Sara's Snaps

Farmer Sara

2011-05-20T18:18:00.003-04:00

My second attempt at gardening has been significantly more successful than my first. Last year my garden only yielded one puny tomato, which I cut in half in order to prolong the enjoyment of my labors.

LB's August Visit

2010-08-08T13:07:00.004-04:00

Photo op at the overlook

We all were stuffed after the crab legs at Ameristar.

Ellie and Daisy love their Uncle Ben.

New Flowers

2010-06-03T09:21:00.001-04:00

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:40:00.003-05:00

All of these were taken around New Years Day. We perfected the art of being lazy, but with that comes a little boredom. I hope the girls don't hate me too much for playing dress up with them.

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Card Rejects

2009-12-21T18:40:00.001-05:00

These girls can be very stubborn.

Snake in the Grass

2009-11-14T18:12:00.002-05:00

Does anybody know what kind of snake this is? He's just a baby. I found him in my back yard while moving a stack of bricks. When I disturbed him, his body puffed up a little. I hope he's not in the pit viper family.

Saints Game with Mom

2009-11-09T16:16:00.003-05:00

Trick-or-Treat!

2009-11-01T12:24:00.002-05:00

Kat and I dressed up as hippies. That was all we could come up with on short notice, without spending any money on costumes. I didn't quite have as many kids this year, but there were only 12 pieces of candy left at the end of the night.

New Paint...

2009-10-25T18:14:00.006-05:00

You may think I'm crazy because I only painted the dining room a little over 2 years ago, but I was so tired of the red. I convinced myself that I liked it, but it never really did anything for me. A few weeks ago I realized that the color combination I had going on, deep red and butter yellow, was a little too old fashioned for me. I'm not looking forward to my next birthday, which is a milestone birthday, and I don't want an "old lady" house that only makes me feel older!

So.. Out with the red and in with the gray! A bit more modern, don't ya think. Gray and yellow is a much more youthful combination. The name of the color is "semi-sweet," which I think describes me perfectly. Those of you who know me well understand that the name is just as important as the actual hue. My #2 dream job is to be the person in charge of naming all of the colors. Not just paint colors, but ALL of the colors everywhere!

The walls are still in need of some accessorizing, but that will come in time.

I'm going to be sad when I have to take all of these tiny pumpkins to work tomorrow. I promised my art class that we could paint pumpkins this week. I have enjoyed them.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-24T12:10:00.003-04:00

Autumn decor inside. I only spent about $7!

I will probably need to buy more candy. I'm expecting at least 500 kids for Trick-or-Treating this year!

The spider almost looks real!

Bully wanted to dress up this year.

Who Dat!

2009-10-07T18:34:00.004-04:00

Derek and I went to the Superdome on Sunday to watch the Saints play the Jets. We had awesome seats in the lower section in the end zone corner. I hope we can go back again this season. The Saints are now 4-0!

JSU's marching band, the Sonic Boom, is in the background. That was very interesting. I have never seen so much booty poppin' and shakin' in my life!

LB & Me at Abita

2009-10-07T18:24:00.003-04:00

The tour only lasted about 5 minutes, but the free beer lasted for an hour!

Everything was on tap at the serve yourself bar, even root beer!

Waiting on Daddy

2009-09-29T18:47:00.000-04:00

Saturday in Biloxi

2009-08-26T18:38:00.000-04:00

Giant Elephant Ears

2009-08-17T18:18:00.002-04:00

I'm really surprised at how tall they grew. I will definitely plant more of these next spring.

Four Years Ago

2009-08-06T21:05:00.001-04:00

Flowers in the Front Yard

2009-07-27T18:32:00.002-04:00

White oleander, droopy after a heavy rain. I didn't realize that oleander produced seed pods like these after they bloomed.

Red canna along the side of the garage.

Salvia...

with knockout roses in the back ground. The rain beat them up too much to photograph. Maybe next time.

My "New" Classroom: BEFORE

2009-07-24T15:18:00.004-04:00

This will be a real creative challenge. I may not be in this portable next year, so I can't do anything permanent like painting the walls. This is just about as "blank slate" as they come.

Stay tuned for the AFTER!!

Vacation II: Orange Beach and the USS Alabama

2009-07-23T08:59:00.003-04:00

Surprisingly, I didn't have the whitest legs on the beach, but I was a very close second.

Check out these guns!

Under a B-52

Wildlife on the Island

2009-06-09T17:23:00.002-04:00

Upon check-in at our hotel, the lady at the counter informed us of some beach rules. This time of year is sea turtle nesting, and anything left on the beach might get in their way. We didn't see any sea turtles though.

This is a gopher tortoise having lunch by the pool. There were traffic signs all over the island for "gopher tortoise crossing."

Mom was good at spotting manatees in the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. We saw two while we were there, but this smaller one was the only one present when I had my camera.

I snapped this osprey one evening during a walk on the beach.

Sanibel Island, Florida

2009-06-08T20:18:00.005-04:00

Mom and I recently returned from a vacation to Sanibel Island, FL. We had heard that it was one of the top shelling destinations in the world. This place sure lived up to the hype. We soon discovered that June is not the peak time, as you can tell from the oh-so-crowded beach in the photo below. The water was beautiful and warm, and there were so many shells that we had to wear our shoes almost the whole time.

A white ibis hunting for food

Sunset on our first day

Looking for shells after supper

Mom doing the 'Sanibel Stoop'

I will post more photos tomorrow. Blogger is being a little slow at the moment.

Flowers

2009-05-29T14:57:00.002-04:00

These are my favorite day lilies right now. They are bright orange with a triple bloom.

Here is the blooming mother-in-law's tongue. The flowers remind me of fireworks. I hope this doesn't mean my plant is about to kick the bucket. Sometimes plants put on a big show right before they die.

School's Out!!!

2009-05-26T15:16:00.003-04:00

I'm on vacation until August! Are you jealous?

Late Spring

2009-05-21T19:22:00.004-04:00

My hostas were late bloomers this spring. I thought most of them had been eaten by the moles in our yard, but today I noticed 3 trying to peek out from under the leaves. Now all of my hostas from last year have come back.

Have you ever seen a mother-in-law's tongue have a bloom? Well, mine has one! It looks a little like an unopened bloom on monkey grass only much larger. I took some photos, but they wouldn't upload correctly. I think this bloom is trying to keep its presence a secret. I'm going to try to capture this elusive creature on camera again.

Horsing Around

2009-04-15T08:16:00.004-04:00

After the cookout on Saturday, we rode over to Skyla's place to see her new house/riding arena and play with her horses. I think I have all of their names down, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Cindy feeding Dolly.

Skyla and Seis.

Mom scratching Ruby, her favorite.

Derek and me feeding them "candy."

Dolly

Dad's Birthday Cookout

2009-04-14T16:31:00.002-04:00

Derek is a great supervisor.

Ellie can be a good supervisor too.

These girls are always looking for an "Oops" moment.

Group photos are common with this bunch. I think this turned out to be the most interesting one to date. Everyone is doing something different.

Easter Sunday Dog Wrangling

2009-04-13T12:24:00.001-04:00

Nashville!!!

2009-04-06T19:21:00.005-04:00

Sorry these are so late. My trip to Nashville to see LB was over a month ago while I was on Mardi Gras break. I had a great time flying all by myself, seeing where LB lives and plays, and hanging out with my family. We went to a Predators game too. They beat the snot out of Detroit 8-0! Mom and I were really into the game. I think everyone around got a kick out of watching us cheer and chant "We're gonna beat the hell out of you, and you, and you, and you, and you, and you !" I wish we could go to more hockey games together, but then mom and I might get into a little trouble if we did.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-02-23T14:09:00.000-05:00

Baby Its Cold Outside!

2009-02-03T21:37:00.004-05:00

Its not supposed to be freezing cold in southern Louisiana!!!

The low tonight is 28 and tomorrow its 21!!!

The Doodler enjoyed relaxing by the fire. Ellie, on the other hand was a little nervous, and it shows in these next photos.

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-01-02T21:40:00.008-05:00

I apologize for the lack of Christmas photos. I was too busy enjoying the holiday to take many photos this year. We had a wonderful Christmas break, but sadly there are only a couple of days left before going back to work.

Happy New Year!!!

Snow Day!

2008-12-11T18:18:00.002-05:00

Ellie wasn't too sure about the snow, which I'm sorry isn't visible in the photo.

Thank goodness school didn't get canceled, otherwise we would have lost a day from our Mardi Gras break.

The Big Tree

2008-12-09T21:59:00.003-05:00

Finally.. The big tree is decorated. I hung at least 450 ornaments today. The photos don't do it justice. The flash washed out all of the pretty lights. Yall will just have to come over for a visit so you can see it in person.

Everybody Thought They Were Ours!

2008-12-09T21:46:00.002-05:00

I got a phone call on Sunday afternoon about these two boxers, one brindle and one fawn, roaming around in the neighborhood behind ours. I quickly checked to see if my girls were inside, which they were, and told the girl on the phone that they weren't my dogs.

A few hours later our door bell rang. It was a man from down the street with two boxers in tow. Both were male and obviously less than a year old. He thought they were ours as well. By this time it was starting to get dark, so Derek and I decided to take them in for the night and try to find the owners in the morning.

We brought them to the back yard and then let our girls out. All four of the dogs were playing together. Ellie did have to put them in their place a few times. She is the boss you know. Of course I had to give them names... Rocky and Bruno.

After I got home from school the next day, I phoned the vet here in town and got the number for the owners. These two little boys were back with their family by 5p.m. Their real names were Walker and Saint.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2008-11-22T08:52:00.002-05:00

Not wanting to have the same photo as last year, I opted not to tie ribbons around the girls' necks. It would have been the same exact ribbon as last year, and it would have been very difficult to do without Derek's help. Most of the photos ended up looking like regular back yard photos, and I was a little disappointed.

This first photo was a strong contender, but was lacking in personality, unlike last year's winning photo.
The second photo was one of the rejects. There was a ton of chop-licking because I was bribing them to sit and stay with chicken jerky. In most of these the girls looked like zombie-robot dogs, very intense and focused but again, lacking personality.
The winner will be posted closer to Christmas.

Till then, happy decorating! As you can see, I've already started. Don't tell anyone.

Helping Mamma

2008-11-09T20:47:00.002-05:00

Earlier today I was working on writing a test on fossils and early Earth history. These two just had to help me.

Pop Quiz: During which era were dinosaurs the dominant life form?

a. Cenozoic

b. Mesozoic

c. Paleozoic

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T17:05:00.004-05:00

Second Best

2008-10-31T16:39:00.002-05:00

It has been a little too chilly to have our morning coffee outside this week, so the big bed is the second best place for coffee. It might soon become the girls' first choice though. Look how comfortable and cozy these little boogers are. I haven't wanted to get up and go to work because they have been so snuggly.

Pretty Girls

2008-10-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

Out with Kat and Chris

2008-10-15T19:55:00.002-04:00

After conquering trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings, we decided we needed more entertainment... on to karaoke at the Stone Pony!!!

Out with Megan

2008-10-13T18:31:00.002-04:00

I was so happy I had a chance to see Megan before she went back to Australia. I really miss having my good friends close by. Maybe I'll get a chance to go see her one day. Perth sounds very nice.

Fun in the Back Yard

2008-10-08T19:31:00.003-04:00

Dog wrangler extraordinaire!

We Love the Swing!

2008-10-06T18:21:00.002-04:00

Crazy Hair Day at School

2008-09-24T22:54:00.003-04:00

Marie Antoinette + 60's Mod = Polygamy Cult Hair!!!!

Under the Covers

2008-09-20T10:09:00.001-04:00

Daisy has been very snuggly lately. She is always wanting to be under something, which is weird because it hasn't been even remotely cold here.

My Classroom

2008-09-20T09:57:00.002-04:00

There isn't a whole lot that anybody can do to make a classroom with no windows cheery. I have done the best with what I have though. Bright, colorful bulletin boards and fake plants really help out.Don't ask what's in the big, yellow cabinet marked "Flammable." I haven't found the key that unlocks it yet.
My extra computer will stay covered until the end of hurricane season. The students don't use it anyway. We will be going to the computer lab some, and everyone will have their own computer to use.

In the spring all of the orange paper will come down, and I'll put up something blue and airy. I'll be teaching weather, climate, and oceanography then.

Silly Girl

2008-09-14T10:11:00.003-04:00

Last night after everyone had settled down, I noticed that Daisy had somehow fallen asleep underneath a back cushion of the couch. I crept upstairs to get my camera, but by the time I came back down, she had woken up. These girls do very funny things every now and then.

A Thirsty Lizard

2008-09-09T23:53:00.000-04:00

Evacuating!!!

2008-08-31T18:39:00.003-04:00

We decided to leave Louisiana around 5:30 on Saturday afternoon. All of our junk left just enough room in the back of the Jeep for the little girls. They looked out the back window most of the time at the other evacuees. Traffic on I-59 was very heavy, but moving well at 60-70mph. Once we made it to Hattiesburg, the traffic was almost nonexistent. Hopefully I won't be posting any Gustav damage photos from my house.

New Curtains

2008-08-24T13:08:00.003-04:00

I have finally put up curtains in the dining room. The fabric that I chose has a tree silhouette, and I absolutely love it. The bottoms still need to be hemmed, but that can be done later. I'm hoping now that these are up my electric bill will be lower. The curtains are much thicker than the sheet that was in the window.

Only 14 more windows to go!

Making Progress

2008-08-10T19:43:00.002-04:00

I hung the swing up this afternoon. I thought I was finished painting, but after I got it up, I noticed some spots that need touching up. I'm looking forward to my first cup of coffee out there in the morning.

Enjoying the Back Yard

2008-08-10T19:35:00.002-04:00

I wonder if there are olympic dog games. These two would take the gold in synchronized movement. There are a few other things that I won't mention that they do in unison.

The Arbor Is Up!

2008-08-04T13:21:00.003-04:00

I have only planted a few things around the arbor so far. There are banana trees in the corner along with a couple of philodendrons. Also, I have planted some yellow jasmine to grow up the side. The next phase of this project will be sanding and painting the swing, then I'll move on to the brick patio underneath the swing and eventually more plants. I can't wait to enjoy my coffee out there.

More Peanut Butter Feet

2008-07-29T18:48:00.002-04:00

I should have posted these a long time ago.

These girls LOVE peanut butter feet, especially when there are twice as many feet to lick.

I think mom really enjoyed it.

Frogs

2008-07-24T18:17:00.006-04:00

The other night there were several frogs on our back porch, but what's new. These little frogs have been very vocal lately, especially when it rains. Derek and I really have enjoyed watching them catch bugs at night.

Okay, so this is a rubber snake, but he does live in a puddle our back yard. I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen a real snake in the back yard given all of the snake food we have hopping around.

The Office

2008-07-22T12:47:00.007-04:00

The office is almost complete! We have all of the major furniture and electronics now. I have painted and moved everything into place. All that is left are the finishing touches. I have tan sheets for curtains and nothing on the walls at the moment, but that will change in time.

Model Dogs

2008-07-18T16:43:00.004-04:00

I have finally finished painting the 2nd guest room. Ellie and Daisy wanted to play Vanna White and show off the new color, however they were not able to stay awake long enough for me to run get my camera. Those two were nearly passed out by the time I got back in the room. Anyway.. I really like the blue in there.

Daddy's Girls

2008-07-16T19:29:00.001-04:00

Oops!

2008-07-11T18:19:00.004-04:00

Here are some photos that I meant to post with the 4th of July photos. Enjoy!

On our way to Philadelphia!

Running around the pond makes us tired.

Swimming in the Pond

2008-07-07T10:03:00.004-04:00

4th of July on the Farm

2008-07-07T09:49:00.003-04:00

Genius Dog!

2008-06-30T10:17:00.000-04:00

I always knew Doodle Bug was smart!

Appearance Is Everything

2008-06-10T13:02:00.002-04:00

I have these colladiums planted in pots on my back porch. They give the appearance of a mild spring day when it is actually in the low to mid 90's. So far the girls have left them alone. I guess it is more fun to dig in NaNa's plants.

Weekend Nap

2008-06-02T17:43:00.001-04:00

Some Finishing Touches

2008-06-02T17:34:00.003-04:00

This summer one of my goals is to get my house in order. The house still has that 'just moved in' feel, and I want to make it more of a home. I will try to keep yall updated on my progress.

Catching Some Rays

2008-05-18T18:07:00.000-04:00

The Biggest...

2008-05-18T17:53:00.002-04:00

... spider I have ever seen in real life was on my back porch last week. All of the "hair" on her abdomen is actually about 200 baby spiders.
Don't worry, we killed all of them. Its safe to drink coffee outside once again.

Saturday Morning on the Back Porch

2008-04-05T10:06:00.008-04:00

Look at all of the puppy prints.

Daisy is a giant lap dog.

Everyone wants to be in the mamma's lap.

Princess Daisy doesn't want to touch the ground.

Elvis has left the building... but has shown up in my back yard.

Daisy can be so prissy sometimes.

Flowers on Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T14:48:00.002-04:00

Afternoon Snack

2008-03-07T17:28:00.003-05:00

Mud and grass sure beat dog food any day!

Blackjack Road in Jackson

2008-02-12T08:14:00.000-05:00

Who knew LB could move like that. Brittany paused mid-song to remind him that his mother was in the audience.
Photos courtesy of Katherine Boone.

Lazy Daisy & Ellie

2008-02-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

The girls are being very lazy on this hot, February day. Its almost 80 outside.

I guess Ellie was in a silly mood . Daisy makes a good pillow.

Two More Down...

2008-02-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Derek and I have been working on painting the bathrooms in our house these past few days. The color we chose is a lighter, softer version of the yellow in our living room. I really like it.

Say Hello to Martin

2008-02-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

This is my new friend Martin. He is the fattest squirrel I have ever seen, although in this photo he looks rather slim. Martin's favorite activity is sitting around the squirrel feeder eating corn ALL DAY LONG. He and his girlfriend Samantha have gone through all of their food in 2 weeks. Derek and I thought the food would last at least a month or longer. The mess that these two make attracts all sorts of birds to my yard. One afternoon I counted 10 male cardinals, 6 female cardinals, 2 blue jays, 2 wood peckers, and a whole flock of cute little brown birds all pecking around at the same time.

Blackjack Road in Hattiesburg

2008-01-11T19:07:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I didn't get any good shots of LB playing this time. You'll just have to settle for this one with me in it.

The Bottling Co. is really a neat place with tons of vintage charm, including the front half of an old VW bug.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-10T21:11:00.001-05:00

I'm only a few days late posting this one.

The fireworks displays in our neighborhood were rediculous. Thousands of dollars and one Christmas tree went up in smoke around the stroke of midnight. Derek and I sat out front and enjoyed the near 30 minute display. The little girls, especially Ellie, weren't too keen on it though.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Day in Philadelphia

2008-01-09T19:38:00.003-05:00

And the winner is...

2008-01-01T16:13:00.001-05:00

This was the photo I used for my Christmas cards this year.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve in Madison

2008-01-01T16:04:00.002-05:00

Winter in the French Quarter

2007-12-19T20:11:00.001-05:00

Christmas Party at My House!

2007-12-19T19:46:00.001-05:00

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2007-11-25T15:43:00.000-05:00

The reject photos are the most interesting and funny shots of all. Ellie goes into a stubborn dogatonic state whenever she has clothes on, but Daisy couldn't care less.

I guess the ribbons looked more like toys than holiday decoration. They didn't last very long.

Hiding Places

2007-11-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Guess where I found this little guy.

Fall???

2007-11-21T12:10:00.000-05:00

These are the only signs of the season around my house. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was September. The temperature right now is 80.1 degrees. This is rediculous!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My New Hair

2007-11-10T18:32:00.001-05:00

Snuggle Puppies

2007-11-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

These two are the cutest when they are cold. It was 61 degrees in the house this morning, and all they wanted to do was snuggle in while I drank my coffee in bed. I really hated getting up to go to school today.

Last Weekend

2007-10-08T17:29:00.001-04:00

Taking Turns...

2007-10-07T17:28:00.001-04:00

napping on Daddy's pillow.

Finally!

2007-10-02T23:21:00.001-04:00

Our new bedroom furniture arrived today. I think the girls like it.

2007-09-30T23:16:00.002-04:00

Before...

After...

I donated 12 inches to Locks of Love.

LB's New Ride

2007-09-25T22:35:00.000-04:00

Blackjack Road At The Bottling Co.

2007-09-25T21:59:00.000-04:00

The Mamma and Her Girls

2007-09-23T17:17:00.001-04:00

We love you, Derek!

Happy Girl

2007-09-18T21:19:00.001-04:00

The Doodle's Sunday Morning Recreation

2007-09-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

Little Buddies

2007-08-24T23:26:00.004-04:00

I love my new friends. They come over to visit every night and stay til sunrise. We have so many frogs in our new back yard, both tree frogs and regular frogs too. These photos are actually of 3 different frogs. Ellie and Daisy are loving it, although Ellie decided to taste one the other night and started foaming at the mouth.

2007-07-31T21:26:00.001-04:00

Christmas in July!

2007-07-30T18:47:00.002-04:00

2007-07-27T22:13:00.000-04:00

Bumble Bee

2007-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00