A True Riddle

I started today in a courtroom, spent most of the rest of it at the hospital, and then just made a frantic 9:00pm mad dash to the grocery store for sugar and cream cheese.

This picture I took of the beautiful sunrise in the mountains of Virginia 
has nothing to do with the rest of the post. 

First person to guess what the heck was going on today gets a big yummy prize (and a contract with me to work as a mind reader).

Then I have a gazillion dollars to the first person to figure out how we can go back in time about five years and freeze everything to when life was a whole lot simpler!

Go ahead and guess….


PS  Everyone is fine and no one is in jail.

Every Fish's Worst Nightmare

Meet Adam.

You may know him as the eleven-year-old Lego building, bird-watching, appliance deconstructing, math whiz kid... 

but did you also know that with his dad's help that he is turning into quite the avid fisherman as well? 

Last year Adam's scout troop signed up for a fishing derby.   Glen's always loved to fish and the idea of a contest got him and Adam rather excited.   Despite never having participated in an event like that  before, they ended up finishing 6th place (out of over 100 participants) overall!    

They had such a good time and were tantalized by their strong finish, so Glen immediately marked the 2014 fishing derbies on his calendar and started taking the kids fishing more often!   The kids loved the fun outdoor activity and were immediately hooked (pun totally intended) on the newfound ways to spend  beautiful evenings!   We usually end up fishing at Burke Lake or Lake Fairfax, but a few weeks ago we even went out towards Luray and fished in the Shenandoah (where the above pictures were taken) just to practice for the derby! 

Then on Saturday morning while Emma and I were still at girls' camp, Adam, Ellie, and Glen headed to the lake early and staked out their spot for the July 2014 Derby.    34 fish later (mostly bluegill), Adam was named grand champion of the day (and Ellie was 41st)!    

They were a tiny bit disappointed that the grand prize wasn't an all-expense paid fishing trip in the Chesapeake Bay like it was last year, but he got over $500 worth of fishing gear and lures, so no one at our house is complaining!  

Way to go, Adam!  

Contest Winner(s)

Anyone who carefully read the rules to  yesterday's contest  knows that the contest was scheduled to last for several more decades, but as is allowed by a loophole in  its well-written rules, I've decided to end the contest 99 years and 364 days early and reveal the winners tonight.  I knew the suspense would be too much for all of  you and frankly I was a little concerned that I might have spent the gazillion dollars by then anyway.  Without further ado, here are the 10 truths and a lie! 

1.  Helped one of the kids open their own bank account.   True--after taking Cami to the bank to cash several weeks' worth of  checks for babysitting and cupcakes, we decided it was definitely  time for Cami to stop keeping her money in a jar....especially since we didn't have any jars big enough for her stash of cash.  :)

2.  Just got our passports in the mail.  True!  The Make-a-Wish people said we should be hearing about Spencer's wish plans soon!  {Please ignore my 11pm hair}

3.  Made disgusting popsicles.  True!  I got brave and decided to come up with my own coconut popsicle recipe, thinking that there was no way I could mess up too badly where sugar is involved.  Unfortunately my optimism proved to be misplaced and these popsicles ended up sickeningly sweet  with a very odd texture.  {the kids never even finished theirs if that tells you something}

4.  Got a busy, new calling at church. True!  I am very humbled and excited to be the new young women's president in our ward.  We have awesome young women and I'm excited to be working with some wonderful ladies! 

5.  Bid farewell to my sister who's been staying with us ever since Spencer got sick.  True!  After being our right-hand woman for 8-months, Heather decided it was time to let Cami have her room back.  We miss her already! :( 

6.  Spence is at the beach with a friend this week. True!  Apparently they haven't been able to do a whole lot of beach going yet because of the rainy weather, but he's excited about his first ever vacation without parents. 

7.  In the process of making homemade fruit roll-ups (with 100% fruit).  True!  Although never a huge part of our diet anyway, I've been trying to cut down on preservatives and artificial dyes and flavorings even more lately.   I've tried blueberry roll ups and mango-apricot roll ups and the kids love them both!  

8. Haven't bought any bread for the entire summer. True!  Going along with #7,  I challenged myself to go for the entire summer without buying bread for our family.  I've been experimenting with grinding my own wheat  and discovering the perfect homemade recipe.  I'm almost there and the kids are begging me to keep up the bread baking during the school year as well.   We shall see...

9.  Cami got an order for 10 dozen cupcakes for an upcoming wedding.  True!  And she is super excited about it! 

10.  Finally finished organizing the kids' room.   False!  We've made significant strides forward and most of their room is done, but their closet remains quite the challenging foe.  Someday I hope to enjoy organizing and house projects as much as I love cooking and blogging, but in the meantime I continue to chip away at it each day for as long as my attention span will allow before getting grumpy about it.   {I'll post more pictures when I'm done, but for now here's a little teaser picture of their new art/homework station. }

11.  Want to go on vacation later this week and still haven't finalized our plans.  True!  All summer we've been hesitant making vacation plans not knowing when Spencer's Make-a-Wish trip might come through.  Since it's only a few more weeks until school starts and we still haven't heard anything about the trip's timing, we finally decided that we needed to do something before the summer totally got away from us.  We've been a little wishy washy about making our final plans and now we've had a minor wrench thrown in which is looking to complicate things even further.  (don't worry it's nothing serious)  In the meantime, we're still taking suggestions for vacation ideas that are not-too-far-from home (less than 8-hours away), not too expensive, and fun for the whole family.  Feel free to shower us with ideas. 

AND THE WINNERS ARE.....

My beautiful sister, Kristina

My Mom and Dad

JP

...who apparently knew only too well that me finishing a house project in less than 2-years would practically qualify as miracle status.  The gazillion dollars will be split evenly between the three of them and if they send me their bank account information, I will direct deposit it into their bank accounts as soon as I pay Glen the gazillion dollars I owe him first. 

Ten Truths and a Lie

Which one of the following statements is a lie? Since I'm offering a gazillion dollars to the person(s) who guesses correctly, you may want to read the official rules outlined below to make sure your entry is legal. 

1.  Helped one of the kids open their own bank account.

2.  Just got our passports in the mail. 

3.  Made disgusting popsicles.

4.  Got a busy, new calling at church. 

5.  Bid farewell to my sister who's been staying with us ever since Spencer got sick.

6.  Spence is at the beach with a friend this week.

7.  In the process of making homemade fruit roll-ups (with 100% fruit)

8. Haven't bought any bread for the entire summer. 

9.  Cami got an order for 10 dozen cupcakes for an upcoming wedding.

10.  Finally finished organizing the kids' room. 

11.  Want to go on vacation later this week and still haven't finalized our plans.

Official Rules (please read carefully before entering)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. VALID ONLY ON THE EARTH AND ITS KNOWN SATELLITES ONLY. ENTRY IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.
The "Guess Lara's Lie" (the “Contest”) is designed to encourage eligible U.S. blog readers (“Entrant(s)” or “You”) to use their  gray matter to guess what on earth Lara might lie about. Lara (the Judge) will choose the winning entry at random, and the prize will be awarded in accordance (more or less) with these Official Rules (the “Rules”).

1. ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to enter the Contest, an Entrant must: (a) be a citizen of earth or a permanent alien from a planet with dual citizenship (i.e. must be able to show proof of legal permanent residence, for example, a “picture of you arriving on earth in your spaceship”); (b) be aged at least 6 hours old.  Octogenarians and above are not eligible to participate based on their overdeveloped sense of lie detection. 

2. SPONSOR: The Contest is sponsored by Glen and Lara Inc., a Virginia corporation.  Funds will only be released to the winner after all other debts are paid first (i.e. the gazillion dollars Lara owes Glen)

3. CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest begins on August 6, 2012 at 11:38:00 P.M. Eastern Time  Zone in the United States and ends on August 6, 2112 at 11:38:59 P.M. ET (“Contest Period”). All dates and times are subject to change without previous notice.

4. HOW TO ENTER: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. To enter the Contest, visit the Contest website located at wawasmusings.blogspot.com (“Contest Site”) during the Contest Period and leave a comment indicating your official entry.  Humorous comments and multiplicity of entries are welcome. 

Entries received without a completed comment form or for those entrants under 3-months-of age, without a parent’s or legal guardian’s signature,  will be disqualified.

LIMIT ELEVEN (11) ENTRIES PER ENTRANT. Subsequent entries will be disqualified unless they are filled with compliments about my appearance and/or my superior skills.  Any mention of my plethora of gray hairs, the non-funniness of my late night humor, or my actual age will result in immediate disqualification from this and all future contests. 

Contest

Bumble bees, plaid, and a muumuu....

Shimmering satin, jungle print...

Oh yeah, I da man...

A closer look...

Three kajillion dollars and a "special" package priority mailed to the person who correctly guesses the reason for  all this fashion awesomeness....






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I ♥ Desserts

I haven't been participating very much with I ♥ Faces lately (could be that my photography skills are roughly equal to my singing skills), but since the theme this week  is dessert week and with me going on my third month without sweets (except on Sundays), I figure I could do with a little reminiscing over my old well-loved delicious desserts.  I had over 100 to choose from over on my recipe blog.    This photo is of my Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, which is divinely decadent, rich and creamy, perfectly peanut buttery and chocolatey.  And, doggone it,  I haven't had it in months and it's making me use lots of run-on sentences.

Be sure to head on over to I ♥ Faces to check out lots of other sweet photos!

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I ♥ Hands: Mother and Daughter

Music had always been an integral part in their lives, but old age with its accompanying ailments had made it increasingly difficult for Grandma to be able to play her beloved organ. This duet of mother and daughter playing, "Pachelbel's Canon" on the piano was a moving experience for all of us in attendance. I was thrilled to capture this beautiful moment, which unbeknown to us at the time, would be their last duet in this lifetime.

Be sure to check out I ♥ Faces for amazing hand entries this week.

I ♥ Faces---Hilarious Outtakes

 I haven't participated in an I ♥ Faces challenge in several months, but thought it would be fun to join in on this one featuring "Hilarious Outtakes".

I snapped this picture of my husband's fun-loving cousin earlier this year as one of the other cousins pointed out the striking similarity between Jeff and the religious drawing of Peter on the wall behind him.   Jeff was a good sport and was happy to don the appropriate facial expressions for the occasion!   It cracks me up every time I come across it.  :) 

{Hi Marisa and Jeff!  We missed seeing you this Christmas!}

Be sure to check out lots of other hilarious outtakes at I ♥ Faces this week.

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Favorite Picture Ever...

There was no question to which category I belonged for the I ♥ Faces contest this week. Not only have I never been paid to take a photo, but I still don't really know why on earth I'd ever want to switch the aperture, ISO, or anything else on my camera. No offense intended to all you amazing photographers out there, but I completely love the automatic settings on my camera. Although someday I aspire to be as cool as you. :)

I just love this sweet picture I took of my brother and sister-in-law as their eyes shone with the wonder and amazement of being new parents. I especially love the enamored expressions on their faces as they gaze adoringly at their new little infant. I miss those days.

Since the baby's face isn't really showing, I hope that this still meets the standard of only having two faces in it.  

I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb book photo contest. If chosen, I grant I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites.

Little Graduate

After getting a little grumpy last week when they changed the rules of the theme late in the game, I almost didn't do an I Heart Faces this week either just in rebellion.  {I know how much you all missed me last week....ha!}  However  when I came across this cute picture of Adam in his preschool graduation cap I decided  it was just too adorable not to post.    

I think preschool graduations are just the cutest things ever.  I love how excited they are to wear that special cap and go on to new exciting adventures (like kindergarten).  

 Be sure to go check out lots of other cute faces and hats at I Heart Faces this week.  

Self Portraits

My kids are always complaining that I'm never in any pictures since I'm always the one holding the camera. Unfortunately they're right. The only time I'm in a picture is if I ask someone to take one of me (usually one of the kids). This week's theme at I ♥ Faces gave me the opportunity to change that for once.

Here is my adult entry...just me and my neighbor's car (with gray roots and giant zit conveniently cropped out).




And here is my kids' entry with me and four of my five kids. I call this my serendipity shot. I was taking self portraits on my deck when one of the kids walked out the patio door and ended up in the background. I loved the way it turned out, so I got the rest of them (who would cooperate) and had them pose for a minute. They thought I was hilarious.

Be sure to go check out I ♥ Faces for lots of other fun self portraits this week.

Happy Easter!

Be sure to go check out I ♥ Faces for lots of other cute Easter/Spring photos this week.

Sweet Sisters

What better friends than twin sisters? I love this picture of my twin nieces being so sweet with each other.


Be sure to go check out I ♥ Faces this week to see lots more friendly faces.

If you chance to meet a frown...

A few things I've learned through my participation in I ♥ Faces over the last several weeks:

1. I have A LOT to learn about photography
2. I have even more to learn about editing
3. Photography has the potential to be a very expensive hobby
4. I'm totally addicted to I ♥ Faces


On Sundays we often try to go on long walks or hikes. This particular Sunday found us at Great Falls, a beautiful spot on the Potomac river. While Ellie loves being outside, this day she was a little upset that she was missing her nap to be there.

I loved how pretty she looked still all dressed up in her church clothes, with the sunlight on her face and hair. The big giant pout and tears glistening in her eyes is so out of character for her that I'm sad to admit that it just cracks me up whenever I see this picture.

Be sure to go check out I ♥ Faces for other cute pouting faces this week and to enter your own!

Ray of Sunshine

(NOTE:  I have no idea why several of my  I ♥ Faces blogposts from 16 years ago are randomly getting lots of hits again, especially since apparently the place where they hosted the photos no longer exists, which means all the photos from these posts are no longer visible until I replace them.  I've tried to replace them with the original photo when I can find it, but this one that was not possible, so the original photo of Adam has been replaced with this photo of Ellie that's always made me smile!) 

The best part of participating in I ♥ Faces each week (other than all the extra comments) is the way it's made me more purposeful in my picture taking. When my kids heard that it was "No Flash" week they teased me that that is all I take now. You know what? They're right. If there's even an ounce of daylight left I'll take all my photos outside rather than having to use the flash. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's better to use the flash occasionally than miss a good moment.

I love how this picture of Ellie captures her cheery nature so well. Her smile truly is a ray of light in our family!

Don't forget to go check out I ♥ Faces this week to enter your own no flash photos and to be inspired by all the other entries.

Pure Delight

I don't remember what it was that caught Ellie's eye...maybe a bird or a butterfly. Whatever it was I just love her expression of true delight of being outside. The greenness of the grass and trees in the background just seemed to perfectly complement her sweet smile.

Be sure to check out I ♥ Faces to enter your own photo and to be inspired by the other entries.

Creative Cropping

The best part of participating in I ♥ Faces each week is the ideas and inspiration I get from all the amazing photographers out there. I feel like it's given my picture taking a little more purpose, instead of randomly shooting like I have in the past.

The other day when the lighting seemed just perfect, I snagged my kids away from the trampoline and started an impromptu photo shoot.
Here's my straight out of the camera shot. I stood on the deck pointing my camera downward to capture her beautiful smile.


Cropping it in closer to add a new angle and dimension was a challenge for me, but here's my favorite try.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

I think you all may be noticing that I've been having fun on the I ♥ Faces website. I love digging through all my old photos and finding ones to fit the theme to enter each week. I've also loved learning how to process them, something I knew was possible, but that I'd never tried until a couple weeks ago.

Now that I won 8th place in last week's "Wonder" theme for the photo of my brother, sister-in-law and their newborn baby, I think I'm hooked for good!

This week's theme is "Black and White", which turned out to be a lot harder than it seemed until I found this picture of Adam playing outside in a quickly passing rainstorm. Transforming it into black and white only seemed to enhance all the things I already loved about it!


Besides his million dollar smile, I love the striking combination of the bright sunshine and the raindrops falling!

Full of Wonder

Wonder: to have a feeling of awe, admiration, marvel.


When I heard the I ♥ Faces theme for this week was wonder, I didn't have to think twice about which picture I would use. I just love this picture of Cami at the Grand Canyon and think it just epitomizes the very definition of WONDER!

**Special Note: Cami was never in any danger. There was solid ground just a few feet below that ledge.**

I ♥ {Silly} Faces

The king of silly!

My cousin Aaron is the king of silly. He refuses to pose nicely for pictures, therefore every photo I have of him looks an awful lot like this. :)

Check out I ♥ Faces for more silly photos or to enter your own!