Tuesday Thanks!....and a Kenmore rant!

First off, I want to sincerely thank you all so much for your very kind remarks on my "watermark" post and whether my photos are good enough to include a logo. I love the compliments, but, as my photographer friend Carolyn said "I do not want anyone to blow sunshine up my as$". Not that I am accusing anyone of being insincere, but the only way to really learn is to be willing to hear the good and the bad. And then learn from them both.

I actually occasionally submit my photos for critique in a few Flickr groups and in PhotoSIG. PhotoSIG is a tough crowd. I have submitted some photos that have received a lot of very positive comments in Flickr. And the PhotoSIG group was able to point out quite a few negatives. They are tough, but I definitely learned something and they definitely had some very valid points.

Anyway....my Tuesday was a little better than my Monday, until my dishwasher died. Again.

We built our home and moved in early 2001. A very generous aunt bought us our new dishwasher - a top of the line Kenmore. It worked for about a year until the soap dispenser stopped opening and we had to open it manually part way through the cycle. And then the rubber gasket started pulling out. And, about 4 years after the original purchase, the touch pad stopped working and we were out of service completely. A call to Sears service resulted in a $60 service call with the wonderful news of:

"It will cost more to fix than buy a new one. But hey, if you buy another from Sears, you will get your $60 back and another discount."

We didn't want to do it, but we finally relented and got an average Kenmore dishwasher.

And guess what? One year later and the soap dispenser stopped opening and 6 months later (today) the motor died. And, of course, we are out of warranty.

There is no way in HELL we are buying a Kenmore and there is no way in HELL we are buying from Sears. In fact, I am seriously considering loading up my crappy Kenmore and drop kicking it through their front window. UGH. Luckily, we know someone who is actually getting rid of their dishwasher purely for cosmetic reasons, so we are just going to use it. It HAS to better than a new one. It definitely can't be worse.

Anyway, today after I hand washed a washer full of dirty dishes (insert a few expletives), I went outside with Kallie Wallie. Difficult as usual, Kallie refused to look at me, but I still got a couple cute shots. Actually, the SOOC shots were OK, but I love the Photoshopped ones. So much better.

And yes, I like the logo. I still feel a bit presumptuous, not quite sure if I will keep doing it. I am truly using it more as a logo than a watermark. Whether that is the right decision remains to be seen, but I am sort of copying what I have seen professional photographers doing.

Until next time!

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A very MONDAY Monday

Today started out pretty good, got the kiddos off to school, did a few things around the house. Hubby came home early because Caroline had her annual appointment with her ophthalmologist.

I got a run in before I had to leave (I am running a 5K on Saturday that I have no way trained for, not that it really is any big deal...but I digress...).

And Caroline and I were off.

It was a gorgeous fall day. I listed to Dave Ramsey on the radio give an interesting and actually a little comforting analysis of the current economic crisis. Did anyone else happen to hear him?

And then we got to the doctors office. And we waited. And waited. And waited.

Caroline was so tired that she was acting goofy and was yelling and giggling and just was getting extremely fidgety. And I was having an extremely hard time keeping her calm and quiet.

An HOUR later, they finally call us in. They did a quick evaluation, gave her some eye drops and sent us back in the waiting room.

Where we waited. And waited. And waited.

Forty-five minutes later, we saw the doctor again. We have been there many times, and find we are often more confused after we leave. Caroline has a few abnormalities in her eyes. She focuses differently, and her eyes shake a bit. But, other than that, they really have no idea how well she sees because she can't tell us. I am not quite sure why we even need to be there.

So we made 3 hr round trip drive and spent 2 hrs waiting for a 6 minute appointment - and see you next year.

Nope. Sorry. Not happening. We are either just not going back, or finding another doctor.

I hate doctors.

Afterward, I was tired, and hungry and a tad miserable and just wanted to get home.

On the drive home, it was still beautiful and I was starting to feel better although I was still very hungry and even starting to get a bit shaky and headachey.

Since I am in Project 365, I am taking at least one photo a day. I had my camera in the car so I snapped a quick self portrait and a shot of Caroline.

And then all hell broke loose.

Caroline always has had a very sensitive stomach. If she yawns a lot, especially while in the car, she can trigger herself into throwing up.

So, as I am driving 70 mph on the highway, she starts letting it happen. And I didn't have one single thing with me to clean her up. Not a napkin, not a baby wipe, not even a used tissue. Just one clean diaper, which, by the way, doesn't work very well (yes, I tried).

And she let it all happen, all over herself and there wasn't a damn thing I could do.

Except cry. Yes, I did.

But I got home, I got fed, Caroline got a bath, and I got a glass of wine (not necessarily in that order, I think the wine was actually first).

Most days, I don't even think about being a mom to a special needs child. But every once in a while, like today, I get a wave of self-pity. Luckily, those days are few and far between. And, luckily, things are OK, for now.

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Saturday shots and questions on watermarks

Saturday was a special day for my little ones.....we made PINK cupcakes! Yes, life is simple, but oh-so-good!!!

And these were even a little healthy as I cooked up a pumpkin, pureed it and added it to a spice cake mix. Just don't let my kiddos know there is a nice dose of Vitamin A in these things. They love them too much! The frosting was whipped cream cheese frosting that I made from scratch. A very deadly mix of heavy whipping cream and cream cheese....but holy cow...amazingly good.

And, on another note, I have been thinking of adding a logo to my photos. I am just not sure it is needed at this point and I feel extremely presumptuous doing so. I feel like I am saying that "my photos are good enough to be professional" which I know is not true. I hope, someday, that they will be. I hope, someday, that someone will actually pay me to take photos. But for now, I will practice, practice, practice and study, study, study.

Anyway, here is a logo I was playing around with. I like the way it looks, but I am not sure I will keep it. If anyone has any feedback on whether I should or should not include logos, and whether there is any benefit at all, I would love to hear it. I am honestly not using this to prevent theft, because I know that watermarks are often easily removed anyway and I refuse to put writing across the photo itself.

I am going to be actually practicing my photography on some people other than my family. A friend of ours is getting married and I am going to try my hand at taking some engagement photos in a few weeks. She wasn't going to get any professional photos so she is excited to possibly get some free shots that will look nicer. And I am thrilled for the opportunity to practice....although I am a bit nervous too!

And I will leave you with a photo of dead flowers...but I think the bokeh effect is very cool!

Hope you are having a great weekend.......

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Photostory Friday - our morning routine

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Now that Christina is in school, Kallie is typically right by my side, or under my feet, during most of the day.

I can leave her playing happily with her Barbies and go upstairs (thinking she hasn't noticed I left the room), only to find, as reach my destination, that there is a 3 year old about 2 inches behind me (remember the "sideler" on Seinfeld?). And yeah, I often even step on her not even realizing she is there. How she knows the second I leave, and moves that fast and that quietly, is beyond me.

Every morning, after I get my other kiddos off to school, I then get myself ready. Yes, it may be strange to some, but I put on some make-up every single day. Even if I know I am not going anywhere. Even if I will only be seen by 3 munchkins and my hubby. And even if my day consists of very glamorous and exciting tasks such as laundry and cleaning bathrooms.

Hey, I am 41, my skin doesn't look that great, the circles under my eyes are darker, and I just found that I feel better when I look put together. If I let myself look like a slob, I feel like a slob, and I feel miserable. And no one likes a miserable mom, especially the mom.

So, every day, when I go into the bathroom to get ready in the morning, I can bet, in about 2.2 seconds, I will have a 3 year old pop into the room and announce:

"I WANT TO PAINT!!!"

And every day, she grabs my make-up brushes, climbs up on the toilet, and begins to "paint" the little picture I have above the toilet.

Today she said "look at the clouds I painted!":

And then she said "I am painting Mommy's closet and now Daddy's closet!"

And today, I finally was able to sneak out of the room (under the guise of "Wait a second, I will be right back!") and grab my camera, and finally catch my little artist in the act.

Yes, my picture and wall are often coated with make-up, but oh yes, these are moments where you just ache and wish they will stay this age forever.

Have a great weekend!!!

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Am I am being manipulated by a first grader???

Christina is going through a really great phase lately. She is getting mouthy. You know, the back-talking and being "smart".

And frustrating her parents to no end.

A couple days ago, I did something I rarely do. I agreed to take both kids to the grocery store when Daddy was home. I announced "today is your lucky day!" as I loaded the kids and let Daddy enjoy a little peace and quiet at home with just little Caroline.

But Daddy's lucky day, was my day from hell.

My kids, who usually are fairly well-behaved in public, were horrible. Of course, before we left, I read them the rules "no asking for anything, no fighting, no running around". But apparently, on that day, my words fell on deaf ears.

Kallie and Christina just kept picking at each other - "Mom, Kallie's hair is touching me!". And tears as Christina elbows Kallie after Kallie's head touched her.

Then Kallie threw a fit because I wouldn't buy her chocolate pudding - "I WANT CHOCOLATE!". She shouted this phrase for about 4 aisles, interspersed with some tears. Every few minutes I was yelling at someone to sit down, settle down, don't touch her, stop crying.

And then Christina started the "smart" talk.

"I am never taking you both again!" I declared.

"You won't remember." She retorted.

"You are going to your room when we get home!"

"OK!"

"You are not getting any stories before bed!"

"I will just read to myself!"

UGH!!!!!!! Nothing would break her.

Yes, I was on the verge on becoming one of "those" parents. The ones we usually roll our eyes at. The ones who completely lose it and start screaming and whacking their kids in the middle of Wally World.

No, I don't whack my kids, and I didn't become one of "those" parents. But I did yell and I did leave the store in tears. And my shopping trip was a total disaster as I forgot half of my list.

But Christina went to her room, and she didn't get stories, and she broke down and felt sorry and remorseful for her actions. There were a LOT of "I'm sorry Mom" and "I love you Mom" that evening.

I thought things would be MUCH better the next day, but last night, again, we had a few episodes of "smart" talking, and again, Christina went to bed in tears without any stories.

But, before she went to bed, she wanted to write something in her notebook that she keeps by her bed. I found the note this morning:


And I wonder, is this remorse or is she handing me a bit of manipulation -
.

- or maybe a little bit of both.

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I may be mistaken, but I think she is cursing!

I think I may have a bit of a problem. I think my 3 year old has started swearing.

No, not swearing as in using actual words that we, as adults, consider curse words.

No, she is using a 3 year old's version of cursing, but I think it is cursing nonetheless. And I am getting a tad concerned that I may have a bigger problem brewing.

Over the last few months, Kallie has entered the fun stage of the "po0py" mouth.

You know, that absolutely HILARIOUS stage when kids are obsessed with anything bathroom related and think anything that has to do with using the facilities is absolutely roll-on-the-floor funny. Yeah, funny. (Insert a bit of sarcasm.)

But then we noticed, when Kallie got REALLY mad at Christina for doing or taking something, she would scream:

"STOP IT PO0PY!"

And my husband and I thought "I think she is, in a way, calling Christina a sh1thead!"

No, she didn't actually use that word, but the meaning and the intention is exactly the same. She is REALLY angry at Christina so her first reaction is to call Christina the worst word she can think of.

Now, over the last couple weeks, she has added a new curse word to her vocabulary. And this one has us stumped.

Tonight, Kallie and Christina were upstairs playing when I heard Kallie start to get upset at something Christina did. As the voice started to escalate, I then hear Kallie scream:

"STOP IT OLD MAN!" And then the crying ensued.

I am not quite sure exactly where she has heard the phrase "old man" and I am not quite sure why she feels the need to resort to screaming it at her sister in the throws of rage, but it has become yet another toddler curse word.

And as much as I want to stand firm, and tell her not to call her sister names, I just can't help but to bite my lip and walk away in hysterics.

And I now face the fear that, as my youngest gets ready to enter preschool in a few short years, she will be known as the darling little preschooler who swears like a sailor.

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Sneaky methods

I am stealing one of my mom's phrases today....sneaky methods. This is her way of getting something accomplished, or getting someone to do something, or think a little differently, in a very covert way.

I often use this tactic with my kiddos. It is one of my more successful parenting techniques.

Kallie, my worst eater ever, will sometimes sit down and just chow, but often will sit down and proclaim "I'M NOT HUNGRY!". When I know she is, or will be very shortly. And I also know it is just her technique to try to control the situation. So I bargain with her, sort of:

"Just take 5 bites and you can go! Hurry up!"

"Um.....1 bite" She replies.

"No, 6 bites."

"OK" She agrees, not really realizing that 6 is more than 5.

And then she proceeds to just finish the whole thing and no one counted anything.

Sneaky.

I also use a similar tactic when getting her into bed at night or for a nap.

"OK Kallie, do you want to walk upstairs or do you want me to carry you?"

And she "usually" picks one or the other (although lately she is choosing door #3 - I'M NOT TIRED! - but she still eventually picks option 1 or 2).

Or using the potty.

"Kallie, do you want to go to the upstairs or downstairs potty?" or "Do you want me to take you or Christina?" Usually, she picks an option and I accomplish my goal.

Or getting Christina to get ready for bed.

"OK Tina-Wina, I bet you can't get your jammies on before I count to 20!"

And she immediately scrambles upstairs in record time yelling "Count slower!"

And last night. Kallie had kitchen toys and play food blanketing the family room. Daddy asked, repeatedly, for her to clean it all up before bed. And, as expected, Kallie wasn't too hip on the idea.

After many many requests by a ever increasingly frustrated Daddy (including asking Christina to also help her), I stepped in.

"Hey guys, who can find all the PINK plates and put them back in the kitchen?"

And they scrambled to grab them.

"OK, find the purples one! The yellow ones! Who can do it fastest?!"

And they ran and they giggled and the picked up the entire room in 2 minutes flat yelling "I WIN!!".

(Nope, I won, but they don't need to know that.)

Have a good one!!!

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Looking at the world as a photographer

Since I have fallen in love with photography, I sometimes find an interesting consequence that can often drive me a little batty.....

I find I almost obsessively look at the world for photographic opportunities.

I am driving around town, or the countryside and I am scanning the scene for interesting shots. I never actually stop because, most often, I am hurrying to or fro or have a car full of kiddos who wouldn't be very happy if I did stop.

Sometimes, this photographic obsession is borderline annoying. I have to keep telling myself to watch the road, think about something else, just relax. I do NOT need to continually be taking pictures.

But I can't help it. You truly do start to see the world in a different way, and sometimes, the most common thing can become a work of art in your eyes. When the light is just right, when the colors are amazing, when the scene moves you in a particular way...you just want to capture the moment.

Take the other day.

I was driving my daughter to gymnastics and we were about the 4th car back in a stream of slow moving cars. When the offending truck finally turned off the road, and I got a good look at him, I just wished I had the time (and nerve) to get his picture.

It was a bright red pick-up truck, filled to the brim with bright orange pumpkins, driven by a man who I swear lives in a local cave. Holy cow, he was a serious mountain man. But the scene was so hilarious, that I just kept thinking "What a great picture that would be!".

And then there was yesterday afternoon.

It was a gorgeous day, bright sunny skies, no humidity, warm, but not too warm. I was just running around town doing various errands. I drove past a local cemetery. I often think about photographing this cemetery because it is on a hillside and faces due west. Sunsets and incoming storms look amazing from this view.

But yesterday, as I glanced the scene, and for the thousandth time thought about what shot I would take, I noticed a car. No big deal. Except then I saw the owner of the car. It was an older woman. She was sitting on a lawn chair, next to a tombstone, reading a book on a gorgeous almost-fall afternoon.

And, for the rest of the day, I kept thinking about her. Who is she visiting? Her husband? Son? Daughter? Friend? Mother? This wasn't a person who just lost someone and was in the throws of grief. This was someone who just wanted to spend an afternoon visiting someone they love and miss very much.

And I so wanted to capture the moment. But I obviously didn't. I wasn't about to interrupt this lady and I wasn't about to sneak up on her. It wasn't that I wanted to exploit her, it just was such an interesting scene that really made you think.

And I think that is what is so incredible about photography. You get to capture those moments, you get to invoke emotions, and you get people to think.

And since I didn't get to capture any of those interesting scenes, I settled for some weeds in my backyard.

Not bad, but not incredible. But today is another day. And maybe today I will stop and actually catch that amazing shot. Wish me luck!

Have a good one!

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Oh my, it is starting already!

So the other evening, as we were rounding the kiddos up for bed, Christina suddenly made an announcement:

"Mom, I want a bra."

Um, ex-squeeze me?

Eric, who was busy surfing the web, quickly snapped to attention.

"Um, Christina, you are six (almost 7), you don't need one."

"And where are you hearing about this stuff!?" adds a very concerned Daddy.

"All my friends wear them!"

Gulp. Seriously? Is that true?

I know I live in the middle of nowhere. I know we may be a little "out of the loop", but are most first grade girls wearing bras nowadays?

When I was little (um, a mere 30 years ago) we started wearing said underthings when we actually needed said underthings. Well, sort of. I guess you started wearing said underthings when some of the other kids needed them so you, you know, "fit in". So I think that was when I was about 12ish.

Eric and I tried to just brush this little topic under the rug with "oh, you don't need one, you are way too young". But with the retort of "all my friends are doing it", I know this subject is far from over.

But, Christina, sharp as a tack, figured out a way around her predicament:

"I know, I will just ask Santa!"

Oh, man..trouble I tell you!

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Some days just can't get any sweeter

Some days I am ready to turn my kids out to the curb.

Some days I feel like I am yelling all day long.

Some days I think I am the meanest, most impatient, inept mother around.

But today wasn't one of those days.

Today was one of those days when I think - maybe, just maybe, there is the slightest chance, that I occasionally am doing something right.

First off, yes, we are back up and running with electricity, water and cable. Our power came back on during the night. But our cable (and hence, my internet) was down until this afternoon. Oh, it feels good to be back in the saddle again!

Anyway, I often complain about my kids, but today I want to commend them. After school, Christina was so excited to play with her little sister. As she often is. They ran outside and played on the new playground (a very generous friend just handed it down to us).

This playground is HUGE. It has 2 towers, a walkway between them, monkey bars, sliding board, fire poles...you name it. And my girls are loving playing house in the towers. They clean, they plant flowers, they pick berries. They just are having the time of their lives.

Kallie runs between the towers and pretty much just does whatever her big sister wants. She is definitely, madly in love with her big sister and would rather play with her than anything else in the world.

Christina has actually become like a mother to Kallie. She takes her to the bathroom and helps her with her potty. She gets her dressed for bed and puts on her nightly pull-up. She picks out her clothes and gets her dressed in the morning. She washes Kallie's hands before dinner. She will often read Kallie story after story after story. She has even, on occasion, brushed Kallie's teeth.

And Christina isn't even 7 yet! (almost though!)

When my husband got home tonight, he told me he really wanted to go a local volleyball game to see some students he knows play. He thought he would bring Christina, but since the game was after dinner, he decided it would be best to leave Kallie at home with me. Double the number of kids usually means four times as much craziness. Especially when you are approaching bedtime.

But Christina had other plans. Eric asked her excitedly "Do you want to go watch some girls play volleyball with me tonight??!!"

Kallie immediately pipes up "Me too!".

And Eric had to tell her "No sweetie, you get to stay home with Mommy".

And Christina said "No, I only want to go if Kallie goes, so I will just stay home with her."

And poor Daddy had to go alone.

After dinner, as we were cleaning up, Christina accidently bumped Kallie in the head as she was taking her plate up to the sink. Kallie cried, Daddy gave her kisses and then Christina gave her a kiss as well. A few minutes later, Kallie was still wiping up her tears when Christina said:

"Come here."

And Kallie ran into Christina's arms and began wiping her tears on her shirt.

I said "Christina, is she wiping up her tears on you?"

To which Christina replied "Yeah, she always does that."

And my heart melted yet again. What a sweetheart.

So I end today with a fleeting hope that maybe my kids will turn out OK after all.....Oh I know, I have a LOT of years to go. But maybe we are at least starting out on the right track!

Well, maybe....

Have a good one!

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Life in the dark

So, even though we live only about a few thousand miles from the Texas coast, we were lucky enough to get to enjoy some of the fun of Mr. Hurricane Ike last night.

I know our weather was nothing compared to what the poor Texans experienced, but we had a fairly scary evening.

Our winds blasted at well over 60 mph. And, since we live in a little house in the big woods, it was even more scary as we watched our massive oak trees (3x the size of our home) swaying like they were blades of grass on a breezy plain. I seriously cannot imagine what it would be like to actually live through a real hurricane.

Anyway, we lost power about 2.5 minutes into the Steeler/Brown football game. Hubby was not amused, and my kiddos, who had just gone to bed, were quite frightened at the sudden blackness.

Well, here we are, approaching 24 hours later, and we still don't have power. No power is not fun. Especially when you have little ones who don't understand what is going on. And, especially when you have well water. Having a well means you have a pump. So, no electricity means no pump and, therefore, no water.

And no toilets. Yuck.

Luckily, we have a pool, so a few buckets of pool water and we can use the bathroom. But we can't shower, wash clothes, etc.

And, since my kiddos have recently been playing with the one corded phone we had in the house (yes, I know it is my fault), but now we have lost the cord and didn't have a phone either.

Anyway, we hope this won't be a repeat of 2003 when we lost power for almost 5 days after a horrible microburst.

But we definitely know this is really no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Everyone is healthy and happy and there was no major damage.

School was canceled since they don't have power either. So I packed up my kiddos and went up north to visit my mom for the day. At least I got a shower and the kids are having a lot of fun.

Hopefully, by tomorrow, power will be restored and life will get back to normal.

Hope any and all blog friends that were in that hurricane path are safe and sound.

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What a wonderful life...

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

...of my 3 year old on a rainy Friday morning.....

....in a comfy beanbag, with her favorite blanket tucked under her head, a cup of goldfish in her hand, and Sleeping Beauty playing in surround sound on her widescreen TV.

Yeah, one lucky little girl...

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Special Exposure Wednesday! She knows more than you think!

When we got Caroline's diagnosis, we also got a lot of doom and gloom. She wasn't supposed to make it to term. She wasn't supposed to survive birth. She was NEVER going to survive past a year old. She will be a vegetable. She won't recognize you. She is incapable of ever learning anything.

They were wrong.

Caroline is here, at 5 years old. She has issues, she has severe delays, but she is definitely NOT a vegetable and she definitely knows who we are.

One issue Caroline was diagnosed with was "optic nerve hypoplasia". In simple terms, it means her optic nerve is small and will result in non-correctable eye problems. And, as a result, she is deemed "legally blind". Her ophthalmologist estimated her sight is about 8 - 12 inches.

We think she is wrong too.

Caroline definitely has vision problems. We don't think she sees as well as we do. But we really aren't sure what exactly she does and doesn't see. And, since she can't tell us, we can just guess.

But here is what makes us think she sees, and knows, so much more than you think.

Last year, her bus driver used to tell us that Caroline knew when she was getting close to home. She would be quiet on the bus the entire ride in. And she would be quiet most of the ride home. Until the driver turned into our little subdivision.

Caroline would be looking out the window quietly until she saw the white house (which is a good 50 feet from the road) at our subdivision entrance. And then she would start to get very animated. And she would start yelling, and laughing and just get so excited.

And she did this pretty much every single day.

Fast forward to this year.

New bus, new bus driver...As the bus driver opened up the door to get her out, she comments "Boy, she gets so excited when we get close to home!".

SEE! She knows. And she sees. To what extent is her knowledge, and how well does she see, is still a bit of a mystery. But she, again, proved the "experts" wrong.

She also is very conscious of when she is in a new environment.

The first time we took her to therapy this year, she just craned her neck in every which way to check out the scene.

The first time I took her to her classroom she, again, spent the entire time craning her neck.

The first time I take her anywhere unfamiliar, she is extremely aware and interested to see what is going on.

She knows home, she knows her family, she knows what she wants, and she definitely knows who she loves.

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My fishy rib weekend and the start of week #2!

Yup, the second week, the first full week, of school.

I am hoping this week is a bit easier than last. But I am starting this week with optimism and eagerness and enthusiam!

Well, yeah, at least that is what I will tell myself.

I think we are done with the hot summer weather. Last week's weather was some of the best summer weather we've had all year. Christina literally came home from school, threw on her suit, and jumped right in the pool. It was wonderful.

And my poor hubby, who had to drag himself back to work after a mere 3 month vacation, did the same thing, except he also imbibed in a brewski.

Yeah, tough life....

We were so thrilled with this gorgeous weather that we thought we would have a little pool party Friday evening. We invited over my SIL and her crew and whipped up some frozen concoctions. Unfortunately, Friday afternoon we were unexpectedly clouded over and drizzled on. But the kids still had a blast.

Saturday night I decided my hubby and I should do date night. I was going to cook up some ribs for me (a big weakness) and some steak for him. We feed the kiddies earlier, and let them just play while we enjoy dinner without many interruptions.

Unfortunately, my ribs were a bust. I opened the package and noticed an odor. I was tempted to just toss them, then decided to wash them up and see if it was just a smell from the packaging. They thawed out in the fridge and then I threw them in the oven for some pre-cooking.

And then we knew something was very wrong.

The entire house smelled like fish. And I thought, yeah, ribs that smell fishy most likely aren't a good thing. It was disgusting. And sad, because I NEVER buy ribs! They are expensive and fatty, but can be oh-so-good. So, maybe once a year, I indulge. I think the problem was I didn't get the ribs into the freezer fast enough. I probably let them sit in the fridge too long. So sad.

So we tossed my ribs in the woods and I thawed out another steak. But by then, I think the smell of the ribs ruined the night because I my stomach felt goofy all night.

And then I had insomnia.

I have always had problems with sleeping, but Saturday was just GREAT as I tossed and turned until about 4 a.m. I slept in til 9, but still felt out of it all day.

But, one of the best parts of the average weekend was last night. My hubby and I watched the movie "The Kite Runner". I loved that book but a bit leary of the movie. However, it turned out to be SOOO good. My husband was also quickly engrossed. It was amazing and definitely recommended. And also a bit frightening when you realize that the anniversary of 9/11 is approaching.

Anyway, today I woke with a sharp pain in my throat, so I may start this wonderful week #2 with a bit of a bug. And I am sure it will pass through my family. Which should be really fun too.

I just need to remember...optimism, eagerness and enthusiasm!

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And why was I looking forward to school?

I thought it was because things would get back into a routine.

I thought it was because Christina, the incredible busy-body that she is, would be so happy to have many more things to do each day. (And she is).

I thought it was because I would finally get my computer back without my hubbydear standing behind me complaining that I am on the computer and/or commenting on every single thing I was reading and/or writing.

I thought I would be in bliss.

I thought wrong.

What little factor I did not consider is that my youngest little munchkin, Miss Kallie-Wallie, has become a bit more of a handful over the summer.

Last school year, Kallie napped almost every afternoon. Last year, Kallie would play for hours by herself, happily.

But this year, she outgrew her naps. Which, although frees up my daily schedule, also leaves me with very little actual "free" time.

And this year, Miss Kallie has grown very accustomed to having her best buddy, bestest friend in the world, her sister Christina, by her side every single second of the day.

So here I am. With a non-napping, very whiny, very attached to me, extremely talkative, little 3 year old.

"Mommy why you do that? Mommy why you put that there? Mommy why you go downstairs? Mommy why you go back downstairs? Mommy I'm thirsty. Mommy I want somefing to eat. Mommy I want somefing else. (like what?) SOMEfing else."

And my hopes in getting my life back in order have been dashed. And my patience is being tested.

I know this is just phase. I know she will get used to this alone time without her sister and Daddy home all day. I know, I hope, she will start to be happy and content during the day. I know I will eventually get my life in order.

But, until then, I guess I will have spend more of my time entertaining this tempestuous child who will be happy and content one moment, be whiny the next, and having a full blown meltdown the next.

Until then, I may have a bit of a meltdown myself...

Oh, and sorry for yet another "complaining about my three year old" post. You know I love her to death, she just makes me crazy!

Have a great one!

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Lights, camera, ACTIONS!

I love Photoshop actions. And there are a multitude of sites out there offering free actions for your use. There are also a multitude of sites that offer actions for purchase. I am tempted to buy some, but I am also cheap, so I just use the free ones.

If you don't know, actions are a series of steps in Photoshop that create a certain effect on a photo. To create the effect, you open your photo and "play" the action. Ta-da! And you are done. Usually. Unless you want to do more with your photo, which is what often happens once you get to know Photoshop and all it's ins and outs.

Sometimes the effect of an action is subtle. Sometimes it is severe. But, if you want a quick easy way to fix up your photos, actions are a great resource.

I have downloaded actions from a variety of sites. Some I try a few times but aren't too impressed. But a few I really like and use a lot.

This site has a bunch of actions available for free. One of my favorites is the "color pop". It lightens, brightens and sharpens the photo. Here is an example.

This is a SOOC shot of Kallie from the other day. Not bad, not great.

I noticed the eyes were very sharp. So I knew if I did a little Photoshopping to brighten up the photo, it would look amazing. I did a basic adjustment of levels, saturation and curves. And then I ran "color pop". I also used a vignette and frame. Here is the result:

And now I LOVE this shot!

Here are a few shots from today that I did pretty much the same steps and also used the "color pop" action:

SOOC:

After the action:

SOOC:

After the action:

So much better! And yes, it was a miracle that Kallie-Wallie actually agreed to pose for a few shots today.

Have a good one!

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Special Exposure Wednesday! First day of school!

Today was Caroline's first day of Kindergarten. Since Caroline is special needs, the road to getting her enrolled into the school district is long and painful.

She has an IEP (Individual education plan). Having an IEP requires an intention for an IEP meeting, a pre-IEP meeting and the official IEP meeting. Along with many, many, other smaller, less official meetings.

The paperwork for the process is voluminous, miserable, tedious, ridiculous and, most likely, never really read by anyone.

However, I love the fact that she has therapists working with her at school (great therapists in fact) and a special needs teacher (a great teacher in fact) and many helpers, assistants and a nurse. And she gets her own personal van to transport her to and from school.

She is like a little princess with her many maids in waiting.

We hit a few rough patches on the road to getting her enrolled into Kindergarten.

They initially wanted to pick her up at 6:50 a.m. And school starts at 8:15 a.m. And we live about 15 minutes from the school.

Yeah, I don't think so.

They also initially didn't even know she was in a wheelchair. Ummm, yeah, seriously. Talk about red flags!

But we worked it all out and today was a great day. They picked her up at 8:30. They had her home by 12:30 and she got a nice 2 hr nap when she got home. She was happy to be there and everyone seemed happy to have her.

I think, I hope, it is going to be a good year.

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The end of summer...and the first day of school!

Well, here we are! Back to the grind. My hubby is off to work, my Christina is off to first grade, and, tomorrow, my Caroline will be off to her first day of Kindergarten!

And it will just be Kallie-Wallie and me.

We had a really nice Labor Day weekend. The weather was perfect. Probably some of the best weather of the summer. Actually, this week is going to continue sunny and very warm. So, I will probably be sending most of my crew off to school, then Kallie and I will head into the pool!

We spent Saturday up visiting my family. We spent Sunday visiting at my IL's cottage. We spent Monday just relaxing at home.

Yesterday we heated up our pool and the entire family just swam and relaxed. We ate an early dinner and then headed out for some end of the season ice cream cones. As the evening sun shone through the trees, I grabbed my camera and got some pictures of the girls playing around.

First I got some pictures of my two musketeers showing some sisterly love. They seriously adore each other:

And then, as usual, they started getting goofy:

They then played a bit in their sandbox as I snapped away. Kallie would barely even look at me. Finally, after many requests, I got a little glance and smirk in my direction:

Christina was a bit more willing to look my way. I love how sharply in focus I got her eyes! It can be tough because the lens I was using requires manual focusing.

And then Christina turned in early to get ready for her big day. She was in bed at 8 with lights out. Although she probably didn't fall asleep for at least a good hour after that. And she was up, ready to go, at 6:45 a.m.! She is so thrilled to get back to school!!!

She is getting so big! I am so sad to see her grow up so fast! And her little sister wasn't too happy about her leaving this morning....poor Kallie!

Although Christina did give her little sister a big hug before she left.

So today I am taking Caroline to her school to meet with her nurse and teacher. Tomorrow she will be picked up and will go to Kindergarten for a half day. I actually am really excited about her going to school. It seems like she is going to be in a really good class with great teachers. And the stimulation and interaction with all the other kids will be so good for her!

One other thing that I wanted to touch on today is something that is really bothering me. And something I feel I need to try to do something about.

In a year or so, our school district is going to be moving the 5th grade class to the middle school. They will be catching the bus at 6:45 a.m. and school starts at 7:30. They will be riding the bus with middle schoolers AND high school kids. And I am just SICK about it. We are in the country, but our elementary school is less than a mile from our house. It is small, but not too small. There is one class, each with about 30 students, in each grade.

I have decided that I am going to start doing some research about integrating 5th graders in a middle school setting. In my heart, I just know that it is wrong. Fifth graders are typically pre-pubescent kids. And, in turn, they are still SO much younger (mentally and physically) than middle school kids. And they will be exposed to so many things that, even though inevitable, doesn't necessarily need to happen SO soon.

The reasoning behind this move is uncertain. They have definitely have enough room and enough teachers at the elementary schools. I think it is just their attempt at trying consolidate all schools in one location.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on this issue, please let me know!!!

Have a good one!!!

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