Life is ART too.

I love ANTHROPOLOGIE

2012-02-13T21:11:00.001-05:00

Queen City Champs!!

2012-02-12T08:38:00.002-05:00

Here are some photos from our final, most intense game. The photos are not that good. I was nervous and yelling a lot.

But here ya go....

We had a rough start. Couldn't sink anything we threw up.

Very nervous.

Both teams wanted to win...BAD.
(we are the guests...)

Hawthorne calms Maddy.

But things continue to get ugly as Courtney (on floor) and Allie

fight for the ball.

We are still down, and girls start to freak out.

And then Allie hits a three from just inside mid-court to tie us up at the half time buzzer!

That was the momentum we needed.

Every shot went in after that.

Our 8th graders were ON FIRE.

We never get behind again...

We end up winning by 21 points.

Celebrations at Salsaritas!

Happy girl.

Winter Update

2012-02-10T10:05:00.003-05:00

Many, many things have been going on since I've last written! I have managed to post some photos here and there but MAN have we been busy. We are always this busy this time of year. Basketball, gymnastics, soccer, birthdays...you name it.

With birthdays past ( and i can't believe i didnt even have time to do a proper bday post for either girlie...sheeeesh), and basketball complete (BEST SEASON EVER!!), things will slow a tad...just a tad...until middle school soccer starts. And I think tryouts are next week. I will enjoy having Maddy home in the afternoons for a few days. When it comes to Madge, I take what I can get these days.

Which reminds me of a Maddy story.

Yesterday morning Maddy woke up at 6:30 am (unheard of) and came upstairs with a look of panic on her sweet, tired face. She held up her left hand and said, "I fell asleep with my ring on and now it won't come off."
Now this ring is a big ole silver monogrammed ring. Hand Picked. All her girlies have them. Maddy got it for her bday and she loves it BUT it's a tad too small. I had her try on my rings and I thought I was getting the right size, BUT Maddy is 2 inches taller than I am. Bigger feet. And apparently bigger hands. So I have been telling her I will get it sized but she's been dying to wear it. Which is ok..sometines...on her left hand ring finger..when her hands are cold. SO she was wearing it in our cold basement that gets cold enough to freeze your fingers a size smaller than normal.
THEN she fell asleep in it.
I said, "It will come off. Let me see it."
I tried to hide the horror on my face when I spied her fat swollen knuckle. She had obviously been pulling on it for a while already. I gave her an icepack to hold. Made her stand outside in the 30 degree temp for 5 min. Then made her try lotion.
Full on panic set in. "MOM!!! WE HAVE THE BIGGEST GAME OF MY LIFE TODAY. I can't wear this in a game. IT HAS TO COME OFF. GET IT OFF!!!!" (not worried about her finger. just the game.)
So I say, "Fine. But it's gonna hurt. Give me your hand"
I pulled. She screamed.
I pulled some more. She started to cry and crumbled to the floor. Mostly from fear but also from pain. I felt it give a little as the lotion got all up under the ring and started to work it's magic.
I gave one last twist and yanked hard as I prayed to God that I wouldn't rip her finger off.
Finally, it popped off and went flying across the kitchen and slammed into the kitchen window.
I checked her hand.
Finger still attached.
I checked the window.
Wasn't broken.
Checked Maddy's face.
Pure relief.
She stood with tears streaming down her face and said, "GOD THAT HURT. Thank you GOD that I can play today. Thank you so much Mommy."

Sweet baby face. I wonder if she will ever wanna wear that ring again??

(in case you want to see the look of a satisfied champion)

Many other things to tell. Big plans for me and Stell next year. But I will elaborate later!

52 Photos Project

2012-02-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

THEME: A Love Note

(this note has been in my camera bag for about 3 years)

52 Photos Project

2012-02-02T17:44:00.001-05:00

Theme: COLOR WITH EMOTION

From YELLOW to PURPLE

2012-01-28T16:44:00.001-05:00

Finn got his purple belt today!!

As you can see, the boy was well prepared and very excited !!

Yay!

(and Grand Master didn't have to call him out for his room being messy this time.

Umhmm. Lesson learned.)

52 Photos Project

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-05:00

Theme: Where I lay My Head

I was going to take a lovely photo of my bed...all made up nice and neat.

But then I remembered this photo.

My bed is the "best bed in the world" according to the babes.

And often, when I am ready to lie down at the end of a long day,

there's some kid in my spot.

Paper Airplane

2012-01-23T21:47:00.001-05:00

This just flew past my head as I enjoyed a late dinner with the gymnast...

One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest

2012-01-15T18:15:00.001-05:00

I have all of my babes home now except this one...

She's still in FLA with her team.

And it's starting to hit home, AGAIN, that this first born baby bird

will soon be leaving the nest.

What in the world will I do without her???

52 Photos Project

2012-01-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

Theme: Get in close

So speaking of curls..... (I love them too, Tristan!)

Stella's BFF

2012-01-11T19:06:00.003-05:00

Stella and Tristan have been great friends all school year. She talks about him a lot. On Monday, she told me and Nick that she and Tristan were going to Savannah to get married. However, on Tuesday she had decided that she was NOT going to marry him. She didn't really explain why, but she was obviously very angry with him.

So today, he sneaked this little peace offering portrait into her cubby mail box. It was too big for my scanner. I may have to take a better photo later. In the meantime, you can check out my favorite part.....her curls. :)
(and he used pink cuz it's her favorite color in the world of course)

And guess what? The wedding on back on...for now.

Acceptance

2012-01-06T15:28:00.004-05:00

I chose the word ACCEPTANCE this year for one main reason. Yoga. I started doing yoga a few months ago and after I started to get into the swing of things (ie learning terms, positions, breathing) I decided to set an intention before each practice. Each day before I began the sweating, straining and suffering, I picked a one-word mantra to ease me through the process. I tired many different words: peace, love, happiness and any other hippy word I could think of. Then one day, I tried a new video on Yogaglo.com. In this video, the instructer said she often began her practice with the word acceptance. So I tried it.

This word had so many facets for me. On one side, I felt the need to accept where I am in my practice. I'm old and out of shape. I'm not as flexible as I used to be, etc. But as I tried out the word more and more, many other sides started to show up. I started thinking about accepting myself in many other ways as well. My life. My choices. And where I have landed.

Accepting what is is not always easy but I have learned that resisting what is causes way more trouble for me.

When I really started looking back at my life, and the times acceptance played a key role, I thought of Hailey. When Hailey was tiny, I used to pray daily that she would sleep, or that she wouldn't want to nurse every 45 min all day long, and...later... that she wouldn't be so afraid to talk to people. Somewhere around the time that sweet perfect babe turned 3, I changed the way I prayed. I prayed to accept her just the way she is. Imagine that?! I prayed to accept her awesomeness so that I might be able to fully understand what she needed from me. Shortly after that, things got sooo much better for both of us. Finallly, I began to really see her, and what she needed, so I quit my job to be a stay at home mom. I still think that was one of the best things I have ever done for her. (and her sister. and her brother. and for me.)

After Maddy was born, I made it my goal to enjoy every minute of her newness. Enjoy all of the baby stages that I wished away when Hailey was a babe and I was drag-ass tired all the time. I decided to accept the tired, accept the sore breasts from nuring for hours, accept all of the baby stages. I accepted how different she is from Hailey. I have even learned to accept how LIKE me she is. Bless her heart. I get that kid. I really do. And I love her just the way she is.

A few months ago, I was struggling to understand what Finn needed from me. He was clingy and acting all kinds of crazy. He was kinda driving me batty. He was having issues with finding his "thing". He admired Hailey's gymnastics abilities and her academic success, he admired Maddy's awesome soccer/bball/lacrosse skills and the fact that school is easy for her as well. He admired Stella's cuteness and the attention she recieves from it. He was feeling very isloated and out of sorts, I guess. Once again, I focused on acceptance. Who he is and what he needs to grow into the person he needs to be. All kinds of good things happened after that...from TKD to art supplies and sketch books. It all hit me like a ton of bricks in an art store one day. The kid was named after an artist (a movie character, and an artist) He's an artist, actor, inventer, builder, conversationalist. The kid is amazing and he deserves to feel that way every day.

Acceptance, at the right time, has done wonders for me in the past.

So now, when I manage to work yoga into my schedule, I usually choose acceptance as I set my intention. I hope to extend that to my everyday life on a more regular basis. Not just yoga time but most of the time.
While comtemplating my chosen word for the 2012 year, that was the only word that made sense to me.

Here are some of the things I hope to accept this year:

the ages, stages and inidividual needs of my wide-spread crew (ages 5-almost 17)

the things I have learned about vegetarian and vegan diets. (as Maya Angelou says, "when you know better, you do better)

that other's opinions don't define who I am.

that it's not only my right/choice as a human to be happy and healthy but it's also my obligation to my family.

that life is actually really, really good.

52 Photos Project

2012-01-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

Theme: A moment in time.

The house has been full of sick children lately.

Our theme for the week was to stop for a moment, breathe,

take in the surroundings, and take a photo of right now.

This photo sums up my week better than any others.

I'm happy to say, however, that she and number 2 are on the mend.

Number 3 is still questionable.

Poor guy.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:54:00.001-05:00

And my word for 2012 is...

ACCEPTANCE

(photo taken by Nick!)

I will explain, in much more detail, later.

In the meantime, I am just gonna sit with it and think about it.

Hope you all have a wonderful 2012!

Studio Lighting

2011-12-31T11:49:00.001-05:00

Having a good time in my pseudo studio!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-26T07:36:00.004-05:00

OK. So here's our Christmas card this year.

I didn't get as many out as I'd hoped.

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday!

Christmas has NOTHIN to do with Jesus

2011-12-22T11:39:00.001-05:00

As I write this, I find myself dwelling in the "depths of despair" (as my bff from college used to say). And I feel fairly certain I have landed somewhat safely, though tattered and torn a bit, on the bottom. Which means, according to Christine, that now is the time when I may begin my climb back up. But I think I'm just gonna chill here on the bottom of the pit for a while. (and you have to say pit of despair just like Billy Crystal in The Princess Bride) I'm just gonna hang out down here and figure this shit out.

See, I used to LOVE Christmas.
But when in the HELL did it get so complicated??? When did family get so complicated??

We are fine with the blending of all three of our families (for the most part), Chuck comes here before the kids wake up...we all wake them together. We all open together. We all eat together. That's all good...I think...right? (I won't get into the other family juggling that occurs on Xmas day...)

SO WHY AM I SO STRESSED???

Well two reasons and number 2 is the most important.
1. cause i've been sick. and i'm tired. and i haven't finished shopping...yet.

2. cause christmas has got nothing to do with Jesus.

Yep. I said it. And ya'll know it's the truth. Nick can give you a whole speech on stupid pagan holidays. Hallmark crap. But here's the thing....we are all supposed to know better. Even if we don't go to church...we know it's SUPPOSED to be about Jesus and the love he represents, right?. Or at LEAST about FAMILY, togetherness, and sharing.

But here's what I feel instead:

broke, tired, sad, resposible, irritated, sympathetic, responsible, disappointed, frustrated, and RESPONSIBLE.

I don't think Jesus really would really want me to feel that way about his birthday.

I told you. I'm going to wallow in this here pit of despair for one more day. And then I'm gonna do some ornament making with the kids and climb my way out. Crawl my way back to light and love and all of those good things this holiday season is supposed to be about.

hailey doodles

2011-12-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

52 Photos Project

2011-12-08T02:00:00.000-05:00

Theme:

COLORS OF THE SEASON

Comments from the Fam

2011-12-07T10:41:00.001-05:00

Here are some of the entertaining things I've heard in the last few days.....

Me   This light wasn't working yesterday. Did someone change the bulb?
*crickets*
Me   That is so weird. It wasn't working at all for a whole day. Now it's working.
Maddy Oh well. Maybe it just had a little temporary snarkle.

Stella    I'm not going to college. I'm staying with you guys forever.
Nick      Great!   (turns to me very seriously...)
              Now Maddy is the only kid in this whole house who will ever move out.

i totally lost it when he said that. hahaaaaa

Nick    Maddy, you need to stop throwing nasty food away in your bedroom trash can.
            Food should only be thrown away in here. (kitchen)
Maddy   It's OK. It was still in the little plastic baggy.
Nick       It's still nasty and will rot and mold. Throw it away in the kitchen, NOT your trash can!!!
Maddy    Uh uh. No it won't. I empty my trash can.
Nick       (with humor and disgust at the same time...) Maddy please, If Suzy went into a coma, your
               trash can would NEVER get emptied.

funny. but a COMA honey???

Maddy    Look how tan my skin looks next to my white sliders.
Me          Yeah. That's your skin. You always look more tan than most of us. In our fam anyway.
               That's cause your skin has a little flavor.
Maddy    What do you mean flavor?
Me           You know...cinnamon spice, caramel, nutmeg or you know...somethin. FLAVAH.
Maddy      Good Lord you are weird.
Me            You totally know what I mean though.

After I made individual "snack plates" for dinner...
Finn    I like this whole get-up you've got here. I think the food looks even better on these
           geometric place mats. Thanks Mom. This was really nice of you.
Stella   Yep.
             And these four place mats make a whole. Four corners make a whole. So it's a whole.
             And I want Finn's sushi stead of my noodles.

of course she does...

Hailey   (in 4 different texts FROM SCHOOL)

                                I'm so tired today.

                                Mom, I'm reallly tired.

                                I hope I can stay awake today.

                                MOM! I'm janked up!

seriously. how am i supposed to help from home? and put your phone away at school!!

Maddy Well, we know a little bit more about Southwest now. They aren't very good.
               Their Point Guard can't dribble. How ya gonna be a Point Guard if ya can't dribble?
               And they are seriously some sore losers. DAAAANNNNGGGGGG!!

nuff said! that pretty much covers it i guess.

First Dance Recital

2011-12-06T14:59:00.001-05:00

Getting ready.

(And looking scared enough to make me tear up.)

Following Ms. Amanda

Getting the hang of it. (most of them anyway...hahaha)

Celebrating....

stardom!

So cute I can't stand it. She had a great day and was SO proud of herself when she was all done!

(poor babe's lips were so chapped she was licking her lips in most of her dance photos. the last picture is a combo of chapped and chocolate tootsie pop.)

**Flowers curtesy of her Daddy, Dadoo and Duck**

Window Messages

2011-12-03T09:21:00.001-05:00

Hailey wrote this on the window of my car the other day. It's still there. I'm going to leave it for a while to remind myself why I spend half my life in the car!!

52 Photos

2011-12-01T02:30:00.000-05:00

Since I started this 52 Photos Project late, and the seasons are all messed up, I decided to jump ahead so that I could be with the rest of the group.

So this week's theme is...

TWINKLING LIGHTS!!!

I realized this was the current theme yesterday and HAD to make the jump on up there

because

I had just taken a bunch of twinkle pix.

Here are a couple of my favs...

2 goof balls

i love the one above because i said, "hold on. just relax. i'm only doing a test shot."

and that's how they looked.

this one was obviously a little more posed.

stell had fun with the mirror.

and we can't forget her too...

Tallulah Gray

aka

LuLu

(these were all xmas card outtakes. bless their little posing hearts.)

Grateful

2011-11-26T19:18:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving was great. Food was great. Company was great.

BUT my favorite part was sitting by this....

on Thanksgiving night with my favorite people in the world.

Mem

2011-11-25T07:48:00.001-05:00

It seems like I only get to see this chick about twice a year or so!!

But I always look forward to it cause she's so dang young, beautiful, and happy!!

I love taking pix of her and her man because they are the cutest couple I have seen in a LONG time!!

ADORABLE.

Guest PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-11-22T20:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I sat down to go through older photo files. I pulled up the file from Stella's birthday party and was shocked to realize I hadn't seen those photos yet!! As I was looking through them, I kept thinking, "I don't remember taking that...Why have't I seen these???"
I finally realized I DIDN'T TAKE ANY OF THEM. Hailey was my photographer that day!

It was so awesome to see the party from her perspective. So here is a bit of Stella's 5th Birthday Dress-Up Party. Hailey style.

Thank you Hailo!

52 Photos Project

2011-11-17T01:00:00.000-05:00

Theme: A word that describes you

The Paper Kites - Featherstone (Official Music Video)

2011-11-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

I love this so much I can't stand it!

Blueberry Girl - New from Neil Gaiman

2011-11-12T20:56:00.000-05:00

My friend, Amanda at Talking To Owls shared this on her FB page and I decided to snag it. I love it. Neil Gaiman is apprently quite a character AND he's friends with Tori Amos.

Blondie

2011-11-12T13:48:00.001-05:00

(the photos you are about to see are part of the collection of outtakes from my ODS photoshoot. i'll call this little girlie, Blondie. i choose to call her Blondie because it's the only name i can come up with to suit her sassy little personality. her real name is perfect for her, but alas, i must protect her identity.)

So here is Blondie.

Here is Blondie with her BFF. Having a grand ole time.

But Blondie decides to hop off the blue doggie rocker and go do something else for a minute.

While she's away, BFF finds someone else to play with.

And THEY starting having a grand ole time.

Blondie returns...and the photos tell the rest of the story...

(i really wish i could have heard what she was saying.)

This is where I drop my camera and rush to make sure Pinkie up there doesn't get thrown in the dust.

Luckily, Blondie see me coming, runs away for a minute and turns to give me

THIS sneaky little smile....

Oh yeah, Blondie.

I saw ya.

And you are totally BUSTED.

(I freakin LOVE Blondie)

Undercurrents with Love

2011-11-11T12:59:00.001-05:00

Something is brewing around here. I'm not quite sure what it is...but I like it.

It all started a while back when I read A New Earth by Tolle. (yeah. it seems like i mention that book a lot.) All of these spiritual/religious thoughts had been swirling in my brain for a while and that book somehow helped me to start sorting through them in a much less-judgment-more-love-kind of way. That book was huge in my life several years ago. It connected me with almost strangers who were really informants with invisible wings. I am forever grateful for the months we discussed that book (and life...).

So since that time, I have read many other inspiring books. The most recents: The Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz and Anatomy of the Spirit, Carolyn Myss. Both of those made sense to me BECAUSE of the Tolle book.

After reading and cramming and compiling all that I learned, I started trying to share bits of knowledge with the littles. In little ways. In little stories. Things I believe to be true. Not like preaching, more like teaching by example...stating why I think things happen and why I think God works the way God works. That love is EVERYTHING and the only thing worth anything. I tell them that I still think love saves the whole dang planet every.single.day. While I never pretend to know everything, I do let them know that their BELIEFS are the most important things they have. What you believe will RULE your life.

Lately, I have heard about and/or had conversations with the kids that have freaked me out a little. It's really interesting to hear what they BELIEVE right now. But also really awesome.

Maddy- "Mom we had a talk in class the other day. We were talking about Religions. Our teacher was telling us that some some people believe that God's job is to keep a balance in the Universe.  Yin and Yang. It made me think of you. You are always telling us to 'find your balance'. I agree with you. I think that there is an up and down to everything.  I think life is about finding your balance. And I have to pray a lot to find mine."

Sweet angel babyface.

Finn- (finn didn't know this BUT before we had the convo below, i had been doing another meditation experiment. i had been trying to visualize what the energy of love would look like coming out of a person's body.  like i would try to have a warm, shiny aura full of love when i was with the kids. esp finn. he was getting on my nerves because he was very needy and i knew all he needed was love and attention. so i decided to constantly visualize what love would look like ..and feel like coming out of my body and wrapping him up. i pictured a yellowish bubble full of warm light. weird. i know. but not as strange as what the boy said to me a few days  after that.)

F- I feel like I'm getting sick.
M- Tell yourself NOT to get sick.
F- I know. I am. I don't want to get sick.
M- I'm surprised I haven't gotten sick. So much is going around and I have not been getting enough sleep.
F- Well. I don't know if you know this or not...cause i can see things some people can't....but you sort of have this force field of love that surrounds you and I'm pretty sure it keeps you healthy.

I almost wrecked the car. FREAKED.ME.OUT.

Stella- (talking to her favorite boy cousin)

S- I was made to be good.  And happy.
D- That's profound. Not many people know that.
S- You and me know that.

I sure hope that Stella knows that her WHOLE life. She was made to be happy and good and fun and loving. AND to find her way to help put a little more balance and love in this world.

Hailey-
M- Your dad thinks Finn might have the best self-esteem of anyone in our family. What do you think?
H- Maybe. Or maybe me now. Not when I was little. But I think I do now.   Who do you think?
M- I was going to say you.
(what's funny is that both Finn and Maddy would say themselves. Just didn't know Hailey would. :)
ALL OF THIS MAKES ME CRY.
Sweet babes.

I am so grateful. I pray hard to teach them all they need to know to grow the way there are supposed to grow. I never, in a million years, imagined all they would have to teach me.

52 Photos Project

2011-11-10T08:07:00.001-05:00

Theme: What's outside the window?

I was a little lazy this week but this moon was outside my window last night! (taken with my iphone)

but here is the view from my driveway with my real cam...not my cell phone.

Stell on Sunday

2011-11-08T12:03:00.001-05:00

She "helped" her Daddy do some yard work.

Best and Worst

2011-11-07T15:21:00.000-05:00

Every time we all sit down to a meal together, we do a round of "Best and Worst". Each family member states his/her best and worst part of the day. We do it every time we have a sit-down-family-dinner at our house and all visitors MUST participate. (not really but stell can really put the pressure on)
I finally remembered to write down responses. So here ya go...our bests and worsts from yesterday...

Stella (she ALWAYS goes first)

best- I got to sleep at Chuck's and I got to sleep in Chuck's bed. I slept with Maddy for a while but then I woke up and went to Chuck's bed.

worst- I felt like I was gonna throw up today but I didn't throw up. But I felt like I was going to throw up.

best- Watching Maddy's game and watching her score with her left foot

worst- My computer is messing up...Photoshop is messing up and I'm really stressed about that.

Finn

best- That I got to go shopping with Dadoo and Sandy and I got some cool stuff

worst- I have to go to school tomorrow.

Chuck

best- Waking up to Stella's face cause she crawled in my bed! AND Maddy's game. She played a good game.

worst- I don't really have a worst today.

Hailey

best- Hanging out with CC today. Just chillin.

worst- I have lots of homework

Nick

best- Watching Maddy score

worst- Watching Melissa score (our goalie scored a goal for the otha team. not pretty. she caught the ball and then dropped it and then somehow hit it in with her knee. we could have won 1-0 but instead....we tied. oh well! bet it was her worst of the day too!!)

Maddy

best- I broke my scoring drought!

worst- Watching Melissa score and having to finish my project

52 Photos Project

2011-11-03T17:48:00.000-04:00

THEME: A Heart

This week we had to find "a heart". So a couple of weeks ago, I went photo location scouting with my friend Lynn. I also had a list of things that I wanted to find that day (for my 52 photos themes) and at the top of my list I had written look for love today!!! find your heart!. And let me tell ya, when you go looking for love....you can find it. Not only that, you will realize that love lives in some crazy cool places.

I couldn't pick just one photo. I was finding hearts all over the place that day.

Lesson learned: Start paying attention. Love really is EVERYWHERE. :)

A day in the life...

2011-11-02T13:02:00.001-04:00

So Stella hasn't been feeling all that well lately. She's a little snuffly (not too bad) and she has these little sores on the corners of her mouth that we can't seem to get rid of. After taking photos every day for the last 9 days, I decided to take the day off today. AND I decided to keep Stella home. I was so excited to have some time to actually relax and maybe do some editing without a ton of interruptions. I also assumed Stell would rest and relax. But you know...sometimes things just don't go according to plan.

The day started as usual, I got Finn up first and then the big girls followed. I drove Finn to school today (instead of H) and came back home to find S still in bed. Hallelujah! I scrambled to get a few things done before she woke up. After putting dishes in dishwasher, I sat down to check FB and maybe edit a photo or two.

Then, we heard Stell call out from her room. She wanted me. This is where things start to get interesting. I got up to go in her room and Nick (decided to be funny) jumped in front of me to get to her first. So I chased that fool down and knocked that big goof outta the way and BAM slammed my little baby toe into her little wooden baby crib at the foot of her bed. I knew at that moment that today was going to be a little different than I'd planned. I tried not to cry as I did my yoga breathing through the pain and I managed to squeak out a "Hi baby" before Nick could talk to her. It was funny and it hurt like crazy...and I was torn between tears and laughter for a few moments. Nick was polite and didn't laugh at me...cause he knew he probably better not.

Next, Stell let me lie down while she watched TV (which was AWESOME) and I think I must have slept through 2 episodes of Bubble Guppies before she said, "Mom...can I please have breakfast now?" I looked at the clock, it was 9:52!! So I guiltily said, "Sure."
As we were having our cereal and bagels, she started her mealtime ritual of I SPY and KNOCK KNOCK jokes. She finally said,

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Fork.
Fork who?
Fork you!!

Fits of laughter spewed out of her as I sat there dumbfounded thinking...did she just tell me off??

Then we set off to the bathroom to do our "chores" and she helped me clean the sink and the bathtub. She scrubbed and cleaned and I tried to keep up with my job of cleaning her new "clean-up" messes as fast as she could make them. Then she sat back, admired her work and said, "I sure do a good job." And what do you think she wanted to do after all of that hard scrubbing on the tub? Well, take a bath in that shiny thing of course. So I ran her bath, gathered her toys, tossed her in and ran to sit at the computer for a few seconds. Then I felt guilty about sitting and remembered laundry. I ran down to take clothes out of dryer..put new clothes in dryer...started new load and then I ran upstairs to fold them. While I was putting dish towels away, I noticed crumbs on the counter. I can't stand crumbs on the counter so I wiped them away. Then scrubbed the sink because...well...it was dirty. Then I had to sweep the crumbs that fell on the floor. Then I thought, COMPUTER? Edit a couple photos?? So I went to back down, opened one photo and as soon as it popped up on the screen, she yelled, "Hey Mom. I'd like some more toys please." Oh Lord. Well, she said please. So after a couple of "Wait a seconds" I went to get her more toys. Went back to computer. 2 min later I heard, "I'm ready to get out now." Of course you are. So she got out, we got her dressed and settled with a pile of new toys to play with.

I rushed back to computer to edit a few photos. I had literally been sitting for 5 min. and I hadn't even gotten to my photos yet cause I had to update my status on FB for goodness sakes. And here came Nick. Sweet thing. Came home to surprise us for lunch. He gave me the of-course-you-are-on-the-computer-why-haven't-you-answered-my-texts look. I tried to be nice and I gave him the thanks- honey-but-I-am-not-really-hungry-yet-cause-we -ate-breakfast-late speech...and he looked a little wilted. He brought his favorite yummy Greek wraps from The Fresh Market and some lentil soup. Even though I wasn't hungry, I ate it. I had to. I mean seriously...you can't eat a wrap later...it's just not good later. So we all ate together quickly and I ran back upstairs to attempt editing again. I was thinking maybe he will entertain her for a bit while he's home. Crap. His phone rang. It's all over.

.....yep. ...here she came...Trotted right over and said,
"Mommy, I am going to tell you a story...

There once was a little, little baby and his name was Pink Foot.
And he grew and grew and grew and grew and grew
and he liked smores. If people gave him smores, he would sing a song to them.
The End

"Awesome. Hey, if you want, you can go play with toys in your room. Or watch a show in my room. OR play out here in the living room. But I reallllly need to do a little photo work right now."

S- MOM!!! Do you know what 3+3 is??
M-Yes I do.
S- IT'S 6!! 6!! MOM!!!! IT'S SIX!!!!
M- Yes. I know.
S- What's 2+2?
S- What's 2+2 Mom? MOM!!!
M-4
S- Correct!
M- Yes it it. Hey, about those photos??
S- Yeah. I don't think you should do that right now.
M- Why not?
S- Cause you are on that puter ALL THE TIME.

(SERIOUSLY???? Are YOU KIDDING?)

And that, my friends, is when I gave up. I just said forget it! And went to her room to play. I guess my day off with her needs to be about her. Shheeessshh!!

Score status: Stella- like 5 or 6 Me- 0

See? The day just sort of had a mind of it's own or something. Or maybe Stella just had her own plan for our day off. In any case, by noon I felt like my day was out of my control so I just let it go. Maybe I needed to let the photos rest for a bit. Maybe I didn't really need to be on the computer at all today? Who knows? All I know is that these type of things happens ALL the time. My plans change ALL the time. And when Nick and the kids get home, they STILL wonder why I seem tired and/or frustrated when I've been at home all day.

I guess maybe I will do photos later. Like at midnight. When all is quiet?!

Birthday Boy!

2011-11-01T12:56:00.001-04:00

How did he get this old??

He's so smart.

He's so talented.

He's so much fun!!!

And I love him to pieces.

52 photos project

2011-10-27T18:44:00.001-04:00

Theme: A memory.

This is a bittersweet memory...but mostly a sweet one.

The girl still loves her kitty.

Happy Birthday EGL!!

2011-10-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

Stella is soooo excited to be turning 5.

She has been counting down the days for a while!

Five is pretty fantastic!

But then again...so was this little baby

and this little crazy toddler...

and this 1.5 yr old earth angel....

and this Goodship Lollipop 2 yr old...

and this little punkin head 3 yr old...

and this 4 yr old balloon girl...

and NOW

she is my sweet little 5 year old fairy princess!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ESTELLA GRACE!!

52 Photos Project

2011-10-19T22:52:00.002-04:00

Theme: WATER

I wanted to take a really dreamy water photo...but it isn't as easy as I'd hoped!! I needed a tripod and some time to experiment!
I did kind of like this one though. Mostly because it looks like a freaky face if you look at it the right way.
I also like this one but the crop is a little off...

I am definitley gonna have to work more on the enchanted looking water shots!! I'm going to start scouting out water falls in the area!

52 Photos Project

2011-10-13T11:20:00.002-04:00

This week's theme: A Ray of Light

I thought a lot about the theme this week. Light is the key to any good photo. Or the control of light, I should say. If you break photography down to it's roots, photo means light and graphy means to write. To write with light. There is so much beauty in that I just can't stand it.

Here, Stella is sitting at the vanity in her room. The light situation in there is pretty bad. There was only one main source of light (small lamp) and some existing sunlight floating around. I had to bump up ISO and deal with a lot of grain BUT I really like how it turned out. I guess she's my little muse most of the time. She makes writing with light pretty fun!

Big Job

2011-10-12T10:22:00.001-04:00

I just got asked to take the fall photos

for Open Door School!

It's a big deal.

I'm so scared and excited

I don't know what to do with myself.

Rainy Day

2011-10-11T15:08:00.001-04:00

Flower Fairy

2011-10-09T18:59:00.000-04:00

Today, we found the perfect location for her birthday invite photo shoot. Right on the side of I485. Yep, pulled off on the shoulder and hauled her right up to this field of flowers. It was Nick's idea and I was a combo of scared and excited at first. But, it was plenty far away from traffic and she LOVED it. This shot won't be on the invitation because that needs to be a surprise...but I love it.
Today was a good day!

Delanee and Mallory

2011-10-06T12:41:00.001-04:00

I love these little girls.

Delanee and Mallory.

When I first got separated and was living through some of the

deepest, darkest days of my life, I stayed with my friend Heather

(aka Cheddar to those of us who love her)

and her husband Ed during my nights away from my kids.

Having to stay away from my kids a couple nights a week made me really sick.

Couldn't eat or sleep much for a long time.

SO...

Cheddar made me stay with her.

A LOT.

I'm so glad I did.

I got to know these punkins really well when they were tiny.

Poor Delanee had to get to know me REALLY quickly

the night her mama went into labor with Mallory.

I took her home with me so that we could take care of her until Ched was well

(She had some serious complications immediately

after labor and was very sick. Ed was a wreck and stayed with her.)

Once that was over and divorce was under way,

I continued to stay with them pretty regularly.

I slept on their couch and did many midnight feedings with Mally-boo.

Once or twice when Ed was out of town I just slept with Ched.

And we were all, "not it" when Mallie woke up during the wee hours. Hahaa!

Seems like such a long time ago.

I don't miss much about those dark days...

but I do miss these two. (and their parents)

I don't get to see them that much nowadays.

So glad I got to see them this past weekend...

and so grateful to hear them scream

"AUNT SUZY'S HERE!!!" everytime they see me.

BEAUTIFUL

girls!!

52 Photos Project

2011-10-06T11:36:00.000-04:00

The theme for this week is....

I Found it on the Ground

This past weekend, I had a photoshoot with a dear old friend from elementary school. I got to shoot her and her sweet family (along with her big sister and her two kids). There were three kids in all. Two boys and one girl. The youngest boy (9) was pretending to be a secret agent and was being very careful to go back and cover his footsteps everywhere he went. He was cracking me up. He pretented to have a rather large assault weapon at one point and while he was pretending to shoot his brother, I heard him yell out, "POW!!" I swear, right at that moment I looked down and this was written on the sidewalk.
FREAKED ME OUT.
(he thought it was pretty funny...and i'm pretty sure he had already seen it...but still...cracked me up.)

I had to use it for 52 photos. It was too perfect.

Quotes from the Littles

2011-10-05T19:51:00.001-04:00

Here is a little collection of interesting comments I have heard in the last couple of weeks:

"Things are going to be a LOT better when I'm 10. I just know it." F

While listening to QUEEN..."Why don't they make music this good now?" H (When those words rang in my ears, my heart sang out like Freddie himself. Loved it.)

"Why does that OTHER Stella have to be in MY class?" S

To math teacher..."Um. Mr. Mahoney, can you PLEASE fix my grades on Parent Assist because my parents really believe what's on there and NOT what I tell them." M

Call from school..."Mom. Can you bring me some clothes?"
Me- WHY?
"Because I'm wearing a shirt that has lace and they are telling me it's inappropriate." M ( never in a million years did i expect to hear that from HER.)

"I have all As again Mom!! Even in Art History!" H

"I am pregnant."   S
"is it two this time?" Me
"Not this time. This time it's only one. And it's a unicorn named Horse Juice" S    (oookaayyyyy)

"Mom I think there is something wrong with my body on the inside." M

"Yeah Reese likes this girl named Sarah. But she doesn't like him." F
"who does she like?" me
"Me, of course." F

"Everybody needs to be quiet and NOT talk during this GLEE party, GOT IT???" H

On my way to parent/teacher conference..."Oh he's probably going to tell you something bad." F   LIKE WHAT?? Me
"Oh you know...they always tell you a couple of good things and one crappy thing that i'm gonna have to work on." F

Phone call 30 minutes after school has let out..."Hello? Mom? Can you come pick us up?" M
"sure but i will be late as usual, i have to get hailey"
"Okay... and can you take Kate and Alana and Savannah home too?"
"sure"
"Oh. And Mom, Blaise really needs a ride, too."

Dear LORD.

I'm trying to remember to write down some of the goofy stuff they say.
There's more. I just can't remember right now.

52 Photos Project

2011-09-29T08:36:00.003-04:00

COLOR

This week's theme is color. I usually look for BIG BRIGHT colors. This time I decided to look for soft and peaceful pastels. I was running out of time and I hadn't gotten any shots that I really wanted. THEN last night I went into Stell's room to see what she was doing. She was sitting at her vanity, putting on lip gloss, and she was just as peaceful and happy as she could be. So I decided to shoot her!! Try as I might, I just can't get into still-lifes and landscapes. Kids are my favorite subjects, hands down.

watercolor faces by Madison Licare

2011-09-27T14:53:00.003-04:00

stella

finn

maddy

hailey

Madison Licare (Madde) painted these for me.

Nick handed her four pix of our kiddles and then asked her if she could paint them.

She did these in about 20 minutes.

I need to frame and hang them up.

LOVE THEM.

52 Photos Project

2011-09-22T13:46:00.003-04:00

I am just now starting to participate in The 52 Photos project. (there is a link and an explaination on the left) Basically I am sort of doing my own version at my own pace, while still using her prompts. I am going to try to post each week with the photo and the prompt. Don't know if I can make it all 52 weeks, because life gets in the way, but I am going to try and make Thursday my photo day. This will probably take the place of One Word Wed photo for a while...who knows, maybe I will do both. I just know that it's FALL and I am starting getting lots of photo shoots (for holiday photos of course) SOO I wanna make sure I am using my camera every day. This helps to keep me motivated.

The prompt for this week is ...

NURTURE

Technically, I was supposed to use a new photo. And I did that...I went outside and took lots of photos with water dripping from leaves..all pretty..BUT THEN I remembered old photos of Stell nursing her baby like a professional...feeding herself and the babe...and I decided to process those in black and white to see how they looked. For whatever reason, this is my favorite. ( I think i'm gonna send this photo to my cousin Janet who is horrified and disgusted by the new baby that has come out in Europe. It's a "nursing baby" that makes sucking noises. HA! My kids never needed "nursing" babies..they just used the ones they had!)

One Word Wednesday

2011-09-21T11:21:00.003-04:00

REFLECTION

"I love those who can smile in trouble,

who can gather strength from distress,

and grow brave by reflection.

'Tis the business of little minds to shrink,

but they whose heart is firm,

and whose conscience approves their conduct,

will pursue their principles unto death."

Leonardo da Vinci

My boy can kick!

2011-09-20T17:37:00.001-04:00

Fast moving feet!!

I tried to post a video of his skills but my phone wouldn't let me.

Heart Art

2011-09-18T17:06:00.001-04:00

This is one of those this-was-an-experiment-but-I-like-it kind of things.

I'm going to put it in Stella's room.

MaddyMoo, Masha, Madge or Mooney Take your pick.

2011-09-16T19:41:00.002-04:00

I love this little sassy punkin head. I thought about her all day.

She and I had an emotional day together yesterday.

But while we were hanging out (all day) together, I kept thinking about how special she is and how much I LOVE her. I want to remember how awesome she is right now, at 13.5 years of age.

So here are some reasons:

1. She still holds my hand in public.
2. She's very compassionate (siblings excluded..hahaa).
3. She has no idea how beautiful she is.
4. She's very intelligent and still asks TONS of questions about EVERYTHING.
5. She's freakishly intuitive and always has been.
6. Not many people know this but the girl can sing. REALLY well. (she's in chorus right now and i know she secretly LOVES it.)
7. When she was tiny, I called her baby Pocahontas. She still looks like a Pocahontas princess to me. (and my Granny LOVED her dark hair)
8. She doesn't always like to take showers. I have to force her in there sometimes. And it cracks me up.
9. Men love her. I don't mean in the inappropriate way, I mean they tell me all the time how cool she is and that they want a daughter just like her.
10. She loves sports. She defines herself as an athlete, and rightfully so. Her coaches love her and always say that she is a natural leader headed for greatness.
11. She tells me everything. Way more than I expect her to.
12. She was sort of "saved" last year at soccer camp. Religion is very important to her.
13. She loves her family even more than she loves her friends.
14. She LOVES her friends and has tons of them.
15. She has a ridiculously high pain level tolerance.
(I often think about what it will be like when my girls are in labor. When Hailey is in so much pain she can't take it anymore, she will be at about 2cm...like her mother. When Maddy is about to collapse from labor pains, they will tell her to push.)
16. She is very brave.
17. She knows the names of all professional basketball, football, and soccer players.
18. She has a really loud laugh (just like Hailey and I do)
19. She makes her Dad take her out for driving lessons...already. ( i refuse to cause i'm not THAT crazy) Bless his heart. Lord help us all when she's legal.
20. She's growing up too fast, but she's still my brown eyed baby girl.

*heavy sigh*

One Word Wednesday

2011-09-14T10:50:00.002-04:00

WEDNESDAY!!

Wednesdays are hard around here.

They feel a little overwhelming sometimes.

But it's all downhill when it's done!

Happy Wednesday folks.

Testing

2011-09-11T20:12:00.001-04:00

This is a test to see if I can post from my phone. I think it's working.

So here is a week in review...all from my phone.

First, Stella went back to school and LOVED it as usual.

So far, so good.

We went to Zada Jane's Friday night and it was so good

that I stuffed myself and felt sick for hours afterwards.

They have a vegetarian quesadilla that has blackbeans, sweet potatoes, and pepper jack cheese.

It's so good I can't stand it.

The skies were a lovely CAROLINA blue this week and weekend.

Hailey and I kept taking cloud pics WHILE we were driving down the road.

(cause we ride down the road A LOT together.)

AND

one of my favorite parts of the week was meeting my friend Lynn for coffee.

We decided to write love notes to strangers and stick them in books and magazines at the book store. It was so much fun.

We laughed a ton as we stuck these notes all over the place and tried not to get caught.

(we mostly chose books that we have read and LOVED to place kindness/encouraging notes inside.

and i had to stick a couple in INSTYLE and VOGUE reminding women that they are GREAT just the way they are...but the FUNNIEST note for me was the one I placed in a Wiccan book about potions or something.

It said,

"Today, let all of your decisions be based on love and NOT fear."

I figured if someone was gonna try to do some black magic, and then found that note,

maybe he/she whould at least think about it first.

HAHAHAHA.

Anyway, it was tons of fun.

Our hope is that someone will find a love note and smile a little.)

So there it is. My week in review.

Throw in the same old 3.5 hours a day in the car M-F

and 3 soccer games on the weekend...and there you have it.

( i would also like to add that i LOVE my iphone. i mean LOVE. i have had crappy phones forever...never had a really good one (or a new one for that matter. i got this one a couple of weeks ago AND i love it love it love it. )

One Word Wednesday

2011-09-07T18:21:00.002-04:00

HOMEWORK!

Good gracious me. It's Wednesday already.

While everyone around here get's back to work, and homework,

Stella reads.

She has decided to "read" this book until she's "finished."

Not sure why she chose Deepak Chopra.

But I sure hope she can gain some insight and share with the rest of us.

(she's been on the same page for days but i ain't sayin a word.)

Side note:

Cute conversation in the car after Finn got out of school...after Finn hugged Stell and tried to make her laugh..etc.

Finn: Mom, you know how Stella's name is really Estella?

Me: Yep

Finn: You know how Estella really means star?

Me: Yep

Finn: Well, I think she's really partly a star. (he's being very serious.)

Me: How do you figure?

Finn: I mean I think she's part star and part human.

Me: OK. So why do you think that?

Finn: Becuase she's a warm and sparkly, beautiful person. I think you picked the perfect name for her.

The boy made me cry.

Love Notes

2011-09-06T14:16:00.000-04:00

We had a nice long weekend and the kids are back in school today.

It feels way too quiet around here.

So I wrote some love notes and hid them in their rooms.

One Word Wednesday

2011-08-31T14:52:00.001-04:00

Swirly.

(cause that's how my brain feels.)

Share Shmare

2011-08-26T13:01:00.011-04:00

My middle littles seem to have learned to

beg, sneak, borrow, and...well...fight better those others.

I thought having 4 kids would mean no one in the middle...

no ONE in particular who gets ignored regularly.

But instead, it actually means I have two in the middle.

(and yes there are usually at least 2 kids in this house not getting enough attention.)

When I say FIGHT I really mean fight for what she/he wants or needs.

At least that how it goes around here.

But on the flip side...the middle littles have learned to share well.

Maddy will share almost anything she owns

and she rarely complains about it.

In fact, when I wanna take a bite of someone's icecream,

I usually go for hers because that means the least amount of fallout.

(try to take hailey's and you will lose a body part.

take finn's and he will guilt you to death.

take stella's and she will make her mean face and say, "well that's just rude.")

So....Maddy's icecream it is.

Or WAS.

Dang it.

Guess I will have to get my own from now on.

One Word Wednesday (+ a few extra words)

2011-08-24T15:44:00.003-04:00

GOODBYE :(

Today we have to say goodbye to Brigitte.

The best gymnastics coach EVER.

We found out 2 weeks ago that she and her family are moving to MI.

I am heartbroken because she is the

ONE

who has

ALWAYS

been so positive and so supportive.

Makes me wanna cry.

BUT we have to wish her well because we LOVE her.

Hailey made a beautiful scrapbook page for her.

(all of the optional girls are putting together a scrapbook for her)

As she was working she said,

"I want this to be REALLY good because I don't want her to forget me."

Made me tear up a little beacause

you have to be REAL speacial to make an impression on that Hailey girl.

REALLY SPECIAL.

So there you go. Today is a GOODBYE day.

Goodbye to Brigitte and goodbye to summer. Cause school starts tomorrow!

UGH.

(Brigitte is also a photographer and she took that photo of my girl up there!)

In desperate need of DETOX

2011-08-22T20:29:00.003-04:00

I am feeling really yucky these days. August is probably my LEAST favorite month of the year. Summer is done, kids go back to school, pace of life picks up QUICKLY, and I start eating on the fly again. I am pretty good about feeding the kids healthy stuff but for me...I usually end up eating crappy foods... while I'm driving. And I end up drinking way too much caffeine.

I have been going to a hot yoga class once a week. The worse my diet gets, the harder the class becomes. It's definitely easier when I eat well and drink plenty of water.

SOOO...it's time for a detox. Here's what I'm gearing up for.....

http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2011/06/30-day-vegan-online-workshop-summer-session-1.html

WHO'S WITH ME????

New Engagment?!

2011-08-19T12:39:00.002-04:00

Nick came home the other day, told me to close my eyes, and took my ruby engagement ring off.

He then put this pearl ring on and told me to open my eyes.

He said, "I really want you to wear this one instead.

Do you like it? It was my great grandmothers."

I LOVE IT.

So now I have two.

One for each personality maybe??

He told me I could change it to fit the mood I'm in.

(in that case, i may need to change it a LOT. and i am gonna need more rings to choose from :)

One Word Wednesday

2011-08-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

HAPPY!

(A sneak preview from my latest photo shoot!)

hello MONDAY...

2011-08-15T06:48:00.000-04:00

I have a TON to do this last full week with children home.

A TON.

So here's how I'm going to get things started...

Coffee.

Lots of it.

Right Now

2011-08-14T18:40:00.005-04:00

"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you
don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not
doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or
less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have
problems with our friends or family, we blame the other
person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will
grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive
effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason
and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no
reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you
understand, and you show that you understand, you can
love, and the situation will change"

— Thich Nhat Hanh

My kids like to place blame on each other. A LOT. It's something that I struggle with because I know I've asked the question "WHO DID THIS??" a few too many times. It doesn't really matter who. In the grand scheme of things, it really does not matter. But, I want to teach them to take responsibility for their actions/mistakes. I don't want to shame them. I know what shame can do. (just ask Brene Brown. Excellent book called- I thought it was Just Me, But it Isn't.) I usually try really hard to coach them through whatever mishap has taken place but what I have noticed lately...is that my babes jump very quickly on the defensive tight rope when asked questions about an incident or accusation. Each one of them gets a look of panic and begins to explain their way out of it...sometimes pulling another sibling into the ring with them.

All of them...that is... except StellaG.

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. OR sticks her little fingers in her ears AND closes her eyes. She doesn't want to deal with it at ALL.

I don't like blame either. I never did. And, I sure used to avoid being responsible for anything. I could convince any soul alive that I had to do whatever screwed up thing I did. I don't think I realized how good I was at avoiding blame or fault until I overheard Hailey say one time, "Mom is the worst person to fight with. You can't win. Ever. She's too good at it." See, in my mind, I never thought of it as fighting. I thought I was just helping someone see my side of things for godssakes. But I started to realized, that even though Hailey said it respectfully and almost admirably, I was failing her. I wasn't teaching her or anyone else how to actually solve the problems. Just how to make really good excuses. She/they need to see me accept responsibilty, too. Sometimes there just are NO excuses. So I have tried very hard to relate a little better and admit mistakes. Use mistakes as a teaching point.

Things have gone really well for the last couple of years. MOST of the time, the kids and I will have heated/serious conversations that are respectful and balanced with the right amount of me talking and me listening. (I have to credit Nick here, too. He is really good at communicating with kids. The best I have ever seen. Me included...and I have always thought I was pretty dang good.)

So as I have thought about all of these blaming incidents, I realize it's not so much the blaming each other...It's the not wanting to take responsibilty for their part. They don't want to admit that they have done anything mean or disrespectful because in their minds, that makes them "bad". And ultimately, they don't want to disappoint me, Nick or Chuck. Or themselves.

Well hell if anyone can relate to that, I can. I can't stand to disappoint people. But I do sometimes. We all do sometimes. Sometimes we do BIG things and are acutely aware of the disappoint from others and sometimes we do little things and don't really notice right away. So now I'm left thinking...How do we teach them to take responsibilty without blaming? How do I teach the value of making a mistake and learning from it? How do I successfully guide their freedom of choice so that they know in their hearts that there's no FAILURE in this house?

I'm gonna keep thinking about this for a while. It's on the agenda for the next family meeting so I will let you know how it goes.

Words to live by...

2011-08-11T13:23:00.001-04:00

I love him. AND he mentions The Alchemist!!!!! O.M.G. One of my favorite books EVAH.

Meatless Monday

2011-08-08T12:41:00.003-04:00

Ok. I have been slack this weekend. Had a wedding to shoot and was obsessing over that so I didn't even think about planning meals until this morning. I know of ONE thing I am going to make tonight....and here is it....

ASIAN SLAW

WITH GINGER PEANUT DRESSING

Sounds deelish. If it's anything like Earth Fare's version, I will be very happy.

Our Pets

2011-08-05T20:12:00.000-04:00

The deer are back. With babies!
We have some crazy deer in our neighborhood. They just walk through our back yards like they own the place. They will stare straight at you, too. They watched me on the top deck with my camera..nobody moved for a couple of minutes, and then they went right on with business. There is a new baby that is PRECIOUS but it was too fast for me and my clunky lens. It looked like a little puppy dog, it was so little and fast. Big Buck hardly ever shows himself but I know he's out there somewhere, too. I heard a gun shot the other night and I can't help but wonder.... In the meantime, I'm going to try and catch them when I can. I really want a picture of that baby.

Getting Ready...

2011-08-04T07:51:00.003-04:00

Hailey is getting really excited about her art classes at her new school this year.
She was told by a NWSA teacher that she should be drawing EVERY DAY this summer.

And she has been (minus camp last week in PA).

I will post more of her drawings later, if she will let me...

but what I have always loved

are the doodles and the stuff she does when she is just "messing around".

She usually uses really bright colors and puts TONS of details in everything.

I am always amazed at how much patience the kid has.
She likes collage a lot too.

Maddy, on the other hand, is very excited about school.
But not nearly as much as she is about soccer.
And volley ball.
And basketball.
Here's what she has been "working on" (as in begging for) all summer long...

(I guess we can say her art is colorful too!! Get em girl.)

One Word Wednesday

2011-08-03T14:20:00.000-04:00

HOT

Meatless Monday

2011-08-01T19:03:00.010-04:00

For today's meatless Monday meal, we had veggie burgers. I had a Sunshine burger with lettuce, vegan mayo, avacado, red onion and a little Daiya cheese. SO good. BUT the even BETTER (way more fattening) version of a veggie burger is what I served the rest of those people in my house.

POTATO BURGERS.

I just get the potato pancakes from the grocery store..freezer section. (Trader Joe's version is my fave.) Cook those up (usually with lots of cheese melted on them) and add favorite toppings. Hailey's favorite potato burger consists of two potato cakes, cheddar cheese, sundried tomato spread, lettuce, sprouts and a seasame seed bun. We didn't have sprouts OR sundried tomato spread so she tried something new. Potato cakes, cheddar, lettuce, avacado and a little spicy mustard. SHE LOVED IT.

(Ok Blogger is making me mad today. It won't let me move pix around OR highlight words for links. SOO I can't link or add my last photo. Oh well. I will try to fix it later.)

The Boy

2011-07-28T15:58:00.003-04:00

The Boy has his own blog. He's so happy. We are still working on it..but here ya go...

artbyfinn.blogspot.com

One Word Wednesday

2011-07-27T15:05:00.001-04:00

Chillax.

(I am in desperate need of a vacation.)

Meatless Monday

2011-07-25T01:34:00.004-04:00

Broccoli and Bow ties

My sister reminded me about this recipe yesterday. We make this at LEAST once a month. Sometimes more, because this is one of the few things that everyone in our house will eat. YUM. I think it's a Barefoot Contessa original.

Kosher salt
8 cups broccoli florets (4 heads)
1/2 pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup toasted pignoli (pine) nuts
Freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Cook the broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon or sieve. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
In the same water, cook the bow-tie pasta according to the package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the broccoli.

Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and lemon juice and pour this over the broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Season to taste, sprinkle with the pignolis and cheese, if using, and serve.

To toast pignolis, place them in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat and cook, tossing often, for about 5 minutes, until light brown.

Playing with PHOTOSHOP

2011-07-24T12:35:00.002-04:00

I have been dying to do some photos on art for a while but haven't been able to figure out layers in CS4 . AND I didn't have a scanner until my birthday. (so happy to have one now!) WELL, I finally figured out one way to do it.

(i'm still playing around to make it better.)

ANYWAY, here is my first trial run. I still love this idea and I'm gonna work on cleaning this one up. You can still see some white spots around her elbows and arms but I thought it turned out pretty well for my first attempt.

Hailey is the master, and she would be proud. Can't wait to show her.

So what do ya think??

OK wait...I played with it some more. This one has a slightly different color filter, too. Raindrops on umbrella top? Yes? No?

Nap Time?

2011-07-21T18:56:00.000-04:00

Here's what happens when I try to take a "rest".

(which really means nap but SOMEONE...

and i won't say who...

get's reallly mad when i say i wanna take a nap.)

First this

then this

and finally

THIS

Yeah. No "rest" here.

One Word Wednesday

2011-07-20T15:45:00.000-04:00

Sunflowers!

Meatless Monday

2011-07-19T01:54:00.003-04:00

NEW WORLD LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

I love soups. LOVE them. Even in the summertime. This one is yummy and easy because it's from a slow cooker cookbook so it can cook all day. Just takes a little prep time. I love leeks and I love sweet potatoes. This is my current fav. (well this and African Peanut Stew..but i will post that in the fall sometime.)

1 Tbs EVOO

4 large leeks, white part with just a bit of green, cleaned and thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs ground cumin

1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns

6 cups veggie broth, divided

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs) peeled and cubed into 1 inch cubes

2 green bell peppers, diced

dash of salt

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream OR soy milk if your making the vegan version

finely snipped chives

Optional...several stips of roasted red pepper

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over med heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 min. Add garlic, cumin, and peppercornsa nd cok, stirring, for 1 min. Add 2 cups of the veggie broth and stir well. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Add remaining 4 cups of veggie broth and sweet potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours, until potatoes are tenter. Add green peppers, cover and cook for an additional 20 min. until peppers are tender. Season with salt if you wish.

3. Puree using and immersion blender (or you can do parts at a time in a blender, like i do!) To serve, ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with cream. Garnish with roasted red pepper strips and chives. YUM.

LOVE at 16

2011-07-17T18:17:00.010-04:00

“Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”

Saint Augustine

necklace can be found here!!!

I have been wanting to do a "16" photo shoot with Hailey since she turned 16 back in Feb. At the time, I really thought she would think I had lost my mind. She will smile for photos with her family and friends but doing her own shoot was something I thought she's say "NO WAY!" to.
But, when I mentioned it to her yesterday and she got very excited!!
I told her some things I wanted to do and she was really happy about it.
I was SO EXCITED!!

So yesterday we went out for a practice shoot.
(and I love the photos so much that I am gonna use lots of them.)
In the end, she had a great time and enjoyed photo editing so much that she decided she had to approve of all final edits. She loves photo editing.
(that's my favorite part too)

I don't know why I was so surprised when she was happy about the idea of a shoot. She's happy about everything these days. She is doing better, talking more, smiling and laughing more than EVER. She is so grown up I can't stand it. I see all of this growth and I often wonder who else notices.
(these changes to others may seem small, but they are HUGE to us.)
She's been so "shy" for so long that most people just sort of give up on trying to talk to her and get to know the other three.
(Cause they won't stop talking.)
BUT-
Two different coaches...at two different times...came up to me last week and told me how FANTASTIC she is doing. They said she is communicating a ton and that she's happy all day AND that she is doing some incredible gymnastics. Suzie said, "Whatever your feedin that kid, keep giving it to her cause she is on fiyah!"
(and sweet Brigitte said ALL kinds of good stuff about her beam and floor. she even said her vault is really powerful right now!!!)
I am so happy for her. I really think her school change next year is a good move. I pray that she continues to be happy.
Cause when she is happy...she is extra sparkly BEAUTIFUL.

(She still wants to do some railroad track shots, too...so hopefully we will get the chance to do that soon.)

One Word Wednesday

2011-07-13T03:41:00.007-04:00

Eyes

Meatless Monday Lentil Salad

2011-07-11T20:14:00.000-04:00

This stuff is so good I can't stand it. The tarragon and dijon mustard are the ingredients I like the most. Makes it REALLY good instead of just ok.

(this is from VEGANOMICON by Isa Moskowitz)

4 cups veggie broth
2 or 3 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked french lentils
1 small red onion, chopped very fine (about 1/3 cup)
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
2 radishes, grated (about 1/3 cup)
1 small carrot, grated
several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
2-4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 clove garlic, minced

Bring broth, thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves, tarragon, and salt to a boil in a med size sauce pan. Add lentils and bring again to a low boil. Cover the pot (with lid tilted so that a little steam escapes) and let cook for 20 to 25 min. The lentils should be soft enough to eat but NOT mushy...they shouldn't lose their shape.
While lentils cook, stir all dressing ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Drain the lentils in a mesh colander so the lentils don't fall through the holes. Let cool. Once lentils are lukewarm, remove the pay leaves, chunks of garlic and thyme sprigs. Add the lentils to the dressing along with the tomato, radishes, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least half an hour. When chilled, serve over lettuce or make lettuce wraps. (or eat with pita chips or just eat straight outta the bowl.)
SO GOOD. I swear. But don't overcook the lentils. It isn't NEARLY as good when the lentils cook too long and get mushy.

Local Produce

2011-07-09T21:14:00.001-04:00

Today I got to go shopping for local produce.

And it was FREE.

Every year, our neighbors grow all of these veggies in their front yard.

And they always leave some out for the neighbors.

This year they added a sign.

So I went and got some.

(In the winter, they have pine straw around their trees.

In the summer, every tree is surrounded by veggies.)

It kinda cracks me up but I love it!

Yum.

One Word Wednesday

2011-07-06T13:29:00.003-04:00

Obsessed.

(love u m&m&m!)

window graffiti

Maddy's Letter

2011-07-05T13:01:00.001-04:00

A few months ago, we were wondering if we would have any middle school sports in our school system. Due to significant budget cuts, all middle school sports were on the chopping block. Schools around here have been cutting all kinds of good stuff for a while now so we have been nervous for the last couple of years about middle school sports. BUT during Maddy's end-of-season spring sports party, the coach told them all that sports had been saved by private donations.

That was then. This is now. Apparently they dicided to save only SOME middle school sports. We just got the news that soccer, softball and baseball have been cut. Middle schools will continue to have volleyball, football (of course. nuf said..) cheerleading, track and field, and basketball. WTH???

Maddy has been stewing and brewing over this one. She told me she really wanted to write a letter. I told her to go for it. She asked me who should get it? I told her I wasn't sure. She said, "So let's send it to them all. The whole board."

So here it is. The words of a pissed-off AND really frustrated 13 year old:

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

Board of Elections

P.O. Box 30035, Charlotte, NC 28230

Dear Board Member:

I am very concerned about the recent decision to cut soccer, baseball, and softball out of the middle school athletics. How can you choose fairly among the sports when deciding which ones to cut?

I am a soccer player at Carmel Middle School. Soccer has been an amazing experience! Not only was it great for me, but also for everyone else involved. I’m fortunate enough to play for a club team as well, but I didn’t grow as a player or as a person like I did when I played for my middle school team. On my middle school team everyone became very close. On my club team my coach wasn’t as good and supportive. It was on my middle school team that I had a fantastic coach who volunteered her time to help us grow as individuals and also as a team. She made us feel better about ourselves. This kind of support and encouragement inspired us as a team to have better behavior and to work harder in school because she expected that of us. We looked forward to playing soccer so much that we made sure we tried our best at everything on and off the field to make sure we would be able to play. We also spent our whole day looking forward to soccer practice. As you can see, soccer is just as important as every other sport in the middle school athletic department.

It is a fact that soccer is the most popular sport in the world. This sport alone brings all nationalities together. For many nations this sport is what they are most proud of. This sport is very important to the Latin population as well. Due to the increasing number of Latin students in CMS, I strongly think that we should keep this sport. Many people who play soccer do not participate in any other sports due to their passion for the game. So even though other sports will be available, soccer players will still be left out.

You may think it’s only a small number of students who will not be able to participate in their favorite sport, but for those students the effects could be devastating. Please don’t take away soccer and please reconsider baseball and softball as well.

Is there anything I can do to help bring soccer back? I am willing to collect private donations, start a petition or anything that might be helpful. How can I help save my favorite sport?

Sincerely sad,

Maddy

Carmel Middle rising 8th grader.

(i can't read it without tearing up. and i am sooo dang proud of her.)

It's Official

2011-07-03T20:55:00.000-04:00

She's going to Northwest!

Green Saturday!

2011-07-02T02:20:00.001-04:00

Orange Friday

2011-07-01T01:48:00.004-04:00

Blue Thursday

2011-06-30T02:37:00.003-04:00

My Blue Eyed Babes

Red Wednesday!

2011-06-29T07:50:00.002-04:00

Black/White/Gray Tuesday

2011-06-28T02:57:00.002-04:00

Tallulah Gray (my LuLu)

Freedom Park Train

Summer's Hail

Some Bug :)

42nd Birtday Cupcake!

Purple Monday

2011-06-27T01:52:00.003-04:00

Purple Power.

Somebody's been sleepin in my bed.

Finn and I are doing a "mini series" this summer. Here are a few of our first shots.

Yeah. Geuss who's idea that was. Ha!!

Hope all of you color weekers are having fun!!

Meatless Monday on Sunday

2011-06-26T17:28:00.003-04:00

Since COLOR week starts tomorrow, I decided to post my Meatless Monday meal on Sunday. This is my favorite summer meal right now. LOVE IT. This picture doesn't really do it justice because you can't see all of the yummy veggies on the inside. BUT it's so easy and so good. So here ya go...

(Rish you would love this!)

Roasted Veggie Wrap with Homemade Hummus

2 squash
2 zucchini
half vidalia onion
4 or 5 carrots
1 portobella
pinch of salt
about a TBS of EVOO
1/2 TBS of balsamic vinegar
sprouts
whole wheat wraps
homemade hummus (store bought is just fine too)

Go to the farmer's market and get your favorite summer veggies. (Fresh are soooo much better than the regular grocery store.) I used mushrooms, squash, zucchini, vidalia onion, and carrots. I cut all veggies julienne style (kinda thick though).
Put veggies on a roasting pan and drizzle with EVOO and balsamic vinegar (just a little). I added a little sea salt too.
Roast in 350 oven for about 25 minutes. (stir veggies around about half way through)

While that's going on in the oven, you can make the hummus.

Here is the recipe Hailey and I use. She loves it WAY better than the grocery store kind. BUT use your favorite hummus if you don't have time or ingredients to make it.

Homemade Hummus (courtesy of Whole Foods recipes online)

2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

(I leave out the cayenne pepper. Don't care for it much. But this is the original recipe. I've made it without the coriander too...still good.)
When all ingredients are ready, put the roasted veggies on the wrap. Spread on some hummus. Add some sprouts! And chow down. I like to eat it with a little side salad and some pita chips. DEELISH.

COLOR WEEK!

2011-06-25T02:15:00.001-04:00

It's that time again!
CuriousGirl hosts a COLOR Week each year. This time she's asked clarityandgray to host. So if you wanna see all of the cool folks participating this year, you will need to go on over to clarityandgray and check it out.

Here's how the week will look...

Monday- Purple

Tuesday-White/gray/black

Wednesday- Red

Thursday- Blue

Friday- Orange/Yellow

Saturday- Green

Summer Scrapbook

2011-06-24T15:20:00.001-04:00

Breakfast.

And a little morning stretch.

And then...

markers.

Undercover Camera

2011-06-21T17:08:00.002-04:00

Here I am sitting in my car.

Wating for the chance to sneak a picture of my 16 yr old...driving.

She had her final week of Driver's Ed this week. The actual DRIVING part. Now. I have had plenty of time to get used to the idea of my girl driving. You see, she turned 16 in February and technically should have had DE a year ago. Luckily, we couldn't fit the course into her very busy gym schedule. Between school, gym practice, gym meets, and vacations, the child has had NO time to drive.

Until now.

She had to do it. It was time. BUT for some unknown reason, the uncooperative child would NOT let me take her photo driving. Really frustrating since her driving partner cancelled at the last minute and I got to ride with her and the teacher ALL WEEK. In the seat right behind her. I tried to pull out my camera once and sneak a pic but she shot me the look of death in that rear view mirror so I put that camera away speedy quick.

I wanted her to focus on the road by God.

She finally took her last driving test yesterday afternoon.

Without me. I didn't get to ride along for the final test.

SO I totally went undercover and waited.

Yep.

There she is.

In that car.

With her teacher and some other unknown, unsuspecting child who had to take the test as well.

That's as close as I got.

She still doesn't even know I took THAT picture or I'd be in some serious trouble.

Bottom line.

MY BABY IS DRIVING.

She will have her official permit next week.

Let us all bow our heads and pray.

(she is actually a very careful driver. she did great.

i just don't trust anybody else out there.

shes's my baby for goddsakes.)

Meatless Monday ( Ok all my meals are meatless.) so VEGAN Monday

2011-06-20T19:55:00.005-04:00

Ancho Lentil Tacos with fresh guac and fresh salsa!!

You can find the recipe right over HERE at the Post Punk Kitchen Blog.

Yum.
(If you check out the Post Punk Kitchen Blog...scroll way down to see this recipe. Totally worth it.)

I decided to post vegan recipes on Mondays this summer. Many folks are doing the whole "meatless monday" thing...so this is my contribution. Plus, I figure that since I was able to get to my own Mama...I may be able to convince somebody else to try vegan once in a while. I haven't been able to eat vegan all the time. I love cheese a lot. So I just cut wayyyy back on dairy. I don't do milk, butter, or eggs anymore but I do occasionally have cheese. And well...a delictable cupcake from Polka Dots once in a while too.

I will say this though, If you can manage to do a vegan cleanse for at least a couple of weeks,
it will change your life.
I'm not kidding.
It makes you feel great. It's a whole-body freakishly spiritual kind of thing.
Add in some yoga and you'll convince yourself you can save the whole damn planet.
I highly recommned it.

Not so Sweetness

2011-06-16T18:25:00.000-04:00

Some days being a parent isn't all that fun. :( Sure hope tomorrow is better.

Sweetness

2011-06-13T10:42:00.000-04:00

Dixie Storms

2011-06-12T10:52:00.003-04:00

We have crazy thunder storms around here.
They creep in late on hot afternoons.
The wind and clouds swirl and twirl until they clash in the sky with a fabulous explosion.

Sometimes hail. Sometimes just wind and rain.

Yesterday, Stella squealed with delight when she saw the sun shining through the window
WHILE it was pouring.
We just knew there was a rainbow out there somewhere.
She got even MORE excited when she noticed
the water marks on her little feet
as she gazed out the window.