Ramblings

Week Three is Completed!

2010-04-20T15:38:00.003-05:00

Well, my weight went up but I can tell you right now, I think I lost several inches in my waist and in my hips/thighs. I worked hard last week so I'm thinking the weight gain could be muscle mass, right? I certainly feel like I've lost quite a bit of weight...darn it, I should have just measured myself instead of weighing myself!

So my weigh-in weight this week was 136. I'm now going to the gym and doing a lot of elipitical (mainly because I feel like a dunce with any of the weights/machines). Oh and I injured my left wrist...and I'm 100% certain it was from a yoga move. I looked it up and it looks like I injured the radial collateral ligament...pretty common to hurt and man does it hurt! The only way it feels good is by keeping it wrapped tight so I can't bend my wrist.

I've eaten a bunch of crap (wait, could that be the reason for the weight gain?) this week, not a lot but just not terribly good for me type foods. I'm hoping the homemade gazpacho and grilled chicken we will be having tonight will be just want the "doctor" ordered!

Anyhow, I keep on keepin' on...at least I'm starting week four and I haven't fallen off the bandwagon. Here's to three more weeks!

So proud!

2010-04-13T10:15:00.002-05:00

Well, I did my "week 2" weigh-in yesterday and I'm down 3.4 pounds in two weeks! I don't really think that feels like a lot until I look at weight of food in my fridge or on my counter. My weight loss is equivalent to almost 3.5 packages (4 sticks each) of butter. GROSS!

I ran last week even though I did NOT want to...I was sick with strep but still hyperventilated through the runs. I don't recommend you do that though.

I've eaten healthier...I've been cooking my way through "light" recipes and I can feel a difference in how I feel when I don't eat as well now.

Alright...only 6.6 pounds to go in 4 weeks! I know I can do it!

Happy Easter and I'm still chugging along!

2010-04-04T10:29:00.003-05:00

HE IS RISEN! Happy Easter everyone! I hope every Christian out there remembers that this day to remember Christ is the reason we can call ourselves Christians!! Lawyer had us cracking up this morning when he snuck down to our bed and proceeds to tell us it's time to get up because the Easter bunny came. I asked how he knew and he said "I came downstairs saw my basket but then covered my eyes to come into your room". Aw, how cute. He wanted to make sure we saw him go through his basket.

Onto my weight loss journey...

Even though I didn't post the past two days doesn't mean I've given up! Friday I felt terrible and Saturday was super busy with photography sessions. I did manage to go for a run yesterday even though I know I should have probably just taken a nap with how bad I felt.

Eating has been awful the past two days. Friday, I managed to eat a bowl of shredded wheat for breakfast but then didn't eat until dinner and pigged out on less-than-stellar Patrizio's. Blech. Saturday was even worse. I drank my morning coffee, left for an early morning shoot, came back and ate Potbelly's (seriously, if you are trying to lose weight, why on God's green earth would you eat at a place named Potbelly's???), went to my evening shoot and then complained and whined about how hungry I was until about 11:30pm, Jason went to Taco Bell and we ATE IN BED (on a side note, I grabbed the first taco and I noticed the shell was red which it usually isn't...asked my husband if he got something different and he said no...um, holy crap, I can handle hot food but this taco melted the insides of my mouth...husband proceeds to say "Maybe that was the new VOLCANO taco I got". Apparently Taco Bell has a Volcano Taco where the shell and filling is nothing but melt-your-tongue heat...thanks for the warning JASON)! How gross!?

Water in-take sucked too...I'm feeling it today. I feel like I should not only drink a barrel of water but I should wade in it as well and hope that displacement happens to help me absorb what water I lack.

But today is a new day and tomorrow is weigh-in day...I'm hoping that what little I have done was enough to lose a pound!

Happy Easter!

Busy, busy day!

2010-04-01T09:39:00.003-05:00

Wow, 3 days and I still accomplished what I wanted to: drink 64 oz. water, make a healthy dinner, AND exercise!

Although, I won't lie...I went to the grocery store yesterday and the smell of donuts knocked me over and I just HAD to have a chocolate-glazed donut. Oops!

I did Day 2 of my C25K program yesterday...man, do I feel healthy after doing the workout! I'm dying to get to the gym and take a kick-boxing class but the schedule just doesn't jive with my personal schedule right now. Oh well...on a positive note, Jason has managed to make it to the gym before work! Go Jason!

Let's see here...some Easter candy MIGHT HAVE been consumed yesterday too. Lawyer had his school's Egg Hunt and he doesn't like chocolate and I don't like it to go to waste but I think it went to "waist" yesterday - MY waist. Boo!

Dinner was especially tasty although I didn't take a picture of our meal last night. I did another Cooking Light recipe though and they haven't failed me in taste yet! We had the Maple-Mustard Pork Chops with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas. The sauce on the pork chops were OUT OF THIS WORLD! A little tangy and a little sweet...so good! I plan on making it for chicken cutlets in the future...I love a good sauce! (ETA: I guess because the recipe is from a guest writer, they don't share the recipe online...but it's from the March 2010 issue).

Overall, I'm feeling healthy and great!

Some changes...

2010-03-31T09:40:00.003-05:00

I never really like to say I'm accomplishing something until I'm near the end. I feel like I set myself up for failure by announcing my successes and triumphs early in the game. But changes are a funny thing - they can go be a success or failure which is why I feel "safe" mentioning a few changes to my lifestyle.

For one, I'm measuring out 64 oz. of water in a pitcher...it helps me monitor my water drinking throughout the day. The weird thing is that I wouldn't even come close to drinking that much water if I didn't measure it out but when I measure it out, I easily consume more than that. Strange. But drinking the "required" amount of water each day does make me think better and I feel better, more healthy and alive for sure.

I'm also making more thoughtful decisions about dinner. I LOVE food...and if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you already know that. One great thing about me is that I really don't like to eat out. I find the food subpar, both in quality and for the price and I always feel that I make a meal 10 times better than most places. I also don't buy junk on a regular basis so having stuff like candy and chips is easy to avoid when you don't have access to it. Anyway, I've really made more of an effort cook healthy recipes from my Cooking Light mags (I only have 10 billion of them sitting around) and they make a point of measuring out portions. It's insane to know that my average portions are easily double what Cooking Light's portions would be BUT the CL portions fill me up just the same! Check out Cooking Light online since you still have access to all the recipes without having to buy the magazines.

Physical activity. I won't lie...I'm either one extreme or the other. I'll be finishing up my "Couch to 5K" running program only to find myself a month later doing absolutely zero activity. But I do love running and so I've started the program back up. I would love to be able to run an average of 5 days per week when all is said and done...I want this to be a lifelong habit. Oh and my most fave ways to get a home workout done is through FitTV. We have DirectTV with access to this channel and it simply is awesome. My fave program is the All Star Workout. Different workouts every day by different instructors with different fitness levels. So on my off days from running I'm doing one of their workouts at home. I also have plans to meet up with a personal trainer at the gym since I just got a membership there. Should be interesting but I love a challenge and I love variety.

So, what did we have for dinner last night? Another delicious creation from Cooking Light (March 2010)!

Vegetable and Spicy Sausage Soup with Cheese "Crackers" with a Baby Green Salad

Week 1 - Weigh In

2010-03-30T12:07:00.004-05:00

Alright, so here is some info.

Height: 5'2"
Weight: 137.6
Goal weight to lose in 1 week: 2 lbs.
Total weight to lose in 6 weeks: 10 lbs.

I started Day 1 of Week 1 for my "Couch to 5K" running program. I did awesome with this last year and don't know why I quit after completing the program. So here is to a new start!

I drank more than 64 oz. of water yesterday (go me!) and I ate sensibly throughout the day. I cooked a recipe from Cooking Light and it is one of my faves (the recipe is linked to the CL recipe)!

Farfalle with Lamb Ragu, Ricotta, and Mint with a Baby Greens Salad

The beginning of a new me!

2010-03-30T10:59:00.002-05:00

I've known for a while that I needed to do something about the pounds that have creeped up on me, but I saw myself in a picture the other day and said something's gotta change! I belong to an online community of fellow photographers and somebody stepped up and decided to start a weight loss group. I jumped on the bandwagon and thought it would be such a great motivating force for me!

Anyhow, I thought that I might document what I'm doing here...and start sharing some of my fave recipes, workouts I'm doing, whatever! The online weight loss group is going for 6 weeks but I hope to keep it up forever with the new healthy changes.

I had my husband take "before" pictures of me and I can tell you right now, those will NOT be shared yet since I'm grossed out by them but I do hope to do an "after" picture here in 6 weeks and then post the "before" and "after" pics side by side.

So what is my goal? 10 pounds in 6 weeks...it's definitely do-able! I'll be back to post a quick summary of all of my stats later. I can't decide if I'm going to do a daily summary or a weekly one. I do know that I will definitely feel more accountable by sharing it here.

Here's to success!

I miss this place...

2010-03-10T10:08:00.003-06:00

Wow, two months. I can't believe that I "abandoned" this comfort of mine for that long! These past two months have been just a whirlwind and other than the "I'm so busy" comment, I have no excuses!

If I'm not working for TRENDY, then I'm doing photography stuff or trying to clean my messy house or hanging with my family...there is just not enough time in the day!

So, I'm going to see what I can do about this sad personal blog of mine. I miss sharing our "every day" here! Oh and yeah, I let my 2nd blog anniversary just slip on by! Remember last year's Happy Birthday Blog post, complete with a cupcake? I feel like a bad spouse that has forgotten our anniversary.

But the good news is this: I blog pretty frequently on the photography blog so if you want to see plenty of pretty pictures, head on over there! Otherwise, I'm going to make it a point to stop by here and share our life once a week. I do have plenty to talk about!

Oh and guess what's getting to burst in my backyard????

My beloved red bud tree! This was taken March 8, 2009 and guess what? I don't have one single bloom yet but it's getting there. This crazy freezing, snowy weather has made all of our plants sleep just a bit longer. Can't wait to see this tree in it's glorious state soon!

Christmas Re-Cap

2010-01-02T10:37:00.007-06:00

Christmas was, as it typically is for us, abundant, lavish and simple at the same time. I tend to buy educational gifts for my son since I know Toys 'r' Us has delivered the entire contents of their store at my parents house.

This year we got him...

a globe...

a rock collection (seriously, he asked for "special rocks") with a nice magnifying glass...

a few educational games...

Santa pulled through with Bionicles, which Lawyer has been asking for the ENTIRE year. This face says it all, he opened the package a bit, and then looked up at me with this face in utter surprise...

Santa also brought REAL working tools in a toolbox and even left a bunch of wood with a note for Lawyer and Jason to build a workbench. They just finished it up last night so I'll have to get some pics soon.

All in all, we had a wonderful day spent with family! Another memorable Christmas for sure!

New Year and New Beginnings

2010-01-01T13:22:00.003-06:00

What is it about a new year that spurs people to want to take on new ideas and new goals? I've got an endless supply of ideas and dreams that I always want to try out...I usually just begin them right then and there and am not one to wait for a specific date to come and go.

I've kept up with *most* of my New Year's Resolutions the past few years and I've VERY proud of how far I've come...I used to be the queen of procrastination and a failure with following through. But here are a few things that I've tackled over the past few years:

*Keep up with a blog - although, this particular blog has seen better days.

*Knit more - I can check this off...I've managed to whip up a few scarves in the past few weeks.

*Take more pictures - HAHAHA! If I had known what this goal would do for me, I would have done it sooner! Look at me now - I'm a picture-taking fiend with a photography business to boot!

*Cook at home more - Okay, confession...I've eaten out more than I care to admit, ESPECIALLY since I almost always complain about how my cooking is always way better than the crappy, expensive meal I just downed.

*Work out more - And yet another confession...I did amazingly well with my running regimen in the heat of the summer. I completed all 9 weeks of the Couch to 5K program and felt the best that I had ever felt in my entire life...and then I got lazy. Now I'm back to square one.

*Maintain a clean house - This is the biggest joke ever! I do have to say, that I LOVE the Fly Lady...she keeps me motivated and without feeling like a total loser. Her chores she assigns for each day are incredibly do-able. Thank you Fly Lady!

So, what are my New Year's Resolutions today? They are in no particular order but here they are:

*Complete a 5K in half hour...piece of cake, right?

*Cook at home at least 5 days a week - Right now, I'm doing MARATHON cooking. I've made so much delicious freezer food, we may need a second freezer (scratch that, THIRD freezer, since we have two fridge/freezers right now). I would like to have a few fresh meals mixed with a few freezer meals each week so I don't feel so guilty about the money we waste on crappy foods.

*Exercise AT LEAST 21 days a month (random number, eh?).

*Eat breakfast AND lunch at least 3 days a week (I've got to start small, people!).

*Complete my NEW 365 Project. I've never kept a daily photo diary where I actually have a single image every single day but I'm doing it! There will be a link at the top of my blog to my Flickr 365 Project hopefully by tonight.

*Knit a sweater! I've done quite a few wearable items this year but I'm ready to tackle the dreaded sweater! Now I just need to save up for the yarn!

I believe that is it but don't count on it. Will I fail at these resolutions? Probably. Am I going to beat myself up about my failures? Absolutely not. We'll find out soon enough though...I'll report my progress on each point!

And since a post is never any good without a picture, here is a picture of food...I can't remember the last time I posted a food picture and I do miss it so! Roasted Vegetable Salad with Fresh Mozzarella...leftovers from the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna I just assembled and put in the freezer for a future meal.

PS: I may be back later to post some Christmas Day pics...those are always fun!

December Daily

2009-12-07T21:34:00.010-06:00

The Polar Express Train...an experience I hope he always remembers.

These are my fave images from the night...it totally is a glimpse at my mom and son's relationship.

All of these were shot with only available light (which was next to none), no flash, ISO 1600 and SLOW shutter speeds. I really wanted to see if I was capable of getting meaningful images without using my flash...I think I succeeded. I wanted these to have an old film quality about them.

December Daily - Day 2

2009-12-02T11:17:00.005-06:00

December Daily - Day 1

2009-12-02T09:32:00.007-06:00

Can you believe it is already December?!?!?! Oh my goodness, I feel like it was just January and now here we are another year passed. I am so thankful for so many things that have happened this year and to say that I feel beyond blessed, well, that is the understatement of the year.

It's been so long that I've shared our every day life here. I miss that, do you? It has been so busy around here between work, starting a photography business, Lawyer in school, etc. that finding time to do it all has been few and far between.

So I'm doing this thing called the December Daily...I'll post every day things from our day each day (hopefully). So here is a Day one post from yesterday (I am just now getting to post it today!)...and I'll have Day 2 up next!

My NEW Photography Blog!

2009-11-17T20:34:00.002-06:00

To those that don't know, I'm officially in business with photography! I quietly "opened shop" about a month ago to get all the behind-the-scenes "stuff" done and now I'm getting my name out there!

I have shared my photo blog here but now I have an "official" Amii Wroblewski Photography Blog at www.amiiwroblewski.com/blog! It is still a work in progress but I'm over the moon with being able to finally making a business out of something I truly enjoy.

Anyhow, pop on over to my photography blog and leave me a message to let me know what you think! Oh and if you are local to me, please make sure to check out the "Casting Call" post and the "Contest" post...you won't want to miss it!

Halloween and Christmas, all in one!

2009-11-12T12:17:00.007-06:00

I totally forgot to post Halloween pics! Guess who Jason and I went as?

And I was so PROUD that Lawyer opted for a homemade mummy costume over a store-bought one! He was so cute and everyone commented on his costume!

And where does Christmas fit in? We got our tree put up last night! I love it!

Happy Halloween Week

2009-10-27T17:49:00.002-05:00

My 5 year old is COUNTING down the days to Halloween...you would almost think he likes it more than Christmas!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween week!

Bliss

2009-10-24T21:19:00.002-05:00

I hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as my little guy enjoyed playing in the leaves on this beautiful fall day!

All just a blur...

2009-10-22T11:32:00.006-05:00

Do you find that you have periods of time throughout your year that all just seem like one big blur? I feel like that has been my life the past month or two...nothing that is bad, just memories, experiences, moments all globbed together in my head.

Some days I forget to enjoy those moments, no matter how big or small, and just live. Don't think, don't plan, don't stress...just soak up the moment. I felt this way the other day when I was outside with Lawyer. I looked up at the light in the trees and just saw how beautiful the glow of the light was in the gently swaying leaves. I looked to my left and felt content seeing Lawyer playing and singing happily while he dug tunnels and built mountains in his sand box. I saw an amber-hued leaf gracefully floating down from our large oak, to it's new place on the still-green grass. I knew at that moment that there was no other place I was to be at that moment and no other place that I would rather be.

My goal as we head into the holiday season is to stop and soak in each day. It's like I blinked and I went from having a tiny newborn to now a grown 5 year old boy and I just can't remember very much between those times. Don't think I'm being solemn or regretful, more like pensive and at peace.

I hope you are all enjoying your autumnal days and remember to squeeze your loved ones and tell them you love them. Enjoy!

5 Years in the Making

2009-10-14T11:10:00.006-05:00

Last week, Jason and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. We've been together for 7 years and there hasn't been one day of regret on either side. In celebration of 5 years, I thought it would be fun to post some pictures from the beginning of us dating up until just a few weeks ago! Enjoy the walk through our history and please feel free to laugh at my hair in each and every one of them!

Thank you Jason for being the love of my life, for always supporting me, for lifting me up and for loving me even when I haven't brushed my teeth or washed my pits in two days! Here is too many more years together! I love you!

So much to share but not enough time to share it all!

2009-10-13T17:14:00.003-05:00

Sorry for being MIA lately! There have been a ton of things that have been going on that I'm excited to talk about but am just not ready to yet (and no I am not pregnant!). Soon, very soon, I'll be ready to start moving forward with posting regularly but for now, this super-serious picture of Lawyer will have to suffice!

My first session...

2009-10-02T13:32:00.002-05:00

I just finished up editing the images for my first session. Here is one of my faves...there are more on my photo blog: http://www.amiiwroblewskiphotography.blogspot.com/.

T-Ball has begun!

2009-09-28T12:53:00.002-05:00

The Birthday Party

2009-09-26T09:01:00.011-05:00

We opted for a very small birthday party for Lawyer...just my family. Lawyer talked and talked about his friends coming to his birthday party and where he would have it at but the school he goes to is not one where it's the kids in the neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that but it just means that you never get to know the parents since everyone is from all over the area (some several towns away).

I have to say that Lawyer is an extremely thoughtful present-opener. He really takes his time to look at and investigate each and every one of his presents instead of tearing into one package and immediately moving on. It makes present-opening that much special to watch.

Thank you to everyone that called him on his birthday. He enjoyed it every time I said "Lawyer, you have a phone call," and then I loved watching his face light up as the person(s) on the other end would sing "Happy Birthday"....it was truly priceless to watch. So thank you!

This child is truly a blessed child to have so many people think of him and love him. I could not be more proud to call him my son and the last 5 years have been filled with nothing but joy and blessings with having him in my life. Even at five years old, he is a magnet to others with his smile, humor and personality. It will be interesting to watch him as he grows up because I know that he is a natural-born leader.

Lawyer, I could not imagine you not being in my life. You have given me so much these past five years and I've grown in so many ways by having you in my life.

Each day is a present and a party with you, Lawyer.

Thank you for being such a respectful and polite little boy.

Thank you that you will do ANYTHING for a laugh, bringing laughter to others is one of your many gifts.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday, one that will be a memory of yours for years to come.

And I pray that you always keep your spunk and individuality because you are truly one of a kind.

I love you, sweet boy!

Know Why He's Doing the Happy Dance?

2009-09-23T11:34:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday Lawyer! Today he turned 5 years old!!!!!

I took Lawyer out last night to get some 5 year old portraits done...there are more on my photo blog.

Fall Ball

2009-09-22T12:21:00.003-05:00

The new season started two weekends ago and we managed to get rained out the first weekend and then re-scheduled the second weekend only to find out the re-schedule had been re-scheduled and we couldn't make it since we had plans. NOTE TO THOSE IN CHARGE: Don't expect people to check their email a few hours before the scheduled T-ball time, especially on a Sunday!

Anyhow, he was already dressed up for his game so I took a few pics. So cute!

The Experience

2009-09-22T12:02:00.008-05:00

My family and I got a chance to attend the first regular season home game at the new Cowboys Stadium on Sunday. I had been to the stadium before when the George Straight/Reba concert was the first event to take place there but it was a totally different experience for the football game.

I have to say, I DO NOT LIKE SPORTS. Sorry if you do, but it is not my cup of tea. I'm up for doing things with my family and trying out something new so we went to the Cowboy's game. Apparently, the attendance was an all-time record in the history of the NFL (105,000+ people) but it didn't feel crowded so that was nice. We were on the Suite Level so we had these super-nice cozy chairs, nice bathrooms, open bar (well, open in that they offered more than just beer) and a great view.

It was a STAR-studded event, to say the least. George W. Bush and Laura was there to flip the coin.

Jordan Sparks sang the National Anthem, they unveiled the Ring of Honor football players so Troy Aikman, Tom Landry, Emmit Smith, Michael Irvin, etc. were all there. I'm sure I'm forgetting others that we saw.

The flag was AMAZING! So cool...and the military men/women made it "wave" when Jordan sang the line "...banner yet wave..." It was just beautiful.

All Lawyer could talk about the whole-time was "When are the Cheerleaders going to come out?"....seriously, that was ALL he could talk about. So he obliged when I asked him if he wanted his picture taken with the cheerleaders dancing in the background. That's a first.

It was a good time, all in all. I do have to say...I do NOT understand sports fans. I find that most of the time they are rude, inconsiderate and immature. We were walking into the stadium and these Cowboy fans (grown men/women...seriously?) next to us saw a group of Giants fans and out of nowhere they start saying "F.U. Giants...Giants are F'ing Losers...F.U...F.U..." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? I'm having to walk in with my son listening to a bunch of loser sports fans. #6421 for why I HATE sports!

PS: All the photos were taken with my iPhone.

Would you believe it???

2009-09-21T08:51:00.003-05:00

I'm actually going to have multiple posts this week! I've got A LOT going on right now. I've got several shoots coming up (yeah!) for my practice sessions, T-Ball started back up again for Lawyer, Lawyer turns FIVE on Wednesday, we're going to Six Flags on Friday and then we are going to have a birthday party for Lawyer over the weekend, along with more T-ball!

Here are a few pics from this weekend...both were for assignments for my photography class. You can see more of Miss "S" on my photo blog.

Another play with lighting...

2009-09-14T09:12:00.003-05:00

I'm in a light workshop for photography so the last post and this post are my homework for the assignments. I can't wait to see how much I grow from this! It's a good thing Jason is such a good sport...he only put on a suit just so I could complete my assignment.

Just playing with the light...

2009-09-13T11:25:00.003-05:00

Finding our Rhythm...

2009-09-04T13:23:00.004-05:00

First off - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! The lucky duck is off in some exotic locale getting her tan on and drinking plenty of adult beverages, I'm sure! Hope you have a great birthday with sand between your toes!

Whew! What a week it has been! I haven't been this exhausted since Lawyer was a new baby. Our summer schedule was VERY lax (who am I kidding, I wouldn't know a schedule if it punched me in the face!) and since I was determined to get a routine down before Lawyer started school this week, I am paying the price for it!

I usually get up by 7:30 which is late for a lot of people but since school has started, I've been getting up by 6:30 to be able to have my prayer/bible time before Lawyer gets up at 7:00 and it has been HARD getting up that one extra hour earlier!

But, we have survived the week! Amen! And we have been early to school every day!

I love that Lawyer likes to spend time "chalking" before he goes to school. He's quite the artistic one in our house.

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend! I'm meeting up with some fellow DFW photographers on Saturday and then we are going to chill the rest of the weekend!

First Day of School

2009-09-01T12:13:00.005-05:00

School is now "old hat" to Lawyer. He has been attending a Montessori school for 2 years now and just began his 3rd and final year there. This is his last year of Pre-K and then he'll be headed to elementary school next year (sniff, sniff).

I love that Lawyer was actually excited to go back to school yesterday. It made our morning routine go a lot smoother! Seeing his excitement bubble over when I picked him up from school made me feel so proud at how far he has come socially. He told me about how he has LOTS of friends in his class, some old and some new. It truly was a blessing to start a new school year out like that.

Here's to a wonderful school year!

A "Macro" Thing

2009-08-28T07:44:00.006-05:00

I really love photographing people, it is such a challenge to me to be able to capture a person's personality in a photo. But I don't always have people to practice on.

I read that you could take a lens, attach it to your camera and then take another lens and reverse it and hold it up to the lens that's attached to your camera to make a "faux" macro lens - the kind of lens that allows you to see all 800 eyes on the compound eye of a fly. I'm sure it would have been WAY easier to just get a reversal ring so that I could actually attach the second lens to my first lens but I like to do things the hard way.

This dragon-fly was pretty big and I was so close to him that his wings were touching the lens.

Obviously it's all out of focus or the focus isn't hitting where it needs to be. Macro lenses require a VERY steady hand, preferably a tripod, in order to not have any camera shake...a macro lens is that sensitive to vibration of any kind.

Anyhow, thanks for looking!

Always Halloween...

2009-08-25T16:14:00.004-05:00

Ever since I can remember, Lawyer has LOVED to be in costume. I never considered that boys like to dress up, since I only thought of princesses and fairies but Lawyer has literally enjoyed his many costumes he owns. I first realized how awesome it would be to stock up on after-Halloween costume sales since I thought I would get something for "next year". It became an instant hit with Lawyer being able to be Bob the Builder or dressed in a NASCAR jumpsuit at the age of 2.

Now at almost 5 years old, this kid literally is in some sort of costume at some point in his day. He found a dragon costume at The Children's Place yesterday (thanks Auntie, we finally used his gift card!) and he.would.not.leave.without.it. Period.

It is the cutest costume and seeing how he is really into dinosaurs, crocodiles and knights...he can pretend until his hearts content.

Oh and he did not take this costume off from lunch-time until bed-time. I think tomorrow I might dress up like Glenda the Good Witch!

Miss "S"

2009-08-20T18:16:00.007-05:00

Thanks for the practice Miss "S"! I enjoyed our little mini session!

Sneak Peak - Miss "S"

2009-08-20T12:45:00.004-05:00

I got to actually practice on someone besides family! More photos coming soon!

Some Practice

2009-08-17T08:22:00.004-05:00

Jason let me do some test pics of him last night. I think it turned out alright (after much fretting that I wasn't getting anywhere with this photography thing!). I love photography so much since it is the most challenging hobby I have ever had. There are so many things to think about in order to get the shot that you want!

Oh and great news! I've got two practice sessions coming up! I'm so excited! If anybody wants to know how to get a FREE photography session from me, I'm gathering up additional details for exactly what you will get from me if you decide to help me get the practice I need!

Lawyer has two more weeks before he goes back to school and I'm ready to get things back to normal for all of us.

Have a wonderful Monday!

PS: Don't you like the watermarking on my pictures and the larger format? I'm working on a photography-only blog right now that will only have sneak-peaks of my practice sessions. This blog will go back to what it originally was, a blog about our life but mainly a way to share with our family and friends.

Typical Scenario...

2009-08-13T09:41:00.003-05:00

This is what happens AFTER Lawyer agrees to be in front of the camera:

But then, out of nowhere, I end up with a picture that I absolute love:

Anyone that is interested, I didn't edit these at all. This is what came out of my camera and I was perfectly content with them.

Bad Blogger and FREE Photography

2009-08-11T08:46:00.004-05:00

Wow, has it really been two weeks since I blogged last? Lawyer got out of school a week and a half ago and that has been a HUGE adjustment, for both of us. I feel like I'm running like a chicken with its head cut off (eww!) with him being home!

Speaking of running, I am PROUD to say, I completed my Couch to 5K last Saturday! I am known to jump ship on all kinds of things and rarely see very much through to the end but I completed all 9 weeks (and added an extra week in between since I didn't like how well one week went...I think it was week 4). I can not believe that I can now jog for 30 minutes straight without any walking! I do have a question for you die-hard runners out there. Last night, I went for a jog and I felt so winded! I slowed my pace down (which isn't very fast to begin with) but I had side-aches galore! Granted it was 91 degrees and 55% humidity last night (which probably didn't help...felt like I was sucking on air from the tailpipe of a car) when I jogged at 9:30pm but it was torture to finish! Any reason why? I drink between 64 and 128 ounces of water a day (I actually measure my daily water intake) so I don't think I was dehydrated and I had eaten spaghetti for dinner a few hours prior to running. Switching gears now...

So, after MUCH thought, I realized that I jumped the gun too fast on the whole photography business thing. I have so much to learn both with my ability to be consistent in my photography and also who my target market will be, etc. With that said, I need all the practice I can get BEFORE I leap on the business bandwagon. SOOOO, (I can't believe I'm going to type this), I may be needing some practice shoots here in the near future. I'll write another post on some specifics for what I'll be needing, providing, where, when, etc. I'm only going to be doing a VERY limited amount of these so if you are at all interested even before I post specifics, please email me at "amiim at msn dot com" (I've heard it's better to spell out email addresses for SPAM purposes). I know for sure that, while I'm practicing, I MUST know who you are and you MUST be in the DFW area. Also, FREE should be a key word too and I'll give more specifics about that as well.

Wow, I can't believe I just put that out there! Well, that's been about it around here! I hope to have more to post in the coming weeks!

It's How You See It...

2009-07-31T00:03:00.004-05:00

Today, I took Lawyer out to practice shooting at a new spot that I wanted to check out. This is Lawyer's LEAST favorite activity...if it involves the word "camera" or "pictures", he's out.

Well, I was less than thrilled by what I captured today but what do I expect, I have a 4 year old boy who is way more interested in the "forest" and the wild mushrooms than in me getting some good practice pics in.

I was going to scrap the pics and not post anything but after Jason looked at them and said some encouraging words, I decided that they were wonderful (even with their technical imperfections, there is still a perfectly perfect little boy) and now they are probably some of my favorites.

Thanks Lawyer and Jason for making me see past my stubborn ways!

8 Months Old...

2009-07-28T11:21:00.003-05:00

Here is my nephew, now 8 months old. Click on my Flickr tab on the top right of my blog to see more pictures...these were just my favorites.

FYI: I'm actually working on my pricing structure that I plan on offering for my photography and I do know that while I'm in the process of building my portfolio that there will be discounts on my products and services for a limited time! I'm so excited to start this up!

Something New...

2009-07-27T16:11:00.003-05:00

I have some new pictures that I've just got to upload to Flickr but in the mean time, here were two of my faves!

Thanks for the input too about my possible plunge into photography! I'm not in a hurry so I think that should make for some wise decisions in this new journey of mine.

Seriously Considering...

2009-07-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

I never was a photographer, in fact, I never really cared about pictures until a year and a half ago. It was New Year's 2008 and my aspiration was to become better at documenting our family. I NEVER picked up a camera, never knew much about the point-and-shoot that I owned and frankly I just always wanted to be more involved in what was going on rather than being stuck behind a camera.

Then I started using my P&S on New Year's...vowing to take pictures of something, ANYTHING, to get in the groove of taking pictures. I figured I'd be off the band wagon within the week so if I got any pics, then GREAT!

I found that I liked getting creative with my pictures, rather than the "Stand here and smile" pics that I was so accustomed to. I liked moving my body (whether it was up high, on the ground, away from the action, etc) to see creatively with the camera, even though I was shooting with a P&S (I don't think I really thought much about fancy dSLR cameras really).

I remember one day that I wanted to look on the internet for things on photography. My only goal was to get better pictures of my son...period. I happened across a blog, The Pioneer Woman, and it forever changed my view of photography. After reading her words and drooling over her pictures, I thought to myself "Hmm, I need to look into these dSLR cameras." Before I knew it, I had gone to our local camera store and purchased my first dSLR camera knowing absolutely NOTHING about such a device.

I knew that I wanted to get out of shooting in AUTO as soon as possible since, what was the purpose of a fancy camera if I didn't utilize its fancy settings? I really sucked but was a willing and able learner that really wanted to know as much about everything: ISO, DOF, aperture, white balance, shutter speed, etc.

Somehow, through it all, I found that photography had become an intense passion for me. I usually find that most things that intrigue me, I become very passionate about because I truly an a learner by nature. I read...A LOT. EVERYTHING. The back of boxes, any and all manuals, websites, the order forms in the middle of catalogs. I just love learning and reading about anything and everything.

Which brings me to today, not particularly this very day, just this day in general. I've had quite a few requests for people to have me take their pictures. I've pushed it away, out of my mind, I've even prayed AGAINST it. Why? Because I always felt that the world didn't need another "professional" photographer. Yet, this door, this path God's created, continues to remains open.

So, I'm kind of putting myself out here for all to see & hear. I'm convinced that I quite possibly need to do photography - it's been consuming my thoughts, dreams, my spare time, etc. I'd be interested in any and all feedback, whether it's that you think that my style and pictures suck and who in their right mind would pay me to give it a shot, I love your style. I really would love to hear anything that pertains to my style, which I believe is doing kind of trendy, colorful images. I mainly am thinking of doing kids and adults but definitely not any formal events like weddings, etc. I'm not cut out for such stress-inducing situations right this moment and really, weddings don't interest me at all. I'm into life-style, on-location, natural light photography, not the pose and matchy outfits pictures.

So what are your thoughts? Should I keep practicing, stop thinking about getting paying customers or go for it?

Something New...

2009-07-23T09:49:00.003-05:00

I have been on the hunt for some interesting places to shoot and I found this cute little wooded area in my neighborhood. It wasn't much but at least it was different than my back yard. I tried so hard to get Lawyer to at least be in the vicinity of where I wanted to take his picture and he did okay for being 4...and a boy...and my ever overly excited child that did NOT want his picture taken.

Lawyer doesn't have his eyes closed...he's just thinking and it also looks like his slurping spit in his mouth (you know how you like to do Jello in your mouth? yeah, like that).

Oh why, oh why do I try with him? I thought if I just said "Hey, look at that log...wouldn't it be cool to sit on?" that Lawyer would actually think it was cool...instead, he looks uncomfortable and he's just being cheesy. (throws arms up in the air)

I thought everything about this set up was neat...from the rusted looking metal bridge to the deep green of the trees in the background. I didn't care what Lawyer did but...come on!! Throw your picture-taking mom a bone already!

I also didn't care what he wore since I just picked him up from school and it was a spur-of-the-moment stop...it was more to practice with a new location. I think this place would be really cool during fall when you could where some rich fall colors.

Anybody know of a cool place in North Texas that has overly bright colors (perhaps a painted doorway, or children's park, etc) or a really old "vintage/retro" location? I would love to know of someplace that's unique and cool!

Still Here...

2009-07-17T07:52:00.003-05:00

...I think.

Summer for us this year has gone by blissfully slow but I know it will be gone in a wink of an eye. Actually this whole year has gone by relatively slow, in a good way. It's nice to soak up the last remnants of my 29th year....soon, I'll enter into a whole new decade-era for myself.

Here's some more of the crazy door-way light I talked about in the last post. It's not the best picture of Lawyer but I love the contrast between the bright light and the darkness of the shadows.

Enjoy your weekend!

It Must Be Summer...

2009-07-12T19:39:00.003-05:00

I kind of have no desire to do a lot of blogging, which is fine by me. Life calls daily from the moment I wake up to a quiet house to the moment my head hits the pillow at night.

Every once in a while, I get on a kick to try out self-portraits. It's more a way for me to work on getting skin tones more true, eyes that are in focus and the different natural light my house provides me with.

This is my favorite picture I have ever taken of Jason and I took it this morning. For some reason, door ways are the best places for great lighting and my back door way does magical things with lighting.

And of course, a blog post here would be nothing without a picture of my mischievous child. The ruby-red lips were courtesy of a popsicle he was eating when I took the picture.

And these were just interesting leaves in my yard that I did crazy things to.

Hope you have had a beautiful weekend!

Who is this child?

2009-07-08T06:04:00.001-05:00

All of a sudden, Lawyer has become "compliant" (I use that word LOOSELY) to my requests for my little photography practices. I mean, there's only one other person around besides me so he must carry the torch, right?

So, with no apologies, here are more pictures of The Law.

Uh, can you tell he's a ham? I can hardly wait for parent/teacher conferences when he starts elementary school.

Love the dirt and marker on the hands!

In other news, I almost shed a tear this afternoon as I handed Jason my rented 28-70mm 2.8 L lens. It needed to be returned today, and I am happy to say, that after 3 weeks of shooting almost entirely with this lens only, I now see why it is so highly favored by so many professional photographers. But I do have several other lens that I'm ready to rent to test them out! Let's hope my subject above is as willing then as he was today!

All Over the Place

2009-07-07T08:40:00.004-05:00

Here's another un-cohesive post but it will be full of pictures! I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...hmm.

Anyway, here are a few more from my little test shoot with Lawyer yesterday. I love learning new things with my camera and I really think that I got the hang of it, though it is not even near perfect.

I rode my bike on a trail nearby to see if there was anything worthy of photographing. My main purpose was to find a new location that I might be able to take a neighbor-girl nearby to take some practice pictures of her. The place was cool but not NEARLY what it looked like about a month ago. Last month, the grass was really tall and the wild flowers were out in full force...but I still think that I could get some fun pictures here.

Oh and our 4th of July celebration was a blast...literally. We ate, drank, swam and shot off illegal fireworks in the city. Good times.

This is my parent's new outdoor living space/bar...it's called the Landshark.

Oh and my artwork came in while I was on vacation! These two pieces are amazing to me. Like I mentioned before, it's like Alice in Wonderland meets The Adams Family. Love it!

I got them at The Black Apple Etsy store. You can go to her etsy shop to buy and to her blog to see all her wonderful things.

Thanks for stopping by...oh and if anybody has any amazing places in North Texas for me to check out for photography reasons, leave me a comment to tell me where to visit!

Some New Faves

2009-07-06T16:37:00.002-05:00

I learned some tips on getting the exposure near perfect in-camera, as opposed to working on them a lot in Photoshop, and boy was I pleased with the results after a test shoot with Lawyer.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July Weekend

2009-07-03T09:21:00.004-05:00

Here's a pic from last year's 4th of July.

Hope everyone is so grateful for the freedom we have today for those that fought so hard hundreds of years ago and still do today.

May God bless America.

Baby "M"

2009-07-02T08:17:00.002-05:00

This new niece of mine stole my heart when I got to see her again at the beach. She has a tinge of red in her hair which makes me think she will be a full-blown red-head and I'm a little jealous (seriously, I've wanted red hair like Ginger on Gilligan's Island FOREVER!) of that and her intensely blue eyes.

I'm so grateful for my sister-in-law and her family and we all get along just fine and dandy. So stealing this little beauty away and doing what I wanted with her to get some pictures of her was no problem at all.

She has a personality that is so spunky and funny already at 3 months old.

And this gal was able to hang with her overly loving cousin AND Jason...she took what came at her like it was nothing. Those two boys constantly messed with her and she didn't make much of a peep, even when Jason was giving her her 2000th kiss and she was developing a slight rash due to his scruffy face.

I'm so thankful for my niece and nephew and that we have already been able to become a part of their lives.

Lawyer announced at the beginning of the trip that he did NOT like that baby (which he said it mockingly and lovingly, so we didn't really believe him) and by the end of the week, he had made statements like "She smells like sugar." and "Her toes smell delicious." and "She smells like cotton candy."

Before we knew it, he was hugging her, holding her tiny hands while he watched movies, covering her up with her blanket, putting her pacifier in her mouth, making her giggle, singing her songs, rubbing his head on her like a cat (he's done this with several babies, not certain why he does that other than the fact he probably doesn't want us to see him kiss the babies) and just plain loving on her.

Then again, who could ever resist her delicious toes?

My First Unofficial Photoshoot

2009-07-01T11:57:00.003-05:00

Luckily for me, I had my family with me on vacation and they were fore-warned that I MUST take pictures of their family.

They came fully prepared with their clothing and jewelry selected and it worked perfectly against the blue sky and the aqua-teal colored water.

That picture above is my favorite from our little session!

I love people that are down for anything...I asked if they were open to getting a little bit in the water and they went straight in, dress and all!

Thank y'all for letting me take pictures of your family! I hope you love them just as much as I do!

PS: I'll put all your pictures on your CD today! You should have them by next week!

The Beach

2009-07-01T10:16:00.003-05:00

Whew, what a vacation we had! It was SO much fun and the only down-side was that it went by way too fast.

I was horrible about taking pictures at the beach but when I think about it, I had such a great time that I just didn't think about my camera. I did manage to get some so here's my little menagerie.

The End

The Beginning

2009-06-30T11:37:00.004-05:00

Instead of driving the full 13 hours to the beach, we decided to make a pit stop somewhere in between just to change it up a bit. We were going to stop in New Orleans like we did last year but instead ended up in Mobile, AL. We stayed at the nicest hotel Mobile had to offer which was cool since it was super fancy but pretty cheap since, let's face it, we were only in Mobile.

When we got up the next morning, we stopped at the USS Alabama, a giant battleship that was in service during World War II. It's kind of a giant open-air museum of sorts since they have everything from different fighter jets, planes, subs, etc. It was pretty cool but I was NOT dressed appropriately and it was like 300% humidity there that morning.

I bet you saw this F16 and immediately started humming the theme song to Top Gun.

Speaking of Top Gun, Jason always gets mad since I like to call him Goose every once in a while. For some reason he thinks he should be Maverick or even Ice Man, but let's face it, he looks WAY more like Goose (plus I think Tom Cruise is a weirdo and WAY too short).

The class clown runs in the family too.

Lawyer, ironically, was dressed in a shirt that was all patriotic and said "Home of the Brave" on it.

Sitting at one of the big guns.

The dimple on the cheek gets me every time!

This just looked cool and graphic to me.

My sister- and brother-in-law let me take family photos of them and their new baby. This is a sneak peak and one of my favorites.

The beach is coming up next!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...

2009-06-29T11:55:00.004-05:00

Did you miss me? Sorry, I took a little hiatus from blogging because I went on vacation! I have pictures to share from the beach later but here's what happened before our vacation...

See that blondie above? See something that's a little off?

Yeah, this crazy kid decided to BREAK HIS FOOT before we went on vacation! He did it on a Tuesday and I didn't think much of it and by Thursday my mom thought I might want to take him to the doctor to just make sure it was okay. He was kind of limping on it but I just thought he got like a stone bruise on the bottom of his foot of something. (Sidenote: This kid broke his foot by running and jumping in the shallow end of the pool and his foot landed on the stairs....AFTER I told him to not do it!)

Anyhow, I took him to the doctor on Thursday and sure enough, he had two broken metatarsals (the long bones that connect the ankle to the toes) in the center of the foot. We got a half cast (basically a splint) put on and we went ahead to the beach on Friday for the week, keeping it wrapped up when we weren't playing in the ocean and in the sand. He had the real cast put on yesterday...and after days of telling him that he wouldn't get to swim once he got the cast put on, I'll be darn if they don't offer water-proof casts these days! So we still get to swim and take regular showers.

Here's a sneak peak of this beautiful red-head we got to spend time with this week on our vacation!

More to come soon!

I'm a Super-Star!

2009-06-17T08:22:00.002-05:00

Er, okay, maybe not that cool...but one of my favorite blogs to visit about fun embroidery is showing off my unicorn that I stitched! How fun is that!

Visit Feeling Stitchy to check it out!

A Little of This and That...

2009-06-12T11:49:00.004-05:00

I've got a lot of things swimming around in the great beyond, known as my brain. So here's a random post full of, well, randomness.

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Lawyer got a new toy the other day from Jason. I'm pretty sure that most 4 year olds don't technically need one of these but Lawyer sure does love it.

It's this scuba underwater propeller thingy (not certain what the technical name is). It's actually used by scuba divers in the ocean and it can go down to 60 feet but we decided it would be super fun in the pool.

See? He loves it! I can't wait to buy some disposable underwater cameras...I'm going to get some ultra-rad shots in the water!

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I've got one sleeve on the circulars for my nephew's sweater I'm knitting. The other sleeve is started so hopefully I can finish this by sometime in this millennium.

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Did I mention I tried my hand at embroidery recently?

There's this super-cool website that has fun embroidery patterns you can purchase. I actually bought the owner's little book from Barnes and Noble. That's where the unicorn came from.

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Oh and I found the coolest thing for when Lawyer starts losing his teeth. It's called the Official Tooth Fairy Kit. It's got a letterpress (LETTERPRESS, I say!!) form that has what looks like an old-timey dentist chart of teeth that you fill out each time. Here's what the website says about it:

The Official Tooth Fairy Kit contains one letterpress Certificate
of Record for filing with your local Tooth Fairy and one reusable silk screened cloth deposit bag for your first and all subsequent transactions. The official certificate keeps record of name, age, tooth lost, method of extraction and compensation information.

How hilarious is that? I purchased one today and can't wait to get it next week. Lawyer is going to LOVE it when I pull this one out at the appropriate time. You can buy one at the Office of the Tooth Fairy.

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I looked out the window the other day and saw Lawyer creating hopscotch squares. Where, pray tell, did he learn this? I have never done such a thing with him!

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Oh, and running still sucks. No matter how much you want to convince me.

Love, Me

PS: Two nights ago, Jason, Lawyer and I went to see Land of the Lost (don't take your kids, I hear EVERY SINGLE CUSS word in the first five minutes and there was plenty of boobs - on cups, grabbing, etc - and this was supposed to be a movie I could take my 4 year old too!) and we showed up just in time for the tornadoes (although I don't think it was much more than funnel clouds) to be ripping through our 'hood. Good times.

Not So Good...

2009-06-11T08:18:00.002-05:00

This dress has been done for a while now but I haven't really had it at the top of my list because it's, as my 4 year old would say, "Not so good."

I won't give up on this knitting pattern because I have quite a few changes that I would make the next go 'round to possibly make it "good" or possibly even "great".

But for now? "Not so good".

Oh Dear...

2009-06-10T13:13:00.004-05:00

I love fantasy/whimsical things - probably why I love children's books and movies so much....Alice in Wonderland having always been a huge favorite. I once was discussing a fantasy-like book with someone once and they told me "I don't like fantasy stuff." Um, last time I checked, most books you read for fun have some sort of fantasy value. That's why people like to read books - to put themselves in another place and in another time! Anyways...

I decided to buy some art on a whim at 8:00am this morning. I've really enjoyed the art and blog of Emily Martin of Inside a Black Apple. Her art is intriguing and whimsical, with a slight dark-side to it. Think Alice in Wonderland meets the Adams Family.

I bought two different pieces and I can't wait to take pictures when I receive the art so I can share them.

This purchase has led me too want to paint my office...again. But not until after we have knocked out most of one of the walls between my office and living room to put double french doors in. Then I can paint it. The same color as my bedroom. I'm thinking the icy blue-green and red would look quite lovely.

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On another note, I hate running. There I said it. Those that like it and love it and live it, I congratulate you because I think running sucks and anyone that can honestly say they love it should be extremely proud of themselves (and I'm not being hateful, I'm truly intrigued by those that love it). This isn't to say that I have quit my little 5k jaunt. I'm still plugging away, I'm just saying it sucks.

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I rented another lens for my camera and it should be here next week, just in time for our little vacation to the beach (thank goodness!). I'm super-excited about this lens since it is an L-series lens...I can't decide if it will make me super happy to have rented it or super-sad that I will have to give it up after three weeks.

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Does anybody know of anything fun to do in New Orleans that doesn't have to do with T&A? We'll only be there for a few hours worth of a stop but I like to do stuff. I was mortified when we took our son through Bourbon Street last time, even at 10:00 in the morning. I'd like something a little on the G to PG side this time. It doesn't necessarily need to be something to do, it could just be something interesting to drive through or see.

Art is Top Priority Around Here

2009-06-09T11:08:00.003-05:00

You've never seen a 4 year old more in-tune with his creative side.

Seriously.

We had fun...

2009-06-08T13:39:00.004-05:00

Um, yeah. About this weekend...I went to the mega-country concert of the year! LeAnn Womack (Julian Hough got sick), Blake Shelton, REBA FREAKIN' MCINTYRE and GEORGE ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME STRAIGHT played at the brand spankin' new Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night. We had floor seats, dead center, 35 rows back and it was simply an amazing concert at an amazing new stadium! The company we had was great and I think all of North Texas is officially dry for how much beer the six of us consumed. Good times.

Oh and fun fact o' the day...Jason's company did ALL the glass for the new stadium, including the world's largest moveable glass doors!

Lawyer got to hang out with Granny and Papaw and he was perfectly fine with that. He even spent the entire day at Six Flags yesterday.

Let's see...I've gone 6 weeks straight (maybe 7?) of drinking at least 64 ounces of water every day but I noticed that I'm closer to a gallon of water (128 ounces - thought I would do the math for you) the past week or so. Why? I decided I needed to get my butt in gear and attempt to get back in shape so I started a LITTLE running program (I'm talking minuscule) since I wanted to do something new and running is always new to me. I'm doing this "Couch to 5K" schedule and so far it is alright. My hamstring hurts so bad even though I'm very strict about doing at least 10-15 minutes of stretching before and after my little walk/jog. Funny thing is, it only hurts when I walk but when I run, it is fine.

Okay since I've rambled on, here are some pics of Lawyer and I at the park. (Granny and Papaw - this is when you want to look away, okay?) Lawyer scaled the little rock wall. The 4 year old is absolutely fearless.

NOTE TO SELF: If you are going to take your nice camera to the park and you think you might want to capture some fun pics of your child...make sure you have a charged battery! Or at least make sure you have your iPhone with you so you can still take pics.

Knock Out

2009-06-08T11:12:00.003-05:00

Poor Lawyer was subjected to yet another little photo shoot.

But it was because I was inspired by this photo of his great-grandfather. Lawyer was only missing a black eye.

Have a wonderful Monday!

He Gets Me Every Time...

2009-06-05T06:57:00.002-05:00

I bribed (no...gave an incentive to) Lawyer for me to take pictures of him. I do love getting new pictures of him but my main focus this time was to stretch myself with my photography skills. I'm still learning where to place lighting (I really only use natural lighting and NO flash!) on my subjects, whether it's food, a completed project or, of course, a person.

Usually, these little photography escapades do not turn out since Lawyer just about does everything to avoid me like the plague when he sees me point a camera at him.

But this time? I think I caught some of my most favorite pictures of him.

Thank you, my sweet boy, for participating. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my bribe (uh, incentive). Oh, and those interested (not that I am even remotely a professional) in how/what I did to get each picture, I gave details for what worked for me.

Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO Speed: 800

I purposely over-exposed this picture...this was nothing that I did in Photoshop. In fact, the only thing I did was slightly sharpen the eyes and put an edge burn around the picture to slightly darken the edges.

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Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 65mm
ISO Speed: 800

The original photo turned out extremely under-exposed so I fixed it in Photoshop. This looks okay but nothing like the top photo.

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Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO Speed: 800

I didn't pose Lawyer, I just said "Stand in this area" and then whatever he did, I just kept shooting. This was one of my favorites, he looks pensive.

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Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO Speed: 800

This is a tad cheesy...but I promise, I did not pose him like that or at all. I asked him to get on our leather ottoman and he just plopped himself up like that. It still turned out okay for those that like posed pictures.

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Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 28mm
ISO Speed: 800

Ah, the W wall makes a comeback. I wonder if this will ever get old to me.

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One thing to note, I don't usually like shooting at such a high ISO speed but given the fact that I have VERY dark walls and the sun was directly over our house with no real light pouring in from the windows, I had to bump it up that high.

Okay, there is your groovy photography lesson for the day from an amateur photographer!

Oh and want to know what the bribe/incentive was? Marbles...you'll have to stay tune for what is so special about these particular marbles that Lawyer was willing to spend a little time with me over!

Day 5 of Summer

2009-06-05T05:55:00.000-05:00

::Sometimes we just like to hang out on the couch and watch a movie.

Just Us

2009-06-04T09:31:00.003-05:00

Because I love "Before & Afters"...

Here's Jason's "before and after" after a fabulous trip to the dentist for some teeth whitening! He has the most beautifully shaped teeth and he finally went and did something to perk them up...I love them (and him)!

Oh and here is a picture of Jason's eyes...he has the most beautiful color of eyes. They remind me of sea glass. This is a straight out of camera shot so don't think I manipulated the color of his eyes.

Self-Portrait

Here's yet another Lawyer/Mom picture....I'm really starting to like the pics I'm getting with him - especially when they are silly.

The other day, I BEGGED Lawyer to let me take some "nice" pictures of him and after tears (not by me...but almost), resistance and lots of ignoring me, I thought the little photo shoot had been a waste on both of our parts...but after looking through my pictures, I liked this one a lot - despite the lack of focus (I can't decide if it is me or my camera - all my pictures lately seem REALLY out of focus...hmm).

Okay, that's it from me!

Day 4 of Summer

2009-06-04T08:04:00.002-05:00

::Bubble Blowing

::Seed Starting

::Sun Catching

Day 3 of Summer

2009-06-03T06:16:00.000-05:00

An outdoor science "experiment" is where it's at this summer!

Day 2 of Summer

2009-06-02T06:47:00.001-05:00

What would summer be without snow cones? Honestly, I've never touched a snow cone. For some reason shaved ice with a really sugary syrup drizzled over it never sounded that appealing. But for MOST PEOPLE, what would summer be without snow cones?

My goal this summer is to get into MORE pictures with my family. I have very few pictures of myself with my family - a handful really, but you know, having a creative outlet sometimes means getting out of your comfort zone so you'll be seeing a LITTLE bit of myself in a few pictures. I'll even try NOT to make nervous jokes about myself either (like, "Don't I look like I stole glasses from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?"). Besides, I'm doing this for Lawyer's sake - not my own.

Days of Summer - Day 1

2009-06-01T12:56:00.002-05:00

We got a new (new to us) diving board thanks to some friends that were throwing theirs out due to renovating their pool. It's 2 feet longer than what we did have, not broken (Jason cracked ours on the very last day that we swam in the pool last season) and it is EXTRA springy. Perfect for doing flips into the pool.

We chilled in the pool yesterday.

And I was determined that Lawyer was going to be rid of his annual fear of swimming in the deep end at the beginning of the swim season. He was three last year and we just tossed him in the deep end of the pool and said kick your legs. Worked like a charm.

And this year? I made Jason take away his swim noodle while they were in the deep end and made Lawyer swim to me. And guess what?

This kid didn't look back.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love summer?

10 Things

2009-06-01T07:52:00.004-05:00

I've got pictures from the weekend that I'm trying to finish processing but I thought it would be fun (not sure who it would be fun for...) to post some random things about myself so here goes...

1) I wear a dress almost 7 days a week because I want to (and I work from home) but I hate skirts.

2) I make my own frappucinos at home because I refuse to pay $4.00 a day getting one from Starbucks.

3) I wear flip flops almost 365 days a year: with jeans, dresses, shorts, nice outfits, etc.

4) I bleach my own hair and have since I was 18...and I always have people ask me where I get my hair done. And I only pay around $3.00 to color it every 4-6 weeks.

5) I met my husband in a bar 7 years ago (that's something to make your mama proud!).

6) Despite the fact that I wear dresses almost daily, I am NOT a girly-girl at all.

7) I taught myself to knit, sew and embroider all within the last year and a half.

8) I started my own catering business when I was still in my teens and then left it behind after I had my son.

9) I absolutely LOATHE shopping. When it's necessary to update my decade-old wardrobe, I usually go to the closest store near me and if something fits, I buy one in every color. I did this two weeks ago with two different pairs of shorts (I hate shorts), two different dresses and several tops...I hadn't bought new clothes in about 5 years.

10) My adult beverage of choice is either a Bud Light in a bottle (the cans have a funky taste to me) or Crown and Coke....see, I'm not a girly-girl.

Alright, wasn't that intriguing? I hear both crickets and snoring now. Ha! Well, I gotta split. I've got some other things to share later!

Backyard Adventures

2009-05-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

Some days I have to wonder who is really into being a little kid - Lawyer or myself. Since Lawyer's been out of school all this week, I really wanted to have lots of fun with him at home but, alas, Granny and Papaw's house is WAY cooler than hanging out with your mom.

Yesterday, I got this brilliant idea to make a tee pee out of garden stakes and a half-finished quilt so that Lawyer could have a change of scenery. It really was quite cute - Lawyer ate popsicles and watched a movie in it.

Lawyer, by the way, isn't this pale, pasty white in person...it's just how I did the post-processing. I happen to love it when he's really white since it looks so beautiful on him.

We've had lots of questionable visitors around the yard, what with the Texas rat snake and this little fellow. I researched him and found out it's a wolf spider. I like to investigate what things are since I find no need to kill off every creature - if it's harmless, it stays. He will stay...if he bites, it's like a mosquito bite.

I made this random concoction for lunch the other day. I was feeling adventurous not wanting to read a cookbook and all. It was some cut-up veggies I had in the fridge that I threw onto some lettuce leaves and then made ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet) that I tossed with a peanut sauce I made. It was alright, definitely not what I'm used to eating when I eat Ina Garten, Ruth Reichl or Martha Stewart recipes.

My dad bought this 28-135mm lens that is really awesome (by the way, Dad, I think I forgot to tell you what I thought about it!). I was about 12 inches from the center of this sago palm and the detail truly is amazing. In fact, all the above pictures were taken with it...it may be a new go-to lens for me.

Anyhow, it's FRIDAY!!! We've just got a few plans: last t-ball game, a birthday party to go to and go see the movie UP. The rest of the time? We'll be hanging out by the pool! Enjoy your weekend!

This Child of Mine...

2009-05-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

He will be 5 in a few short months. Sigh. Where has the time gone? I actually relish each and every day with Lawyer in all of his growth...I don't think about yesterday and I really don't see past today. I just breathe in this boy's spirit and all is okay to just enjoy today.

I love his energy, leadership, strong-willed attitude, his dance moves, how he loves on me early in the morning and late at night (I'm chopped liver at all hours in between, usually!), his amazing works of art, his imagination, his thoughtfulness for others and every inch of his 4 foot tall frame.

And even during the topsy-turvy, spinning-wildly-out-of-control days of parenting, I wouldn't trade this child or our days together for anything in this world...

because I know one day it will be his time to leave this house and make new adventures with his own family. Thank you my sweet boy for each and every day.

Officially Summer

2009-05-28T12:24:00.003-05:00

I love how Memorial weekend jump starts the beginning of summer. Lawyer's official last day of school for the school year was last Thursday so we have stayed busy doing absolutely whatever we want! What better way to depict summer than to be a naken 4 year old boy, eating a popsicle with your feet dangling in the pool at the end of a long, summer day. Ah!

Lawyer woke up unusually early on his first day of summer, slipped on his pirate pants and swabbed the deck...seriously, that's what he told me when I saw him outside with the broom.

And of course, you've got have T-Ball for your summer-time adventures.

I may go light on posts this summer...I'm so incredibly busy with work and something has to give so that I can still maintain my time with my family. I'm thinking of doing just a picture each day to share what we are up to. We'll see...staying away from my blog is like taking a huge part of my creativity away.

Until next time!

The Well-Needed Break

2009-05-26T13:07:00.003-05:00

I'm back! I had a very enjoyable weekend and got a chance to decompress. It was well-deserved and well-needed, trust me.

My brother-in-law and his family made an impromptu weekend visit and it was a lot of fun. The baby has gotten so big and he was full of smiles.

Of course, that meant PICTURES! I've been in a rut with my photography lately...Lawyer has been a less-than-willing subject and you can only take so many backyard plant pictures. This baby made my photography cup runneth over! Here are a few of my favorites:

Can I just say that the "W" picture rocks my world? Ah! And here were two of my favorite Lawyer/baby pictures...that boy LOVES his cousin and it's funny since it's in a very brotherly way too:

Yeah for getting out of the doldrums!!

This Little Guy

2009-05-26T08:12:00.003-05:00

He made an appearance this weekend! I can't wait to post more pics, especially since he is mesmerized every time I get my camera out. Thanks Ryan and Margaret for letting us get our baby fill in this weekend!

Quick! Change the subject!

2009-05-20T13:40:00.003-05:00

Um, yeah. So anyway. (avoiding the subject of my blog absence)

I've found myself in a wonderful place of busy-ness. The kind of busy that at the end of the day, you too, want to just curl up next to your 4 year old at 8:30 to go to bed and blissfully dream. I thrive on being busy....I have my work busy-ness and my downtime business. In my downtime, I sew, knit, read, learn (always learning), watch documentaries, cook, play, take pics of the randomness around me, try something new (I've been embroidering!) and live in the moment with my boys.

"The busy" has required my absence here on my little blog but I hope to be back at it after the weekend.

But something to share....hmmm. Oh yes, I have another half-a** project that still needs completion after a year. I love it and have yet to wear it due to incompletion. I so would have gotten an "I" on my report card for this.

It's a cute, mod-looking dress that I sewed last year. The ONLY thing that I lack is sewing the hem. You can see the random strings and the lining showing but once I hem it up (and iron, blech), it will be ready for a night on the town. Isn't the blue so lovely? It reminds me of peacocks and I have an infatuation with peacocks. And the shoes! Aren't they ridiculous? I love them so!

A Necessary Haiku

2009-05-18T09:45:00.004-05:00

Sun's rays reach out
Radiating
Shining brightly on my golden hair

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Sigh. The sun will finally grace us with her presence all week. How I've missed the warmth and light lately. The weekend was grand and I will post pictures of our adventures, no matter how little or small. Embrace the day, love one another and live for today, glorifying Him with each action, thought and word.

Amii

Sneaky Snake

2009-05-12T09:57:00.003-05:00

The other night I was getting ready to head to the grocery store and when I turned on the headlights of my car I saw something at the end of my driveway poking out of the grass onto the concrete. It continued to get longer and longer and longer and of course, I knew it was a snake.

He was about 3 feet long and at least an inch thick so he was a pretty stout snake compared to what we usually see...the 12-18 inch long brown snakes in the pool or garden. I went ahead to the grocery store while Jason and Lawyer were inspecting it.

After I got back from the store, I saw a hacked snake in the middle of the street. Lawyer was pretty animated about it (although I think he was secretly scarred about seeing Jason chop off the snake's head), telling me how they killed it. Jason said that he had the flashlight on the snake and then Lawyer went inside to get something and he turned to look. He said after a second he looked back down and the snake was gone...he eventually found it at eye-level on the tree in front of him. He even went as far as to say he heard a rattle. I was skeptical.

So after a little research, I found that this was a Texas Rat Snake. The fact that lead me to this conclusion was that they are often mistaken for rattlesnakes due to the fact that they vibrate their tails when in distress which sounds like a rattle. They eat mice and rats usually but I suspect the snake's goal was the tree to begin with since we have a little robin family living in it. The babies just hatched within the last week or so. The snake wanted dinner.

I found out that they reach up to 6 feet long and they aren't venomous. A bite doesn't require much more than washing the bitten area with antibacterial soap and water. They are pretty aggressive considering they have to be to catch a mouse or rat. Next time, I don't plan on killing one...they eat the rats and mice and I would rather have a sneaky snake than filthy rats and mice any day of the week.

Bad Hair Day

2009-05-11T12:31:00.003-05:00

Yeah so I previously mentioned that Lawyer had a good story about his hair. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

It was Crazy Hair Day at school on Friday so we spiked his hair and sprayed it green.

Oh dear, this is after school. I was working in my office and in comes Lawyer. At first, I thought he had wet his hair down and that's why it was so funky looking. And then, upon further inspection...

Uh, yeah. Crazy Hair Day turned into Bad Hair Day. I seriously could not stop laughing. The longer I looked at it, the harder I laughed. Lawyer just stood there with a smile on his face which quickly turned to nervous laughter on his part. I made him antsy to say the least with my boisterous laugh.

So, a shaved head it was.

It wasn't so bad though...we had to go to Granny's to get the shears so he got to go swimming afterwards.

The BEST Mother's Day...EVER

2009-05-11T11:52:00.004-05:00

Wow, what a great weekend! My boys showered me with love and presents to honor me for Mother's Day. They got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers in the most wonderful colors and I got a grill tools set (now, I know that there are so many mother's that dread the whole "kitchen gifts" thing but seeing as I love to cook and I'm the grill master in our house, I was overjoyed!). They took me to my favorite restaurant where I stuffed myself silly with fried green tomatoes, grilled halibut, margaritas and the best apple crisp.

And this is what I've been waiting for all these Mother's Days...Lawyer's first handwritten messages to me.

Ah, be still my heart.

And the gift he made at school was precious...a framed picture that he created. (There's a story on the shaved head...it deserves its own post so I'll wait)

I think Lawyer took the "kick back, relax, it's your day" personally for himself.

And for my mom? I gave her this:

I got her a One Year Bible (wrapped in the green leaf napkins), a delicious gardenia scented soy candle, a yummy chunky green verbena soap bar (wrapped in tissue paper), a tub of aloe vera sugar scrub, two knitted wash clothes (that I gave a sneak peak of last week) and the knitted gift bag everything is sitting on? It became a pillow.

I got the idea for the wash clothes from the Purl Bee. I didn't even bother to look at their instructions...I just knit a seed stitch border around one with just knitting in the center and the other one is 2 strands of yarn knit in only seed stitch. It's my favorite one. It's all lumpy bumpy and has a massaging quality to it. I've got plans to knit myself a whole set for us to have.

The bag was kind of a last minute project that I adapted from Joelle Hoverson's (owner of Purl) Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I used two different strands and knit it all in the round. It was supposed to be this dainty gift bag and before I knew it, I had knit a 11"x20" bag that an 11.5"x21 pillow form just happened to fit perfectly in. So once I gave my mom this "bag" full of the goodies, I slipped the pillow form in and sewed it shut. I love 2-for-1 gifts. I'll get a pic of the finished pillow so I can share!

It was truly a wonderful weekend! I hope your's was too!

How to create your own sunshine...

2009-05-07T08:01:00.004-05:00

When the clouds won't go away and you are in some serious need of sunshine,

what should one do?

Brighten up some body's day!

Lawyer and I made some cookies and picked some flowers to take as a special delivery to Granny. It brightened up all of our days for sure!

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Okay, I've still made dinner every night, I've just been absent from this little blog of mine. Oh and to set the record straight (not that anybody has asked) the reason I've been posting pics of my dinners is not because I feel the need to document every mundane detail of my life. It's because I feel accountable when I can post a pic of our dinner...it forces (well, force may be a tad too harsh) me to make dinner every night and so far it's worked!

Here's what you've missed (I can hear the tears, people...or is that crickets?):

Monday-

Tortilla Soup
Cheese Quesadillas
(the pic above were of the accompaniments to the soup...the soup wasn't all that beautiful to picture, but it was very delicious)

Tuesday-

Thai-Style Steak Salad

Wednesday-

Turkey Cobb Salad (minus the turkey...I went for store-bought rotisserie chicken instead)
Also, I find the blue cheese to be a tad too overwhelming for me. I mean I like blue cheese and all but sheesh!

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And a secret knitting mission is under way...I'll share at a later date!

And it's Alright...

2009-05-07T07:39:00.004-05:00

Amazing is the power of the sun. Yesterday when the sun shone through little breaks in the clouds, I felt like Wall-E getting a serious power-up...I could feel the energy boil within.

Seeing the sun was such an exciting thing that taking a picture of the sunlight pouring through the window was highly worthy. Please pretend that you don't see the crumbs and dust bunnies on my floor, okay?

The sunlight seemed even more beautiful after a hearty rain yesterday morning and I have to say that my plants were feeling particularly photogenic. We decided to have a little photo session.

The feather grass was feeling foxy.

This little cherry tomato was quite the show-off compared to his friends.

The red bell pepper is still too young to know how beautiful it will become.

The canna in the far back, well, she was a showstopper. But then again, she told me to get her good side.

The whirling butterfly didn't even notice me as they swayed to and fro in the light morning breeze.

This canna near the pool was trying her hardest to be an enigma. I think she was just being saucy. I like multi-faceted canna.

Oh, and the purple elephant ear...isn't her dewy complexion to die for?

The coral bells were sunbathing and pretending I wasn't there.

All was quiet on the red yucca home front except one little beauty that woke up just in time for me to take her picture.

Oh and how could I ever forget Miss Agapanthus...words have not even been created to describe her unveiling beauty.

So, I know, I need to get a life but I'm such a solar-powered individual that this made the depressing weather seem but a far distant memory. You ought to try it sometime yourself.

Here Comes the Sun...

2009-05-06T09:45:00.001-05:00

To be continued...

Just need to breathe...

2009-05-04T16:21:00.003-05:00

Hmm, today sort of flitted itself away. I started my day as usual (opened the blinds/drapes, made some coffee, browsed through my fave blogs/websites) and then all of a sudden, like a punch in the stomach, I discovered that my ENTIRE transferred C Drive was missing. Just like that. Poof. No warning, nothing out of the ordinary with my computer, just gone.

So after announcing that I felt I needed to throw up due to this catastrophic event (my entire work life was located here) and after my dad talking me through various solutions (thanks Dad) I "happened" to stumble upon the entire missing C Drive. It magically appeared in a file that I have never even looked in before. Hmm. Not certain who, what, when, why, how or where but it was there, safe and sound. I immediately backed up my computer.

I was determined for this event to NOT set the tone for the rest of my day. While my computer basically spent the entire day backing up, I got some knitting done (I promise pics of the baby dress will be materializing on here soon), picked up the house a bit, took a few pictures (I love my new blog header...how about you?), played firemen with Lawyer (off of school for the entire week due to a democratic freak-out of this ridiculous swine flu...seriously, don't get me started) and just like that, I found the day already coming to an end. Like I said, it just flitted away.

So see this?

Yeah, I've got dreams of back stitches floating away in my head. I found so much creative inspiration at Sublime Stitching. You MUST do yourself a favor and check out the owner's embroidery work...simply, well, SUBLIME.

And dinner was delicious as usual. Here was what we had:
Beef Tacos with Radish and Avocado Salsa
Grilled Corn on the Cob

Dysfunctional Organizing

2009-05-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make of an obsession of mine...I'm obsessed with cookbooks and lifestyle magazines. There isn't a day that hasn't gone by in the last ten years that I haven't looked through either one.

I also have a really hard time letting go of magazines once I've read through them...there are usually ideas that I want to try or recipes I want to cook or places I want to visit that I have discovered within their pages.

So what's a girl to do? Well, I've created a "library" of sorts of my favorite magazines: Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart, Domino, etc.

Here is how I have them organized:

Rather than organize them by publication, I found that organizing by month has made a lot of sense. Each month, when I have flipped through the current issues, I'll pull out my stash of previous month's issues.

See that pic above? You can see that I have a mag holder for "November"-, "December"-issues, etc. I like this since when you look through, let's say, the "May" holder, all your recipes will have ingredients that are in season and the gardening sections will pertain to the month you are in. I also like that you can find fun crafty ideas for holidays way before their time comes. So for Christmas, I can see what great gift ideas I can use, wrapping techniques, etc.

So there's my little organizing tip for magazine freaks, such as myself!

Searching for the Silver Lining

2009-05-02T16:44:00.003-05:00

Today started out well enough. Jason and I got up early after a wonderful dinner last night. I just about finished my baby knit dress. The weather was warm. I have one cherry tomato that is turning from green to its new shade of red (yeah, I can't wait for Jason and I to share that one tiny tomato! haha!).

Jason was "starving" and I just decided to make whatever I saw so I made Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak. The entire meal from thought to sit-down meal was maybe 9 minutes tops.

And I made an accompanying salad with a chili dressing...delicious!

Then I was browsing around on the internet and come across this lovely sight called Sublime Stitching....I'm heading to Hobby Lobby later on to purchase my first bit of embroidery gear!

Then, without warning (well, maybe...if we had seen the weather on the news, we would have known) it went from beautifully warm and bright, albeit overcast, to a torrential down pour. Seriously, it must have dumped 8 inches or rain in about 5 minutes.

And the mayhem ensued:

So, instead of being a "Debbie Downer" while I'm sharing my afternoon-of-torrential-rain-pool-follies photography, I thought I'd search for the silver lining in each picture. Shall we?

We now have "water-front" property.

We've always wanted a lagoon pool.

We can now say we have one of those great "infinity" pools.

My toes look great submerged in water at our back door.

Jason was the first one to get to enjoy our new infinity/lagoon pool.

The flowers and grass look exceptionally lush and green.

Wow! Wasn't that so refreshing and positive? I'm going to start doing this "silver lining" thing more often!

Hope the rest of your weekend is more dry than ours!

I'm a Big Girl Now

2009-05-02T08:55:00.004-05:00

Last night, Jason and I had another couple over for our first "adult" dinner.

The table was set beautifully with fresh tulips (I LOVE the purple against the white and navy), white cloth napkins, and votives sporadically on the table.

Frank Sinatra softly crooned in the background, a Texas red wine was served with our dinner, laughter was abundant and good times were had.

Here's the low-down on what I served for dinner:
Peach Bellinis
Arugula, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Bistro-Style Ribeye Steak with Provençal Butter
Grilled Asparagus
Bistro Fries with Parsley and Garlic
Blackberry and Ginger Trifle

Everything went off without a hitch since I prepped everything in advance. Once our guests arrived, all I had to do was throw the steaks and asparagus on the grill. Speaking of steaks, I wasn't watching my time at all and I took the steak off way too early. Nothing like sitting down to dinner to discover your meat is still mooing....so, pride aside and the fact that everyone was eating their steak regardless of its doneness, I went ahead and asked who wanted their steaks thrown in the microwave for a few minutes. Not embarrassing...it was what it was...I just adapted.

I highlighted the above recipes that you can find online. The peach bellinis were just a quick version: Kern's Peach Nectar, Prosecco and frozen peaches that were the ice cubes. The asparagus was also super simple: asparagus drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, put on a hot grill until crisp-tender and then fresh lemon squeezed over it before serving.

Sorry I didn't take dinner pictures! It's a little ridiculous to make your dinner guests wait while you stage a photo shoot!

Too Personal?

2009-05-01T10:05:00.003-05:00

Hmm, sometimes Blogland can seem overwhelming to me...but then I realize that I CHOSE to put myself out there and I have to either like it or retreat. I choose to like it. There have been so many wonderful blogs that I have come across (check out my new list of fave blogs on the right!) and I have learned everything from how to sew, how to knit, how to decorate, how to cook and how to love my job as a mother and wife even more (there isn't a blog dedicated to that...I just find wonderful ways to make the "every day" more special and meaningful to all of us).

Anyhow, since my house is still reveling in its cleanliness, I thought I would show my bedroom....and then I thought about NOT showing my bedroom (you know, the overwhelming scary thing about Blogland) and then I decided that I would. There's nothing too personal about it...heck, I don't even have personal pictures up or any pictures/art for that matter! It could be anybody's room or you could see it on HGTV's "Rate My Space" (oh my gosh...such inspirational spaces there!).

So here it is in all its clean glory.

I had the color picked out almost 5 years ago (one apartment and 2 houses ago!) when I stumbled upon it at Restoration Hardware...it's called Silver Sage. It changes colors throughout the day depending on the light and it's the most serene, magical color I've ever had on my walls. It goes from a beautiful silvery-blue to silvery-green to an indescribeable silvery-grey shade in the evening.

See the 6 foot tall mirror? Yeah...it was about a $500 frame (there wasn't even a mirror in it!) that I found at Hobby Lobby. And guess what? I BOUGHT IT FOR $10!!

Anyway, switching subjects yet again...I have begun my epic journey of drinking more water. I've been a water drinker my entire life...I don't like soft drinks much (unless it involves Coke and Crown) and I'm not a big juice drinker. But, I've noticed that over a course of a year, I've been drinking less and less water, which means my daily input of fluids has dwindled drastically.

Well, I've made a tremendous effort and am on my 3rd day of drinking from this big dog:

That's right a gigantic 64 ounce water jug...exacly 8 cups of water. And the scary thing is that in a two hour window yesterday morning...I had drank the ENTIRE THING!!

The plus side is that I really have noticed that my skin is more dewy (sorry, super lame word you'd probably see somebody on HSN saying to hock their line of skin care products) and healthy looking...even Jason noticed it. And that's only after 2 days of drinking myself silly with water!

And dinner last night? OH...MY...GOSH. I'm not a huge fan of chicken since it gets old really fast but I made another recipe from this month's Everyday Food mag and it was too die for.

Honey-Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Plain White Rice with scallions
Grilled Teriyaki and Mango Chutney Pineapple
Veggies with Dip

People, do yourself the biggest favor and make the chicken this weekend (you can find the recipe HERE)! You can thank me for mentioning the recipe on Monday!

PS: I'm just about finished with the purple baby knit dress (thanks for the motivation Marissa!) so I'm hoping to have it seamed, blocked and embroidered by Monday for all to see!

Random, As Usual

2009-04-30T10:01:00.004-05:00

You know what I love? Pressure to get the house clean. We had somebody out at our house yesterday and it was imperative that our house be as perfect as possible (for Jason and I, anyway) so at 7:00 yesterday morning, I did a MASSIVE cleaning of our house from top to bottom and by 9:00am it was immaculate.

That brings me to my office (did you know I actually have a job and work every day...it's true).

Here it is. The walls are a lovely shade of yellow-green called Bamboo (more yellow than green) and Jason wants to puke on himself every time he lays eyes on the color I have in here.

This room will be the LAST room in the house that will ever get decorated how I want it. I usually spend an absurd amount of time (don't let my blog fool you into thinking otherwise) at my desk in front of my computer so decorations are really unnecessary. But at least I get to look out over my backyard in the window! Before any one asks, yes, that is a large sheet of 1/4 inch thick glass that I roll around on.

Anyway, this room is never clean. I'm lucky to find a few inches of space of the floor usually and it's essentially 144 square feet...do the math.

See this picture above? On the other side of that wall is our upstairs family room (a total waste of space, in my opinion). Jason and I really want to take out part of that wall and put in double French doors and close up the existing door. I see it in the near future.

And this picture above? It's the opposite wall. I like the idea I have going on but I hate the cluttered mess. I'm a function over form kind of girl so I love the clear totes that I get from Container Store (seriously, I think we have these in every room....I'm sure we own somewhere around 200 of these boxes, they are the best!) but then you have to look at the crap inside of it. Isn't my Audrey painting delightful? That was my Mother's Day present last year from my mom. She's going to eventually have a home up on that wall...the Audrey painting, not my mom.

Lawyer fishing in the pool...he found his tackle box and his fishing pole and set to baiting it himself with one of his fake worms. Nothing like fishing in your skivvies with a utility belt. Oh, and I'm sad to say, Lawyer didn't catch anything.

Hmm, let's see...oh, we had this for dinner last night:
Grilled Pork Chops
Broccoli
Grilled Potatoes

I more or less played with the cut-up pork chop on my plate...I don't like pork at all but Jason and Lawyer do. Trust me, you don't want to know what I think pork possibly tastes or smells like.

But, on the flip side, I made the most AMAZING cookies last night! They are in the Everyday Food mag that's from Martha Stewart for this month. I'm a die-hard chocolate-chip cookie fan so for me to switch to an overly lemony sugar cookie was huge.

Like I said, AMAZING. You can get the recipe online HERE. I'm hoping to make up a margarita version for Cinco de Mayo.

Future Class Clown of 2022

2009-04-29T13:09:00.003-05:00

His antics and hilarity are never-ending, people.

You can not imagine the number of photos I took from one T-Ball game last week that were of Lawyer doing anything for a laugh.

See that picture above? You might not be able to tell what he's doing...

then you zoom in and see this...the "pitcher" giving a secret thumbs-up to his die-hard fan base.

And this picture? Lawyer's dancing 'cuz he made it to first base (the ball is still in play...see the first baseman waiting on the outfield to throw it to him?)...he has no shame.

This? It's Lawyer's "spazoid" run. He has many variations...and they never get old...except when the coach is getting fed up and the runner behind him is passing him.

I'm not certain what is going on here...I figure it's either free-style dancing or karate, I haven't yet determined the answer.

Huh. Moving along...

Lawyer is a notorious nail-biter. He gets this from his dad who is also a notorious nail-biter. I have to admit though, at Lawyer's age, I did the exact same thing. My point is, we decided to start having him start his games with a piece of gum to hopefully deter him from wanting him to chew on his nails and keep his eye on the game. Well, it ended up being even worse than the nail-biting since we saw the gum constantly going in and out of his mouth using his hands or the gum hanging out of his mouth, as is the case with the picture above.

I'm not certain Lawyer got the memo, but a game was going on while he decided to stop and have play-time in the dirt. Specifically he wasn't watching the ball and it zoomed past him. He tried to get down to it but, since he wasn't keeping his eye on the ball in the first place, he decided while he was down on the ground, he might as well play.

And totally changing the subject, here's what we had for dinner last night:
Loaded Hamburger w/ grilled red onions, arugula, pepper jack cheese and tomatoes on a kaiser bun
Guacamole Salad (seriously, you MUST try)
Sliced Strawberries

Sometimes You Have to Just Go With it...

2009-04-28T12:27:00.003-05:00

I told Lawyer repeatedly last night "Lawyer, PLEASE quit playing in the dirt and eat your dinner!" Well, this 4 year old is equipped with the world's best "auto tune-out" when he hears my voice so he continued to do his business. As his lasagna continued to get colder and colder and my frustations were getting hotter and hotter, I remembered what little boys were made of.

And thus, my story begins...

This is a boy...

...a boy on a mission...

...Mission Accomplished!

In other news...

this is what we had for dinner:

Homemade Lasagna
Simple Greek Salad
Homemade Garlic Ciabatta Bread
And a Fruity Concoction (mango puree, L&R's Pineapple Coconut Juice, fresh grated ginger, Sprite and ice with a squeeze of lime)

What's Been Up...

2009-04-27T12:59:00.003-05:00

A little T-Ball...

and a little knitting...

I Love My Little Pirate...

2009-04-24T09:04:00.006-05:00

I'm also loving the navy wall with the "W"...I've got a great idea for a family picture but I have to find the chair I have in mind that I can paint white and upholster white to use as a prop....

Here is the style that I like:

*Antique-style French chairs
*Ornate carved wood base - as long as it's in good shape wood-wise (minimal gouges or nicks) I don't care if the finish is good or bad shape since I want to paint it
*I want the back kind of tall...maybe 5 feet tall
*Upholstered...any kind in any shape since I want to re-upholster it myself
*I want arms on it since I want it to look regal and kind of mainly (think king's chair)

So without further adieu, here are some pics of chairs I like...if any of you happen to find a chair meeting my specifications, let me know! But the kicker is, I don't want to spend over $50.00...hahahaha!!

Awesome Couch Alert!! I think this couch is only $300.00...so tempting but Jason would gag!

He Cracks Me Up

2009-04-23T13:27:00.000-05:00

Totally Sweet...

2009-04-22T11:52:00.004-05:00

Baby Girl "M" aka "Sweet Cheeks"

Ah, I still don't think the baby smells have washed off of me yet. In fact, I caught a whiff of her on Jason's hands last night still. Mmm, is there anything that smells better?

I love babies at this age. They're so floppy and soft. "M" had a cozy onesie on and I made a comment that she felt like a beanie baby!

At 6 weeks old (yesterday!), she still sleeps an insane amount but luckily she was ready for her close-ups when I showed up with camera in hand.

Baby "M" is a lucky little lady. Her parent's are already naturals and all three are just in love with one another.

Hantie and Kev-Dog are the best and Lawyer thinks the world of the two of them so I can only imagine the love between their new family. There's something so incredibly special about mother's and their babies, especially. Although, I'm sure the push-over will be Kev-Dog.

Jason, Lawyer and I specifically went up to Indiana to see baby M's baptism. I was asked to be the Godmother and while I'm not Catholic, I am deeply honored to have been asked.

For as sweet as she is, she was not liking her little bonnet on her head (although it could be that she HUNGRY!)...but it was her party so she could cry if she wanted to.

Soon, she held up her hand and gave me 4 seconds to get the big black thing out of her face.

Thank you Hantie and Kev-Dog for this sweet baby niece! We love her dearly and can't wait to see y'all again!

Good Times Were Had...

2009-04-22T09:43:00.003-05:00

Whew! Nothing like a whirl-wind weekend! Our little family went to the Hoosier State over the weekend to visit with families and babies. Lawyer now has two sweet baby cousins and he had fun "petting" the baby girl's head and squishing the baby boy's cheeks. I even sneaked a peak at Lawyer holding the baby girl's hand while we were in the car. Smitten, he is.

Being in "The Bend" we took an excursion to Notre Dame and hung out on campus. Books were bought (I love that Lawyer could spend HOURS in a bookstore, he never tires of it), jerseys were upgraded and an ornament was to be had.

We checked out the "go-to" sights on campus:

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Golden Dome

The Grotto

Touchdown Jesus (Mom - Just go with it, okay?)

The Football Stadium

This is Jason's "shoulda-been" Alma Mater...had he had the money. While he didn't graduate from ND, he does have a Leprechaun tattooed on his shoulder. That's how much he loves this school so it was sweet to capture moments of Jason telling Lawyer all about Notre Dame: Jason with his heart-felt stories and Lawyer with his passive interest with his obligatory "Cool."

Some of my favorite pictures were taken when we made an impromptu stop at Jason's dad's shop. It's been in the family for over 50 years and it's funny that Jason is in the same line of business that both his grandfather and father have been in...three generations of Polish-American glaziers (although, Jason's not a glazier..just in the "glass business").

This building used to be the old Hoosier Brewery that was in operation from 1900-1949...I believe sometime shortly after that, Jason's grandfather bought a portion of the building to start his glass business. If I'm not mistaken, this portion that Jason's dad's business resides was an addition to the original 4-story building and it became the bottling house. I wish we had gotten to go inside because the inside is just as amazing as the outside (in a nostalgic kind of way). Back in the back and down a few steps inside is where I believe there used to be a tunnel (it's been bricked since the brewery closed) and from my memory, I think they used to have horse and buggies pull into the tunnel to load up the carts with the bottled booze. Oh and Jason's grandfather sat in the same seat at work for almost 50 years that his feet wore an indention into the concrete...so his footprints are permanently part of the slab.

Photo Courtesy of Brewers of Indiana Guild

Here's a picture I found from 1938 of the same building as above, it's just from the opposite location and back when it was in operation.

Love it!

Jason used to play on this loading dock when he was boy!

And last but not least is a picture of one of the babies...his eyes are simply beautiful.

A Brief Break...

2009-04-21T13:48:00.002-05:00

But I'm back. Sorry, I've been taking pictures...

and my subjects required my full attention. I'll be posting soon!

Landscaping - Texas Style

2009-04-14T10:03:00.003-05:00

Did I mention how busy we were over the weekend? Jason and I had a game plan set in motion all last week and that was to FINALLY do something about our front yard.

You can see the progression above from when we first moved in, to what it looked like last week before we landscaped and what it looks like now. The original yard wasn't horrible but it was overgrown, the front door was a hideous shade of deep mauve and it looked like everyone else's yards: shrubs, bushes and more shrubs. Yuck. Then we just decided to rip everything out, cut the trees back and just live with it all last year. It looked way better in our opinion although I'm sure our neighbors would have thought otherwise.

And now? Ah, it's exactly how we envisioned it: a Texas theme with a touch of tropical.

Obviously, when everything gets established, it will begin to fill in and some plants will become taller and larger than others and that's what we look forward to.

We kept some plants that we just left from before: lantana, the crepe myrtle, the variegated liriope, the wandering jew and we moved some canna that was on the side of the house to a new home in the front. Above is what we have up front now, a few plants got left out but I think we did pretty good.

Our favorite plants by far that we knew we wanted were the agave plants. These things are so ancient-looking and everything about them is amazing: the coloring, their shape, their texture. Plus, did you know that tequila was made from Agave? There's your daily useless info for the day.

Despite the rugged landscaping that we wanted, I still wanted to soften it up with flowers. Plus I'm the hippie that wonders where all the honey bees have gone and I wanted them to have a home at our house. I'm so weird. But I do have to say: If you plant it, they will come. And come the bees did! I also had this CRAZY looking moth that stopped by within the first our of us planting the sciabosa. I knew these would attract butterflies, but this thing was just crazy looking. It was literally the size of a hummingbird and it flew just like one too. Does anybody know what this moth is called? I would love to know!

And since I'm into re-using/re-purposing anything, we had these rocks in our garage that were left over from the backyard retaining wall (remember THIS?). I thought it would be cool to have them randomly in the front garden, looking like they had always been there so we angled them this way and that way to make it look like we planted around what was there. Oh and don't adjust the brightness of your screen, those purple flowers are the BRIGHTEST flowers, especially for a dark purple, that I have ever seen. They seem to glow, weird.

Well, that's it for the front yard! Now all we need to do is get a new fence and we'll be set! We'll be fixing up our back yard in the next few weeks, it needs some new plants and just a little fluffing.

Easter

2009-04-13T10:30:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter. It's overwhelming to think that God gave up his one and only perfect Son for us to have eternal life. Thank God for the ultimate gift.

We had a BUSY weekend full of landscaping, t-ball, egg dying, chocolate-eating and basket opening. It was a grand ol' time for sure.

Lawyer is at a great age where he can start to do so many things on his own. And this year's egg-dying was no different.

Everything right now is "I can do it myself"...

And that meant start to finish with the eggs.

But somehow, "I can do it myself" does NOT apply to any messes that need to be cleaned up.

And yet, I will take all the mess in the world for the time that I get to spend with Lawyer every day.

And Easter day itself? It was filled with lots of wonder (which for a 4 year old means lots of goodies in his Easter baskets...ah to be the only grandchild on my side of the family - he's spoiled rotten).

I love how children will pose at this age with their goods without being asked to...they are natural-born Vanna White's for sure.

And the gift of all gifts that will be highly treasured by myself, was Lawyer' very own camera. See his photographic madness unveil:

The favorite pictures were his self-portraits:

And after great food, wonderful family, a massive silly string war and the chocolate bunny's ears eaten, the day ended with a bang - quite literally.

Hope everyone's Easter was as wonderful as ours.