Is it Coming soon?

Winter. February. Cold. Dark. Broke. A bad dream....every night. Cold.

These are all words that describe February in my world. You forget the possibilities and hibernate. Then someone on facebook says it is 70 degrees where they are and you can not fathom what that is. Summer is a distant memory, something you know happened and you know was good, but cant quite get a grasp of a coming summer.

Days like this, is when I need a blog reminder.

DAY 4-5 IN JULY 2009
We finally found a spot to set up our camp. It was just down the road at milepost 45 on Chena Hot Springs Rd. The temperature was 81 degrees. We pulled down a little road and there sat a fishing pond full of Grayling. No one was there and all you could see was the reflection of the sky and trees on the water. You couldn't have asked for a better spot. So, off we went setting up our camp.

The day went on, the kids swam in the shallow pond, and fished on the raft . It was pretty relaxing...until the mosquito's decided to join us by the thousands. I never knew there were so many mosquito's. We were running out of bug dope too. The poor kids and I got so many bites that by the end of the day, I was hiding in the tent.
Morgan, Trey, and Andy spent hours fishing for grayling. Trey was getting upset because Morgan was out fishing him. At one point she caught 2 at the same time. Mattie on the other hand loved the water and loved running around naked. I couldn't keep her clothes on her. She just swam and played in the water with her baby doll. We all got to bed at 11pm and woke up at 9:30am. You can't tell what time it is because it is always light. But the next morning it was hot! 75 when we woke up and it just got hotter from there. I had to run and get more ice and bug spray from a local grocery store about 30 miles away. On my way a moose walked right in front of me. They were everywhere. The temperature got up to 89 degrees that day and we were all hot and sun burnt. Camped next to us was a couple from India...Sir Lanca that is. They told us all about their journey through life. They came from a different country and had worked their whole life to get to where they are now. They were the nicest people and full of wisdom. They even fed Andy and I real India food...let me tell ya, that stuff is hot! I think it was hotter than the temperature outside and they were laughing at me....yeah, I should feed them moose heart..
Before I went to bed, I took a picture of the still, calm lake we would be leaving in the morning and the storm clouds that came in that night.

Happy 6th Birthday Morgan

Remember this little girl? Well, I remember when she was born and now she is 6 years old!
Happy Birthday Morgan!
Morgan, You are such a great girl and I'm glad your part of our family. Have a great day at school!
Love, Mom

WHILE IT IS FRESH ON MY MIND

I just spent 2 hours figuring out my monthly budget.
Outcome: FRUSTRATING
Reality: Ugly and Unpredictable
Goals: HOPEFUL

Monthly bills (the ones that will always be there), takes 41% of our monthly income. Gone...out the door before we even say hello.

Credit Card bills were 11% of our monthly income. Gone and never to be seen again for any kind of investment. That really hurts. What is even worse about that is 33% of my 11% goes to fees and interest. Ouch.

Then the controllable funds, like food, household, misc. spending was a little on the high side at 36% of our income. I have to take into consideration, this is the FIRST of the year and all the yearly bills come during this month. January. (Such as a 650.00 yearly maintenance fee on a timeshare, ). Next month, all the overage should go into savings, which is kinda cool.

Halfway through the week I did have some breakdowns and some luck with good deals. I bought 11 yards of black swayed fabric, for a backdrop and got it as a future investment (I like to call my purchases investments. It doesn't make it so bad to buy then.) But did I NEED it? Well, I think I do. I think I should have a whole budget for "Photography" like Andy has one for "Hunting".
I also did some coupon shopping at Fred Meyers and Safeway. I was really happy with 1 purchase: I got a 10 pound prime rib and a whole shopping cart full of groceries for 80.00.

MY MOTIVATION: To beable to move out of Juneau. Out of all the things...yes it's that.

I AM HOPEFUL. Why do I feel hopeful after only being able to put away a measly 83.00 into savings? Because, there has to be hope. It's like running a mile and trying to beat it the next time. It's like starting a book and finishing it to get to the end. It is a challenge for me to try and save money, and be in control. I don't want money to stop me from doing fun activities in life, so insted I budget and hope it gets me somewhere comfortable.

Frozen Park

Yesterday was a beautiful winter day. A couple neighbor boys came over for the day so we all ventured across the street for some fun. It was the first time I have streched my legs and got outside this winter. I have to admit, getting out, even in the cold, is refreshing. You breath fresh air and feel the heat from the sun.

Here is a little from our trip.

Mattie loves the swings. She loves everything about the park and being able to get out and run. She loves her brother and sister and follows them around, trying to do everything they do.

Morgan is such a sweet spirit. She is getting so big. She is a little afraid of the monkey bars and the spider web.

Trey. The ring leader of the pack (well, he likes to think so). He is going to make an excellent big brother to this future little brother.

.Morgan scared on the spider web...

GO HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF OUR TRIP TO THE PARK..

POST EDITING FUN

I have fun with post editing. The pictures look much more artistic.

Just what I like.

JANUARY 2010

I still don't believe in global warming... nope. It needs to be a little warmer.

NEW BABY PRINCESS

I had a photo shoot today with a new, 2 month old baby girl. Not only that, but she was born 2 months pre-mature. Sooo small. But oh so fun!!!

baby and Mom

baby and dad

special delivery

Prayer Rock

Prayer rocks are used to remind you to pray every night before you go to bed and when you wake up. So today, when praying to our heavenly father, please remember us.

My grandma has experienced problems this last week. Her memmory is going fast and she has had a couple little strokes this week. She will not go to the doctors and it is just a matter of time...

Please pray for my grandma, Marilyn Thomas. Pray that no matter what happens, she will not be in pain.

Pray for my mom, Debbie. Pray that she can get through this hard time. It's hard to see your own mom hurting,-- and watching from a distance at that.

The Ultrasound Results

SOOOOO!!! I know your all waiting to hear what the ultrasound came back as. So first I want to say, the baby is very healthy and active. But second is, it is 98% sure that we will be having a boy!

A little boy...wow. I am feeling happy in a humble way. Andy is VERY excited. The kids are happy as can be, and Andy's grandpa Troy, is ecstatic! I'm sure we will be seeing alot of camo apparel coming our way in the coming months, it is to be expected from the Vaughns. (Even if it was a girl, I would see camo.)

I am glad it will be another 5 months until this future little boy arrives. It gives me time to spend with the other 3, get my house organized, and just enjoy the time I have now. It also gives me time to ponder all the things that a little boy will bring to the family: A son to love, and a brother that will be a protector for their sisters...And 2 future men with 4 built-in guns. for we all know, the military rifle mounted on the roof of the house would be nice. Jail time would not...unfortunately. (sigh....)

19 Weeks

I am now officially 19 weeks along in my last road of pregnancy.

I thought I would stamp my blog with a picture of myself 19 weeks along. So far my cravings are:
1.reeses
2. pepercinis
3. tuna-fish sandwiches with pickles
4. fresh fruit
The baby started moving around about 6 days ago. I think Mattie moved the most out of all my children.
My first ultrasound is on Friday.. I guess we will just have to wait and see. Very exciting...is it going to be the first Vaughn boy to carry on the Vaughn name?...If not, it's up to Timmy.

Another snowy day here at the Vaughns, in Alaska.

POLAR SWIM

One thing I would like to do before I leave Alaska is to go for a Polar Swim. This is where you jump into the frigid cold Alaskan Ocean, in the winter.
...I mean, COME ON...wouldn't that be something to say-- that you SWAM in the Alaskan waters in the middle of winter?? That is something not Everyone would say.

So what do you say, you want to join me? Anyone? Seriously??...

Your not going to leave me stranded are you?

Ok, well I will just leave you to think about it with this cool picture I found.

Budgeting Part 2

Budgeting for the first time brings awareness and hope, along with struggles and adjustments. I love how money can be described as "financial bondage." I can tell, budgeting is one step into letting loose of those chains.

2 weeks after budgeting, I sat down and wrote everything out. What came in, and what went out. I noticed that with one particular credit card, I was spending more than I was putting back on. Which in effect, created credit card debt over the years. In 2 weeks I spent 370.00 more than I paid back.

This is good because now, I am aware.
Conquering the credit cards is good. We have TALKED about how we would like to pay off credit cards by the end of the year, but in all reality, it would take alot of work. So, I broke down the balances and divided it by 12/months. It gave me a ballpark figure of what would be coming out of every paycheck for the next year. It was painful..

Again, this is good because now, I am aware.

My groceries. I spent 235.00 in 2 weeks. Not too bad, only 35.00 off of my budget. My house does feel bare and I don't like the feeling that we are out of food. Before when it got like this, I would just run to the store and buy something healthy, fresh, and filling. This is really hard for me. I didn't think it would be this hard, but it is.. I'm hoping couponing and better meal planning this next week will help to eat healthy in a budget.

Understanding my utilities and daily expenses. Money that is always the same, month to month. It is amazing how much of the income goes toward living. Things that are needs (electricity), and things that are wants (cable tv, cell phones).

Just like in any new goal, you have parts where you get discouraged and don't WANT to follow the plan at hand. I have hope for the next 2 weeks, that we can continue to focus on financial goals and see at the end of the month, how the outlook for 2010 is.

Dear Mom

My Dear Mom,
Will you please mail me my tripod that I left at your house a couple of months ago? I really need it. My pictures are always fuzzy because I have to hold my camera in my hand. Sometimes I even have to hold my breath to get the picture steady enough. Just take a look at Duke.
So anyway, I know It was my fault but can you please send it to me ASAP?
Love,
Bethany

...I know, it is sad.

FLOODING

Rapid melting snow and a frozen solid ground, brings on flooding. Large puddles of water fill my yard. The girls wanted to go and jump in the puddles. They spent over an hour outside playing with buckets and jumping in the puddles. It's good for kids to explore. And explore together.There is definately a bond forming between the 2 sisters.

Time to warm up.

Weather

The weather this week has been cold and wet. We have been staying indoors, hibernating.

Duke goes outside no matter what the weather.

It is expected-- living in a rain-forest in the middle of Alaska

Unique environment.

Highlights of the Week

This weeks highlights include:

-Cleaning the garage (the most disgusting job IN THE WORLD)

-Getting to world 2 level 5 on Mario Brothers


-Going to Lunch with the kids at School. That was so cool. It's fun to see how your kids react when you surprise them.

-Creating a chore chart and everyone completing there tasks. 4th day straight. Not only does it help me, but I'm glad the kids are learning about organization. Trey is a good cleaner and does his job. Morgan complains the whole time...but likes the results after.

-Shopped less...but It feels like I'm spending more. I tried to stay under 200.00 and I think I am up to 210.00 after today. The part isn't the food...it's all the other things like tp, laundry soap,..ect. What will be nice is to find out exactly where all the money is going and then see where I can cut back. I hope I have a great story like:
"I started budgeting and I made 800.00...."
...but, I don't think it will be that dramatic.

-Last but not least, I got out of the house today and made it to a babyshower. I bought a homemade bath towel from here, a friend of mine. Along with the towel, I gave her a gift certificate for "A photo session" by me. I'm really excited to be able to share a talent, and give it as a gift.

Strength in Marriage

It is good to recall good times especially when times are hard. Recently, Andy and I had a heart to heart (which is good for me). It's good that we talked. And now, a week later, we are still working. That is our marriage, finding ways to work together. Finding ways to meet each others needs.

A little over a year ago, I wrote this story and thought I would read it again. And then I read the comments. My dad wrote:
"It is good to recall good times, especially when times are hard." That is exactly the feelings I get reading this. It's all the little things that brought us together. That is amazing to me.

Here is my story if any of you would like to read it.

New Years Eve 2009

I'm usually the one to go to bed when the east coast ball drops, but this year I was going out. We got invited over to a friends house on New Years Eve. When we got there, it reminded me of my life growing up, in a house full of kids. There was so much noise, but it's all happy noises of children being kids. This was a good way to bring in the New Year and I was glad I wasn't at home in bed.

Here are some pictures from that night. I stole Franks camera lens and played around with it. Frank is my camera...genius. He has all the answers. Not only that, but his pictures are amazing. He helped me to understand f/stops a little more than I did. His lens goes down to a f/1.4, which is amazing focus. I am still trying to figure out f/stops. It is really hard for my brain to wrap around.

f/1.4 (on your camera, use the function Av)
Trey is in focus in this picture as the other boys are part of the background. (Tells a story more with this focus)

f/1.4
Morgan is in complete focus. She is my subject. The girl behind her is in the background.(again...tells a story)

f/2.5
The focus is on her foot... and almost halfway up her leg. This is because an f/2.5 is 2x as much focus as a f/1.4. The girls leg is also at a different distance from your camera.. as you move up her leg.

f/1.4
Mattie's face, her hand, and part of the chair are all in focus. Everything behind her is not.

This one is my favorite. f/1.4

The focus is on the bright scissors.You can really see what she is doing BECAUSE of where the focus is. This is what the f/stop is good for. Focusing on a smaller area...or a larger area.

There is alot more to it than this...trust me. Like I said, I just scratched the surface on f/stops. But it's alot of fun from my prospective. I can see, I could get really creative with this function.