February 28, 2011

what are words...

have you been watching american idol. did you fall in love with chris medina.
did you cry when steven tyler kissed chris's fiance and whispered in her ear.
did you cry when he got cut. did you cry with jennifer when she had to deliver the news to him.
did you see chris on jay leno friday night. or this morning on regis and kelly.
did you know chris already has a single out on itunes.
i hope you love him and his story as much as i do.
here he is
*

February 27, 2011

Oh the love of sweaters.....

Let me just say that the overwhelming love to my sweater in the previous post blew me away. I'm traveling at the moment and I promise to have sweater information for all of you later this week. Jenny sells her sweaters in the same store I sell my cards and postcards in, but I believe that she does have a website, too.... and even takes custom orders based on your body measurements and favorite colors. I'll even ask her if she'll do a give-away on my blog......she's really sweet....I bet she will.

And of course if she says yes, a sweater won't be enough.....I'll even throw In some of my cards, too !!

Now wish me luck that my two hour delay doesn't turn into a cancelled flight all together......

February 25, 2011

i got tired and bored....

so i ran to the local antique shop for something to do
and
to gain a bit of inspiration
that always seems to dissolve during the month of february








not my feet
or my boots
but
i would have bought them in a heartbeat if i wore a size 5


this is my favorite new sweater
created by a local artist who takes old sweaters
cuts them up and wha-la
makes new ones
~
i love her talent

"not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted"
{ a quote by probably someone famous}
*
i hope all of you and your loved ones
have the best weekend ever
{ps....thanks mom and dad}

February 24, 2011

and you thought i was the only dork living here....

earlier this week
we had a storm that went from
rain to freezing rain to thunder to snowflakes the size of duck feathers to sleet to more snow
~
when the sky really opened up
looking like a feather pillow fight was taking place
up on our roof
my hubby said
"i'm running out and catching those flakes on my tongue"
i said
"you dork"

you didn't think i wouldn't grab my camera
did you
~
i stood inside
in my jammies
shooting the above said dork while he acted five
while i laughed out loud
i decided i didn't want him to have all the fun
so
i quickly grabbed my
"doesn't this make me look like a lumberjack"
hat
and
ran outside while he ran inside
only
to discover that the huge flakes had instantly turned to sleet
and
i was now being pelted to death
so i made an ice ball
and
threw it at my hubby
praying that i wouldn't break the window
~
it was a good sunday
at the house of dorks
*

February 23, 2011

i think you're my favorite.....


have you ever noticed
that every once in awhile
a photo you've taken
quietly tiptoes into your heart and speaks to you
~
well
for some reason
this photo did more than speak to me
it actually took me into its arms
and
whispered "sweet somethings" in my ear
and
then softly
i whispered back
"you're my favorite"
~
well
with all the photos i take
at least for today
this one is my favorite
and
sometimes
to be somebody's favorite
if even just for a day
feels really good
*
as soon as the printers are done
this photo will be a postcard and a greeting card
saying
"sometimes to be somebody's favorite if even just for a day feels really good"



February 21, 2011

does this make me look fat.....


when old feels better...

this isn't really a tutorial. but i wanted to share something with you.
~
the hubby and i went out for a little drive yesterday and as beautiful as the sky was and as great as the barn was that caught my eye. it left me empty. or at least wanting more.
~
what i really wanted
was for this photo to look old enough to be held in arthritic hands
while a story of what happened in this barn years ago
was shared with me.
in order to do that
changes had to made
~
i felt i had to get rid of the dirt pile in the lower front right hand corner
{only because it bugged me}
and
the sign in the dried prairie grass.
then the "will call sheriff" sign on the door
{which made me laugh}
felt out of place. so i got rid of that.
there was also a large square cement box on the bottom right of the barn
that my eyes kept going to. so i made that disappear too.
~
after all of those things were cloned over. i was ready to play.
so with a few "old" colors added and an aged texture
the photo became what i had envisioned in the first place.
*
i'm kind of thinking about doing something like
"make it pretty" mondays in march
where all of you can join me on mondays and we can share what we did to a photo
to make it better. to change it. to make it pretty.
what do you think
?

February 18, 2011

girls just want to have fun....

most of our snow is gone. really. it is.
now granted. what's been left behind is less than pretty.
but i can see grass. unfortunately that means i can also see all the dog poop that's been hidden for a few months. but i'll take it.
grass and dog poop trump snow any day in my book.
~
so with winter melting and the excitement of spring just around the corner
i just had to make a new banner. it makes me smile. it's fun and silly.
and
sometimes that's all i really want. fun and silly.
~
okay. i'd also like some new furniture for our family room. oh and some new pots and pans would be fabulous. of course that new bedding i've had my eye on from anthropologie would be amazing. but really. who needs that stuff when you've got fun and silly.
~
hmmm
maybe fun and silly is a bit overrated when i've got mall on the brain
(*)>
{ }
^^
happy weekend everyone





February 17, 2011

when things change...

the air is warmer. the sky on tuesday was a new shade of blue grey that i want to name like a paint color in the hardware store.
maybe i'll call it ~just a tease~ and paint my studio with it.
~
his laundry is done. it's been months since the tiny room off the kitchen that makes the most noise has smelled like him. but when he asked me so sweetly in his "where did my teenager go" deep voice if i could help him out after he worked a 12 hour day. i caved.
~
the fog is thick today. enough to close some of the country schools. i think i better plan on the hubby picking up take-out tonight on his way home.
obviously it's too dangerous for me to go to the grocery store.
*
happy thursday. do you have a paint color name for your day. tell me what it is.

February 16, 2011

starting over, starting today...

one day
a long time from now
you'll cease to care anymore about whom you please
or
what anybody says about you
~
that's when you'll do your best work
j.d. salinger
::
i couldn't help but feel a little pinch when i first read this quote. when i turned 40 i bragged about not giving a damn anymore about what others say or think about me. that it was time for me to do anything i wanted without feeling hurt if someone else questioned it or couldn't understand it. and somedays that's exactly how it is.
but
every so often there's still that self doubt rearing it's ugly head
~
did i do something wrong. did i say something wrong. did i write something wrong.
are my ideas that spew out of my mouth daily
just crazy talk. do i talk too much. do i not pay enough attention to the things i should.
am i selfish. and if i am is that bad.
do i not listen enough. am i too controlling. and if i am is that wrong.
~
and
then throw in my photography. where i question the photos that didn't sell in the shop i had them in. where i wonder if i really have any talent at all when i compare myself to other photographer bloggers. should i even call myself a photographer when i seem to choke on that word so easily when someone asks me what i do.
~
why is it that we. we as in women. seem to do this self questioning. self doubting. so easily.
why do we care so much about what others think of us.
~
well. i'm tired of it.
and
after reading the words above and letting them sink heavily into my heart
well
all i know is that i don't want to wait a long time to do my best work. i want to do it now.
~
kind of exciting when you think about it. isn't it.
care to join me
::

February 15, 2011

just an ordinary day...

our air is strangely warm and the sun has been amazing
~
the melting has begun
but
only as a tease. we know winter is still technically here. but i'm not complaining. instead i'm savoring it. i even went for a walk in the park yesterday.
have i ever told you that i hate treadmills with a passion. well i do.
a woman's place, by barbara delinsky
the dive from clausen's pier, by ann packer
look again, by lisa scottoline
i'm so happy for you, by lucinda rosenfeld
and
beyond the waves, by elizabeth marek
~
these are the books that have captured my attention so far this winter. if i read 5 pages in a book and it doesn't suck me in. then it's not a book for me and it quickly goes back on the shelf.
obviously all of these books sucked me in. immediately.
i have a hard time recommending books to other people though. books and movies. i mean just because i loved it doesn't mean you will. but if you happen to be in a bookstore wandering around aimlessly this weekend, you might want to have my list handy. just in case.
in the afternoons i have been watching "the talk" which i had completely laughed at when it was first advertised. i have to say. for the most part. i like it.
~
is anyone besides me watching the bachelor. it's not that i love this show. it's the fact that it's a train wreck that keeps me interested.
and
the whole photo shoot with the bikinis last night. sheesh. but hey. at least michelle is finally gone. i think with all the therapy brad's gotten he's finally wising up.
so what do think.
is it going to be emily in the end. can you believe she's only 24.
or will it be chantal the funeral director.
~
have i mentioned lately that i can't wait for summer
*


February 14, 2011

i look for hearts everywhere....

so how lucky
am i that this one has been with me for 30 years
~
to say he's my world isn't saying enough. to love him more than i do is impossible.
to celebrate him just today isn't right. i try to do that all year long.
now granted
some days aren't perfect. i mean really. nobody can be together as long as we have and say that marriage isn't a challenge. because it is. or at least it can be sometimes.
and
what's wrong with that. a hurdle to jump every now and then keeps us on our toes.
and
honestly. i can't imagine my life any other way.

sometimes when i can't find hearts. i draw them. or make them.
and
most days i have a helper
who leaves tiny paw prints behind
to make sure i don't ever forget her
do you look for hearts
everywhere
too
~
oh i hope you do
~
happy valentine's day to all of my fellow bloggers
who inspire me everyday
with
laughter and wisdom
passion and sincerity
and
most of all
a desire
to continue doing what i LOVE to do
*



February 11, 2011

this could be me....

when i see the ocean. a feeling comes over me that's hard to explain. so when i saw this little girl. i had to laugh. somehow. magically. she made my feelings come alive.
~
first she pointed at the water. and then quickly, not wanting to take her eyes off the brilliant shades of turquoise, made sure her loved ones were watching the waves with her.
when she knew they were
and
that she didn't have to worry about a thing.
she just stood there. frozen in place. awestruck. and soaked it all in.
and
when the turquoise waves danced wildly
taking deep breaths while they crept closer to her
~
she applauded them
~
funny. i do that too.
but
in an adult kind of way
where the applause is only heard in my mind
~
next time
i'll be clapping out loud
just like her
~
*
sandy if you're reading this. this little girl looked just like alexandra did at that age.

February 10, 2011

please please pretty please....

can we talk about blogs and blogging
without hurting the feelings of anyone
~
last month i posted the information at the bottom of today's post. thanks kate.
it's so easy and wonderful and makes blogging so much more fun. often when someone leaves me a comment i immediately have something i want to say back to you. it might be a simple "thank you" or "i'm so glad my photos brightened your day" but if you don't do what's in the message below, more than likely you won't hear back from me. if i can reply to you immediately, then usually we become friends because all of a sudden we're sending emails back and forth to each other.
~~~~
i did get a note from someone confused by this information below. she didn't realize that she could be getting her comments in an email form in the first place. she was having to go back to her blog multiple times a day to see what comments had been left for her. if this sounds like you, just go to the "comments" on your post page and look for the box that asks for what email address you'd like comments to go to. enter your email address and wha-la. no more checking your blog for comments. they will come directly to you.
~~~~
also. some of you who do what i described above {checking your blog for comments} leave comments yourself on your blog, answering a question or thanking someone for what they said. once i have read a blog and leave a comment. i don't go back to your blog to see if you responded to what i said. does that make sense without sounding rude. i'm guessing some of those people are the ones i described above that don't have emailed comments coming to them.
~~~~
something else. often if you have music playing on your blog, it will take longer for my computer to load your page. so often when i am short on time, your blog will be neglected as i have to move on. so many blogs. so little time.
~~~~
okay
that's it for today.
here's the information i talked about. and if you have any questions, feel free to send them my way. many of you have asked for help with banners, blocking followers, picture resizing and template backgrounds and i am honored that you trust me.

Bloggers out there ~ you’ve seen it. It’s the ‘Noreply-Comment@Blogger.com’ message that appears sometimes after you click on reply to a reader’s comment.

I often respond directly to reader’s comments, but there’s that little grinch who always seems to show up like an unwanted guest when I have something I really want to say to someone.

There is a way to help rid this little problem and it’s so easy to do. Readers who have blogs can do the following:

  • Open your blog and click on the Customize link. It’s in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
  • Click on the Dashboard link, also in the upper right hand corner.
  • Now click on Edit Profile, on the left hand size of the screen right next to your picture.
  • This takes you to the Edit User Profile screen.
  • Look in the Privacy section.
  • Check the box that says, “Show my e-mail address”.
  • In the Identity section, enter in an e-mail address.
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on Save Profile.

February 9, 2011

slightly easier....

remember the recent post about the squirrels and how sneaky they were
~
well
i think these floridian birds are starting to take notes
~
gosh they were fast








February 8, 2011

i don't really ever do this.....

but
today i'm going to share a bit of my shopping with all of you
~
see this bag. i found it on someone's blog last week
as they highlighted the company who makes them
and
i decided that since i say these words all the time
{basically it's my motto}
i had to have this bag
~
it says
"everything happens for a reason"
with
YES
obviously in the larger letters
~
now
if it only had the small handles
i would have passed it up
but
it comes with a longer handle so that i can wear it messenger style
which makes my back happy
{which makes my doctor happy}
~
the quality is amazing
the packaging was beautiful
and
now i'm happy
too
*

February 7, 2011

proud to be part of the pack...

even with the 5 foot high snow drifts
everywhere
it's rather green here in wisconsin today
and
unless you live under a rock
you know why
~
aaron
you cute thing
you did good
really good
and
those other guys
you play with
they did good
too
~
and
christina
who cares
you still have an amazing voice that was delicious to listen to
*

February 4, 2011

time for a break...

my daughter turns 23 tomorrow. i was 23 when she was born.
i look back now and think
wow
how'd we do that
but we did something right. she's truly amazing.
~
i watched reruns of ally mcbeal on our "snow day" wednesday.
gosh. i used to love that show.
oh. and then i took a nap.
~
have you had the ghirardelli "milk chocolate with caramel" squares.
i think the label is misprinted. nowhere does it say hugely addicting.
~
i went to the doctor for my shoulder blade/neck pain.
she agreed with me. i'm a mess.
i'm doing traction again and will go back to physical therapy if it doesn't resolve itself.
fun
~
have a great weekend. i'll be eating birthday cake
and
watching the packers
win the super bowl. what. you heard me.
come on. it's our turn.
you know it is.
~go packers~
*