Announcing....

...the arrival of two adorable kittens. The proud momma is our sweet kitty, Zoe. Baby Black was born around 5:00 p.m. with Baby Gray arriving at around 5:20. We're still waiting on Baby #3. I can feel it in Zoe's belly. We're hoping it comes soon, and that it is alive and healthy like the other two.

What I've Learned

Wow...Tuesday came fast for me this week! It's time for another installment of What I've Learned. I'm all linked in to the weekly What I've Learned Carnival at Musings of A Housewife. It's really fun to read what other people have learned, too. Here's my little learning list.

1. Do not try to seed your lawn in Arkansas in March, April, or May. For a California native, this is the perfect time to plant a lawn. When we seeded our lawn 10 days ago, we forgot to factor in the one thing that is certain about Arkansas weather: it is entirely unpredictable. I think my husband shed some real tears as his lawn seed waved goodbye on it's journey to the storm drain during the severe thunderstorm on Thursday. Maybe the Arkansas River will benefit from the seed...
What I Learned: Next year buy sod.

2. Matt and I took the DISC personality profile test this week as an assignment from Life Change. We've both taken it before, but it has been 4 years. It was remarkable to take it again, and to look at our results. The last time we took it was a few months before we moved here. Everything in our lives was topsy turvy. Taking the test now that we've been solidly settled for a while made a big difference. Reading the analysis of my personality was amazing...it explains a lot about me and the way I function in certain situations. Discussing my profile with Matt and looking at his profile in relationship to mine gave us a lot of stuff to think about. Email me if you want more info about this very cool test.
What I learned: I'm a Beaver (high C) off the charts.

3. I had another portrait session yesterday. This time I was photographing our friends the Morrises. They are sweet couple who works up at LifeChange with us. Their son, daughter-in-law, and new grandson are in town this week, and they wanted family photos. So I made the drive out to the Old Mill, which is my favorite photo location, and is one of the most beautiful spots in Central Arkansas. It's totally worth the drive to shoot there.
What I Learned: Photography is not just a hobby for me--it's a passion. I need to keep developing it and pursuing it.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the session.

Daddy B, Mommy J, and Baby C. Sweet family.


Auntie S loves Baby C.


A tender moment


The whole family


You can tell who is the center of attention in this family!


I just love this one.


Grampy L and Grandma S, very much in love. My favorite shot of the day.

French Toast Resapy

All throughout this school year, I have had trouble trying to get Snapper to write. She loves spelling, and writes dictated sentences beautifully. But when it comes to trying to get her to write a composition of any sort, she digs in her feet, crosses her arms, and balks. Snapper hates writing. I've tried all sorts of differnt types of writing assignments, ranging from story writing, poetry, reports, letters, and even simple journals about her life. She has not liked any of it. Then today, I decided to have her write her own recipe. Bingo! For the first time this school year, Snapper's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of writing. Here is her original, uncorrected "resapy."

French Toast Resapy

First, you put a gallan of milk in a big bowl. Then you put three eggs in the bowl. Then you put one shake of sinamin in the bowl. Then you mix the stuff together. Then you poor the stuff on a lofe of bread. Put a pan on a hot stove and put the bread on the pan. Set the timer for one hour. Serve the toast on a plate with butter and serrup.

Remind me to have dinner plans with friends on the night Snapper is cooking French Toast. Ha ha!