I heart faces - Fix it Friday

What the heck. I had a minute while Ruby is tearing apart my tupperware drawer and Violet is dressing and undressing Taylor Swift. The original is near perfect and I probably ruined it by even attempting a play lol :)

Original


My play


I cloned out the sign (I don't know why but I did), adjusted wb, bumped up exposure, slight s-curve, burned the background a little, and sharpened.

More plays at

Team Up Thursday - Fruit

I am ashamed to admit that I had to ask Angie what her photo was of this week. To fit with mine I cropped it to a pretty tight apple but in total "duh me" fashion I didn't originally see it. It is made with fused glass. I thought it was beautiful before I knew what it was but now I will add cool to it as well. Mine is what I was waiting for after a long day. Since the stove is broke we went to the mexican restaurant near our home last night and although I like mine better the margarita that I had there was pretty tasty.



Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.

Wordful Wednesday - If it isn't one thing

by one thing I am talking about the dishwasher. It is another and by that I mean the stove. Come on Kitchen Aid! We remodeled our home 6 years ago and hubs and I splurged on some fancy stainless steel appliances. BTW, stainless and 3 kids 4 and under is a whole other post lol :) Anyway, I got the convection oven I thought I always wanted and he got the super quiet dishwasher so that we wouldn't be bothered by the noise in our adjoining living room. I have only used the convection part of my stove one time to very unedible results.

I have written before that our dishwasher broke. It doesn't heat the water. Well, last night after being completely disappointed that Lost was a rerun I decided to make some oatmeal cookies to drown my tears and my stove didn't heat up. Hubs pulled it out, took it apart, and now if I want to get it fixed anytime in the next week he will call someone to the house. How did these VERY expensive appliances both break within a month of each other. Heaven help Kitchen Aid if the fridge goes.

Now my silver lining. Last night it was eerily yellow outside when we put the girls to bed. Like Matt when outside to look b/c it was just not right. That is when I saw this.

Full rainbow but it was raining so I couldn't take my camera out to get a shot of the whole thing. We got the girls up to look at it with us. Too bad it didn't end at our house, we could have used a little luck lol. So much for the 4 leaf clover we found on Easter.

More WW @

Rhubarb

My girlfriend Beth was telling me about some rhubarb crisp that she made the other day and about 15 minutes after I got off the phone with her I called our little Ruby rhubarb. I can't stop. Please someone stop me!

This morning it was beautifully overcast (until I got to our location) and I even had a helper - pint sized but she is a hard worker. So Violet and I tried oh so very hard to do everything we could think of to make Ruby smile. I got maybe 5 pictures of that baby smiling and she is blinking in 2 of them. You take what you get with a 1 year old though.

Now it is overcast. Such is my luck :)

I heart faces - Better late than never :)

Poor Ruby. She just gets the shaft with everything. She turned 1 a month ago, didn't get a party (b/c she was sick), still doesn't have a baby book, and didn't get any pictures taken for her big ONE. I generally make a good effort to take a "nice" picture of them near their birthdays. Ruby will just have to deal with the fact she is 13 months old. Since she is mobile she is always trying to come to me. It is so hard to put her down, run back to take the picture, AND try and get her to smile. This one I had to REALLY work for :)

Week 17 Challenge - Smiles

I ♥ my little Rhubard!


Everyone at The Zoo is happy. My posts this past week have all been about smiling so how perfect was this challenge? Tough to get but fitting :) How can't you smile back when someone smiles at you?



I will be posting the rest from today in a separate post b/c I am only allowed to have 1 picture in my Iheartfaces post and she isn't really smiling in a few of them :)

80/365 (2010)

Where did the day go?

It is 11:25 PM and I NEED to go to bed. That little Rhubarb (my new nickname for today) will probably wake up the minute I get in bed too. Crazy girlie. Anyway, I have no time to blog but I did put up some pictures on the 365 Blog that scream "I am the daughter of Matt". Matt likes to tell me that Violet is all me - these pictures tell a different story. Her love of rice krispie cookies and when concentrating very hard sticking out her tongue. Seeing these make me smile. I'd better quit with all this smiling I'll get more wrinkles lol :)

79/365 (2010)

This one will make you smile

This is MY move.  I'll say "Violet, let me see my favorite move" and this is what I get.  I LOVE IT!

and her more serious "spinning ballerina" face

78/365 (2010)

Sweet Tooth

What makes you smile?

My girls make me smile. My husband makes me smile. Heading out and not hitting any of the crazy road construction traffic on our main road makes me smile.

What makes Piper smile? Riding her bike. Whenever we come in I get asked when she can go back out to ride her bike again. She is just so proud of herself and of course we are so very proud of her too. The joy that a child gets out of something so simple as riding their bikes should make us smile. When was the last time you hopped on a bike and thought it was the greatest thing? Me, um, it's been years. If you have run into us in the past few weeks I am sure she has told you she can ride her bike w/o trainers but if she tells you again just smile. That is what we are doing around here lately too :)

77/365 (2010)

Fashionista?

When you see this fab look on the runways next season just remember where you saw it first! 

76/365 (2010)

Teaching Taylor to walk

75/365 (2010)

Ready, Set, Stuff

Team Up Thursday - Shape

Shape. It is everywhere but how to interpret it is the question. This week was tough for me which is good b/c sometimes I need tough. I had my half done on Sunday though b/c I am probably not capable of having better luck than the shot I got. We had to go to the grocery store and I remembered that we had a fountain with very interesting awnings next to it. That was what I had intended to shoot but then the fountains had music playing and the water "danced" along to the beat. The girls thought it was pretty cool to watch b/c they also lit up so I just started taking pictures. This was the 4th picture that I took and when I saw it big on my computer screen I pretty much knew that it was going to be my pick this week. Do you see what I see? Angie also has an interesting photo. It is a smiling face on a rock (I think) :) Having young children I immediately thought of a half eaten goldfish cracker. I put the photos together this way b/c the rock is smiling at mine. I would like to know where she found that smiling face and what she was doing when she found it. I love unexpected surprises :)



If you didn't see a long haired mama cradling her babe then I know that I just have total mama brain lol :) I see myself. It immediately screamed Bluegrass Moon to me, specifically her maternal art - so beautiful. I love the result!

Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.




BTW - Happy Earth Day Everyone!

74/365 (2010)

I have taken my camera EVERYWHERE with me trying to get the perfect picture for our Team Up Thursday.  It is a tough one this week :)  I think that I have the shot I am going to use but something else could be even better.  Not that I am saying my shot is good but it is cool, at least in my opinion.  Anyway.  I forced Violet to sit so that I could still get my 365 in today.

It's close

to finally being summer! Saturday Violet & Piper's friends came over to play. We have been waiting for swim suit & popsicle weather for months. Give me 90 everyday and I am a happy person! I love NC!

Mother's Day Giveaway

What are you going to get this year for Mother's Day? I have started a list on Etsy of my favorite things so that I can be sure to get something I LOVE. Not that hubs and the girls don't know me or know what I like but it is win win for everyone. I choose several things and they get to shop my choices lol :) This year you could get that present from your kids AND win some items for yourself or to give to someone you think might love it (like me). Natalie, whose fab blog is Natalie's Sentiments, is giving you that opportunity. You do not need a blog to enter just an email address. Her contest is ending on April 21 so you will have time to get your goodies before the big day if you win. Good Luck!

73/365 (2010)

Sugar and spice and everything nice

That's what little girls are made of

The other day I saw the sweetest shot of a little girl with bruises on her legs.  I thought "I have that times 3!"  Today while we were playing I got a shot of ours.  You can tell how much fun they are having by the band aids, cuts, scraps, and bruises. 

Haven't you always wanted a monkey?

Ruby is just like Piper was. Climbing on everything. After Violet chipped a tooth though I am more protective and not as laid back letting the babes explore as I once was. Ruby thinks it is big fun to climb on our girls chairs in the kitchen which has all HARD tile flooring. Without even consulting my crystal ball I see concussions, fat lips, and many bruises. Every time I turn around she is pushing one away from the table and climbing up. The girls yell to me "She is climbing another one!" We need to figure out how to keep her off them but just this once I dragged a chair into the living room where at least the carpet would cushion a potential fall and (of course) video taped her doing it. Stand up Jessie to receive your safe mama of the day award!



This is for you my faithful viewer Eden so you have something new to watch :)

72/365 (2010)

1st popsicle 

You would never know it by watching her b/c she was a pro at eating it!

70/365 (2010)

Ring around the rosie

71/365 (2010)

69/365 (2010)

I took a picture today.  How I deleted it off my camera I don't know.  Well, I do know HOW I did it but I can't remember when I did it.  Some days I don't know.  I am falling behind on everything and that is how this happens.

68/365 (2010)

67/365 (2010)

Brief beauty

I went into my neighbors yard to take a picture of their tree and they came home while I was standing in their front yard.  I was only able to snap 2 shots and then felt dumb doing it in front of them (like I am some sort of photographer) that I just came home.  This tree is so beautiful for a few weeks and then the blossoms die.  Talking to my neighbor I don't think this beauty has many more years left as it has a weak spot.  We just need a bad storm and it could snap.

66/365 (2010)

Sleep pretty darling do not cry

And I will sing a lullaby

65/365 (2010)

Happy (belated) Birthday to Me

There is no stopping me now.  Look at this pot.  It's beautiful.  Magical things will (hopefully) be happening in our kitchen :)

Noooo!!!!!

Mama is not ready! What for? Kindergarten. So the school that Piper will attend had their registration Friday and I NEEDed to go but I just didn't want to. Every part of me wants to keep her home. She loves being here. You want to know why she isn't totally on board for homeschooling? It is b/c she is afraid that she will have to "watch" Ruby. Ruby is at an age right now that I can't get anything done w/o someone helping to keep her occupied. Cook, clean, wash dishes - can't do any of them w/o my little helper between my legs. Piper is that person whom I turn to for a little assistance throughout the day. She thinks that Ruby will forever need someone to "watch" her and she doesn't want it to be her lol :)

Back to school. What a different experience when I didn't have to deal with the old bag of a receptionist. They were all "No problem coming in today" and even a "Thank you so much for taking the time to come". Really? No pointing at your little list and telling me in a derogatory tone that basically I am a failure for a mother b/c I don't have a power bill AND her birth certificate? Whatever.

On a totally unrelated subject. Would you ever ask a woman who is carrying a 7 month old babe if she is "pregnant again?" I was asked this after having Violet and the tramp that did the asking was at K reg. today. Hubs thought I wasn't very nice completely blowing her off. Thoughts?

Why a negative post? Irritation. And, I am waiting for my dishes to dry. Didn't I tell you? We got a new dishwasher. Woot Not! Here it is...

For the past month my dishwasher has been broken. And it still is. I am the new dishwasher at our casa. Lucky me.

So, there is my rant for the week. I should do a different website to rant on rather than let my few blogging friends know what a complainer I really am but I can't even keep up on my 365 blog so having 3 blogs would be impossible.

I feel better now.

and *poof* they are gone

Last year I wrote about some unwanted neighbors that moved in down the street. They creeped me out for the past 5 months. Obviously knowing the effect they had on me they decided to totally weird me out by hanging out in OUR yard for a WHOLE morning. Yuck!



About a month ago I noticed that they were not there anymore. Not wanting to jinx it and have them return I didn't say anything about them not being there. To anyone. Now after a good amount of time I feel comfortable in saying they are GONE! So long. Ciao. Arrivederci. Hasta La Vista Vultures!

Team Up Thursday - From Lying Down

I procrastinated until 5:30 Wednesday night to do this week's theme. There were plenty of ideas but I couldn't get them to work. Angie and I decided to go with the host's theme of From Lying Down. Both of our shots were overcast which cracked me up and Piper's shirt actually matches Angie's dark sky. I am glad I didn't have to experience that storm but it is probably headed this way lol :) I rotated her image b/c I thought that it looked cool sort of mirroring the way that Piper was standing (I hope that I am allowed to do that). My girl was such a sport for her mama :)



Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.

Wordful Wednesday - What's Up??

I just haven't really felt the whole blogging thing for the last month. It is hard for me to try and come up with things to write about b/c I am so busy right now. The girls and I have been getting out and meeting up with people so not much time around the house means less computer time meaning no blogging. I am even having problems keeping up with all of my blogging friends blogs. Sheesh. My husband chuckles "Life as a stay at home mama" - whatever.

Today was picture day for Piper's preschool. We found her the dress that she wore at the thrift store that I LOVE! Her favorite color is blue - random much - and so is the dress. We didn't have a barrette or headband to match but I found a pair of old "chicken" earrings and clipped the back off and made our own barrettes out of them. So this is also a Crafty Tuesday post (lol). Here they are...



and our beauty wearing it.



While Piper was at school Violet, Ruby, and I joined a group at the fire house for a tour. All the kids had fun and we all learned a lot about being a fireman. All of the kids loved that and they gave each of them fire hats & books to color. Fun times.



Now off to do the dishes while the girls sleep and then try and figure out what to do for my Team Up Thursday post - not enough hours in the day for this sahm!!
More Wordful Wednesdays at

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary. My girlfriend told me that it seemed like we had been married longer than that and I told her it was b/c my husband dragged his feet for 5 years before asking me. Men. I will never get them.

Anyway, he is coming home today from a trip. The girls and I have to pick out a restaurant to celebrate at. Piper wants cake. I can do that too. My husband is a pretty cool guy. He cracks me up a lot. Piper & Violet love spending time with him which warms my heart, Ruby will one day too but she is still her mama's girl now. I am a lucky lady to have hooked my traveling engineer. Happy Anniversary Matt and (raising proverbial glass) many more ♥!



Our wedding pictures weren't digital. Can you believe that? This is scanned so quality is not the best. I love the happiness on my husband's face. He didn't know the picture was being taken he was just happy. I will always love this picture for that b/c I am the reason for that smile :)

Training Wheels? Who needs them?

Not Piper anymore! Woot! Our little girl finally had the courage to do it on her own! I have tried a few other times but she did not have the confidence when I let go that she had today. I am so proud of her and thanks to modern technology everyone else can be too :)

Yay Piper!! Never forgetting the other girls I got them in on the video too. Yes, I was holding back a small laugh when Violet fell b/c she falls all the time and I am mean :)

Failure?

I am not sure if I consider myself a failure so much for forgetting to take a picture a few days.  I missed a day this week and another one awhile back.  My husband is pretty nice to me and said I just had to restart the 365 from when ever I took the next picture.  At this rate I will be doing this project for eternity :)

As I was posting these today I thought to myself "Step away from the actions".  It is a sickness.  I see so many photos out there that look a little bit cooler with an action applied and I can't help myself I am doing it - although not getting the same results most of the time lol :)  Hopefully I can get back to just tweaking a little bit.  Maybe if I deleted them off my computer... like I should do with Facebook :)

64/365 (2010) Part 2

"Can you take my picture too?"

"Sure Piper"

As we are coming back in...

"Do I get something special now?"

"No, Violet didn't get anything special for letting me take her picture"

"Violet!"

Is this a conspiracy starting?

64/365 (2010)

Flower Child

Little girls just can't get enough of dandelions while Daddy's just try to figure out how to get rid of them. :)

63/365 (2010)

A trip to the rainforest?

Or the zoo lol :)

Team Up Thursday - E is for Easter

Angie and I decided to go with a letter theme this week and what better letter than "E". Tons of inspiration right? I didn't even get a shot of my kids "E"aster baskets before they tore into them lol :) How cute is Angie's dog Sparky? This shot reminds me of the many I have of our dogs dressed up for the holidays and the look on their face matches too :) He is eyeing Piper's egg. Who will get to the nickels first? Our girls got a kick out of finding change filled eggs. Into the pigs it went. Why not the standard Easter goodies? Well, the last thing I need is more chocolate around this house :)



Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.

61/365 (2010)

Old & Young

I don't wish my age on anyone.  I wish that I still had that beautiful young unwrinkled skin of my babes.  Each of my wrinkles tell a story and a lesson learned.  Somedays I wish I could erase some of those stories but in the end it is what makes me ME and I wouldn't be where I am right now without each of them.  

60/365 (2010)

I couldn't decide :)

"Is the grass greener?"

"Foreplay"