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Running water. Do you really appreciate running water? Do you take it for granted? Running water after a broken pipe, very upset sweet man, no plumber available until 22 hours after the water was shut off .. running water is so pretty! Poor guy. I felt so horrible. He was fixing a leak and the pipe just busted right off! He was so mad I think he could have pulled the pipe right out of the side of our home. Luckily he is so inventive that he was able to take a shower with the broken pipe AND not flooding the neighbor or the street. I love it when a problem is resolved with little to no damage. Running water is so nice!

So before the water was fixed the hummingbirds came back! Luckily I was able to work from home and in a pass through the kitchen saw this little guy come back! So I cranked up the ISO and the Shutter speed to "stop" the wings and here is what I got. He is a little afraid of me still so I haven't moved into the yard to sit and watch them yet. I'm hoping they will get use to me soon so I can get better pictures of them. He is so colorful!

My favorite!

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When the azalea's were planted the second thought that came to mind was water ... the water run off from the house was going to smash them into nothingness. So that sweet man of mine went to Lowe's (again) and came back with gutters to save the bushes. What a great guy ... and they look wonderful!

And, while I was admiring the new gutter system I noticed buds on my tea cup roses!! How cool!! They will be able to bloom and stay in bloom for so much longer without the run off water from the house beating them to death! I'm so excited!!!

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Since we moved into our home Lowe's has been really good to us. First it was a great coupon for a lot off of supplies to fix our water leak, then a really good deal on the paint for our walls, then wonderful lights for our kitchen at a REALLY good price and now an amazing microwave for so little it was amazing. Certainly worth a PAD! Thanks honey!

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This is totally for Lisa. She perfected this shot several weeks ago and at the wedding we shot on Saturday we spent maybe 8 minutes and just a few adjustments of the flash light. Lisa ... you ROCK with making amazing shots possible! Thank you guys so very much for all of your time, help and support. What a great wedding project this turned out to be.

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HUMMINGBIRDS!!!

Mom told me she had put her hummingbird feeders out over the weekend and that she had 2 birds already. I finally hung my feeders up this morning ... and guess what? THREE came back to the feeders. I guess they forgot about the bees last year! And I'm trying to make up for a bunch of days without pictures.

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Beautiful purple roses for use at a wedding in 2 days.

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On Saturday night there was a dinner at the rodeo, missed Brad Paisley but had a great time. The centerpieces were these beautiful roses with some colored daisies. A few roses made it to the house with us after the dinner ... still beautiful after a couple of days at home.

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Progress!! Azaleas in the ground! I know they look a little small at the moment but next year they will be so full of blooms!!!

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On the last day of the rodeo was the breeding heifer show in the livestock arena. What happens when you show breeding heifers? Baby calves! This little guy was only 8 hours old when his mom was going into the picture area because she won reserve champion! He was so darn cute!! I only had my cell phone to take pictures with but what an adorable baby!!! The rodeo was so much fun this year!

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During the rodeo as if there were not already enough things going on ... the flower beds were getting worked on too. This is progress after Jason pulled the shrubs out of the ground with the truck there was a lot of clean up to do. So many weeds, roots and bugs to clean up!

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I took the pedals off the stems today ... they lined up so well!

Jason's PADs

It is a little hard to see but there are two bucks in the cemetery by a headstone ... I'm rubbing off on the sweet man! First I was exposed to the values at the cemetery (thanks Judy) and now it's rubbing off on Jason.

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Last shots before the pedals are donated to the collection. My sweet man gives me flowers for no real reason some times and I have them all in the vases he delivered them in. Funny thing is before these were delivered I made the comment I was running out of room in my vases for the pedals. Smarty pants bought flowers in a vase this time! Beautiful, only last for a few days but last forever in my mind.

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How often can you get this shot? No often .. but I was lucky this day! We ended up sitting right behind the shoots

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It's rodeo time in Houston and this is one of my favorite events at the rodeo. Mutten Busten! Yep! Kiddos from 5 to 6 years old are given the task of riding a lamb for about 30 feet or so in a pin. It is HILARIOUS!! I loved this shot for my PAD because of the boot in mid air. This young lady won this round by riding the lamb about 29 1/2 feet and ate the dirt at the last minute. She won a huge belt buckle and an interview on the biggest screen in Houston. What a proud Momma she has!!

I know I am going to be a few PAD's short this month with all of the rodeo activities I have going on so I wanted to add a few extra's. These bull riders gave their all but fell a few seconds short of an 8 second ride. But check out the height on these "little" bulls. HA! 1200lbs + bouncing you around like a toy. Go bull riders Go!

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There is nothing like grabbing your camera before you leave the house and on the drive in thinking, why did I do that? And then, taking it into the office with you because you know better than to leave it in the car thinking, why did I do this today? Deciding to find a recycle bin at lunch and happen to take the camera with you thinking, again why did I do this to myself? Getting lost because the retriever was not where it was suppose to be thinking, why did I do this to myself for recycling? While looking for directions to the next supposed retriever location ... look up from the stop sign and saying to yourself ... THAT'S WHY!!!

BLUEBONNETS!!!! I FOUND BLUEBONNETS!!!
Yes they were in someones yard and no there were not a lot of them ... BUT THEY WERE BLOOMING!!! It is going to be Spring. We are going to have blooms!!! YEAH!

Ok, now back to the real world I live in. Work!

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After a rough and busy couple of weeks ... a special delivery, by a sweet man to my office this morning. What a beautiful start to the day. What a sweet guy that I get to spend my days with.

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Rodeo find ...

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Birthday parties are so much more fun when the play ground has water on it ... certainly under the swings!

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A cold evening at the rodeo carnival.

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Howdy! Howdy

The official mascot for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is Howdy. The proper salutation is "Howdy!". I wish the picture of us together would have come out better but it didn't. So Howdy, Howdy!

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Commit for Life ... blood and platelet donations over the last year on behalf of family and friends (Dillon and Glenn) have resulted in a points system with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center that I didn't know existed when I went to help my family. This watch was waiting for me on when we arrived home exhausted from the cookoff.

Makes me smile when I think of a little boy that belongs to a life long friend of mine who had open heart surgery this year. He was two and needed blood donations for his surgery. We now share a sweet friend (his momma), a last name, a blood type ... and shared blood.

Also makes me sad and smile at the same time to know that the platelets from my donations are going to treat children with cancer. You see my blood type is best for saving lives through platelet donations and transfusions.

What is your type? Could you spare a pint from time to time to save one of your friends? How about an Uncle that is more precious than he knows? Consider it ... donate if you can, please.

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Christmas present that will soon be used in the front lawn. Tractor water hose attachment ... can't wait to see how it works!!

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A mountain of dirty clothes usually means a basket of warm clothes eventually. Tigger takes FULL advantage of those fresh baskets of warm clean clothes for nap time!

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Sunday after the cookoff was a BUSY day ... so no PAD for me. I didn't think a mountain of dirty clothes would be appropriate!

When I got home on Monday afternoon I noticed something strange in our yard. There was green on the tree. GREEN on the tree!!! Spring is coming! Spring is coming! It's true!! It's true, it's really true!

So this is for Lisa ... there is a new season coming and flowers are certainly in our future!

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Hoo Cares Kookers and Smokin Strokers teams combined for a great 2011 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World Championship Bar-B-Que Cookoff. What a great looking bunch!

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When I was a little girl my grandma decided it would be a great field trip to visit the Budweiser Brewery on I10 at 610. At that time the Clydesdales were housed there, there was a garden and a real tour of the brewery part of the plant. It was a great trip from what I remember and we had a good time with our grandma. Before we left she took our pictures individually under the snout of the "fake" clydesdale at the entry. I was so short that I fit under his snout and still had some space above my head. 


While at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World Championship Bar-b-que cookoff this year you will now understand my excitement at the site of a clydesdale! I was so excited I asked Jason to walk back with me to get the picture so I could put them side by side and have them to share with you for my PAD. Well, here is the one from Friday but I can't find the one from when I was little. I am in search and when it comes around I will certainly post it.


What a wonderful memory on a work filled day at the cookoff. Love you Gma!!


(I think my numbering was off for the previous day so I'm catching up!)