CRAIG, LITTLE GIRL & BEARDED DRAGONS

our dog, Little Girl LOVES these bearded dragons! she gets all excited  when craig messes with them, and actually upset when he doesnt. (messes with her daily routine, i guess)

so, the day these images were taken, i HAD to capture her and her enthusiasm for these "long Frogs". Little Girl has a thing for licking the toads in our back yard...she LIKES to do it, weird.

anyway, im guessing she likes these beared dragon lizards because they look ALLOT (in the haed area) like a toad. WITHOUT the foaming at the mouth from licking them.
now, the beardies DONT enjoy her as much as she enjoys them. lol

they, actually...HISS at her when shes too close to them..lol

i think she thinks thats a good thing..LOL

heres some pics.
ENJOY!
MICHELLE

craig holding little girl (note the tongue action there, lol) And the Bearded Dragon Lizard (on his shoulder.

Craig LOVES lizards, but he LOVES turtles MORE! lol

Little Girl wanting to visit with the lizard after she was put down, lol

look at craigs face, lol, the lizard was getting tensed up, craig knew he was about to hiss.

i was lucky enough to catch this picture. lizard hisses at Little Girl.

she is adamant about her lizards, lol, shell do anything to visit with them..lol after he was put back, shes still anxious to visit with them. lol hiss or not.

MY 44th BIRTHDAY DINNER -JANUARY 26th

i LOVe having birthdays! seriously, i do.

my mother, on the other hand never made a huge fuss about hers, and ive heard the same sentiment acrss the board with allot of other females.
i turned 44 this year!
yeah, one year away from hitting 45, which is 5 years away from 50. and 50 away from a hundred.
do i like the numbers like that? not so much.
so WHY would i want to celebrate the fact that i got closer to them?

because i enjoy celbretory events about me. call me  concieted, if you will, but i like having a birthday, or a day, thats just about ME! im not wrapped into a celebration about a 'family' or a 'holiday' i get to have 1 single day about me, and im worth it!
so, every year on january 26th i get all excited and cant wait to go celebrate MY day...

the timing of its kinda sucks tho, cause im just on the heals of Christmas by a month and 1 day..so i almost get all my gifts at one shot, broken up, of course by several weeks, but all in the same season, and the same area of the calendar...WINTER.
but fortunately i wanted too cook, just long enough that i actually DO have a celebration apart from each other.

so, it was, this january 26th craig took the family out to celebrate and i, of course had pictures taken to commemorate the event. ENJOY!

APPETIZER. i figured at some point i was gonna have gastric surgery, i might as well, go out with a bang, if this was gonna be one of my last meals id have. turned out i had a few other chances to indulge, i didnt have surgery until the following march of 2011

MY meal, im still very conscious during this time to try to get in as much protein as possible, i basically took leeway for regular foods usually when wed have a celebration, like my birthday. otherwise i stuck to a mainly protein based meals.

My son, Daniel Alan Williamson

My sons best friend, Paris Griffiths. trust me, id have rather celebrated without him, he was an added person to a small social event that i really dont want to have to share with.

craigs dinner, typical. STEAK n APPLES for a side.

My Husband, Craig Williamson. Hes prolly the best man i could have ever hoped to have been blessed with. hes really a very good man.

Dessert. i dont believe i actually ate this. i dont remember eating it, altho i may have done so. looking back as i write this, i was unaware of fat content as a way of thinking. if i did eat this, im sure it was seriously very good!

i ADORE anything Monkey related. This was a spur of the moment idea too try to find at the store when we took daniel to go get me a gift. i was lucky, they had just one left!

yes, folks those are real tears you see. i got really emotional reading that card. its was from daniel. he didnt even sign it, but the message was loud and clear. as much as i think he DOESNT pay attention to my role in his life, HE DOES! and i was really touched by this as a gesture. all-in-all, it was enough, IT could have nee the only gift i got , because IT meant the most.

more monkeys, lol

and even MORE monkey stuff, lol

LEMON FLAVORED LIP BALM.  got it for 2 reasons, the shape, and the color yellow! its really nice flavored lip balm.

My fav gum right now.

wonder what THIS monster of a beat is?

A BRAND NEW FOOD POCCESSOR! that wouldnt get used until 6 months later...lol

My mother-in-law sent me these awesome chopsticks, i have them in my purse anywhere i go so if the need arises to eat with them, i have them handy!

Look, mom! i can use CHOPSTICKS!

Daniel avoiding the camera. lol

as good a shot as i can ever get.

my birthday out was a wonderful event. i look forward to celebrating number 45!

MICHELLE

STARTING PIANO BACK UP AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

feels like its been forever, well, at least a month anyway. since i practiced the piano. (sorry natalie, ive been bad at getting to it, sorry) 

but tonight, while my son and husband both attend to their scout positions (sons in troop 42, of oklahoma) / (hubbys the 11 year old scout master) ill be resuming my piano lessons. im not all that goos, but i seem to have the ability to lean the piece and then play it strictly by ear (of course this after about 20 run throughs, and repetitions).

i havnt learned really how to read any notes yet...i gauge off the MIDDLE C note where my fingers are supposed to be, and this seems super simple, and theres always a pattern, but for some reason, i cant see the pattern.

i missed my recital for december, i was working on doing THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, and really didnt feel that confident that i could do it in front of tons of people and succeed at it, as if i wasnt winging it, i have terrible nerves when i think of people judging me because of my talent, and im not sure why.

i did try, tho, i tried hard to learn that piece, i just COULDNT get my left hand to figure out some minor change ups with 2 notes (maybe it was 3) . and it kept throwing me off.

im making a promise to myself, to learn that piece!  gonna know it by the NEXT recital, in the spring (joy.)

i want to do a U2 piece for that one. maybe ill have to find it now, so i can have allot of time to be practicing it.

not sure WHICH one i want to do, but i have only a FEW U2 songs i love to listen too, over and over again.

one is ONE, another is WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, and another is SOMETIMES YOU CANT MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN, while another is: ALL I WANT IS YOU.

i think..WITH OR WITHOUT YOU might be the easiest...ill have to find a book of U2 in piano, so i can look these pieces over and see if i cant fnd a pretty easy one.

craigs shcedule at work has changed and we cant do the monday evening lessons anymore, because it pushes him too hard to get home. he takes about 45 minutes to get home from work, and MY lesson was around 6:30 his was 7pm.

we could still learn, i guess, hed have to come home to get me, to go over to natalies house for that half hour.

so, tonight i resume, my practicing. 

i feel allot more relaxed than i did in december. december was just SOOO hectic with so much going on...i didnt feel like i ever had a break. but thats behind us now. and were in a NEW Month, January..and there isnt so much pressure on me to do so many things...

maybe one day, ill make my grandmother proud. have learned the piano, and fulfilled a dream she had for me (to some degree) telling me because of my long fingers i should learn to play, because i had the hand for playing.

grandma, i hope i make you proud.,

MICHELLE

ITS BEEN A WHILE

yes, its been some time, since i was here last.
i have found a blog that suits my needs better than this one, altho...
i can customize the background, header, and side bars with this blog. makes me want too come back.
only issue is..it (this blog) DOES NOT push my posts in a chronological order if i date them.
the other blog (www.ourstory.com) does.

ill be back and forth with both, i think, because im getting an idea for a web presence, i really have not seen much of out on the internet...yet.

i see a bunch of it n the BLOG world, but main web page presence pages? not so much.

SCRAPBOOK WEB PAGE DESIGNS.

making, like what you see here on my blog, a WEB PAGE...
web pages can have several DIFFERENT pages within them...
so, lets say, your an avid cook, and you want too share your recipes with ppl, a click of a link on the home page can put you into a web page that has a scrapbook "themed" feel that has something to do with..kitchen, recipes, food, etc.

or, maybe, you had a baby...and you want to display updates, pictures, video of your newest arrival.
again, a click of a link and your on the page about your precious newest family member.
and the page would be catered too the desires of your heart, with look, feel, and wit and whimsy appeal...all to your design taste.

im serious about this idea.
not sure how well it will be profitable for me, theres a ton of FREE blog templates that have the same dynamic, but i think..ppl might be interested in a WEB PAGE that they can update and have freinds,family, and others connect too...

if im lucky, i can find a SOCIAL NETWORKING program that allows me too customize it, and ppl can also have their own: MYSPACE/FACEBOOK/TWITTER place that will do everything all the social networks currently do, the difference: SCRAPBOOK THEMES for the sites appeal, and look.

i have been scouring the net, looking at ppls blogs. downloading FREE embelishments, getting ideas, thinking up ways i can make MY web page look like im trying too offer others the chance too have.

i have too have a program 1st tho, PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS.
i have a book on how too use the program.

then..i can do anything!
and ill be doing it!

on a side note:

daniel has decided for the 2nd day in a row, hes refusing too go to seminary. he says he could care less if i inhibit his use of the XBOX360...(thats a lie, he was trying too get me too give in last night over it).
it pains my heart, i feel ive gotten him involved with church...too late.

we used too go when he was smaller, but his peers at the buidlding we attended didnt do much with him, let alone even talk too him, because we lived in lower standard homes (trailers) and they didnt. daniels clothes were thrift store type, hand me downs, not old navy, or anything remotley name brand and trendy.
scouts was hard for daniel..and as a result, i think because he had so little support in cub scouts, hes not too interested in scouts today...

but, beyond that, he doesnt like church. and seminary, is part of that. we had him sign a 'contract' that stated if he DIDNT go too seminary, hed have ALL priviledges associated too the internet (includes XBOX360) suspended until he decided too go back again, upon which the rights will be reinstated.

he says to me now: "i dont care if i dont play on the xbox."

he says that today, this is day 2 of this stand-off, i give him till saturday, when hell be begging me too let him on.

i have a similar rule for sundays church attendance, if he goes he can play xbox. if he doesnt, oh well.

change of subject again...

in a week craig starts a new job. oklahoma detention center. phone support.
he says hell be the ONLY one in there working tht job.
ill be happy when we have money again, its been really hard not having any, altho, we have not neded anything even if we didnt have what we were used too having.

the Lord has blessed us greatly, and im going too say..its because we have been diligent in paying our tithing.
we havent had a serious need for food, and what we did get from the bishops storehouse has lasted as long as 6 weeks before wed need another "2 week" supply. reminds me of the story of the woman who was making the last bit of food for her and her son, when a man came asking too be fed, and she said she couldnt, or her son would die and so would she. the man told her too feed him, and her reward (blessing) would be her oil and flour would never diminish...she fed him, and was blessed with oil and flour for a long while....faith. its all based on faith.

so, even tho i grumble because we have had a lack of fund, our needs have been met exceedlingly!

thats it for now...
ill keep updated on any progress.

MICHELLE