luckeelady's retreat

Josie & Piper's Big Debut 2-10-2011

2011-02-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

One of my oldest friends Crystal gave birth to her twin girls this morning. I was so happy that I was one of the first to be called after their entrance into the world. The girls were so beautiful, each one looked just like one of their older sisters Riley and Hattie... so this make 4 daughters now and 5 girls in the house including Mommy. Daddy is WAY outnumbered :) These were just a few photos to get them started in their baby book. The nurses came and whisked them away to the nursery to bake for a little while. Just want to say Congrats again Crystal and Blake, and Love you guys!

Kelly Moore Bag Giveaway on MCP

2011-01-26T08:56:00.001-08:00

Head on over to MCP to try to win one of these awesome camera bags from Kelly Moore.

MCP LINK

Our Great Upcoming Adventure

2011-01-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

Our family will soon be taking a trip and not returning to Oklahoma or at least if we do it will only be for a visit. My hubby asked to be transferred to his job's office in North Carolina. He feels he could help them out and at the same time learn a bunch himself. Hopefully it is the best thing for our family and maybe he'll get a promotion one day soon. We're going to wait till June after my daughter Athena gets out of school.
I'm hoping my photography does great too since it will be a fresh start... I mean heck I'll only be a few hours away from the ocean too :) I can't wait!

Busy Bee

2011-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

Once again I have neglected the blog but I'm trying to get everything in order. 2011 is my year for organization and taking the time to keep everything up as I need to.

On a good note I finally took the plunge and purchased a domain name and website last week. I hopefully will have it up and running this week. I have been hard at work all week trying to finish it up but it is stressful.... Here is a peek of what it is going to look like.

Once it is done my website is going to be http://www.nineoneeightstudios.com/ so check it out at a later date :)

The Nitty Gritty Giveaway

2010-08-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Check this out Photogs...
http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2010/08/19/contest-win-the-nitty-gritty-photography-e-book/
Pascale Wowack is a professional photographer and she has taken the time out to write this awesome book about everything you need to know about getting started in the photography business. It has everthing from lighting, editing, settings, and lots of business aspects of photography.... If you don't win a copy in this contest you can still get $24 off of the cost of the book with this blog post link. check it out.

Eclipse Party

2010-07-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

So I went to watch Eclipse on the 2nd... It was great. A friend of mine had an Eclipse Party before the show and we played trivia and she had made some awesome cakes of course... one in honor of Jacob fans and one in honor of the lovely Edward, I mean Edward fans, can you tell what team I am on? I go for the pale ones :) There is just something about being bitten that is sexy... not that I would know anything about that anyways, TMI huh :)

here are her awesome looking and yummy tasting cakes, Thanks again Brooke!

Bridal Independence

2010-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share one of my new favorite shots from my first trash the dress session last weekend. With it being 4th of July weekend this weekend I thought I'd add a new twist....

Time Flies

2010-06-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Goodness I feel like a bad blogger... It's been FOREVER since I've been on here. Well yesterday was my 8th wedding anniversary. I will post a few pics that we took while we were out and about hanging out. I made a little collage with some of the pics from yesterday and some from the day we got married 8 years ago. How time flies.

Collages

2009-12-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some collages I put together...

New X-mas card design

2009-12-03T23:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the new Christmas card that I made earlier.... I think it's the best one I've done so far.

digital scrapbooking

2009-12-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

I am helping my nephew with his senior scrapbook. It is due Friday so I kinda felt sorry for him so I got all his info and thought I'd design it. I am sooo enjoying doing this digital scrapbooking. I have been into designing cards and everything lately. Let me know what you think, this is only the first page....

Photoshoot cut short

2009-11-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

I had a photoshoot for a family today. We didn't quite get finished with it though because she slipped and went to catch herself and sliced her finger open. It was pretty bad so we had to call it quits but did get a few good ones... here are a few.

Jen's Fabulous Family

2009-11-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few from this week. I did a short shoot with just Kruz and his mommy... one of my other Besties Jen. Then today I did a shoot with the whole family and thought I'd show a preview of at least one.

One of my Besties Felisha

2009-11-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking on posting things on my blog that have been going on. Here are a few from my photoshoot with one of my besties Felisha this last weekend. I took close to 300 pics that day and am still editing the best from the bunch but here are a few that stuck out to me.

My X-mas Card template

2009-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to CoffeeShop's Blog I learned how to make a brush, save a pattern, and make my own Christmas Card template....

Here is my first ago at it... I made one for a friend of mine with whom I did a family photo shoot this last weekend.

Birth Announcement

2009-11-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

i finally finished the birth announcement (one month later) since I finally took some good pics of the baby and his sister. Thanks to Rita at CoffeeShops blog for the tutorial on how to make your own storyboard, this is how I accomplished it.

Little Man- 1 Month Old

2009-11-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics I took on the 1st of my kiddos when my little man was exactly one month old.... You can tell his sissy loves him, she is definitely a big help around the help and wants to always change his diaper.

Kiddos on Halloween

2009-11-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

Here are my kiddos this Halloween 09'

Athena wore the butterfly costume to school on Friday and a bunny Sat. night, she was so cute she looked like a mini playboy bunny :) My little man was a little dalmatian as you can see.

I'm Back

2009-11-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

so sorry that I have been MIA and haven't blogged in over a month.... the new baby keeps me busy. I do get online quite a bit though just not to blog... I have become a facebook addict and find myself farming a lot.... at least until the baby requires my undivided attention :) Here are the first set of pics I took of him at 10 days.

He's Here!

2009-10-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

Well the week started out really crappy.... I went to pick my daughter up from school and was stopped at a stop sign and this woman is turning onto the road where I'm stopped and he truck dies losing all brakes and steering. Needless to say she smacked into the front of my car. I wasn't injured but it shook me up for a few hours. That same night and next day I developed an extremely itchy rash that the doctor thought might be related to the accident and caused by nerves. To be on the safe side she wanted me to come in today and do lab to rule out anything bad. When I got to my appt. this morning my BP was high 148/102 and she just decided that it was time to deliver the baby and said they were waiting for me already in Labor and Delivery and I needed to go straight up there. I called my hubby at work and had him meet me there.... wouldn't you know the one time I told my hubby I'd be OK to go by myself and told him to stay for his all day meetings today, it would be time!

The C-section turned out great and I kept my calm the whole time and didn't panic, in fact I was more anxious and excited that we finally get to see my lil boy we've been awaiting so very long for. He ended up being 5lbs. 12oz. and 18 inches. He is the most perfect baby I'd ever seen, along with my daughter. I hate to brag but we make beautiful babies. He sure does have a set of lungs... he came out crying and screaming. His apgar scores were great: 9 and 9. Here are a few pics from today. I will definitely be posting more once we get home and I can take some of than just random snapshots.

My 1st Newborn Shoot

2009-09-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favs from my very first newborn photo shoot I did yesterday. Keep in mind I'm that I'm less than 3 weeks away from delivering so it was kind of hard being on my knees and getting on the baby's level. I've already got lots of requests from other moms to have their babies pics taken along with their family photos.... I'm so excited!

Pregnancy Update....

2009-09-08T14:24:00.001-07:00

So I'm almost 34 weeks along now and definitely counting down the days. My blood pressure has been creeping up slowly and they have been closely monitoring it. I'm supposed to be going to the doctor every 2 weeks but the last few weeks I've been going twice a week. Last week I had to do the 24 hours urine and blood test. They said everything looked OK but I had a doctor appt. today and she wants me to repeat all those tests again this week and come back Friday. They are going to do an ultrasound while I'm there to look at how big the baby is and make sure he's growing properly because of my BP issues. I'm scheduled to have my C-section at 39 weeks which will be Oct. 19th but I don't think my doctor thinks I'll make it that long. Honestly she sounds like she's worried I won't even make it till 37 weeks. That is her goal though to be considered term.... So I have about 3 1/2 more weeks to go. Honestly with Athena she was born at 37 1/2 weeks but she only weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz. It looks like we'll be doing lab work every week until delivery just so if something was wrong we would catch it early and not so late like last time. I will keep everyone up to date on the pregnancy especially if I deliver early. Wish me luck! Good thing is we are ready for him to be here. Both his and my bag are packed. We have his carrier and playyard/bassinette for him to sleep in and plenty of clothes and diapers to get him started since I've already had my shower. I will get to go to the Kids Sale preview party tomorrow so whatever I still don't have I will get the chance to buy cheap then. Here are the things I need that hopefully I will be able to find, bouncy seat, crib, jumparoo and more premie clothes just in case he does come early.

My new creation

2009-09-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

My cousin's little boy is turning one in a couple of weeks and she still hadn't got the invitations for the party. She asked me for some help and here it what I ended up making. This is the first birthday invitation I've made so I'm still learning. I did make the shower invitation for my shower a couple of weeks ago though.

Wipey Cases

2009-09-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I've been feeling pretty crafty lately. I finished my first quilt a few weeks ago and was very proud of it. I thought I would venture out to other things. I made my little one an OSU wipey case and made another wipey case in Sports fabric. For my first attempt I thought they turned out alright. I plan on making another one for a girl and plan on giving them as a shower gift along with onsies that I will personalize. Once I get the onsies done I will post pics of them too. Since I am so close to delivering within the next month my next projects are going to be nursing covers for when I breastfeed and a baby sling to keep the baby close without having to hold him. Since I'm trying to be super frugal and the good nursing pads are so expensive (disposable ones suck) I have already been making some of my own out of old receiving blankets. I found a website that tells how to do it, although the site I went by said to use a CD as a guide and they came out super big. I mean they swallowed my nipples and whole breast. I will downsize the next time I attempt it. Here is the site for the nursing pads.

http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/how-to-sew-your-own-nursing-pads/

I will post the other links once I have completed my projects.

My first finished Quilt!

2009-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

So I have recently took on a project to make a baby quilt for my little man who will be here in about 2 months. It only took me less than 2 days to do (although I still have to sew the trim around) but here is a pic of what it looks like. I am so happy with the way it turned out and how it pretty much looks like what I had envisioned in my mind. Keep in mind that although I own a sewing machine I'm am still a newby to it. I probably only take it out and turn it on once every couple of years. In fact the last time I used it before this week was to try and make my daughter a quilt before she was born and she's 5 now. Needless to say her quilt never got finished because I ran out of a certain important fabric so I still have it in a bag in case I find any tan demin fabric not being worn so I can finish it one day. We did however buy her some new fabric to make her a new quilt and when I finish all the projects I have in mind I plan to start it (and finish it hopefully too) :)

I have been finding lots of instructions on how to sew your own baby sling and nursing covers which I absolutely want since I will be breastfeeding. It is a necessity that I get a "Hooter Hider" or at least attempt to make my own. I also have a few baby showers coming up and I usually make a tutu for the newborn girls or for girls birthdays to save money plus I love to get personal gifts like that and I'm sure everyone else does too.... (at least I hope they do) but my nephew is having a boy and I'm sure a tutu isn't the right gift for him so I am going to buy some plain onsies and sew a little tie to the front. I have seen them and they are so adorable. I actually found a tutorial which seems pretty easy so we'll see how it turns out. I've also always wanted a trendy decorated wipey case but could never afford it so I thought I would give that ago also since I have tons of fabric left. One for me and one for my nephews little one who will be born a month after my baby Aries.

31 weeks along

2009-08-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

So I decided it was time to do more maternity self portraits. I'm 31 weeks now and haven't done any since 22 weeks, not even as much as a snapshot around the house of my belly. With Athena I took a pic about every 2 weeks or so until the last trimester and then every week. Why am I slacking. At least now I can take a little better quality of picture than just a polaroid. When I find them from being scanned to my computer I will show you the pregnancy pics with my daughter over 5 years ago.

I am huge now and feel like I could pop anyday honestly. I don't remember being like this with my first pregnancy.

Here's what I got from my selfs today... at least a few of my favs.

By the way I have changed my name to 918 Studios... it was my hubbys idea and I like it. 918 is our area code so that was kind of different.

More Blog Help???

2009-08-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

I must be blog illiterate today. I mean it has been awhile since I've posted and edited anything within it. I want to add new blogs to my list of blogs I follow and have them show updates on my page. The only thing I can find is the place that has the ones that are listed already and if you want to remove them. I can always go to each individual blog and copy their address and click add in that same place but I remember a place that shows all of the ones I follow and from there you can click and add... anyone know?

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
Visit Grosgrain's blog for this fabulous giveaway if you are expecting or know someone who is.

I always hated putting the dreaded hot blanket over the baby when I was nursing around everyone so this nursing cover excites me since I am expecting in about 2 months.

I sure hope I win!

How do you label old posts?

2009-08-19T09:07:00.001-07:00

I can't for the life of me figure out how to label old posts... does anyone know? Or can you even label old posts? I have went back and labeled recently old posts and it wasn't a problem but I was trying to do posts from 6 months or more ago. HELP!

ReInventing Chivalry

2009-08-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

So I finally came up with a band name that my hubby and the rest of his band mates like:

ReInventing Chivalry

They really needed a name to start booking shows.... Once they decided they liked it I started to design a couple of logos, let me know what you think.

Baby Shower in the works...

2009-08-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

For some reason I didn't want to have the generic premade baby shower invitation that you fill in by hand. I decided to try to make one of my own so I could put a little more info and use the colors I want. Since a lot of the big stuff we've bought for the baby has been an orange oak and my hubby loves OSU so the colors are orange, white and black I decided to go with the orange theme for the invitation and maybe even put his room in those colors.... let me know what you think about my cheezy invitation :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things Part 2

2009-07-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

I know we like our children to have a positive self image about themselves.... I mean you can't expect others to like you if you don't like yourself. But... my daughter is a little silly. I guess she hears us says she's beautiful and cute all the time. When most people say she's cute I have to remind her to say thank you because most of the time she says I know.... but this was a little silly today.

I picked her up from her music/arts class and we were going to lunch. She asked where are we going to eat again Mom? I said Long John Silvers and then here comes the kicker.... she said....

I can't go there, I'm too cute to eat there.... What the heck, I died laughing though and called her a silly bug. And then later of course she said Mom you're too cute to go in and made me feel good but humored again.

Good News

2009-07-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

After 2 days of bugging them about the results they finally got the results of my GTT today and had the doctor review them. They called about and hour and a half ago and said the doctor said everything looked good. I am so relieve to not have Gestational Diabetes. I didn't want to have to be restricted... I mean I eat pretty healthy but occassional I like a little pastry every now and then. YIPPEE one less thing to worry about with this pregnancy.

Better Not...

2009-07-28T17:12:00.001-07:00

Another thing... I must of been kind of delerious after I picked up my daughter from the college because I ran a red light. Luckily noone was coming from the other direction. I've never EVER ran a red light (a stop sign maybe) but I'm hoping that they don't review the footage from the cameras that are attached and send me a ticket. That's all I need right now.... I no longer have a job so we would be screwed!

The GTT sucked!

2009-07-28T16:52:00.001-07:00

So I was there at the lab first thing in the morning yesterday to do my Glucose Tolerance Test. I didn't want to go any longer fasting than I had to so I was there when they opened. I had to start off with a fasting blood draw and then I had to drink the awful sugary stuff (this time twice as sweet as the first time) and had to do subsequent blood draws for the next 3 hours. I made it through the experience without vomiting which is good because if I had during the test it would of been invalid and I would of had to do it again another day. I felt a little weird in the head at times but never to bad... that is until....

I actually go to lunch directly afterwards and within the first few sips of soup my body starts to go into some type of shock or something. I immediately started sweating, shaking so hard that I can't even hold my spoon and just queezy and hot as hell. My friend kept trying to convince me it wasn't hot in there and I looked like I was going to spew... Never did I get sick but it took me the whole meal to feel half way normal again. I had to stop at my hubby's work to relax and assure myself it was OK to drive home with my daughter.

Needless to say we made it home OK but I still have yet to know my results from the test yesterday. Hopefully I will know something early tomorrow. I am super anxious and worried still.

Kids say the darndest things... Part 1

2009-07-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

So we all know that children have their own little language and own words for things they mean to say. My daughter was eating fresh pineapple the other day and she said "it's a little bit shakeable" which means it's a little sour and makes her shiver. She has used the term "shakeable" a lot when she is eating sour food. I think it's hilarious. She says and does plenty more things and I will post more as I think they are hilarious.

My Pregnancy and Life Update

2009-07-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am currently 27 weeks pregnant with a little boy and have a lot on my plate. I have gained 20 lbs. already although it's all in my belly. They convince me there is only one baby in there though (:

this is a self portrait I did a little over a month ago so I was about 22 weeks. Huge huh?

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but things have been crazy. I've worked an 8 to 5 job up until about a month ago when I decided it was best for me to stay home with my now 5 year old daughter. Plus my pregnancy was starting to get exhausting especially when I have problems sleeping at night because of congestion and drainage.

anyways, at my 20 week ultrasound they noticed that the baby had only 2 vessels instead of the normal 3 they are supposed to have. there is a slightly higher risk of cord accident of course... it's important for me to do kick counts especially when I feel like he's not moving around like usual, but luckily he does karate in my uterus constantly. there is also a risk that something may be wrong with the baby, such as renal problem or even heart but only about 25% of 2 vessel cord babies have any abnormalities. I'm a little worried but I can't really worry too much. The pediatrician will do a renal ultrasound after the baby is born and also look at the heart.

Also Wednesday when I did my glucose screen it came back a little high so I I have to carb load for the next 3 days and go back fasting on Monday and do a glucose tolerance test. You know this is all I need, to have Gestational Diabetes on top of everything else and the higher risk of delevoping Pre-E and HELLP again.

So far my BP is good but we'll still keep a close eye on it.

Photo Contest Winner's session

2009-07-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

For my anniversary I did a photo contest on my myspace for a free session. The theme of the contest was things you love in honor of my anniversary and the person I love. I did it to promote my photography and of course get more pics in my portfolio. We finally were able to do her session this last week and here are a few of my favs from the day. Let me know what you think....

Home Fashion Show

2009-07-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

My daughter has been kind of adament about doing a fashion show at the house for the last couple of days so we did it today.... I was really hoping she wasn't going to make me dress up too... well she didn't, thank gosh! I made her a new little tutu this morning to match one of the outfits she wanted to wear. There were a total of three outfits and one funky hairdo I did for her... I wanted it to be wild and this look just came to me while I was styling it.... here are just a few shots from the first outfit. I thought they turned out great and she looked adorable, like a real ballerina!

I'll post more when I edit them a bit... I still have pics to edit from my last photoshoot first.

Daughter's 5th Bday PARTY

2009-07-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

My YUMMY cupcake I made!

Her cousin really enjoying one of my cupcakes!

Athena opening some gifts...

The birthday party went great yesterday although I was extremely exhausted afterwards. We indeed did have an outside water party. Here are a few pics from the party. I made those cupcakes the night before, chocolate and vanilla (keep in mind I've never decorated cupcakes before except for just spreading frosting). a couple of hours before the party I sat outside by the faucet and filled a whole bucket of water balloons and got soaked in the process doing it because our faucet wasn't easy to turn on and off so I had to keep it on the whole time while filling them up and so I got sprayed several times, good thing I had my mega maternity suit on (:

5 years old... WOW

2009-07-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my little girl turned 5. OMG where did the time go. We are having her party this afternoon and boy is it going to be a great day to have it. It should only be about 86 degrees which is awesome considering we've been having 100+ days and that's not including the heat index. We are going to do outside water fun as the theme and have squirt guns, water balloons, kiddie pool and a sprinkler. I'm even looking forward to getting wet. I will post some pictures sometime soon from the fun day.

What's been going on...

2009-07-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

So I actually got a little sleep last night. I did however go to bed while still light outside at 8:30. I was trying to prove a theory of mine that I could sleep easier with more light. I fell right asleep but found myself waking up around 10 when it was dark and had a sudden feeling of not being tired. After that of course I went and sat in my nightly recliner. It was hard to go back to sleep but once I turned on TV I didn't have much of a problem even though I didn't watch it at all.... What's the deal. Am I nocturnal or something now? I usually have to watch TV or get online to totally exhaust me so I can go to sleep. It sure doesn't help that I'm congested at night time and feel like I can't breathe.... anyways I am just glad to finally sleep more than 2 hours total during the night.

As some may know yesterday was my last day at the University. I gave my notice several weeks ago because my daughter needed me to stay home with her again. Frankly I was ready to be a stay at home mom again. Plus we will be having our second child in a few months... Athena be 5 in 2 weeks from today. We have yet to plan a birthday party because things have been hectic and we're kind of broke. I think we've decided to buy her a nice set of kids drums though... she is very musical and has been wanting drums for months. She actually has natural time which is crazy. Are we kidding ourselves though buying her the drums she wants and we'll be regretting it later?

The both of us are about to get around and get dressed to go to a yard sale in town from a friend of mine. Baby Boy clothes here I come. Honestly I'm not too good for used clothes. I love it when friends give me outgrown clothes of their kids. I of course pick through the yard sale clothes and for the most part don't get completely stained up clothes. I do know from experience that babies get dirty no matter how hard you try to keep them clean. I have about 2 tubs of girl clothes that I need to go through for myself to sell at the yard sale. Even though they tell me it's a boy I'm still hesitant about getting rid of all girl stuff. I definitely had enough to spare some though. I always had my favorite stuff Athena wore that I will probably keep and let her use for her dolls.

Anyways so for the long update, it's been awhile. I still have more to post later about my insurance meltdown...

Not quite done yet...

2009-07-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome wedding that I was not only invited to this weekend but was also asked to take pictures at. It was my first paid wedding and I was so nervous. I think I did a little better than the last, and considering this was only the 3rd wedding ever that I've taken pictures at I think it was pretty good although I know I have a lot of room for improvement. Every day is always part of the learning process. Here's a sneak peak of a few of my favs:

Maternity Self Portraits

2009-06-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Earl Grey Tea coloring (ONE OF MY FAV shots)

Soft Dewberry Glaze coloring

Soft Strawberry Glaze coloring

Regular adjustments but I love how I accidently cut off my head :)

Regular adjustments but it accidently didn't focus completely but I like it!

Me and my girl with the Orton effect action

Here are some of my favorite self portraits I took today... I've been needing some maternity pics other than just snapshots. Let me know what you think. I just want to thank CoffeeShop's blog for some of the actions that I used.

imperfect vision

2009-06-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

So my husband and I went and both got an eye exam on Saturday... I am about to lose my 2nd insurance and he hasn't been feeling great, headaches, nausea because of focus issues. Well come to find out he has a stigmatism in his right eye and now he needs to wear glasses most of the time. He is kind of depressed about it and actually feels like he is getting older now. I'm kind of surprised it took him this long to have eye problems because it runs in his family. His mom is legally blind in one eye and almost in the other, let's just say she had glasses at the age of 3.

I tried to make him feel better by telling him that he looks sexy in them. He really does and can't wait for his glasses to come in. I told him I was worried that all the other women at work would think the same thing and he wouldn't be able to fight them off.... maybe when he wears them everyone at work will think he is more professional looking and not just a young guy.

I have always had perfect vision and this time he said I had a slight refractory error in my left eye. He went ahead and wrote me a prescription for glasses that would be optional for me. I have always wanted to wear glasses ever since I was a kid. Of course when we were trying on glasses I would first pick up the most expensive frames there were. They were black and pink thick frames that are Baby Phat brand. They were super cute and comfortable. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get them until my husband changes his plan in Novemeber. Right now we don't have a plan for vision, just eye exams.... I feel like I look super smart in glasses.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? (these are just someone's reading glasses)

Today at the park

2009-06-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

So my 4 year old daughter and I went to the park today and of course I took my camera along. The picture of me is one she took with my camera. I was amazed at how good it looks considering I didn't crop it at all, I just touched up my no-make up face with pimples :)

I made a collage of all the pics I took of her. I'm trying to practice making collages so... this was really my first stab at it.

2 Week's Notice

2009-06-16T23:07:00.001-07:00

So my husband and I decided it was time for me to stay at home again so I gave my 2 week's notice at work today. We have been trying to get to a point where I could quit anyway but we were hoping that I could work up till when I had the baby so I could have my 2nd insurance to cover the complete medical bills that I would incur. It really didn't work out as lovely as we had first planned. Here's how it all kinda started:

You see my mother in law watches my little girl everyday. Don't get me wrong I love my MIL and all but ever since school has let out and she has to keep her all day all week it seems like she started slacking in the caretaking ability. The first thing that bothered me was she was coming home EVERYDAY all banged up and damaged. She said she fell one day but she came home with a fat lip and it was purple and black all under the top lip and was fat for 2 days. When it first happened she didn't even know she hit it. Evidently she wasn't watching her very good to know it and why did it even happen in the first place. I don't like the idea of her playing outside by herself for extended periods of time without supervision. She said she checks on her about every 10 or 15 minutes but that is too long for me when she is just 4 and not fenced in... there are perverts in this world and who could snatch her up in a minute flat. I guess I think the worse but I am and have been real protective of her always and she has never got banged up like that in my supervision. She said kids get cuts and bruises... that was her defense.

I left yesterday morning and asked her to make sure she gets a bath and make sure she washes her hair and body.... specifically I asked those things. You see since it's the summer she'd rather take a shower or bath in the morning like mommy and daddy so that is why I never get a chance to do it, because I'm at work when she gets up. Well when I got home yesterday evening the shampoo wasn't in the tub and I knew she had a bath. I asked her did you not wash her hair and she said No. I flipped out... who considers a bath of just sitting in water not washing hair and body a bath? That's more like swimming and playing. Every now and then skipping a bath might be okay but she has a very sensitive area and if you don't wash it everyday it gets VERY irritated from pee and such. She has told me a few times that Grandma forgot to give her a bath... I kind of blew it off until now. I just feel like I'm the only one who can take care of her properly. She doesn't make sure she is fed right either. I hear about all the junk she eats and how she really didn't eat good that day... well I wonder why. You need to put your foot down as a caregiver and say no to things sometime and make deals with the kid, that is what we have to do.

And I asked Athena if she wanted mama to stay home everyday with her and not go to work and she said YES... so that just melted my heart. I balled because I was so upset about her well being yesterday so my husband finally put his foot down and told me to give my notice and quit. He looked at the bills and they are definitely going to be tight for awhile, at least until he is able to get his raise after the first of the year when the freeze is up. I'm hoping that now that I can spend most of my time with my photography business that it will take off and help us out with the bills, or at least buy us food. I have recently started a myspace photography site until I can actually afford to get a real webpage. It is www.myspace.com/wendyclabornphotography so check it out if you're bored. I'm also hoping that the band my husband is trying to get together will take off and start making money soon. I offered to promote the band and try to book some of their gigs when they got a little tighter as a band once they knew all of the singer's songs. I'd get anywhere from 5-10% of the booking if I booked the show so that would help too.

WISH ME LUCK!

BTW... yesterday was my 7 year wedding anniversary and it sucked. It was extremely hot at work because the AC wasn't working right and I come home and have to cook and deal with the MIL drama. My eyes were still dry, irritated and swollen today from crying the night before. What an anniversary, and to top it off I didn't get any lovin' :(

My Cousin's Wedding

2009-06-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

So I offered to take pictures at my cousin's wedding this weekend. They couldn't afford to hire a photographer and so I thought I'd offer as my gift to them. Keep in mind this is only my 2nd wedding EVER to take pictures at and my first was with a 35 mm camera several years ago. Here are some of my favorite from the day.

It's a.....

2009-06-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

So we had our Ultrasound today and we finally found out what we are having. I just want to say EVERYONE thought it was going to be a boy, including the chinese gender calendars except for my little girl. She always said it was a baby girl/baby sister. Well take a look at the pictures for yourself and tell me what you think..

IT'S A BOY! Immediately after she put the thing on my belly the first picture to pop up was of his legs spread. Usually that is the shot that is the hardest to get. He was however stubborn when it came to showing his face. The tech kept trying to look at his umbilical insertion but he was laying face down on his tummy so it made it very difficult and he would not move for anything. I think he's already being lazy and sleeping all the time. I still think my 4 year-old-daughter is still in denial. She won't admit it's a boy and still calls it her baby sister.

We already have a name picked out and it's super unique. I just want to explain the reasoning first. You see my daughter's name is Athena and it is from greek mythology. Well in mythology her brother's name is Ares pronounced like Aries the sign. I thought it was only appropriate to name him that because of the "A" name of course and the connection from the two. So his name will be Aries Orion Claborn. I love it and think it's creative. If it was going to be a girl we finally decided on Sophie but I'll name get to name a girl that because it's a boy and we are done having kids after this.

Is it a Boy or Girl?

2009-06-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is the big day, Ultrasound DAY!... Is it a boy or a girl. Everyone in my family and all of my friends think it is a boy... but my daughter is the ONLY one who thinks it's a girl. I tend to think it will be a girl because of family history but we are rooting for a little mama's boy. If someone refers to it as her little brother or a boy, she quickly corrects them and say no it's my baby sister and her name is going to be Hannah Montana. I just want to say NO it is not, if it's a girl we will probably name her Sophie (no middle name picked out yet). Wish me luck and I will post on here what it is as soon as I get home.

June Scentsy Promotion

2009-06-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Create your own fourth of July fireworks with Liberty, Scentsy's newest warmer. A star-spangled tribute to American folk art, Liberty's distressed tin star appliques are surrounded by a field of star-shaped vent holes that shine when the base is lit, highlighting the dimentional metal accents.

Liberty's hand-painted base features a dark denim blue top sponged over a lighter blue base coat. It's red-and-white striped lid with hand-painted "stitches" completes the American flag theme.

A unique blend of tropical coconut and musky patchouli with subtle green bottom notes, Coconut Palm will take you back to the beach on a hot summer after noon.

Enjoy this month’s fragrance at a 10% discount! See prices below.
Car Candle CC - CCP $2.70
Room Spray RS - CCP $7.20
Scentsy Bar SB - CCP $4.50
Scentsy Brick SK - CCP $18.00

Visit my Scentsy Biz link to the side or follow this link www.scentsy.com/2546

I feel blessed

2009-06-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

I did it.... I finally ordered my seamless paper last night. I went with the 107" x 12 yards. I ordered super white, super black, and focus gray. I thought I would go with the basic colors for now and see how it worked and maybe later order a pink and blue and some brighter vibrant colors. I should get it delivered next Monday which is also my wedding anniversary. We have been married for 7 years now and it's still great. We are expecting our 2nd baby this year and in fact will find out what it is Thursday of this week. Monday is really a good day I guess because my husband is starting his new job within his company. Although he won't be getting a raise because the company is on a hiring freeze and also a freeze for any raises until the first of the year, this is a promotion and great opportunity. He will be a part of the core team which he says is like the Navy Seals of his company. They have access to everything and when people hear you're on the core team they are impressed. They told him today that he needed to get a passport because he may have to go out of the country sometime to other parts of the company worldwide... I'm so proud of him and hope that when he can get a raise it will be a big one because some say to request at least $60,000/year which is like almost doubling his salary now. I would love to stay home and do photography all day as my dream career.

Seamless Paper

2009-06-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm taking the plunge finally and going seamless paper. I am looking to order it by tonight. What colors would you suggest? I was thinking the basics: black, white, and gray. Also what size to most of you use? I was thinking 107" because my background stand is a little longer than 9 foot. Any suggestions would be appreciated. THANKS!

Vintage Earrings Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-06-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Grosgrain has done it again with a step by step tutorial for making your own earrings. Very nifty and thrifty. They would make great gifts for anyone who's into fashion.
check it out! she's giving some away too!
Vintage Earrings Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Father's Day on a budget

2009-06-04T11:16:00.001-07:00

Father's Day is soon approaching and many of us are on a budget. Head on over to GO GRAHAM GO! and check out all the crafty and cheap ideas to give dad for this special day. I honestly love the pen/pencil holder made out of Popsicle sticks and customized. This idea is perfect for my 4 year-old daughter especially since my hubby can never find any pens when he needs them because she takes off with them and never brings them back or puts them back in the wrong place.

Cheezy joke of the day

2009-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

So I have a cute little cheezy joke for ya:

If a squirrel went to college what would his favorite subject be?

PSYCHOLOGY because he just loves NUTS!

We were driving along on the way to work and seen a couple of squirrels and casually my husband mentions the Psychology thing and I thought it was funny. He made up his own joke and was actually funny. Well he normally has his own sense of humor if you knew him.

Printing services...

2009-06-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

I took a chance this evening and chose my photo lab that will be printing my prints. I was just wondering if anyone has heard of Nations Photo Lab? It looks great and professional. They offer evaluation prints for up to 5 images to be printed for the new customer. Each image will be printed on both regular and metallic luster photo paper and each with color correction and without so I will be receiving a total of 20 8x10's to start with to see what type of printing I like better and it's not costing me anything but shipping of $7.00. They seem to be the best priced in most areas. If you don't use Nations, what lab do you use if you don't mind me asking? You can email me with info if you'd like. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Rag Curls

2009-05-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to try the rag curlers finally. I cut an old shirt into strips and rolled my little girls hair while damp and put a little mousse in it. She slept in it and we took it out this morning. Here are some pictures of my curly sue cutie Athena a few hours after we took them out.

19 weeks

2009-05-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

My pregnant belly at 19 weeks and 3 days. I couldn't hardly make it through Walmart today grocery shopping before my back started to really hurt beyond belief. I don't remember being that uncomfortable with my first. My husband kept making the joke to go get one of those electronic carts but I think he was serious because he was tired of me complaining. I told him I would leave it for the elderly who really needed it.

Mommy Monday

2009-05-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

My daughter said the cutest thing this morning in the car. I was talking to her about next Friday and told her that she would be going to our cousins house all day because her grandma who normally watches her will be going out of town. Here's kind of how it went:

Athena: I don't want to go to aunt Cindy's this morning
Me: She'll pick you up from basketball camp and Grandma will be home from the doctor soon after to pick you up
Athena: I want Grandma to take me to basketball camp
Me: (to take her mind off of today) Guess what, you get to go to Jenny's house next Friday
Athena: But I don't have basketball camp next week
Me: I know but Grandma won't be home to watch you, she has to take Grandma Fox to Texas
Athena: I want to go to Texas. I'll run there if you just show me which way to go :)

Silly kids... it's funny how they don't quite have a sense for time or distance yet.

My new Print Release....

2009-05-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Wendy Claborn PHOTOGRAPHY
Wedding, Engagement, Senior, Family, Children and Maternity

I, Wendy Claborn, of Wendy Claborn Photography hereby grant the following persons_________the release to use the images taken on the day of____________ to print or use for personal use on the internet such as posting to blogs or personal websites. I do not however, give authorization to alter or edit images in any way. Please consider this a copyright release.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via phone or email at:
PHONE: 918-839-4582
EMAIL: luckeelady@pinncom.com

Date :_______________ Photographer Signature: _______________________

PO BOX 1271 Panama, OK 74951
BLOG: http://www.wendyclaborn.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendyclaborn

So with the help of a fellow photographer friend Danielle Porter who let me look at her release, I was able to come up with one of my own. It looks much better saved because of the fonts and borders but here it is. I couldn't figure out how to save it as a picture or snap shot of screen.

Thanks again Danielle.

In need of a release form....

2009-05-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am in need of some kind of print release form one of my customers. I gave them a disc with the pictures on it and they are wanting to get some printed on their own and the place said they needed a release signed by the photographer. I have searched online for a sample one and the only thing I can find are model releases. I mean I could always just type up something generic saying it is okay for the customer to print their images from the shoot wherever they want and sign it but I want it to look professional.

Is anyone willing to help out this newby photographer and maybe email me the basics or even a copy of theirs so I could change it up to make it my own? My email is luckeelady@pinncom.com if anyone is willing....

Thanks a bunch if so!

Hubby's Birthday

2009-05-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today is my hubby's birthday and my daughter did something a little special for him. We plan on making him orange and strawberry cupcakes today and making mixed ones too. I took this picture of her this morning and we put it on the front of the card we made in Publisher. Isn't she a cutie!

My nephews graduation

2009-05-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last night my nephew graduated from high school. Here's a few pics from after the ceremony of him and his mom. I got almost half of his girlfriends face in the last one but I wasn't even intending on doing that. They are so on and off I never know when they're together. I guess they were together last night. I am so proud of him. He's a big football star but he didn't know until last minute if he was even going to graduate. Once he met her his priorities totally changed and even though she has broke his heart several time he still fails to listen to us and do what's right.

18 weeks

2009-05-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone is definitely noticing my belly now. I just joke and says it's just a gut. But really I'm almost half way done. Although I've been feeling the baby since about 13 1/2 weeks on and off, I can't wait to start feeling it regularly and stronger kicking or as I call it baby karate. Also I can't wait till June 11th when I find out what it is and I can quit guessing or calling it he or she. My daughter is so assured its her baby sister. But we'll see.

Pregnancy Pizza

2009-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Since I have been pregnant I have had an extreme craving for jalapenos. I want them on my cheese fries when we go out, on my beans and potatoes, and of course on my pizza. My husband made fun of me this evening when we went to order pizza for dinner tonight and I told them I wanted mushrooms, pineapples, and jalapenos. He said that's just gross... but of course the lady at the pizza place just laughed when I ordered and told her I was pregnant. Of course she understood because she's due at the same time as I am.

Does anyone else crave jalapenos? If not what do you crave during your pregnancy?

My mother-in-law keeps telling me it's going to be a boy because I'm craving the spicey things. That's just an old wives tale but I hope it's right because we're wanting a little boy. I want a little boy who's going to be a mama's boy because my sweet little girl is no longer sweet to me, in fact she'd rather be around her grandma all the time than to be with me. She told me yesterday when I went to her awards ceremony for her class "mom I told you not to come" and was in a bad mood all after that. She was perky and dancing with the class and all before she seen that I was in her classroom. What's a mom to do?

My favorite things!

2009-05-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Head on over to
this blog.... They are giving away a few of my favorite things. Very cute stuff. All you have to do is follower the blog, post a comment about what 3 of YOUR favorite things are and then post about the giveaway on your blog.

Here's what I put my 3 favorite things were:
Avon's beaded necklaces... I have all 4 colors: maroon, purple, navy and green.
Mineral powder make-up by Avon of course

And my Twilight Movie...

What's yours...?

I had a lot of food in mind, but food is a necessity anyways!

Fire-engine Red

2009-05-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just want to start off by saying that I feel like a lobster... My daughter had a birthday party to go to yesterday and it was loads of fun for her jumping on the bounce around and blowing bubbles, but us parents just sat out in the lawnchairs in the sun for 2 hours. I didn't feel any pain or burn while I was there but once I got in some shade and home, the burn was on. I am normally white as a ghost and have olive complexion so I'm sure that help contribute to my lobster-like sunburn. You can see the distinct line as my upper thigh is white as a sheet of paper and my lower thigh down is fire-engine red. Even my feet are burned and you can see my flip-flop shape.

What was I thinking? I guess I wasn't, we don't own sunscreen anymore because we don't have a pool and we never go to the lake or anywhere that requires it. Sleeping last night was the worst. If I could of slept on my back it would of made it easier because they really wouldn't have to touch much... but with the pregnancy, that is a no-no because it compresses the aorta and doesn't give you or the baby much blood flow, hence less O2. So I had to alternate from side to side because I get so stuffy I have to turn to relieve some of it and help me breathe. Once I was actually bearably comfy, I realized I couldn't breathe and once again the pain emerged when I had to switch sides again. The worst part is when the 2 hot legs touched each other. It is so hard to keep my thunder thighs from touching :) When I got up in the morning, I was in for another surprise. I couldn't hardly walk. My legs were so stiff and hurting down deep it actually felt like it burnt my muscles. As much as I wanted to call in from work, I pushed myself to not only get myself ready but to do the same for my daughter who is always slacking in the morning.

Do you remember what it is like to shower or bathe with a sunburn? It's HELL! My hubby and I shower together every morning to not only save water but to save time. I knew that couldn't happen this morning because he takes HOT HOT showers. Just thinking about it makes me hurt, OUCH! So I took a lonely shower last night and had it lukewarm or cooler. It was still too warm for my burns but too cold to almost stand it. The worst thing about taking a shower the night before is my hair is wild in the morning. That is another obstacle I had to tackle this morning, my wild short mane. Took me longer than usual.

I just want to say one last thing to everyone... don't be foolish like me, USE SUNSCREEN!

Queesy morning...

2009-05-15T06:28:00.001-07:00

I was out of commission all day yesterday due to a sick child. I didn't even go to work. Evidently she has something viral that has been going around. She came home from school on Wednesday emotional and with a fever. She started throwing up in the middle of the night and spiked a fever of 103.4 which was hard to get down. Needless to say she proceeded to keep throwing up yesterday and even spiked a fever higher than that of 103.8 When I called the doctors office yesterday morning they said something viral has been going around and there was no need to bring her in. Just to give her some gatorade G2 since it has less sugar and they would call her in a prescription for vomiting (Zofran). The Zofran definitely helped and she never threw up after that. She has had a slight fever last night but it cleared up on it's own. I still kept her out of school today so she wouldn't risk getting any of the other kids sick... even though one of them evidently came to school and got her sick.

I just want to say I'm not feeling too well myself this morning. I'm sitting here at work waiting to leave for my OB appt. at 9 and I'm feeling a little queesy myself. I hope I don't get what she had.

MY NEW BLOG

2009-05-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning and had a great surprise waiting for me... My new blog design is finally done and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I just want to say thanks to Sweet Cheeky Designs for giving me a blog make-over and being so very patient with me and my crazy life and undecidedness.... the finished product was so worth the wait if I say so myself.

If you want a new blog look check out Traci @ Sweet Cheeky Designs. She will be more than willing to arrange that. I also have her button to the side of the blog. Feel free to check her out anytime.

Monday Morning Madness

2009-05-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my two cents regarding my Monday Morning Madness... Just a few funny things that I seen this morning.

1. On my way to work I found myself snickering like a immature teenager... The truck next to me said HOLMES ERECTION Inc. I couldn't help but find that funny. Couldn't they somehow re-word Erection so it doesn't sound so perverted.

2. The next I was browsing Yahoo and it was talking about the Best and Worst paying jobs in US... #12 best paying jobs is for Psychiatrists and the best paid ones are in Nevada... I can only guess why. There are so many people living in or around Sin City Las Vegas that they go in debt or their husbands are cheating with hookers... I mean it is legal there after all. Who wouldn't be depressed and seeking medical help with all that going on?

Just my 2 cents...

Check out my new tattoo

2009-05-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention what I had to do today to make my daughter happy... She is a tattoo junkie, every couple of days she wants us to put a new washable tattoo on. Well she wanted both of us to have one today. I decided to put it on my belly as you can see. That probably wasn't the best idea though because it was all intact as I was sitting but once I stood up I guess my belly skin stretched to accomidate and now it has cracks all through it. The things mommys will do for their kids :)

My Mother's Day...

2009-05-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

These top two pictures are from today... MOTHER'S DAY! Me and my baby girl... She actually acts like she loves me for once.... usually she is always saying she's mad at me and I can't come to her birthday party... She's definitely my drama queen.

This picture is me and my self portrait in the bathroom yesterday... I'm 16 weeks now. I really have a belly though, I was the same way with my daughter too... By 12 weeks I was showing and 16 weeks I really popped out. I know this is the first picture I have posted and I will continue to keep up with taking them and posting them. I try to take one every week to monitor my growth and document my pregnancy. I have been taking them every week until now but I always looked bad in the pictures, no make up, hair a mess... you know weekend look!

HOPE EVERYONE ELSE'S MOTHER'S DAY WENT AS GOOD AS MINE... we ate at Chili's and then went bowling and played some games...

Blessed

2009-05-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

I am so excited today... Today seems to be full of good news. First of all, I got an email from Traci at Sweet Cheeky Designs who was going to design my blog... I won a free blog design awhile back. She stayed up working on it last night and then sent me the test site... it's great and it suits me to a T... I can't wait to share it with everyone.

I then checked my Scentsy workstation and it shows that I am now a lead consultant. This means thanks to my downline meeting our group quota I will finally make a percentage off of their orders. This is really a great business... not only do I sell Great products and make alot off my sales, I can make a percentage too off my downline. I feel truely blessed at this moment with my business and my growing family.

Foot in Mouth!

2009-05-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stuck your foot in your mouth and of course you couldn't take it back? I seen a friend of mine yesterday on campus getting ready to take one of her finals... I sent her a message later asking how she did and told her that I was sorry we didn't get to talk any more than that since we were both busy. You see she's our karaoke buddy and actually runs it at one of the bars. So I only felt OK telling her that I probably wouldn't see her around for awhile since I was preggo and didn't need to go to the bar and karaoke but that I'd still be playing Sing Star on Playstation. (I wasn't sure if she even knew I was pregnant to begin with)

I thought that was pretty casual conversation considering I haven't seen her in awhile. But when I seen her friend status it said something about how insensitive people are and something about rubbing it in. Right then I remembered that I heard she was pregnant at the same time as me and she miscarried a few months ago.... I felt horrible and wish I could take it back but I cannot. I didn't mean for her to feel like I was rubbing my pregnancy in her face or anything. I know some people have a hard time even looking at someone who is pregnant after an event like that. I can't say that I know how she feels or anyone else for that matter because luckily I have never been there (knock on wood, we're not out of the woods yet). I guess she's still having a hard time with it and I apologize for making it any worse.

I'm SUSAN!

2009-05-06T14:36:00.001-07:00

Which Desperate Housewife are you? Take the Quiz!

I'm Susan!

Some people are nice deep down, but your niceness sits right on the surface, apparent to all. You're down-to-earth and approachable, with a thoughtful side that makes you the moral centre of your own little Wisteria Lane. Like Susan, you notice what's going on with the people around you and are concerned about their well-being. That said, you're not some doe-eyed pushover: you're savvy to people who aren't telling the truth and you've got a scheme or two up your sleeve when you need to be sneaky.

Probably your biggest fault is that you allow your insecurities to chip away at your self worth. Everybody's had failed relationships, made bad judgements and been locked out of their home completely naked (well, maybe not that last one). It's not how hard you fall that's important; it's how you keep getting back up.

TUESDAY

2009-05-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

We all know that Tuesdays aren't that great... WEEKENDS are ALWAYS better, unless you work.

I have a list of things to do today, let's see which ones are actually fun:

WORK-not fun

Upload music to my MP3 player- not fun at all (my computer is a pain in the ass when it comes to this)

Make dinner- Not fun unless you have a food fight, but then not fun when you have to clean it up

Meet Scentsy customer to give her testers to have a book party- Fun once I get the money and orders :)

Read with my daughter (HOMEWORK)- FUN, I enjoy it because she's 4 and so smart....

Watch recorded Reality TV shows- FUN, I'm such a cheesy reality junky :)

Cuddle and Love on Hubby- FUN FUN FUN because we all know Tuesdays are really tie you up Tuesdays... j/k

Go to sleep- FUN because I hope to be dreaming of Edward my love... I love Twilight!

FREE KFC

2009-05-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

visit this link www.dealsea.com From there KFC should be the first one... click on it and it will take you to a place to print the coupon but first you will need to install their coupon printer if you haven't already.

You get a FREE KFC grilled chicken meal... YUMMY! We've been wanting to try it for awhile. Nows our opportunity and even better is it's free as long as you print the coupon sometime today and use it between now and the 19th.

Good luck.

I think I can!

2009-05-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking.... my husband is always ragging on me for starting new tasks and never finishing them. I'm always thinking of new business ventures and what I could make and so on. But I realized that it wasn't that I was just starting new things and leaving them unfinished, I was just testing myself to see if I could do it. I like to think up new things and challenge myself to do it. I think the photography thing has lasted quite a long time but I just never get into it fully like I want to because I don't have the time. I'm still just learning honestly. But I do know that I'm just as good as some people already out there charging an arm and a leg. It's fun to me and I think that is why I continue to still do it. It's a passion for me.

Some of the other tasks that I've started are things like making tutus. I made my first to see if I could do it and have made only one other and that was for a birthday present. I went out a spent a lil money when the tulle was on sale and I think if you can make them for gifts and them look good and you save money at the same time then you're doing good. I'd like to be able to create and sew more things to save money and develop a cute little style for my daughter but I'm just not a seamstress, but I want to be. Maybe my wonderful aunt will teach me some of what she knows. She honestly could make a living at it and I'd like to be able to do something like that too. Make cute trendy clothes and products and sell them online. I may make that my next task. Right now it's gardening. Our neighbor gave us some flower bulbs that he pulled from his own house and had a ton of lillies. I've never had a green thumb so I thought I'd take a crack at it and got my hoe and dug up the weeds and grass and made me a little flower bed to see if they would even stay alive or bloom later. I bought some morning glory and sweet pea seeds at Wal-mart last night and intend to plant them once the continuous rain stops. I also have had some vials of wild flower seeds for some time that I've been wanting to do some thing with. Let's see how it turns out.

You see it's not that I'm going overboard with new tasks and leaving them unfinished, I just want to be able to see if I can even do it. I've said I don't know how to do certain things for so long that I want that to change. I'm giving it a-go!

Boy or Girl you say?

2009-05-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have never heard of such a thing until the other day. You can now pee in a cup it will tell you whether you are having a boy or a girl... hmmm wonder how well it really works even though they say it's 90% accurate. Knowing my luck I'd always be part of the 10% who it didn't work right for. Of course you have to be at least 10 weeks pregnant for it to tell.

My mother in law first told me about this when her 18 year old grandson's girlfriend (well on and off and we are not sure who's baby it even is) of 16 years of age said she bought this test called ova 90% accurate or something like that from Walgreens and it told her it was a girl. She is only about 12 weeks pregnant and is ditzy and bleach blonde so I of course was like whatever. I said she probably bought an ovulation test (by the name of it) and it came out positive and that's why she thought it was a girl. By the way I am still not totally convinced she is even pregnant anyway because the last time she said she was she never went to the doctor officially and then she ended up saying she wasn't pregnant and that her body was just confused and that is why it thought it was... She has yet to go to the doctor again this time but she claims to already have an ultrasound... ANYWAYS! So I looked on the Walgreens website and sure enough I found a test like it but with a different name.

I'm sure there are tons of people who are willing to pay the 29.99 just to find out ahead of time when they could just wait another month or two. But then again even the ultrasounds are totally accurate and your little boy you expected could come out as girly as can be (damn that umbilical cord for fooling us into thinking it was a winky)! Or sometimes your little one is just so shy anyway that it doesn't want to flaunt it's parts to the world. I think I'll just wait... June 11th is the scheduled ultrasound day to find out. YIPPEE!

Germs be gone!

2009-05-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

When we were at Wal-mart yesterday I made sure to get a bottle of hand sanitizer and a tub of Clorox wipes... I might sound like I'm overreacting but better to be safe than sorry. I took some wipes when I got to work and clean my keyboard, table, light switches and door knob and I went to the workroom/copyroom and did the same, wiped down the doorknob, lightswitches and copier surface and buttons. 30+ people use the copier everyday and knowing my luck one of them would end up with the stupid swine flu. Can I even still call it that? I know they were going to change the name of it because so many people were still thinking you could get it by eating pork and that's not true. In fact Egypt is going out of their way and slaughter every pig in the country... overboard! In fact just doing that makes more people come in contact with the pigs since they are slaughtering them when the pig farmers usually are the only ones in contact with them when they're alive...

Anyways sorry about my rant, I wish it would all go away so I wouldn't have to worry. Pregnant women are that much more at risk for getting it and getting complications. Stay away sick people and don't sneeze or cough on me or else my hormones will start to roar!

Pigs Fly

2009-04-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

You know there have been times when I've said outrageous things and the response was always "WHEN PIGS FLY" well.... guess what? It's happening, SWINE FLU!

LAST MINUTE MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS

2009-04-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Give the Gift of Scentsy for Mother's Day

Scentsy fragrances and warmers make versatile gifts –especially for occasions such as Mother’s Day! No matter what the moms on your Mother’s Day shopping list are interested in, you can find the perfect Scentsy product to express your love and appreciation.Whether you give a beautifully designed Scentsy Warmer and Scentsy Bar, opt for a Room Spray or Car Candle, or create a package that includes one of each, there is a fragrance that perfectly suits everyone on your list!

For the woman who loves spending time in the kitchen, try fragrances from our Bakery category. Sugar Cookie, Sticky Cinnamon Bun or Blueberry Cheesecake are warm and “yummy” fragrances. Package a Scentsy Bar, Room Spray or Car Candle with monogrammed recipe cards or a subscription to a cooking magazine.

For the hopeless romantic, select sophisticated Twilight, sweet and fruity Sugar or classic Lush Gardenia. Wrap your selection with a satin bow along with the latest romantic comedy movie or paperback bestseller.

For the naturalist on your shopping list, the green scent of Meadow Pear, herbal French Lavender or cool and refreshing Cucumber Lime are perfect fragrances. Wrapped in handmade paper with a gift card to the local garden center, you are ready to give the perfect gift!

TO ENSURE YOUR DELIVERY OF THESE MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS BY THIS SPECIAL DAY, PLEASE PLACE ORDER BY APRIL 30TH.
visit my website today at www.scentsy.com/2546 to order.

Vintage dress up!

2009-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

We went to a friends house this weekend and Athena played dress up with another little girl. Here are some of the shots I got of her. I did a little editing to make it look vintage and antique looking. What do you think?

I used some of the free actions that I downloaded at CoffeeShop

Priceless

2009-04-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

A little boy got on the bus, sat next to a man reading a book, and noticed he had his collar on backwards. The little boy asked why he wore his collar backwards. The man, who was a priest, said, 'I am a Father.' The little boy replied, 'My Daddy doesn't wear his collar like that.' The priest looked up from his book and answered, ''I am the Father of many.' The boy said, ''My Dad has 4 boys, 4 girls and two grandchildren and he doesn't wear his collar that way!' The priest, getting impatient, said... 'I am the Father of hundreds', and went back to reading his book.. The little boy sat quietly thinking for a while, then leaned over and said, Maybe you should wear a condom, and put your pants on backwards instead of your collar.'

Cravings

2009-04-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

What have your cravings been with your pregnancies? At this moment in time I want Chinese food constantly although I can only handle it about once a week and my husband will only eat it about once a year or so. I just had to go get Chinese to go from our Lin's Garden in town. I like them the best because they have lemon chicken.... YUMMY! The last time I was pregnant I craved steak (I'm normally not a steak eater), cantaloupe, and Pepsi or any caffeinated beverage (although i tried to resist as much as possible, I had to give in every now and then). I admit I am drinking a Dr. Pepper at the moment but it just sounded so good with my Chinese food :) That reminds me I have a cantaloupe in the fridge that is in need of a good cuttin' so I can eat it!

I just want to say when I searched for pictures of Chinese food this is one of the pictures that came up. Shame on them... who would really do that anyway? Those puppies are so cute. Besides I heard more jokes about it being cats... Get it right if you're going to be offensive!

TwiCon

2009-04-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have become a extreme Twilight fan thus loving the actors/actresses in everything else they do. I so wish I could go to the TwiCon convention in Dallas on the dates of July 30-August 2 in Dallas, TX. Most of the cast will be there minus Edward and Bella but there is so much more.... I wish I could just go to the Volturi Masque Ball the one evening and get tickets to the 100 Monkeys show. They go on sale May 1st but I'm not sure where. I guess they will be through the convention. 100 Monkeys if you haven't already heard consists of Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) and a few of his actor/music friends that he lives with. They are a cool and funny band. I just want to be able to experience them in person.

I did notice though that on his page they will be playing at a place called Hal Samplers Gallery on May 30th in Dallas, TX. The admission is free but I don't know what kind of show it will be considering it is in a gallery. Who cares I may try to go anyway pregnant and all. I'm sure there won't be smoke since it is a gallery, at least not like a bar.

I FELT IT!

2009-04-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

So here am I this evening sitting in the chair and downloading some free photoshop actions and templates from CoffeeShop's blog and I distinctly felt the baby move or should I say more like kick me a few times. I am only 13 weeks and 5 days but I could definitely tell it was it. This is my second pregnancy and all and I have heard that you feel it much earlier with your 2nd and subsequent pregnancies but I never thought it would be this early. Of course I did show early and have a good lil belly. I just want to say that I know it's not gas :)

What's the earliest that everyone has felt their 2nd or even 3rd babies move during pregnancy?

Happy Secretaries Day!

2009-04-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

I just want to say to all my fellow administrative professionals.... Happy Secretaries Day, well actually it's called Administrative Professionals Day. Same thing, we do the same job right. We're all under paid and bust our butts to make sure everything in the Office or business is under control. We clean up the messes that everyone else makes.

Our Dean of our college at the University took our secretaries out and so did the other Dean. We met at the Marketplace and had a YUMMY lunch! Out of all the 10 people at our table, 8 secretaries and 2 Deans, 8 of them had salads. I of course ordered real food. Chicken tenders, baked potato, and of course a huge side salad came with it. Our Dean order some kind of Chicken sandwich. Me, I'm a meat, bread, and potato kind of gal. I just can't settle for a measley salad. Well I say measley and the plate is about the size of a small tire... no exageration.

Hope everyone had a great day....

FUNNY!

2009-04-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

ONLY A MAN WOULD ATTEMPT THIS

Pocket Tazer Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Tazer for their anniversary submitted this:
Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse- sized tazer. The effects of the tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety......??
WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.
AWESOME!!!
Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.
Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat.. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?
So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.
All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!' What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.. ..?
I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, 'don't do it dipshit,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . ..
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE HELL!!!
I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.
Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a tazer, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative?
IT HURT LIKE HELL!!!
A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling.
Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my nuts and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!
P.S.. My wife, can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!
If you think education is difficult, try being stupid !!!

Thanks Tanya for this one!

My 2 Cents!

2009-04-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my new object of affection. Everyone has been drooling over Kristen Steward (BELLA) and Robert Pattinson (EDWARD), and have totally overlooked Jackson Rathbone (JASPER). He is just as hot and has a lot going for him. He actually is in a band called 100 Monkeys and they really are pretty good. If they were to come around here anywhere close believe me I would be there. I admit I was in awe over Robert and still am but I think Jackson needs some recognition and I am willing to give that to him :) plus I hear Robert is being a player and trying to date both girls from Twilight Kristen and Nikki Reed (Rosalie). I think they both know and are still vying for him... I guess it's their bad if things go awry. This is just my opinion on the whole bit.

Twilight Scandal!

2009-04-20T06:16:00.001-07:00

So I'm on my way to work this morning and I hear some disturbing news on the radio. I think everyone knows by now that I am a big Twilight fan and to hear what I did make me now only mad but sick. They said that they have put off making NEW MOON because someone is claiming that Stephenie Meyer ripped off their idea from one of the short stories she wrote in college so now they are going to court over it. I guess this Heidi girl who is claiming this was Stephenie's roommate in college. How could she claim something like this. Stephenie is one talented mama and has proved herself far beyond. I think Heidi is just jealous that Stephenie is famous now and she isn't. How could people stoop so low. Does anyone out there really think that Stephenie really ripped her off? Because I don't! I've been searching online for this info and cannot find anything... has anyone else heard this?

Finally done!

2009-04-18T11:30:00.001-07:00

So I finally finished editing all my photos from the Easter shoot last weekend. I was pretty satisfied with them and am hoping the family will be too. The only thing I wasn't happy about was that I didn't get too many good ones with ALL 4 KIDS together. That was rather difficult and something I will have to work on. There was never a time when they all looked at the camera at the same time hardly. Here are a few of my favs. By the way... this is my first paid shoot so I'm happy about that and I'll be saving the money for a zoom lens.

PREGNANCY

2009-04-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

I am 13 weeks exactly today. I'm a third of the way to the end of my pregnancy and the beginning of motherhood once again. I'm so excited. I went to my OB appointment on Wednesday and everything went good. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat with the doppler and it sounded strong as ever. I talked to the Doc a little bit and had some questions, in particular about the C-section. I mentioned to her that the nurse-practitioner told me it would be automatic for them to schedule me to do another C-section a week before my due date since I have already had one. I asked my doc if they didn't do VBAC's and she said that it wasn't that she was against them but it currently wasn't possible because they don't have 24 hour anestesia at the hospital where I will be delivering, and that is one of the requirements for them to have. She did however say that the anestesia department was making some changes and who knows, they may have that available before I deliver. If that were to happen she would let me know and we would discuss it more in depth. That is a little reassuring to one day have the option maybe. Anyways I will post some belly pics soon as I have been making my hubby take pictures just about everyweek of my pregnancy to see how I'm progressing, at least when we remember. Today is the day to take week 13 photo.

just playin' around

2009-04-16T19:56:00.001-07:00

So I have finally got around to start editing some of the Easter pictures I took Saturday. I have been procrastinating because we finished up our taxes and met our tax guy Tuesday. I'm just glad it's over now for about another year at least. Anyways... I have been trying out some new actions and I even figured out how to make a watermark which is not exactly what I wanted but it will do for now.

This little girl and all her cousins were just so adorable, I can't wait to post more as I get them done.

At the Lake...

2009-04-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

My father-in-law is camped out at the lake for a few weeks so we thought that we would pay him a visit because my daughter has been missing him like crazy. I snapped a few pics of my baby girl in her outdoor element.

At the Park...

2009-04-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

So today I did my first paid shoot. I didn't charge them much since it was a friend that I work with and went to school with but I had to charge him enough to pay for my gas into town and my time. I thought $30 was great for a session fee and putting it either on a disc or flash drive for them to take to print whereever they please. I'm just getting started and really need to gain the experience before I can charge what I really want or need to be charging. I know a lot of photographers charge a lot more for their session fees and charge even more for the discs. I did have a blast taking pictures of 4 little kids and even the ducks at the park. The funky haired duck was my fav. I should have pics of today's Easter shoot up soon but for now here is the silly duck.

That's Hot!

2009-04-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

Twilight Movie and New Moon the Movie

NOW THAT'S HOT!

My buttons...

2009-04-06T06:38:00.001-07:00

So I finally finished eclipse yesterday and started in on breaking dawn yesterday.... Of course it started out great. I did see my 12 year old niece yesterday and she tried to ruin it for me by telling me some stuff but it made me that much more anxious actually to get to that point. It's one thing for someone to accidentally blurt something out but she intentionally tried to ruin it for me knowing I just started reading it. I know I was a teenage girl once but I don't remember being so bratty and rude to my elders just so I would look like I knew what I was talking about. Don't get me wrong I love her to death but she intentionally tried to push my buttons yesterday.

For example: my sister-in-law was talking about my long haired chihuahua and mentioned how she was ugly, and I said Hey please don't say that U word around Athena (my 4 year-old). I told her she had once told me I was ugly and she didn't know how that would hurt someones feelings and I didn't want her to go around saying that to other people. Along with Stupid, I can't stand for her to say that so I try to warn everyone not to say that around her even though I know it will slip. It's okay if it's by accident but my niece purposefully a few seconds after I warned her mom, looked my daughter in the face and said Athena your dog's UGLY! That set me off. She likes to push my buttons and it's easier when I'm pregnant and my hormones are so high and I'm moody.

ECLIPSE

2009-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

I finished NEW MOON today after only a day and a half... I started in on ECLIPSE this afternoon and should be reading it tonight because it is good. I havn't been going to be until about midnight every night.... I'm telling you it's an addiction. So much that I'm thinking of naming my child Edward if it's a boy... :) not sure if everyone else will like it though. I'll let you know when I finish the 3rd and start on the last... What am I going to do when I'm done? I guess I'll go on to another series but it will never be the same.

I had a class today at work and the person teaching it said that she started reading the first book and couldn't finish it because she said "THAT GIRL (BELLA) IS SO ANNOYING" she said she was whining and she couldn't take it.... I don't agree. Although she is clutsy and needy of protection I don't feel she's whiny. I feel for her and her distress and I sometimes feel I can relate. Is that crazy?