Our little piece of the world

I may be back....

2012-03-22T20:09:00.003-04:00

But until then...please visit my photo blog!

www.irenesmithphotography.com/blog

This may be it...

2010-01-01T14:53:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned previously, I have been debating whether I should stop try to keep up with 2 blogs and a website. Obviously, my photography website and blog take priority and it seems hard to get the time and motivation to also write on this blog. In addition, I think it is more interesting when a photography blog also includes some personal blogging.

So, for now, I am going to step away from this blog and just write on my photo blog. I gave my photo blog a bit of a makeover and I have [another] new domain for it. So, please stop on over and check out my new place at:

www.irenesmithphotography.com/blog

Oh - and I do hope everyone has a wonderful and very happy new year!!!!!

Christmas is coming!!!

2009-12-21T17:14:00.003-05:00

This has been a crazy Christmas season! But we are quickly winding down!

I am done with photo shoots for a while, which will be nice because I have some major catching up to do. I have been finishing wedding photos (almost done Susan!), getting a couple winter family shoots edited, and trying to get Christmas print orders done and delivered.

My kids are crazy excited - like every other kiddo. Kallie really gets the Santa thing, BIG time, this year. She has watched all the shows, she knows exactly what to do on Christmas eve. She has met with him once, during our sleigh ride. And she is going to see him tomorrow at her preschool Christmas party.

This morning, as we got the other two kiddos off to school, Kallie was asking me if I wanted Santa to bring a bird bath for me. (I kinda forget that I had talked to her about that a month or so ago.)

Well, I reminded her that she told me, only yesterday, that I am, in fact, too old for Santa gifts.

She said "Well, Santa is coming to school tomorrow. I will ask him to get me a bird bath and then I will give it to you.".

And my heart just melted.

Over the river and through the woods!

2009-12-12T21:22:00.002-05:00

And that is exactly where we went today!

My IL's decided that this year they wanted to take all the grandkids to a farm about an hour north of us. This farm offers Christmas sleigh/wagon rides in December. Everyone piles in a wagon pulled by two gorgeous Belgian horses, and we take a 30 minute ride through the woods. Each kid has an opportunity to hold the reins and "steer" the way.

First it was Christina's turn!

Then, after being asked about 5 times, Kallie got the nerve to try it!

We end up at a little cabin in the woods. We visited a bit with the horses and got some pictures...

We then went into the cabin where we found a roaring fire, some warm cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate and.....SANTA!!!

Surprisingly, Kallie Wallie, the youngest of the 4 cousins that went, was the first to jump on his lap. I think it was the lure of a bag of candy. Kinda scary if you really think about it!

But she told him all the stuff she wanted, and then her BIG sister got up the nerve!

And then Daddy had to talk to Santa a bit...not sure what that was about...

The wagon then showed up and we made our way back to the cars. What a great time!!!! The kids absolutely had a blast. Kallie's only complaint was that she forgot to tell Santa she wanted a REAL horse!

After the ride, we stopped for lunch and then again made our way "over the river and through the woods" to cut down our Christmas tree! We have been going to the same tree farm for 10 years now. It is out in the middle of nowhere, but we love the drive, the trees are gorgeous, and a HUGE frazier fur cost a whopping 20 bucks!

We got a big one this year, but it is also just perfect. My family room is filled with the fresh pine scent right now.

Tomorrow I was scheduled to take some family photos, but with freezing rain and a winter weather advisory in place for the morning, we decided to just reschedule for a better day. I actually don't mind. A cold, rainy Sunday with nothing to do but decorate my Christmas tree by the fire, sounds absolutely HEAVENLY to me!!!!

Have a good one!

Irene

What's on your Christmas list?

2009-12-09T11:29:00.006-05:00

As we approach the last couple weeks before Christmas, my girls (and most kiddos) continue to expand and adjust their never-ending Christmas lists! Every day I get new and more interesting items added to the list.

Let's start with Miss Kallie!

Since I am home with Kallie Wallie all day, she is probably the most active in adding and revising her list. So far, her list consist of:

A fish tank - a real one
Tinkerbell - a toy one
Peter Pan - a toy one
A white horse with a pink horn - a toy one
A jaguar - a toy one
A horse - both a real one AND a toy one
A red eyed tree frog - a toy one
A llama - a toy one

And today, after calling me from across the house in order tell me something VERY important, she announced yet another item for her list:

A whale

Now would that be a real one or a toy one? Well, she stated, BOTH! So I asked her where exactly would we put the real whale? In the POOL!! (duh Mom!!).

Unfortunately, Kallie probably isn't going to get many gifts that are on her list. The fish tank is still being debated. And a Noah's Ark will hopefully satisfy her desire for a whole herd of various animals.

Then there is Caroline:

Caroline doesn't want or really need anything (except maybe a day at the hair salon). Christina tried to make a list for sweet Caroline, but even she came up short. I am sure whatever Santa brings Caroline will be quite alright with her. She just likes attention and lots of love.

And a sister or two to entertain her.

And Christina?

She has a list a mile long. Being 8, she has one foot in childhood and one foot heading towards teen-ville. This year I am really sad because I know that this may be her last Christmas that she actually believes in Santa. She is asking a lot of questions and having trouble understanding how he can do what he does.

I don't remember when I stopped believing, but I do remember pretending I believed for a (what seems like) a long while. I remember feeling really bad that I knew it wasn't true any more.

On the good side, this year Kallie REALLY gets the whole Santa thing and talks about him all the time. So we have a few more years of the wonder and incredible excitement about Santa.

It must be so sad - for parents - when it is all over!

This weekend, however, will be filled with Christmas activities. We are going on a sleigh ride (actually a wagon ride) to see Santa! After that we are making our annual trek to the tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree!!!

I am as excited as the kids! This is going to be such an exciting Christmas for us all!!!!

Well, Hi!!! ....a month and a half later.....

2009-12-02T18:05:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it has been that long since I posted!!!! I have been thinking of combining this blog with my photography blog and making my photo blog more personal. And I think that is a good idea - making my photo blog more personal - but I am not sure I want to officially end this blog! So the jury is still out on this thought.

Today's post will feature our favorite four year old....Kallie Wallie!!!!

Kallie is as crazy as ever. She is in preschool 2 days a week. At first she was very unsure of it, but then she decided she liked it.

But then she got sick so she was off a week and, when she returned, she again decided she didn't want to go.

And then she liked it again.

And then she hated it again.

Luckily, this week, we are in the "I like it" phase.

Two days a week isn't a lot of time, and I do LOVE having a few hours of kid-free quiet time a week.

But some days, this little one of mine is so damn cute, that I wonder how I could ever "wish" she was in school a bit longer some days.

Take today - she was being goofy as I tried to get her dressed.

I told her "you are a goof-ball!"

She replied "No I not!"

So I asked "What are you then?"

She answered " A sweetie pie!"

--

A few days ago, I put my girls to work sorting socks. I told them I would pay them to do the job. Christina took about 3 hours to do it...and did about 99% of the work.

Kallie sorted about 3 socks.

After they were FINALLY done I paid Christina 2 dollars (granted, there were a LOT of socks). Kallie also wanted a dollar. (Christina immediately handed her one of hers - so sweet!) But I gave Kallie a quarter.

Later that night, I was getting Kallie ready for bed and she was, again (surprise), being goofy.

I told her "Kallie you are a crazy lady!"

She repled "No I not!!! I have MONEY!!!"

--

And then there are her constant requests for my attention to see her "cool tricks".

They usually consist of her lying on the couch with her feet up. Or her jumping off 2 steps into the family room.

Yeah, they may not be too "cool" to the average joe, but I am pretty happy I can spend most of my days with such entertaining company!!

Soon enough, my wish for "kid free" time will be granted more than I ever will want. And I will be re-reading these posts and just wishing for those days back....

well...except for maybe the early wake-ups on weekends after a late night...and fighting over who goes FIRST (among other things)...and running crazy through the house while I am on the phone...and, well, maybe a few other things....BUT I will miss MOST of it!

Until next time!! (and hopefully it won't be too long this time!!!)

I know - things COULD be worse!

2009-10-21T14:49:00.004-04:00

I am really trying to keep things in perspective - we are all healthy and happy, we aren't facing an major financial crises, things are actually pretty great.

But I have spent the last 2 days AGAIN messing with a computer that is all screwed up!!!

A couple months ago I got hit with a bad virus. A bunch of money later, the virus is fixed. We think.

A month later - more problems - new (or was it the same) virus! Instead of calling Dell (aka New Delhi), we called a local technician. He recommended a complete strip and reinstall. The only definite way to clean a computer of a virus. A bunch of money later, the computer is fixed and actually working MUCH better than it has for months.

A month later (today) - BAD NEWS. I was trying to edit photos in Lightroom, the computer kept locking up, I had to keep restarting and I then I got some crazy warnings about Windows not able to load correctly. I eventually got it running but continued to have problems with Lightroom.

I called our local technician, again, he said "Doubtful it is a virus again based on the type of problems you are having (phew). But bring it in for a quick diagnostic". So Kallie and I took it in this morning only to have him *try* to turn it on But this time he gets some horrible booting error and NADA. A few tries later, his diagnosis -

YOUR HARD DRIVE IS DEAD.

I am sick.

Good news is it is under warranty so Dell will be replacing no charge.

Bad news, I lose EVERYTHING on that hard drive unless I want to spend $120 to recover it.

Good news, most is backed up.

Bad news, not EVERYTHING is backed up.

Good news, I have an external hard drive with all my photos.

Bad news, my (brand new) external hard drive is also acting wacky and may have a problem.

More bad news, SOME of my photos are not backed up on DVD yet (i.e. the edited photos) so I may be re-editing.

Some glimmer of hope - if the external hard drive is bad, I may be able to recover the data for not a huge amount of money.

The worst part of this is that these last few weeks have been my busiest yet. I have 4 unedited photo sessions and 2 more coming up this weekend. I have quite a few print orders I expect to receive soon. So this is the absolutely worst time for this problem. Although - what is a good time?

I hate computers. I hate how you get crazy errors, how you often can't even explain what your problem is or when it started. And I hate how much we (me) rely on these unreliable things during our daily lives.

OH - and completely unrelated good news - little white kitty is going to a new home in about 30 minutes. A co-worker of my husband's wants a cat. So I will be delivering the new bundle of joy quite soon!!!!!

Here's hoping for more good news soon!!!!!

Have I got a deal for you!

2009-10-17T16:59:00.003-04:00

One sweet, all white, kid-friendly kitty cat can be yours for the low- low price of ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

About 2 weeks ago, this little white kitty showed up at our door, hungry and begging to come inside.

Of course, I gave the munchkin something to eat and drink. And expected he would be on his way.

Not happening.

Apparently, this little guy thinks he is home. But the only problem is, THIS home has 2 BIG things standing in his way.

One is this guy:

And the other is this guy (actually girl):

So I have been asking and begging anyone and everyone to please give this kitty a home as apparently ours is off limits.

This little kitty is amazingly good with kids. He will snuggle in my girls' laps, he is docile, sweet and absolutely does NOT want to be an only outdoor kitty. He is begging at my door day and night. We have given him a temporary home in our garage, but he is eying the woodstove and comfy couches.

Anyone?? Anyone? Bueller??? Anyone????

(free delivery!!)

Fall???

2009-10-16T21:01:00.003-04:00

Yes it is early fall - and we had SNOW today!!!! NOT good (although I do have to have to say sitting by my woodstove all day was quite nice).

But it is kind of depressing when you consider we have been known to have snow until May. That is EIGHT more months for anyone counting. I don't really mind it now actually, but by January/February I will be aching for a bit of sun and warmth.

I expected to have a busy weekend with 3 photo shoots - but with snow and rain predicted for tomorrow, one of two sessions was rescheduled and I am doubtful the second will take place either. No biggie. I would much rather do a photo session when the weather was in the 60's than in the 30's and dark and dreary. Yuck. I also have another session for Sunday morning, but hopefully we will see a bit of sun by then.

In other photography news.....I got my new D90 yesterday. Thanks to the lovely weather, I spent more time inside keeping warm than taking photos. But I did snap a few of my youngest. She wasn't too keen on the whole thing, but I didn't care. I jacked up the ISO to 1600 - which was almost unusable on my D80 and got this!

Not bad! Not a very cooperative subject, but only a trace of noise. Whoooo HOOOOO!!!!

Even though I am glad I am not taking photos tomorrow morning in the dark, rain and snow - I am looking forward to really trying out the new toy!!! I may have to torture the young-uns tomorrow.....

Oh and tomorrow night is an unexpected date night with hubby so that is WAY cool!!!

Have a good one!

Happy 8th Birthday Christina!

2009-10-12T18:37:00.002-04:00

My oldest is 8 today! Oh my. She was my little pumpkin with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She can be so sweet. She can be so smart. And she can be just a bit trying at times. Which is scaring me a bit as we quickly approach the pre-teen years.

This year it was a low key affair. I was never into the big HUGE birthday thing. Yesterday, we invited family over for cake. We all enjoyed the Steeler game, some snacks, some cake and had some fun. And we gave Christina one of her gifts - a new 4-wheeler!

Although "new" is an extremely relative term.

This 4 wheeler is probably one of the first EVER made. It most likely can be classified as an antique as it is actually about 25 years old. My husband got from a neighbor for $50. He got a helmet, had the frame painted and detailed at work for free, and Voila! One person's trash is another little girl's treasure!!

Christina doesn't know how to shift, so she can only go in first gear a few miles an hour. And she WON'T be learning to shift for a long while. I am terrified about what "could" happen on these things. But she will be riding with her dad for a VERY VERY VERY long time.

But it was a bittersweet birthday. Christina got a lot of clothes this year and wasn't disappointed one tiny bit. In fact, she was REALLY happy about that! She got this outfit from her Mimi and she was thrilled to wear it to school today.

I guess my little girl is SO quickly growing up!!!

Happy Birthday Tina-Wina!!!!!!

I really don't want to abandon this blog!

2009-10-09T19:15:00.003-04:00

And I'm not. I REFUSE.

I have seen so many bloggers come and go and I swore I would continue on. I love bloggers who continue to blog on a regular basis, for years on end, doing it to document their lives and have an outlet to vent about daily life. Doing it only for themselves.

So every once in a while, I pop in for a second, state how BUSY I am (although my #1 pet peeve is people who complain about how busy they are because what they are really saying is that they are SO much busier than YOU!)

Anyway, I'm still here. My photography business has been excitingly busy!!!! I have been doing a LOT of senior shoots which I am finding oh-so-fun!

I also bought a new camera last week that I am very IMPATIENTLY awaiting it's arrival. I really wanted to upgrade to a full frame, but I just couldn't justify spending THAT much money right now. I do love my camera - when the light is right, when I have the exposure set just right - my SOOC shots can look like this! (with just some sharpening).

But once there is less light and the ISO needs to be higher, you start to see quite a bit of noise. Apparently the D90 has very low noise at even high ISO settings. I am pretty excited to see what it can do.

Well, it is time to throw three kiddos into bed so we can enjoy a Friday evening at home before MORE senior photos tomorrow!!!

Good Night!

Oh what a week!

2009-09-18T14:30:00.003-04:00

This was one heck of a week. I would say it was a terrible week, but in actuality, it could have been much MUCH worse. It was just a week filled with many small irritations that combined to increase the stress level a bit more than I want to handle.

Let's start with Monday -

I am off for a doctor's appointment for Caroline. The appointment is an hour away. Caroline absolutely HATES the car most of the time and Monday was one of those days. She literally screamed at the top of her lungs for the entire trip and ended the trip hysterically crying. And yes, I was crying too. Being in a car with a screaming child for 2 hrs is extremely hard to take. I literally wanted to just stop the car and walk away. I didn't think I could handle one more second of the screaming.

Then there's Tuesday -

I take Christina to the bus. I am talking to a neighbor, the bus comes, my daughter starts walking across the street, and I glance up to notice a car NOT stopping for the bus and almost hitting Christina. I screamed, she stopped, he stopped and everything was OK. But she was scared and crying and I was absolutely shaking and sick with the thoughts of what *could* have happened (shudder). Needless to say, my morning wasn't too productive after that.

The guy was is older and a Reverend and lives across the street. He just was looking at his wife on the other side of the street and wasn't paying attention. I truly think he was as upset as me. He called the school many times, he called me, he was absolutely beside himself. It was a horribly scary incident, but everyone is OK and that is all that matters. And it was just another incident that makes me honestly and truly believe in guardian angels.

I spent the rest of the morning/afternoon running errands and then had a photo shoot later that afternoon. Needless to say, I was just a bit tired by the end of that day.

Then there's Wednesday -

My computer starts acting up AGAIN. I can access websites without a problem, but I can not search for anything. Google, Yahoo - anything search related just comes up "cannot open this page". Ugh. I just had a virus a few weeks ago and after much $$$, Dell supposedly fixed it. Not AGAIN!!!!!

Then I get the mail - and receive a notice that our nursing services are denied. HUH???? We have had nurses for Caroline for years. I literally feel sick to my stomach. I call our rep and leave a message.

And then I go to the Y for a MUCH needed workout - amazing how much some good physical exercise can relieve stress. It feels almost cathartic.

Thursday -

Well, there are continued computer problems. I finally call a local service and the technician recommends a complete clean and reinstall of all programs. So, in goes my computer for yet more service. This time, I think the problem SHOULD be solved. I guess a full clean is the most drastic way to rid a computer of a virus.

On the good side - the nursing services aren't actually denied. We get funding from the state and before the state can pay, they need to get a denial from our insurance to show that it is not covered. Phew.

And now Friday - TGIF!!!

My computer will be done today!!! Whoo HOOOOOO!!! Now I get to reinstall ALL my programs. UGH. But at least it should run MUCH better. Luckily all my photos are on an external hard drive and are backed up on DVDs. So they are safe and sound.

And it is a beautiful and cool day so we are going to sit out back by the fire pit and just relax and enjoy. And yes, nice glass of wine and/or a brewski is definitely in order.

Let's just hope next week is a little less eventful than this one!

Have a good one!!!!

And it wasn't too bad!

2009-09-08T20:09:00.002-04:00

Apparently my Kallie did quite well her first day! Daddy stopped by to see her after school and she was so happy and excited to see him (yes, she is definitely a Daddy's girl!).

Until next time!

First day!

2009-09-08T10:14:00.002-04:00

Oh my. Today I sent my youngest off for her first day of preschool. I can't believe it. Actually, what I can't believe is that I am sitting in this house all by myself. I feel a bit weird - like I don't know what do with myself.

I woke her this morning and she was so excited to get her new backpack, her new shoes and be off to her new school. She danced right into the building with a big ole smile!

And then we got inside, found her name and hung up her stuff. And then she wasn't too sure anymore...

I know they say that the kids will be fine. But my Kallie Wallie is a bit of a loner and much prefers small crowds and spending time at home with all her stuff. So I am not sure she will be "fine" as quickly as other kids. Being our third child, you'd think she would be the most used to crowds and other kiddos. But it is quite the opposite.

Christina, the oldest, has always been the type who will party with as many kids as possible for as long possible. When she started preschool, she danced her way in the door and never looked back.

Kallie did not want to let me leave. She didn't cry, but she stood very still, didn't want to really play with anything and was quite wary of this HUGE crowd of 13 other 3 and 4 year olds. I know, quite the mob in that class - LOL.

Once I finally got her interested in a toy, I quietly left the room and hoped for the best.

Stay tuned!

It's a sad day for tomatoes....

2009-09-03T12:04:00.002-04:00

Remember my gorgeous, huge and AMAZING tomato plants???

Well, after spending a summer happy and confident that I would be canning and cooking and possibly even opening a tomato stand to handle the overflow.......

My tomato plants were hit by the dreaded fungus.

Yes, my plants went from gorgeous to gross, after about only ONE week. And I am NOT even kidding.

I want to cry.....

Miss Difficult!

2009-09-01T22:52:00.002-04:00

Yes, it is another installment of Kallie-Wallie, Miss Difficult!!!

Lately, Miss Kallie has decided that she needs to set a few boundaries.

If we tell her to come inside for dinner and she really doesn't want to, she will tell us "Well, I am not gonna eat!".

If we tell her to stop playing to get ready for bed, she will tell us "I am NOT going to sleep!".

If we tell her to do anything that she doesn't want to do, she will tell us - with hands on hips and in a very defiant little voice - that she is absolutely NOT going to comply.

Yeah - Idon'tthinkso.

So yesterday was another fight at dinnertime. Part of the problem was that I made cookies with the girls that afternoon, so the ONE cookie she ate may have contributed to a loss of appetite. But we gave her one lousy bowl of Cheerios and a cup of fruit....and you would think we asked her to eat a side of beef with a bowl of broccoli for dessert. It was NOT happening (at least in her book).

We all finished our meals as she sat. We then left and the real test of wills began.

We started with this:

We then got her to actually sit up and we got this:

But when she realized I was going to be taking pictures of her eating, I started getting this:

And then this:

And, after only about an hour and a half, the ordeal was over (and I won, but don't tell her that).

Today we spent a gorgeous evening at Caroline's horsebacking riding. The girls ran almost nonstop, with only a break to visit a horse or two.

We decided that we would get ice cream on the way home as a treat. And we made our way home, full and tired.

Kallie got ready for bed, and then announced:

"I want a snack!"

"Kallie, what did we have after horseback riding."

Silence, and then:

"I want a snack!!"

"Kallie we had ice cream tonight - that was your snack."

"NOOOOOO, that was NOT a snack."

"Yeah? Then what was that?"

"That was...that was....that was.......THAT was a cold thing for my mouth!".

I am in trouble.

First day!!!!

2009-08-31T14:59:00.003-04:00

"It's the most wonderful day of the year!"

Yup, I have become one of those moms. The mom who is thrilled when everyone is back to school and I have my routine and my house back.

But honestly, everyone is much happier when they are not on a never-ending vacation. We need structure, we need routine, we need to work and we need to be productive.

So this morning I saw two of my crew off to school - my husband and my oldest. Christina was so thrilled to get back to see her friends. She really loves school and really hates to miss it. Even when she "pretends" she wanted to sleep in this morning - I know that she was almost as happy as Christmas morning. Her clothes were laid out carefully. Her bookbag was ready to go. Her new shoes were neatly lined up next to the door.

Yup, it was a great morning for all of us. In a couple days, my Caroline is back to her school routine. And then next week, my baby Kallie is starting preschool 2 mornings a week.

What will I do with myself????

Summer!!!!

2009-08-18T22:40:00.002-04:00

Yup, finally!!! After spending 90% of the summer complaining that it is too cold, too rainy and not hot at all - we finally are getting a dose of the 3 H's - hazy, hot and humid!

I don't mind at all. We get about 9 months of cold and almost that many months with snow, so a few weeks of stifling heat is kinda nice.

Especially since we FINALLY were able to get in our pool and really enjoy it. Christina and her cousins took turns jumping in the pool for about 6 solid hours on Sunday. No wonder she is such a skinny minny - she never ever stops!

My husband also organized the first annual "swim the lake" at a small local lake. He got about 20 swimmers to swim about 1.25 miles across the lake. It isn't a huge distance, but it was nice event and he got some good press for the swim team and the local park where the swim took place.

My girls and I watched from the shore. What a beautiful evening.

In other events, my girls have been busy filling our driveway with chalk outlines. It looks somewhat like the scene of a grisly murder.

Although the funniest aspect of this "murder scene" is the fact that it appear our dear Ariel may be a victim!!

Other than that, I have been busy with senior photos and a few family shoots. Last week was actually a really bad week for photos. For the first time, I was completely stood up by 2 clients in a row.

The first never called even after I left a message to confirm the shoot. She is a friend of a friend, and we know her well, and she is actually a really nice and sweet lady, but it still irked me quite a bit. Especially when she acknowledged she got my message but kept forgetting to call me back. But she has rescheduled and I doubt she will leave me hanging again.

The second client also didn't return my call to confirm, but I was able to catch her at work the next day. She claimed she "forgot" and will have to reschedule sometime. Hmmmmm...I am not holding my breath.

But this week is much better. I had another awesome shoot today with a gorgeous senior girl (my previous senior was gorgeous as well! I am so lucky!!).

And I have a 2 day shoot later in the week with a senior girl who apparently wants so many locations, that she thinks we need to break it up into 2 days. On Thursday evening I will be doing her session in town and then moving up her gorgeous home on the hill to (hopefully) get some amazing sunset photos. Then, Friday morning, we are off to our local waterfall for another shoot!!

Well, that is it for now! Have a good one!

Viruses, cats and barbies

2009-08-11T23:29:00.002-04:00

Last weekend our computer was infected with a nasty virus. And it was all because of a DUMB move by yours truly.

I got a Facebook message from a friend. It was one of those "look at this video" messages. I thought it was strange she would send me such a message, but then I thought maybe it actually was something cool. I clicked on it, got a virus warning and quickly closed it all out.

I thought it was OK.

I thought wrong.

A few hours later, I went back to the computer and my husband said - "yeah, it isn't working right". My user account through XP would open and then lock up. I went through my husband's user account - it worked fine, but it did strange things, like the google search wouldn't work right.

And then the VIRUS WARNING started popping up. We finally shut it down and called Dell. After talking to a nice guy in India, and a nice lady in the Phillipines for oh, say 3 HOURS (NOT kidding) - and after about $130 in costs for the help - our computer was back up and running. Apparently it was a nasty Facebook virus that can also go around and disable McAfee! What a mess.

In other news...

Our house has become Barbie Central. An acquaintance of ours was kind enough to pass down oh, say, 35 barbies to my girls. And holy cow, are they in Barbie-heaven. They literally play "Barbie House!!!" day and night. Of course, it has become more than just Barbies, they also incorporate their Polly Pockets, Little People and even the dolls from Kallie's birthday cake.

As you can see, our cat Nugget seems to actually enjoy getting in on the fun. She actually lies in the middle of the mess while the kids put dolls on top of her and drive the doll's cars over her -

"Nugget is our mountain, Mom!"

Yup, that is one strange cat.

Anyway, whenever we go anywhere, and we finally get home, the first thing they do is plop down in the middle of their Barbies and continue playing. It is crazy how much they love these things, but they can play with these dolls and accessories for hours and hours and days and days. But, other than the mess, it keeps my 2 girls quite happy and quite busy as this summer quickly winds down.

Until next time!!!

Horseback riding season!

2009-07-31T23:31:00.002-04:00

Our little Caroline started horseback riding a few weeks ago. This is her 3rd year! We are lucky enough to be able to take her to a local facility that specializes in therapeutic horseback riding for the handicapped.

The first year we took her - she was 4. And she hated every second. And she cried like crazy.

Luckily, only a few sessions later and she started to calm down. She did well her first year, and even had quite a few moments where she actually seems to enjoy herself (along with quite a few where she obviously didn't).

This year she is 6 and she LOVES it. She acts likes she knows exactly what is going on. She smiles. She laughs. She giggles. And she tries to steal the helper's hats right off their heads. She is quite the character!

This week I finally came along with my camera and got a few shots!

Caroline - leading the pack for a walk through the glorious countryside!

Little Kallie Wallie's hand feeding the miniature horses a snack (far left bottom corner).

This facility even has a cart for people who can't or don't want to actually ride a horse! Doesn't that look like fun???

Finally, Caroline making her way back into the barn. She looks like she knows exactly what she is doing. Giddy-up!

We just love this facility and are so happy that Caroline is able to participate every year.

Have a good one!

This, that and tomatoes

2009-07-27T19:11:00.002-04:00

Phew - I'm back!

It has been a bit busy around here. I really admire bloggers who are able to blog daily while still having a job and still being a mom. I just can't do it! And I really don't have a job - just a very part time one with my budding photography business. (Which is still amazingly fun!!! I can't believe how lucky I have been!)

Last week was a great week, photography-wise. I had two amazing shoots - one senior and my first newborn!

The senior was very nice, very photogenic and had a great location picked out. I am working my way through his photos and hope to finish in the next couple days. I have a sneak peak of his session HERE.

The newborn, was, shall we say.....AMAZING! (I use that word a lot, don't I?) I was SO incredibly nervous and incredibly excited for my first newborn shoot. I have heard so many photographer's stories about how hard newborns are. I have heard them cry that they spent 4 hours and got 4 pictures! And, needless to say, pessimist that I am, I expected the worst.

But it was honestly the BEST. I felt like I could photograph this little 10 day old munchkin for hours and hours. I got a few more than 4 pictures....I got somewhere like 800! Of course, many of the photos were almost complete duplicates, and I will give the mom about 50 or so images.

It was so much fun and I just absolutely LOVE photographing newborns. And I almost felt like newborn photography is really my calling. But who knows....my next newborn shoot could be a disaster and I will end up in tears swearing I will never try that again. We'll see...... I haven't really gotten a lot of the newborn shots edited yet, but I posted one HERE.

Oh - the other reason for my busy-ness this week is that my husband and I actually went away, alone, overnight, for the first time since we had kids. So, that was about 8 years ago.

It was quite a scheduling act, getting help with Caroline and my other 2 kids, but we finally did it and we were off. We just went away to a little town about 2 hrs away. Nothing too exciting, but absolutely perfect.

We took walks around town. We shopped. We stopped for afternoon drinks and appetizers. We went out for a nice dinner. We played pool. We held hands. We talked and laughed. I almost felt like we were newlyweds, not 40-somethings celebrating 10 years. It was the best.

So now we move on to the second half of our cold, wet summer. And we hope that we can get a few more than THREE days in our pool. Of course, I am thinking the wet weather may have had something to do with this monstrosity....

That would be my tomato plants. I planted 5 plants, and spaced them 2 feet apart. And they are absolutely mammoth. I don't really know if it due to what I put in the soil - soil, peat moss, manure and a bit of Miracle Grow garden soil - or if it due to the wet weather. But I have more tomatoes that I think I will be able to handle.

And some of these tomatoes are MONSTERS!!!! Like this big boy -

It is hard to really tell how big this guy is, but my husband laughed and said it is as big as a softball. And he is right!

Oh - and my cherry tomatoes? I will probably be able to feed a small country with the amount of tomatoes on that one plant. CRAZY!!!!

Well, this is long enough, so I better wrap it up! Tomorrow is supposed to be HOT and in the upper 80's!! Can you believe that this is maybe our second hot day this entire summer????? Let's hope we can end this summer with a bit more summer-like weather!

Later!

I ♥ Faces - Week 28 photo challenge - Feet Week!

2009-07-21T21:45:00.003-04:00

Phew - last minute entry, but this has been a crazy busy week!!!

When I saw this category on I Heart Faces, I immediately thought of this little munchkin. And I knew I had to enter this photo!!!

These adorable little piggies are my friend's nephew's. We did a little beach photo session a few months ago. He wasn't the happiest little kid on the block, but he was still absolutely adorable.

Have a good one!!!!

TEN YEARS!!!!!

2009-07-18T14:30:00.004-04:00

Well, today my hubby and are celebrating our ten year wedding anniversary!! And, for your viewing pleasure, here is our wedding picture. Yes, my hair is short and Eric's is long (relatively speaking) and I am slightly embarrassed to even post this picture...but here it goes......

In our ten years, we built a house and filled it with three little girls. Things are a bit crazy, but [usually] it is crazy in a very good way.

Before I met Eric I had no idea what people meant when they said "when it is the right guy, you just KNOW". Well, that was absolutely true. I just KNEW. He was cute, funny, smart, witty and I never EVER got tired of spending time with him. He was my absolute best friend. The one person with whom I could be 100% myself. We never fought, I never worried that he wasn't as into me as I was into him. As I said...I just knew.

I got married when I was 32 which is a bit old, and I really honestly didn't think I would ever find anyone. But I did and, ten years later, we are still best buds! I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else. I guess it was definitely worth the wait!

I will end this with an appropriate song from one of my new favorite singers - Jason Mraz.

"Lucky" Official Video With Colbie Caillat

And we will celebrate our tenth year with an at home "date night". The kids are going to eat pizza and watch a movie (big treat!) and we are going to have dinner alone. On the menu is homemade french onion soup (first time ever making it!), twice baked potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, grilled steaks and a glass [or two] of vino.

I better get busy!

Happy Anniversary Dear!!!!!

Kids are awesome,,,

2009-07-17T23:39:00.005-04:00

It started off as great day, but unexpected harsh words suddenly turned my mood upside down in 1.2 second flat. And I was quite sad for the rest of the day...

Christina and I played a game of hangman before she went to bed. I told her "one more game and then bed!". So she thought a second and drew the spaces for the letters. It took about one try to guess her words. And with those words, my sad day suddenly was infinitely happier....

"I love Mom"

Aren't kids just the best?!!!!

Good night!

Summer? Anyone??

2009-07-13T23:12:00.003-04:00

I am seriously getting BUMMED. This summer has been cold and so rainy. It is July 13th and I am sitting here at night with all the doors and windows closed, dressed in my winter pjs.

Something is NOT right.

I don't know about this global warming thing....with temps possibly to hit the FORTIES this week...I am thinking "Ice Age" is more like it!

Anyway, I am bummed. I need some hot days and warm summer nights! I need to be uncomfortably hot so when our 9 months of winter weather starts back up, at least I can, at first, appreciate the cooler weather.

Oh, and our pool that we just got last year? Well, let's just say it has been used FOUR times this summer so far. And not because we weren't home or didn't have time. No. It was because the water temp was a balmy 60 degrees. ugh.

Well, enough whining. I actually was thinking the other day that the reason I am so bummed about the weather is that everything else is actually going fairly well. We are all happy and healthy. And, we all know, it only takes one scare or horrible unexpected phone call, to make us realize that cool temperatures should be the absolutely LEAST of our worries. Life is good. Time to stop complaining about things I have absolutely no control over.

And time to appreciate all the wonderful things I do have.

Have a great one!!!