I'm a Mom keeping my kids busy this summer.

And by keeping them busy, I'm having a hard time keeping up with my blogging. As you all can tell. We've had birthdays and Father's Day and water slide days and park days and....well you get the picture. Now it is July and I should get it together. Doesn't mean I will.

Do you want a short recap of the last month or so? Well, who cares....I'm gonna give you one anyway.

Lilly and I both got a year older. We celebrated Lilly's birthday with a Purplicious party at my sister's clubhouse, and I celebrated mine by having a girls night at the Roller Derby. Yes, I said Roller Derby. The Salt City Derby Girls had a double Bout the night of my birthday, and we had a blast. But NO we did NOT don roller skates and join them. Although I am tempted.

Father's Day came and Seth finally got his new grill. It is the coolest thing....a gas grill and a charcoal grill all in one. Needless to say, we've been grilling a lot since then. Gonna smoke some salmon on a cedar plank soon....YUM!

I've still been going to Zumba, a little. Things got hectic, but I'm going when I can. I'm still trying to eat healthier and grilling is helping with that, but some days it is SO hard to make sure fruits and veggies are a part of every meal. I'm gonna stick with it, and get better though, I promise.

We've had many days with friends, Movie MOMS, Book Club, Classic Fun Center days, and even a great lunch at an old friend's house (something I need to do more often.) I got to see a friend I hadn't seen for a while and I met an "imaginary friend" from FB. We saw Toy Story 3 (it is soo good, go see it!) and I saw Eclipse at an early fundraising showing (not a bad movie, but I went mostly for the time with friends). I finished a book I was supposed to read for April, read the book club book for June and started on the book for July. I wish I could find the time to read more, but as hard as I try there aren't enough hours in the day. I've recently joined Good Reads, and I put my bookshelf over on the right, if you are interested.

I know I should be using my camera more, but I haven't been feeling it. And with all the water things we've been doing, I don't dare bring my camera, in fear of breaking it. I have been happy, even though I haven't been participating in The Happiness Project and I've been trying to find some good You Capture shots and I know, I know, you'll have to take my word for it since there are no pictures to prove it.

So that is our month in a very large nutshell. I wish I had more to say, or could put into words what I think about some of the current events, but most of the time I can't even get my laundry done let alone wax intelligent about the goings on in the world. I know, boring life, but it is my life and right now I really AM just a Mom.

(Forgive the lack of links....I have most of them in posts somewhere. I just am too tired to link up.)

I'm a photographer remembering to actually take pictures.

I had a hard time deciding which photo was my BEST photo this week for Beth's You Capture Challenge. I really think my best two were 1) a sky one I posted last week and 2) a pic of my son and his teacher. But I didn't get permission from his teacher to post the pic so I had to go with my third best pic of the week.  Hope you enjoy! Oh and PS I don't know if I've said this, but all of my pics are SOOC shots. I don't have any photo editing software, so I'm pretty proud of some of the what I think to be, cool pics I take. (notice I said some) And I guess I'd better take the time to say that I normally use the auto setting on my camera, but sometimes I use the "no flash" setting (well, that's what I call it.)

I'm a photographer watching the sky.

SKY. That was this weeks You Capture Challenge. So....I took out my camera yesterday to see what kind of shot I could come up with for this challenge, and the sky looked like it was winter. Partially cloudy, no sun in sight. So NOT fun. I WAS going to just wait til next week, but today's weather was more suited for a SKY challenge. Enjoy!

I'm a photographer digging in my photo archives.

OK, so I'm an amateur photographer. But I wasn't able to take the time to figure out how to change the setting on my camera to get some great Depth of Field captures for this week's You Capture challenge. So I dug into my archives and chose two that I think fit the challenge, but that I took last December. Feel free to tell me I've failed, or that I've come close, but not quite, or even that I should start getting it together to complete these challenges without having to go to my archives.

Ice Cold Dr Pepper

Tray of Copper Camel Shots

I love the second picture....it is one of my favorites. And I promise all of the shots weren't for me...they were for a table of poker playing guys. OK, OK, I'll be honest, I had a few of them myself.

Go check out the rest of the great Depth of Field captures over at Beth's.

I'm a Mom looking for "Shapes" in my everyday life.

And it was hard! Mostly because I was busy, busy, busy over the last week! My son had a Birthday (he's now 7) and between the school treats, the friends birthday party and the family birthday party finding time to find shapes was almost impossible! I realized some of the pics I took of the parties were shapes. So I'll share them here.

I know they aren't as fun as they should be, but at least I came up with something for Beth's You Capture Challenge, most weeks I don't participate cuz I can't find the time! Head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry and see the pics of people that are more creative than I am!

I'm a Mom with unusual "kisses".

I wanted to capture some authentic kisses for this week's You Capture Challenge. I have a hard time getting my kids to be good for any kind of posed picture, and I never have my camera when those spontaneous hugs and kisses occur. So today I am sharing with you the kinds of "kisses" I give on special occasions and holidays.

I made PW's Chicken-fried steak for V-Day Dinner

I made Rice Krispie Pops for a few neighbors and my family

For a special V-Day dessert I tried my hand at Cheesecake Balls

(not very pretty are they?)

I love to cook and bake and create things to show my family and friends that I love and appreciate them. It is so satisfying knowing that people enjoy the things I make, and I am proud to call these dishes my "kisses".

Now head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry and take a look at some other wonderful depictions of Kisses, and hopefully you'll get to see a few real ones.

I am a domestic engineer that Loves a few things in her home.

This week's You Capture Challenge was to capture something in our home that we love (or wait....Beth's exact words are "Love Around Your Home"). Her explanation was for us to recognize the items around our home that we love. Possibly something we would not have purchased for ourselves, but we still use because it has a special place in our hearts. Or something that makes us think "I love that" every time we pass by.

As soon as I read the challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to capture. As I looked at the photos I'd taken, I realized that I didn't quite get the look I wanted when I shot them, but I'm still sharing them with you, since I didn't have much time to take more photos. Enjoy?

This is a cross stitch my Mom did for my wedding. She had it framed an matted and added the elegant plaque with our wedding date. It matches with the birdcages we had for our centerpieces, and I got to keep one as a memento. (The snowflake ribbon is part of the winter themed decor in my living room right now, not a normal decoration)

I love my family! This is the first family picture taken after my daughter was born. It sits on my entry way table along with a Valentine's Day decoration I got as a gift. I keep the "Love" sign out all year long because it just fits. (Pardon the dust, I do not like dusting, so it's part of the "decor")

Take a look at the other wonderful You Capture challenges over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. And comment on Beth's, her captures are so sweet!

I'm a person that doesn't like winter.

Well at least not winter in Utah. When it snows, I love falling asleep to the large flakes of snow, falling silently, slowly from the slightly illuminated sky. I love waking up to the smooth, pure, undisturbed blanket that covers the trees, grass and sometimes the streets knowing I can hibernate in the house all day, wrapped in PJ's and robes, wearing slippers and carrying around a large cup of hot coffee. That is WHEN and IF it snows. Some years we have tons of snow, and there are more than enough of the above hibernation days to go around. This year however, we have NOT had a lot of snow (yet....fingers crossed) and we end up with a horrible, smoggy, disgusting inversion in the valleys. Which is where I live. We get crunchy grey snow, partially melted, used over and over with footprints that end up icing up making the world look well, gross.

That is what we've had to contend with the last few weeks. I was able to take a few pics of what winter in Utah looks like, as of this week. I am hoping for a good old fashioned storm to blow through here one night and get rid of the horrible air quality. Enjoy what winter is in Utah right now, then head on over to I Should be Folding Laundry and check out other You Capture pics, and what winter looks like with other area's of the nation.

Can you see the inversion line? It goes about half way up the mountain. Everything below it, covered in grime and muck. Everything above it, clear and sunny!

The unused swingset in the backyard...it's too cold to let the kids go out and play.

The footprints that litter my backyard. Kids, animals, and falling debris.

I'm a Mom that loves food.

I love finding new recipes. I love buying the ingredients. I love making the dish. And I most of all, love eating the finished product! That made it easy (and tough at the same time) to participate in Beth's (at I Should Be Folding Laundry) You Capture Challenge this week: FOOD!

I took pictures of the pie I made while I was making it. I took pictures of the food at Thanksgiving. And I took pictures of the pie we had for dessert (oh YUM!). But I think my favorite picture of food is the one that comes with a bit of nostalgia.

When we were little my Mom used to make cinnamon and sugar cookies out of the leftover pie crust. I'm sure some of your Moms did the same thing, but at the time, we thought it was something special. My Grandma used to do the same thing for my Mom, and it was one small tradition we kept up with after my Grandmother passed away. Even though it was very simple, we would watch as my Mom cut the leftover pie crust dough into rectangles, not all perfectly shaped, brush the dough with melted butter, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them. We would wait in anticipation for them to be baked and cooled enough to eat, of course asking "Are they done yet?" way too many times for my Mom's liking (hey! 15 minutes is a long time to a kid!) Even though I didn't always LOVE eating them, just watching my Mom make them, and having her tell the story about her Mom making them, prompted me to make Pie Crust Cookies for my kids this year. I guess I'd forgotten that kids don't necessarily like them because my kids didn't eat many, but at least I'm passing on a tradition.

Go see what other yummy Food captures are over on I Should Be Folding Laundry.

I'm a photographer that finally saw a sunset.

I know I'm a few days late in joining the You Capture Challenge over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, but last night we had the most amazing sunset! I didn't even know it was happening until I passed my front window and saw my car glowing pink in my driveway. I grabbed my camera and ran outside (without shoes on) to capture it. I am sure the neighbors thought I was nuts, but I don't care! I loved it! I couldn't choose just one photo, so I made a slide show. I hope it isn't against the You Capture rules to do so, but I couldn't resist showing you all of them. I'm sure I won't see a sunset like that again for a long time. Enjoy the slide show, then head over to Beth's blog and see some more incredible sunrises and sunsets.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I'm a Mom showing part of her "Real Life".

*Sigh* This week's You Capture challenge, Real Life, was tough for me. I have a hard time telling most people about what really goes on in my "Real" life. Not that I paint everything to be all sunshine and roses, but very few people know some of the day to day conflicts we go through in the Behunin household.

I'm not going to share everything in this post, but here is a little peek into my "Real Life".

I have a 3 year old daughter. Those of you that have had (or do have) 3 year old daughter, or a 3 year old for that matter, know they get so frustrated when they try to do something on their own and it doesn't work out right. One example is when my daughter tries to put on her pants. Inevitably things go wrong and she freaks out. But once she asks for some help (or gets some help), the waterworks shut off in an instant.

Waaahhh! I can't do it!

Yay! I got help. If these pics look staged, or fake it is because the pouty face and the whining and crying ARE fake. Every time. And it is loud and obnoxious. And no matter how many times I tell her I can't hear or understand her when she is whining, it still happens multiple times a day! It's enough to pull my hair out!

Then there is my son. Between the homework and the reading (and the fighting over homework and reading) EVERY NIGHT I don't have a lot of time for much housework, so once again the kitchen is a mess most of the time.

Son actually reading without a fight

Dirty dishes in the sink, as usual

After the kids have gone to bed, I stretch out on the bed and play on the computer. Oh, who am I kidding? I am on and off the computer all day long. I know, I know, my kitchen wouldn't look like the pic above if I wasn't on the computer all day, but some days, it is just the perfect getaway from the laundry, the vacuuming and the toilet cleaning. Especially the toilet cleaning.

I LOVE the skin on my laptop, so girly!

And last, but not least, my REAL LIFE consists of a drink or two (OK sometimes 3) a few nights a week, so I can unwind and de-stress. Sometimes it is a chocolate martini, or a margarita, but last night it was a glass of Barefoot White Zinfandel wine. (I know most of you know this is part of my real life, but there are some out there that either don't know, or don't approve. Well, I'm putting it out there. Some times I need a drink to stay sane, and I don't care who knows it.)

I like how the wine looks in this one, kind of fun!

So those are my "Real Life" You Capture photos. Go to I Should Be Folding Laundry and see what fun stuff Beth and her readers have in store for you!

Oh! And this week, I WILL, visit more of your You Capture posts, I promise! There are just not enough hours in the day sometimes!

I'm a hobbyist wishing I had more time for my hobby.

Even though I don't get enough alone time to hone my photography skills, I've still been trying to take photos and use my camera in different ways. I think I need to watch the DVD that came with my camera, so I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

This week's You Capture Challenge was to shoot whatever I wanted! So I took my camera with me a few places this week and came up with some fun stuff....at least I think the photos are fun.

Glow of a fake Jack-o-lantern decorating a hallway at my husband's work

Glow of a REAL Jack-o-lantern on our front step

Glow of a Pioneer Woman Signing Books at The King's English in SLC

Go check out the other great photographer's You Capture Shots at I Should Be Folding Laundry! And tomorrow I will have a post about the whole experience meeting Ree! (Sorry I didn't get one done today Barbi...it's been a long day!)

I'm finally taking time for the things I want to do.

I decided I needed to start participating in the You Capture Challenge again. Photography is something I want to get better at, and I need to take the time and practice, practice, practice!

This weeks You Capture Challenge is Autumn. I'm glad I took a few pics last week since winter encroached on our Autumn this week! I didn't get out of my neighborhood to take the pics, I just took some of the neighbors trees while the kids were out playing. Hey, at least they weren't OUR trees! I know they aren't the best, but I had fun trying a few different camera settings out.

Every time I see the tree in the first pic, I think of Fall. I don't know why, it just does. The second pic is a close up of some leaves that I found interesting. Enjoy!

I'm a horrible housekeeper too, well, some of the time.

This week's You Capture challenge was to shoot something you haven't taken photos of before. My creative juices just weren't flowing. I didn't go many places that had things I haven't shot before. I always take pics of my kids, and my friend's kids, and my husband (although he usually doesn't let me get his face). So, I got a little cheesy with my interpretation of the challenge. My house is not the most immaculate home I've been to, because, well, I have 2 kids! And not that all of the mess if theirs, I just don't have the energy to keep the house spotless. SO, since I don't normally take pictures of my messy kitchen or SHARE pictures of my messy kitchen, I figured that qualifies as an OK You Capture.

Messy Kitchen Table (notice daughter's leftovers from lunch still there?)

Kitchen Sink- Ewww!

Different angle of the gross dishes

Messy counter top-this never gets fully uncluttered, never.

Go check out the other great You Capture shots on I Should Be Folding Laundry, while I attempt to clean up the messes in my kitchen. Attempt obviously being the key word.

I've participated in another "You Capture" Challenge.

I tried to be creative for this weeks "You Capture" challenge, but I haven't been able to get out of the house with my camera to capture some "Old Signs". I only know of one place in my city where I can find an old sign or two (or more) but it is in the middle of construction, and I hate taking the kids if I have my own things to accomplish at Gardner Village. So, I took a few pictures of the old signs I have in my "Dr Pepper Bathroom". Not very creative, but I did try a few new angles and I took a few with different camera settings, so I think I did OK.

Check in next week to see what I come up with for the new challenge...and believe me it's a DOOZY!

I'm also a pretty bad food photographer.

Wow! Thanks to everyone that commented on my photos last week. I have to admit a few things: I suck at taking pictures of my kids. I didn't think there would be so many people that would comment on that post (I think the most comments on one of my blog posts, to date). AND I didn't intentionally set out to take a picture of the sky reflecting in the pond. I really just wanted to see if I could get a shot of the swans from the deck outside our hotel room. I didn't even think it would look good until I looked at the photo on my computer. (And Allison, I totally agree! If it were intentional, I should have gotten more of the hill in the shot. I'll try again next year!) So this week's You Capture Challenge (Food) was just that: A CHALLENGE! I didn't have a lot of time to take 200 shots of food this week, but I kinda had an idea of what I wanted. They don't look as nice as I pictured in my head, but I'll share them anyway. I got a jar of homemade apricot jam from a friend. As soon as I got it I wanted to spread some on hot biscuits. Don't know why, but I did. So I set out to make biscuits to enjoy some of the jam (well, right after I got my new range, since our old oven didn't work). Here is what I came up with:

My first attempt at homemade biscuits

A shot with the jar of jam

Close up

I know these aren't very good. But at least I tried. I didn't get very creative, but I promise I'll try better for the next challenge!

I'm an amateur photographer taking on a challenge.

I've been reading a blog I'd had never heard about until it won an award at the BlogHer conference. I Should Be Folding Laundry won the BlogLuxe "Best Eye Candy" award (along with whatever). Why I hadn't come across it earlier, I don't know, since all I do is complain about having to do laundry! Anyway, in a effort to get her readers to pick up a camera more often, Beth issues her readers a photography challenge each week. I've decided I need to learn more about my camera (Pioneer Woman has some great tutorials) and I need to take picutres more often. So I'm taking her "You Capture" challenge (see button on the right). This week's You Capture Challenge is "Peace". No need for me to explain, you'll understand why these pictures envoke "peace" (or at least the first two).