Look in to my eye...

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T17:39:00.001-08:00

2010-11-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

When I get stressed I play with pictures. Here's tonight's creation. What do you think?

2010-11-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Sucker for BG!

2010-02-22T17:55:00.001-08:00

I knew they'd gone digital but I haven't been over to the website to look - until tonight. I knew I'd come away poor and I was right. I was a sucker for Basic Grey products (and still am) for paper scrapping, Nothing has changed with the digital side. I bought a collection called Phoebe. I was compelled. Not just because the collection shares the name of my mother but because it's beautiful. I also bought the blog stuff - which I will switch to in the spring. For now, I was all about this Scarlet Letter background. I may have to go back & buy that kit too.

If you're a scrapbooker and you haven't already, check them out. www.basicgrey.com

Christmas card for work

2009-12-10T07:14:00.001-08:00

Cool happenings at the zoo

2009-10-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Cameron & I met Jordan and her boyfriend Tom at the zoo yesterday afternoon. We all got there late... them because their teenagers & me because of those darn drawbridges. Anyway, it was a perfect day. Warm & Sunny. The place was so empty it was wonderful. We started out looking for the newest addition to the zoo... the Kangaroo's. We found them in a new area near the africa exhibit. I'd heard they were going to be just kind of out there... but maybe that's a future plan.

After the Kangaroos we wandered up towards the Elephants & Giraffes. They'd already been put in their enclosures because the zoo was closing in about 20 minutes by this point but we were able to get a close up view of the giraffes eating. It was interesting.

Check out that tongue.... !

As we were heading out, a lady told us there was a Bongo in labor up ahead. So we wandered over to check it out. Momma was clearly about ready to give birth. We stayed there until the little guy stood. Turns out we were the last family to leave - the zoo had been closed for 30 + minutes by then. I didn't realize all the other picture takers around me were zoo people. lol. Oh well. It was an experience like no other, and something my kids will probably never get to see again. Here's some pictures from first hoof out to standing on it's own. I tried to pick ones with less gore.

Blue

2009-09-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

I took Jordan & her roommate Emily to a quick lunch at the mall today. It had been TWO WHOLE WEEKS since I'd seen Jordan. In that time, her hair has undergone a bit of a change. It was supposed to be Blue but she got scared to make too blue, so went light on the color. Turns out it's Blue-Green. Regardless of the color, she's still beautiful (despite the bad photography in the restaurant!)

Jordan & roommate Emily.

Twin suits

2009-08-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

Friday, we went to a play-date at a friends house. She was having a lunchables "House Party" and gave out free lunchables to all the kids. She had a big banzai slide for them to play on as well as a splash pool. Cameron & Alex wore the same suit. I've known they had the same one, but various playdates & trips to the beach, they'd never worn it at the same time until now. They looked cute.

high above the city...

2009-08-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, I made a frame!

2009-08-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

I'm ticked pink with the new class I'm taking at www.jessicasprague.com! It may be such a simple thing but I made a frame today. It was easy & I'm thrilled with the possibilities it brings!

This is Cameron & her friend Brittany the other day. To my friend Mary, See what I mean about letting her pick her own outfits? Very colorful... that's for sure!

Puddles

2009-08-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of rain the past few days. The backyard near the pool is flooded.... bad.
Still, fun for a 6 year old !

My rights...

2009-08-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

We got this ad in the mail not too long ago. I wonder, do I have Michelle Obama to thank for this? She's been wearing sleeveless shirts since day one in the White House.

Still, I just don't understand. What does going sleeveless have to do with guns?

2009-08-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Girl in a plastic bubble

2009-08-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

We visited the zoo recently. The Prairie Dogs were out in huge numbers. I got this cute picture of Cameron on the inside of the bubble & the PD on top. I used it for a class project involving overlays & clipping masks as well as a few texture papers. And viola, the finished project. I'm happy with the overall look... the caption isn't my favorite but I couldn't think of anything else & I needed to use that "life is.. " mask.

I asked for it...

2009-07-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Jordan got her license yesterday. She wanted to go out last night but she had not been added to our insurance yet. So today, first chance... "mom, can I borrow the keys please" Next thing I know, Cameron & I are stranded at home while Jordan enjoys her new found freedom (and my van).

buckle up for safety!

And she's off!

2009-07-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

Cameron playing Mary Had a Little Lamb.

For Tracey

2009-07-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a pout shot. No editing on this one at all. SOOC in all her glory.

Mostly uncooperative

2009-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Every time I pull out my camera, Cameron gets silly. She makes awful faces, pouts or whatever she can do to irk me. It kills me because I take pictures of her 3 or 4 times a week at a minimum.
If she would just cooperate, the whole process would take mere seconds & she'd back to doing whatever it was that prompted me to want take the picture to begin with! The silver lining is, most of the time if I keep clicking, I can get one or two good shots while she's in her silly mode. Here's one example.

Seconds before I snapped this, she was in full pout. Little does she know, these are my favorite pictures of her. Totally not posed, being herself. I'm not telling her though. She might find a way to thwart me.

TTV

2009-07-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with textures thanks to a class I'm taking at www.jessicasprague.com

In one of her lessons, she's turned us on to faux TTV textures. TTV is the art of taking a picture of any subject through the viewfinder of any camera with another camera.

There is a flickr group filled with photos using this technique. Mine however is faux. It's a texture designed to look like a TTV photo. I kind of like the effect of it on this picture of Jordan. I added a little paisley brush in the lower left corner for effect.

Free lens give away!!!

2009-07-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

WIN AN SLR LENS: Brand New Tamron Lens – 18-270mm or 28-300mm

All you have to do is post a link to the contest - exactly what I'm doing now. Full instructions & link are here!

I first encountered MCP actions through Pioneer Woman. She does some great tutorials on the PW site and also on her own blog. Her actions are awesome, check them out!

Connecticut

2009-07-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

The girls & I drove to Connecticut for a memorial service this past weekend. I didn't take very many pictures (strange!) but here are a few. Thank you to family & friends of family who were more conscientious than I.

2009-06-25T18:25:00.001-07:00

Another quickie layout for a challenge at www.jessicasprague.com I'm loving these challenges and am sorry I'll miss tomorrows!

Fathers day

2009-06-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over for swimming and redneck yard games for fathers day. Cameron had a blast swimming in her pool with her buddies Noah & Joslyn. The weather wasn't great, in fact... I'd have been downright cold if it were me in that pool .. but kids have some kind of special insulation that protects them against cold when they're having fun.

Beautiful

2009-06-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

I did this layout for the day 2 birthday challenge over at www.jessicasprague.com she's giving away a freebie every day this week plus has challenges and a free class sign up. Today's freebie & challenge was to download & use this template and mini kit by Live.

Kindergarten Awards

2009-06-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Cameron's school had a Kindergarten music performance & Awards ceremony this morning. They sang 3 songs and then each student received an award. Cameron got the Academic Excellence award. WTG Cameron!

My friend Laurie & I planned to dress our girls in the kitty outfits she made. I couldn't help but take pictures at the bus stop this morning.

Here she is sitting with some of the kids in her class. Another class is standing behind them. I love the "non performer" lol

Cameron & her principal just after she got her award. That's her teacher in the background.

And the beautiful kitty girls together. You can tell where I corrected the color in this one but not the one above. Woops.

Graduation party

2009-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

We're having a small party for Jordan on the 13th. Here's the invite I made to send out to friends & family. Address & Phone for rsvp have been removed cuz well, who knows what weirdos lurk on the internet!

Prom

2009-05-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

Jordan's high school prom was last night. She looked so beautiful! She went with a large group of singles & a few couples. We all met at one house where the limo picked them up and drove them to dinner at With Flair, then on to prom.

School picture

2009-05-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

We finally got Cameron's spring pictures. Why is it, little kids don't get the difference between a grimace & a smile?

2009-05-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

I need a caption for this. It's got www.lolcats all over it - only I'm no good at captioning.

Class picture

2009-05-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Cameron's class picture came home today. I think it turned out pretty cute! They included the children's names (cropped out to protect the innocent) which I think is really great. Now in 30 years when Cameron reflects back on her days in Kindergarten, she can easily match a name to a face. For me, it's all a blurr... "Oh yeah... I kind of remember that kid. No clue what his/her name is though." Then there are the ones that I just have no memory of at all!! Of course, it's been more than 30 years since Kindergarten for me.

Oh... and Cameron is in the long hippy dress bottom right.

Bird Momma

2009-04-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

We have a visitor in our backyard. It's been fun watching her lay her eggs & tend to them but it sure will be nice to have the run of the yard again. We've been curtailing our play time so we don't disrupt her sitting!

2009-04-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Gosh I haven't done one of these in a long time! I wasn't able to run my work systems and scrap at the same time so scrapping took a back seat. Dave updated my computer with more memory & faster drives and now I'm back in business. Unfortunately in a real bonehead move on my part, I deleted all my scrapbooking supplies so now I'm back to building my collection from scratch again. Feel sorry for me?

Hoppy Birthday

2009-03-13T12:11:00.001-07:00

Cameron asked me to make a card using my frog stamps for her little friend Maggie's birthday tomorrow. This is what I came up with. Scan isn't that great but I just love this little card!

Disney day 4 - Animal Kingdom

2009-03-04T11:08:00.001-08:00

Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom. I really like this parks beauty. There are so many plants and animals - really it's like an overgrown Zoo!

There aren't a lot of rides though so the family is kind of "iffy" on the place. I'm not exactly sure anymore in what order we did which ride. I guess it doesn't really matter. Cameron wasn't interested in the "Tough To Be A Bug" 3D movie so we completely skipped the whole Tree Of Life "Discovery Island" area and started out over in Dino land. The only ride there that Cameron could ride was closed, Hester & Chester (which Jordan & I love) had a long line so we wandered over to the Dinosaur Ride. I was a little nervous - I didn't know if Cameron would love it or hate it. Luckily it was a love it. She didnt' even freak out when the T-Rex jumped out at us! I'm pretty sure from there we debated trying to catch the Finding Nemo show, but the timing wasn't right, so we headed over towards Everest & grabbed some fast passes.

We took in one of the walking tours where we found no animals! All the cold blooded animals had stayed inside because it was darn chilly out. Normally we see the Komodo Dragon and the bats but today, Nada. Just a couple of sleeping Tigers.

Eventually it was time for us to Ride the Everest ride. Cameron was kind of antsy, claiming she'd be cold because it was outside. After a bit of hemming & hawing, she did decide to try the ride. She didn't hate it - but she didn't love it either. I could tell because she didn't ask to ride it again like she had with Space Mountain. I'm not sure why really. Maybe the Yeti scared her more than she let on? Maybe it was just cold....

For lunch we ate Chinese take-out out doors. I do like that they have things other than hamburgers & hotdogs at Animal Kingdom. Not only is the food a little different, but so are the scavengers. This pair was at our feet the whole time waiting for food to drop.

Next up was the Safari ride. This one has always been a favorite of mine. I don't care for the quirky spiel the drivers go through, I just like looking at the animals. One of these years I'd really like to stay at the Animal Kingdom lodge so I could look out my windows and see the animals. (hint hint to my sweetie)

After the Safari we took the train to Rafiki's Conservation Station, which was something we'd never done before. There was a big building where they had a nursery/hospital of sorts and also a small petting area. I'm not sure what this guy was trying to tell me but he sure looked funny doing it!

Jordan & I watched the parade (no pictures because we were facing the sun) while Dave & Cameron rode the Dinosaur ride. After that, we caught a really funny bird show and headed home for the day. We'd planned on an early evening since it was mid week and Cameron needed a bath/some-rest. However, plans changed when I got a surprise call from my parents letting me know they were also in Orlando! So we used our free evening to meet them for dinner instead. Also no pictures because, well.. I'm lame.

The crack house

2009-02-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

Ok. I know it doesn't look like a crack house .... but it's become a family euphemism for any house that we don't "get" the goings on. This particular house is 2 doors up from me. It's been occupied by the same family (?) for as long as we've lived here - almost 10 years. In that time period, I've never seen adults. Not real adults anyway. I've noticed the occasional older teenager come & go. No one has ever bothered with lawn work, there's a dead car in the back yard and the dog. Oh my word the dog. Poor thing is always left outside to yelp non-stop. He's also been known to charge the door and go for a run in the neighborhood. I assume he goes home when he gets hungry because they never bother to look for him, or try to catch him when this happens. While these people have never done anything to me, or even said anything to me in the past 10 years, I can honestly say I rejoiced when this little addition went up in the front lawn a few days ago.

Disney World - Day 3

2009-02-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning we woke up to clear skies. Although it was chilly, we were dry & happy! On tap for today was Hollywood Studios.

We immediately headed over to the area that has Tower of Terror & the Rockin Roller Coaster. We were really hoping Cameron would go on the tower ride. I really thought she'd enjoy it. However, I don't know what it was, maybe the name? But she flat out refused to go on despite numerous attempts to convince her to go. Jordan & I rode (it really is one of my favorite rides) while Dave & Cameron waited. We tried to catch as many shows as we could. This particular park is full of them. We managed to catch Beauty & The Beast, the stunt show, Indiana Jones , The Voyage of the Little Mermaid and more!

Cameron kept insisting that she hates the Muppets so Dave & Jordan went to that one alone while Cameron & I kicked around. We managed to spot Lightning McQueen & Mater from the
Cars movie. Since they can't sign or talk, the line
moves quickly and Cameron was willing to pose.

They've added a few new things since our last Disney vacation 2 years ago. One was the "Honey I shrunk the Kids" play area and another was a new Toy Story ride back in the Disney Animation area. The ride had super long lines & by the time we went back there, fast passes were all gone for the day so we didn't get to ride that one today. We did spend a little time in the play area though. It's really kind of neat. It was set up to look as though you'd been shrunk and were in your back yard - much like the movie. There were slides and places to climb etc... and of course, it was PACKED!

Jordan & I "forced" Dave and Cameron on the Great Movie ride. Unlike the kids in front of us who cried out loud, Cameron was completely unfazed by the alien. No doubt she's Dave's daughter. lol Her favorite for the day though was Star Tours. Same as 2 years ago, we rode it over & over & over.

Another new attraction is the American Idol experience. It wasn't slated to be open until after our visit but they were holding auditions. Jordan really wanted to try out. She was given an appointment time and was to report to the "backstage" area at the appointed time. They would only let one person in with her and if she made it, she'd appear in something where the audience judges you (not sure how thats pulled together since it didn't appear open) and then eventually you can make your way to the real AI if you're lucky. Unfortunately for Jordan, although she was told she had a nice voice it just wasn't in the cards. Perhaps if she'd known it was there and had some time to prepare ....

Day 2... Epcot

2009-02-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Monday we woke to cold rain. Um.. this is Florida, right? Sure couldn't tell by the weather. We donned our Mickey Ponchos and set off for the park. We had dinner reservations for the Princess dining in Norway so Cameron wore her Princess Aurora dress, weather be damned.

We spent most of the day riding rides in the front section of Epcot. There are lots of little rides and things to do in The Land Pavilion. Unfortunately when it rains, it gets packed! We got a fast pass for Soaring and set off to find other things nearby. Normally you can get right on the quirky little boat ride through the gardens - after all, most kids aren't at Disney to see 7lb lemons or tomatoes growing upside down right? Today, we had to wait about 20 minutes. I have to admit, I love this little ride! I just want to hop off and figure out how to replicate their success in my own garden. Were it not for the hours of complaining I'd endure, I'd sign up for the 45 minute walking tour in a heartbeat!

The 7 seas Pavilion is also a favorite. The Finding Nemo ride is fun and even in the rain, the line wasn't bad at all. It took longer to walk in than it did to wait our turn. Then, when you get off the ride, you're able to tour the huge aquariums they have set up there. I tell you, I could stay there all day.

We got to ride Mission Space and Test Track with a few trips to the big golfball and it's Spaceship Earth ride in between. They've changed that ride a bit in the last few years. It's more interactive now. It takes your picture and puts you in a mock up of your chosen future world. You can listen to the recording in a bunch of different languages. We played it "straight" the first time, then all subsequent rides we tried to take silly pictures or listened in a language we couldn't understand. Mature, right?

As dinner-time approached, we made our way back to the World area, sloshing through puddles and dodging rain. Jordan's jeans were wet up to the knees, all of our shoes were soaked through... Not much fun. We were a bit early for our reservation time so we went through the boat ride in Mexico and watched the movie in China. We met up with Mulan & Mushu while in China.

I have some really funny shots on my photo Pass card (haven't purchased them yet) of Mushu proposing to Jordan. After I get over the sticker shock and buy the pictures I'll post those too. lol. So anyway, finally it's time for our reservation at Norway. We slosh in and get our ponchos off and the girls have to go pose with a Princess for the photos that come with the meal. I really, really wanted to have a good photo this year because 2 years ago, the one with Cinderella really stunk. Unfortunately Cameron was all damp and frizzy and Jordan was soaked up to the knees and wearing a dirty, ripped sweatshirt. A good picture just wasn't in the cards. The one the Disney photographer took came out better, but not by much Oh well. They're my girls and I love them.

The meal included an appetizer buffet and your choice of entree.
I'd gotten some fruits & cheese from the buffet for Cameron and she was gnawing on some bread when it happened. Mere moments after this picture was taken. Those huge Brown eyes look at
me from across the table and she hands me something. "What is this?" I asked her. "MY TOOTH" She wailed. "Your tooth?!?" I repeated "I didn't even know it was loose!" "Neither did I" she sobbed. Blood was pouring out of her mouth by this time and let me tell you, a rain soaked princess, crying and bleeding is not a pretty sight. I worked at calming her and stopped the bleeding and let me tell you, not a second too soon either. Just as I finished mopping up the last tear, Ariel showed up. Seeing as you only get a few moments with each Princess, then they're off to the next table, it was going to be really awful if we were still covered in tears & blood.

The remainder of the meal was un eventful. It was still raining when we finished up so we decided to just head for home for the night.

Disney

2009-02-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

Our family went to Disney in early February for a weeks vacation. It was another one of those spontaneous things. What happens is this... I start noticing that Dave is spending a lot of time on www.disney.com. After a few weeks of looking, he'll casually mention ticket prices. When combined by the not so subtle urgings of his parents, you know it's going to happen.

We opted for 7 day park hoppers this time. The longer you stay, the cheaper per day right? Luckily we were able to stay at one of the condos Daves parents own. That helps a little.
Naturally the girls were very excited. Cameron is tall enough to ride most everything down there now. The few exceptions are the Rockin Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios & the Hester & Chester Primevil Twirl in Animal Kingdom. Even though our plans were pretty last minute, I was able to get reservations for them both at the Bibbidy Boppidy Botique as well as a few character dining reservations.

We did the 12 hr car ride on January 31st. We arrived around 5:30 pm, got unpacked, hit the grocery store for dinner & provisions and spent the first night doing nothing much at all.

Sunday the 1st of Feb we were off for our first day at the Magic Kingdom. Cameron wanted nothing to do with any of the characters that hang out near the entrance, instead we made a bee-line to Space Mountain. It was to be the first of many, many rides. Cameron proclaimed Space Mountain "Totally Awesome". We spent most of our first day riding as much as we could. Luckily the lines were small! Cameron said no to most autograph opportunities throughout the day. I really thought she'd want to go see the Princesses and the Fairies in Toon Town but she had zero interest. She just wanted to ride. Fine by me!

The webway (Tomorrowland Transit Authority is it's official name I think) has always been a favorite of Cameron. I figured now that she can ride faster/cooler rides she'd have gotten over it, but it's still a favorite for her. Go figure.

The weather on our first day was pretty decent. High in the low to mid 60's I'd say. Unfortunately it got worse from there.

The only character we met all day was Goofy and the only reason she stood in that line was because it virtually non-existent. We got there just as he did. lol

The one huge drawback to going to Disney off-season is the parks close really early. Magic Kingdom closed at 8:00. They have a big fireworks display that I hear is really great - unfortunately we missed it. This first night, we were riding Space Mountain for about the 5th time and missed the whole thing. Oh well. I think the 2 Cabilleros had a great time. I know their parents did!

Princess Goofball

2009-01-20T13:11:00.001-08:00

I bought a new Princess Aurora dress for Cameron to wear while at Disney. Naturally she just had to "try it on" before we go. The head gear is purely her creation alone ... Beautiful, I think.

Santa visit

2008-12-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

I took Cameron to see the mall Santa today. We'd already done the whole Santa thing at her schools breakfast with Santa earlier this month but I needed a do-over. Turns out the only thing she asked him for (Barbie & the Diamond Castle playset) isn't available for under $250 anywhere! Being the good mother that I am, I carefully brainwashed her in to thinking she needed to ask him for something else. Luckily for me, she decided that what she really wants is an Easy Bake Oven. Joy of joys! I have that already carefully stashed in my secret hiding place! I love it when things go my way! ha ha.

Anyway, this year they were handing out photos care of Shutterfly on a little thumb drive. For $32 I got a jpg of her picture and a $25 shutterfly gift card. Wow cool. I can print out the picture at Walmart and make coffee mugs at shutterfly for free! Sweeeeet!

Beautiful Jordan

2008-11-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

I picked up Jordan's senior pictures today. I opted to get the photo CD so I could get more poses and have the .jpgs to play with. Here are a few of the shots.

Kindergarten picture

2008-11-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

I got Cameron's pictures while I was at the school working in the library today. This was taken on her 6th birthday. We argued a bit about the dress she was wearing (I wanted her to wear something else) but all & all, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out .

Does this look like a blink to you?

2008-10-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

She says she was just blinking.
I say most people don't blink with their eyes shut quite so tightly
Either way, it's clear she's having fun.

New class!

2008-09-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a digital scrapbooking class over at www.jessicasprague.com. I was unsure if I wanted to take the class as I'd been muddling around with Photoshop Elements for a few years now and I was afraid the class wouldn't teach me much. Now that I'm up & running with my brand spanking new copy of CS3, (THANKS TOM!) the class couldn't have been better timed. It's really helping me learn the differences and some tricks I didn't know about in CS3. And that's only day 1! My love afair with CS3 continues to grow...

Meet the newest member of our family!!

2008-09-19T14:30:00.001-07:00

That's right, it's official! The paperwork was signed by a judge on September 3rd and Jordan legally became Dave's daughter. How cool is that?!? We are all very happy and Jordan is busy changing all of her records and documents to reflect her change of parentage. I was very touched by the gesture when Dave suggested it a few months ago. I mean, we've felt like a family the whole time, Jordan has called Dave "dad" since the day we got married - but it was always there, the subtle difference in that he was not her official father, and her name didn't match the rest of ours. Now it does and she couldn't be more pleased, but underneath the name is where the real significance lies. To Jordan, it's a father who actually wants her. It brings tears to my eyes every time I think of it. I'm very happy for her.

I'm in love

2008-09-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

I downloaded photoshop CS3 today. I only have the 30 day trial but wowzer. If I had an extra $600 laying around, this puppy would be mine! It's not so much that I can't do some of these things with my copy of Elements but it's just so much easier with CS3. I took a mediocre picture of Jordan and turned it in to a photo that I really love.

before

after
Nice, huh?

Funny!

2008-09-03T12:00:00.001-07:00

A friend from high school sent me this. What can I say... It cracked me up.

1st day of school

2008-09-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

Today is Cameron's first day of Kindergarten & Jordan's first day of Senior year. As Jordan pointed out, it's the first and only time they'll be on the same school schedule. Unfortunately, Cam and I were on our way out the door to meet the bus just as Jordan was getting in the shower, so there's no picture of the two of them together.

Amazingly enough, I didn't cry as the bus pulled away! I walked home & made sure Jordan had confirmed her ride arrangements for school, made fun of her because her hair was wet still and promised I wouldn't take pictures of her getting in to her friend Tyler's truck. She did pose with schedule in hand for a couple of shots for me though. Good girl that she is.

It's lobster time!

2008-08-31T08:36:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning was spent doing some last minute grocery shopping and preparing all the side dishes and setting up for the big feast. Around 1:00 the guests started to arrive for the annual clam/lobster bake. In my humble opinion, there's nothing better than quahogs and Maine lobster steamed to perfection and drenched in butter. They were favorites of mine as a kid and remain so today.

For the most part it was the usual crowd of people this year. Sadly Dave's grandmother was unable to make the trip (she's 93) nor was his uncle Jerry as well as some other family members. However those that did make it enjoyed a beautiful day with great friends and great food.

The day wouldn't be complete without a trip to the beach - which is just down the street! It was extreme low tide when we got there, the girls were jumping from rock to rock.

Cameron went in for a dip while Jordan did what most 17 year old girls do, and talked to her boyfriend on the phone.

Our time with Dave's family was short this year. Only one full day with them really. I missed having time to walk on the beach & to take my usual 15o million pictures of the girls. I have had some really great shots of them playing on the rocks over the years. I wanted to take some more using my new camera but just ran out of time. The sad thing is, with Jordan starting college next fall, I'm not sure what the future holds for us either...

One thing is for certain though, the weekend is all about family & friends. Time to take a break and have some fun with those that mean the most to us.

Heading out...

2008-08-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Friday morning was every bit as wonderful as the day before. I had my coffee out on the deck and enjoyed the tranquility until the rest of the household started to stir. Unfortunately this day was a short one. Cameron & I had time for a trip out in the canoe (this time she sat in front!) and then it was back to the business of cleaning & packing as we had to be in Massachusetts by dinnertime.

I snapped some last photos of the pond & surrounding mountains as I stood on the dock. There are no words to describe the feeling of peace, comfort and contentment that I felt during our few days in Maine. I am so glad I finally decided it was time to make the trip. For the life of me, I don't know what took me so long.

We hit the road about noontime, headed for the annual clam bake at my in-laws cottage in Fairhaven. The trip brought us only a few minutes away from Exeter. Although I felt the pull, I didn't mention it. I figured my family had had enough of my childhood this week and Dave would probably kill me if I asked him to do a drive by.

We got to the cottage in about 5 or so hours. Just in time for cocktails. Our family friends the Henderson's had arrived a few hours before us and everyone was happy and ready for the feast on Saturday.

More fun

2008-08-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

After a quick lunch, we were back outside. The girls started out with an old favorite of mine, Minnow catching. All you need is a sieve and some bread & they just seem to swim right in. Some things never change.

Once all the minnows were caught, or at least the little tub was full it, was back to the waters for more canoe rides. Hard to believe Cameron was afraid to go out in the canoe only a day earlier!

Then finally, it was Daddy's turn to get wet. As you may gather by the look on his face, he REALLY enjoyed the cold Maine water. ha ha...

Oh & just in case you couldn't clearly see the look on his face, even if you clicked on the image to get the full size picture, here it is again. Close up.

And finally, one more canoe trip to finish out the late afternoon sun.

It was a fun day that's for sure. Jordan & I managed to get a bit of a sunburn and we were all worn out by the end of the day. And what a beautiful end of the day it was!

Water play

2008-08-30T07:19:00.001-07:00

The sun hits our camp & dock the best in the morning and after a quick breakfast it was time to play. With one daring dive off the dock, Jordan was the first one to hit the water.

After a few minutes swimming around she opted for one of the inflatable rafts belonging by my Nieces. Since that looked like such a good idea, I was compelled to join her. I tried my best to get in the raft with as little contact with the water as possible. Unfortunately, since the rafts were made for children and with my being a plus sized adult um.... it was not the graceful process I had hoped for and I got wet. very wet.

I finally thought to bring the raft over to the shallows to get on from there, and off I went, chasing my daughter around the pond. She was trying to paddle herself around with a little bitty paddle, I was going for kick power.

Cameron in the meanwhile, had not yet dared to brave the less than 70 degree water and was still on the dock, dangling her feet in the water. Chicken!

Eventually, she wandered off and got some noodles from under the house and we entertained ourselves with noodle water fights.

After we grew bored with that, I wandered off again. Soaking up the warm Maine sunshine & enjoying the time spent floating on the pond. Until that is, my mean daughter swam up with nefarious intent.... Splash. In the water I went.

That's ok. It gave me the opportunity to try to coax Cameron in to the water.

After she stopped trying to drown me and I got her in a "warm spot" she seemed to finally relax and enjoy the water. This was funny to me because when I was a kid, it was the adults who feared the cold and the little ones who didn't seem to care. I guess she's been spoiled by the warm waters of Virginia.

One morning in Maine...

2008-08-26T06:59:00.001-07:00

Day 3 dawned calm and clear. I got up before the rest of the family and had some coffee out on the deck. Mornings are without a doubt my favorite time.
There is usually a loon or two out on the pond, the birds are chirping, the feeders my parents keep are busy and there I sit,
communing with nature.

My father has a humming bird feeder that has got to be the busiest feeder I've ever seen! It wasn't unusual to see 3 or 4 Hummingbirds flying around the feeder although I never did see more than one land and have a snack at the same time. Needless to say, I snapped a ton of hummingbird photos.

There were other feeders that attracted other types of birds. Including this little black & yellow guy (no clue what kind of bird he is, sorry)

And also what I think are chickadee's

After the birds finished eating and scattering seed all over the place, the clean up crew would come along and make sure all the scatter was cleaned up nice & tidy.

But alas. The idyllic quiet mornings never lasted long and soon, the next member of the household would arise and begin her morning dance on the dock and all the wildlife - feather, fin & fur would scurry away.

Our New England Vacation

2008-08-25T11:48:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a quickie vacation in New England. We started out on Monday the 18th. Getting up before dawn, we hit the road to to Dave's parents house in Massachusetts. It was just a one night layover stop, but it was the first time Cameron had seen their "real" house! Every other trip up since she's been born has been to their beach cottage. Needless to say, she was happy to check out her grandparents digs, and we all caught up a little bit.

Tuesday morning we left for Maine. To me, this was the highlight of the trip. My father owns a small summer house there we call "camp". When I was little and lived in New Hampshire we'd spend a lot of time there each summer. Most of my fondest childhood memories revolve around our summers at camp. I'm not sure of the exact number but as near as I can tell, I haven't been there in close to 30 years. I would have been in my early teens (I think) the last time I was there.

Although my parents have made some minor improvements on the old place (potable water, a shower, a dishwasher & a washer & dryer - along with cable tv) I found it to be pretty much the same.

We arrived early afternoon, got the car unpacked and explored our surroundings a bit. Honestly, I'm not sure at this point what my family was thinking but for me, it was overwhelming to be there again. The weather when we arrived was a bit chilly. I'm not sure it was much more than 60 degrees, if that. There was a bit of a breeze and the kids were freezing after only a few minutes. That didn't stop Cameron from wanting to go swimming though.

After we explored the house a bit, Dummy & Daughter (Jordan & I) decided to go out in the canoe. Jordan has only been in a canoe once in her life and I haven't steered one in well... 30 years. It was chilly outside with a slight breeze was blowing. The pond was choppy, but nothing much to worry about. We left the dock heading to our left, which was towards the inlet. We paddled up with no problems even though were were going against the wind. After we'd had our fill of paddling around the inlet and checking out all the other houses on our way, we turned back towards home. We overshot our dock by a few so we could check out the house my Aunt Susan used to rent with her family. That's were we got in to trouble... By this time the wind had picked up a bit. We were headed for home when a couple of big gusts of wind stopped us from making any forward progress. We were able to keep the canoe from going backwards but that was about it. Just as the gusts died down and we started moving forward again, another huge gust came along and SPLASH! Dummy & daughter were in the water. Shoes, jeans & fluffy warm coats and all. After checking to ensure Jordan was ok, the giggles ensued. There were more than feathered loons on the pond that day. I'm sure the way voices carry there, EVERYONE came to the windows to see what was so darn funny. After re-gaining some composure we started swimming our now upside down canoe over towards the dock at Beanie Richardsons place. A woman had seen the whole embarrassing episode (which she deemed really, really scary!) and came out with towels and life jackets for us. We righted the canoe and opted to tie up there and walk home. Unfortunately in my cold, dripping, embarrassed state I neglected to get her name. All I know is she was renting Beanie Richardson's place but her maiden name was Whiting and she'd had a crush on one of my brothers growing up. I got out of there at that point wanting only warm, dry clothes for Jordan & me! The rest of that first day passed uneventfully I'm happy to say. Between the clothes line, the some what pathetic dryer and the gas fireplace we managed to get warm & dry.

Day two dawned another somewhat chilly, windy day. Dave & I wandered down to get the canoe & return the laundered towels we'd used mid morning. No one was home so I still don't have the name of the woman who watched us go over. We took a walk along the main road that runs along the south shore of the pond. I noticed lots of building on the far side where they'd have no view or water access. I couldn't help but wonder who owns that land anyway?!

The girls stopped to strike a pose on a really large boulder we saw along the side of the road. After our walk we had some lunch and since it was still too cold outside to go swimming, the girls & I decided to get in the van & drive along the north shore road and explore over there a bit. Normally I'd have taken the canoe over to the little "beach" over there but Cameron was afraid after the capsizing incident the day before. Since it was still windy & choppy we just drove. We parked and spent a few minutes on the rocks at the beach area. The wind wasn't as bad as it had been on our side of the pond. Then we decided to climb "Woodsmans Peake". My mother had requested her ashes be sprinkled up there and over the pond, so the climb was something I really wanted to make. When I was a kid, I can remember practically running up. Now that I'm an over weight, out of shape adult, running was not in the cards. I near about died with the first steep part of the climb but then it evened out a bit & the bulk of the climb wasn't bad at all. The view from the top is amazing. We enjoyed the steady heat of the sun and complete lack of wind while catching our breath after the climb.

Jordan was especially taken with the view & the peace on top of Woodsmans Peak. I didn't think I was going to get her to climb back down again! We both wished we'd had the foresight to realize it would have been the perfect place to try to take her senior pictures. Although I did take some shots of her, none were what I'd want for that occasion. I have lots of notes and pose ideas here at home. I might have been able to pull it off if I'd thought to bring them with me. Oh well...

2008-07-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

My kitty Ginger in her "Elizabethan Collar"
Poor Kitty.

Photography class week 3

2008-07-20T10:28:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness for slow days at work! Our creative assignment this week was to Illustrate song lyrics in a photograph. I was running out of time to get this done, so I slipped across the room in between phone calls & set up my daughters train table to illustrate the song "Bank Robber Man" by Lenny Kravitz. I'm quite pleased with the results!

The regular weekly assignment was to use manual mode. For that, I had my always willing daughter pose in the front yard for me. I wanted to blur the background (neighbors house & garbage can) so I used my 50mm lens at f1.8. I used the meter in the camera to select correct shutter speed to ensure a proper exposure. I got some pretty good shots before she had to run out with friends.

Weather Girl

2008-07-15T13:48:00.001-07:00

I took Cameron down to the newspaper office today for a photo shoot. She will be pictured on the weather page holding a cut out symbol for the days forecast. I'm told it will run sometime in August or September. The photographer took pictures of her holding up each of the elements. As she finished up, I snapped a few. I was a little off center but didn't want to get in the way so my pics aren't as good as the ones that will be in the paper. I have to say, Cameron did a fantastic job. There was none of the attitude , wiggles or campy smiles that I get. Oh no... Cameron was very professional and we were done in less than 10 minutes! I was quite proud of her.

Photography class week 2 creative assignment

2008-07-13T14:06:00.001-07:00

I had to take photographs of something in my town I've never noticed before.
That was hard for me because if I've never noticed it, how do I know it's there??!?

I did have an inspiration today & I loaded the girls in the car and went to an arboretum that I've always known was there, but had never been to. It was actually a pretty neat place. It's located sort of behind a car dealership, right on one of the main streets in town. Not where you'd expect miles of walking trails. Typical of us, we did show up in flip flops and without bug spray so we didn't stay more than an hour or so. I took a few pictures of the girls, which after looking at them, I realize I should have used a different lens, a different apeture and probably a different shutter speed. Oh well. I guess that's what learning is all about. Either way I managed to get a good photo for my creative assignment - although I have NO CLUE what this particular piece of vintage farming equipment is, I thought the photo came out nice. I also got to explore a bit in a place I've never been to before and to spend some quality time with my girls. Oh.. and then there was the ice cream.
Dairy Queen was conveniently located on the way home.

2008-07-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

I did this for my "homework" in my Layer mask class at
www.scrapgirls.com. The kit I used is a freebie from that
site called Refresh. If you haven't seen it you should check it out. Freebie kits are a great way to try digital scrapbooking
and this one really goes above & beyond!

I loved these pictures of Cameron & Noah playing over Memorial
Day weekend. They had such a good time together! Even though
there's no actual relationship, it's almost as if they are cousins with
the long standing friendships in our families.

Photography Class Weeks 1 & 2

2008-07-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've been taking an online photography over at www.jessicasprague.com in an attempt to learn how to use my new Canon Rebel XTi beyond the "auto" mode. Week 1 was shutter speed. My assignment was to take pictures of motion. One using a fast shutter to freeze the motion, and another using a slow shutter to freeze. These were my pictures.

Fast shutter

Slow Shutter

Thankfully Jordan was a willing participant in my quest for motion. (don't you just love the look on her face??!)

Week 2 is Apeture. I had to take 2 pictures showing opened & closed apeture. This time I left my kids out of it & went to my garden.

I assume *gulp* combining the two is coming next???

2008-07-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

We spent a quiet 4th of July at a family friends house. My in laws always drive down from Massachusetts to visit with these friends, who they've known for 25 years or more. They split the time they're in town between our two houses. It's really the best of two worlds for them.

In years past, the 4th has been a big family & friends celebration but in recent years the participants have branched off to "bigger and better things" This year, it was the four of us, my in-laws and their friends the Henderson's who were our hosts. They had one granddaughter staying with them because her parents were with her sister at some big softball tournament out of town. We did the typical hamburgers & hotdogs BBQ and spent a nice quiet day catching up.

We left in time to watch fireworks and spent 2 hours sitting in a parking lot, watching the approaching lightning until we finally gave up and went home. Unfortunately because of the storm they had to postpone the event until Saturday night. What a drag! The highlight of the night was watching a fox come out to do her nightly prowl. After a few minutes of watching her, more people started showing up & she went back in to hiding

2008-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

Cameron had some friends over last week to play. The kids all had fun splashing in the blow up pool and playing in the sprinkler we call "Mount Wanna Hock a Loogie". I pulled the little picnic table over to the pool so they could jump from it. I think that's 99% of the fun - launching yourself in to less than a foot of water, in to a blow up pool (feet first only please!). The surface of the table does get a little slick when wet. I should look for some of that "no skid" stuff they use in the Navy! lol

The main picture I used of the boy jumping, was one I used in a homework assignment for a layer masks class I'm taking online. I created the blur you see on him. Not very interesting, but I'm learning something new - which is always good!

2008-06-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

2008-06-09T17:22:00.001-07:00

Just another day in the backyard.

2008-06-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Cameron graduated from Preschool on May 22,2008. The kids put on a performance & sang lots of patriotic songs, then the teachers handed out diplomas. The ceremony was simply wonderful. Cameron's voice could be heard singing loud and clear! Her confidence sure made me proud. She's grown so much socially since we started at Messiah 2 years ago. I am so thankful for the wonderful staff and all of the friends she made there. Although the graduation was a happy event, part of me is sad to close that chapter of Cameron's life as we move on to Kindergarten in the fall.

2008-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

We spent the Memorial Day weekend down at the Outter banks in NC. Here are a few quickie pictures until I can get them scrapped.

Strawberries

2008-05-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

I took a much needed weekend off from work this past weekend. On Saturday I took the girls to the Jubilee and on Sunday we went strawberry picking! It was nice to have 2 days where I didn't need to worry about the time & have to run back home to work a few hours. Saturday was a beautiful day at the Jubilee. The girls rode some rides and ate some junk food. The sun was shining & it wasn't overly crowded. I ended up getting a silly sunburn on my chest but the girls (luckily) had no problems. Sunday was overcast and a bit windy but the strawberries were plentiful. I made shortcakes Sunday night for dessert out of the berries Cameron picked and will make a frozen dessert I found a recipe for out of the ones from Jordan's bucket. The remainder are just to munch on or put in cereal or whatever.

2008-05-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe my "little girl" is 17. It seems like just yesterday she was starting Kindergarten and earning her title as "The Philosopher". Funny, but she really hasn't changed all that much in that respect. She still has very strong opinions and is not shy about voicing them. But, I guess those thoughts are for another page...

2008-05-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

This one was really hard for me. I did this for a challenge at www.beentherescrappedthat.com.
The "snap it" challenge for May was to take a picture of yourself and scrap it. Even taking the picture was hard. I just don't like the way I look very much I think.

Since I do a lot of my scrapping while I'm working, with my headset on .... that's how I took the picture. I just held the camera up & snapped. Ok. Truth is, maybe I didn't "just" hold the camera up & snap. The truth is, maybe I took about 50 pictures and hated this one the least. Either way, this is what I ended up with. I took it about 2 hrs ago while listening to some poor lady complain about how she bought a toy in December and just now realized it was defective and can't I please make an exception to the policy and yadda yadda yadda. Bummer for her. Nice moment for me to snap away, while I'm in my element, hard at work.

2008-05-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Cameron loves to dress-up. I found this template (www.moriginals.blogspot.com) and thought it would be perfect to highlight some of dress-up moments over the years. I'd need about 30 more of these to use all the dress-up photos I've accumulated!

2008-05-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Clearly I stink at this blog thing. I never remember to post new stuff!Here's a couple of layouts in honor of "National Scrapbooking Day" on 5/3.
(betcha didn't know that existed!)

And yes... I did a layout of the dog.

2nd attempt...

2008-04-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here's my 2nd attempt at a template. I'm happy to report this one only took me about 30 minutes if you subtract the time I had to take calls for work. I'm glad to know I can learn!

Credits: Template by Jen Wilson
Papers & Word Art by Ronna Penner of scrapadelic.com
Flowers & Brads by Raspberry Road Designs
Stamp by Rhonna Farrer, twopeasinabucket.com
Font: Anglica

Easter

2008-04-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've worked a lot harder on this layout than I should have. Some times no matter what, I just don't like what I've put together and this is one of those times. I finally just gave up & went with what I had.

We always spend Easter with the Henderson family. Actually, we spend all major holidays with them! lol Dave & their son Mike have been friends since something like the 3rd grade. Coincidentally enough, I used to work with them back when I had a "real job". The fit is good. They're like family to us really. The layout I've struggled so hard on, is the group shot from the annual egg hunt. It just wouldn't be Easter without the group shot!

I tried something new today....

2008-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

I joined a digital scrapbook forum called Been There scrapped That today. I surfed in to the site from some blog link or another & joined their forums because they were giving away an awesome freebie for anyone that joined. Once there, I was poking around the forums and saw a template challenge that I felt compelled to tackle. I figured template, heck! I can do that.. Easy, peasy, right?
Ha ha.
Having only ever completed 4 or 5 digital layouts and having no real training in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements I was (as usual) totally clueless. However, thank you to the helpful people who came to my rescue after I posted a plea for help in the forum , I managed to create this...

It really was just a matter of drag & drop to use the template. Maybe next time it'll take me less than 2 hours to complete!

Busch Gardens

2008-04-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

The girls & I drove up to Busch Gardens on Wednesday to meet my brother Dan, his wife Peggy, their son Stephen & Stephen's cousin Elijah. The day started out rather dreary, in the 50's with a fine misting rain but vacation is vacation, so we pressed on. Wow! What a fine day it turned out to be! Although it never did get exactly nice, it wasn't that bad at all. And the lines.... oh my! There were NONE! We had our pick of seats on every ride we rode! It was fantastic. I rode Griffin (front row) 3 times, the others rode it more. I think it was the first time since before I was pregnant with Cameron that I was able to ride ever coaster in the park. Our only big mistake was that we all sat up front on the Pompeii ride. If the boats are bow heavy, you get soaked. Being the only riders on the boat, bow heavy is what we were. Jordan & I got the brunt of it and had to walk around the park in 50 degree weather with wet clothing. Knuckleheads.

We hadn't seen Eli in a few years so it was really nice to see him again. Stephen has grown about 2 feet since Christmas it seems! Jordan & Cameron both really enjoyed seeing everyone again. Me too for that matter!

Puppy Love

2008-04-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

Jordan & her boyfriend, David.

2008-04-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

Jordan, Easter Sunday
Cameron at the Zoo