In the House with Wild things....

A Breakthrough

2011-09-24T11:41:00.001-04:00

I have had time to do much blogging these days, but I was so excited I had to share with someone. Previously I had been doing all my editing with a free online service (Picnik). It was time consuming and limiting, so I had finally started using my Photoshop. It has been a challenge and a lot to learn. Something I had been having the most difficulty was cleaning up faces. Try and try as I might I couldn't get it down. Last night I had my big "Ah-ha" moment and I'm so excited!!! So here it is. I know I still have a lot to learn about my Photoshop, but this was a giant step in the right direction for me.

I will be posting this to these challenges when the day arrives.

Thrift store Thursdays-Budget Fashionista

2011-08-11T13:12:00.005-04:00

I'll take photos of anything and everything. Something else I've been doing on my hiatious is getting spending under control. Thrifting has become an major part of that. Especially since I've lost 52lbs. I needed a new wardrobe and couldn't afford to buy one.

Since I am back down to a medium shirt and size 4 pants. I want to find the sexy again. I'm tired of cheap frumpy clothes. I want to wear cool and beautiful clothes. Only problem is that I can't afford the designers and brands that I really like. Here comes in one of my favorite pastimes ever, shopping in thrift stores. My mother and I used to have our best bonding moments together in thrift store riffling through the piles of discarded goods. So I've decided to take this skill my mother taught me and use it to create a stylish and hip wardrobe that is current but appropriate for where I am in my life. I'm always so proud of my finds that I want to photograph them anyway, here's my excuse. Also, I'm trying to break myself of my fear of being in front of the camera. So is born Thrift store Thursdays. I'll talk about what I found that week and share at least one look of the week that has been created with my thrift store finds. I plan on Thrift store Thursdays becoming a weekly event. For no other reason than to keep my Thrifting in check.

Let's start the maiden episode with some accessories...

A must have essential for every woman's closet are belts. Every woman should have a basic black and brown belt in her wardrobe arsenal. Always take a couple of minutes to look at the belts. A good leather belt can last a life time, and if you look for simple designs they will always be in fashion.

Both of these belts I purchased at Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio - VOAGOon Henderson Rd. The brown belt is a Calvin Klein leather belt with silver buckle ($3.99) and the black belt is a Ralph Lauren Italian leather belt with a heavy silver buckle ($2.50). Both are made of high quality leather that will stay in style season after season and will look great with almost any trend.

I'm also a sucker for the shoe department. Hip styles can be expensive. Especially summer the hot wedges styles that incorporate natural elements like wood and basket weave designs. Platform wedges are all the rage this summer, but they can be rather expensive. Starting around $50 new for a good and comfortable pair, you can blow your entire clothing budget on one pair of shoes. This is especially bad when your monthly clothes allowance is only $50. These shoes I found at Volunteer of America Henderson location are the height of fashion without braking my budget. In fact both pairs only cost a grand total of $5.00. Leaving me plenty of money browse the racks.

Both of these styles go well with this summers fashion trends. The wood and leather Boho chic shoes from Mia ( $4, on the left) look great with cuffed crop pants or short shorts paired with a peasant blouse or finishes off any boho inspired dress. Teamed with an awesome hobo bag and you have a look straight out of the magazines for less than a fraction of the price. Perfect for a modernized version of the 70's look that is hot right now. The Global inspired shoes from Rampage ($.50, on the right) are a must have basic. Not only will they complement this seasons globally inspired fashions, but they are a wonderful statement pieces that will make your legs look great in anything you wear.

Some tips for shoe shopping in thrift stores. Try them on, It may say the size you wear, but the last person who owned them may have had a wide foot turning that size 8 into more of a size 9. Another thing to check, especially with sandals, are the buckles and straps. Make sure that they are in good shape and not fraying or broken. With platforms this is especially important. The last thing you want while walking in a heel is for the straps to brake. This could lead to injury.

It's summer and the sun is bright so everyone needs sunglasses. Next time you need a pair check out the thrift stores first. I found these awesome Kenneth Cole sunglasses for only $1. You can't buy a cheap pair at Wal-mart for that.They are still in awesome shape with no scratches and they usually retail for around $50. A deal like that is definitely worth the side trip to the glasses department of your favorite thrift store.

Note- Thrift store stocks vary from day to day. Use this as a guideline for what to look for. If you go into a thrift store knowing what you are looking for,then its easier to sort through the

racks of miscellaneous items and find what you is perfect for you.

If you would like to get a sneak peek of next week's installment of Thrift store Thursday check out and like my thrifty facebook page Sage Living.

Along came a spider

2011-08-06T14:59:00.005-04:00

I was on the phone with my BFF when I found this guy. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: OMG!!!
BFF: What?
Me: You should this spider I just found. He's the size of a Silver dollar!! He's so big that I can look him in the eyes and count the hair on his legs.
BFF: OMG!!! Kill it!Me: I'll call you back I've got to get a picture of this.
BFF: (lots of uncomfortable laughter) Dumbass! Talk to you later.

Which is what I did. I definitely used a zoom for this one. Didn't want to risk pissing him off and him doing some kind of crazy spider attack move on me. This photo makes him look nicer than he actually look. I quickly and carefully took my shots, then let him go on his merry way. I mean how often do you run across a tarantula sized spider in the suburbs. I swear he was posing for me. What a ham

I haven't seen him since our brief encounter, but I do have to say after meeting him I'm much

more careful when I move things around in the yard these days.

I am a paleontologist....

2011-08-05T10:20:00.001-04:00

Besides the photography and baking I also love to Thrift. It's almost an addiction, my husband is just grateful that my shopping addiction rotates around thrift shopping and not more expensive stores. I've had a page on facebook I used use for an e-bay business had that I sold my son's old clothes. Since I don't do that anymore and I have some followers already I changed the direction toward talking about all the wonderful things you can find in thrift stores if you just look. Check it out and like it at Sage Living.

My favorite fashion piece to shop for when I'm out Thrifting or Garage sale shopping are handbags. I don't care what they say about shoes, purses are a women's best fashion friend. They carry all your things without complaining, you can take out your frustrations on them without hurting their feelings and they never make you feel fat. My absolute favorite brand of hand bags is Fossil. I love the warm rich earth tones they use and their simple tomboy style. I'm always searching them out.

These are a couple I've found on my second-hand shopping adventures. The dark brown handbag I found at an Ohio thrift for $4.50. It is great for and everyday bag and it is large enough to carry juice, snacks and the occasional dinosaur around for my 4 year old. The red bowling bag style purse I purchased at a garage sale for $3. It is one of my signature pieces. It was in almost new condition when I bought it. The leather tag was broken off the main zipper, but I replaced it with a large camera charm (I'm also a freelance photographer). That just made it all the more special.

The Gone in 15 Minutes Brownies

2011-08-03T10:45:00.005-04:00

Besides photography another one of my talents is baking. It is actually one of my favorite things to do. There is a Zen in the art of baking. You can't bake in a foul mood, or everything tastes foul. So when I'm having a bad day I like to bake to clear my head. As many of you know I've recently lost 52 lbs, so baking hasn't been going on in our house. Not since Christmas, with the exception of my son's birthday cupcakes, has a confection past through my oven doors. Last night was National Community night out and my neighborhood had a big cook-out at the neighborhood park. Since we are new to the neighborhood and I thought this would be a good event to try to network at and also make a good impression on the other mommies in the neighborhood. So I decided to pull out the big guns. These brownies are better than any restaurant brownie I've ever had (trust me I've had a few). I know I'm tooting my own horn, but I brought a batch of these to the cookout and they were gone in 15 minutes. Granted there were a lot of people there, but we were 45 minutes late, and they were sat on a table full of confections that had been there since the beginning and mine were still gone in the blink of and eye. Maybe I made them too good. Heee Heee

I know your dying for the recipe, but if I told you I'd have to kill you. Sorry. =-) This is one of my family secret recipes I've started squirreling away to past down to future generations. If you would like to try and find it, I cut it out of one of my grandmother's Family Circle/Woman's Day magazines dating back to around 1971. This recipe alone was worth going through boxes and boxes of old mags cutting out recipes and decorating ideas. So good luck finding it, but if I'm coming to your potluck you can always request them. Otherwise they never get made.

A step in the right direction

2011-07-31T03:53:00.000-04:00

Have you ever taken photos of someone and wished that it was you in the photo? That's how I feel about these shots I took of my friend Desi while we were hanging out on my 40th birthday. Not that I don't think she looks gorgeous in them, she is one of the most beautiful people I know, but I'm a little jealous. The collection I'm including here tell the story of my journey back to myself.

For the past 16 years I've been fighting a serious battle with depression. It began with the death of my mother while I was studying in Germany. I was lucky that I was able to go home and be with her when she died, but I never got the chance to say goodbye. By the time I had gotten home she was already in a coma and my family wouldn't let me see her alone. So I've never felt that I've said proper a proper goodbye. That guilt has lived with me for years. So much that for a long time I used to have dreams that she was mad at me for it. I know she isn't. My year of study in Europe was a dream of hers and since she was always ill, she lived vicariously through me. Her dying wish, she told my stepfather, was that after she was gone that I returned to Germany and finished out the year. Which is what I did. Only when I returned home, it was like she had just died the day before to me, while the rest of the world had moved on. So I retreated into myself.

I've never been one of those sunshiny kind of gals, but I've always creative and outgoing. My friends always likened me as a cross between Veronica in the movie Heathers and the basket-case in the Breakfast Club. That was part of my charm. After my return though, I was constantly an emotion wreck, and no one knew how to deal with me. Most of my friends just kind of faded away from me and my family told me to get over it. With the pushing of my family, I reluctantly tried anti-depressants, but they weren't for me. They did little for the depression, but they made me really sick. So I quit taking them. Not soon after I woke up one morning and decided it was time to leave. So I packed some of my belongings, turned my back on my family and move to Atlanta, with dreams of winding up in Athens, GA and becoming an Archaeologist. Shortly after moving I met my future husband and those plans to move the Athens soon faded away. I was happy that I had found someone who excepted me for all my issues (mostly because he had issues of his own that he can tell you about if he wants). He listened and cared about how I was feeling. It was exactly what I needed.

The years that have since passed, I wish I could say have been all cotton candy and rainbows, but they haven't been. We have had a lot of great times, but along the road to those time have been many detours of unhappiness on both our sides. Beside a brief break up, we had dealt with a miscarriage, the deaths of 3 of my grandparents and my father, a love/hate relationship with my in-laws and lots of personal demons belonging to both of us. Put it this way, we had enough baggage between the two of us to fill a cargo ship. Regardless of how choppy the water has been we've always been there for each other.

I had hoped that with the birth of my son that the hole that I had been feeling would be filled. That's a lot of responsibility to put on the shoulders of a baby, I realize that now. After Sage's birth, I didn't even think that I would have issues with post-pardum, but unfortunately the depression I had been feeling previously was only magnified. My husband travels for his work, and I was left with the baby all by myself most of the times. I was over-whelmed. I had estranged myself from my family and I really can't talk to my in-laws. So I had let everything build up, and since I was a party girl before I got pregnant I really wasn't as prepared as I thought for the change that bringing a little one in this world and caring for him would bring. I think the same went for my my husband, but I can't speak of his feelings. That is not my place. So needless to say the past few years have been tough. Don't get me wrong I was never Susan Smith depressed, but I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around.

This past year I have started reconnecting with my family, especially my sisters. This was what I needed. I've started feeling like my old self again. The me before my mother died. For a while that me didn't know how to meld with the me I had become. A big part of that was how I saw myself. When I met my husband, I weighed 110lbs and was a in great shape, but at Christmas this past year I weighed in at 182. I had gotten so heavy that even though I love photography and it has been one of my greatest healing tools, I would allow my photo to be taken except on special occasions. One night, when my husband was out of town and it was only me and Sage, I experience chest pains. Luckily it was only heartburn, but that was my wake up call. My mother died at 49 and my father at 59. There was so much that they have missed and I was determined that I wasn't going to miss those things in Sage's life. So I set out to change my life and in turn make Sage's life a better one.

So this year I've set out to change my life for the positive. To stop dwelling on the negative and try to bring a new light and life into my family unit. It was almost like I woke up one morning and the veil had been lifted. I found my motivation and strength within myself. It was like the ship had docked and the baggage was being uploaded. Not to say that I still don't have days. Everyone has those days. Only the good days have become more frequent than the bad days, and I'm starting to enjoy life again. I've kicked the smoking again. I've lost 50 pounds and I'm keeping it off. I've have found myself again through my photography and preforming live. I have a joke that I'm taking complete control and full advantage of my mid-life crisis. I feel better and more alive than I have in over a decade. For once I'm happy. I still struggle with the demons but I can look them straight in the eye and say "Eff off!" now.

There is still a lot more I can and will talk about. But for now I'm drained. Until next time.....

It's been awhile.

2011-07-30T12:25:00.000-04:00

Hi to everyone who has either hung in there with me or just simply was to lazy to remove me from their following list. You rock. I had to leave for awhile. Things got really dark in the House of Wild Things last year, but the sun has finally began to shine again and I've come back out to play. You may be asking yourself "Why didn't you just talk about it in your Blog." Well if it were totally up to me I probably would have hung all my dirty laundry out to dry, but out of respect for my husband I opted for internet silence. Although things are looking up, they aren't perfect. We're working on that though. For now the station is back up and my silence is broken. A few thing that have happened since I was last here, we've moved, OriginalPsyn Photography has taken off, Sage is now potty trained, I've lost 50 pound and I've turned 40.

The move has probably been the best thing that has happened for the family. When we moved to Columbus we weren't familiar with the city and it's neighborhoods. Our real estate agent was from a pocket community that was surrounded by ghetto. She was determined to sell us on the area. Unfortunately for us we drank her Kool-Aid and bought a house in a less than desirable area of Columbus. Until we had Sage the neighborhood wasn't that big of a deal. Now that he is getting close to school age, we had to reevaluate our location. Especially since a neighbor who was a school teacher told us that we better start saving for private school or plan to home school, because even though she taught at the school she would never send her kids to them because they were so dangerous. We took her advise and move north to the Worhtington/Powell/Dublin area. The move has done wonders for our family unit. Granted the area is not perfect. It's a wealthy area and snotty pretentious people run amuck up here. I'd rather deal with them though than dodge bullets and carjackers in my old hood.

The new neighborhood has been great for little man also. We are now living the suburban dream, in a nice neighborhood with lots of kids and a huge park where everyone meets and socializes. He has come out of his shell with other kids and is beginning to make friends. This has also led to him to decide to be a big boy and put away the pull ups and start potting like a big boy. After a year and a half of fighting with him, it's funny that all he need was to be around other kids his age. Go figure. Now he is all excited about starting school and learning about everything. It makes a mamma proud. He has actually even embraced my photography and instead of running from my camera, he has become a total ham and totally mugs for the camera now. He is working toward his 2011 explorer badge with the Columbus Metro park system and we are really enjoying it. He's funny when he finds something cool or is doing something he likes I'll hear him yell "Mommy, Mommy come here and take a picture of me." That just brings a smile to my face and my heart.

Speaking of my photography. I've officially launch OriginalPsyn Photography, and it's doing pretty well. We haven't done a lot of advertisement yet beside my facebook page. I still have some things to sort out before I can really get into the business, but still without advertising I'm booking a hand full of client every month and I've started selling my art pieces. Soon I will get an Etsy shop up and I hoping to sell my photos in print, cards, stickers and magnet forms. I'm even looking to turn them into scrapbooking supplies also. So stay tuned for more news on that as development come up.

The move and everything else has been great, but the biggest change has been with me. I've finally shaken the depression that I've been in for years. At the beginning of the year the realization that I was turning 40 hit me. I'm not going to go into great details on that right now. It's a post all in itself. I realized no one except for myself was going to change things in my life. A big issue with me was my weight gain. I had always been thin until recent years. I can remember when I went up to a size 8 before I got married I cried for days. But after quitting smoking and having a baby in my mid-30's I really packed on the pounds. Then day I woke up and my weight over 180 and my size 14 jeans were too tight I said ENOUGH!!! I decided it was time to do something about it. So I set out to loose weight. So within the past 4 months I have lost 50 pounds and am now fitting back into size 4/6 jeans and medium shirts. I haven't been that size since before I was married 6 years ago. But like the depression that's a long story in itself. I'll tell you about it later.

For now I have to go. Part of me blogging again is finding the right balance and not getting carried away with my posting. You will see me back in the photo contests soon. I have so missed seeing everyone's beautiful work and being inspired by your stories. Hopefully I can rebuild some of the bonds I had before I went AWOL, and build some new friendships. Till next time.....

I'll be back......

2010-09-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

I've been absent lately, and I apologize. I will be back soon. My hubby, as many of you know, travels for his work and we don't get to spend much time with him. Well, he had last week off and has this week off also. So we have been spending a lot of time together which doesn't leave a lot of time for other things. The only on-line activities I've had time for is A Sage Closet (My eBay store). I've been so busy. I don't know if I'll ever catch up on the editing. There's been an explore to Wisconsin with Danny one week. We saw Wicked last Sunday for our anniversary, Buckeye opening game at the Shoe on Thursday, and just lots of quality family time.

Here are a few photos from our trip to OshKosh, Wisconsin. It's just cute little lake town. While we were there a bulk of the town was under construction, but they have this wonderful petting zoo, massive playground (that's a photo essay in itself), and a small amusement park (train and carousel) all on lake Winnebago. These are a few of the photos from the Petting zoo.

Hosted by Lisa and Cecily

I promise I'll be back in full swing with lots to post about when he goes back on the road. Till then I'll try to catch up with everyone when I can.

Balloons make me happy.......usually

2010-08-26T02:27:00.000-04:00

The season of festivals is upon us. At least in the Columbus, Ohio area it is. Our weekends stay booked up with all sorts of cultural festivals and harvest activities. So far we've done the Irish festival, Latino festival and a balloon festival. I plan writing little blogs about all of them. I just can't promise them in the order that they were attended.

I was so excited about going to the balloon festival in Marysville. I've never been to one and I've always loved hot air balloons. There are several in the area, but we choose this one because it was the shows 35th anniversary and they were advertising an all out extravaganza. So we head out to rural Ohio to eat some fair food, watch balloons and possibly ride in one.

The festival was held at a small rural "crop duster" airport. Pulling into the city we should've gotten an idea what we had in store for us. There were no signs directing us which way to go, thank goodness nav. Also there was no traffic control and every idiot within a 100 mile radius was going to the same festival. It took us almost an hour to go 1/2 a mile. That never starts the event off well, and my hubby had flown in earlier that day after being in Memphis all week working third shift. That's kind of like shaking a can of soda right before you open it. No matter what you do it's still going to explode when it is opened. I'm just glad that Sage slept through that part. Well we finally were parked, and watched them blow up some of the balloons. I wish I could've been closer, but the hubby was already peeved, and my photo taking can open that can of agitated pop real quick.

The set up was cool, but I think they underestimated the number of people who would come out. The place was quickly packed to the hilt. So much so that the 5 food vendor (yes I said 5 food vendors) and one ticket line for the kids inflatables couldn't keep up. Unfortunately we had planned on a healthy ;-) meal of fair food, that unfortunately didn't happen. So we went over to the kids play area with the kid bouncy things, but they were $3 for 5min. So you had to stand in a line for 45 minutes to get a ticket and another 45 minutes to play. Not really sounding like a fun time for all. We had been at the show for awhile and everyone was getting cranky from being hungry and bored. So we decided to wait for the hot air balloon ride, they were suppose to start at 6:30pm and it was 8:30 so we though it would be in full swing. But alas they hadn't started running the rides, and when we went to get tickets we were quickly told Sage was too young. Arrrgh.....

So we walked around to see if there was anything else to do besides watching the bad Journey/Bon Jovi cover band (creatively named Bon Journey). We did find a couple of crop duster to look at, but that was it. The mood of the boys was going south quickly. Sage was bored and all over the place, and Danny was cranky due to a lack of sleep, food, and the abundance of idiots and my camera. Danny decided to wait for some food and Sage and I set up camp for the balloon glow.

We watched the glow, and left. Most of my photos were snapshots that I took while waiting in line. Or when my hubby had left to do or get something.. I think I've mentioned my hubby's animosity toward my camera before, and with the disappointed of the Balloon show he was about ready to thrown in away. Thank goodness for photo editing. Hopefully one day soon I can start bringing in some money with this so, he will relax a bit more with my photography.

There is so much potential at this festival, but the planning was horrible. Someone spent so much time on the 25 page magazine, that they didn't plan or organize anything else. They did plan some, but it was a bit half-assed (excuse the language to those of you who offend at such wording). I don't know if they had a bigger crowd than they expected or what, but it is more important have some entertainment and food that a magazine. They spent more time getting ads for the magazine than they did getting food vendors. I'm sorry 5 vendors at a festival is a recipe for destruction. Next year we'll go to Grove City instead.

The next entry will be in a better mood. Going through a rough patch... so is life.....I never promised a rose garden, I only promised that I would photograph it.

I would like to thank The Punkrock mom for the I love your blog award. I would post the button, but I can't get it to show. I'm in Wisconsin on an explore right now so hopefully I will get some great shots for her challenge, I am going to put this into Artistically Amy's Color splash Sunday. I know it's not Monday, but this blog has been done since Sunday and it's burning a hole in my drafts box.

Up, Up & Away

2010-08-21T10:50:00.000-04:00

We went to a hot air balloon festival in a small town just west of Columbus in a place called Marysville last night. I was left a bit underwhelmed. It's the weekend so I have a lot to do today so I'll have to relay the events later. Wow!!! I've fallen behind I have three festivals that I need to write about and we're going to a fourth (the Tomato Festival) tonight. Hopefully on the long drive to Madison, WI Monday I can get some more writing done in the car. At least till my laptop battery dies.

Until then here is a SOOC shot from the festival. The Gremlin (Sage) was being a complete spawn, and Danny was annoyed with the event parking, hat always starts the day off wrong, so I had two unhappy dudes. This always tend to quash the creativity. It's hard to believe that with all these colorful balloons and a cover band called Bon Journey playing in the background, but alas so was the case.

K.C. Skank Kitty

2010-08-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

I was out trying to snap a portrait of our adopted kitty. Her name is K.C. (that is short for Kitty Cat). She strayed up the day we got 2ft of snow in a few hours. We felt so bad for her that we took her in and let her sleep in the garage. Well, at that point we got a new cat. We didn't think she had long for this world because something had taken off her nose and it was slit up to one eye duct and mid-way up her tail was dead. We pretty much thought that we were just giving her some comfort in her final days. That was three years ago. The dead part of the tail has since fallen off and the slit as healed quite a bit. She still doesn't have a nose and she sheds worse than the dog. We have resisted keeping her in hopes that she would return where she came from. After all she was fixed, and knew how to use a litter box so at some point she was someone's cat. We really didn't want another cat, but last week she had her first vet appointment and received all her shots. The vet surprising said besides some ear mites she is in great health.

She really is a sweet cat and has become a playmate of Sage's. So I wanted to get a photo to put with the dog and our other cat Solstice. It's just hard to get a pretty photo of a cat with no nose. So this is what I got. I thought this would be a nice change from my usual bugs and flowers.

Working in the Closet

2010-08-20T02:07:00.000-04:00

I've been busy getting posting done on eBay. Besides a crazed photographer and new to the blog world, another major love of my is thrifting. I have found a way to marry need for retail therapy with a way to make a little cash. A Sage Closet started as a way to rid myself of Sage's old clothes, but they went well so I began to expand to girls. I've always shopped second hand for Sage. It's my way of being green. There are so many wonderful designer clothes that still have plenty of life left in them, sitting on racks not being appreciated. I love digging through racks of clothes I have found some gorgeous pieces. Of course I always think about how the piece would photograph. I do all the digging for you. The worse part is the laundering after I get them home. Stain checks, spot removals, wash, line dry (when possible) and iron. I like to make sure my customers get fresh clothes. You can browse my photos of my son and get an idea of my style. Think of it as a sneak peek of future merchandise.

This month eBay is running a special beside the 100 $.99 free items they are giving another 100 pieces free at any price. So I'm trying to push to get some of my fall jackets and winter wear posted. Also Buckeye season is almost here. I see script Ohio in the clouds. So I a large collection of Buckeye wear to put out. So I've been busy in the Closet today. Check out my auctions at.
http://shop.ebay.com/sagecloset/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_from&_ipg&_trksid=p4340

Like us on facebook by clicking the button and get sneak peaks at upcoming auctions.

On that same line it's time to change A Sage's Profile photo. So I thought that I would use that for Pixel Perfects Before and After. Nothing special, I just can't leave a blog without a photo.

Check out more before and afters at

Sorry everyone it is late tonight, I will check everyone out tomorrow after I pick up the hubby from the airport. I need to get the internet on my phone so I can keep up with everything.

A bit more...

2010-08-19T00:50:00.001-04:00

{one} who’s the funniest person you know? That's easy...My friend Dani. She is always in stand-up mode. There have been nights that she has about made me pee in my pants.

{two} were you a michael jackson fan? LOL!! The person I was just talking about is a huge fan and he pasted on her birthday. I was a huge fan until about high school when the New Wave/Goth kicked in. I've always had admiration for his talent. Put it this way, Micheal as an artist is great, but Micheal as a person( from what he and the media put out there) over powered the talent.

{three} what was your favorite book as a child? Really young I loved the Little House on the Prairie series. We watched the show faithfully. I also loved Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary.

{four} what’s the most delicious meal you’ve ever eaten? That's a hard one. My hubby and I were both in the restaurant business and worked in 4 star restaurants in Atlanta, Ga, so we've eaten a lot of great food. The most memorable dish I've ever had was before I met my hubby, back when I was living and studying in German. One night I treated myself to a dinner at a fancy Indian restaurant by my dorm. I had never eaten Indian food before, and being from rural Arkansas I wasn't really keen on new foods. I had meet this really hot guy from Manchester (The guitarist in a band) and he raved about Indian food. We past by it one night and he commented on how wonderful it smelled. One day I was having a horrible day and as I walked by the smells of curry totally lifted my mood. So I had to try it. I had the Matar Paneer. It was absolutely delicious. It was expensive for me at the time, but once a month I would treat myself to the delight. You would never think a curry from Indian would become a comfort food for a small town girl from rural Arkansas.

{five} if you could eliminate on thing you do each day in the bathroom so you never had to do it again, what would it be? Yeah I'm with the shaving thing. I totally hate doing it, and really try to avoid it.

{six} if you could ask barak obama one question, what would it be? I honestly don't have much to say, or ask him. I don't need the razzle dazzle. I'm underwhelmed. I'd just smile, and say "What an honor to meet you" (because let's face it how often to you meet a president.)

{seven} what’s the best place near you to get a drink? We don't have a local bar we go to, but there is a fun little Hole in the wall that we frequent named Brewstir's. Pool, darts, karaoke and one of the best OSU game day parties off campus. They cater to the Lost Boys crowd. (I mean Peter Pan not vampires)

{eight} what kind of music can you just not stand to listen to? MMmmmm....... I appreciate all kinds of music, but I have to say I have a three way tie sexist rap, death metal and twangy country.

{nine} who and when was your first kiss? I was in junior high, he a friend's cousin. Nothing magic or memorable unfortunately. The sad fact was that it was at a wrestling match, with Jerry the King Lawler (he was the wrestler who body slammed Andy Kaufmann on Letterman). My best friend was totally into it (remember this is rural Arkansas in the 1980's). I was not. I actually remember almost getting beamed by a metal chair coming out of the bathroom. I saw him one other time. Just nothing in common.

{ten} what 3 things do you think will become obsolete in the next ten years? Home phones, cd's and dvd's.

All this talk about my roots in rural Arkansas made me think about about bad hair bands of the 80's. Of course when my hubby found a Jaguar at bargain basement prices he had to have it. This was before the little one. Every time I ride in it I can help but hear Whitesnake in my head and see Tawny Kitan slithering on the hood. I have to chuckle. Then I turn the radio station to the local alternative station.

For other great B/W photos check out

Popsicles-Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T18:03:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

Mandatory break.

2010-08-17T12:47:00.006-04:00

I've been absent for the past few days. My hubby finally stepped up and said enough, and asked me to close the laptop for a few days. He usually travels during the week so I have all the time in the world for facebook, fliker, my ebay store, photo-editing and blogging. When he is in town my time is cut down to 1/8th of what I usually have. I pretty much have when he is asleep, on eBay himself or when he's with his friends to play on my laptop. It's worth the trade. He is gone so much that it is nice to spend time together with limited tech interruptions. Cellphones will call and photos will be taken. This week I was asked to put everything up for awhile, so I did. You can imagine my surprise when I came back and saw my vacation photo of Sage in Pittsburgh at Trinity Cathedral was #7 The Trendy Treehouse Shutter Love. . Thanks to everyone who voted for me.

We did go to the Latino festival this weekend. I got a few shots, but those will come out later. For now I'm going through older photos and trying to organize my files. I don't know If I'll ever get these things in order. This is a I took at COSI (Columbus science museum) when Sage and I were just trying to get out of the house so that Danny could sleep. Sage and I can be so loud as to keep a narcoleptic awake.

We usually head into the kidspace because he can run like a wild child and I don't have to worry about him escaping. On this day he wasn't letting me take his photo or even play with him for that matter. He was more interested in playing with the other kids at the water tables. In fact when I tried he would splash water at me, so I took my cue and left him alone.

I wish I could say I took a bunch of awesome photographs, but alas I didn't. I spent most of my time trying to capture a cool water shot at the water tables. This was the best one I got.

Since it's main color is yellow I guess I will enter it in the Mellow Yellow Monday challenge. If you love yellow head over and check it out.

Also during this time I've been revisiting my early portraits and refined them, since I have been working on my editing. This is one that I took of Sage when he was just a few weeks old. Sleep was so precious early on. He was a colicky baby and only slept in short spurts. So when he was a sleep it was like magic time. An how the light from the window hit his little bow lips was simply the most beautiful thing I had ever seen (to that point). I could resist.

The theme is B/W photographs so if you want to see other wonderful photos by other amazing photographers check out.

Heirloom Strawberries.

2010-08-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

The last few days I had been searching and trying to come up with inspiration for Artistically Amy's Color Splash Sunday. This weeks theme was a building. It shouldn't be difficult. Right? Well, I looked through my photos and looked everywhere I went for inspiration. To no avail. The inspiration hit me about 30 minutes after the link closed. Go figure. The funny thing is I had tried a different photo from this group of photos from our trip down the road to pick strawberries, and couldn't get it to where I liked it.

Even though the challenge was over, I had to still see this vision out. I use the challenges as sparks for my imagination. When a creative idea sparks you should fan the flames of creativity. Besides Thursday was coming up, and with it the before and after challenge. Oh, I think I may be developing a challenge habit.

This is the original shot with some minor cropping.

I thinks its a cute snapshot. I like Sage in the foreground and the clean lines of the rows of strawberries running back to the barn. I just wondered what it would look using the selective colors.

Besides the obvious selective coloring I also tweaked the basic settings of contrast, exposure and sharpness. I added a bit of vignetting, color brightening, and a bit of sepia tones. Then finished if off with a touch or orton-ish and a touch of focal softening on my son.

This was such a quiet moment with him. We don't get them much. He's like a little hummingbird he buzzes around until he run out of gas then he brings me his cup and asks for juice.

If you want to see other great before and after photos, by other wonderful photographers check out Pixel Perfects

On the road....Pittsburgh (day one)

2010-08-10T17:55:00.002-04:00

I have such a hard time picking just one photo to enter into these challenges. I blog mainly to document the adventures of my family. I use to scrapbook, but it's such an expensive hobby, and it's not truly a permanent documentation. Too many things can happen. So I've started blogging our escapades because like they say. Once it is online it is never gone. And this way my friends and family can view it anytime they want and I don't have to lug around supplies and heavy albums. All I need is my laptop, camera, and creativity. I was going to save the Pittsburgh trip for later, but I find it serendipitous that the day I posted some Pittsburgh photos for the In a Yellow House challenge that A Trendy Treehouse would be hosting a challenge about vacations. So I figure I may as well take the a cue from the fates to go ahead and tackle our trip to Pittsburgh. For those who are new to my blog I had a time period that the only camera that I had was my cellphone. On this trip all the photos I took were with either my husband's or my cellphone. Mostly mine, because getting my husbands phone out of his hands is about as difficult as getting the camera out of my hands.

Trying to decide on a photo to use as the entry was difficult. Although I am totally addicted to these photo challenges as I stated before I blog to save the memory for my son, not necessarily for the "followers" or kudos. Although I have to admit it is nice to get on to my dashboard in the morning and find that other people find my photos, rambling and ranting interesting enough to mark me as an interesting read, and I love to hear everyone's feed back. I suppose I could post one photo at a time for each individual challenge, but I tend to look as most of my photos in term of collections. So for me it is easier to blog them as such. Plus I take so many photos it would take me forever to document them If I did them one at a time. So I guess I will enter my favorite photo and hope others will feel the same.

I wouldn't exactly call this a vacation, because my hubby had to work in the evenings after taking us back to the hotel. Since I don't work and the company pays for travel expenses and hotel we travel with him sometimes. Since we are on a serious budget these days this is as close to vacation as we get, but we have been to so great places this way. The catch is that Sage and I leave the hotel in the mornings so that he can get some sleep, and then he wakes around lunch and the real adventure starts.

On the first day we always get a late start, this is when we usually do sightseeing in the downtown areas. Since I chose a photo at this location to enter in to the challenge I will start with photos at Trinity Cathedral. We didn't go inside but the cemetery courtyard and architecture was stunning in itself. I can only imagine how stunning it is inside.

Trinity church wasn't the only thing we saw on the first day. It just really inspired me. There's nothing like an old Gothic cathedral and cemetery to get my creative juices going. It was early spring when we went so the trees were just starting to bloom and the weather was still crisp and unpredictable. So the sky was an amazing blue with fluffy clouds. The skyscrapers were amazing and the reflections in their windows were stunning. Here are a few of them that caught my eye.

First for the skyscrapers against the beautiful sky.

Now for the reflections.

My photography used to really annoy my hubby when we go on trips. He tells me that I spend too much time trying to capture the moment than living in the moment. This coming from a guy who him and his bar buddies talk on the phone like a group of teenage girls. LOL!!! We've worked out at deal that he push the stroller and I take photos. Him and Sage keep walk and I have to catch up. From time to time he makes requests. This last building is one of them.

I was so impressed with the architecture and art that in downtown Pittsburgh. Here are some of the the details.

Then I captured a little art. My husband walks fast so I couldn't get everything. The first is a close of a flower on a fake tree, yes I said fake tree. It was totally surreal to walk by this park area. Because it was still early spring so no all the trees were blooming. In this park there were all these trees with small green bud and these oddly unnatural trees. I think we walked by 3 or 4 times before we actually had to just walk through to check it out. Our first clue should have been the signs say "Please don't touch the trees!"

Did you know that a transformers live in Pittsburgh? Well there is one overlooking on of the rivers.

Of course no trip downtown would be complete without some photos of bridges.

Same spot, Same time. Just now looking to the left.

There is still plenty more from Pittsburgh, but I think this is enough for now. I need to fix dinner, get the gremlin ready from bed, then it is Karaoke tonight. YEAH!!!!!! Maybe I'll get some video tonight.

Fort Pitt Tunnel

2010-08-10T11:30:00.001-04:00

One of the perks of my hubby having a job that he travels for is we get to see new places. This past winter and spring he was working in Pittsburgh so when the weather warmed up Sage and I went on the road with him for a week. It's a pretty sweet deal. The company is already paying for the hotel, gas and food for him to travel, the only cost for us is Sage and my food and whatever places we go to. That doesn't even cost us anything most of the time because our Zoo and COSI memberships get us in most zoos and science museums in other cities for free.

On this trip I was still without an actually camera, so I was using my cellphone still. This reminds me that some time I need to document our trip to Pittsburgh, but that is going to be a long one so I'll save that for a later date. I was so floored with this tunnel. (I'm easily amused) We were staying in the burbs on the west side of Pittsburgh, and this is the only way into the city.

The tunnel runs through a mountain and comes out onto a bridge over one of the many river that runs through the downtown area. It is really quite breath taking coming out of the tunnel. I am notorious for snapping off photos while I'm driving (shhh, don't tell my hubby), but this time I was riding. As a matter of fact driving in downtown Pittsburgh is so crazy that he didn't even want me driving there. WHATEVER!!!! I amused him though and let him do all the driving. Better for me anyway, that way I could snap photos with my cellphone and not have to worry about crashing my car. LOL!!!! Taking a photo into the tunnel wouldn't have been difficult, but upon exiting it would've been impossible for me to get a shot if I were driving.

(This is the one I'm entering)

My hubby really didn't think much of Pittsburgh. I didn't really think much of the burbs, but there was something about the downtown area that intrigued me. I think that's why my hubby didn't want me to take Sage into the city alone. All the spots I wanted to get out and take photos in were a little shady. So he insisted that I be supervised. My adventurous spirit scares him. I alway have to remind him that I would never take Sage someplace dangerous, but he does know that if I'm alone that I have no fear and will stop in the middle of the worst areas of a town to get a shot. Why must all the best things to photograph be in the worse parts of town.

To check out more great photos on the road by other great photographers check out the In a Yellow House photo challenge.

Afternoon in the park.

2010-08-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday again and it's it time to show things as they actually are. No cropping no editing. I took these in the park one afternoon a couple of days after I got my Rebel. My hubby had just flown in and was in a bad mood from a rough week on the road. So Sage and I headed out to the park to play while Danny got some sleep. These were practice shots, so I had only picked a couple to edit and show. I tend to take so many while I'm out and about that unless I think they are totally stunning they sit in their folders untouched and forgotten. Luckily with this challenge they can see the light of day.

I have a tendency to take a lot of photos of my child and flowers. I'm working on that, but for now here are some more photos of flowers and my kid.

First for the flowers. Irises are one of my favorite flowers, and these were amazing. The park these were take at were Franklin park in Columbus, OH (where I live) It's funny because this park isn't in the best part of town. But it is our botanical garden and they keep the grounds absolutely beautiful.....

This one I loved how the seeds were pooled up in the petals.

The next few are of my son. I just can't get enough photos of him. It like my crack. The first one I caught him playing in flower beds. So I'm getting on to him as I'm snapping the photo (counter productive I know), and he is pleading his case.

The next few were at the pond. If there is water around we can't keep him out of it.

Of course if there's water that means the shoes come off. I love little feet and hands.

For more photos from this day check out Mama's new challenge. Also to see more photo Straight out of the camera by some wonderful photographer go to Murrieta 365.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pKcnmYTevYU/TFiRHdameRI/AAAAAAAAWJg/CB7stY2A9a8/s1600/SOOC+Sundayjpg.jpg

Butterscotch fudge

2010-08-07T13:02:00.000-04:00

I know I'm usually all about the photo challenges, but today I wanted to do something a little different. Although I love my photos of flowers and my son, today I feel like mixing it up. I woke up this morning thinking about all the things I love to do in my spare time. One of those things is cooking. Baking and candy making especially. I don't know if I can really say that I do this in my spare time, because we have to eat, so I cook almost everyday. It's not always food network worthy cooking, but my style if very Sandra Lee. I like to take mixes or frozen foods and make them something special.

But this is not one of those recipes.....

I can't remember exactly where I found this recipe. It was either in one of my Martha Stewart mags, or it was from one of my Grandmothers old mags (she had them that dated back to the 60's, so there is no telling). It is on a note card and at the time I didn't think about quoting my source. An odd thing for me, since I have a degree in history and we are all about quoting sources. (plagiarism is a pet peeve of mine). When I cut it out 7 years ago facebook, myspace, flickr, etc. weren't even around let alone blogging. Now the card is yellowing and the the magazine paper is getting brittle. I was going to scrapbook it, but I'm streamlining my life right now so at least here I don't have to make a place for it on my shelves.

This has been a holiday favorite since the first time I made 7 years ago. If I don't make it to take to my in-laws for the holidays, they get like crazy mad at me. I walk a thin line with them anyways. My relationship is strained with them at the best of times. If I don't bring butterscotch fudge at Thanksgiving AND Christmas I'm in the doghouse until they get it. I know it's a sad, but it is what it is.

So here it is.....

Butterscotch Fudge

Nonstick spray coating

2 cups sugar

2 5oz cans evaporated milk (1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup butter (you can use margarine, but I don't recommend it)

2 12oz packages of butterscotch pieces

1 13oz jar of marshmallow creme/fluff

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans

an extra 1/2 cup of butterscotch pieces

Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick coating; set aside.

Spray the sides of a 3-quart heavy saucepan. In the saucepan combine sugar, milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat to boiling. Carefully clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat to 234 degrees, soft-ball stage ( about 15 minutes), scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir.

Remove the pan from heat; remove thermometer. Add the 2 packages of butterscotch pieces, marshmallow creme and vanilla; stir till melted. Stir in 1 cup of the pecans. Pour into the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly.

This step is optional, but I highly recommend it. It give it that razzle dazzle. While fudge is still warm, sprinkle with remaining nuts and butterscotch pieces; press gently into top. Cool in the pan. Cover and chill in the refrigerator till firm. Remove fudge and foil from pan. cut into 1-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (It actually lasts longer than that, if store in and air tight container.)

Makes 4 1/2 pounds (117 pieces)

This is perfect for those homemade gifts around the holidays. Sure to be a favorite at you next get together. This is a rich recipe, and must be kept cool or it gets to soft.

Hee Hee!!!!! I found a challenge that the theme this week is food. Yummmmm........ It is held by Four ladies and a patient man and Linkie lueville. So if your in the mood to see some yummy photos or have some you would like to share check it out.

One of those days.

2010-08-06T10:17:00.002-04:00

We've had some really bad thunderstorms the past few days here in Ohio. One was so bad it woke me up. This is no easy feat, since I have actually slept through tornado producing storms. We're talking sirens and everything. So to wake me out of a deep sleep with a start is no simple task. So as you can imagine the little man was soon sleeping by my side. He wasn't crying or freaking out, he just didn't want to sleep alone. I don't blame him. So since the hubby was on the road and I had the California king sized bed all to myself, we snuggled up together and slept out the storm together.

Needless to say, the lack of sleep did nothing for either of our moods the next day, and the fact that we had errands to run the next day added to the annoyance of the situation. It started with a freak out at the pediatrician's. All we were there for was his annual check up. No shots, no tests, simply weight, height, and a look over. He screamed like we were torturing him with some kind of medieval devise. Only other stop was the car dealership to get an oil change. So I stopped by a thrift store to do some retail therapy. Little dude start to fuss, but I found a stuffed dragon for him so all was right in the world. I found some great things, that brightened my day so I thought that the ordeal was behind me. Afterwards we ran through a drive thru of a restaurant that I had a buy on get one coupon for and headed to the car dealership to take care of the vehicle and have lunch.

We sit down at the kids table they have set up to our lunch. It didn't take me long to realize that Sage's food had been left out. At this point they had taken my car for a test drive, so there was nothing I could do. So I split mine up and we ate. They quickly came back, maybe 15 minutes later with the diagnoses and an estimate for $675 to have it fixed. I politely told them my husband would like to get a few more estimates. After trying a hard sell on me to no avail. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to work. They disassembled my car and drained the oil, this took another 45 minutes. Then some other guy came in and said my car needed to cool before they could do anything else. So we waited another hour and a half for them to finish my car. Explain to me how Jiffy lube can do it in 30min without letting the car cool, but they need an extra hour and a half. Of course they were all making comments about how crazy and hyper my son is. My temper was starting to flare. Finally with my patience shot, by seeing my car apart and all the employees chatting at the front desk, they got the pre-snap. All mommies know the tone. The eyes get wide, the voice gets really sweet, and you get what I call the waitress smile. I informed them that they needed to get my car done now. That if I was there much longer I was going to let Sage totally run amuck and destroy all their tire displays. It's amazing how quickly they were able to finish my car after that. Of course not without trying to tell me that the brakes I had replaced in Spring were shot. All I was thinking was, "Dude shut-up and give me my car."

Once back in the car Sage fell asleep, ahhhhhhhh heaven. Then I realize that the thrift store over charged me. So I had to turn around and take care of it. If you do any thrifting you know that has to be taken care of immediately or they won't give you your money. I know to most $4 isn't much, but I sell unique and quirky designer kids clothes on ebay so that $4 can translate into a lot of money. Luckily she took care of it, unfortunately she gave me attitude about it the whole time. By the time I was heading home, of course in rush hour traffic now, I felt like Quasimodo running to Notre Dame cathedral screaming sanctuary.

Once upon a time, I would have sat and smoked a half a pack of cigarettes to calm myself after a day like this. Those days are behind me though. So I put Sage down for a nap, grabbed my camera, headed outside, and crawled deep into my garden. I take all that negative energy and defuse it through my creativity and photography. The next few shots are a result of this. After about 45 minutes of finding my Zen, my world was all good again. I was sane enough to go back in wake Sage, start dinner and be the all around domestic goddess that I am.

The above photo is the one I am choosing for Macros Friday. I love my ladybugs, but they are a common subject matter. Nobody ever takes pictures of the little blood sucking vampires.

If you enjoyed these Macros shots then head on over to Blogging in Bolivia to see more wonderful shots by other great photographer.

The Road Less Traveled

2010-08-05T15:57:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday so it's time for another before and after with Pixel Perfect. I love this challange because not every photo comes out the way you like, with the magic of editing you can make it right. I grew up photographing with a 35mm camera (film). I remember the days of shooting rolls and roll of film and hoping everything would come out right. Back then these photo would have been filed under "T" for trash, but with the wonders of digital cams now you can shoot and erase until you get what you want. If you don't have time (or a patient model) to get everything just right, you can sort it out in processing. That is what happened with these.

The first on is Sage and me on an evening walk. I love this patch of old road. It leads up to some the wonderful bike and walking trails Columbus metro parks have to offer. This is actually really close to our house, I wish we could walk the whole way but we have to walk along a busy road with a lot of Semis. So with my little crazy gremlin I usually drive over. Saves me a few grays and money on hair dye.

The road is block so you don't have to worry about any traffic. Perfect for going crazy. The day we went the sun was setting right behind up. my favorite light. The first photo we were having a good time playing with our shadow. The original had nothing really special about it, but to me it was a special moment. So I did what I usually do to photo like this, I made it look like it is from the 70's. Sometime I'll do b/w but I loved the tones of the sun. How it turned out reminds me of those old photos of alien sightings I would see when I was a kid.

I'm still experiment with the use of flash in the day time to balance shadows on the face. Unfortunately this was not a successful day of that all the shots turned out washed out. But there was something about all three of the next photos that I loved. Probably that they capture the energy that Sage possesses. I wish I could bottle it. I'd be rich. Unfortunately I think he has so much energy because he sucks it from me.

The first shot although it is washed out I could still see the possibility of the warmth of the sun in the trees. I wish I could tell you everything I did to it (as well as the others), but I lost track of what all I did. I can tell you that I edit in Picnik. Adjusting the basics like exposure, contrast, sharpness, tint and saturation. Then I played around with Orton-ish, Sepia, vignetting and 60's style.

The next one I was running backwards while he was running toward me. I love how he has the appearance of creeping around like a gremlin. Appropriate, since his nickname is gremlin. That's a story for a later date though. The color on this one was as bad, but it still needed a little umph. I think the after makes it look so much warmer.

This last one was another one of those over-exposed photos. I cropped this one to take out the street lights in the background. While I was editing this one I got to thinking about the old photos of my grandparents as a kids. So of course it had to be black and white. I love this one, because it gives Sage a little man feel instead of just a sweet little soft kid. Although he can be whiny, Sage is all rough and tumble little boy. I think it makes him look so much older than his 3 years.

If you want to see more great before and after photos be sure to check out Pixel Perfects challenge.

Mama's New Challenge

2010-08-05T04:49:00.000-04:00

Oh yes it's another challenge. I couldn't pass this one from Mama and the Dudes up. Her first challenge is feet. People who know me, know I love baby feet, and will photograph them when I get a chance. Especially Sage's hobbit feet. I guess I have a thing for them because he was born with really long feet. Which explained a lot about the feeling I had through most of my pregnancy. There were actual times that I thought he was trying to crawl out through my throat feet first. Yes it was as uncomfortable as it sounds.

The first one I took when Sage was just a wee babe, probably only five months old. This is one of my all time favorite photos. It took me forever to get it, but it was definitely worth it. I guess I should have waited until he went to sleep, but at the time the photo was taken I was having a hard time getting him to sleep. So doing anything that might wake him up was totally off the table. Another one of the head scratcher for my hubby. What he didn't and still doesn't understand is that I was suffering from Post-partum depression. Nothing major that I needed professional help for, but it was hard enough. At first he was working from home, but he wasn't really here. When he was at home he was either still working, sleeping, or about to head out for his buddies. Then when he went back to his old job, that involved full time travel, I started feeling like a shut in single mommy. My point and shoot digi kept me sane, just as now my DSLR sometime soothes the savage mommy monster.

The second shot was taken a few months ago, right after I got my new camera. Like any child he loves to play in water. One afternoon we were out for a walk at one of our many beautiful. I had just gotten my camera so this translated Sage running around up to his usual shenanigans, and me snapping photos of him. The park we were at is absolutely beautiful. It actually houses Franklin Conservatory, Columbus's small botanical garden. So the landscaping is beautiful. I found this great spot on the pond that had a small waterfall and meditation rock. It was at sunset and the spot was perfectly located for silhouettes (I'll share that later). He was having so much fun splashing his feet in the water I of course couldn't pass up that opportunity.

I have many more feet photos, but these are my two faves.

Just a bit.

2010-08-04T21:12:00.000-04:00

This is a new one for me. I usually just take part in the photography related challenges, but since I'm pretty new to blogging I thought is would be a good to let people get to know me.

{one} what website do you spend the most time on?

My time is divided between blogger, facebook, ebay and flickr

{two} what's the furthest you've ever travelled?

Well, I backpacked Europe twice in college, the second was while I was living and studying in Germany. The furtherest I went was Warsaw, Poland. It was a life changing experience. I really need to gather up my photos and download them.

{three} what's your guilty pleasure tv show?

RuPaul's Drag Race....Drag queens make me smile.

{four} if you had to give up one favorite food, what would be the hardest?

Cheese. I was a vegetarian for almost 20 years before I started eating fish and seafood again. I always said I would never become vegan, because CHEESE ROCKS!!!! There is no true good substitute for the power of real cheese.

{five} if you could become any fictional character, who would you be?

Willy Wonka, I could be as crazy and quirky as I want, have a large group of minions to do my bidding and be surrounded by chocolate. It can't get any better than that.

{six} what's your favorite season of the year?

I love all the seasons. Fall and Spring are probably tied. Both give you relief from the extremes of their predecessor. I can't pick, Spring has flowers and Fall has harvest festivals.

{seven} what's your biggest phobia?

I don't really have a phobia. I do have some abandonment issues though.

{eight} would you rather swim in a pool or the ocean?

The ocean...it's Mother Nature's swimming pool.

{nine} what did you eat for breakfast today?

The blueberry pancakes my son didn't eat.

{ten} if you could only listen to one song for the next month, which song would it be?

That's hard. I grow bored with individual songs. If I really have to pick.....I'll say Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush---Don't Give Up. It's an oldie but it is so uplifting. It is definitely on the soundtrack of my life.

Finding inspiration

2010-08-04T10:03:00.000-04:00

I find a lot of inspiration in the world around me. It's funny how the inspiration hits. It starts out as seeing something cool, a locust shell in this situation, and turns into me staging an impromptu photo shoot in my yard. Nobody and nothing is safe from my creative visions. This day's tangent was set off by spider webs and locust shells.

These little guys are all over my apple tree where I hang my laundry. Sage has been running around picking them and using them for various things like evil armies, crunchies and unfortunately I do think a few were consumed. I remember when I was young, around 7 or 8 my mom use to send us out in the front yard to collect them while she talked to the adults. They were like little treasures. I'd make crafts with them. I was a strange little girl. It's probably a good thing I had a boy.

I wasn't real happy about how it was looking in colors so I was going to switch my camera to b/w. Then along came a gremlin and decimated my model. Oh well, that was taken care of in editing. I'm still not sure if I like it but, these little guys inspired the day.

Here is the destruction. I had changed my camera to b/w at this point. I love to shoot in monochromatic mode because the contrast is truer. Also I love little hands and little feet, so it's a win-win situation. The spider web on the tree with the locust wasn't all that attractive in color not very dramatic. It had been trampled by a toddler one too many times. I think the spider had just given up. I really wanted to photograph a spiderweb so off we went to look for one. Sage got distracted, but I found this one on my compost tumbler. I also shot it in b/w.

Staying on the darkside. I shot the next one looking up through the the weeds in what was once my garden at some trellising. I thought it had a dark almost cemetery look to it. Fall is getting close. I can smell Halloween in the air. This was also shoot in b/w mode.

Here are are a couple more shots I took in b/w that day.

And of course no photo shoot is complete without photos of my number one muse. Today he was trying to bury himself in the sand, much to my dismay. The funny thing is he was trying to bury himself with is face. Silly kid. I tried to show him the better way, but he wasn't interested in my instruction. What he was interested in was burying me in sand.

This one was taken at the end of the day per Sage's request. I don't have many photos with me and Sage. With the old point and shoot my hubby would take photos all the time, but after it died he quit taking photos. We didn't have a camera except for the cellphone for a while. Since getting my Rebel he won't touch it. I can't even show how to take a photo in full auto. Oh well. I found my little tri-pod for my point and shoot, it seems to hold the camera. So I 'm going to start experimenting with it.

This last shoot was taken in color and converted. I couldn't pass it up. I love silhouettes.

For more wonderful b/w photos by other great photographers visit

A Bee, See

2010-08-03T12:50:00.004-04:00

This is my first time post to the In a Yellow House Challenge. Ashley Sisk of recommended it to me recently so I thought I would check it out. It left me a bit perplexed as what to post. I really haven't taken any note worthy critter photos lately and I just did a long blog about a recent zoo trip so I'm a little burnt on zoo photos. I guess I could have just reposted, but since I've just started blogging I felt the need to create some thing new. I've just recently received my first DSLR camera. Before that it was a digi point and shoot. When broke I was left only with a cellphone camera. I was determine to make the most of this situation. So I set out to push my cellphone cam to it's limits.

The great thing about my cellphone is that I can actually get macros shots with it that I can't get without a macros lens using my Rebel. I can get right up on my subject, practically touching it, and once I figure out the timing of the auto-focus I'd have an awesome shot. Another key to this is you have to have your camera function set at the highest resolution. Which with my phone left me with no zoom functions at all. It was well worth the trade. I can easily compose a shot, it's not as easy to fix the resolution. Especially when I do all my editing with picnik basic. I think I may upgrade that soon. I would love to have Photoshop, but there are other things to spend money on. Especially when I can do some great things for $25 per year. That's so more in my budget right now.

The cellphone days were very important in my photography development. This is when I proved to myself that there is more talent in me than just snapping off family memories. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my foot in the door, and make a buck off of it. Hopefully, I can figure this one out soon so I can prove that my hubby made a good investment choice.

For more great shots by some wonderful photographers check out'

Color Splash Sunday

2010-08-01T01:15:00.003-04:00

Ohhhh!!! I'm so happy to find this challenge. I love to do selective coloring. You can take a ho-hum shot and make it something special.

Like any parent I love to take bath photos. Our bathroom is really kind of gross though. It is this outdated minty blue/green tile and the bath has a shell my hubby put up as a band-aid for leaking in the tiles. The only problem is that all the caulk he used turned color. So I usually shoot in B/W. The only problem with this is you loose the magic of the bright colored bath toys. One night I got these really well composed bokeh shots of my son playing with his Yo Gabba Gabba bath toys. I had been using this effect on some photos of my best friend's daughter's dance recital. I love how these turned out.

SOOC Sunday

2010-08-01T00:08:00.006-04:00

I took these the other day playing in the backyard with the Gremlin. Nothing major just a day out in the yard. Playing around with the camera. I tried to teach him how to use his camera, that lasted the usual 15 minutes. He takes photos then immediately deletes them. When I tried to correct him he got mad at me, threw the camera and was off.

After viewing these photos don't forget to check more out at Murrieta 365: SOOC Sunday Sorry I couldn't find the code for the button unfortunately. If some one has it please leave for me, and I'll include it.

All of the shots I'm posting are straight out of the camera. No cropping, touch ups or editing. Although I do feel the vain need to put my mark on them.

The next photo was taken later that day when we went on a little walk on a near by bike path. That is one wonderful thing about living in Columbus, Ohio; no matter were you live your near a well maintained wooded path.

Slow as a.....

2010-07-30T09:58:00.002-04:00

This is how I've been feel these days. Maybe I need to drink more coffee. Like that is even possible.......

My photo for this week's Macros Friday has no special story I guess. This is another photo taken at the zoo. Jackson found it. He was enjoying the rain on a wall outside the Manatee house. D- and I were almost inside when I hear "Aunt Cindy hurry come here. Take a picture of this!" So I did. With all the exotic animals at the zoo, she gets excited about a snail. COOL!!!! Kids crack me up.

To meet Jackson and see more photos from our trip to the Columbus Zoo, check out We're going to the zoo. How about you?

For more great macros photos, check out Blogging from Bolivia's blog there are some great things there to see.

We're going to the zoo. How about you.

2010-07-30T01:04:00.002-04:00

When the teens were in, one of our field trips was to the zoo. The Columbus Zoo is alway awesome to visit. It was voted #1 in the nation last year, so we are really proud of it. The weather was forecast to be overcast, but no rain. Yeah...right. Can you say torrential downpours. It began right after we entered the park and a light rain continued throughout most of the day. That didn't dampen our moods though. (Excuse the pun.)

These are my favorite animal photos I took on that day. We have a membership and go all the time, so I'm beginning to get a nice collection of animal shots. I can't wait to get a zoom lens so that I can get closer shots and not have to do so much cropping.

The older girls took off on their own right after we got in the park. I was a bit bummed with this decision to let them go, I really wanted to get some photos of them, but they had a friend with them and wanted to go off and be teenagers. Heaven forbid my hubby isn't the cool Uncle. I remember those days so off they went. It's like pulling teeth to get them to pose for me anyway, and when they are all together they have a tendency to bicker and snip all the time. I still had the youngest, and she loves to have her photo taken.

We enjoyed hanging Jackson. She is the youngest of the three sisters, and until my son was born she was the youngest of 6 grandkids. She is constantly picked on by the older kids, so she is of course the tattler. It doesn't help that she is so small. She suffered from near renal failure a few years ago, and the medications that she has to take for the rest of her life are stunting her growth. So she probably won't get much larger than what she is, and looking at her it is hard to believe that she is 11. Since she is so small, she is treated like she is younger than she is. This has made her a bit immature for her age. She is a beautiful little soul though. She loves my son with all her heart and he loves her. They are thick as thieves when they are together. I have remind her sometimes that I'm the momma, and that she needs to enjoy being a kid. I think she has always had to look up to others, and enjoys having someone who looks up to her. It won't be long though before Sage is taller than her.

All these girls lead really sheltered lives. Their grandmother is raising them with the help of my husband's youngest sister. She has three boys of her own, so the girls don't get to do much. So when they come to they visit we tend to spoil them, especially my husband. He feels guilty because we live three hours away so we can't help as much as he would like. So he tends to over compensate when they are up. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful man.

There's still more to the story this is getting long and you must have to go to the bathroom by now. If you're even still here. I still have photos of the other girls and Jackson exploring new worlds at the Columbus Zoo, but for now I need to get to bed.

Before & After

2010-07-29T12:09:00.001-04:00

I've found my newest internet addiction. Photo blog photography challenges. It makes me giddy just thinking about it. Don't worry facebook and flickr I'll never turn my back on you. How else will I keep up with my family and friends on the other side of the Mississippi, and edit my photos. ( No I don't have Photoshop, but that's a discussion for a later.) I was out skimming blogs for inspiration. I great page to visit is Ashely Sisk's blog.

She's a total challenge junkie and has put together a list of photo challenges. One for everyday of the week. It's awesome and diverse. I can't wait to check them all out. I've been practicing portrait photography lately. Since my hubby bought me a DSLR for Mother's day, I've been obsessed with mastering the camera. I've done macros, bokeh, and silhouette. I still love to shoot these style, but I've now moved the focus of my learning on to portraits. Th

I have a Cannon Eos Rebel T1i and the standard 18mm-55mm lens. The only accessory I have is a small tripod that's about it. So I'm building. As far as editing goes. I don't have photoshop or other editing tools. I mostly use picnik or gimp. I have a want list a mile long, but right now I'm happy with what I have. It doesn't matter the tools you use, but the vision you put in to it. I was excited to find Pixel Perfect Before and After.

This is just a shot I took in the backyard playing around. So I thought I would mess around with using a flash outside in the sun for portrait photography. This turned out really washed out, but I love the color of his eyes, so I thought this would be a good first shot for the challenge. Just to see what happens.

Before.......

The first thing I did was turn the brightness down, and tweak contrast and strength. Next I added a little saturation and warmed it up a bit. Then I added vignetting as large and strong as I could then faded it out. That added a bit of color around the edges of his face, leaving the center bright. He still need a bit of color though. Before that can happen I edited out some dirt and a scratch off his face, and did a light color boost on his eyes. I added some Sepia tones to give his face some color and to add to a vintage feel to the photo. To finish it out I used the Ortonish effect in picnik, Raise the bloom to around 70%, lowered the brightness to around 10%, and faded the whole process out to 75%.

After....

I've been inspired by {http://www.theworkshopworkbook.com/} lately. I love her children's photography and the editing that she does. I would love her workbook, but that will have to wait. Until then I hope to maybe win it. Check out her site it is enlightening.

The First Day is Always the Hardest

2010-07-28T14:48:00.001-04:00

My hubby travels Monday to Friday for his job. We've been together for almost twelve years (only 6 of those married), around year two he made the decision to go into the telecom industry. This included a lot of travel. I've had 10 years to get use to it, but now we have Sage to contend with. When D- is traveling regularly it is not a big deal, but D- has been on vacation the past 3 weeks. That is a lifetime to a 3 year old. Monday night was the first night post vacation, and little man did not want to go to sleep. We read several chapters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mine-O-Saur a few times, sang some songs, had tickle wars, and he even asked me to take pictures. That's when I knew I was fighting an up hill battle. The whole time he was asking where's Daddy. It was breaking my heart. So I pulled in a photo of daddy and me. So we played name the family members, and finally I had to draw the line. He refused to let go of his Daddy's picture. When it was quiet I went in to check on him this is what I found. My heart melted......

Don't worry about the little man. By Tuesday morning everything was right as rain. The first night is always the hardest.

Macros Friday

2010-07-23T12:07:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy that Macros Friday is here again. I woke up to a major annoyance today and I needed the Zen. One of my facebook "friends" decided to take it upon himself to alter and post one of my photos. The whole crap of "I love the shot, and it doesn't need to be changed" then why did I spend yesterday listening to you telling me how to edit my work. I tried to remain open to his suggestions, but his style is so opposite of mine. It really doesn't apply. Then this morning I woke up he had done two separate edits of the shot and publicly posted them without my permission. They were horrible, way over-processed. I was livid. Finally after a series of posts and message they were removed. His feelings are all hurt, but I was offended at his arrogance. So I guess that makes us even. Here is the photo in question.

He boosted the color so much that it looked like a cartoon. It was horrible.

But anyway the photos have been deleted, and the issue has been discussed. He's acting like a wounded puppy. Now must I remind him, I only know you on facebook. We have mutual real world friends, but he became my friend because I liked my photography. I don't think I've ever meet him in real life. If I have I don't remember.

Phew!!!!

Now with that off my chest. It's time for Macros Friday.

Here is another flower from my garden. I spend a lot of time photographing my yard. I recent quit smoking (again). So I have switched on addiction for another. So when I get stressed I set out and start taking photos. This is one of my hollyhocks. Like my daisies I started these from seed. I started with a few and have moved them all over the yard.

Black and White Wednesday

2010-07-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing this one around and been dying to enter it.

The only problem that I'm running into is that I never can decide on which one I would like to enter. So I guess I'll follow my gut instinct ( it isn't always right, but I follow it anyway). So the first one is for the contest the others are just for show. I hope you enjoy.

Black and white may not be typical for shooting lavender, but I thought that the ones that I shot in color were uninspired. All of these shot were shot in black and white, with very little editing.

I absolutely love lavender. The smell is so soothing. My husband laughs because all of my cleaning supplies are lavender scented. I remind him of how much I hate to clean house, and that the smell calms me and keeps me focused on the task at hand.

Lavender is a staple in my garden.

I also love to cook with lavender, although my hubby doesn't care for it. One day I'll have to share my Lavender cream phyllo pastry with lavender syrup. It is absolutely delicious.

Shooting fireworks (part one)

2010-07-20T14:48:00.000-04:00

I took all these shots over the course of the Fourth of July weekend. I had some of my friends ask me for the settings that I used to take them. These are the first in the series. Most of the shots here have very little tweaking in editing and no cropping. I included before and after to illustrate how little editing was done with these photos. This was the first Fourth of July I had my Rebel so I was excited to take photos of fireworks, I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

The first set were taken out at Buckeye Lake. This is our usual spot to watch fireworks. Actually this is our favorite picnic spot. The dog gets to swim and Sage enjoys throwing rocks in the water here. I have gotten some of my best silhouette shots at this location.

Just remember location is key when shooting fireworks. The next two were the only shots I was able to get at Whetstone park. They are shot off from behind trees and we just haven't been able to find a great view place here yet.

The next fireworks installment I'll focus on cropping.

A new appreciation for the quiet life.

2010-07-19T15:20:00.001-04:00

The teen invasion is over. Phew!!! It got a little rocky toward the end, but hopefully some of what I said to them about manners, politeness and respect got through to them. I'm not holding my breath though. All their fighting and tattling made me thankful for my quiet life and southern up bringing. Sniping and bickering was not acceptable by my family growing up, and would usually land you a beating, time-out or both (depended on my dad's mood). The week has also made me thankful that I have such a good friend with similar parenting views as me. Although theological we differ to the point of night and day, we are on the same page that manners and respect for all people and things is key to a child's development. Without these things a child's development is stunted and they will lack the necessary building blocks for a successful life. I think that so many parents in their busy lives forget the basics.Out and about this past week, I was amazed that my son, who is now 3, has better manners than most children older than him. He already says "please", "thank you", "excuse me" and "I'm Sorry" in the proper context, and often without needing to be asked.

Speaking of my best friends these are some photos I took at a play date a right before getting the girls.

Macros Friday

2010-07-17T10:47:00.000-04:00

It's another Macros Friday. I still have a house full of kids (I love them, but I'm ready to have the serenity of the only 3 back in our house), and I have Sage's third birthday party on Sunday to get ready for. So I've gone through the archives for this one. I took this back in June this was on a day I was feeling a little girlie. That doesn't happen that often since I spend most my time with boys.

This is one of many Daisies that grow in my front yard. I started these from seed about 5 years ago and they take over my front flower bed in June. The first photo is for the contest.

There will be more from the daisies, but for now I better start breakfast. They all wake up hungry.

Teen invasion.

2010-07-13T01:14:00.002-04:00

This is a quick little note. I've been invaded by three teen girls for the week. The are my hubby's nieces and have really had a rough way of it. So we like to have them stay with us for a week in the summer. This is the first time in a while they have stayed out of trouble and kept their grades high enough to come for a visit. They are great girls and they totally adore Sage. Here's an introduction.

First there is Paris she's a typical teenager of 16. Probably a bit older than her years, but in her young life she has seen a lot, and had a lot of the responsibility of making sure her sisters were cared for.

Then you have Tori the middle child. She's a good kid, but she definitely has the middle child syndrome, and a tendency to do whatever it takes to get her attention.

Then there is Jackson Danielle. Everyone calls her Dani, I call her Jackson or Jack. A wild little spawn at times, but the most gentlest of soul at other times. She loves Sage and I believe even at 12yrs old she would sacrifice herself for my son.

I love these girls with all my heart. I want the best for them. They've had enough crap thrown there way to make a good man bad, they deserve more in life. I'm glad that finally things are starting to go their way. I just hope that they don't repeat the mistake that those before them have made.

Macros Friday.

2010-07-09T23:12:00.000-04:00

This is the third time I've tried to post to this site. I'm such a ding-bat sometimes. Eventually I figure it out.

This is another shot that I took puttering around in my overgrown herb garden. This guy just hung around and posed for me. I love lazy carpenter bees.

I love it when nature cooperates with me. I hope you enjoy.

Hard at work

2010-07-05T17:17:00.000-04:00

This is my first entry for the macros Friday contest by Blogging in Bolivia.

It's another photo that I took in my backyard on one my photo taking sprees, that I go on to keep me from smoking. I love taking photos of the little critters that hang out in my yard.

Now that the 4th of July is over I get to start planning for my best friend and my birthday party next week then my son's birthday after then. That is followed by a mini vacation and a visit for my hubby three nieces then we drive my son to Tennessee to visit with my sister an he boys for a week. No rest for the wicked I guess you could say.

Busy as a.....

2010-07-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Phew!!!! Things have been crazy busy lately. I haven't had a chance to do much writing, and the hubby is going on vacation I don't know if that is going to change much. Most likely make things crazier.

During the time he is off we have so much going on. This weekend is Fourth of July and it falls on a Sunday this year. You know what that means, three days of cooking out and blowing things up. Tonight is the fireworks show at Buckeye lake, tomorrow we travel to West Virginia to visit with family and Sunday we celebrate with the Clintonville community fireworks, at Whetstone. That's just this weekend. July is one of the craziest months for us. There is my birthday, Sage's birthday, and vacations. Not to mention we find out when we have to move, and the usually trapping of everyday living. Hopefully, July is better than June was. We'll see.

Happy Fourth of July

A Sage Closet......

2010-06-16T02:33:00.000-04:00

Spent my day photographing, describing and posting items for a Sage Closet. A Sage Closet is my little eBay business. It's not a store yet. I haven't made enough money yet to justify the expense of a store yet. Right now I'm focusing on Sage's baby clothes. I have held on to everything, but when we decided not to have another child I had to find something to do with them. So I thought why not make a buck from them.

I'm an avid thrifter and am a bit snobby about my selection. I love to find cool designer and high end department store brands for next to nothing. Now, I will buy a discount brand if it's something cool, but the higher end brands hold up better. Cool is cool, though! Most of these items are still in great shape and still have a few more seasons in them. I could resell them to a resell shop, but they give you nothing for them. I could just donate them, but my hubby and I have been bickering about me finding a way to bring in money. Even though I am working to make the photography my career, the eBay store brings in money now. It's not a lot right now.

Looking for fun....

2010-06-13T13:14:00.000-04:00

Activities on rainy days can sometimes be limited. I have a bad habit of getting lost on the laptop and letting him get lost on the T.V. I do get into my inspiration days where I spend the day in the kitchen cooking or crafting. I doesn't matter where I go, my little shadow is nearby getting into mischief. Being an only child he is great at playing by himself, but it's always more fun to have someone to play with. I took this with the natural light from a sliding glass window. No flash. I love how this came out. He had found the binoculars in the explore bag. We looked at them together for a while, but true to form I eventually want to play his way. He was checking them out in all ways. So I started snapping pictures. When he started looking through them correctly, he began insisting mommy picture. I was so proud of my boy. When I said cool he asked to see the picture and was like "KEWL!!!", giggled and took off. It was a proud moment.

Moments like this I always love the feel of vintage snapshots. The ones I remember from my childhood. On my snapshots you will find common themes of increasing contrast, vignetting, and applying a cross pattern effect very lightly. I love that old school warm glow. The rounded corners give it a bit of authenticity.

It was a steady rain that day. Still a little cool, because it was early in the spring. He was dying to go outside and play. It was a perfect day for puddle jumping, but I wasn't feeling the cleaning that comes after an afternoon of puddle jumping. We had played all afternoon. Singing, dancing and exploring, but now he was ready to go outside. So the game quickly became how far can I take it before I get in trouble.

Thank goodness on this day, he decided not to take it too far....

Everybody Walk the Dinosaur......

2010-06-12T13:08:00.000-04:00

Well so much for our camping trip. We are suppose to have thunderstorms all weekend. Shade! Maybe we'll go to COSI and see the Titanic exhibit.

On the weekends we have to keep it low key. The hubby works third shift so sleeps during the day. During the week when it is just me and the Grim, we romp around the house with Salvador Dogi like wild things. These days are some of best times.

One of the best times was right after I got the Rebel. Sage doesn't usually pose, but on this day I was totally engrossed in my new toy. I was taking photos of the dog and random things just to get a feel for the camera. I thought I would give Sage a break.

I guess he is so use to me having a camera of some form in his face, that the fact I was photographing everything except him did not please him, because he just broke out into song and dance. His rendition of Walk the Dinosaur. When that song first came out in the 80's I never dreamed that it would entertain me so much. I was too cool for myself. I would never find such an asinine song so entertaining. It is sung so much in my house now that I have almost learned the words. My how things change.

But I digress....

I start to hear boom boom alalack boom. I go in the kitchen and he is standing in the middle of the room singing his song. (Thank you Ice Age 3). I couldn't keep from laughing, and he was loving the attention. He's becoming such a ham. We carried on for a good while with this silliness. I joined in for a while. We don't photograph that though.

I love creating selective colour photos. They are perfect in situations like this where the background is cluttered and what you want the viewer to focus on is getting lost in it. Simply pick a dominant colour to use as your pop on your focal point. The PJ's were the obvious inspiration, and the perfect distraction from my messy creative space. The devil is in the details with this effect. Take your time and don't be afraid to get up close. This is perfect effect for those silly moments. It is also perfect for singling people or action in photos with a lot going on in them. I save this discussion for a later date.....

After our dancing we settled for a snack and I set out to get some things accomplished around the house. Leaving the gremlin to his own devises, and awaiting our next exploit.

A little rain good....but let's not get carried away.

2010-06-09T13:31:00.000-04:00

It rained all night last night. It must have gotten bad, I woke to no power this morning. Luckily it was back on before noon. I don't guess we're going to pick peas this week. They're not covered in straw that would just be a muddy mess. Maybe next week will be drier. These are some rain photos I took on one of our explores.....

The weekend before Memorial day Sage and I travelled with my husband while he was on the road. He was working in Memphis and I'm from the area. I hadn't seen my family for awhile so we went along for the ride. On our trip back from Memphis we ran into heavy thunderstorms around Louisville. Actually the tornado sirens were going off and the warnings were being issued. We had Sage calmly watching a movie in the back, my husband was cursing and driving determinedly to get us out of the city, as I used what juice was left in my camera battery after Dino world, to keep me calm taking photos of the rain on the window. I'm actually quite please with how they turned out.

I'm so crafty I make people.....

2010-06-08T16:32:00.000-04:00

My son Sage is the greatest thing I've created in my life. Born only four days after my birthday, he was the best present the world has ever given me. Don't get me wrong we have good days and bad just like any mother and child. He is energetic, very creative and has an almost Stewie like quality to him. ( I guess I should have watched what I said when I was pregnant.) But I wake up everyday happy to have brought such a beautiful soul into the world.

I waited later in life to have a child. My husband and I wanted to be in a good place to when we had him. I don't know how good of a place we were, but when it came to the appointed time we had set to start trying my husband obliqued. Actually, I got pregnant two months after we started trying to conceive. We think it was on Halloween night in Salem, Massachusetts. The best souvenir I ever came back from vacation with.

I wish I could say that my pregnancy was a magically uplifting experience, and that I love the experience of being pregnant. I can't necessarily say that was the case. I wouldn't trade that time for anything, and having a life growing in me WAS magical. What was going on with my body wasn't. I got pregnant at 36 I have to admit I wasn't in the best of shape. I had quit smoking after almost twenty years and gained quite a bit of weight. That summer I had begun to work out and eat better. I was pulling the weight off. That didn't last long. Once I was pregnant I gained weight and gained it fast. I joked that I had a gravitational pull. I attracted little petite women to me and they orbited me like moons. There was one in particular that every time I passed her at work she would just follow me circling me talking to my belly. It was flattering, but a little strange. I actually had to change doctors because of it. My original doctor scolded me and recommended Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. I left his office in tears. They switched me to his partner after that. I was relieved. I still had to see the original doctor one more time. That would end up being an ordeal.

I do have to admit I didn't experience much in the way of morning sickness. I only had a few horrible moments. I was working by the cosmetic and fragrance department at Macy's so a little nausea was to be expected. During the last few months I was diagnosed with the onset of Gestational diabetes. So I had to start seeing a specialist. The funny thing was I had three doctors and none of them could decide what I needed to focus on. One, as I had mentioned, had an issue with my weight, my second OB GYN was terribly concerned with my diabetes and the diabetes specialist was concerned with my age. My husband thought they were all over reacting. So it can only be imagined what a thrilling time this was. During my last few weeks of pregnancy my blood pressure began to rise so I was put on bed rest. At the end of my first week on bed rest I had to go back to my original doctor because his partner was out of town for a conference. We had discussed inducing before he left and decided I wasn't ready. Well, when I went to his partner he decided that I needed to be induced. I asked him if I needed to cancel my appointment for Monday at the office he said no he would take care of it. He didn't.

He did make the appointment with the hospital, and we checked in at our appointed time. The problem was he didn't bother to tell the other doctor. I should have known to follow up. We get there, check in and they get me started on the inducing drugs. When they contacted my doctor he was livid and concerned because I had missed my appointment that day. He knew nothing about the inducement. I'd never seen such a mild mannered person get so postal. He was angry at me at first, then when I explained how insistent the other doctor was, his anger moved to him. We could hear him outside the door on the phone yelling at him. I saw that doctor one more time, his head was totally down in shame. He examined me, in the presence of my main doctor, and was forced to admit the mistake. On the third day of the inducing, with no signs of change we opted for a C-section. Not the way I wanted to have my son, but the results were the same. I had created a beautiful little person and my life would never be the same again.

A brief introduction..

2010-06-08T13:01:00.000-04:00

Who am I?

I'm a stay at home mom of a wonderful, but sometime mischievous toddler and the wife of loving, but often mischievous husband. Both are the loves of my life and my driving force. My husband travels with his work so most of the time it is just me and my son. My family all live at least a nine hour drive away, and my husband's family is three. Because of that we opted for me to stay at home with our son. It just wasn't cost effective for me to return to work. So I became a domestic goddess. Since leaving the workforce I have struggled with trying to find myself. I always had some kind of job, unless I was in a school situation that didn't allow me to work. So for almost the past three years I have been struggling to find a way to contribute to the family. I know that raising a child is reward enough, but it doesn't help pay the bills.

I've been trying to find a way to incorporate my skills with a way to bring in an extra cash flow. I'm sort of a jack of all trades, and have ideas galore. It's just the implementation I have problems with. I love to cook, bake, garden and craft. I tried my hand at cake decorating for awhile. I'm pretty good at it, but I just couldn't find a passion for it.

I still make them from time to time for friends, but as a business I just found that the time that it took from my son wasn't worth it. I kicked around other ideas up-cycled crafts, paper making, and scrapbook supplies just to name a few. I did actually start selling on eBay. All my ideas seem to lead me back to one thing. Photography.

Photography has always been a love of mine. Since about the age of 9 I can remember being a photo bug. My first camera was a disc camera in junior high. I graduated to a pink leClick camera in early high school. Nothing remarkable in these days, no child prodigy work. It wasn't until high school that I my interest started to be peaked, developing in to a romance in college. The romance dwindled for awhile, but since the birth of my son it has developed to a near obsession.

This is my journey, in no particular order.....