Weekend post

I saw this, this morning and have to share. I am just amazed by artists and the amazing things they do and share. I cant wait to see her next installment to see what she does next! I know I normally dont post on the weekends. Stay warm everyone! Lots of layers and blankets are being worn around these parts!

2 from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday All! Instead of my normal funny picture of the kids or me. Enjoy the funny video of Leila. She was a robot last night. Sorry for the over the top processing I am new to movie making and had a little too much fun!




enjoy your weekend everyone!!!

card games

Remember a few posts ago I shared how my family loves games? We were at my aunts house this past weekend and Kenson got in on the game once again. This time hanging with one of my baby cousins. He doesnt look interested but dont let that fool you. He is a hard core card shark in the making!!

Playing away

So about 6 months ago we got Leila an elaborate playmobil set for her 3rd birthday. she wasnt overly impressed. Had me set it up and take it down. Now it is playmobil central around here. Hours can be spent and the conversations that are had always make me smile or laugh. I cant wait for this upcoming birthday. I have a feeling a larger house is in order for momma to play along with!

52 Weeks

Tuesday already, how the heck did that happen? (and by the time most of you read this it will be Wednesday!) Wow has this week already flown and it feels like it just started.

So week four of my 52 weeks and I wanted to focus on what I dont really like all that much about me. My eyebrows. I have been gift by genetics bushy man eyebrows. I have tried waxing and plucking (and these have been plucked recently) for a good 6 months I didnt do anything with them until my uni-brow took over and it was time to put up the white flag and pluck the suckers. I would love beyond love to meet someone who really knows eyebrow shaping. Of all the frivolous things I imagine spending money on if I was rich beyond rich would be paying top dollar for someone to make my eyebrows gorgeous. And feel horrible to say this but my children have also been gifted my uni-brow. Kenson it wont be such an issue but Leila poor Leila I will have to apologize all the time during those tough teenage years!

Odd thing to be focus on but really the first thing I notice about people are there eyebrows.

What do you focus on? My husband has a thing for noses, he always has something to say about peoples noses. Please tell me we arent the only weird ones out there that focus on one thing about people first before we take in the rest!

Happy Friday

Dress up is in full swing around these parts. I am also the hippie mom who lets her daughter wear whatever she wants to daycare. Let me tell you some of the outfits she comes up with are amazing. And poor Ken-ken is too young to defend himself from big sister dressing him up right now. Poor guy is constantly in girly clothes! Oh well makes for better blackmail for me during the unruly teenage years!

I dont know about you all but I am so glad to close the book on this week. Lots of ups and downs here but mostly downs that I am just ready to said goodbye to! Have a great weekend everyone and heres to a better days ahead!

Not much of a portrait but if you look closely, my hands arent alone on my laptop. Normally whenever I am working from home, I always have helpers. I may not ask for the help but I treasure it as best I can (except when little hands get super excited and exit screens for me!)

Monday -Reset

(image found here)

It is one of those Monday's the one where you want to hit the reset button and just start over tomorrow. I hate the cold/flu season.

Happy Friday

Whenever my family gets together, games are a major thing, especially rumicube (sp?) Ken loves it. And I am thinking he is hoping to get Kenson off on the right foot, fairly early in life!

Big plans this weekend? Lots of cleaning and spending with BFF this weekend for me.

Helpless

Credits here

As I whine to my family/friends about a difficult night of a three year old having tantrums I go to bed feeling so selfish and ungrateful.

I am lucky to have a roof over my head, a warm bed, and water to drink. Besides that I have two beautiful (sometimes sassy) healthy children. And for that I am thankful.

I want to help, as a mother it aches that I have to do something. Money is tight around here so I am planning to get some things back up in my etsy shop and all proceeds will be going to help the Haiti people after this devastating earthquake. Its the least I can do. I have so much in the big scheme of things and I need to show my gratitude somehow.

Foodies- Help needed

Chedder Potato Soup and an Italian Turkey Panini
Originally uploaded by Dalboz17.

BFF and I are getting together this weekend for a "cooking/baking" date. We get together every few months and just cook and bake recipes we have wanted to try but havent had the time.

So that is where you all come in, any reciepes you would recommend or have been dying to try (I will give you feedback on the tastiness if we make it)?

New Year, new techniques?

Have you heard of TTV (through the viewfinder)? A great tutorial is found here. It has been a fun technique I have wanted to try for the last few years. I have had a few cameras that I have found at various garage sales and antique stores for a fairly cheap cost. Now I am trying to figure out a way to rig up the tripod so I can take portraits with it. Wish me luck. Are there any new things you want to try this year? Share, I would love to know!

52 Weeks- Week 2

We have had bouts of sickness around these parts. Lately prime real-estate is momma's shoulder. How does momma feel about that? It's priceless.

Embracing the artist in me

I have an amazing best friend (BFF) this year we decided to do a thrift Christmas so all of the gifts were to be purchased from a thrift store. I slightly broke part of the rule (most of her gifts were from a thrift store) I made her a painting. I recently took an online course and I cant tell you how thrilled I was. I created this one in mind for BFF. It turned out a little more tie-dyed then I would have liked but still as a first go I am pretty thrilled. And because my BFF is such an amazing supportive friend she already has it hung up in her home.

Happy Friday

Happy Friday Friends, you have made it through the first full week of the new year, time to celebrate! (Or in my family, make funny faces when I am trying to take a simple (non-funny face) picture!)

Winter Freeze

These photos seem fitting today. I know most of the nation is in a deep freeze and if I position my office chair just right (basically into the hallway) I can the see the snow coming down around here.

I cant take credit for these photos however, my amazing husband took them. Photography is his secret love, he doesnt get to do it often but it is a passion for him. I hope he one day gets to live his dream of traveling the world just taking pictures. How amazing would that be.

Me I am not focused like him. He can sit for what seems like an eternity (to me) to get one shot. Me? I just click away hoping I got a good one, no thought, no skill and no technique behind it. I really hope to take some of his focus and internalize it and really just submerse myself in a photo expedition in one of these up coming months.

Until then? I will just keep enjoying looking at his few and far photos and keep clicking my shutter button till my my finger cramps *smile*

52 Weeks- Week 1

52 Weeks Project- Week 1


New year new challenges right? I stumbled upon this blog, how I cant remember but none the less I found it. So this year I will be taking a self portrait a week. I am hoping to compile all of the images at the end of the year and create a blurb book to give to each kids so that when they become teenagers/adults they can see a small glimpse to what early motherhood was like for me. I am not sure if I am hoping this will be a life changing project, I am hoping it will get me more used to being in front of the camera and pushes me to do more than just pictures of me and the kids at an arm length away (hello tripod- still dont have a fancy clicker thing so the 10 second timer is my friend!). This picture the only thing I see is my pony-tail and how wrong it is in so many ways. In a year, I hope I see so much more past that.

So if you are up for a challenge, join me! 52 pictures in one year, seems pretty harmless to me!

Shout Out

After reading my blog last night my baby sister sent me this lovely image she made me. Thank you Maria, I love it!

2010 Resolution

Welcome back! (Warning this is a wordy post!)

Ah resolutions, the last few years I have made crafty resolutions. This year I found a site that promotes one word resolutions. Intrigued? I was. And I am all game. This last year has been a tough one on a lot of us. We weren’t hit financially (luckily) but emotionally I have had a tough year. A lot has been on my plate, most I wont/cant talk about here so it has been an internal battle to balance everything. So this year I want to focus on my life, living, and enjoying it.

So my word this year…Embrace.

em-brace [em-breys]

-verb (used with object)
1. to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug
2. to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly: to embrace an idea.
3. to avail oneself of: to embrace an opportunity.
4. to adopt (a profession, a religion, etc): to embrace Buddhism.
5. to take in with the eye or the mind.
6. to encircle; surround; enclose.
7. to include or contain: An encyclopedia embraces a great number of subjects.

I am hoping to embrace everything, the good the bad and the ugly with open arms, learn and grow from it. I feel like I am lacking lately in all departments. There is always room for improvement and I want to be a better mother and wife. Friend, daughter, and sister. I am also looking to embrace my creativity, the artist in me. Also embracing the god-given talents I have and use them to the best of my abilities. My day job is running a small family business for the owner who lives out of state. This last year was the year of learning. This year I am hitting the ground running and have so many plans and ideas that I want to see come true. I am finally embracing this job that has just evolved over the last few years and no longer just be thankful for it, instead I am embracing it, that I worked hard these last years and I deserve and earned my title it just wasnt by luck that I have it.

I have already been making small changes. I run the word embrace in my head all day long now. Especially in the trying 3 year old meltdowns. "Embrace these moments, while they suck, they go by quickly and she will only be 3 for so long". I have turned off the TV, sorted my blogs (a list I have already whitled down from around 300 to about 150) as must reads (mostly business/work related) to free time reads and plan to stick to it. I plan to unplug more and really live life. A life worth blogging about. I am also planning to schedule my blogging better. Do a group of posts all at once and have them published throughout the week. I may start doing more themed typed posts. I also will have more pictures and probably less words (though don’t keep me to that, just look at how long this post is!).

So do you have a word for 2010 you resolve to live? If you do I would love to hear it! If I get a few I will make sure to post them at a later date!