Goodbye March! Hello April!

Where in the world is time flying off to?  I am not sure, but I am thankful for this wonderful, sunny, warm weather that we are enjoying!!  The house is open and the breeze is blowing and I am in absolute heaven!!  I just love the renewal that spring brings to us every year!!  It makes me hopeful and excited for the things yet to come!!

So we are in the middle of Easter week and I am looking forward to many things!  I love that this season brings new life to everything that we see!  I was raised Catholic and am now a Christian so this time of year is very special to me!

So what is in store for me?  Well, life has been crazy and my marriage is being tested to the max so I am praying that things will settle down and the Knight will get a clue before it is too late because I am teetering on the edge of too late!  It really is sad but life has to go on no matter what or who is in your life in any given season!

Lots of photography on the horizon will keep my business rolling forward in the right direction and I pray that one day I will be able to support my kids doing what I love (should the need arise)!  The Diva will be starting preschool in the fall which is so hard to imagine!  It seems like just yesterday that she was crawling around and drooling all over everything!  Ha!  The Moody Teen will be 18 and a senior this fall so he will soon be striking out on his own to make his way in life!  Wasn't he just the Diva's age??

I am re-posting this photo because it is one of my favorite flower photos that I have ever taken!  I just love spring!  Oh, I think I said that already!  LOL!

Dramatic Black and White - i♥faces

The EPIC steps + great shadows =  dramatic for this b/w of Sarah, a recent Senior that I photographed!  I just love this photo for this theme!

This will probably be my last i ♥ faces for a while, maybe ever!  Just cannot decide!  I guess I will play it by ear and see if a theme jumps at me, otherwise I will just keep pressing on with the business of capturing life's moments for my clients! Click on the button to join in the fun or just to see the other great entries!!

What Is It With the EPIC Stairs?

He went from this............

to this and everywhere in between!!  What a character this one is and very fun to 

work with and he loved the epic stairs!!  LOL!  To see more of Jake you can go here  (you really have to go look at the other photos because they are really cool)!!  Thanks for having a cool son Diana!!

Been A Little Busy......Sorry!

I know that nothing should get in the way of our bloggy friendships but sometimes I need to do some work and by work I mean playing with photographs and doing shoots and booking more shoots and designing all the fun stuff that helps me promote my business!  So work, really?  NO, not work, just time consuming!

Today was rainy and cold so after I showered and put on fresh jammies and stuck a load of laundry in, I started to work on my CD/DVD Label and the photo cards that I give to each client!  Here is what I came up with:

Here is the label that will grace the front of the CD/DVD (with the current client's photo of course)!  I used all of the colors in my logo to design the stripes!  I am just in love with these colors!  And together???  Let's just say they make me very happy!!  LOL!

Here are the client cards!  Again, they will have photos of the current client and they will be able to give them to friends and family as a way of referral!  These are much cooler than those itty bitty business cards that don't show potential clients your work!  I carry several of these with me that have multiple clients represented and I always get a great response like:  "These are so cool!  What a great way to show off your work!"  These are also great for hanging on a public bulletin board!  This stands out while that itty bitty business card gets lost!!

So this is what I have been busy with besides life!!   You know the laundry, the dishes, cooking, cleaning, etc.  Besides, the Diva was not feeling well last night but is much better today!  So lots going on around here!

Tomorrow will be packed with lots of cool stuff like lunch with my "sister in Mattoon", Laurie!  She is making lunch and we will be working on some music!  She also has a cool four pane window for me that I plan on converting to the coolest picture frame you have ever seen!  I will post pictures when it is done!!

Tomorrow evening I will be meeting up with Diana (you can find her here and here) and her soon-to-be Senior for his Senior Rep shoot!  I have not seen her since last fall so I am looking forward to it!  Then after the shoot the Knight, the Diva and I will be dining with Crissie!  Not sure if it will be pizza or Mexican on the menu but it will be good no matter what we do!!

Well, consider yourself up to date on daily life in the middle of a cornfield!!  Come on back for more madness and photos!

The New Me is Seeing RED!

This is the first time in my life that I have not been blond!  I was so ready for a change!!  The Knight says that my hair now matches my fiery temper!  LOL!!  My temper is not that bad but he thinks it is!!  Next up some eyebrow work!! YIKES, they need some landscaping done!!

Focusing on Angles - I ♥ faces Week 12

I am one of those photographers who will do just about anything to get a cool shot so when they announced that this weeks theme would be angles I thought of several shots and then chose this one of a recent senior rep shoot! Zoey did not want to shoot on EIU's campus because everyone who lives in town does that BUT there was one thing she did not anticipate...............her mom's passion for the old Booth Library!! You see, mom graduated on these very steps that were built by her great great grandfather!! Her mom considers this HER library!! LOL! So at the end of the shoot we decided to make mom happy since she was paying and headed toward the library!

Since Zoey did not want the same thing that everyone else does, I took a lower angle and shot up to get the awesome architecture of the building and just a little sky! I was on the steps with my head and face pushed into the stones but I got what I was after! In the end both mom and Zoey were pleased!!

See what other angles people came up with over at i ♥ faces!!

Just a little look!

For more from this shoot you can go here!!

Fun Senior Rep Shoot

This is the lovely Zoey! She was awesome to work with!! She had ideas about what she wanted and what she did not want and this photos happens to be one that she did NOT want!! Ha! Let me explain, her mom wanted this shot because she graduated from college at this location and her great grandfather helped build this beautiful old library so it was totally sentimental for us to get a few shots here and I am so glad we did (so is mom)! If you would like to see more from this shoot you can go to my photo blog!

Just A Quickie!

Get your mind out of the gutter folks!  Ha!!  I just wanted to take a small break from the beautiful sunshine today to just chat about stuff for a moment!!

Big news on the Diva front!!  She actually participated at ballet last night!!  She did not run around like a heathen, making faces in the mirror or hang from the bars like normal making me want to laugh and cry all at the same time!!!  NO, she tried really hard!!  OK, I bribed her with a quarter to buy some M&Ms when we left if she was good and did what she was told!!  Why did I not think of this sooner!!  LOL!

The Moody Teen made the honor roll again!!  I really don't know how he does it since he NEVER and I mean NEVER studies for a test!!  The only thing I EVER see him do is write papers and work on projects!!  He is just one of those smart guys who could be brilliant if he tried harder!!  LOL, but I am not complaining!!

The Knight is happy because he got to ride his motorcycle to work for the first time this year!!  The is only the second time it has been out!!  It makes him happy, so I am happy too!

I start Senior Rep. sessions tonight and I am so excited that I can hardly stand it!!  The sun is out and I am ready to go!!  It also gives me something to keep my mind occupied today because it is the 6th anniversary of my sister's death!  There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss her!!  You see, she was not just my sister she was one of my best friends and biggest cheerleaders!!  I could always count on her to be there at every performance!  If I was on TV (local news magazine, Montel Williams)  she would tape it!  And she LOOOOOOOOVED the Moody Teen!!  He was her boy!  She sort of picked up where Aunt Debbie left off when she moved!  She would have loved the Diva too!!  She left way too soon but it is nice to have an angel on our side!!

i♥faces is bundled up!!

Torture, I tell you!! It is torture to pull up photos of snow and cold and winter when we all have spring on the brain! Anyway, the ladies at i♥faces decided that this was a good week to do a bundled up shot so that is what I did!

The Diva loves to play in the snow so, of course, she is my subject! All I can say is thank goodness there is NO SNOW on the ground right now!! LOL!! If you like cold and snow, make your way to i♥faces to see the other great entries!!

Just What Can iPhone Apps Do?

I was at the shop with the Knight and was feeling rather board while he worked on the Poncho and I did not have my camera with me so I decided to put some I phone camera apps to the test!  I chose Gorillacam to take the photos and Photostudio to do the edits!  I will show you the original SOOC and then the edits!!  Here we go:

Here is the SOOC version using Gorillacam! That is the Poncho and the Knight is using a grinder so he is behind the wall of sparks!

 Here is the first edit using Photostudio.  I just added some extra spark for effect!!  The Knight thought it was cool!

Here is the second edit!  I decided that the burnt edges of the paper made it look really interesting as if the photo was actually burning away!

Here is the second photo SOOC!  That is my feet with the line on the concrete!  Cool but not cool enough!

Here is my first edit.  I added a water texture and called it quits!  Pretty cool but just cool enough so I decided to keep playing!

Here is the next edit!  I call this "Right and Wrong" because there is a line that we all have to decide to cross or not to cross!

And since I am a theater girl, I added the film strip!  Pretty cool and all done with my iphone and iphone apps!

I Have Hired A Personal Trainer

OK, not really but I did buy the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred for $9 at Walmart!  Today is day number 2 of the workout and let me tell you it is tough but I am feeling better already!!  20 minutes a day and I get strength and cardio all in one session!  My muscles are feeling it today but pressed on through day 2 and I am glad I did!

I hate to post about workout and weight issues but I am really excited about this DVD and I had to share with all my friends!  So my scale died so I do not know my starting weight but I hover at the same spot so I am guessing that losing 55 lbs would put me where I want to be!  My first goal is to lose around 25 pounds by my birthday at the end of May!  What a great present to myself!  I could go get some new clothes for the upcoming summer season!!!!

Why now?  What makes this different than the last time you started?  Well, several things!!  Number one is my health!  I am flirting with heart issue (I already have SVT), diabetes (runs in the family and I had it during my pregnancy with the Diva) and other stuff that comes with carrying extra weight around! 

When the Knight was is in the Army, I had some great personal trainers and I was in the gym 5 days a week.  As soon as PT was over for the soldiers, I was in the gym!  How could I resist, it was all FREE!  So I would do weights and run on the treadmill in under an hour!  Then twice a week I would go to step aerobics and boxing class and sometimes I would throw a regular aerobics class in for fun!  Did I mention that it was all FREE?  I loved working out and it kept me from thinking to hard about my husband who was in Iraq!

It was also fun to send him photos of my progress!  It gave him something to look forward too and me something to work towards!  The end reward was, of course, when he came home and saw me in person!  All dolled up in new clothes, heels, hair done (not blue green but that is another story for later), and makeup just right!  So my goals have changed a little because my hubby is here and not Iraq, thank goodness!  I have not told him what I am doing!!  I am just going to see if he notices because he notices little things like that!!

Yes, I have modified my eating but I refuse to deny myself so my motto is "Everything in moderation"!  Like tonight I know will be pizza night here at my house so I am watching what I eat today very carefully and will only eat 2 pieces of the pie and be happy about it!!

I will keep you posted and there will be some before and after shots later!  Have a great weekend and get out and get active!!

Sneak Peek!

Look closely at the texture on this last photo!  It is a letter addressed to someone's mother!!  How perfect!  If you want to see more from this shoot you can go here!!

I DO, I DO!

Here is a look at the wedding I shot on Saturday!!  So sweet, these two!  For more of this beautiful couple you can go here!!

Jump For Joy - i ♥ faces

Nothing says joy like a jumping wedding party!  LOL!  This photo then erupted into a leaf fight but no one seemed to mind!!

That's a wrap for me today!!  Jump on over to i ♥ faces to see the other high flyin' folks!!  I will be post a peak at the wedding I shot Saturday very soon!!

Testing. 1 2 3......

Ok this is just to see if my addiction to all things iPhone is going to work or if I wasted 3 bucks on an app that does not work!! The app is called BlogPress and works for blogger and other blog hosts!

The pic is the Knight and was taken with, what else, my iPhone!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Parents Photo Faves

Parents Photo Faves

The Diva is currently in 1st place!! Please vote daily through Sunday and make sure to share this with all of your friends!! Thanks!!

Family Rules

 

Here is my new project!!  I LOVE it!!  No, it is not an original idea!  I borrowed it from here and she borrowed it from here!  The kit I used is by Christy Sturm and is called November Frost!  You can do this digitally or you can use actual paper scrapping products!  I used to be a paper scrapper until I really got into photography and then the digital just took over my life!!

This will be printed on canvas and hanging in our kitchen very soon!!  Please don't forget to vote for the Diva here!

The Dancing Diva

The Diva started ballet/tap today at the Academy here in town last night and I do not know who was more excited me, the Knight or the Diva herself!!  Anyway, when she went into the studio all she could do was look at herself in the wall of mirrors (she gets that from her Dad) and twirl around!  She kind of danced to her own beat last night and did her own thing most of the time!  The instructor said it was all normal and that she would settle in soon!  I sure hope so!  She was also the only new girl in class so she has to play a little catch up to learn the routines.

Frustration Sets In

I have so many things to share with you all that are NO FUN unless you can see the photos that go with the stories!  I am becoming frustrated with Blogger because I have not been able to upload photos for a few days and I really hate the extra step that photobucket creates so I am waiting to be able to upload again!

Teaser:  The Diva's First Dance Class and a new creative project!!

Another Photo of the Diva was Chosen!!

Another photo of the Diva was chosen by Parents.com! I cannot believe it! Her last photo placed 45th out of 3900 photos! Pretty cool! Please vote again daily through March 7th! Thanks Bloggy Buddies!! Here is the link! And here is the photo that they chose:

Music Monday

I LOVE this song!! I will be singing it this weekend!! I love the message!!