She's a Peach

Happy Birthday Henry!

2011-09-05T19:55:00.007-04:00

Today was your fifth Birthday. Zoe was sick so we couldn't do all the things I wanted to. Daddy took you to Chick-fil-a for breakfast then took you to Wal-mart and bought you a Thor sword and shield. It was a rainy day because tropical storm Lee was coming through our area.

Henry, A Snapshot of you now!

Your favorite thing to do is play "Castle Crashers" on the X-box 360 which you call "the knight game". You also like to play on PBS Kids website, Starfall and Poisson rouge.

You are a good big brother to Zoe. You play with her and make her laugh. You and Zoe love to play "moms and dads" where you take your babies shopping and to places like Disney World. You and Zoe have named your "children" Jaja and Goey and talk about them like they are real people. You always tell Zoe that she looks like a pretty princess when she gets dressed up. You let Zoe sit with you when you play the computer.

You still love animals, dinosaurs, bugs and sea creatures. You want to be a Colossal squid for Halloween (I am still trying to figure out how I'm going to make that...) Your favorite food is pork chops and egg noodles, with cream of mushroom soup gravy. You like your pizza with no sauce. Your favorite topping is mushrooms.

I love you so much and I'm so proud of you!

List update, I crossed off a BIG ONE!!

2011-06-25T10:43:00.005-04:00

I wanted to share some exciting news about my list. I just went through and crossed off 8 more items:

#18 Make homemade chicken soup. I just made some the other night. I'm getting pretty good at it. Henry had 4 helpings!! Let me know if you want me to post my recipe. It's pretty easy.

#25 Paint a picture worth framing. I have done a few paintings already. While I haven't actually framed any of them, they are hanging up in my kids rooms and other kids rooms. People have actually paid me to paint pictures for them. Here are some of my favorites:

#42- take the kids to the Zoo. We went to Riverbanks zoo in Columbia on Tuesday. The kids had a great time. Zoe's favorite was feeding the giraffes and Henry loved the Snakes and Fish.

#93 Plant flowers in the spring. Did it!

Now drumroll for the big one! Those of you who are my Facebook friends already know this news. I got a tattoo!! #7 on the list. Actually, I technically got two tattoos! I went with my cousin Matt to watch him get a tattoo.We went to Shiny New Tattoo in Shelby, NC. My friend Tabitha has several tattoos and always goes there so they came highly recommended from her.

Matt urged me to go ahead and get one. I was hesitant to because I didn't want to be in pain this weekend. I have 4 photo shoots! He convinced me that it wasn't that painful. I figured I might as well do it since I was there anyway. Bo (or Larkus) did my tattoo. For those of you who have never had a tattoo and are curious about the pain factor, it was pretty painful while the needle was in my skin, but as soon as the needle came up the pain was gone. On the pain scale I would give it about a 5. The worst was when it was on my Achilles tendon ouch! I just kind of went to my happy place and tried not to focus on the pain too much. After it was done, it felt like I had rug burn or a sunburn on the back of my ankles.

So without further a do (whatever that means) here they are:

I love them. I think they are so cute. I think they look great when I wear my converse or high heels. I hardly ever wear high heels. I might need to start wearing them more often! Please no negative comments about my tattoos. They are permanent and there is nothing I can do about them. Negative comments will only hurt my feelings.

Zoe turned 3 today

2011-05-09T21:47:00.003-04:00

I know I wrote a little about Zoe in my Mother's day post yesterday but since it's her birthday, I figured I'd write a little something else and share some then and now pictures of my sweet girl. Lately I have been catching Zoe with an opened jar of peanut butter and a spoon, having a little snack. She loves to go to the refrigerator and get slices of cheese. She is a dare-devil and loves to jump from high places. She doesn't like to wear clothes very much and I have caught her playing outside in only her underwear on a few occasions. Right now she loves Dora the Explorer, Strawberry Shortcake, and Care Bears. Her and Henry love to play super heroes and "people" when they play Superheroes, she is either windville (who blows a windy wind) or gooey squash (who gooey's people) When they play people, she is "mom" and Henry is "dad" and they have a "kid" named "jaja".

She loves to laugh, play and sing. I love her too much!

Here is Zoe as a newborn

1 year old

2 years old

and now

Happy Birthday to sweet Zoe!!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:33:00.004-04:00

There are days when I love being a mother and there are other days. As I write this, Henry is in the backyard playing in the sandbox, pretending he is some sort of super hero or magical being that can change into any creature imaginable. Zoe is taking her afternoon nap on the day before her 3rd birthday. Matt is at work and I am trying to have a relaxing mother's day.

All day today, I have told the kids "stop fighting, it's mother's day" or " be good, it's mother's day" seems to be working so far. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow too. :)

Henry, my first born is my biggest challenge as a mother. Unless he is sleeping, he is never still. First thing every morning he comes and snuggles in bed while kicking me. When I can't stand it anymore I get up. He is seemingly always hungry and always needing something from me. No one else on earth can make me as happy and as angry as Henry can. He knows how to push my buttons and he knows how to make my heart melt. He is so smart and I sometimes worry that I am not doing a good job raising him. Henry is completely tenacious and if he wants something he doesn't relent until he is satisfied. I know that this personality trait can be a great thing when he is an adult if I can teach him how to use it beneficially. I'm so scared sometimes that he will just be a brat though. I don't want my children to be brats. I just pray about it a lot. I ask God to please give me wisdom in raising him. I just have a feeling of peace about it that God has big plans for Henry. He is a leader, he is smart and he has an incredible imagination.

Zoe, my sweet, sweet Zoe. What can I say about her. She is beautiful both inside and out. She has a fragile spirit and wants to be a good girl. You can just see the hurt and disappointment on her face if she gets into trouble. She is Henry's "right hand man" and loves playing with him, looking for bugs and getting into mischief with him. She stands up to her brother too. She doesn't let him push her around. When she meets someone new she'll say, "I'm Zoe, this is my friend Henry" She loves music, she learns the lyrics to songs quickly and sings along. She is always singing, dancing and laughing. She gives the best hugs, the kind of hug that just feels like she is melting into you.

Matt is a wonderful husband and father. I am completely head over heels for him. He helps me to get through the days that being a mom is not easy. I love it when he steps in on days that I can't take the whining and crying anymore. Thanks Matt for always having my back.

My Heroes

2011-04-27T21:42:00.002-04:00

This is Henry. My beautiful, smart, rambunctious 4 year old son.

I can't help but think that this could have been the last photo taken of my sweet boy. I am ever so grateful to these two:

Last night Henry, Zoe and Charlie were playing in the backyard at my parents' house and I was just inside the door. All of a sudden I hear Zoe screaming and crying. When I looked out the door she was standing at the door banging on the window. As I opened the door to see what was wrong with her she pointed to the pool where I see Charlie attempting to pull a crying, soaking wet Henry out of the pool. I jerked him up out of the pool and all was fine. I am beyond impressed with how Zoe (2) and Charlie (barely 3) thought fast to come to the rescue of their brother / Cousin / friend Henry. I always say that they look like they could be twins and wonder twins they were to Henry last night.

Fun with the kids.

2011-04-23T22:22:00.003-04:00

This week the kids and I dyed Easter Eggs then I dressed them up and hid eggs in the front yard. It was our Easter Egg hunt done on Wednesday! Here are some pics of the day.

My new favorite

2011-04-21T23:53:00.002-04:00

I have gained weight( :( boo!) and I want to spend more time with the kids. The last 2 nights I have decided to go for a walk with the kids after dinner. It's so nice that they are old enough to go for walks with me now without worrying about pushing a stroller or them getting too tired. I (of course) brought my camera along too and thought I'd share some from the past 2 nights. Tonight I was trying out a new lens that isn't really great on focusing I'm discovering so of course, I get really cute pics of the kids and they are all out of focus. I don't care, I'm keeping them anyway! I just know now not to use this lens with a client!

they love to run around the street. Luckily I live in a pretty quiet neighborhood and we don't have too many cars to get out of the way of.

Becoming

2011-04-15T22:03:00.003-04:00

I signed up for a very interesting e-class that started this week. It is called Becoming: Six Weeks to a More Adventurous (Business) Life. It is put on by Kristen Kalp the blogger / author and adventurer at Brand Camp.

Every morning I have been journaling specific questions. Each week we are supposed to pull a random "adventure" task. Tomorrow morning I will be completing my task. I will share photos of it. Should be fun!

This journaling has really helped me to reconcile some things and has also brought up some questions that I need to ask myself. It has helped me to see that sometimes I put my business and clients before my children. I have too many times sat my children in front of the TV so that I can get some editing done, prints ordered or some emails answered. Today I had a photo shoot. I generally will come home from a photo shoot and get right to work editing for hours. Instead today, I decided to spend time with my kids, the editing can wait! We went to the park, ate lunch and played for a couple hours. No computer, no phone, just my undivided attention to my kids. When we got home from the park, I loaded the photos onto the computer and started editing. Henry begged me to play a video game with him and begged me to go outside with him. I said to myself "Self, you can edit tonight when he is in bed, go play with your son. He won't be 4 forever" We played outside then we played Viva Pinata (which Henry pronounces "Pianta") He loves watching me play it. I was proud of myself for putting my business and work on the back burner and putting my kids first.

I'm trying not to think about how far behind I am now though..... :)

American Idol - Elton John Week

2011-03-30T22:15:00.003-04:00

This blog post will be short. Feeling a bit uninspired this week and not sure if its me or if the show just wasn't great tonight. Maybe a little bit of both. Henry watched the show with me tonight and he likes to talk and ask questions (and make me draw pictures).

Scotty sang "Country comfort"

It was good, not anything amazing about it but nothing bad either. It was nice to see him play his guitar tonight.

Grade: B

Naima sang "I'm Still Standing" with a reggae feel.

First of all, what was up with the fake Jamaican accent? Was that cheesy or what?! Jennifer and Randy agreed with me. Randy said her performance was corny. Steven, not sure. He just said "boom shaka laka laka baby"!

Grade: C

Paul sang "Rocket Man"

I think Paul just isn't right for this competition. I think in a regular world, with him singing his own music I would dig Paul. I didn't like him this week again.

Grade: C

Pia sang "Don't let the Sun Go Down On Me"

Amazing! She sang another ballad but I don't care, she sang it so great!

Grade: A

Stefano sang "Tiny Dancer"

He was much better this week.

Grade: B+

Lauren sang one of my favorite songs of all time, "Candle in the Wind"

I loved it. Favorite performance of hers all season!

Grade: A+

James sang "Saturday Night"

The piano was on fire and so was he. Awesome performance. I love how he has fun on stage.

Grade: A

Thia sang "Daniel"

Can't say much about it because I fell asleep halfway through it.

Grade: B because she sang it pretty but it was so boring.

Casey sang another favorite of mine "Your Song"

Ah, it was just perfect! I was so glad he got a haircut / beard trim. He was starting to look like an extra in a werewolf movie.

Grade: A

Jacob sang "Sorry seems to be the Hardest Word" (or something like that)

It was good, as always.

Grade: A

Haley sang "Benny and the Jets"

She did great. Sometimes the growling that she does can be a bit much. I think she came close to overdoing it tonight. Sidenote: In the lyrics to this song, I always thought they were singing "she's got electric boobs.." (anyone else? LOL)

Grade: A-

I was sooo terribly wrong last week about who got voted off. Luckily, the judges saved Casey!

This week my predictions are

Bottom 3: Thia, Stefano, and Naima

Going home: Thia and Stefano

Fun craft idea

2011-03-30T18:52:00.003-04:00

I did this with the kids yesterday and they loved it. It was so easy and I am having all kinds of different ideas I can do. I'm sure that I'm not the first to think of this but I thought I'd share it anyway!

All you need is a sharpie (or other permanent marker), some craft foam sheets, scissors and imagination.

Henry loves sharks and anything that lives in the sea. He brought me a sheet of craft foam yesterday and said, "mommy, can you cut a hammerhead shark out of this" I was in an adventurous mood and thought, why not?! Of course when the hammerhead shark came out to his liking he kept asking for more fish. He even requested a princess for Zoe. (how sweet)

He played with these foam sharks for at least an hour. Today I was giving them a bath and an idea came to me. I ran and got the foam sharks and brought them to the tub. The foam stuck to the tub wall, instant tub toy. I was afraid that the marker might come off in the water but fortunately it didn't.

Here are some pics of them.

I am thinking that I could make puzzles, "paper" dolls, simple shapes for creating more complex designs. The possibilities are endless. Let me know if you try it out with your kids!

American Idol- Week 3- Motown - Unleash the Beast!

2011-03-23T22:27:00.004-04:00

So, not to gloat or anything but I was totally right again last week on who would go home. It's kinda scary :)

This week the top 11 sang hits from Motown, let's get started on what I thought of the performances.

Casey started the night with his version of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine". Performed by such artists as The Temptations and the California Raisins. Casey put his own special spin on there. The beginning of the song had a little too much growling for me but the end was much better. There was NOTHING karaoke about his performance and it was definitely entertaining

Casey gets a B+

Thia was next up singing "Heatwave". She listened to me and the judges last week and decided to do something a little up-tempo for us. She looked beautiful, as always and she sang the song great. There was still nothing about the performance to make me want to vote for her though. She seems like a nice girl, I'm wondering if maybe she is just a little too young for the competition.

Grade:B

Jacob sang "You're All I Need" and the producer (Jimmy Lavine) suggested that Jacob pull back a little bit, which I thought was excellent advice. He was brilliant, like always. The judges even gave a standing ovation which doesn't happen too often. Heck, Steven Tyler and the whole first row went up on stage and gave him a hug which, has never happened.

Grade: A+

Lauren sang "Keep Me Hanging On" It was good, I kind of wish they had let her put a little bit of a country spin on it since that seems to be her niche. She performed and sang well. I was a little scared that she might trip over her long zebra print dress, thankfully she made it through!

Grade: B+

Stefano was next up and shared some of his mother's leftovers with Ryan.........Stefano sang "Hello" and Jimmy also suggested to Stefano that he pull back a little. The judges wanted him to connect to the audience a bit more and I agree with what they said. That would really make him shine because we all know that boy can sing!

Grade: A-

A little aside here: Did anyone else think it was terrifically awkward when Ryan had Gordon Ramsey / Ramsay try Stefano's Mom's leftovers? I felt really bad for her!

Haley sang "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" and she sounded great. I was glad that she didn't tumble down the stairs in those high high heels she was wearing!

Grade: A-

Scotty sang next with a country version of "For Once in My Life" and I think that what they did to the song was a good move for Scotty. I don't think he could have sang the Stevie Wonder version of it and sounded believable at all! A little aside that isn't really important, but I still want to ask. Does the way Scotty holds the mic bother anyone else? It just annoys me for some reason. LOL

Grade: B+

Pia, lovely Pia sang "All in Love is Fair" and as the judges pointed out it is her 3rd ballad. She really needs to sing something more up-tempo next week. She did sing beautifully and I loved her, as always!

Grade: A

Paul took my advice last week and played his guitar tonight. He sang "Tracks of My Tears" which is one of my favorite Motown songs. He messed up the words at one part but, I'll forgive him for that because the Paul that I love is back! Tonight's performance reminded me of why I liked him at the beginning of the season.

Grade: A

Naima was up next singing "Dancing in the Streets". I totally disagreed with the judges tonight. I thought her outfit was hideous, I mean, some gnomes could live in her pants! She was pitchy and I thought the dancing was strange and weird. I might be in the minority. I'd like to know what other people thought.

Grade: C

James Durbin was in the "pimp" spot tonight and sang "Living for the City"

He sounded great and he really picked the perfect song to sing. Nothing much more to say other than I really enjoyed it!

Grade: A

This week is tough because they all really did well tonight. The only performance I didn't like was Naima but everyone else seemed to like it.

I am totally guessing when I say, Thia, Naima and Haley will be bottom 3. Thia will go home. I really have no idea this week though!

American Idol - Week 2 - in a loose mood

2011-03-16T22:40:00.002-04:00

This week the contestants had to sing songs from their birth year. I cannot tell you how old this show made me feel! One of the contestants was born in 1995, 1995 people! I am old enough to be her mother. : / Can I just point out before we begin that I was 2 for 3 in the bottom three prediction last week and hit a home run on my prediction that Ashton would go home. Let's see if I can get it right again this week.

Naima Sang "What's Love Got to do with it?" I thought she did a great job, she was a little pitchy but I like how she made the song current and moved around the stage. I'm not sure about her outfit choice but she did her thang. Grade: B

Paul Sang "And That's Why They Call it the Blues" and it was just ok. Maybe I'm not as much of a Paul fan as I originally thought. I just can't get past his weird movements on stage. I'd like to hear him sing a song of his own, I think I would like him better. Steven Tyler said that he was a "cool dude in a loose mood" Grade: B

Thia sang "Colors of the Wind" and it was pretty but it was boring, especially put up against all the other great performances tonight. It seemed like she forgot the words at one point and she seemed very nervous, the vibrato in her voice was going Crazy! Grade: C

James Durbin sang Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You" and I was a little disappointed. He sang it ok but I think he could have chosen a better song, I loved that Steven Tyler pointed out that he was getting a little too "pop" LOL. James is very likable and has great stage presence so I think he'll be fine this week. Grade: B

Haley sang "I'm Your Baby Tonight". Can I give a little side note into what this song makes me think of? One day in 7th grade I stayed home from school sick and I laid in my room listening to the radio and every time I hear that song it takes me back to that day. Anyway, back to American Idol....I thought Haley did good. I like Haley and I hope she sticks around for a while. I felt bad for her that her make up got messed up, I guess that happens on Live shows though!

Grade: B

Stefano sang "If you don't know me by now" and was so amazing. He's just so great!

Grade: A

Pia sang "Where do Broken Hearts Go?" and I loved it. She is really beautiful, has a great personality and presence. Most importantly, that girl can sing! I really don't get the kind of outfits like she was wearing, it reminded me of a baby romper but she still looked good anyway.

Grade: A

Scotty sang "Can I Trust You With My Heart" and was also amazing. I'm telling you, some of the contestants really brought it this week! I loved when Scotty's parents sang "Baby lock them doors...." It was perfect, so funny!

Grade: A

Karen sang "Love Will Lead You Back" and she was also boring. She sang it well and looked great, nothing really wowed me about the performance though. It was forgettable. I really thought her mom was the sweetest!

Grade: B-

Casey sang Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", a first on American Idol. It was definitely a risk and we'll have to see what America thought of it. I thought it was a great performance and as always, loved Casey!

Grade: B+

Lauren sang "I'm the Only One" and was so much better than last week! She really rocked it. I love how she shows her personality and sings her heart out.

Grade: A

Jacob sang "How Do I Get You Alone" and as always, was unbelievable! How does he sing like that? It is not human!

Grade: A+

I'm not as confident in my predictions this week but here we go: Bottom 3 will be Karen, Naima, and Thia or Paul (not sure which). I think that Karen will go home

American Idol - Top 13 - A Rainbow of Talent

2011-03-09T22:09:00.002-05:00

Week 1 on the "big" stage was fun. I think this will be a great season on American Idol. I love the new judges. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez (J-LO to my generation) really have gone above my expectations. I thought that with Simon gone the show wouldn't be the same anymore. Yes, it is different but change can be good sometimes. I'm going to grade each contestant, say what I think Simon would have said and then I'm going to predict who the bottom 3 will be. OK, here we go!

First singer up was:

Lauren Alaina - Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain

I thought her outfit was awful. She needs some help in the fashion department. I was glad she didn't wear the ugly pink dress / boot combo she did when the picked the top 24 a couple weeks ago, but, I digress. The performance was boring to me. She didn't really do much besides stand there a sing. Any Man of Mine can be such a fun song. A real pro would have got the audience into it. Simon would have said:"reminded me of a bad karaoke singer at a high school reunion"

Grade: C

I think that Miss Alaina will be fine though. She has a very likable personality and I think that the country music fans out there will keep her around for another week (at least)

Casey - Joe Cocker - Little Help from My Friends

I need to admit right off the bat that I am a Casey fan so my opinion is a bit tainted by that. Let me also say that I was a Taylor Hicks lover and so I tend to go for the different unique contestants! I thought Casey's performance was fun, and he made the song his own. He really got into the song and could tell he was having a good time.

Simon would have liked it (I think)

Grade: A-

Ashton - Diana Ross- When you tell me (that you love me)

Ashton was one of the singers that was saved last week by the judges' wild card votes. I didn't agree with their choice then and I still didn't tonight. I wasn't impressed with her performance. I thought it was forgettable.

Simon would have said "forgettable, no one will remember that performance"

Grade: C

Paul McDonald - Ryan Adams

I love Paul but I did not like his performance tonight. He was all over the place on the stage, his voice sounded weak and I just didn't like this song for him at all. Can I just say that I thought Ryan Seacrest was so annoying doing his impression of Paul! Ryan, stick to the hosting thing, you are not funny.

Simon would have said:"it reminded me a bit of your uncle getting up and singing at a wedding after he's had a bit too much to drink"

Grade: C

Pia - All by Myself - Celine Dion

I am quickly becoming a Pia fan. I think she has a fantastic voice, she is a beautiful girl and she seems to have a beautiful personality. The song she sang is not even close to being an easy song to sing and she nailed it.

Simon would have said" you are a bit of a dark horse in this competition"

Grade: A

James Durbin - Paul McCartney - Baby I'm amazed

I love James too. He is terrific and performed terrific tonight. I was glad he lost the tail tonight. It kind of looks like he has a scarf coming out of his backside (random) . He showed a lot of control with his voice tonight and didn't do any screaming. I think that the screaming can be over-done. I think Adam Lambert overdid the screaming and Siobhan did last year as well.

Simon would have liked it.

Grade: A

Haley - Blue - Leanne Rimes

Haley sang well but it was kind of boring and stayed true to how the original was sung. I like Haley and I hope she sticks around this week.

Simon: "forgettable, fell asleep during the performance"

Grade: B

Jacob Lusk - R. Kelly I believe I can Fly

Although his style isn't really my type of music I am still a fan of his just because Jacob has an amazing instrument and seems to have a super personality.

Simon would have loved it.

Grade: A

Thia Megia - Smile - Michael Jackson

It was sweet and boring. I agreed with the judges that the jazzy arrangement wasn't great. She's a beautiful girl and has a beautiful voice but I don't feel like I've seen anything great from her yet.

Simon would have said: " didn't like the song selection, atrocious arrangement, you may be in trouble after that"

Grade: C

Stefano Langone - Stevie Wonder

I also am a big Stefano fan and I was so glad that the judges saved him with a wild card spot last week. He has a great story, great attitude and a great voice. I thought he did great tonight. I wasn't crazy about the disco beat halfway through the song but he really showed that he belongs in the top 13 tonight.

Simon: "hated the arrangement, you sounded great though"

Grade: B+

Karen - Selena song

Boring, pitchy, seemed almost unsure of the what the song was that she was singing. I don't really love Karen. She seems so pro-Latina that it's irritating. Maybe it's just me. I don't see anything wrong with being proud of your heritage but she seems to mention on every show that she is Latino, ok, we get it.

Simon would have said something awful and made her cry

Grade: D

Scotty McCreery - The River - Garth Brooks

Scotty seems like a really nice southern boy. He has a great voice for Country music and I thought he sang this song great. While I will probably not buy his album, just because I'm not a big country fan, I hope he does well in his career.

Grade: A

Naima Adedapo - Umbrella

Nice dance moves, I liked the little ragea (sp?) twist she added to it. I'm not a huge fan of hers but I have to give her props. I was glad that she shaved her armpits.

Grade: A

Bottom 3 tomorrow night: Karen, Ashton, and Paul. I think Ashton will go home. What do you think?

American Idol Review?

2011-03-03T13:48:00.002-05:00

Thinking of starting back up with my weekly review of American Idol. I really like the new judges and quite a few of the contestants. I was just wondering if any of my readers watch the show and would be interested in reading my take each week. Comment and let me know!

E-mealz

2011-01-30T20:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I needed to go grocery shopping and was feeling uninspired. Same old same old stuff again. I had looked at e-mealz.com before and I thought it looked like a great idea. So, I decided to try it out. It is $15 every 3 months ($5 a month) and every week they give you 7 meals and a shopping list. You can choose a family plan, low fat plan, low carb plan, vegetarian plan, even a couple's plan if it's just you and your significant other. They also have all of these by store. I usually grocery shop at Wal-mart so I chose the Wal-Mart Family plan. So far it has been good. Last night we had loaded baked potatoes with garlic bread and salad. Tonight we had crock pot beef stew with corn bread. It was so easy to just print my list, check off what I already had in the pantry and go to the store. So far the recipes have been really simple. I'm hoping that by doing this we will save money on groceries and eat out less. I'll let you know what I think of it after the first week is through.

Happy Monday

2011-01-03T07:49:00.005-05:00

Time for new things and new beginnings. I love the beginning of a new year. The hustle and bustle of the holidays in behind us and we can get back to life as we know it. There is a freshness in the air somehow, almost like a second chance. I start my diet back today. I weighed myself yesterday and I am up 7 pounds from the last time I weighed myself in November. I am so mad at myself but I just need to get that 7 pounds plus 10 (or 15) off this year. If I really try hard and put my mind to it I can have that 20 pounds off by Spring. I wish I could do Insanity again but my knees got so torn up last time that I can barely do anything physical without my knees (and sometimes my hip) hurting. So, yeah, I'm getting old. I'll be 33 in February.

I've got lots to do so going to eat my oatmeal and green tea (instead of coffee)

1-1-11 Let's blog!

2011-01-01T19:02:00.003-05:00

Hey, I know that you are in shock that I am actually blogging. It has been a couple months, I know! I have a good reason though. God blessed me tremendously in November and December with lots of photo shoots and I was up to my ears in taking, editing and printing pictures not to mention taking care of a 4 and 2 year old, and 2 dogs. Matt worked full time throughout half of November and all of December as a temporary Manager. We are both hopeful that he will be able to get a promotion soon. January and February are known as the "slow" season in the photography world so I hope to get my house and life more organized during this time. Hoping to stay busy enough to pay the bills though!

Hopefully I will blog more soon! Happy New Year!!

Just realized I used the word "hope" alot in this entry! Sorry 'bout that!

Wanna see some awesome pics?

2010-10-08T08:26:00.003-04:00

Completed number 87 last night "get a family portrait made"! Check them out here! I am so happy with them. The talented Natalie Harris of N. Harris Photography took the pics. I can't wait to get some printed! Thanks Natalie, you did an awesome job, I know more than anyone how difficult my children are to photograph!

Making Grape juice

2010-09-16T23:20:00.004-04:00

Henry was asking me how you make apple juice and grape juice a couple weeks ago and so we looked on Youtube and found all kinds of videos. He really wanted to make some juice after that! I decided to buy some Concord Grapes so that he could make some juice. First, I had him and Zoe take all the grapes off of the stems and put them in a bowl.

Then I let them smash the grapes with a potato masher. (I helped a little too) and strained the juice to get all the seeds and skin out.

And this was all the juice we got, about 7 ounces. Let me tell you, at 3.99 for the grapes that was the most expensive grape juice I have ever drank! (is drank a word?)

Henry liked it! It was good but I'll probably stick to buying Welches, It's much more cost effective. It was a fun project for the kids though!

B is for Book (or Blog)

2010-09-11T22:49:00.002-04:00

As promised, I am sharing pictures of my Alphabet book. If you haven't been following my blog long, last year for Henry's 3rd birthday, I did a series of pictures of him from a - z. If you want to see a slideshow I did of them go here to see! Well, I decided that I wanted to have a book made of the pictures to keep. It took forever but I finally did it. Here are some pics of it. I'm really happy with it and Henry loves looking at it. I'm planning on doing one for Zoe for her 3rd birthday, which will be here before I know it! I guess I'd better get started :)

Here is the cover I designed for it. I wanted it to have that 50's schoolbook look to it.

and here are some of the pages from it

Fun night planned

2010-09-10T13:23:00.002-04:00

can I write another blog? Is it ok to do 2 in one day?LOL I'm trying to make up for the lack of blogging over the last month. I have found that what I would have blogged about in the past I narrow down to a status on FB instead. I need to stop doing that!

Tonight my friend Tabitha and my sister Kelly are coming over to paint with me. I needed some "girl time" and I thought this would be something fun and different. Plus I can work on my painting at the same time that I want to try to finish this weekend. I can't wait to see what they paint!

I'll share some pics tomorrow!

Coffee Tawk with Sarah

2010-09-10T10:08:00.004-04:00

Well, here I am again drinking a cup of coffee and in the mood to blog. I crossed a few items off of my list yesterday that I had been meaning to for a while.

First off #20 Sell a photo - thanks to my dear friend Elizabeth for wanting to display one of my pictures in her home! She wrote to me yesterday and asked if she could buy a signed 11 x 14 of this picture.

Liz is also a photographer! Here's her website. They do very unique photoshoots, check them out if you are in the Red Lion, PA area!

The next item crossed off is 61 and 62 get business cards and get a business license.

A very exciting one for me and one that I, if I was being totally honest, never thought I would achieve. #81, lose 20 pounds! yay! I'm hoping to lose about 10 more. Matt and I have decided to start working out again starting Monday.

and #27 get alphabet book made! I'll share some pics of it later.

anyway, I think that's it! so now I have 18 items crossed off, I'd better get moving, I only have 656 days left!

Editing and Identity Crisis

2010-09-09T12:05:00.006-04:00

Just got a cup of coffee, nice and hot. Sitting down to edit some pictures. I am having an identity crisis of late. Up til now if meeting someone for the first time, I would tell them, if asked what I do, that I am unemployed. The other day I realized that I can tell people that I am a photographer. I may not make much money doing it after factoring in the money I spend on props and templates and the gas to and from shoots and my costs of the prints I sell my customers, plus the taxes I have to pay on every cent I make. But, I still do make a little money and so I guess that makes me a photographer. I sometimes am confused and scared to go out on a limb. In my mind I am too insecure to go further with my editing. I edit pictures sometimes and they look really awesome but I'm so scared to show them to a client because it's "different" I edit pictures of my own kids differently. For example here is a picture I took of Henry edited several different ways.

Up until recently I probably wouldn't have even shown this picture to my client. He's not looking at the camera so it can't be a good picture, right? I don't know, I happen to love this picture. It's so Henry. I love how his toes are curled up on the ground. I love how he is just looking down at the ground like he's thinking of how he's going to torture his sister when we get home. I would be disappointed if another photographer had taken this picture and decided to reject it just because he's not looking at the camera. I need to get over these insecurities I have and just be the artist that I want to be. If I think an image looks good, my client probably will too. I need to stop assuming what my client will or won't like.

I want to create art, I don't want to be your every day run of the mill photographer. I'm not putting down those photographers, they create beautiful portraits and I'm not knocking that. It's just not what I want to be. I need to decide what kind of a photographer I want to be, find my style and stick with it. I want customers to come to me for portraits because no one else can do what I do, not because my price is lower or because I'm the first photographer that came up when they did a Google search.

I want to be respected for my work. I want people to have the pictures I do of them and their children displayed not just as a picture of their child but as a work of art. I have recently started telling people that I am a photographer, I want to one day tell people that I am an Artist. I hope to get there one day!

Am I an artist?

2010-09-08T13:14:00.004-04:00

I started a Facebook Page for my paintings. People have shown an interest in buying paintings from me ( I have 3 in the works Yay!) so I thought maybe during the Winter when my photography business is bound to slow down I can make some extra money painting. Check out my page and "like" me. Oh, and if you want a painting let me know!

New pictures up!

2010-09-07T12:45:00.000-04:00

new photo blog up! Go check it out!! Leave me some blog love if you are so inclined!! Thanks :)

Finding my Joy!

2010-09-06T20:49:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow I am starting this online photo class called finding Your Joy. Willette, the photographer / designer that is teaching the class describes it like this:

When you really look at all the photos you have of your family, how many photos are there of YOU? I discovered after printing my family photos for the year, that I was only in a handful of photos out of over 1000 photos. Finding YOUR joy is my personal quest to better document my own life (and my quest to help you do the same). I would hate for my children to see all of our family photos and wonder where I was (when in actuality I was there…I was just behind the camera). This three week online e-journey will help you explore how to capture your own life in photos and how to escape from always being behind the camera.

I think it will be fun and I plan on sharing some of the pics on my photo blog. This week's assignment is simply to take 20 self portraits. Stay tuned....

A year in the life of Henry....His fourth year. :)

2010-09-05T20:57:00.009-04:00

Today you turn 4 years old!! Your daddy and I can't believe how lucky we are to have a boy like you in our lives! You love everything that is dinosaurs and sharks. You love to pretend you are a bug hunter and you get frustrated when you can't find any bugs to catch in the back yard. You make up stories about cardemon, and Nicky and you love to play pet shop with Zoe. You put the laundry basket over you and pretend you are a baby tortoise or baby hermit crab so that Zoe can buy you from the pet shop. Lately you have loved playing the "knight game" or the "turtle game" with daddy. I love the songs you make up, "I'm going to the fair, to see mamamama" or the classic "here comes a monster swinging his tail, ee I ingy, kingy kaaale" You must have popcorn and hot chocolate when we sit down to watch a movie. You love to help me cook and do the dishes even though I don't let you help me as much as I should. Sorry about that, some days I am in too much of a hurry to get things done.

You accomplished a lot this year. Potty training, learning to write your name, and now you let mommy occasionally take your picture.
You took your first trip to Disney World (thanks to Grammy and papa), and you are getting better at sharing with your baby sister. You also got to go see the Wiggles this year (thanks to Grandma and Papa)You are a sweet, smart, funny little boy, you have never met a stranger and you will talk to anyone who will listen. You teach me patience daily and I am a better person for knowing you. Thanks for always knowing how to make me smile when I need it, the snuggles in the morning, the hugs and kisses all day long. I can't wait to see what this, your 4th year has in store!! I love you :)

I'd be really happy if you....

2010-08-12T08:04:00.004-04:00

Do me a favor?? go to my photo blog and become a follower? Comment on it every once in a while please? I found out that the more traffic / comments I get on my blog the more likely it is to come up on search engines if someone is looking for a photographer. I made it easy on you and put a "follow" button at the top temporarily. Thanks in advance! You all are awesome!

Picture of me taken over 10 years ago

2010-07-30T21:18:00.002-04:00

this pic always cracks me up! I was in 10th grade I think and I have my dad's workboots on. I was trying to go for an artsy look! LOL

not sure if it will work, but you can see it bigger on Facebook

Day 9: a photo you took

2010-07-29T13:01:00.003-04:00

Well, I missed yesterday's assignment! I'll have to do it another day. Todays assignment is hard. I have too many pictures to choose from, it's hard to choose only one. This is a picture I took a few days ago of Henry. There's something about it I really love!

5 things I couldn't possibly live without

2010-07-26T23:04:00.003-04:00

Let's just get rid of the obvious right now (God, my family, food, air, car, electricity, water blah, blah, blah) Let's not take this topic too seriously! :)

1. The internet
2. My camera
3. Contact Lenses(can't see without them! and I hate glasses!)
4. Chocolate
5. Coffee

A moment you would like to relive

2010-07-26T13:44:00.002-04:00

There have been a lot of great moments in my life, I think my favorite moment to relive in my mind is the first time I kissed my husband, Matt. It was magical and innocent and beautiful. Of course, every time I kiss him it is wonderful but there is just something about a first kiss. You both are unsure, don't want to be rejected, don't want the other person to think you are a bad kisser, it's like jumping off a cliff into water below. You are so scared and excited at the same time. You know that once you step off, there is no going back. You are either gonna have a great experience or you're gonna bash your head open on the rocks below. (or in this case get your heart broken)

I was unsure of dating Matt when we first started hanging out together. His brother Will and my sister, Kelly had just gotten married and if our relationship didn't work out it had the potential of being awkward. Not to mention the fact that I am a lot older than him (I was 23 and he was 19 when we started dating). It's funny, because I remember the conversation I had with Matt right after we had our first kiss. I look back and think, "man, I was blunt! Most guys would have thought I was crazy and got out of there as fast as they could!" I think the conversation went a little like this:

Me: If you want to date me, you have to know that I am 23 and I'm gonna wanna get married in a couple years, I know you are young and that might not be something you want. So, if you don't want to get married in a couple years we might as well not even start anything.

Matt: Ok

Me: and if we don't work out you have to promise that when we break up, things won't be weird between us (because of Kelly and Will being married)

Matt: OK

Me: and I'm older than you, I want to have children before I'm 30 so you will be a young father.

Matt: OK

I think he must have liked me a lot because I sounded like a psycho woman! He kept his end of the bargain though since we did get married a couple years later. (well 2 1/2 years later) and we had our first child when I was 28 and our second when I was 30.

I love Matt so much and I'm so glad that I jumped off that cliff!

Favorite quote

2010-07-25T21:51:00.002-04:00

"Why not go out on a limb? That's where all the fruit is!" Will Rogers

and another from Mr. Rogers

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Favorite tv show

2010-07-24T11:24:00.002-04:00

This topic is easy for me. I don't watch too much TV. My favorite show, hands down is "The Office" It is the funniest thing ever. I don't just laugh when I watch this show, I LAUGH MY BUTT OFF! If you've never seen "The Office" you need to check it out. Enjoy some funny stuff!

Favorite Book

2010-07-23T19:01:00.002-04:00

I like to read. I don't have a favorite book though. I guess it would be the Bible. The instruction book on life! Sorry that this post is lame! I'll do better tomorrow! LOL

Movies

2010-07-22T08:02:00.002-04:00

Today I'm supposed to blog about a favorite movie. I really love to watch movies when I get the chance. Some of my favorite movies are, The Lord of The Rings trilogy, Seabiscuit, Love Actually, Toy Story 3, Pirates of the Carribean and Napoleon Dynamite. This is just to name a few! I also love old movies like Gone with the Wind and Breakfast at Tiffany's and musicals like Chicago and Grease.

One movie that I figured I would write about today, since most people probably haven't even heard of it is Waiting for Guffman. This movie is a documentary style comedy about a small town theater group. It takes the viewer from Auditions to the performance of the show. It is cleverly acted and "written" I say that in quotes because some of the scenes are completley improvised. I think it is a movie that not everyone will "get" or like. It was funnier the second time I watched it, the first time I watched it I didn't know what to expect and so I was caught off guard. Here is a scene from the movie so you can sort of see what I mean.

and, just cuz, here's some Napolean Dynamite :)

hmmm, I must be a weirdo.

2010-07-21T09:01:00.003-04:00

Today I'm supposed to blog about my favorite song. I don't have one. I have a lot of songs that I like to listen, sing and dance to but I don't have a favorite. I decided to show you all a few of my favorite songs to dance to. up until now, my husband has been the only person to have the pleasure of seeing me dance to these songs (and maybe I should have kept it that way). The following video is meant for entertainment purposes only and should not make the viewer believe in any way that I actually think I can dance. Now that we have that out of the way....Enjoy:

30 Day Challenge

2010-07-21T08:53:00.003-04:00

My Facebook buddy and blog follower Alaythea over at Rock n' Roll Hideaway is doing a 30 day blog challenge. Since I have been having trouble blogging lately, I figured that this would give me something to get my brain in the blogging mood again.

These are the topics for the next 30 days:

Day 1: A favorite song.

Day 2: A favorite movie.

Day 3: A favorite book.

Day 4: A favorite television program.

Day 5: A favorite quote.

Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive.

Day 7: Five things you couldn't possible live without.

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.

Day 9: A photo you took.

Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago. *might have trouble with this one* *hehe*

Day 11: A photo of you taken recently.

Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding(or was played).

Day 13: A guilty pleasure.

Day 14: A vacation you would like to take.

Day 15: A person you admire.

Day 16: A song that makes you cry.

Day 17: An art piece.

Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive.

Day 19: A talent of yours.

Day 20: A hobby of yours.

Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people.

Day 22: A website.

Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered.

Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love.

Day 25: A recipe.

Day 26: A childhood memory.

Day 27: A physical feature you love.

Day 28: A scar you have and it's story.

Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans you have for the next 365 days.

Day 30: A motto or philosophy.

I might have trouble with some of these but we'll give it a go!

My Artwork

2010-07-19T10:25:00.003-04:00

I bought a canvas back in the Winter time at a thrift store. It had a very ugly painting on it of fish and flip flops. (I'm pretty sure it was painted by a child) but for 50 cents it was a lot cheaper than buying a new canvas at Hobby Lobby. I wanted to paint a picture over it for Zoe's bedroom. Finally, this weekend I did it and I really love how it came out. I have never tried painting before except for the mural in Zoe's room. I know it's no Rembrandt but I think Zoe likes it! I was inspired by the artist Susan Van Horn. She does the cutest paintings of fairies and princesses. I sort of took her style and made it my own. This painting was really my inspiration. I didn't want to copy it though. I tried to make the girl look like how I imagine Zoe will look in 10 years.

and here is the painting hanging in her room.

Yardsales and photoprops

2010-06-14T09:28:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd share a few of the things I got at yardsales / thrift stores this week. I love old cameras and saw this old Polaroid camera and decided to buy it. Not sure if it works but, even if it did, I'm not sure where to buy the film for it!

I found this chair at Salvation Army. I thought it was nice. I thought about painting it red or turquoise to use as a photo prop chair, but I think I like it black.

Here's my spokesmodel, Henry modeling both the camera and the chair.

I got this old turntable at a yardsale. I thought it would be cute to use as a chair for a photoshoot.

Here's Henry Modeling it. It's his "bench Monday" pic! LOL

Today I went to the flea market and got some parasols there to use at my next photo shoot. I can't wait to use them!

Winner with Sarahbells' Etsy shop!

2010-06-14T09:18:00.003-04:00

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway with Sarahbells! I picked a random winner last night and the winner was Shana. Shana, please contact Sarah through her Etsy shop to tell her what you want for your prize as well as where to send it to. If you choose a hat tell her what size you need.

The fun of Selfies, haircuts and hair dye.

2010-06-09T13:17:00.006-04:00

First of all, if you haven't yet, make sure you enter the giveaway before Sunday! There are only 22 entries so far so you have a really good chance of winning! (much better odds than the lottery I'd say) Now that we have that out of the way....

For those of you who don't know I take a self portrait everyday. I started last August and will finish when I have taken 365 "selfies". Some days I like it, some days I don't. Today I liked it because I got a haircut yesterday, and I died my hair this morning. New hairstyles are always fun to share with friends (unless they are awful!) Those of you that have my 101 list memorized (hehe) don't worry. I only got my hair shaped up a little. I still have the length.

I thought I'd share some photos to explain why most days I have to take several self portraits before I get the perfect shot. (and some days I never get the perfect shot and just settle on the best one)

This one is not focusing on me, unfortunately the camera doesn't always focus on the right thing. While my neighbor's house is lovely, it's not really what I was going for.

Sometimes I'm just not ready when the.....shutter goes off :)

This one was nice but I cut the top of my head off :/ kind of important if your goal is to show off your hair.

This one looked a little too Miss America wanna-be

This one was too straight on a la drivers license photo

This is what my hair looked like before my haircut / dye job, it was all one length, kinda just hung there.

and this is the picture I settled on for today.

Thanks for looking! Now, go enter the giveaway!

Brainstorming

2010-06-08T11:29:00.005-04:00

I am constantly brainstorming, trying to think of ways to promote my photography business. I don't have much money to spend on marketing right now so I am mostly relying on Facebook and word of mouth. What is it that people are looking for in a photographer? I know that people seem to like my work. A lot of people tell me they love my pictures but I'm not getting a lot of business. I know the economy is bad right now. Is that why? Tell it to me straight people! I want to know what I'm doing wrong? Or give me suggestions. How can I get the word out to the people?

Pics of the kids - I love spring!!

2010-06-07T20:18:00.001-04:00

I wanted to put this post on this blog but the pics were too wide. So I put it on my photography blog instead.

Check it out!

My first Giveaway!!

2010-06-05T20:39:00.010-04:00

I've always wanted to do a giveaway on my blog and now I finally get the chance! Sarahbells is a shop on etsy that has super cute stuff. Sarah is a very talented crocheter and has offered to giveaway any item in her store to one lucky winner! (she will custom make it with the colors you choose!)

Now, just between us, if I don't get a lot of entries in this giveaway, it may give me a complex so please, for my mental health enter the contest!!

You could pick this hat for your little girl

Look at this necklace!! How unique and pretty! I would definitely choose this!

oh, well wait, Isn't this bag the cutest!? hmmm decisions, decisions!

There are a lot of other very cute and unique items in the shop! So reasonably priced too! Sarah has so graciously offered a 10% discount this week for anyone that mentions Sarah Hawkins Photography when they make a purchase from her shop. You can mention it when you purchase and she will refund the 10% to you or you can contact her before you order and she will adjust the price for you. whichever you would like to do.

There are 3 ways to enter: (you can do 1 or all 3)

1. You must go to Sarahbells Etsy Store and come back here and leave a comment of what you would choose if you win the giveaway.

2. Become a fan of Sarahbells on Facebook, come back here leave a comment that you became a fan.

3. tweet or post the link to this blog on your Facebook status or write a blog about it, linking back here. Leave a comment here that you did that. (for example: Hey everyone, check out the cool giveaway going on this week at She's a Peach (make sure you include the link)

You will have until Sunday night June 13th at 5:00 Eastern time to enter the giveaway! Winner will be announced Monday June 14th. (winner will be chosen by random drawing)

Good Luck!

Confession of a Conservative Jesus Freak

2010-06-04T20:02:00.003-04:00

I have always had a conservative leaning when it comes to politics. I listen to Rush Limbaugh, I voted for George W. Bush (twice), I voted for McCain even though he was a little too liberal for me. He was the lesser of two evils. It seems whenever something political comes up among my peers I'm all alone in my views. Tonight I saw that some of my friends on Facebook joined a group called 100,000 people for plugging the oil spill with Sarah Palin. It hurt my feelings because I love Sarah Palin and if they feel that way about her what would they think about me if they knew how I felt about her?

I take things too personally, I know. I feel the same way when people bash George W. Bush. I'm not his biggest fan and he did some things I don't agree with but I still let it get to me. Especially since most of the negative things said about him are made up lies. So this is my confession. I am a conservative, Bible thumping, Jesus Freak, I don't believe Global warming is man made, and I am pro life. There, I said it! I always feel so pressured to go with the crowd and worship Obama and bash anything that is labeled conservative or Republican.

I usually try to stay away from Politics and religion because of this. I always feel on the defensive. I have soooo many liberal friends and I still love them regardless, I hope that they will still love me after reading this.

101 list update

2010-06-04T16:15:00.003-04:00

I just crossed 4 things off my list!

Number 79. Drink only water or milk for a week. Easily have done that while on my diet.
Number 94. Potty Train Henry. This was one that I really wanted to accomplish more than all the others! He does have an accident every once in a while but I would say he is potty trained.

Number 49. Find Willow and write her a letter. Found her on Facebook! I'm so glad that we have reconnected!

Number 2. Read 5 books. I'm glad that I made this goal for myself. I really enjoy reading now and will read many more books even though this is crossed off the list.

Featured blog of the week

2010-05-31T15:19:00.004-04:00

I have decided to share some of my favorite blogs. I don't know if it will be a weekly thing or not, heck, it may only happen today! I'm a woman of mystery.

One of my friends (I like to think of her that way, even though we've never actually met) is Jennie. This is how Jennie describes herself : Just an easily distracted, excessively random 20-something Christian wife and working mom of 3 perfectly imperfect children.

She has a great blog about her life and family and it always makes me smile and often makes me laugh. We met online on babycenter.com simply because her daughter and Henry both happened to be born in the same month. I didn't really get to know her until babycenter made their controversial change in the spring of 2008 and several of the moms declared that they hated the change and were taking their ball and going home, leading all of us to add eachother as friends on Facebook so we wouldn't lose touch. (This also led to my downward spiral into Facebook addiction, but let's not go there right now :))

It was after I started my 101 list that Jennie joined me and I started reading her blog. By the way, she is doing much better on her list than I am!

She has something fun she does every Wednesday called How to know you're a mom. I don't know how she comes up with a list every week. I think I could maybe come up with one list in my whole life. Some examples from her lists are:

You know you're a mom when...

You had no idea how rewarding it could be to perform any of the following tasks on another person: cleaning out ear wax, clipping toenails/fingernails, and clearing out booger noses.

You've tried all kinds of thermometers; temporal, oral, under-arm. The fact remains that the best test for a fever is a mommy's lips on a baby's forehead.

If you ever need help finding a mud puddle, just put on your child's brand new pair of white shoes. It's like a moth to light.

You realize that your three year old has far more friends than you when, on a routine trip to Target, she greets three other children by name.

After your six year old sings "You look like a monkey...and you smell like one too!" to your almost one-year old, your three year old chimes in with "Three!" Apparently, she thinks it's a song about counting.

Since that song was over, your three year old began singing an original song about the intricacies of Southern word choice. Some of the lyrics include, "Grandaddy says 'supper' and Daddy says 'dinnnnneeeerrrr'! But dinner is the same as suupppppppeerrrr!"

Your six year old tell you he knows what "curls" are because he learned about them in school. He proceeds to explain that it's when you have more than one of something. You explain that you think he means "plurals". And then you realize that sometimes life is just one big game of telephone.

The tidal wave whooshing noise you heard coming from the kitchen was the sound of an entire gallon of tea spilling on your freshly mopped kitchen floor courtesy of your one year old, as you stepped out of the room for 20 seconds for that potty break you so infrequently afford yourself.

As a result, you quietly chastise yourself for taking that oh-so-needed restroom break. You knew you put them off for good reason.

You admit that you need to tone down the road rage when your three year old yells from the back seat, "Get out of the way, people!"

I'll let you read more on your own! Besides the mom list she writes about life in such a way that you can't help but read. I've always wished that I could be a good writer. I always struggled with typing a 2 or 3 page report in high school, I am very short and straight to the point. Somehow I doubt Jennie ever had that problem.

I asked Jennie to humor me with answering some interview questions and she didn't disappoint.

Q. What's your favorite thing to blog about?

Jennie: While *I* think my kids are the most adorable, exciting, hilarious subjects in the world, I know that not everyone agrees. So, from time to time, I love to write about anything that inspires me, whether it be something serious or funny or downright outrageous. I know it sounds totally cliche, but I have only understood what it means to be inspired since I have had my kids. They make me see the world in a whole different light.

Q. are you as funny in person as you are in writing?

Jennie: I highly doubt it. In fact, I question whether I'm funny in writing, but I very much appreciate you thinking so! (And I'm not really sure how to answer this without sounding like I'm calling you a liar...I promise I'm not! *wink*)

Q. does your husband read your blog?

Jennie: Yes, he does. He doesn't really comment on it, and I don't really ask him what he thinks about it for fear he'll tell me to stop putting our business out for the world to read. I'm always a little nervous to over-share things with a general internet population. (Really though, he's a good sport. And I think if he hated it, he'd have told me a long time ago.)

Q. what do you want to be when you grow up?

Jennie: Don't I wish I knew! I can almost assure you that the answer is not "Be a civil engineer" [like I am now]. If you asked me my passions they would be my family, helping others, and making/eating desserts.

Q. What is your favorite blog to read?

In the typical blog-surfing fashion (which goes something like, 'click this random link, click next random link, etc, etc'), I stumbled on www.kellehampton.com a few months ago. It's called Enjoying the Small Things. The first post I read was Nella's Birth Story and, honestly, it changed my life. I have never read such a raw, unfiltered, emotional account of such a simultaneously beautiful and terrifying event in her life, the birth of her Nella Bunny - whom she did not know had Downs Syndrome until delivery. It made me crave reading more of her blogs from the past, and I've followed her every day since then. Kelle sees that life is truly beautiful. And it's the little things that make it so. (And her unbelievably amazing photography make the blog that much easier to follow!) I feel the same way about life, though my ability to convey this pales in comparison to Kelle's.

by the way the birth story she mentioned is here and it is long. I recommend reading it when you have a few minutes and a couple tissues. You will cry, I guarantee it.

Check out Jennie's blog sometime! Why not now?

I'm a 12!!! Update on my weight loss.

2010-05-30T16:27:00.003-04:00

Remember back in January where I vowed to lose weight? Well, I didn't do really good at first. I don't remember what happened but I slowly stopped working out and started back to eating what I wanted to. This was me January 20th.

April 12th I decided to try again but didn't tell you because I was too embarrassed about being such a failure back in January. I started the Insanity workout. This is what I looked like on April 12th a couple pounds lighter that January (literally) I was 176.

My knee has been bothering me this past week but I did Insanity for about 35 days and then my knee couldn't take it anymore. It was so swollen, my right knee was visually bigger than my left and I couldn't kneel on the floor without having a sharp pain in my right knee. The swelling has gone down considerably and I can tolerate kneeling although it still hurts. I did a low impact workout today and will continue to until my knee is 100% again. I really don't want to do damage to it. I am still doing the diet even though the Insanity workout is out of the question right now. I weigh 167 today! I'm sooooo close to that 10 pound mark and I'm hoping I'll reach it this week (well surpass it really). I also have other exciting news. I went and bought a pair of size 12's this week at the Gap Outlet (love that employee discount that Matt gets!) My size 14's were falling off of me. I didn't even have to unbutton them to pull them down! Here I am today.

My Size 12's!

Lost final episode - "The End"

2010-05-24T22:06:00.002-04:00

So, if you haven't seen the finale of Lost yet, just know that if you keep reading beyond this point there will be spoilers!

OK, so I cannot be held responsible for giving anything away at this point!

Last night I went to watch Lost with my mother in law, Danielle. We don't get ABC at my house and I really didn't want to wait til Monday to watch it. I got teary eyed when each person remembered, the one that got me the most was Sawyer and Juliet! The whole show was great and kept me on the edge of my seat, then the last 5 minutes happened. Huh? I turned to Danielle and said, "what? they're dead???" I kept saying "I'm so confused!" all the way home I talked to myself...(everyone does that right? riiiight?) by the time I got home I had figured it out some and by morning I had it really figured out. (I hope) So, here goes.

Everything that happened on Lost happened, from them surviving the plane crash, to smokey, to getting off the island and coming back to the island. The flash sideways world that they have been having this season was kinda like, for lack of a better word, purgatory. A waiting place. Each of the characters were dead but didn't realize it until they had the moment of remembering. After they realized that they were dead they remembered their life and somehow they knew that they were supposed to make everyone else remember too and meet at this church. There were some people missing like Michael, I think he wasn't there because his soul was stuck on the island, if you remember a few episodes ago he was one of the whispering dead. One thing that bothered me is that baby Aaron was at the church. I don't think he should have been there....but oh well! Questions? ask away in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.

Hey Y'all!

2010-05-13T11:25:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't written a blog in forever but I wanted to write one just to let all my readers know that I'm still alive! I have been busy trying to get my photography business off the ground and trying to stick to my exercise / eating right. Eating healthy is very time consuming (not to mention expensive!) There is a lot of planning that goes into eating healthy. Sure once in a while I have a protein bar and a glass of milk for a meal but most of the time there is the cutting of the veggies or fruit, measuring portion sizes and putting it all together. I don't know if I'd be able to pull it off if I had a job.

Which leads me to another topic. I still have not been able to find a job and I'm getting a little antsy about it. I thought that I would have a job by now for sure! The job market is so saturated right now with the high unemployment rate that I have a lot of competition for any job I apply for. I hope that I'll be able to find something soon!

I have kind of abandoned my 365 project. It wasn't fun anymore and it felt more like something I had to do. I also felt pressured to do something wonderful for my picture everyday and I just wasn't getting any creative ideas that I could pull off. I also was taking it too serious. If I posted my picture of the day and I didn't get many comments on it (or any comments) I took it personally and got upset that it wasn't good enough for people to comment on! Crazy, huh? So, maybe I'll get back into it sometime for just 4 months (that's how long I had left to finish).

Right now my camera is broken so that is putting a damper on the 365 project and my photography. I hope to get it fixed soon. It should still be under warranty.

I'll post some before / after pics soon so you can see my first 30 days transformation on Insanity.

Exciting News!!!

2010-03-19T08:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I launched my website. I love how it came out and I hope that it will bring me some photography business. Number 64 on my list is to create a website! If you haven't seen it yet, the link is www.sarahhawkinsphotography.com . I also set up a Facebook Fanpage and as of right now I already have 165 fans! Yay! Please be my fan on Facebook if you haven't already. I can't wait to start taking pictures!!

Yay Henry!

2010-03-17T09:21:00.004-04:00

Last May, as some of you may remember I tried the 3 day potty training method and after 9 days I gave up because it was either that or lose my sanity. I was so tired of praising Henry for "trying" when he would sit on the toilet for 2 seconds and demand to get down. (if you want to read my blog posts about it you can look here, remember to start from the bottom and work your way up to go in order)

Well, I decided last week to try potty training again. I thought maybe he was finally ready. It was his half birthday (3 1/2) and I really didn't want him to be 4 and still wearing diapers. This time it was so much easier! I used a lot of the methods from the 3 day potty training system but I kind of adapted them to fit Henry a little better. He is what I like to call a strong willed child and he is not easily tricked into doing something that he doesn't want to do.

I could tell by the first day that it was going much easier than it did the first time I tried. He was at least willing to sit on the toilet this time! Each day seemed to be easier than the last, I am happy to report that yesterday, 2 weeks after we started he is going into the bathroom by himself and going to the bathroom, this includes pee and poo, he is also waking up dry in the mornings. He did have one accident yesterday but I'm not too worried about it. I am so glad that I listened to my mommy intuition last year and decided to wait til he was ready. I didn't get frustrated with him one time this time around. I am so proud of him and I know he is proud of himself too!

Vlog??

2010-03-11T16:09:00.002-05:00

So, I have been considering the idea of doing a vlog (for those of you not hip on the lingo, that stands for video - blog) I want to but it looks kind of hard. Knowing me, I'll want to edit it and everything instead of just doing a straight video. I think I'm going to try it. I might do my first one this weekend. what topic should I do? Should I just talk off the top of my head? I'm wondering if anyone would even watch it and / or comment on it. Then I wonder if I would even want people to watch it, especially strangers. Wonder if I do something really dorky that people decide should be the next viral video of youtube and they show it on the 6:00 news and it gets a million views? Hey, that might be cool, maybe I could be a guest on Ellen or Rachel Ray :) I don't know which scares me more; no one watching or a million people watching! and then wonder if I get some mean comments like, "dude, this is stupid and boring and you're ugly" that will make me want to cry! So what do you think??? any ideas of what I should do for my first Vlog?

New Pictures up!

2010-03-05T10:18:00.004-05:00

Check out my Newest pictures up on my photo blog! I think they are so cute! I've been itching to do a photo shoot all year and I finally got the chance! I'm so glad the weather is starting to warm up! I have so many people wanting me to do pictures this Spring and I can't wait!

Jupiter Wind, Rockin' the house.

2010-02-26T08:12:00.003-05:00

I think that most of you know that my husband is the bass player for a band called Jupiter Wind. Tonight they are performing for a chance to be artist of the year with their record label. If they win it could be really big for them. The label will put a lot of money into pushing their single and album. The competition is in Oklahoma City so unfortunately I won't be able to be there to cheer them on. The good news is that the concert will be on the label's website. http://www.tatemusicgroup.com/I can't wait to watch it tonight.

They have been getting the VIP treatment since Wednesday. Last night they were treated to dinner at a place that requires a suit. Yes, we had to buy Matt a suit for one meal! LOL.

Their album came out a couple weeks ago and if you are interested you can purchase one for $10 on their website: http://www.jupiterwind.com/ I was the photographer for the CD cover and booklet which was exciting for me.

I'll let you all know who wins the competition!

Number 69, Done!

2010-02-23T13:03:00.003-05:00

I got to cross number 69 off my list and it has been one of my favorite's so far! I got a new couch and recliner. I know that most of my readers are also my friends on Facebook so this may be old news! But, I have to blog about each item, (it's on my list!)

Here are pictures:

New recliner:

we opted to get a recliner instead of a loveseat, more comfy!

and new couch:

we got leather because we figured it would be easier to clean, the kids hands tend to be constantly covered in peanut butter and jelly or some other substance you don't want to get on upholstery.

and just for fun, a pic of me lounging on my new couch. :)

this was our old furniture, just so you have some perspective on how badly I needed new furniture!

what you can't see from here are the holes in the cushions of the couch and that the middle back cushion was ripped at the seam. You can really tell from that glider how old it is. I put the loveseat in my bedroom. It wasn't used as much as the couch and was in better condition. I liked the idea of a sitting area in my bedroom and I like having it in there so far. The couch got picked up by a bulldozer this morning. I watched them drop it in the back of a dump truck and beat it into submission with the claw of the bulldozer. I am contemplating what to do with the glider. I think it will probably end up on the road for trash pickup next week. (unless somebody wants it)

I get to keep a cookbook! Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon

2010-02-16T13:41:00.003-05:00

I absolutely adore America's Test Kitchen. If you've never been introduced to them, let me tell you about them. They take a food, let's for this example say brownies and they try every possible recipe they can find and they test it and tweak it until they come up with the absolute best possible brownie recipe you can imagine. They do all the hard work for you! They also test different products and find the best tomato sauce, paring knife, barbecue sauce, etc.

I have several cookbooks from them and I have never tried a recipe from them that didn't come out as delicious as I wanted it to be. You know how sometimes you'll take a gamble and try and recipe and it just doesn't taste good at all? I hate that because, one, you just wasted a bunch of money to buy all the ingredients for something that you aren't even going to bother saving the leftovers of because they're nasty. and two, because you feel jipped, why did someone even bother to write down this recipe and lead you to believe it would be a good idea to cook it? It's disgusting!

I love using the recipes from their cookbooks because I know that whatever it is, it is going to come out great. I used to subscribe to their magazine, "Cooks Illustrated", which I need to do again. The subscription is a little pricey because they have absolutely no advertising in the magazine. They have a show on PBS too. (check your local listings :P)

Anyway the reason I'm mentioning this is because the first recipe I tried was from "The Best 30 Minute Recipe" It is Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon and it is divine! I made it for our special Valentines day dinner, I also had leftovers of it last night and it heats up great too. I wish I would have taken pictures for you but I didn't, sorry! I'll try to do better next time!

So, If you are interested, here's the recipe:

Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon
Serves 4 to 6
The key to moist, tender shrimp is to finish cooking them off the heat, so be sure to follow the visual cues in the recipe.

1 1/4 pounds (31/40) shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
1 pound linguine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup minced parsley

1. boil water for pasta
2. Saute' Shrimp: pat shrimp dry with paper towels, then season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and sugar. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to brown. Add shrimp, spread into single layer, and cook without stirring for 1 minute. Stir shrimp and continue to cook until spotty brown and just pink at edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer shrimp to clean bowl, cover and set aside.

3. Make sauce: Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and dissolved cornstarch mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, cover, and set aside.

4. Cook and drain pasta: Add linguine and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain linguine and return linguine to pot.

5. Toss pasta with Shrimp and sauce: Stir remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, parsley, sauce and reserved shrimp, including any accumulated juices, into linguine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding reserved pasta cooking water as needed to loosen sauce. Serve immediately.

My Valentine

2010-02-14T14:48:00.003-05:00

So, I'm not usually the sappy type. I love my Husband so much but I don't usually speak it in public so much as to him in private. I don't like when people are so loudly shouting about how much they love their significant other. To me, they are really just trying to cover up for the problems they have in their relationship. If you constantly have to tell people how much you love your boyfriend are you really just saying it to convince yourself of it? I figured since it's Valentines day I would write a blog and declare my love for my husband, my Valentine.

Matthew (as I like to call him), Matt (as others call him) Hawk (as his bandmates call him) is my best friend, truly. He understands me, he knows when I need to be left alone and he knows when I need a hug.

He is not afraid to put me in my place when I get out of line. He lets me yell when I'm angry, cry when I'm sad and he listens when I need someone to talk to. He truly completes me. I know it's so cliche to say that but he really does. I'm so emotional, I go from highest highs to lowest lows and he is constant. He is so level headed. When we first started dating that was one thing that really attracted me to him.

Matt loves me, he treats me like I am the only woman on this earth. He makes me feel like I'm special, I'm the one woman who he wants to be with. If someone told me that Matt was unfaithful to me, I think I'd laugh at them. I've never trusted anyone as completely as I do him.

Matthew is a wonderful partner. He is willing to do anything for me, all I have to do is ask and he is there to help. He is a wonderful father, very involved in the lives of our children, everything from changing diapers to preparing meals and getting up in the middle of the night to change sheets that are covered in throw up.

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and life partner. Thanks for loving me Matthew, I look forward to growing old with you.

Cookbooks anyone?

2010-02-09T19:59:00.003-05:00

I have been working on de-cluttering my kitchen this week and like many women in this country, I have too many cookbooks! Don't believe me? Here's a picture of them.
That blue ceramic planter is filled with the little cookbooks that you can buy in the checkout lane in the grocery store.

I have several cookbooks that I bought for some fundraiser or another, and I actually have a few more cook books that aren't even pictured here. These are just the ones that were in my kitchen cabinets. I have decided to make a deal with myself. If I make one, yes only one recipe out of a cookbook in the next 4 months I can keep it. So if by June, I haven't picked out a recipe from a book to try, it's getting donated to Goodwill. I have SEVERAL books here so I'm gonna be trying a lot of new recipes between now and June if I want to keep these books! If I try one that I think is really good, I'll share it on here.

There are a couple exceptions to my little game here, my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (The red gingham one) gets used a lot! so if I don't use it in the next four months (which I doubt will even happen) I still get to keep it. Also the red America's Test Kitchen cookbook is an old standby, so it stays!

Wish me luck!

Pictures, pictures, pictures!

2010-01-30T22:09:00.003-05:00

I have decided that I have too many digital pictures from the last 3 years and I need to sort through them all and decide which ones to keep and edit and which ones to send to the recycle bin. I mean I have 112 GB worth of pictures! I think I am going to try to go through one month's worth of pictures a week. I try to do this as I take pictures but some days it's just easier to just transfer everything on the memory card and sort through later. So, what I plan on doing is to start with March 2009 (that's when I got my DSLR and started going totally nutso with the picture taking!) and go through the March 2009 folder and sort this week. The next week I'll sort through April 2009 and so on and so forth. In a perfect world I will be caught up to date in 11 weeks. I'm hoping to come across some pics that didn't stand out to me the first time I saw them but now looking at them in a new light will become a new favorite. I also have realized that I am much better at photo editing now than I was 11 months ago. Gasp! Luckily for me, I always save the original version of the photo so that if in the future I become better at photo editing I can go back and "fix" it! Sometimes I do think ahead, believe it or not! So I will "re-edit" some pictures that need it. Take for example this little gem. It's one of the first pictures I took with my shiny new camera and look what I did to it. Poor little Zoe has freaky Alien eyes!!

Don't look into her eyes!!!! RUN!!!!

This is a re-edit I did real quick tonight, I think it looks a lot better.

So, anyway, stay tuned for some more pics that I come across in the next few months. I hope to share some of my favorites.

Save someone's life!

2010-01-27T21:35:00.003-05:00

Number 73 on my list is one that I have wanted to do for years and just have never done. "Get put on the bone marrow registry. My friend Stacy posted the following on Facebook and I jumped right on it!

You can join for free right now to become a potential bone marrow donor to save someone's life. This normally costs $50 to $100 to join the registry but with this code you can join for
free. add this promo code to register for free PIF070109 PLEASE copy and paste this into your facebook profile and help save someones life http://www.marrow.org/index.html

Now, I just need to wait 7 to 10 days to get my kit in the mail. It appears that all I do is swab the inside of my cheek with five q-tips and send them back. I think it would be so wonderful if I was a match to someone in need. Please, if you are not on the registry take the 10 minutes to go to the website, answer a few questions (similar to the ones asked when giving blood) and possibly save someone's child!

Flashback time!

2010-01-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

I transfered all my Myspace blogs that I wanted to keep over! I had a great time reading through them all as I was transfering them. Here are some of my favorites:Want to read about my icecream disaster? Paranoia at it's finest? Would you like to read my version of a rant about baby name choices? Want to live vicariously through a hungry pregnant lady? Want to read my reaction to a childbirth dvd? If you want some whining read here. And to read where I'm ok again read here. And of course my birth story for Henry. I hope that people will actually read some of them. They are short, I promise!

Old MySpace blogs

2010-01-23T22:55:00.002-05:00

I want to copy and paste all of my Myspace blogs here. I blogged my whole pregnancy with Henry and I want them to be here instead of there!! It's gonna be a lot of work but I think it will be worth it. I'll let everyone know when I've finished transfering them if anyone is interested in reading my thoughts from 3+ years ago.

Upcycle a Sweater!

2010-01-23T21:38:00.002-05:00

So I tried my hand at upcycling a sweater today and I really like how it came out. I bought this sweater at Goodwill today for $1. Nice sweater but not really my style.

I cut the sweater front into two panels and then cut the back of the sweater into identical width panels. Like so.

After that I stitched the ends together to make a long, soft warm scarf! Some sweaters may unravel and you will need to put a hem in the edges. I don't think that my is going to unravel though.

Here I am "modeling" my scarf!

My Fireplace Makeover.

2010-01-22T15:29:00.002-05:00

So this is a part of the living room that seems to get cluttered.

The kids' books and toys get pushed over in front of the hearth and Matt's video games get stacked there. I feel like this is a part of the living room that is not utilized and is wasted space. We have never lit a fire in the fire place and I don't plan to, the kids sometimes will think it's fun to play in the fire place and then end up looking like an extra on Mary Poppins during the chimney sweep dance. Soot is not easy to clean off, let me tell you!

So, here is my plan, let's see if I can pull it off. I want to clean out the inside of the fireplace. Then paint it black. I will then sew a curtain to put across it. I will use this space as a place to store the kid's books and toys at the end of the day that find their way up into the living room. The hearth in front of the fireplace will be covered with a cushion that I am going to sew so that it can be used to sit on.

I started cleaning the inside last night and let me tell you, it is a messy, difficult job. I hope to finish that part of it this weekend. So, what do you think? Good idea? bad idea? Suggestions? oh, and while we're at it, does anyone know how to take the metal chainmail type curtain off of the front? I can't seem to figure it out.

Couch Potato no more!

2010-01-19T14:51:00.003-05:00

Before having kids, looking good in a bathing suit (or my birthday suit) was my motivation for losing weight. It never kept me going. I'd always burn out after a couple months or once I lost weight I'd take a break and gain it back.

Since having children I really don't like the way my body looks and I would like to feel confident again. Matt thinks I look great and always makes me feel beautiful but I want to think it too. After Henry was born I knew that I would have another baby eventually so I really didn't even think about losing weight or exercising. (what's the point if I'm just gonna blow up like a balloon again and have to do it all over again, right?) Recently Matt and I have decided that we are done having kids. We feel as if our family is complete. I always thought I would have three kids but two just feels right. I can't imagine adding another child into the mix. This decision has motivated me to get into shape so that I can stay that way for the rest of my life. I want to be healthy and strong. Sure I want to look good too but that isn't my main motivation.

Today is the fourth day in a row that I have gotten off my butt to do some exercising. I have been trying to avoid eating junk too. Not a diet but, really, with the way I was eating, it's a true miracle that I don't weigh 300 pounds. I basically would eat whatever I felt like eating.

I'm going to do something that is sort of a faux pas and tell everyone my weight. So few people do it, I'm not sure it is even legal for a full grown woman to tell anyone who is not a medical professional her weight. I am putting myself out there. If it wasn't for my readers I never would have finished cleaning my house back in August. I knew that you all were counting on me to finish it and so I pressed on, even when I didn't feel like it. Now I'm hoping that you, my readers will encourage me to reach my fitness / weight loss goals.

So here it goes:
Starting Weight: 178 pounds
Short term goal (60 days): 165 pounds
Long term goal: 150 pounds

I plan on giving little updates every couple weeks on how it's going. I'll probably do a "weigh in" in a month from now and then at the end of 60 days.

Haiti Relief Winner

2010-01-15T19:37:00.002-05:00

Well, my giveaway to Haiti relief didn't go as well as I had hoped! I got 27 comments total. Times that by $.25 and you get $6.75! Well, I can't just donate $6.75 so I've decided to donate $20 to Samaritan's Purse and $20 to the winner's choice. I asked on Facebook for someone to give me a number between 1 and 27 and the number picked was 14. Comment number 14 was Mindi of The Ritchies! She wanted to donate to Savethechildren.org I will be making a donation in your name Mindi. Thanks to everyone that left comments. Let's just pretend I had 80 comments! LOL

I urge everyone to make a donation, no matter how small. These people are in urgent need!

Haiti Relief - repost

2010-01-15T09:14:00.003-05:00

Please check out my blog from yesterday. I am donating $.25 for each comment to Haiti relief. I have 5 comments between my blog and where it transfers on Facebook. I have almost 350 friends on Facebook and 31 followers on this blog. I had visions of 100 comments or more! Come on people it only takes a second to leave a comment. I know $.25 doesn't seem like much but it adds up! Sorry, don't mean to be so bossy :)

Haiti Relief

2010-01-14T19:18:00.005-05:00

So, I was thinking about the people of Haiti and how I wish that there were something I could do to help out. I was going to make a donation to Samaritan's Purse and I thought I may be able to use my blog to inspire others to give. I am taking a chance and letting you all decide how much I give. Leave a comment of what charity you would give to. For each comment between now and Friday(tomorrow) at 7:00 pm eastern time I will donate $.25 to Samaritan's Purse Haiti Relief. I will also do a drawing of all the comments and donate the same amount to the winner's charity.

List Update

2010-01-13T00:18:00.003-05:00

I accomplished 2 more tasks on my list, number 8 "enter a photo contest". I have entered a few on iheartfaces.com I actually got an honorable mention (Angie and Amy's Pick, they are the founders of i heart faces.)

I am still doing well in the reading books department. I have read, Kiss by Ted Dekker, The Gift by Cecelia Ahern so I'm up to 3 / 5. Right now I'm reading Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. It is part of The Sword of Truth Series. There is a show on TV called Legend of the Seeker that I started watching online, I really like it so I thought I would check out the books it is based on. So far the book is a lot different from the show but I really like the book too. I've never read fantasy books so this is a first for me. I can't believe how much I love reading now. I used to fall asleep after reading for 10 minutes. Now I can read for longer stretches of time without waking up drooling all over my reading material. It seems as though my brain had to get used to it or something.

I tried something new at a restaurant last weekend. We went to Fatz (yes, that is the name of the restaurant!) and I got grilled shrimp skewers with rice pilaf and grilled veggies, It was yum-o, and as far as I could tell, healthy.

I crossed number 72 "donate blood" off my list. It was very eventful, I threw up and everything! Yay me! luckily, I told the guy taking my blood, "I'm gonna throw up" and he threw a huge hazardous waste bag up on my chest and said "Dude, if you're gonna spew, spew in this" or something to that effect. I'm glad that it happened after he had clamped off the blood so that my blood was still usable. Hmmmm, let's see, anything else?

Oh yeah, number 71, I sent a shoe box with Operation Christmas Child.

Number 77. Get 30 minutes of exercise 3x a week (at least) and 78. Drink 6 glasses of water a day are not going well. Should I say I failed or try again? I think I shall try again!

So, my fellow listers there's my update,

thanks for noticing me
-Eeyore

Yes, I'm alive!!

2010-01-04T19:02:00.002-05:00

Since I haven't blogged in a long time I thought I should update my readers on what's going on. It sometimes seems like I had more free time when I worked 40 hours a week!

We had a great Christmas this year despite the fact that I am not working. I have put in Resumes at several places, had 1 interview that went well but, still no job. It seems as though something must be wrong with me because I am not worried at all. I'm just thinking of this time between jobs as a gift from God to spend with my children and husband.

Henry is still not potty trained......ugh! Why?!! Why?!! oh, the horror! That is something I hope I can't say this time next year, no, scratch that, I hope I can't say it by Summer! He is such a smart kid, this is just something he is being stubborn about. He still loves sharks and has added dinosaurs to his list of obsessions.

Zoe just gets cuter and smarter every day. Her latest "thing" is trying to jump. It is so funny to see her try her hardest to lift both feet off the ground. She just smiles and says "jump, jump.." She'll get it one of these days.

I've kind of put the photography business thing on hold. I don't know the first thing about running a business. At the prices I was charging I would have to do about 10 sessions a week to make enough to pay the bills plus buy health insurance. Also, I don't feel like I have the right equipment and know how to be a photographer. I think I still need to improve a lot. I still love taking and editing pictures and I'll probably still take pics for family and friends. Maybe I'll eventually start a business. I'll have one heck of a portfolio by the time I do!

My list progress is another thing entirely. I'll probably do a list update here soon!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T16:47:00.002-05:00

I made a video montage of our year in review. It is less than 4 minutes long. Please watch if you have the time! Happy New Year!

Pictures of my niece, Elise.

2009-12-22T16:23:00.003-05:00

Newborn Pics of my newest niece are on my photo blog (click here).

She was born Dec. 10 and she is the cutest thing!

Decorating a Tree With a Three Year Old

2009-12-06T09:35:00.004-05:00

The kids and I decorated our Christmas Tree yesterday. It was a much more pleasant experience than last year. Henry has been talking nonstop about our Christmas tree since Thanksgiving. I didn't have the heart to tell him we wouldn't be getting one this year. I just couldn't justify the cost when we are struggling to get by right now. I have the best family in the world! My mom gave me money to go buy a tree, but I get to give that back to her because my Mother-in-law isn't setting up her big tree this year and let us use it. Henry was so happy.

He just kept saying, "I love you sooo much mommy" and

"Merry Christmas Mommy"
Zoe tried to eat the decorations

she really tried to eat them. (don't worry, I took this bag of Christmas confetti away after I took this picture!)

The Sun was coming through the window so beautifully

I really love this one!

and this one

and this one too!

and the tree. (Henry did most of it, I did the higher branches) I think I might add some more to it.

Thanks for looking!!

Sailing

2009-11-16T21:15:00.004-05:00

Yard-saling that is, My friend Tabitha was going to yardsales Saturday and asked me to go along. I had this as one of the goals on my list so I jumped at the chance. She picked me up at 7:00 and we drove to about six or seven sales. I got a few good buys, an old suitcase, to use as a photo prop, a big stuffed shark for Henry for Christmas, a baby doll and doll stroller for Zoe, some kid bowls, and Glass light shades for the ceiling fan in Henry's room. I got to cross one more thing off my list too.

Working on the list, thoughts on life...

2009-11-09T22:33:00.003-05:00

I finished reading my first of 5 books last night. It was "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner. It was a good book, it made me laugh and cry and I read it in 2 weeks (that's fast for me). I would definitely recommend it. I also met one of my neighbors today. He is an older man and we wave politely to eachother often but have never actually met. I was outside playing with the kids and he was raking leaves in his backyard so I decided, what the heck! We talked for a few minutes. He was very friendly and I'm glad I finally introduced myself to him. His name is Henry and his wife passed away right before we moved in the house, her name was Sarah. Coincidence? I already know the neighbor across the street and on the other side of me so now I need to decide what defines "neighbor"? Is it everyone on the street? Two houses on either side? hmmmm. I'm getting closer to having a logo. I eventually will change the logo a little but I really need something now!

Getting laid off has put a kink in my goal of walking to work once a week. I don't know whether I should call it a failure though since it was beyond my control. I guess I could still walk there once a week, the only difference is that I would just turn around and walk back home, that would be funny!

Matt is going to discuss the making of Jupiter Wind's first music video tomorrow. Seems so strange...I can't wait to hear about it when he gets home tomorrow. It would really be extra awesome if this album would be a hit, then I won't have to worry about getting another job. I'm excited to see what God has in store for them. I listened to the finished mix of the album and there are some really great songs that I know people will really like if they can just get radio stations to play them.

Didn't get much done today since Matt was working. I spent a lot of time with my kids though. I Hope to be more productive tomorrow.

Family portraits

2009-11-08T15:17:00.002-05:00

New family portrait session up on my photo blog!
(click here)

First Band Photo Shoot

2009-11-08T14:57:00.003-05:00

I photographed My Husband's band for their upcoming album. I'm excited about being a published photographer! And I guess I'm excited for Matt's band too...LOL! Check out some of the pictures in my new photo blog (click here)

Winning Logo

2009-11-07T10:03:00.004-05:00

Wow! I got an overwhelming response to my post yesterday! Thank you so much to everyone who voted and had good suggestions for me. Between my blog comments and my comments on Facebook I had 46 votes! Number 6 got the most votes with 26, the second place logo wasn't even close (number 3 with 6 votes) I had a lot of suggestions of how to tweak the logo to make it better and I am using those suggestions to try some different ideas. I hope to be able to have another post soon and I would appreciate it if you all could vote again! Honestly, I was surprised with the results yesterday, and did get my feelings hurt by one anonymous commenter that doesn't know the definition of "constructive criticism" which is probably why they commented anonymously. I need to get some thicker skin I guess! LOL To that person, obviously, I'm not a graphic designer but I did the best I could, that's my excuse! If you are interested to know 3 and 4 were my favorites, boy was I outvoted!! I know that ultimately it's my decision but I am glad to have the input from everyone! Stay tuned for some more logo options in the next few days!

It's logo time, help me choose!

2009-11-06T07:13:00.005-05:00

I sat down and worked hard on my logo yesterday and I have several options. I need you all to help me to, a. give some constructive criticism (is there something I should do differently?) and b. choose your favorite.

The Lord Works in Mysterious ways

2009-11-02T18:42:00.002-05:00

I had a very surreal experience today. I'm not even sure when it's gonna hit me. I was laid off today by my employer of 6 years. It was very sad, but I'm not worried. I know that God will take care of us. He will get us through this. With the Holidays coming I'm hoping that Matt will be able to get more hours at the Gap and I'll of course get unemployment benefits. The positive side to this is I'll be able to spend some more time with the kids and Matt. I know that God has something in store for me. I am excited to see just what it is. I am thankful that God has kept my job safe for this long. People have been getting laid off for over a year at my company and I avoided the chopping block up til now. I am hoping that I may be able to do something with my photography to earn some extra money.

Warning: this may be boring for you....

2009-10-30T10:51:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to write out some thoughts on life and my kiddos, I cannot promise that this post will not be totally self centered and maybe even uninteresting for you.

Henry is getting so big. He went to the Dr. Tuesday for his 3 year well check appt. he is 40" tall and 36 pounds, to all of you who don't have a chart nearby that's pretty big for a child his age. A height predictor online predicted that he will be 6'2" when he is 18. He's going to tower over my 5'3" frame! He surprised me the other day when we walked in the library, they had a little window decoration that said "Happy Fall" on it. Henry pointed at the window and said "that says Happy!" I was shocked. I said "yes, Henry it does say happy, I didn't know you knew that" he surprises me so much every day. We have started a sticker chart to encourage him to be good. He is struggling with trying to gain independence and get attention from me and be good. He sometimes pushes Zoe or takes a toy from her and then runs to tell me that "I pushed Zoe" he tattle tales on himself. He always gets in trouble for it....how much attention can I give him!! I'm only one woman! He can be so sweet too. The other night I let him stay up late and watch "So You Think You Can Dance" with me. He just snuggled on my lap the whole time. On one dance he looked at me and said "maybe I can dance like that girl" I said, Henry you want to dance like the boy not the girl....My favorite thing about Henry is when he looks at me and says "Mommy, I wuv you so much!"

Zoe is so sweet, she is learning to talk. I need to write down her words sometime like I did for Henry. She has no where near the vocabulary that Henry did at her age but she is right on track and smart as a whip! She is so good at figuring out how toys work. She's going to do something mechanical when she grows up. Zoe loves to dance with Henry. We put on the Wiggles and she lights up and starts shakin her booty. She loves the dogs so much. She pets Abner and says "abby, woof woof" We are constantly having to stop her from kissing him because he would lick her face off if we didn't. It's so sweet because I remember the first day we brought Zoe home from the hospital she was sleeping in her carseat and we set her down. Abner stayed as close to her as he could and if Henry came too close he would growl at him. They have been best buds ever since. Buster is our Beagle and he doesn't really know what to think of the kids. We tell Zoe, "leave buster alone, he's a grumpy beagle" He has snapped at Henry and accidentally bit him before so we don't want to take any chances with Zoe. Zoe also has a great imagination. I caught her making a bottle for her baby doll the other day. She held the bottle under the sink in her play kitchen and made a Shhhhh sound like she was running water. She is always bringing me something (pretend) to eat in between her thumb and index finger. She is a clown, always trying to make people laugh. I love her tremendously!

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-29T10:16:00.004-04:00

Last night the kids and I carved pumpkins. I cut off the tops and Henry helped scoop out the guts. Zoe was not interested in carving the pumpkins, she just enjoyed being outside and being a cute model for Daddy. Matt took some pictures of our pumpkin carving (below). Henry proclaimed that Zoe wanted to have a scary pumpkin and he wanted a happy pumpkin. I don't know how he knew that Zoe wanted a scary pumpkin, but to keep the peace I complied the best I could. I am not, you see, a pumpkin carving artist but King Henry declared that they were passable. Now I just need to get some candles, Last year I bought these "fake" candles but I made the mistake of leaving them on the end table in the living room. I should have known by then that anything left at eye level of a 2 year old was free game. Henry somehow managed to break them both and unfortunately birthday candles do not stay lit for very long and that's all I have in the house!

Halloween Week-and memories of Halloween

2009-10-28T15:57:00.002-04:00

Saturday is Halloween and I'm really looking forward to bringing the kids trick or treating. Last year I brought Henry but Zoe was too small (she was 5 months old). This year I think she is big enough to enjoy it. They are both dressing up like pirates. I am debating whether I should paint a mustache on Zoe or let her be a girl pirate. I think mustache would be funnier and could be used as blackmail later. Tonight I plan on carving jack-o-lanterns with the kids so stay tuned for pictures tomorrow.

I loved Halloween as a child. Every year I told my mom what I wanted to be and she would create wonderful costumes! I was so lucky to have a mom that could sew and was willing to take the time to! She could have just bought a cheap plastic mask. Two of my favorites were a poodle skirt, and another year a long red southern belle dress. Those two costumes got used several times by my little sisters.

My elementary school was in a small town in the Catskills called Phoenicia. When I say small town I mean don't blink or you may miss it!

Every year on Halloween all the kids in the school dressed up in their costumes after lunch and we had a big parade through the town. The old people would sit out on their porches and watch the parade go by. There would be fire trucks leading the way and the percussionists in the band would play a drum beat the whole way for us. It was truly one of the highlights every year. That night we would go trick or treating through the town. Some kids would just cause mischief; shaving cream, throwing eggs etc.. I never participated in that although it did look fun. You would drive down main street and see dozens of kids covered in shaving cream from head to toe. (and your car would be covered in it too, they showed no mercy!) One year my dad filled a fire extinguisher with water and we squirted the kids as we drove down the street. It was hilarious!

Newborn photos!

2009-10-20T22:07:00.001-04:00

If you are interested, newborn session from Sunday is up on my photo blog.

ABC's of me....for Katie :)

2009-10-20T14:24:00.004-04:00

A - Age: 31

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: emptying the diaper pail P-U!

D - Dog's name: Abner, the weiner dog (full name is Abner Dabner Long-dog Cox) and Buster the beagle

E - Essential start your day item: Breakfast!

F Favorite color: Red

G - Gold or Silver: Silver (white gold)

H - Height: 5'3"

I - I am: eating smarties at my desk.

J - Job: Admin Assistant for an industrial construction company.

K - Kids: Henry - 3 and Zoe - 1

L - Living arrangements: House

M - Mom's name: Linda

N - Nicknames: don't have any

O - Overnite Stay in the hospital: when I was 12 I was in the hospital for 3 weeks with pneumonia, When I had my babies, and when I had my gall bladder out last year.

P - Pet Peeve: smoking

Q - Quote from a movie: I can't think of any...

R - Right or left handed: right

S - Siblings: 3 sisters, Kelly, Katie and Becky

T - Time you wake up: 6:30 ish

U- Underwear: yes

V - Vegetable you dislike: squash

W - Ways you run late: umm I have 2 kids, need I say more

X - X-rays you've had: lots

Y - Yummy food you make: cookies, ziti

Z - Zoo favorite: Elephants

I crossed one thing off my List this weekend!

2009-10-19T13:15:00.003-04:00

I crossed number 63, "take newborn pictures", off my list Sunday! Some friends of mine had a sweet little baby boy a couple weeks ago and they gave me the opportunity to do a photo shoot Sunday. I forgot how tiny and delicate newborns are! I think I got some very cute pictures. I haven't gotten a chance to really look through all of them yet because I went to So You Think You Can Dance in concert last night. It was very fun. My mom treated me to the show which was awesome. Great dancing and some very funny parts to it as well.

Anyway, I digress. I hope to be able to share some of the pictures from the shoot Sunday within the next day or two.

I did pull a task from a jar on Friday which was to design a logo for my photography "business" I did work on it but I have not come up with something I really love yet. I have a few ideas in my head that I'm going to try to put into action very soon. Hopefully I'll be able to post a few options soon to see what you all think.

987 days and counting

2009-10-14T14:42:00.002-04:00

hmmm, I read through my list last night and I want to cross something off of it so badly! so many of my tasks are in progress but I have yet to cross one off (besides inspiring someone else to write a list) I think I may write down a few of my tasks that I can realistically accomplish in a weekend, put them in a jar and pick one to finish this weekend. Any time I know that I'll have some free time I'll pull another task from the jar and try to finish it that week or weekend. Stay tuned for what task I pull from the jar this week!

Always kiss me goodnight...

2009-10-13T10:48:00.003-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since I have blogged last. I have been sort of busy and haven't really had anything going on that I deemed interesting enough or "blogworthy". I have some things going on that I think will be great blog fodder in the coming weeks and months. I have been keeping up with my list. The drinking water thing is the hardest one! Kissing Matt everyday for a whole minute is the most fun one. Sometimes I don't do it til I go to bed at night but I always have a good "goodnight kiss".

One minute is longer that you think. I never set a timer I just kind of guess and stop when it seems like it's been a minute. Luckily I haven't had a day yet where I didn't feel like kissing him or was not able to. If one of us is sick it probably wouldn't be a good idea although I guess I could kiss his hand or elbow or something. I think that if we were not liking eachother very much one day the one minute kiss will make us literally "kiss and make up"

This task has made me realize how much we didn't kiss before, so sad really. I would suggest this to all my married friends out there. Maybe start with a 20 second kiss and then work your way up to a minute. Have fun!

First Full Week of my 1001 days

2009-10-07T08:53:00.000-04:00

Although I started my 1001 day countdown last Thursday, Monday was the beginning of the first full week. Weekly goals include, exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes and walk to work once a week. I exercised Monday night and Tuesday night and it felt good (although my muscles are feeling a little bit sore).

I have not exercised for months and I'm glad I'm getting back into a routine again, I can't wait to do my workout tonight. In the past I have gotten bored with my exercise routine after a month or two but now I have Netflix which includes a "watch it now" feature that allows you to watch movies streaming on the internet. Luckily we also have an XBox 360 which allows the Netflix movies to stream to our television. There are a lot of workout videos on the "watch it now" feature on Netflix. I think that by using those it will help me, both my mind and body to not get bored like I usually do with working out. (have I mentioned that I love Netflix!?)

I will probably walk to work later in the week. It has rained every day this week and I would much rather walk when it is a non-rainy day thank you very much! (If it's rainy tomorrow and Friday I'll just walk twice next week to make up for it)

1 year old Photo Shoot from Yesterday

2009-10-04T15:57:00.002-04:00

Some pictures are up from my photo shoot yesterday here if anyone is interested in looking at them!

Day 2 - 999 days to go

2009-10-02T15:15:00.003-04:00

OK, don't worry, I'm not going to give daily updates for the next 999 days! I just got back from the store and am excited. I have decided what Advent calendar I am going to attempt to make. It's this one. I think it is so cute! I bought a cookie sheet at the dollar store today for it, now I just need to decorate and find some cute things to use for numbers. I also bought a coloring book at the dollar store to color (for #29). I can't wait to get started. I mowed the lawn today and I totally am counting that as 30 minutes of exercise, because, well, I make the rules!

Last night, as I promised myself in item # 98 I wrote a letter to myself on day 1 and I will read it again on day 1001. It is tucked safely in my nightstand drawer. I will type it out so that everyone can read it....on day 1001.

Day 1 - 1000 days to go

2009-10-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

I am really excited about this journey I am about to embark upon. I hope that I will look back on this challenge that I have set before myself as life changing. I hope to become a better wife, mother and person because of it. I hope to reach some goals that I would have otherwise put off til "tomorrow" but of course tomorrow would never come. Thank you for joining me on this journey for the next 1000 days! and as I like to say "Let's do this!"

To kick off my 1001 days I decided the first thing on my list would be #76 to bake a cake and bring it to work. Of course I need to do this 4 more times before I cross it off as completed but I thought I'd share what my first step was in reaching my 101 goals.

I made this recipe and it was delicious!

oh wait, what's that?

I've never made that recipe before?

Huh?

I guess I killed 2 birds with one stone. I can count this cake as my new recipe for the month(#3)! Of course to be fair to myself I probably will do another new recipe this month because what I really wanted to get out of that goal was some new dinner time recipes. I think I'll try this one. or ooh ooh this one.

Water Reminder

2009-09-29T10:51:00.002-04:00

Drinking enough water is a challenge for me. I don't think to drink if I'm really busy at work or at home unless I feel physically thirsty. I read somewhere once that by the time you are physically thirsty you are already becoming dehydrated. You should drink 8 - 10 8oz glasses of water per day and I am nowhere near that!

Goal # 78 on my list is to drink 6 glasses of water a day. I hope that I will do more than that but I wanted to set an atainable goal too. I found a gadget on Google desktop that is a water reminder. I have mine set to remind me every 10 minutes to drink some water. I was afraid of it being an annoying alarm or something but it is just a sound affect of swishing water. Very appropriate and somewhat soothing. I just thought I'd tell everyone about it so that if you want to try to drink more water you can try it out too!

Read your Bible in a year with help from this site

2009-09-27T21:11:00.002-04:00

I found a cool Bible reading site called Christianity.com. It has a tool that tracks your reading for a year, it has every possible version (I chose New American Standard). I think this will help me to reach my goal of reading the entire Bible. Just thought I'd share for others who want to read the Bible cover to cover!

Waiting for the First of Octember (ahem October)

2009-09-26T14:18:00.002-04:00

I got a book out of the library for Henry yesterday, it was Dr. Seuss' The First of Octember and this was a page out of the book. It reminded me of my little list that I'm starting on the first of October.

If you can't read it, it says "You'll get all that you want, You just write out your list. Everyone has an Octember First list. Write slowly now! Don't break your wrist."

I love it!

Countdown!

2009-09-23T11:10:00.000-04:00

Has anyone noticed my countdown on the right side of my blog (for those of you reading this on FB you obviously won't see it unless you go to my blog. http://hawklady-sarahsblog.blogspot.com) Even though I have not started my 1001 days yet I went ahead and did a countdown. I have 1008 days left right now. So on Oct 1st it will say 1001 days I also put 0 / 101 tasks complete. I hope that I will keep up with updating that as I complete my tasks and hopefully when June 28th 2012 rolls around it will say 101/101 tasks completed! I am itching to start but I know I have others that are going to start with me so I'm waiting til October 1st!

The List, My 101

2009-09-21T19:22:00.018-04:00

Here is my list!

Code: ~~Completed~~
In progress
Failed to complete

Let's broaden our Horizons!
1. Read the whole Bible
2. ~~Read 5 books (5/5)~~
3. Try one new recipe every month (20/32)
4. Pray every day
5. Order something new off of a restaurant menu 10 times (3/10)
6. Learn how to crochet a hat
7. ~~Get a Tattoo~~
8. ~~Enter a Photo contest~~
9. Get a Passport
10. Beat (win) a video game I have started playing Little Big Planet
11. Participate in post crossing
12. Plan and host a scavenger hunt
13. Try letterboxing at least once
14. Learn to drive a stick shift
15. Send a secret to post secret
16. Do the "Love Dare"
17. Get good at french braiding
18. ~~Make homemade chicken soup~~
19. Sell something on Ebay
20. ~~Sell a photo~~
21. ~~Go yardsaling at least once~~
22. Get up early and watch the sunrise.

Let's make something!
23. Sew a dress for Zoe
24. Sew a quilt
25. ~~Paint a picture worth framing~~
26. Take a self portrait for 365 days straight
27. ~~Get ABC book made~~
28. Make an advent calendar
29. Color an entire coloring book
30. Do a 365 project with Henry and Zoe.
31. Write a song
32. Finish Henry's scrapbook (to date)
33. Finish Zoe's scrapbook ( to date)
34. Frame a photo of something other than a person that I took.
35. Sing on video and post it to youtube
36. Do an ABC project of Zoe
37. Come up with a signature recipe
38. ~~Make a loaf of bread from scratch~~
39. Paint a shark for Henry
40. draw a picture of my kids.

Let's get together!
41. Take the kids to the aquarium
42. ~~Take the kids to the zoo~~
43. Make Matt breakfast in bed
44. Invite someone over for dinner
45. Plan and execute a progressive meal
46. Make 3 new friends
47. Spend an evening with each of my sisters, my mom and mother in law 1/5
48. Spend time one day a month with each of my children (their special day with Mommy)
49. ~~Find Willow and write her a letter~~
50. Meet 2 more Pink Sheep
51. Send all my "Pink Sheep" friends a letter
52. Meet all of my neighbors.
53. Kiss my husband every day for at least 1 minute straight (unless he's traveling)
54. Have a bread bowl party
55. Have a big party for Matt's 30th birthday.

It's all about the Benjamins!

56. Pay off Credit cards (0/3)
57. Save $500 just for me to buy new clothes (guilt free) (0/500)
58. Have $3,000 in savings by day 1,001 (0 / 3,000)
59. Start a college savings account for Henry and Zoe (yes, I know I should have done this by
now!)

Let's start a photography Business!
60. ~~Create a logo for my photo business~~
61. ~~Get business cards~~
62. ~~Get a business license~~
63. ~~Take newborn pictures~~
64. ~~Get a website~~

Let's make our house better
65. Organize the garage
66. Put baseboards in the dining room / hallway
67. Put moulding in Henry's room
68. Hang some pictures in my bedroom
69. ~~Get new couches or at least a nice slip cover~~

Let's give back!
70. Give flowers to someone "just because"
71. Send a shoe box at Christmas (1/2)
72. ~~Donate blood~~
73. ~~Get on the bone marrow registry~~
74. Send a carepackage to a soldier
75. Do random acts of kindness on a regular basis
76. Make a cake to bring to work and share 5 times (2/5)

Let's get Healthy!

77. Get 30 minutes of exercise 3x a week (at least) (1/429)
78. Drink 6 glasses of water a day
79. ~~Drink only water or milk for 1 week~~
80. No sweets for a week
81. ~~Lose 20 pounds~~ (20/20)(WOOT!)
82. Walk to work once a week or 143 times (4/143)Failed!
83. Go on a hike
84. Take a vitamin every day for a month.

Miscellaneous
85. Go away for a weekend with Matt without the kids
86. Go the whole time without cutting my hair (split ends, shape ups and bangs excluded)
87. ~~Get a family portrait made~~
88. Spend one day a month internet and tv free (0/32)
89. Write a will
90. Go on a picnic
91. Clean out my cars
92. Plant a vegetable garden
93. ~~Plant flowers in the spring~~
94. ~~Potty train Henry~~
95. Read Henry all Dr. Seuss books (0/64)

List related actions
96. Save $5 for every task complete
97. Donate $5 for every task not completed
98. Write a letter to myself on day 1 and read it on day 1001 Letter written!
99. Blog about each item as it is completed. (2 / 101)
100. ~~Inspire one person to complete a list~~(1/1)I think I've inspired more than 1! Yay
101. Make a new 101 things list and start all over.

New Project: 101 in 1001

2009-09-21T11:53:00.000-04:00

I have my list completed! What list? You may ask. Well my list of 101 goals that I want to achieve in 1001 days! I am going to share my list in the next couple of days but day 1 will not be until October 1st (10/1). It seemed like an appropriate day (10/1 - 101 get it?) I want all of my readers to consider doing this with me. Make your own list and play along! We can encourage each other to keep going.

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part). Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.Once you have created your site, you can add it to the master list here at Day Zero.Calculating the End Date
You can easily find out when your project will end by using this handy tool at timeanddate.com.
1,001 days from October 1st 2009 is Thursday, June 28, 2012

Get more information on Day Zero. you can even look at other people's lists for ideas!