lazy saturdays vs. the tropics

August 15, 2009 at 10:00 am (Uncategorized)
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butterflyGOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOORNING!!!!

i hope this saturday morning finds you all well.  i hope you all got to sleep in, lazily drink your 3 cups of joe (who’s joe, btw?), and read the paper or whatever thing you like to do on a lazy saturday morning.  for myself, the 1st 2 things were pretty easy to accomplish, and for my 3rd activity i chose to check my favorite weather website, www.wunderground.com/tropical .  to my great surprise, the night has given us the gift of 2 additional tropical systems to watch: tropical storm ana, tropical depression 3, and invest 90.  yep, it’s that time of year again!!  i sit and track these things with what i’m sure some would call morbid fascination, but i have to say i find it very interesting.  it’s like that box of chocolates that keeps hounding us- you just never know what you’re gonna get, forrest.  here’s a preview (for those of you who aren’t faint of heart) of what the western african coast will be sending over the next week and a half:

so, fasten your seatbelt!  personally, i don’t have that same sense of trepidation that haunted me last year.  i mean, surely a katrina-sized catastrophe could only happen every hundred years or so to the city of nola??  perhaps it’s pregnancy hormones, or just the peace that passes understanding.  for those of you who live here, start making your packing lists- it never hurts to be prepared and will give you a sense of empowerment.  then go and enjoy your weekend, and check out the wunderground website.  it’s far more informative than i have found our local news websites to be.  for those of you who don’t live here, check out wunderground so you’ll know when to expect a visit from us.  ;)

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back again… again

August 7, 2009 at 2:09 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterflyumm, let’s see if i can remember how to do this.  i am sitting on the couch, my head hung in shame, trying really hard to remember how to log into my blog.   my husband left a comment stating that he was tired of checking it and finding nothing.  it’s a really great thing that a blog isn’t like, say, a plant or a child or something.  i’m just glad to see that it’s still here!

i would like to make you promises that i will be better in the future, and perhaps i will, but i just haven’t been into the blogging thing as of late (duh).  i promised not to make this about pregnancy, so i will spare you the i’m-pg-and-just-don’t-feel-like-it excuse.  i guess i’ve just been busy.  doing what?   let me summarize:

1) summer vacation to panama city beach, complete with early maternity pics (no- i’m not just fat)

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2) taking pictures for Captured

R (151)

k (12)

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3) visiting alabama before my ob/gyn forbids it (sorry, it was my vacation from taking pics)

4) working at the touro (believe me, you don’t want to see pictures of that)

add in teaching piano lessons, a birthday for moriah grace, and GROWING A NEW PERSON inside me and there you have it… my summer in a nutshell.  we’ve also had a few visits from both sides of the fam, and a surprise visit from our coker friends, ashley and abigail phillips.  it’s been like 1 giant sleepover at the dale house!

all in all, it’s been a great summer.  i’m SOOOO ready for school, and i think the girls are, too.  it means that fall is just around the corner (such as it is in new orleans- i think it lasts maybe 3 days??) and soups and chili will magically reappear on my domestic menu.  more importantly, it means that mia dale will soon make her little appearance into the world.  can’t wait!

i do have some praises and prayer requests for those of you who pray.

praises:   a healthy pregnancy thus far, even in the nola heat

my family and the time we spent together this summer

financial provision for medical and school bills, despite the recession

our clients, who faithfully return to us for their family photos

prayer requests:   continued healthy pregnancy til the end

financial provision for the medical bills to come (the delivery)

that Captured would grow into a full-time job (www.capturedportraitdesigns.com )

a house with 2 bathrooms

that people would see the love of Jesus in the bywater neighborhood

i think that just about covers it.  i love you guys, and i hope to see you soon. 

-shannon

 

5 Comments

having a baby!!!

May 21, 2009 at 8:10 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterflyahh… to write in purple once again…

do you people know that i was actually getting nauseated by all things green?  i have decided that you probably shouldn’t do anything extremely important to you during the 1st trimester of pregnancy.  did i say pregnancy??? YES!!!  i believe i did.  as many of you already know, we are more than happily having a baby. 

1.  no- we don’t know the sex.  hopefully, my kind doctor will take a look in the next week or so if we have a slow day at work (shameless begging might work as well- ;)    ) 

2.   i will be 16 weeks on saturday, my rollover day, and

3.yes, the girls are very excited.  so are the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and would-be godparents (if we were catholic)

4.  although we have the 1st couple of months figured out, NO, WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING TO PUT IT- lol.  we are still praying for THE THING.  i’m not prepared to answer questions about it, but we would appreciate it if you would pray about it, too.  God knows!!

i think i covered FAQs.  if you think of anything else, leave it in the comments and i will be happy to answer it for you.  i do feel the most urgent need to offer an apology for going in cognito since march 31st.  i truly had the best intentions of returning after a week’s sabbatical, but lemme tell ya, nausea and heartburn are nothing to sneeze at, and i have discovered that  my pregnancy aversions were much more diverse than food.  for example, for a time i didn’t want taco casa or sweet tea (i can hear the gasps of shock from the audience).  i didn’t want coke- my drink of choice.  i also didn’t want to blog in green, take pictures of green, blog at all, facebook, or anything else but lay on the couch and hold my stomach.  i did go to work, feed my children, take pictures for Captured, and i slept a LOT.  then, one happy day (at EXACTLY 15 weeks) i realized that i felt amazingly human again.  i could drink water without my stomach rolling.  i even felt the little guy KICK ME.  2 weeks ahead of my expected schedule.  the Dale children are advanced, you know ;)

so, enough for now about pregnancy.  what have i been doing with the rest of my time??  well, there was easter.  we dyed eggs at jenny g’s house.  we gained some new friends, jason and tiffany, who we are sending off to new york.  i’m quite sad about that one.  i’ve planted flowers, veggies (for the 1st time), and i have pumpkin vines growing in the front yard!!  i didn’t plant those, btw- bonus from last halloween.  did you know that the vine has MALE and FEMALE blooms????  who knew?!!  we’ve had family in and out, and multiple trips to houma to see that handsome little nephew of mine.  is that a complete summation of life from then til now?  probably not.  but i think what you imagine to be the rest would be far more entertaining to you :)

since i have to work tomorrow, i am signing off.  i hope this was ok for the first day back in blogging world.  i haven’t decided what or when my next project will be.  i’m open to suggestions, hint hint.

i do have some pictures to leave you with.  i hope you enjoy them as much as i did :)

 

back to the world

back to the world

 

 

hand to cheek

hand to cheek

beautiful baby

beautiful baby

goodnight, all.

 

 

3 Comments

31. fly, fly away

March 31, 2009 at 7:47 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterfly30it’s over!!!  i’m freeeeeee!!  lol…

don’t get me wrong- the green project has been a joy and a challenge.  i have been stretched.  i have blogged every single day for a month.  not easy, i must say.  thank you so much to all of you who have joined me for the journey.  you made the effort worthwhile by reading and adding your comments. 

what’s next for butterfly musings?  to tell you the truth, i have NO idea.  i plan to take a sabbatical for the next week.  now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still read my blog.  feel free to peruse the archives.  i’ve been writing random nonsense since last august- i’m sure you can find something of interest.  there are even a few pictures in the mix.  by all means, if you have an idea for my next project, then please leave a comment describing your lovely vision.  lisa has already given me a great idea for the reader contest part… now we just need the main idea- my challenge- if you will. 

santo, congrats on winning with your errant golf shot story.  errant… what an awesome word.  i just want you to know that i fully intend to incorporate it into my vocabulary more regularly.  don’t forget to let me know which picture you want.  sorry it’s not $25k, but, oh well, it’s just not.  ;)

the last pic of the green project has quite a lot of blue, i have to admit.  was i just getting lazy?  heaven forbid it!!  the blue makes the green come alive… this is my luggage tag (no raucous laughter, please)… i always thought it was a little funky and different from the norm.  it’s a little bird, and a happy little bird at that.  it has a green wing.  as i was thinking about it’s use in the green project, i had a short mental debate about what the more important part of the bird would be: the wing or it’s song.    i just don’t know.  what do you think?

i bid you adieu, at least for the week.  i love you all, and will see you soon.

:)

 

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8 Comments

30. randomness (as if that’s a new concept in my writings)

March 30, 2009 at 8:58 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterfly29survived another blessed day at work… it actually was quite a nice day.  i can’t complain. 

i can’t complain about too much, in fact.  i have a home, a job, and a great family.  i have really been impacted over the last couple of weeks by the downfall of our economy and way of life.  in case you haven’t noticed, things are about to be different.  every day some asinine news spews forth from the white house, and nobody seems to want to stop it.  i mean, could somebody just stand up and say “hey, does anybody notice that things are getting worse?”   hmm… well, i can honestly say that i didn’t vote for him anyway.  although i cheered for him in the beginning, being the good sport that i am, i now just look forward to the next conservative administration.   i think we are all being faced with the challenge of figuring out what really matters in life.  our finances are being pared down to a paltry minimum, we are all going to be spending a lot more time at home, and the fortunate ones of us are going to be working more years to make up for the retirement money the government has lost for us.  when it comes down to it, i think many people will turn to the finer things- friends, family, and most importantly, God.  maybe this is the opportunity to get a wakeup call.  either that or the downfall of another empire.

well, that was heavy.  i’ll be you’re wondering what kind of picture could possible go along with that.  fortunately for you, it has NOTHING to do with my rampage.  it’s kind of happy.  early in the green project, i saw this car drive by and was cursing myself for not being like a boy scout and always being prepared.  this weekend i drove through the hood and ended up at the bywater barbecue (which is an interesting shade of chartreuse) and lo AND behold, there sat this cute little car.  so what we have here are 2 shades of green duking it out.  and a happy little fabulous car to boot. 

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4 Comments

29. looney

March 29, 2009 at 7:41 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterfly28as i’m scheduled to work the next couple of days, i spent a little time this afternoon taking the last couple of shots for the green project (teardrop…).  i had a couple of ideas in mind, one of them involving my girls, so you can imagine my angst when they just didn’t want to participate.  i wanted to paint their little toenails green and take feet pictures.  well, michaela doesn’t like feet pictures and moriah would let me paint her fingernails (for her toenails were already a pretty shade of purple) if, and ONLY if, i would paint them for her in the den so she could simultaneously watch tv.  deal… so i get the polish and find her on the computer instead, having changed her mind so that she can research song lyrics.  i had no idea that being eight years old could be so busy.  “you can paint your own nails, mommy.”  excellent idea.  so i did.  but since i work in the real world and my green streak in my hair is a stretch for my employer, i didn’t want to have green fingernails as well.  so i painted a couple of flowers and went out on the porch to take pics.  lol- IF i had any foresight at all, i would have painted the flowers on my left hand, because a) i’m right-handed, and b) my shutter release is on the RIGHT side of the camera.  i won’t lie- it took some creative positioning to get this picture.  i can only imagine how i looked to the neighbors, God bless ‘em, as i stood there with my camera upside down trying to press the button (now at the bottom of the camera) with the pinky finger of my left hand and attempting to hold still enough to stay in focus.  what a site- lol.  i think the mental stretch afforded me by the green project has made me a little looney.  you can judge for yourself…

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3 Comments

28. the road not taken (urban- style)

March 28, 2009 at 8:09 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterfly27 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

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27. happy daisies

March 27, 2009 at 7:52 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterfly26i worked today.  again.  some of you will understand the significance of the amount of times this week that i have typed “it was a long day at work today”.  i worked 3 long days this week!  thanks, God!  but i don’t think i could do it every week… i’m beat.

so i spent the 1st half of the day dating everything 3/26, and the second 1/2 trying to date my documentation correctly.  i also spent it looking forward to the pizza i knew would be waiting for me when i arrived home.  so i get home, greeted by 3 lovely children (it’s sleepover night) and a dog AND miss jenny who was gracious enough to babysit for us tonight.  she leaves, and i rush to the kitchen to find AN EMPTY PIZZA BOX!!!  did i say that loudly enough?  dang… “but we were starving, mom…” geez.  well, i don’t like to go around feeling bitter towards people or feeling sorry for myself, so i called up the bywater barbecue and ordered a sammie and a piece of chocolate cake with peanut butter icing!!!  just like the Bible says, when God closes a door, he always opens a window!!  (um, the Bible doesn’t really say that.)  so, whilst waiting, i decided to write to you good people.

in honor of my lovely daughters, who are always thinking of me (cough, cough), i am giving you a pic of something that is in their room.  they have daisy coat hangers, and they are so darn happy.  enjoy!

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26. forbidden fruit

March 26, 2009 at 8:31 pm (Uncategorized)
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butterfly25whew… surviving the work week- one more day to go!  i can’t wait for the weekend, and i know many of you are cheering the sentiment with me. 

how about that REALLY loud clap of thunder at 4:30 this morning??  i’m sure it was heard for miles- i couldn’t even count to one after the lightening flash.  i’m pretty sure it struck somewhere on my block ;) .  all at once my entire household came alive, and jake and diana’s lights came on as they went to rescue little manly chihuahua, sam.  (i’m not a nosy neighbor- but i can see the reflection of their light in my bedroom.  it’s ok- it helps me to feel like i’m not alone when i get up before everybody else for work).  other than that, the rain and rolling thunder provided some pretty awesome sleeping weather.  great job, God, once again.

speaking of God, i am reminded of the story of adam and eve and the forbidden fruit.  they could eat everything in the world except the fruit of one little tree.  i mean, let’s face it- this was the most organically grown stuff ever.  no fertilizers or pesticides, perfect watering and light, orchestrated by the most perfect and understanding Gardener.  we aren’t talking walmart produce, my friends.  we’re talking WHOLE FOODS all the way, baby.  instead, they chose the 1 fruit they were asked NOT to eat, and thereby bring about the fall of mankind.  thanks, guys.  really… hope that apple was as yummy as you thought it would be.  not that i’m bitter, well, maybe i am a little.  i can’t even imagine a perfect world, where we all walk around in naked harmony- lol.  really, LOL… hmm. it’s probably better that way.   much better.

i think i’m digressing, because somewhere along the way this was supposed to lead me to the picture of the day.  while it’s not an apple, it IS  a fruit that you can’t eat.  so, i guess in that small way it is forbidden.  my mom gave me this really lovely dish that totally goes with my midnight blue dining room ceiling, and i thought the fruit would look great in it.  so here goes…

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4 Comments

25. live out loud

March 25, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Uncategorized)

butterfly24hey y’all!  i’m sitting on the couch (as usual when i’m typing on the computer) watching home improvement with mo.  it’s been a productive day, filled with the usual- yardwork, laundry, piano lessons, supper for the children, and the beginnings of a little stomach virus… ugh.  so, tonight will be short and to the point (no cheering, please).  i really like the sharpie slogan, live out loud.  or is it write out loud??  lol… i can’t remember.  my brain cells are currently being distracted by the lining of my stomach which is apparently rejecting the rest of my body.  at any rate, here’s the pic for the day:

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