To Help or Not to Help

That is the question weighing heavily on the mind of my little Diva!  OK, maybe not but I like to think that she ponders her choices!  She loves to be a help when it is convenient for her and her favorite place to help is the kitchen.  She loves to go to the fridge and get out the milk and eggs, heck, she even likes to fold laundry.  Wonder if she likes to match socks?

What she does not like to do is pick up a mess that she has made!  She has a million excuses for not picking up her toys!  My current favorite is:  I am only one little human!  To which I respond:  Yes, that is true and I am only one mommy who did not create this mess!  After that she is speechless but does nothing to clean up the mess until I get a garbage bag and start throwing toys into it!  Yes, I roll like that!  And, YES, I have given away bags of toys to the Salvation Army!  I am mean, I know!  Please no hate mail!

All I am trying to do is create a sense of responsibility in my child to clean up her own messes!  I could go on and on about how the three people, two dogs and a bunny who reside with me think I am the only one who should lift a finger to keep the house clean but I will spare you the rant that would ensue.  I think I need a vacation, on a tropical beach with a cabana boy to bring me fruity juice drinks and rub oil on my back all day long!  Wishful thinking!

Here is the Diva's latest attempt at helping!  She loves to be my test subject when I set up my lights and backdrops for a shoot.

Having Fun

My new obsession!  Photofunia.com, thank you very much!

My Disappearing Act

I know that I do this every once in a while but I promise that I have a good reason!  This time it has been a combination of the nice weather and people coming out of the woodwork wanting spring pictures, which is a good thing!  Plus, I have been on the Knight to get the motorcycle up and going (read: customized) so we can go for a ride SOON!  After all, everyone else has gone out on the nice days we have had but since he thinks he needs to make some much needed wanted modifications, I have to wait!

But I digress!  Yes, I am busy BUT I did manage to get the graduation announcements done for the Moody Teen and my nephew!  We decided that we would pass by on the high priced announcements that get tossed and go for a more personal look!  Here is what I came up with!

This is a 5x7 front and back for each.  After creating, I uploaded the design to mpixpro.com (on heavy card stock) and the result was a beautiful, personal invitation!  They even came with envelopes so I didn't have to drive myself batty looking for some!  Of course, I blocked out personal info for showing you all cause I know I have some crazy stalkers (kidding)!

So that's what I have been up to lately!  What's going on in your neck of the woods?

A Dog & Her Girl

This is the dog!  She was actually my first girl and she got the name that would have been the Diva's but she (the Diva) took so long to get here that we thought she was not coming!  So the dog ended up with her name, Zoey!  We got this little bully when she was only 4 weeks old so I became her mama really quick and cared for her much like I would care for an infant. 

She is stubborn and lovey and thinks she is a 65 pound lap dog!  She is rambunctious but there is one of us who can pull her ears and tail and ride her like a pony!  She is gentle and loving with the Diva and will gently take food from her hand.  She will kiss and love and most of all protect her baby girl!

Zoey will lay in front of the TV with the Diva on her back.  This "mean" dog will also lay on the couch with the Diva laying on top of her!  We call it the dog pile because the beagle will be in there somewhere too!

Don't get me wrong, the dog can sometimes get on my last nerve like when she puts her paws on the table or the counter to eat someone's dinner!  Yup, she gets sent to her room for that!  Oh, I also love when I am bustling around trying to get things done and she gets under foot and sends me for a ride!  It happens more than I care for it too and my knees can tell the sad tale all too well!  However, at the end of the day, I love my dogs and they love the Diva!

Walgreens - A Name You Can Trust

This is a compensated post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walgreens has been my family pharmacy for years!  I have come to trust them with my health and the health of my family.  I was recently contacted to test and review Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products .  I was presented with a list and chose the Walgreens Brand Green Tea Dietary Supplement.  Like most Americans, I am unhappy with my weight so I thought I would give it a try.

Overall, the product worked well and I lost 5 pounds with diet and exercise modification in addition to the Walgreens Brand Green Tea Dietary Supplement.  I was happy with the way the product worked and would recommend it over the more expensive national brand names.  The Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products cost less, are pharmacist recommended,most have the same ingredients as the national brands and are 100%&nbsp satisfaction guaranteed!

Did you know that with every purchase of Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products supports bringing preventative wellness service to local communities through Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ .   It's great to know that your local purchases help Walgreens fund a program that will provide free preventive health tests, health and wellness services and education to local communities through a donation of up to $3 million.  What's not to love?  You save money and help someone else get the preventative care that they need!

What I am Working on Today

I recently did a 50th Anniversary family shoot and it was a hoot and a half, let me tell ya!  They were so much fun that I forgot I was working!  Anyway, so now I am in full edit mode and I just wanted to share a photo of the youngest from this fun loving family!  She is the only great grandchild and she is absolutely gorgeous! 

Time to Spruce up for Spring!

This post brought to you by Pier 1. All opinions are 100% mine.

Pier 1  is the place to start looking for your spring outdoor furniture!  They make it easy to get all your outdoor needs in one great location!  I have a deck so for me, the must have pieces would include a great seating combo where friends could feel at home while enjoying the great outdoors.  A nice wicker settee with matching chairs and a couple of tables fit the bill perfectly especially when accented with some great cushions!  Another must-have piece for me is the Rockasan chair.  It is a Papasan chair that rocks and I love it!

March 20th will kick off the spring season and what better way to keep informed than to sign up for the Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter.  You can be up-to-date on the specials and sales that Pier 1 offers so you don't miss out on a single thing!

Just how much do you love Pier 1?  How about enough to make an appearance at on of the Pier 1 Tweetups scheduled around the country!  They are scheduled tor Orlando, Dallas, Atlanta and NYC but you can check later for other dates!  They just may have one at a Pier 1 near you.

It is soooo Close!

Graduation is just around the corner!  May 27th at 8:00 PM to be exact!  AAAAAAAH!  Where did this school year go?  I am not sure that I am ready for my first born to leave the nest!  Maybe I am!  I don't know!  I am really conflicted about this!

One thing I do know it that I need to get to work on his graduation announcement!  None of that pre-made stuff here!  I will be designing his announcement so it is more personal, more him!  I downloaded everything I need today and will be getting busy in the next couple of weeks in addition to all the upcoming shoots and editing that I will be doing.  I am also kicking off a new campaign designed to pamper women at every stage of life, called Beautiful You, so I will be doing shoots with my models and getting promotional items together for that so it is ready for Mother's Day gift giving since that is sneaking up on us too!

OK, I have vented enough for now!  Keep your eyes open for all that I will be sharing in the near future!

Express Has the Perfect Swim Suit for You

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

Swim suit season is fast approaching and Express is ready to help you "Dive into the season’s sexiest swimwear" with all the latest looks!  If you are looking for women's swimwear then this is the place to be!  I love the Tankini, which has been my go to suit for several years now and this one is hot!  I love that each piece comes separate so you can get each piece in the size you need to make the suit a custom fit just for you.  You no longer need to worry about once piece not fitting perfectly!

Let Express help you find suit that is perfect for you!  They have just what you are looking for!

* Available in our always-popular monokini, sexiest string bikini and must-have strapless and halter bikini styles.
* Shop bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleek metallic styles.
* Designer details include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments and polished metal hardware.
* Removable padding in tops.
* Bottoms fit smaller to size for moderate back coverage.
* Swim shorts available for men.

Right now, if you sign up for Express e-mail  you are eligible to win one of ten $200 Express gift cards.  sweepstakes rules apply and ends on 4/21/11 at 11:59 PM EST so sign up for the e-mail today for your chance to win!

Random Happenings

OK, things are going too good around here and I am waiting for the other shoe to drop but, in the mean time, I will bask in the glow of all the good happenings that are going on!  First, I got confirmation that my photographs will be in the Oct/Nov issue of Country Woman Magazine that will hit stands in August!  The issue will feature an article on my friend Jayne, who is a costume designer and has her own costume shop!  I did a shoot with her recently for the magazine!  Exciting, huh??  Next came the call, this morning, to do a shoot for a local band that is going to Nashville to record their first CD!!  Exciting times infinity here!!  And last, but not least, I got my newest lens on Saturday and it is a BIG DOG!  No, literally it is the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR ll and it weighs in at just over 3 pounds on it's own!  Imagine the guns I will be sporting by the end of the summer!  LOL!  No need to lift weights when you are lugging this bad boy around!

So with that happy news, I will leave you with a few from the shoot for Country Woman Magazine!  Not sure which ones they will choose but these are some of my favorites!

This is Jayne, the Queen of costumes!

These are Jayne's thugs!  They guard all her awesome costume magic!

The man in the mirror is Jayne's magician husband, Mitch!  I worked with 

him years ago in the radio business!  We were both Dee Jays at a local station.

That's all I've got for today!  I hope you all have a wonderful week and we will talk again soon!!

Topaz

I am not talking about the jewel here but the editing filter that works in PS, PSE and Lightroom!  I tried a 30 day trial version of the entire bundle but ended up just buying the Adjust plug in for now.  If I decide to get all of them later, I can upgrade for a great low price since I already have one.  I am learning how to work this bad boy via YouTube and webinars from Topaz so I am still very much in the learning process but I wanted to share with you a before and after of a couple of the Moody Teen's senior pictures.  I am waiting to get my lens on some great classic cars to really play with the HDR to see what it can do but for know this works for me!

 

I really need to play with this more but I can really see the potential of this tool.  For now I am in the learning curve and will be playing to perfect the techniques that can make my photos stand out from the rest! 

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!  Let's talk again soon!

Because There Are No Words Needed