Stay Tuned....

I have a big announcement coming next week so stay tuned!!
After this announcement I'll be posting more to my blog too.

Life's been hectic as usual. Junior high track ended about a week ago, of course summer baseball has already been practicing for a month now. Every Sesser team kicks off the season with a home game next Saturday, May 29th. So if you're in the area, drop by the new fields you're bound to find at least one relative of mine there (oh yah, Sesser has 4 new ball fields wooo hooo!!!). I'll be the one behind the camera if you have trouble locating me! I have two nephews (Johnathon and Matthew) and one neice (Katie) playing ball this year. Have absolutely no idea how many cousins, if I happen to see them there great - but don't plan to hunt them all down.

I'm determined to get the pictures from baseball edited quickly and posted to my client viewing website.... http://pfphotography.zenfolio.com in the sports section. Be sure to check out the 1st grade basketball if you haven't seen them already. I'll have this years school junior high baseball posted on the client viewing website soon along with the basketball pictures from this year. Next year I'm not going to take 8000 junior high basketball pictures, they take FOREVER to edit. Speaking of that I've been checking out a few seminars that teach more efficient post editing procedures, I need this training in the worst way. If anyone that reads my blog knows of a good seminar to attend pertaining to this let me know.

I'll get pics posted soon from the Steak & Jazz night (Johnathon plays baritone), Chorus Spring concert and Band Spring concert. Tonight is the junior high awards banquet. I thought about skipping it but was specifically asked if I was going to be there to get pictures of him accepting his awards, so I guess I'm going after all. Sunday night is baccalaureate at the high school and graduation is Thursday. I have a cousin graduating and I'm decorating a party at the church for the 9 seniors from Hazel Dell (one of which is my cousin).

Well, I think that's about all I have to report right now. Burned my thumb on hot glue last night making silk floral arrangements for headstones. Since today is Grandma's birthday I did arrangements in none other than PINK for the two urns on her headstone and did matching arrangements for my dad's parents. Grandma's is getting one of the pink flamingo yard stakes from her birthday party that I still have. Also did red,white&blue arrangements for Shane Wheatley and Grandpa Shurtz for next weekend (Memorial Day). Johnathon will be marching with the band from the 4-way stop in Sesser out to the cemetery. I'll be sure to take pictures of the headstone for those living away from here who haven't seen it yet.

Fifty seven cents

Johnathon's science fair project was selected with several other projects from Sesser to compete at the regional level today at SIU. He was going to be gone from approximately 7am this morning until 7pm tonight so we sent $40 with him. Money for meals, snacks, bowling, etc....

At around 1 Johnathon called dad and asked if he could buy a video game, they were at the mall and according to him he had enough money. Well, dad told him no which I doubt made him very happy. I mean he's such a deprived child and has hardly any video games (lol!).

While he received a "GOLD" placing on his project today it wasn't selected to compete at the state level in Champaign. Congrats and Good Luck to the few Sesser students who were selected to compete at state!

When Johnathon came home I asked if he spent all his money today. He took something out of his pocket laid it on the table and said "No, I brought home change". He ate an entire plate of lasagna with half a container of cottage cheese and then had one of the cherry turnovers that I made followed by an apple - he acted as though he was starving to death. I thought maybe he hadn't bought much to eat.

When I was getting ready to head to bed I happened to look at the "change" on the table. Now mind you, he is a twelve year old boy and if you give him $40 for a day away from home.......he comes back with 57 cents which I'm assuming wasn't spent to say he brought home change, that or there wasn't anything he could find to buy for only 57 cents!

Boys will be boys!

Oh and on the comment sheet from the judges, the only negative comment they made was on one of the charts that I did........so of course the reason he's not going to state is obviously all MY fault.

New Business Cards

New business cards I designed yesterday for my decorating company....

three design - front & back (info on the back is the same on each design)

Johnathon's last basketball game was Thursday night! Yeah!! My rear is ready for a break from the bleachers. Either I'm getting older or those bleachers are getting harder, pretty sure it's the latter and two to three games a week can really wear a person out. I created the business card below to hand out to all the basketball parents Thursday night. Now I need to get the 7000 plus pictures taken this season uploaded to my website so they can view/purchase them.
Johnathon informed me he doesn't like the picture, says he's making a retarded face. Oh well!

I decorated a Golden (50th) Anniversary yesterday - congrats to Bill & Judy Rea. Should have those pics up by the end of the week. It was beautiful needless to say. Aunt Eileen and I have done two bridal shows this month and I decorated a quarterly VFW Auxiliary meeting in DuQuoin the weekend between the bridal shows.

Good News - I don't have anything scheduled for this weekend!!! WooHoo! I don't think I have another decorating venture until May (it'll be a BIG one though) so my mother gets her living room back as soon as I get everything completely put away - needless to say she's happy for the break.

The first of the year is always a blast for accountants, not only am I trying to get 2009 financials completed I also have to get all of my spreadsheets redesigned for 2010 and do I ever use a LOT of spreadsheets! Plus our banks & company owners are requesting a forecast income statement for year-end 2010. Which means I have to look into my crystal ball and interpret the sales forecast into a working P/L, forecasting how much profit we'll have in 12 months based on what they 'think' they'll sell.

So after working late every night this week getting the accounting chores done, I'll be working on finishing Lindsey & Ben's wedding pic edits (better late than never....right?). I have all of the actual wedding done, just working on the formal/after-wedding pictures. I tried to up upload some tonight but my internet is running super slow.....

While editing basketball and Lindsey's wedding pics, I also need to get oh three or four afghans crocheted. I haven't crocheted much since having the carpal tunnel surgery. Hope I still can, time will tell. At some point in time I have to find time to SCRAPBOOK. I haven't been in the basement for 'ME' time in soooo long. If you didn't tell my mother happy birthday Thursday, you missed it - oops for you. Also, very happy to report that my Aunt Helen had a successful 4-bypass heart surgery week before last and is now at home and recovering. Well, I think that's all I have to report for now.

Go #25......season opener!

Johnathon forced a turnover by stealing the ball, wish the breakaway was 'in focus'....
..........his lay-up attempt.

The other kid body checked him causing a personal foul...........so he got to shoot 3 free-throws. He missed the first one and made the next two.

First 2 POINTS of the seaon!

Not sure why he looks like he's in pain here.

He and Luke are both trying to get the ball from the JC player.


Missed the best part of this shot (had my big lens on and was sitting WAY too close to the action), anyway he made this basket.....2 POINTS!






Sticking your tongue out at him??? Really!
I'm pretty sure he's looking for his bottle of water....pretty sure! (yah he's the one who's backside is all that you can see)
Game over - Sesser-Valier Devils 7th grade team wins!! WoooHoooo
Keeping stats during the varsity, 8th grade game.
Several of these were out of focus (ugggh), I didn't have the shutter speed set fast enough. I'll pay more attention for the game Monday night. This was the first game of the season and I was just a little off kilter but will be back into the swing of things by Monday!

Number 7 [Sesser-Valier Baseball]

SV junior high boys baseball is under way. The season is going okay - we're 4 in 9 and have won the last two games! Below are a few quick pics that I took. Unfortunately the games are all at four o'clock and since I don't officially get off work until five, I don't get to attend many of the games.

You need to keep your eyes OPEN to see the ball Johnathon!

.....and somehow he caught it anyway
ready to bunt
....prepping to steal a base (batter hit a pop and both Johnathon and the batter were out - Johnathon didn't have time to go back and tag up since he was to second when it was caught)
Diving to catch a ball.
Look how happy he looks here.

Also notice the runner on the right, it was a force out - all he had to do was TAG the base but instead he threw it to first just a split second too late. In his defense, this was the first time he'd ever played third base - not that the rules are different from second to third base.

Needless to say, gum was ban during ballgames after these pictures were taken.

Oh yeah that's during the middle of the game when he blowing bubbles attempting to throw out the batter at first!

If you live in the area and want to catch a game, here is the schedule for the rest of the season (all of the games are at 4pm and home games are at the VFW):

8/31 (Mon) at Unity Point

9/2 (Wed) Home v. Johnston City

9/8 (Tue) Home v. Hamilton County

9/10 (Thur) at Carterville

9/14 (Mon) at Zeigler

9/16 (Wed) Home v. Christopher

9/21 (Mon) Home v. Benton

Sesser Wins!

The 6th grade boys won their basketball tournament last night defeating Carterville 17-16 in a great game. More pics tomorrow....