Mice, Ducks & a Dog

This week's Camera Critters featured animals are Disney-related.
From our trip to Disney World in June.

They count as critters, right?

Maybe?

Kind of.

What IS Goofy??

Grab a camera and a critter and join Camera Critters!

Tequila Diamonds

Did you know that someone actually made diamonds out of tequila?

I kid you not.


And it just figures that the researchers who discovered this were in Mexico,
where Tequila is the country's national drink.

What else could we use to make diamonds?

strawberry daiquiris?
Bud Lite?
Cat's pee?

The possibilities are endless...in my mind.

I wish I'd thought of it first

I sent one to my sister for her birthday.
I sent one to my mom and step dad for all they've done for me.
I sent one to my in-laws.

What am I talking about?

Greeting cards.



But, I don't have time to stop by the store and browse cards.
I went online and did it through Send Out Cards.

I won a free subscription to them on Screwed Up Texan's site.
They're awesome.
Why didn't I think of it first?

A concept and service that is changing people's lives.

You can send a printed greeting card with your message in Less than 60 Seconds.

• Choose your card
• Write your message
• Click send

SendOutCards prints it, stuffs it and mails it, all for less than a greeting card at the store.

Getting a card in the mail from friends or family is such a wonderful pick me up.





It's an excellent way to reach out to someone you haven't talk to in a while.
I'm a huge email person, but I love to send out cards every now and then.

I wish I'd thought of it first!

And, the other day, I saw a car with their advertisement on it, in Plano!
It's a small world.

It was better than fireworks

I love thunderstorms.

(I did a Google search and found there are groups for people who love thunderstorms...)

Right before the storm, the wind picks up.
You can smell the negatively-charged ions in the air.
The negatively charged ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain,
which increases mood, alertness and mental energy.
You can literally "feel" the change.

As our storm rolled in, we sat outside watching the amazing lightning show.
and I tried to capture photos.

But most my photos ended up looking just like this one:

But every now and then I caught a tiny bit...

We were literally seeing jagged lightning going horizontally in the sky.
It was a Shock & Awe kind of storm.

I once read an amazing book about someone who was struck by lightning twice.

I'm afraid this storm kicked my butt in the photography department.
I'm going to need a lot more practice trying to photograph lightning.

This was my masterpiece of the evening:

Do you revel in a good thunderstorm?
Or do you hide in bed under the covers with a flashlight?

Prickly pear cactus lamps and an antler chandelier

Say the title of this post three times fast.
hehe

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

I have a guilty pleasure.

I love, receiving in the mail, the King Ranch Saddle Shop catalog.

When it arrives, I lust over it.
If I had tons of money...and a house of my own...
I'd totally decorate it completely out of this catalog.

I love the earthly, ranch look.

I'd take everything in these photos.
Give me the cattle too.

I'd be in heaven.

The rich colors.
The lived-in feel.

I love it.

Where else could you find a metal, prickly pear lamp?!

Or an antler chandelier?!

Nothing quite says "Texas" like an antler coat rack.

Or a Zapotec pillow in bright colors on your leather couch.

This bed is calling my name.
"Rhea, Rhea, Rhea..."

Screw Regency or Victorian or any of those eras.

Give me good ole Texas ranch style any day.

Now you know my secret pleasure.

What catalog would you decorate your house out of?

I have to do this occasionally. I can't help it.

My 12-year-old son amazes me.

He's so smart and funny and easy-going.
He started a new school this fall,
and every morning before school was sick & nervous.

But he has stuck with it.
I'm so proud of him.

My 7-year-old son also amazes me.

He's so different from his big brother.
But, he's also smart and funny...and not always easy-going.

Both boys have experienced a lot of change in the last few months.

And I'm so proud of how they've been handling it.

Remy's loving baseball.
Even after he swore he hated it.

Kids!

Donny's playing the trombone better these days.
He doesn't sound like a dying water buffalo anymore.

Often times they fight each other...wrestling or Nerf gun wars.
But they love each other.

And that warms my heart.

They are my heart.

All the big decisions I make in my life take them into consideration first and foremost.

And it's totally worth it.

Noctilucent Clouds might explain invisibility.

From down here on Earth, clouds look substantial.
Like you could jump on one and watch a ride.

(Did you hear about NASA using a rocket to study noctilucent clouds?)

We once thought we were the center of the universe.

And that the world was flat.

I wonder what huge revelation is next?