Our Christmas Hangover

It was definitely one of our best Christmases ever. Everyone had a truly good time. We woke and opened presents at 7 a.m. Then at 10 we were off up north to my parents (an hour away) to open more presents. And then at 2 we were off to my IL's (another hour drive) to open even more presents and have dinner. At about 8 p.m. we were finally on our way home.

I was extremely excited that I was able to come up with very creative, very exciting gift ideas for everyone in my family.

Christina got a plethora of Hannah Montana stuff. She seriously thinks she is a rock star. Oh help us. We are in SO much trouble....

Caroline got some very adorable clothes and a few cool toys. Although she wasn't very happy during our Christmas craziness and I think she may have preferred just staying home.

Kallie got a bunch of Sleeping Beauty and Ariel stuff. It is definitely princess overload here.

Eric got a very cool weather station and a bunch of hunting DVDs that he loves.

And I, got some very nice stuff as well. Including the fact that my new Nikon D80 finally arrived and it is just PERFECT! It looks brand new and works like a charm. I think I snagged a very good deal. Especially nice is the fact that my SIL is buying my D40 so I will recoup a good bit of the money I spent on it. VERY MERRY Christmas to me!!!

The only downside to this vacation so far is the fact that my kids have decided to wake every day at 6:30 a.m. No matter how tired they are, no matter how late or how early they go to bed, they are all up and ready to go a good hour before the sun even rises.

And they SO desperately need a good solid night's sleep. Since they usually won't nap (Christina NEVER EVER naps unless she is deathly ill), we have been dealing with a bit more fighting, crying and a few tantrums. And I am starting to feel a bit zombie like. They are still so excited about all the stuff they got that they just can't sleep. And I think I am definitely looking forward to the craziness dying down and kids getting back to their routine. Their vacation is usually nothing but for me...

The craziness of Christmas has also been doing a number on my photography. I started to actually get tired of it. And I was getting scared that I was on a downward spiral. I actually missed two days of my project 365! I am on about day 190, and I have been finding that I rarely am taking pictures! Yes, it is the holidays and the times where most people take a billion pictures. And I took about 10. So sad I know.

But yesterday, my girls got outside and were able to run around our front yard playing hide and seek. And I grabbed my camera and starting snapping and I actually started having fun again, and got some adorable pictures!!!!

The girls posed for a few shots..

And then they started their game of hide and seek. Kallie starts counting "1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 7....ready or not here I come!!"

And then it is her turn to hide. Kallie isn't very good with the hiding thing yet.

Well, this post is getting long enough. So I will sign off for now!!! Have a good one!

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Lots of stuff going on here in our world!!

I feel like I have so neglected this blog. I do miss it, and I miss keeping up with everyone. There are so many people that I haven't had time to visit. Hopefully, after the holidays, things will slow down and I can take a breath....

But my last week can be summed up with photos of course!

We have made a bunch of cookies and got the tree up and decorated -

And although things may be crazy for us, our fat cat is quite happy and obviously content in her new favorite spot:

I got 2 more of my "free" photo shoots completed and edited and the photos are off in the mail. I got some really good feedback, and am hoping that they are serious and they help by spreading the word for me. I also had another photo shoot this past weekend am now just starting the editing. I really want to get these photos out before Christmas. AND I have 2 more shoots scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years!

I also wanted to share with you all my photography blog. I have been adding photos to it little by little (and spending a bit more time over there lately). If you have any honest feedback on the photos or the blog itself - please feel free to share it!!

I also bought a new camera. Yes, I know mine is less than a year old, and I do love my D40. But, there are some features that I really could use that it doesn't have - like the ability to autofocus the prime lenses (the D40 can't). Manual focusing isn't too hard when I am taking pictures of my kids, but when I am on a shoot and only have limited opportunities to catch that perfect shot, it is SO discouraging and embarrasing when the focusing is way off. So I bought a 6 month old D80 through a classified. And I am going to sell my D40 to my SIL. And I am only out about $50 in the end which is incredible. The only little possible glitch is that I bought this camera through an online classified and now I am getting scared that I made a mistake and I have a chance of being scammed. So, until my new camera is in my hands, I am just a bit nervous. I will keep you all posted.....

Lastly, and most importantly, my kiddos are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. This year is probably one of the best as Christina still believes in Santa 100% and Kallie is finally starting to get it. I bought more stuff than I usually do, but I think my girls are going to be flipping out with excitement on Christmas morning. We are seriously going to have Hannah Montana and Disney Princess overload here in this world. But it should be a good time.

And I will leave you with my Project 365 photo for today. I needed to put one little strand of lights on the tree since 1/2 a strand was burnt out and I couldn't stand the little hole in my tree. But before I did that, I set up my camera on the tripod with a 6 second exposure, and let Christina do a little dance with the lights. So cool!!

I would like to try this again as I have seen more creative versions with this effect, but it was a fun little exercise!

And if I don't pop in again before Christmas - have a very Merry Christmas!!!!

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This weekend was our annual tree cutting event! And, unlike last year, we made it through the event without any crying kids! Yeah!

We have been going to the same tree farm for 8 years. It is such a nice drive, the trees are perfect, and the price is right - 20 bucks for any tree! Can't beat that!

The next day, under direct order from Christina, I got all the lights on so it would be ready to decorate when she got home from school. I hate doing lights, as I blogged last year, my friend showed me the "right" way to put on lights many years ago. It is a pain, and I curse her every year, but she is absolutely right, the tree looks amazing.

I haven't gotten a good photo of the tree yet - but I played around with a self-portrait yesterday. Ignore the mess behind me!

I also had two photo shoots over the weekend - back to back. They went really well. The first was composed mostly of typical portrait shots. The second shoot was amazing because they were really up for creative fun photos. They were climbing on playgrounds, climbing up trees, they wanted to do everything and anything. It was fun. The only problems was that sunny skies, at noon, with snow on the ground, makes for a little trouble with shadows and glare. Luckily though, I think I got some very nice shots.

I am really excited as I have been getting a lot of interest in my photography. I guess I need to decide when (and how much) I should start charging for my work, while hoping that people will still be interested in me!!! Big decisions!!!! And it is especially tough when you consider I live in a fairly small community that is a bit depressed (economically, I mean). I am willing to travel a bit, which will expand my potential customer base, but I still don't think there are many families willing to spend big bucks on a photographer. Any thoughts??

Have a good one!

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Stuff heard 'round my house today...

As I have mentioned, my husband is a high school coach and this is his season. So, from Nov-March, I have many days where I am pretty much on my own with 3 kids from morning til night. And today was one of those days when I am pretty much on my own.

It actually wasn't too bad a day at all. The kids were pretty good, I got a lot done around the house so I felt pretty good.

I only had one major meltdown from Kallie. Apparently she wanted me to write the letter K (for Kallie, of course).

So I did.

And she said "NO!" I want a K! Like this! And she points to some squiggly unidentifiable line.

And I wrote another K.

Which was also wrong.

And then I tried writing an O.

NO!!! A K!!!!!

She is getting quite annoyed with my apparent inability to recall the basic alphabet.

And then I gave up, and the tears started (hers, not mine). And I walked away, and ignored her tears. And they continued for about 20 minutes until I finally picked her up. I don't think she even knows what she was crying about anymore.

She got over whatever it was that got her so upset. Until I asked her about 2 hrs later:

"Kallie, what were you crying about?"

"NOOOOOOO!!!!" And she starts escalating into another crying spell....

"OK, OK." And she was fine. Phew. That was close.

Dinnertime was interesting.

Kallie spent most of dinner singing one of her (apparently) favorite country songs. And the verse she decided to sing to us was:

"Cold beer on a Friday night!" (yes, sung by a 3 year old, we are so proud.)

I am not sure who sings this, but it is some song my hubby has obviously played a few to many times around the kiddos. Really, we are not rednecks, I swear..

Then, at dinner, Christina started asking me about Death Row. And I was like "HUH?". She wanted to know what happens if you kill someone. Do they go to death row? What if you run someone over with a car on purpose? WHAT!?

Now, please know, that we do not talk about killing people, we don't watch things about killing people, and I never recall EVER telling Christina about Death Row. So I have NO idea why she is asking me about it. I just told her that there is NO WAY she is ever going to be doing anything bad enough to cause her to end up in jail, let alone Death Row, so she really doesn't need to know many more specifics about the place.

I think, apparently, some kids in school must have been talking about this. But it was the most bizarre conversation I have had with my innocent, princess loving, Hannah Montana singing, little seven year old. Weird.

And then we come to bedtime. I was reading Kallie her favorite "My Little Pony" book. One page has a picture of Pinkie Pie in her completely pink bedroom. And Kallie goes crazy over this page. She wants everything in it. Today, she took things a bit further though...

"Mommy, I want to break this and get inside!" meaning, she wants to somehow get inside this book. I think, sort of, like the scene in Mary Poppins when they jump in the painting. But I am not sure she remembers that movie.

How do kids come up with this stuff?

Lastly, after I put Kallie to bed tonight (Daddy had just come home), I hear her calling:

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.....(repeat continuously about 40 times)"

I go upstairs. "What do you want?"

"I want Daddy to rub my hair."

UGH! Why don't you call him then??

Kids! Never a dull moment!

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Well, this week's nightmare is over.

One of the very fun aspects of having a daughter like Caroline is that you get to deal with doctors, pharmacists, insurance companies and state agencies on a very regular basis. And occasionally you stumble upon a snafu that can totally throw you for a loop.

Last week, I noticed we needed a refill on one of Caroline's meds. A fairly routine occurrence. We needed a doctor's authorization, so I put an early Friday morning call into her ped. And I planned on picking it up Saturday morning.

Caroline takes this med because, a year and half ago, she developed a bleeding ulcer. It was the first week of summer vacation, and she started vomiting huge amounts of blood at 10:00 p.m. My husband drove her down to Children's while I stayed home with my still-nursing Kallie. Four days and three blood transfusions later, she came home. And her gastro doctor started her on a double adult sized dose of Prevacid. And she has been just fine ever since.

But last Friday, at about 6 p.m., we get a call from the pharmacy that there is a problem. The insurance, who has been paying for this med without any problems, now is saying that her dose was too high and she won't get reimbursed again until April.

Um. HUH!???? Please keep in mind that we were pretty much OUT of the med. And the out of pocket cost of this monthly prescription is a mere $400! Not a small amount. Especially considering we are 2 weeks from Christmas.

I *almost* flipped out on the pharmacy. But I calmly asked if I could at least get a few pills to get her through until Monday when we could make some phone calls. Grudgingly, she agreed.

Then Monday comes along. And then I start calling. I was on the phone ALL day. And it came down to the fact that a doctor needs to put through a prior authorization explaining why Caroline needs the increased dose. But one doctor said the other doctor who said the other doctor should do it.

And round and round I went. And today I was losing it. Before each phone call, I would take a deep breath, collect myself, and start explaining my story for the hundredth time. And it got to the point that no matter how much I *tried* to collect myself. I usually ended up with my voice shaking and tears streaming down my face.

I was SO frustrated.

Tonight, my husband again stopped by the pharmacy and asked, yet again, if we could have a few pills to hold us over until this mess get cleared up. We honestly KNEW it eventually would, but it just was taking longer.

And the pharmacy said "no". If you want more, you must PAY for them. If insurance does finally approve it, we can get a refund. So my husband got a 2 week supply for a mere $199.

About 20 minutes after he got home, we got a call from our doctor's saying the insurance approved it for the next YEAR, and they would call the pharmacy right now. And if I could have gone through the phone and kissed this nurse, I would have. She really was the one who fought for me today and who pushed this approval through. And I can't even begin to thank her enough.

I ended this very frustrating few days with an invigorating run in the dark and the rain and the cold. And it felt absolutely amazing.

Have a great one!!!

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Too smart for her own good...

Over the weekend, we took the kiddos out to dinner. And I am sure most people are thinking - yeah? So what. But in our little world - as a SAHM, living in the country, with 3 little kids (one in a wheelchair) - going out to dinner at a place other than the local pizza joint IS actually a big deal. Because we RARELY do it. It is a kinda a lot of trouble and it definitely is more money than we really need to spend.

But we went out this weekend, we all had a really nice time, it really was the perfect evening. The only hitch was attempting to get back home, via the country roads, during a nice little snowstorm. We encountered a few little hills that we actually had to go backwards down and try another route. That wasn't too much fun.

When we finally did get home, the kids were a little tired and a little more on edge. And Christina started getting really upset and crying over some little thing. And we got a little angry, and told her to stop crying. And, since she is about 7 going on 17, she stomped upstairs and into her room.

A little while later, my husband went upstairs and quickly called to me "get your camera".

And we found this hanging from a hanger on her door knob:

Apparently, she was quite convinced that she was completely in the right. And we were completely in the wrong.

And, laughing hysterically, we open the door, to be informed:

"This is NOT funny."

Oh my, I am in so much trouble....

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Taking risks

Taking risks is incredibly scary. Sometimes they are so frightening, that they paralyze you into just continuing on with the status quo. But I have never been one to completely accept the status quo.

I moved away from home after college. My mom was angry with me for even considering this. Yes, angry. And honestly, I didn't want to move far, I just wanted something different. I wanted a bigger city. I wanted bright lights and more action. And I so wanted to just be on my own. She just didn't want me to be one of those kids who only sees her family a couple times a year.

So amid her protests, I got a job in another city, packed up my brand new, used Chevrolet Cavalier (yeah, I thought I was cool - heh) and drove to Philadelphia. I had never been to that city, I had no real idea where I was going and whether I would even like this job, but I did it.

Soon after, I ended up settling in Pittsburgh, met an incredible friend who became my roommate for a while and probably changed my life more than I realized. I swear she was a God-send. She was one of those people who you immediately become best friends with. She was the absolute most perfect person to be my first roommate in a new city.

We were so completely alike, yet also so different. She was a bit cooler than me (so I thought). She was a bit cutier than me (so I thought) and she was athletic (of which, at that time, I completely was NOT).

But one gorgeous spring day, as we wrote the bus home from the city, she said "let's go buy you running shoes today, you need to run with me". And we did. And I had never EVER done anything like that before. I did not participate in any sports in school. I was always just a tall, skinny, awkward, muscle-less girl.

From that day on, I continued to run and continued to work out and haven't stopped in 20 years. I seriously believe running and weight lifting did more to improve my poor self confidence than anything else in my life. All thanks to this girl.

A few years later, my roommate had moved back to her hometown and I had another set of roommates who were, unfortunately, different in not a good way. They were mean and snobby and catty and bratty. But one roommate who was an engineer, decided to quit her job and pursue her MBA full time at a local university . And I thought "Wow, that is sort of cool."

And I kept that thought in the back of my head until a few years later. When I did the same exact thing.

I hated my job at the time, and the thought of quitting, going back to school, and starting new was extremely enticing. There were definitely its fair share of risks. I had to take a HUGE amount school loans out. I had NOTHING saved, I lived on my own at the time and I was going to quit for a year with no promise of a new job at the end. And, again, my parents weren't quite sure this was the right thing.

But again, I took the risk, and I seriously don't know how, but I did fairly well and had a job offered to me months before I even graduated.

And then I started my new job, in a tiny town outside of Pittsburgh. It was an OK job, but I enjoyed the people and I did get some great experiences.

And I met my husband there. CRAZY! Three years after I started, on a cold January morning, I walked over to get my morning coffee when I noticed this cute little guy getting a drink of water. Hmmmmm (I thought). And then we talked a bit, and my first thought was "Holy Cow, this guy is perfect for me, if he wasn't so short."

Yeah, I got over the short thing and we are going to be married TEN years next July!!

But back to risks...here I am again. I have started to really get serious about my photography and I think that maybe, just maybe, it could be the absolutely most perfect venture for me.

I LOVE photography (but you probably already knew that). And my thoughts are that I have a fairly good background in business AND marketing which I think is a distinct advantage over many other of our local photographers.

But this risk is almost MORE scary that some of the others I have taken. Because I am completely doing this on my own. I have always wanted to be in business for myself. So this really is a HUGE dream for me.

I feel like I am really putting myself out there and taking a chance. As I have been scheduling the "free" photo sessions (SIX to date), I am still sick with fear over whether I can deliver.

My first session went fairly well.

But yesterday, was my second. And yesterday didn't go so well. And yesterday just confirmed why I need to continue to do FREE sessions for a little while.

I don't know what happened, but I got NOTHING. Well, maybe a couple of keepers...but nothing that I am extremely proud of. I took photos of a mom, dad and the most adorable 1 year old. The little girl was smiley and giggly and had the most gorgeous head of curls.

The weather was bitter cold, but we attempted some outdoor shots in a gorgeous setting. And I seriously could NOT focus in on them. I can't believe I had THAT much trouble, but shot after shot there was nice composition, great expressions, and complete BLUR.

177 shots....maybe 2 keepers......

Luckily, this family is really only looking for one shot to use as a Christmas card. And, hopefully, one will be adequate. But I am SO disappointed in my performance. Honestly, I think there was something else wrong here, something that was making it harder to focus in because I have never had so much trouble before. But I am not sure what that is at this point.

Last night, I tossed and turned and tried like hell not to keep beating myself up, but it was so hard. I honestly feel like such a failure. But I kept reminding myself that if I don't take risks, I can't reap the rewards. And some of the best times of my life were the results of the risks that I have taken. And this venture may turn out to be just that.

I recently read this post on an amazing photographer's site. It was one of those posts that I need to read again and again, to remind myself that these occasional set backs are OK and will probably teach me more than my successes.

And I will keep trudging along....

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If you want to see the photos...

Here is a link to my web album. These are the family portraits I took last weekend.

I am pretty happy with how they turned out, considering the circumstances were MUCH less than ideal - dark and rainy. Pretty much all photos are in the one and only location of the house where there was some light and some room. I was hoping to be able to try some more creative, candid shots, but it just didn't work out.

Hopefully I will get more opportunities in the future!

Happy Friday!

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Random stuff....

Phew, TGI (almost)F.

This week was just crazy busy. But it has also been very exciting. I have four more photo shoot inquiries! One is scheduled for this weekend, and the others are in the works. Crazy! I am excited and still nervous. It seems like things are really falling into place. But I won't count my chickens too soon!!

A funny note, one of the inquiries was from a mom who wants senior pictures for her son. He is an avid snowboarder. So would I travel to a local ski resort for some action shots? Um....YIKES! I have never done anything like that and I am not sure I have the right equipment. I gave her a few other suggestions, and hopefully we can still work something out. Unfortunately, the ski resort is 1 1/2 hrs away, which is a bit of a hike for free photos that I am not sure I could even pull off. So we'll see....

On the homefront - things are business as usual. Christina has become a Hannah Montana fanatic. Which is really great (insert sarcasm) when she starts saying things like "What -evah" with a shake of her hips and a flip of her hair. Holy cow she is growing up so fast.

She is going to be a flower girl next year for a friend of ours (the engagement photo couple). This past weekend included a trip to the bridal shop to try on dresses. She was in her element and twirled around there like she was the bride herself. She wasn't too happy when we told her there was no way we would be buying a $100+ dress for a few hour occasion to then become a dress-up dress. Nope. We will be shopping for a similar but much less expensive option.

I love this photo - and if you look close enough - you will see a little self portrait too!

Kallie still loves her Ariel to the point of obsession. She is so obsessed that when Christina drew her a picture of Ariel, she carried the picture around all day and slept with it that night. Nutso I tell you.

She still isn't completely potty trainned, she still is the worst eater ever, and she seems to cry a lot more than Christina ever did.

But on the good side, she is such a doll baby that I sometimes am overwhelmed by her cuteness (OK, I am her mom, I am allowed to think that, right?).

And she says the most bizarre things - like the other day when I put her in the car and she told me:

"It smells like butter and pencils in here." Um...HUH?

I never figured that one out.

But she loves her sister:

And she loves her cookies:

And that's all for now folks!

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I did it!!!!

First off, thank you all SO much for your kind words and incredible support! You have NO idea how much that meant to me and how much it really did help me.

Yesterday went pretty well. It was probably the absolute worst of circumstances, but I think I pulled it off and I think I fooled them into thinking I really knew what I was doing.

Even though this was a free shoot for me to gain experience, it really was my first attempt at being a real photographer. And it really was an indication of whether I can actually be successful at this venture.

One thing I must note is that, luckily, my second shoot canceled and rescheduled for next weekend - weather dependent. They decided that their grandmother's home (the location of the shoot, which, btw, is an amazingly gorgeous mansion! I can't wait to actually get there!!!), was way to dark for any nice shots. And it was literally pouring and just completely awfully dark and dreary yesterday.

Anyway, I was SO nervous before my first shoot. But when I walked in the house, *most* of my nervousness just slid away. The family was incredibly nice and friendly and just plain ole hilarious. I laughed the entire time I was there. They were seriously a very fun group to hang around with.

There were more people than she originally told me - 6 adults and 1 child. And they decided to try the shoot indoors since there really was no good place outdoors that was out of the rain.

Yikes.

Their home was a tad small. It was also a tad dark. And I do not have an external flash, yet (it may be added to my collection sooner than I expected, because, damn, it would have helped SO much).

And there really was only one place to attempt photos. So my creativity was significantly limited. Most of the shots were pretty much just various family members sitting together on the couch or floor. I could not, for the life of me, think of anything else to shoot! Sadly, I had so many great ideas of perfect family shots - that required space and light. Of which we had none.

But thank GOD I brought my tripod (I originally wasn't going to for some reason). So I had to bump up my ISO, and hoped that they sat as still as possible.

I took about 315 photos, and I think I have a good chunk of salvagable ones. And I learned SO much.

Like maybe next time it is worth the effort to remove ALL clutter from behind the subjects. There were photos and other clutter in most shots. And I think they really detract from the people. But maybe they won't care as much.

I spent about an hour with this family, and they told me they definitely want me back when the weather is nicer. They also told me they have a bunch of friends who also want photos taken too, so there is a LOT of potential future business here.

Of course, being in small town USA helps a lot sometimes. The sister went out with my husband many years ago (only a couple dates). The grandmother used to work with my MIL. The lady who set up the shoot works with my SIL. The grandfather knows my husband and has very good mutual friends with my husband. Yes, very small world here. But sometimes that really helps. They know my family well, so they trust me. And that means a lot.

If and when I get permission, I will post a photo or two. They won't knock your socks off, but they aren't bad either. I think they are definitely much better than they can do themselves. And they are definitely WAY cheaper than going to a professional. Plus, I think they really liked that I came to them, which makes for a much more comfortable and natural setting.

But all in all, it was a great experience, I actually enjoyed myself, and I think, maybe, I might be able to pull this crazy dream off!

Have a great one!!!!

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