! :)
Choco Chip Cheescake by Meredith. Mama is convinced that she and Clark are going to make this for my birthday, and I'm all for it. I know Meredith wouldn't let me down; she does bake cheesecakes for a real restaurant in her area!
God is in Control of our Lives by Moriah. I need to know her secret, because she's already got over 15 followers on her blog...and she just started blogging! Do you know how long it took me to get 5? Months. But, really, it's a great post, along with a really cool picture. Great work, Moriah!
Inside and Out by Ellyn. Isn't it great when friends love you enough to hack into your account and write up a birthday post? I wish someone would do that for me. Hint, hint...nudge, nudge. :) Also, I'm in love with her name. I think I might name my child Ellyn, spelled that way too.
Coffee Smoothie by Joy the Baker. I need to try this, since my not so secret obsession with McD's frappe's has hit all time high. Check out all her recipes while you're over there, and make sure to search for pumpkins cookies. Everyone I shared them with was hooked! Seriously, to die for.
I know it's only four, but the blogging world isn't all that busy right now. All the blogs I follow are full of wordy posts this week, so I decided to stop here. Enjoy, though!

fix it friday

No long, wordy explantion this week, just the pictures. And, to tell you the truth...I like it that way!
This week's photo (original):
I loved the angle to begin with, but, as most of the pictures for FIF, it was just not colorful enough. I know some photographers like the washed out look, and some edit the picture until it hurts to look at it because it's so bright. I'm in between, but I definitely like color in photos.

My edit:
Upped the brightness, saturation and color temp as high as it could go, along with bumping up the contrast just a bit. Also, cropping the photo wasn't necessary, but I did it anyway. Wow, I actually remembered what I did this time! Anyone want to pat me on the back?

I've got "Five Reads for Friday" scheduled for late tonight, so make sure you stop by tomorrow morning to see what posts really got me this week! And I promise that a real picture post, or two, is on its way.

blogger has issues

Apparently, Blogger can't handle the amount of pictures that I want to upload, so I'm sorry to say that you readers won't get to see how I spent my afternoon, playing in the pool with Sam. Darn you, Blogger! Is the problem I have why so many bloggers use Flickr for their photos? I wonder...
I promise you I'll be back with enough pictures to make you eyes criss-cross, plus some wordy posts as well. Then you've got the certain days of the week posts that I like to do, so this blog definitely won't be lacking post wise. My apologies for the mini bomb that landed in your reader this weekend! :)
Singing off, ya'll. Have a good day before the weekend...