pictures coming tomorrow...

april 26th

i ushered at the salem home today. went to church. canceled a photo session. did some scrap-booking. grilled dinner. did other household things. enjoyed some ice cream and went to bed.
more tomorrow...

april 25th

we were supposed to get up early today and get stuff done. stuff being photo props made. we didn't get up early and didn't get props made. but we did go to littlefields and help make park benches. it was fun. cold, but fun.
matt and i put up barn boards in the rain in case the photo shoot i have tomorrow gets canceled.
then i went to the grand march in exira and didn't stay long. lots of pretty dresses though.
i went home and spent the evening reading and relaxing.
more tomorrow...

april 24th

turning the ugly shed into useful photo backgrounds.

i attended the salem lutheran homes volunteer appreciation luncheon for two reasons... the first being because i volunteer and the second because i had to take pictures for me. it was a nice lunch, but mostly old people. i think it's sad that not that many young people take the time to volunteer. i'm not saying i'm better than some because i volunteer, it would just be nice to see more young people help-out.
i went to atlantic to get a refill on a prescription and when i was at hy-vee i stopped by the floral shop to say hi and a lady i used to work with was there helping with prom flowers. tracy was so much fun to work with! she has a good work ethic and can enjoy her self at the same time. i miss working there. i really liked everyone i worked with. maybe someday i'll be able to help out again.
i invited my parents and the kids to our house to grill since they were going to be helping put up some barn boards, we got a lot done and matt and i will finish tomorrow.
more tomorrow...

april 23rd

i spent most of the day helping my dad tear down barn boards that are on an old shed at their house. they want the shed down and i want the boards. it was sooo windy today and that made it extra hard to get a hold of the boards before the wind grabbed them. once we got enough boards we loaded them on a trailer along with a tractor tire, a wagon wheel, 2 more old wagon wheels, logs, an old bike from the 50's and a window frame. these items equal some great photo scenes. we got everything loaded and i went home and matt and i grilled tonight and i missed samantha who again! i think i'm going to stop trying to watch it on tv and just catch it online.
more tomorrow...

april 22nd

didn't do much today. wandered around a shed at my parents looking for some rustic photo props and random things. i asked my dad if he had an old tractor tire somewhere and then he disappeared and my mom and i heard the tractor going. we didn't think to much of it and then mom went to check on dad and that's when she called me over to look what he was doing... he was stuck in the ditch, in the tractor trying to grab a tire with the lifter thing. my first reaction was to run in the house and grab the camera. then their neighbor drove by and got his tractor to pull my dad's tractor out, along with this tire. it was too funny. but he did have a tire for me. :o)

april 21st

the digging is done.

i'm sick of sinus infections! i've had one for three months and antibiotics don't seem to get rid of it completely.
we dug, and dug, and dug some more today. we're pretty much done with the digging, now all that is left is fixing the crack!

april 20th

we went to steffenies for lunch and she had this delicious chicken sandwich with salsa and avocados...yum!
the dreaded digging started tonight. he have to dig a 3 foot section on the outside of our house to fix a crack. since we had the inside of the basement fixed this winter, now we have to fix the outside. it's a good think it's only in one spot! we spent the entire night digging and then we grilled kind of late. so much for watching dancing with the stars tonight. i guess i haven't been to into it this season. there are to many shows on and i try to limit my tv time.
more tomorrow...

april 19th

matt helped me make a few photo backdrops.

i planted, i should say my mom did...planted some lettuce in a planter to set outside my door and transplanted some lily's.
a lady called me today to schedule a time for her children that with be seniors next year and they are twins... i can't wait!
later in the day matt helped me put together a photo backdrop and we both had a really good time. this week we plan to get started on a few outdoor scenes.
more tomorrow...

april 18th

we got all of the rock scooped up and some time next week we will start digging. i didn't do much today, but clean and the usual boring daily things.
more tomorrow...

april 17th

these are not clogs. they are garden shoes! i don't like clogs.

lilo had a grooming appointment today and as usual she was pissed. but, oh she is so soft and fluffy and she smelly so nice! she tried to dig in the dirt when we got home...and by we i mean her and i...i had to stop her because she just had a pedicure, silly girl. ha, my dog makes me extra nuts.
i scooped up rock most of the afternoon with the help of my dad and matt when matt got done with work. i used my new garden gloves and garden shoes that i got for $3 at orshclen's.
matt and i are pretty boring people and we like it that way... we watched house hunters and other hgtv shows all night with the windows open enjoy the fresh air and doing nothing.
more tomorrow...

april 15th

hehehe! lilo looking at me through the screen.

i spent most of the morning cleaning our windows. i absolutely love the fact that i'm able to do this and they are sparkly clean and clear. new windows are so much fun to clean too. they fold out and you can clean both sides... but i sure did learn quick on the big windows in our living room. the first time i cleaned them i got my finger stuck and i was by myself squealing and trying not to drop the window, somehow i managed to free my finger. anyways...they're clean!
more tomorrow...

april 16th

the new hair cut.

i got my hair cut today! finally. finally. finally. i grew my hair out for locks of love and i must say i don't miss my hair and i'm glad that someone else will be able to use it.
renee had to divide my hair in sections and then cut it because it was so thick and there was so much hair. so, she sectioned it, then cut it and last she braided it together. then it was gone! and i have a new style to enjoy. i can't wait to take a shower and wash my hair in half the time it took me before.
dylan had a track meet in adair and my dad, trena and i went. i took pictures for the paper since elk horn jr high was there and i took pictures of exira kids too. dylan did really well for his first track meet. i could tell he was nervous though. it lasted longer than i wanted to be there, but oh well. it got chilly fast and my fingers were numb from holding the camera.
i missed my favorite show tonight, samantha who...thank goodness for online watching!
more tomorrow...

and another picture.

april 14th

check out this cute little baby car i was parked by in atlantic.

i felt like i did a lot of "going" today. wednesday are usually my day for errands, but i want to sleep in tomorrow. i got groceries, went to the insurance company, evil walmart, the post office (which i stood in line for 25 minutes! ridiculous.) and then i had to hurry home and unload groceries and organize myself to pick up six kids for a mandatory 4-h meeting so they can show animals. i didn't forget any children and then didn't get home until about a quarter til 10 pm.
good thing i get to sleep in tomorrow.
more tomorrow...

april 13th

these are the tulips i'm trying to keep alive.

i'm going to miss mel. i'll miss our lunch dates. our totally random conversations. her dance moves. i'll miss her music choices. i'll miss bringing her cookies. i'll miss her honesty. i'll miss HER! you see, the newspaper has sold. (lets cross our fingers though) and i'm so happy for her. she's had it on the market over a year and she was beginning to feel like it was never going to sell. i'll post more when i'm able, i'm not supposed to say much. :o) matt and i grilled today and did a little more yard work. lydia rescued some tulips and i really like yellow tulips and i'm trying to rescue them back to health. we'll see how they do. more tomorrow...

april 12th

a sign of spring!

happy easter! christ has risen, he has risen indeed.
let's see... today i went to church and then to mother marxen's for lunch then to my parents in the afternoon for an easter egg hunt that was super fun! i think it may be more fun when the kids are bigger and you can hide them better and watch them hunt.
then i went home and uploaded some pictures to my smugmug.
and matt was pretending he was a photographer with my camera and taking pictures of lilo. what a goof.
more tomorrow...

april 11th

fun day! i made some graduation invites for a girl and then i had a photo session in the late afternoon. a little guy that is 10 months old and i went to high school with both parents and gosh... abby and joe's little guy austin is adorable! he's so happy and you can tell they are amazing parents. it was super easy to take his pictures too.
i don't know why, but before i take photos... i start sweating a little. i get sort of nervous, but i love taking pictures. most photographers visualize the scenes they'll use and i've tried but i can't. so when the people arrive, everything comes to me and i have no problems figuring out what i'm going to use. i don't know why i worry beforehand since everything goes smoothly. i just do, i guess.
later in the evening beth, lydia and i enjoyed some ice cream.
more tomorrow...

april 10th

this the scene of the last supper at the diorama.

blah. i pretty much did nothing all day. except working on my damn website. i'm so sick of it! i just want to be done with it. almost though, almost.
matt and i grilled some fillet-minion and grilled potatoes with peas. yum yum! matt is a good griller and i'm a good pre-prepper of the food.
and i went to good friday services with lydia and it was about the rooster. then we went to the diorama that the exira lutheran church puts on and it was a perfect night for that event, not to chilly.
more tomorrow...

april 9th

notice lilo in this picture and if you can look at what is in our front yard, the neighbors dog. it drives her nuts and with it's "evening business" in our yard is starting to drive us nuts too.

i'm so out of shape. i could barely move this morning because of all the raking i did. i did some stretches i learned ( and i must say it's amazing i remember) in therapy and then i could move.
i've had my days all mixed up this week since there wasn't lenten services on wednesday.
matt came home from work really up-set today... they laid off around 35 guys. luckily he wasn't one of them. he found out that the owner had been watching the guys and one gal all week to see who stands around and who works and he also based his decision on what guys were the most useful and which ones knew the most in each section. again, luckily matt works hard.
we talked for most of the night about how he's upset that some of the guys he became friends with were gone.
more tomorrow...

april 8th

pictures this morning!
a girl i went to school with, her little girl gracie has the most beautiful eyes! i did her pictures and went to upload them and was like, shit why aren't they showing up? then i realized my cf card took a crap! i was so embarrassed and worried! i went to atlantic to get a new one from radio shack and then back home and i explained the situation to tabby and she was sooo understanding. she brought gracie back around 6 and i took them again. lesson learned, don't use a used cf card.
i raked twigs and leaves for about 4-5 hours today and it was so nice out...but my allergies are acting up. bummer!
then matt and i loaded up the twigs/brush and leaves and hauled them to the dump.
more tomorrow...

april 7th

we worked kind of late today. we had a long lunch at the danish inn and we weren't in a hurry. i like my boss so much. she cracks me up each day we work together, with her dance moves and facial expressions.
then i went to bible study, there is a new gal that started going and i like her. she's very knowledgeable and i like to hear her opinions. next week we start a new chapter.
more tomorrow...

april 6th

the sequel.

usual day. i got the sequel to garden of lies and will have to start reading it soon.
i made matt's favorite tonight, stir-fry with lots of veggies. them after dinner i finished up a photo book that i'm making for a senior girl i photographed. i hope she'll be happy with it, i am.
blah. i'm tired.
more tomorrow...

april 5th

picture of dylan goes "here"

dylan got confirmed today and he looked so nice and he was proud. we had lunch to celebrate his milestone.
then i went home and read the rest of the afternoon and into the evening and finished my book. it was good. i'll have to get the sequel tomorrow.

april 4th

my durango up on the lift...before nathan broke it...

i slept in and enjoyed every minute of it! i had a 4-h meeting and work-shop today at littlefields. the kids made park benches and i must say that if matt, my dad and a few other guys weren't there...we never would have made them right. it was tricky. i had to leave the meeting a bit early because i had a photo session. and i must say that it was so fun! katie, i girl i graduated with has a little boy that is adorable and he's so happy! i took pictures for her and i hope she's happy with them. then, nathan was going to fix a squeak in my tire and he broke something during the process and he couldn't get the part until monday...so we decided to make the best out of the night and went to the feedlot, me, matt, becky and nathan. it was good, but not super good. i found a fish bone in my salmon and almost choked. i was up till 3 or 4 reading and i pissed matt off with the lamp on. whoops. more tomorrow...

april 3rd

the book that i'm reading...

i had to run a few errands in atlantic today and get lilo more medicine. i wish i could get her meds in bulk so i don't constantly feel like i'm going to the vet's office, but you can only get them in packs of 14...maybe people like to take them too? who knows. i read most of the afternoon, i haven't read for a while and i needed to get lost in a good book.

april 2nd

here are the shirts for the summer reading program!

i did my usual boring things today and then i went to tasha's track meet and it was frickin' windy. when i got home i went to the library in the evening to say hi to my friend lydia. she let me know of the summer reading program being held in june this year and asked for my help again...of course i will, but i love this year's theme, it's "be creative" which means, theater, music, art... i think the kids and big kids will have a good time. i realized when i got home that i missed samantha who and i'll have to catch it online. more tomorrow...

april 1st

these earrings becca gave me a few years ago and i wore them tonight. they make me smile.

i made apple strip bars for the soup supper tonight and picked katrena up after school and went to audubon to take matt's truck title to the courthouse and then i went to the present company to get dylan a confirmation present and to get the kids something for easter. the soup supper was good as usual and then we had services. i've made it to all so far and i hope to make it to maundy thursday service and good friday as well. the first week was about the fox and he revealed a homeless savior, the second was about the donkey and she revealed a peaceful savior, the third week was the dove and how he revealed and angry savior, the fourth was a camel and he revealed a warning savior, the fifth week was about a hen revealing a grieving savior and the last week was a vulture reveals a coming savior. there are three more lenten services left and i think it's the lamb, the rooster and the fish. then i took a 7th grader home for a lady and then went home and read for a bit. more tomorrow...

march 31st

here is a view of my hair. i only have an inch left before i donate it to locks of love. i'm beginning to think my hair has reached a growing point and it's starting to bug me.

i wonder if march went out like a lion today since it was cold and windy? i don't know if that saying is true or not. i was crabby today. i just want a migraine free day. it was bad today, i haven't had one this bad in a while. nothing would help it. i didn't go to bible study tonight because i took four tylenol pm and went to bed. more tomorrow...

march 30th

my name is jen marxen. my name tag for leadership training.

crap, i was late for work and good thing mel doesn't care. i was so excited to go to the pear tree for lunch and then mel told me sue, the lady who owns it, closed it for good on sunday. i guess she's really really the tug on the economy and especially in a small town. plus, she runs it by herself and she has to be tired. i know i would! anyways, she gave mel a gallon of my favorite soup that she makes, it's corn chowder. and it's so yummy. so, we went to her house and ate lunch and she showed me her flowers that were coming up. i didn't have time for much when i got home because i had to hurry and get to leadership training for 4-h. since i've attended both sessions this year i got an iowa state university mug. and training lasted a couple of hours and as usual it was fun and informative too. more tomorrow...