Better Daisies.....

While I was scanning my digital library for pictures for my first Scrapbook Cupboard design team assignment (I'll post it if I get permission and when it's finally done), I found two better pictures of Daisy that I took the other day....

I love how Daisy is looking right at me - I edited this photo just a little - emphasized the light that was coming from Daisy's left...it's early afternoon light but by removing the color cast (will have to explain later), it made that light look warmer than it did as a reflection of the snow. You can kinda get the gist of what I mean by warm light when you look at this next photo -

Same location about 2 seconds before the last picture was taken...I adjusted the color cast on this photo to make that snow white (it's not a darker picture) just a different color cast.

If I get a moment tonight, I'll explain further...1st night of school tonight - my Anatomy and Physiology I hybrid class...yikes!!!

A quick entry -

I had to work this past Saturday - it was pretty busy at work - I still made it to Dylan's hockey game - the Boxers won 5-4 with Dylan as the goalie...he's gonna need to work on staying up and not diving for the puck. It was by far though, one of the best games the kids have played all year....

I wrote two evaluations (one needs tweaking) this weekend. I'll be done with them all by Thursday. I will be going to do a CTMH demo for my friend Kimmie. We have a little club thing going (leave a comment if you're interested in anything CTMH).

We also started Karen Russell's online photography class. I'm super excited about this!!!!

This week begins the madness - I have a Brockton Youth Hockey league meeting tomorrow night. School begins on Wednesday - I'm hoping to get into a different section because I don't want this to interfere with work but I'm not hopeful about it. I did though score my textbooks for much cheaper than I would have if I bought them at the bookstore by plugging their ISBN's into Amazon.com and got them both from students on there. Yahoo!!!

It snowed about a foot here between yesterday and today...and finally it was warm enough for the kids to go out and play...I shot all of these photos with my Canon 50mm f1.8

Angelica was busy building a snow fort for the next time they go out to play - it looked more like the beginning of an igloo - but what do I know? I grew up in NYC where it snowed like 3 times when I was kid...nice nostrils there, Angel - is anyone up there? (no one here but us magic nose goblins...hey, I'm her mom, I get to tease) It's hard to notice but Angel has a little booboo right under her left nostril - she fell on her face the other day running full speed at the ice rink, while we were watching Dylan's hockey game.
This is Melody laying in the snow, attempting a snow angel.
Those are the icicles that formed off the gutters in the front of the house. It was pretty dreary in the AM.
I LOVE this picure of Dylan - the only thing that would make this picture better? Catchlights in his eyes but it doesn't even matter - certainly an emotionally perfect picture!!! Dylan is laying flat on his back after trying to slide down the snowy slide in the backyard.
Dylan wanted me to take action photos of him -
Dylan mid-air before the snow angel formation.

I don't know if Dylan thought that snow angels are made this way or not but his dive made for great succession shots...try it sometime - just keep your finger on the shutter and shoot away. Dylan, stop practicing the dive - we DON'T dive for the puck!!!!
This is Daisy - resident snow dog #2 - Buster was inside at the time. Both of my Pembroke Welsh Corgis love the snow!!!
Quite possibly our next Christmas card...thanks Daisy!!!

Thanks to all the girls at Kimmie's CTMH party!!! It was a blast!!! It always is with you chicks!
More pictures soon!

A New Level of Busy...

Just when you think it wasn't possible for me to be any more busy, here I am - on the brink of a new semester at school, starting my rookie month as a Scrapbook Cupboard design team member (YIPPY!!!), about to start my online photography class with Karen Russell (that's next week), waiting for our financial forms that go with filing taxes (I do our own on Turbo Tax), preparing for a CTMH demo this Monday night at Kimmie's, and waist deep in evaluations that need to be written - at work, while I'm short staffed because everyone is coming down with the flu. I'm exhausted just thinking about it -

The good news is that I got into a Copic certification class (with my friends Kimmie and Julie!!! YAHOO!!!) That's in March...

I was supposed to have the day off today (which would have been nice, because Adam was home this morning). Instead, I have Thursday off - and Adam has court that day. So much for a date to Chick-Fil-A in the Burlington Mall...I could still go by myself - we'll see....

Pictures? hmm....I haven't really taken any - shame on me!!!! But in my defense...well, really, I have no excuse except that I haven't found anything photo shoot worthy...I shot at the hockey game the other day...I have something I can post -



This was my CTMH demo from the other day...I didn't shoot this photo though - I scanned it into my computer. Same with the following two pictures:
When I first started scrapping a couple of years ago, I got sucked into a rolodex swap - this was one of my first creations. I still love that quote....
This is a lifesized version of an inchie I created in a swap I was in over this past summer. I must give props to Adam and Dad for the color design input they had - I made this bunch while we were on vacation in Maine. Thank you Susan for sucking me into an inch-sized world.

I'm off to create something for Kimmie's demo....will post after the party...hopefully will have more pictures to post shortly.

Coincidentally....

Today, I had a conversation with a trusty friend who I spend a lot of time with. While we're together, we often talk about things unrelated to what we're doing and today we did that. She said to me, "You know how you ask me, if we weren't doing this, what would we be doing? Well, one of my dreams is to own a bar."

Today, I read Kimmie's blog - and how Julie said to her that if you don't write down what your goals are, they remain dreams...I'd heard that same thing last year in a training class I took at work. It's the truth - putting things in writing, gives you a kind of commitment...to making things happen...

While my friend is a very grounded, realistic person, I'm writing down this down for her - in the form of my blog entry - she will someday own a successful bar...I'm gonna say sometime before she is 40...so it will be part of her 7 year plan. And while this isn't her commitment, it's more like my wish for her.

Coincidentally, I've been working on my own list of goals - short and long term...I'll put them here, when I'm done. While I'm thinking about my own goals, it's evaluation time at work - so we're thinking about goals there too...for myself and my team.

Speaking of ambition, over the weekend, Angelica did this:

That's Melody in the background of Angelica's grape sculpture - I don't know anyone who can make grapes stand on end without squishing them except my Angel...
I love when she's laughing in a picture. I took this picture with my Canon 50mm f1.8. It's not the sharpest picture in the bunch but I'm working on that - my online photography class with Karen Russell begins on Jan. 19...can't wait!!!

Gotta go and work on my next CTMH (Close to My Heart) demo project. I have a demo on Saturday after work...I'm working a little late tomorrow and am off from work on Thursday - laundry and scrap room organizing, registration at school, and a possible hair cut...good times!!!!
There's a blog post to be had that day...maybe.

An Award? Who me?

My good friend, Kimmie nominated me for the Marie Antoinette Real Person Award. While I don't believe I should win an award for being a real person (which is nice), I humbly accept this award and would like to say that it is an honor just to be nominated (tears and sniffles).

Apparently there are rules to this award, including nominating others...

1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Place a link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs.
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them.

My nominations follow:

1. I nominate my friend, Julie, whose creativity is an inspiration to me! I miss you - we need to find the time but I think we'll be seeing each other very soon!

2. I nominate Karen Russell, a fantastic photographer who inspires me to keep working at taking better pictures all the time - she epitomizes a real person!!!

3. I nominate my friend Michelle, who has all sorts of cool things on her blog!!! I just went there and still want to put half the stuff on your blog onto my blog!!! I miss you!!!

4. I nominate Ellen Hutson, whose blog perpetuates my and my friends' obsession with inchies.

5. I nominate the women at Pioneer Woman Photography, Ree and Miz Booshay - you guys just rock!

Oh crap - I'm out of blogs to nominate...if that means that I don't get this award, that's ok - I can't just randomly pick real person blogs for a real person award if I don't know that the blogs are put up by real people. Oh well...just check out the ones above - they rock!!!

Pictures I Love, Vol. 2

I think I should resolve to make this a monthly blog entry. It will be my latest Circle Journal at the Scrapbook Cupboard.

Took this picture of the girls with my dad on our stairs when they came to visit right after Christmas....I love this picture of them together...

This is my mom with all her grandkids - I love how the boys are just melted into the background and the girls are up front with my mom.
Back in the beginning of December was our first snowstorm - the kids were so excited that even though you could still see the tops of grass blades in the backyard, they still bundled up to play in it - it was barely even cold enough - I took these pictures in my sweatshirt!!! Dylan's face matched his jacket.
She's so pretty - I can hardly stand it!!!

Here's Melody jumping onto our pendulum swing in the backyard...snowy hands...

I posted a picture similar to this a couple of entries ago - this was taken with the 3D glasses that turn lights into shapes...these are mom and dad's lights on the bushes in front of their house.

I love how I always seem to have Melody on the left, Dylan in the middle and Angel on the right in most pictures that I have with the 3 of them...it just seems right - in fact, one day when the kids were real little, I discovered this about their names:

M-E-L-O-D-Y-L-A-N-G-E-L-I-C-A

maybe that's why they take pictures like that....
I love this photo, not because you can closely study the anatomy of Melody's snout but because this is classic for both my girls - Melody is a ham and Angel will look right into your eyes and make you love her!!!!

I think I posted this picture of Dylan before - I love it because he is just too handsome!!!

I love this picture of Melody - taken at JayR's and Jenny's wedding - she's rarely still enough for me to take a decent picture but here, she looks grown up enough to keep still for a second...

I may have put this one up too - Buster is my first dog...he rocks and will obey for treats...although here, Melody is feeding Buster a dandelion and he's good with it too.


Finally, this is Angel swinging on the pendulum swing in the backyard (long before that snow shot of Melody swinging). I caught some light in her eyes...I live for that light.

This year will bring more shots - hopefully good and better ones...

The meaning of today

I LOVE NEW YEAR'S EVE...I think it has to be one of the most special days of the year...today is the last of it's kind...the last day of the year. It's the end but also a chance to begin anew...

When I was a kid, New Year's Eve was a big deal...although I grew up in NYC, we never Times Squared on NYE. But we did dress up to be at home and take our annual family photo. And mom always cooked a feast that we would start eating at midnight.

As a grown up with little kids, NYE has been seriously toned down...no partying. Although, a couple of years ago we had our friends, Eric and Jessica over to hang out and watch tv and eat munchies and drink beer 'til midnight...WHOOPIE - we're such party animals!

Every year though, I do take the time to think about what the year has brought me. And every year, I find that I am more blessed, more lucky and more rich than I was the year before. I take this night and the next day to be my chance to start over again - to be better than I was, just yesterday.

Resolutions for 2009:

1. Be more organized in every area of my life - work, school, kids, laundry, photography, scrapbooking. This will help with #2.

2. Finish what I start. Projects, assignments, laundry, etc. Under this comes the ability to follow up if necessary on things so that I can get them to completion. While I didn't have a lot of unfinished business, I did feel like not being as organized as I should at times, caused me to drop the ball for a few things...

3. Stay positive. I need to not be such a worrier and channel all that energy into #1 & 2.

4. Blog more. I should keep a journal but blogging is more fun - and you can put pictures in it.
I'm going to aim to blog 3 times a week (at least - if I get more in, great!!!)

5. Be more frugal. In 2008, I loved to just spend money. Although towards the last quarter of 2008, I really wasn't in any kind of mood to spend money, even at Christmas. I resolve to spend money on things that we need and things that I absolutely want and not just think would be nice to have (and I can't promise that I won't ever buy something that would be nice to have, this year...but I certainly will have what we need and absolutely want before we go buying something that would just be nice to have).

6. Enjoy my time. Time is a limited commodity. I don't have a lot of it to do the things I want to do because it gets used up by all the things I have to do (mainly work). I will use my time wisely and enjoy just doing nothing sometimes and spend some good time with my friends and family this year.

7. Stay healthy. I'm not a dieter or an exerciser...so I'm just hoping that I make decent choices in terms of food or activity...I'll be making major efforts to schedule doctor's and dentist's appointments for myself and actually keep them...(my dentist yells at me when I show up, for flaking on him).

8. Take more pictures. I'm sure that taking Karen Russell's online photography class will make me do this, this semester...just need to make sure I keep doing it all year.

9. Go home to NYC to visit my friends and family more than twice a year. This one will be a toughie - we're never still enough to stay home here in MA, much less go to NYC...but we'll make a concerted effort.

Today is a brand new day - a brand new year....take advantage of this time...it's a gift.