2009 May | I Should Be Folding Laundry

Archive for May 2009 – Page 3

You Capture. Sweet.

May 20th, 2009

I love this week’s challenge. I had fully intended to capture every aspect of the word “sweet” but apparently when I have something sweet in my hands, my only focus is to eat it.

As quickly as possible.

So, I give you these three shots.

Here are my babies. They were sitting up here together for so long, I was mowing the lawn and had to run inside to get my camera. I love it.

You Capture

And I love this shot. I love the way Racecar adores his sister. The way he is so sweetly smiling at her, admiring her. And I love his sweet bedhead and that he is wearing his Team James and Jake shirt. (he picked it out.) The two sat out in these chairs enjoying the wonderful weather playing cards as I spent time working in the garden. I stripped off my dirt covered gloves and ran in to get the camera. They are so sweet.

sweetest kids

And here is Erin. So sweetly pregnant, due in July. I had a photo shoot with her tonight, I CAN’T WAIT to share more shots from the shoot with you later this week. She’s a dream to photograph.

Erin 200905 0506 WM

She cherishes her pregnancy. I love that.

Now it’s your turn to share you sweetness with the rest of us!

But don’t forget this very important information:

1. You can join in on this challenge at any time! We welcome & love new participants.
2. Please make sure you are linking directly to your specific You Capture post in Mr. Linky (and not just your site, for instructions, go here) and please make sure you are linking back to this challenge in your post. If you don’t abide by this, your link will be removed. (I know, I’m so mean.)
3. Try your hardest not to reuse a picture from your archives, the goal of You Capture is to get you moving with your camera, get creative! Challenge yourself!
4. Do your best to visit the other participants’ site – everyone loves the traffic, the comments and the feedback (not just you!)
5. And finally, post as many pictures as you want on your post.

next-week2

FAMILY.

Get those cameras out and capture some of the sacred moments with your loved ones. Enjoy.

American Idol – Season Finale

May 19th, 2009

The judges are all dressed up tonight. Simon has a sports jacket on and Randy just got done at clown school, apparently.

Is anyone else as surprised as I am that the season finale is already here? What am I going to write about? How can I get The Nester to visit my blog once a week? Somebody help me!

Adam Lambert - Mad World - Well, he is a smart boy singing this song, I was just listening to this song yesterday thinking that it was my favorite performance of his. Right now, with the smoke and the long coat it could be Ozzy Osbourne walking down the stairs, for all I know. Oh, wait, no, it is Adam.

I’m anticapting hearing the judges rave about him no matter what he sings, no matter how he performs. I’m pretty sure he could do the chicken dance and do somersaults after wards and Paula would call him a “shining star” and Simon would agree.

This song was good for me (again) because he didn’t SCREAM. HATE.THE.SCREAMING.

Simon’s shirt is pretty much completely unbuttoned, does he know this? Simon dared said “over-theatrical” and the judges are booing him. These judges truly have been soo annoying to me this season. Is it me? Is it them? I don’t know.

Kris Allen – Ain’t No Sunshine – Hello veins popping out of your neck. Hello arm muscles…how you doin’? I love it when he plays the piano, but my mind always drifts to him laying on it topless. It’s very distracting.

Seriously, though. I think he sounds great, but he’s awesome, so why wouldn’t he? He is a definite contender, I’m super glad that it’s him in the final two and not Danny. Much deserved.

I’m waiting for the judges to not like it because THAT’S WHAT THEY DO. But…HOLLA!!!!! RANDY LOVED HIS PERFORMANCE AND KARA, TOO! I don’t care what Paula says and Simon enjoyed it, as well..

HELLZ YES. Round One goes to Kris.

Adam Lambert – Change is Going to Come - He looks very svelte in his shiny gray suit…When he furls his eyebrow he looks very angry, very gassy.

His vocals sounded very good, he did the yell that I can’t stand, but he still didn’t SCCRREEEAAMMM like he normally does. His did great. (see? aren’t I a good sportsman? vote for Kris, he loves kittens and gives his Mom singing coupons…)

Kris Allen – What’s Going On – I love how different Adam and Kris are, don’t you? I don’t think this is one of my favorite songs ever, but his vocals are great and I totally love the beat and the fact that he’s playing the guitar.

Wasn’t super duper, but wasn’t terrible.

Adam Lambert – new song I don’t know - So, I know I don’t know this song, but I’m thinking that maybe Adam doesn’t know it that well, either. He sounds very pitchy to me and he seems to be running out of breath a lot. Then again…he is not my favorite contender.

I don’t like this song right now. Maybe I will some other day, but right now, it’s totally annoys me.

Note to self: do not hire Kara to write a song for me.

Did you notice that Adam never really screamed tonight? Play it safe, much? Well, it’s true, man.

Kris Allen - new song I don’t know – ah, the song is called No Boundaries and it pretty much sucks – But already, his version is less annoying to me than Adam’s but that’s because Kris is awesome.

I honestly, honestly, honestly like his version better than Adam’s, it just made more sense.

Paula is dumb. The End.

But Simon said some kind parting words. And the show is over.

Sidenote: Carrie Underwood’s boots are rockin’. LOVE THEM. She and I look just alike. Didn’t you know that?

Well, I personally am hoping and praying that Kris wins…but I am not expecting it. We shall see.

Who is going to win?

The Answers

May 19th, 2009

I’ve got more answers to your questions…

Nell at She Snaps wants to know…

What’s your favorite color M&M? Okay, this is where I need the help of my readers…I do not have a favorite color M&M, I mean, they’re all chocolate, so they’re all my favorite, but then I had a discussion with Candy Extraordinaire Erin and she actually had a very serious, well thought out answer, she likes a series of colors like blue and then yellow, etc, etc.

Do you have a favorite color? Am I the strange one or is it Erin? (please say Erin, please say Erin…)

Nell also asks – Out of all the prints for sale in your shop, which one is your most favorite and why?

hmmm…let me go take a look. I am pretty sure it changes based on my mood. My absolute favorite ones are the ones of James and Jake’s trees. Someone ordered this print in a 16×20 and I have to say, it was positively breathtaking. And I don’t say that about my own photos.

But right now, my favorite non-tree one is Soon…

soon

I love the promise of it, the colors, the editing, the textures, I love that I took it while on an amazing walk with Ariel and Racecar. And the print itself is gorgeous.

(p.s. you all know that Ariel and Racecar are not their real names, right?)

The next question is from Bacardi Mama. I want to know how it feels to be able to take such amazing pictures and then have them be so good that people want to buy them?

Um…well, this question makes me blush and I hesitate to answer it without sounding like some sort of jerk, but I can tell you that it’s completely unreal to me. Like, I often wonder if people are buying prints because they feel sorry for me, because I have a hard time believing that people actually think MY work is THAT good. It’s humbling and amazing.

I have this thing, it’s a little selfish, but it’s still my thing, that I love for something of me to be in people’s houses. So, often for birthdays, I buy something small for a home and then when the recipient sees it on any given day, they can think, oh, that’s from Beth. And that brings me happiness. So, the idea that people across the country have MY PRINTS on their walls is simply beautiful and downright amazing.

CONFESSION TIME: I see that many shop owners on Etsy who sell prints, the photographer often signs the prints, I consider doing this but I don’t want to seem full of myself, what do you guys honestly think? Pointless? or a good thing? (be honest, I can take it.)

Bacardi Mama also wants to know: How do you get to do all the great things you get to do through blogging?

ah, the million dollar question. I have been blogging for FORTY months. Over three years. I have spent much of that time figuring out what kind of blogger I want to be…which is just someone who comes here and shares with people what occurs on a daily basis and what occurs in my heart and in my mind. My blog is me. That is all. I do not worry about traffic, I did not start my blog to get free things, I had no idea blogging was so big when I started, I only read Tracey’s blog and that’s it.

All I know is that PR/marketing firms contact me on a daily basis wanting me to promote their product. 95% of the items thrown in my direction are turned down. I do not want my blog to be a commercial, I consider each opportunity carefully. With that, my guess is that PR firms find me through technorati (which I believe is a blog ranking website??)

What is my biggest traffic building tip? Visit other blogs, leave comments, interact, get to know other bloggers. Blogging is a community, it isn’t just about you. Everyone loves comments. The end. Even me. When I picture so many people coming to my blog and reading and then leaving without letting me know they stopped by, it’s honestly a little disheartening. (although I understand, I do the same thing sometimes…)

Lori asks: Do you find it stressful to come up with new blog material all the time? How do you come up with all the new ideas and topics?

First of all, Lori told me that my blog is her all time favorite blog and that means so much to me. THANK YOU, LORI. What an amazing compliment!

So, do I find it stressful? No, I honestly do not. Since I just blog about me and my life I seem to always have something to write about. What I’m not always in the mood to do is write. When I’m not in the mood to write, I just can’t do it.

Melissa asks Where do you order your prints from? And, what’s your favorite book?

I order my prints from a company that caters to business entities, but I do know that there are many printing facilities out there that will print high quality prints for anyone. I have to imagine that Kodak does a great job and also Mpix may be a good option, as well.

My favorite book? The Time Traveler’s Wife and I also just finished Twilight and I loved it. (Twilight was a total turn-on for me. I had no idea.)

The next question goes to Show Some Lovin’. She says I love all of your pictures – just wondering how you became interested in photography and also how you became more advanced in your skill? Thank you! I’m not sure how I became interested, I’ve always had an interest. I think overall I am a creative person and photography was just the perfect thing for me since I can’t draw, paint, sing, etc. I take lots of pictures, I can honestly say that taking pictures is what is making me better at what I do. I firmly believe that everyone has an inner photographer inside of them, you just have to find it and hone the skill. Last year I took a course or two but they weren’t very good, BUT they did teach me about shutter speed, so that’s something.

Final question comes from Arianne, she wants to know: how often do you shave your legs? At least once a week…sometimes even twice a week during the warmer months.

Around here

May 18th, 2009

Thanks, everyone, for your fabulous questions! I’m thinking I won’t be able to answer them all because maybe that would be pretty boring for you, right?

I hate to bore you.

I’m still not in the blogging/writing groove but I plan to pop in here a little bit everyday just to let you know that I’m here and to also answer some questions.

This week I am working on my garden outside and the weather is going to be picture perfect. Stepping away from the computer seems like just the right thing to do.

Remember last year, when my Mom and I spent an entire day planting our new flower beds? That day being her birthday and James and Jake’s due date, man, what a powerful day. Because now, most of the stuff we planted is thriving and loves being here. I can tell. I have lots more to plant and lots to weed, but what a fun, therapeutic process. I’ll share pictures later.

One of my favorite things to do this weekend was going to my Mom’s house yesterday and being able to take some of her perennials and adding them to my garden. She’s a very good sharer. We did that at my last house, it was very special.

She gave me some cut spirea from her garden. The glass is from Anthropologie, I had been itching to fill this glass with some simple flowers, it did not disappoint.

spirea

This past weekend,Erin, Stephanie, Arianne, Crooked Eyebrow, Sarah and I all went out to celebrate Erin’s birthday. We went to our favorite burger place and then I topped it off with a double scoop waffle cone, which means it was pretty much the best night of food EVER.

redamaks

The birthday girl and her burger.

e-dog with her burger

Even my Miller Lite was super fabulous. And being around my girls made it even better.

girls

They’re a crazy bunch.

Here’s some Asher love for you. (and Sarah, too…)

Sarah and Asher 05-2009

Oh, Arianne. Why you so pretty?

Arianne 0397

I could show like a million more pictures, but I’ll stop now. If you’d like more, you can go here.

Okay, since this post is already strangely long (strangely because I sat down and stared at my screen for ten minutes and now I can’t shutup) I’m just going to answer one question:

And it’s from Kira, she says:

I know in the past you have said you were a picky eater….have you always been that way? Is you husband picky as well? Do you feel that your kids aren’t exposed to different foods because you don’t like them?

Yes, Kira. I have always, always been that way. I think I just tend to lean towards more of the “American cuisine” then anything else. (although Mexican and Italian are pretty close to being better than American.) I am also very picky when it comes to textures in food. Brian? Is not picky at all. I could make spaghetti and mix with it mud and I would be like “honey, we were all out of sauce but I found this mud and it was free” and he would be like “free? I bet it will be better than sauce.” Seriously, I get so jealous of him and his ability to eat ANYTHING that when we go to buffets or anything like that, I go and get his food for him because that is fun for me, then I go and get my food which would be like pizza and a chocolate cupcake.

I think we do a great job of exposing new foods to our kids. Everyone knows our kids as the fruit and veggie kids. They’ll eat any fruit and any vegetable and they’ll usually eat their vegetables first. With every meal, since they were babies, we have given them fruit and with every lunch and dinner, we have given them a vegetable. If we don’t, they get upset.

I love that.

I have some flowers to plant…

reposting – Lemonade

May 17th, 2009

Today started out like any other day, I woke up a little too late, the kids and I ran around getting ready for school, as is our routine and we had ten minutes to spare. Just like everyday. I had a full list of to-dos today, which included my job, a huge side project that isn’t a side project at all, a showing at our house and being a Mom and a Wife.

We dropped Racecar off at school, picked up a cup of coffee from McDonald’s and headed home. I was busily preparing my massive to-do list in my head, knowing that I’d forget something if I didn’t write it down.

We pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t spare a second, I had so much to do. Deadlines! House to clean! Blog! I opened the garage door with the opener, we jumped out of the car, approached the door. And it was locked. but that’s okay! I have a house key! I retrieved my keys from my messy purse, “I don’t have time for this!” I say to myself. I slid the key into the lock. No good, still locked. I slid a different key into the lock; still locked.

We were locked out of the house.

All I could think about was my laptop sitting on the table and I was unable to access it. Sure, I had access to my blackberry, but there wasn’t much I could do with that. So, I called my realtor, I knew she would be able to open our lock box and get us in. I called. No answer. I left a voicemail. I e-mailed her. In the meantime, poor Ariel was starving as she hadn’t had breakfast, yet. We drove through the McDonald’s drive-thru, we parked and ate and waited for a return phone call.

“Could this day get any worse?” I thought to myself.

We drove back home, parked in the garage, I sent a few e-mails, cleaned out the car, while Ariel rode her bike and drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. Suddenly, she comes running towards me with her hand behind her back, she screamed at me concerned “I HAVE TO POOP! I HAVE TO POOP! I HAVE TO POOP! IT’S COMING OUT!”

oh dear.

“Ariel, you are going to have to hold it.”

She shot me a look like “honey, they’re ain’t no holdin’ this shit in.”

I read her look, got the message, and told her to get into her car seat, “sitting down will help you” and “I’ll drive us to the gas station.” “Okay, Mama,” she replied. I rush her, “hurry, honey! HURRY!”

We went into reverse.

And I ran over her bike.

Are you freaking kidding me? The only thing worse than running over your child’s bike, is if they are with you when you run over their bike. She ~~watched~~ heard ME massacre HER bike? Suddenly she wasn’t worried about poop any longer.

And I started looking for hidden cameras and Ashton Kutcher hiding behind the bushes.

No camera. No Ashton.

We drove to the gas station, did our business and started heading home to, I don’t know, sit in the driveway and stare at the broken bike. But instead, I turned in the other direction. My mood suddenly shifted.

I surrendered. I quickly realized that sitting in my garage isn’t going to make my realtor call back any sooner. Instead, I embraced the bad moments of the morning and set out to make our morning better. We drove to the Dunes and went for a long walk, or adventure as we like to call it. We sat at every bench on the trail, but only for a moment on each as we had lots to see. We talked. I smelled spring. I listened to those birds singing their amazing songs. I felt the softness of my daughter’s hand inside of mine. No computers. No cell phones. No blackberries. Just she and I, and James and Jake.

I felt them. I was filled with emotion, sadness and love mixed with anger and delight, but I felt the peace of my life during those moments. Walking hand in hand with my daughter, I missed my sons so much. Her touch providing the strength I needed.

During those moments, while surrounded by trees and birds and flowers and sun and love, so much love, I felt like James and Jake had wrapped a gift up for me, wrapped in a bad morning, but inside that bad morning was glory and goodness. We have decided, Ariel and I, that on Mother’s Day we will walk through the Dunes with Brian and Racecar by our sides. And I know, I just know James and Jake will be above us, smiling.

I can’t wait to do it every single year. I am so glad we were locked out today, it is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.

________________

This post was originally posted in May of 2008. I needed to repost for me and for you. I miss that day. That feeling. I need to feel it again. We may be going for that walk again today.

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