Day 49

Sadly, I didn’t take any photos yesterday.  I woke up briefly at 5:30am feeling very cold and nauseous.  When I awoke for good a few hours later, I was no better and actually a headache had set in as well as body aches.  I was barely functional and had taken two 2-hour naps by 2:00pm.  Crockett came down with the bug at about noon, so we both spent the day slumped in our recliners fighting to feel better.  The body aches were the worst.  Crockett described it best: “even my toenails hurt”.  Needless to say with the way I was feeling, I didn’t even pick up my camera.

Fast forward to today.  We woke up feeling a little better, except I had a killer left-side headache.  Luckily it had subsided to a tolerable level in time for LilCrockett’s basketball game.  The shots I took today were worse than the ones last week due to the poor lighting in the gym.  I did get one shot of him running through the cheerleaders as they announced his name at the start of the game.  It was taken on straight automatic settings and then edited in Photoshop to make I even half-way decent.  

After the game, we went home to eat some lunch and relax.  Crockett & I were fairly exhausted by even this little activity (sitting to watch a game).  A few hours later, I took the kids up to our church with a friend and his kids so that the girls could practice their volleyball skills.  I had originally planned to just watch but ended up getting my second wind, so I hit the balls around a bit too.  It was more fun than I expected and because I was busy, I failed to get some good shots of the girls. 

I did manage to snap a cute pic of the boys playing (snapped on the other side of the shelf from them) and a cute pic of Mia getting ready for a little snack.  Both of these photos were edited with The Pioneer Woman’s Fresh & Colorful action.

Day 48

LilCrockett is growing up so fast.  He looks so cool with his hat turned backwards and sporting some awesome shades.  What a handsome devil!  Tonight he was outside taking advantage of our awesome temps just before sunset as were the rest of the family.  It feels so good to be outside in short sleeves enjoying the fresh air.

Lately LilCrockett has been testing us with his attitude and words.  He’s trying to act & talk cool and sassy.  As parents, it’s our job to find a way to teach him to be respectful while encouraging his outgoing personality.  It’s not an easy thing to do.  But then again, nothing about parenting is easy!  I’m glad he has a lot of spunk though….keeps life very interesting!

Day 47

I mentioned on here before that GothGirl was taking guitar lessons using a guitar borrowed from a friend.  Her first class session is over and we asked her if she wanted to continue on.  She immediately said yes.  So, we knew she would need her own guitar.  There were several styles at the shop in her size, but she fell in love with a beautiful turquoise one.  And she even agreed to pay for half of it.  Can’t wait to see her learn to really play this instrument so we can have some nice tunes around the house.  

Though I love the first shot because it shows her face and her bare feet (hello, Taylor Swift!), the last photo is one of my favorites too.  Check out the little peace sign nail tattoo on her thumb.  She’s all about the peace symbol these days, so I’m glad I captured it in a photo (even if it is upside-down due to her hand position).

Day 46

Thought I’d share my Valentine’s present with you.  I’ve been wanting to get an iphone for quite awhile, but we were waiting for our contract with Verizon to expire in April so we could get the phone through AT&T.  But then our luck changed for the better.  Verizon announced that they were getting the iphone, which was great news because we wouldn’t have to leave our preferred carrier. 

I’ve only had this phone a few days, but I’m already loving it.  And so is GothGirl – she loves the game apps and has already installed quite a few.  I’m definitely going to have to reign her in with it.  It’s my phone after all, not hers!

 

 

 

I know that the Valentine roses are not going to last long, so I took a few more pictures of these beautiful flowers today so that I can remember them at their peak beauty. 

In the interest of time, I’m no longer going to be posting the EXIF data for each photo here on my blog.  I doubt that anyone is really paying attention to that anyway.  If you ever want to know the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focal length for a particular photo…just leave a message in the comment for that post.

Day 45

Brian and Seth bought a bouquet of roses for Mia and I.  As soon as I got them arranged in a vase, Kenai jumped up on the table and started nosing them.  Apparently the baby’s breath has catnip-like qualities and a sweet taste that appeals to cats.  Soon, he was biting off the little flowers.  At one point, he knocked the entire vase over, so I had to set it on a side toaster counter in the kitchen.  But before long, he had found them again and leaped up onto the tiny ledge to harass them once again. 

Couldn’t help snapping some pics because it looks like he’s smelling the roses.  Make sure that you remember to take time to smell the roses in your life!

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/2.8
• 1/25 sec
• 800 ISO
• 42mm

And since it is Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t resist getting a photo of my 2 little Valentines. 

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/3.5
• 1/25 sec
• 800 ISO
• 28mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the Valentines that Crockett and I got from the kids.  Simple notes that they designed in AfterCare.  So sweet!

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR

• f/3.5
• 1/40 sec
• 800 ISO
• 30mm

Day 44

Ah, the great Snow Melt of 2011 (which follows the Blizzard of 2011).  Today was so nice outside temp-wise.  After we got home from church, LilCrockett wanted to head outside immediately.  Who could blame him.  This winter has seemed so incredibly LONG.  Mia and I joined him after awhile so that we could build a snowman.  Crockett usually loves doing this with the kids, but the snow was very unstable (it was melting underneath) and not meant for someone who has just had knee surgery.  The great thing about the melting snow was that it packed so nicely (like slushie ice). 

When we were done, I snapped some pics of the kids.  It was incredibly bright outside, so LilCrockett has the dreaded squint even though I consciously had them build the snowman in the shade.  GothGirl had the right idea and wore her shades.   

The temp was so nice that I actually got too warm building the snowman despite only wearing a medium-weight coat.  By late afternoon, the temperature climbed to 50 degrees and it was fabulous, especially coming on the heels of last week’s minus Fahrenheit temps.  Spring is in the air and we are so ready!

Editing: slight exposure increase in ACR, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/13
• 1/80 sec
• 100 ISO
• 53mm

During the afternoon & early evening, I had the kids help me make cake pops. 

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR

• f/2.8
• 1/50 sec
• 800 ISO
• 28mm

 

The neighbor girls were over so they got to help as well

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR

• f/2.8
• 1/60 sec
• 800 ISO
• 30mm

And finally, the finished product.  See below for the recipe.  Note that my cake pops never come out looking that great.  I can never get the candy melts the right consistency or get the cake batter the right temp.  But, they are yummy nevertheless and the kids enjoy the mess!

Editing: adjustments in ACR

• f/3.5
• 1/100 sec
• 800 ISO
• 28mm

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Cake Pops

• 1 baked cake
• 1 canister of icing
• 2 bags of candy melts

Bake your cake as directed and let cool completely.  Crumble the cake up in a bowl and stir in 1 canister of icing.  Chill mixture in the fridge or freezer.  Roll cake/icing mixture into small balls.  Chill balls in fridge or freezer.  Melt candy melts according to package directions (I melt mine in the microwave).  Dip balls in the melted candy coating and set on waxed paper until the coating hardens.  Insert a sucker stick if desired before the candy hardens, if desired.

Experiment with different flavors.  My favorite is yellow/white cake mix, white icing, and vanilla candy melts.  For professional cake pop inspiration, visit Bakerella.  She puts mine to shame times 10!  I should really study her technique sometime.  

Day 43

I’m well aware that GothGirl has been woefully absent from many of my daily posts, so today I wanted to make a concentrated effort to get some pics of my girl.  This entailed actually making her pose, versus just trying to get some candid shots.  She came out after getting ready for volleyball practice and I thought she looked so cute with her hair pulled back.  Thus, I figured it was a good time to take some photos.  The session started out pretty boring, with some half-smiles. 

I wanted to get some real smiles and all it took was 2 simple words…..dookey bits.  Taught to them by our friend in Maine, both of my kids crack up over this slang word for poop.  So here’s a real smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as she stopped laughing, she was a little pseudo-mad that I got her to laugh.  So, here’s the little “I’m peeved at you smirk” that she gave me next; which just goes to show that with kids, you should keep clicking that shutter because it’s the shots you aren’t expecting that turn out to be your favorite!  This one really makes me smile because it’s so “her”.  I usually get this look when I tease her about liking Justin
Bieber.

 

 

 

 

Then, just for fun, I had her add a prop (her purse).  This is my favorite shot of the day because it captures her spirit so wonderfully.  Isn’t my girl a beauty?!!!      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editing: cropping & adjustments in ACR, icing action, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/2.8
• 1/160 – 1/250 sec
• 400 ISO
• 38 – 40mm

And while I would be content to finish a post with only photos of GothGirl, today was LilCrockett’s first basketball game, so I need to share a few of those.  The photos are a little grainy and blurry due to the poor lighting and constant movement by the kids.  I definitely need to work on getting better at shooting gym shots.

Here’s a pic of LilCrockett  (#12) dribbling down the court to the basket.  He made quite a few shots today, but failed to get any of them in.  He was trying to hurry his shots and as a result, his aim was pretty bad.  The 2nd shot is of him catching the ball on a rebound. 

The entire game was hysterical.  Watching kindergarten-age kids play a basketball game for the first time was a riot.  At the start, Seth’s coach told him to stand in a certain spot.  The opposing team got the ball and everyone moved down the court, except for Seth.  He was still standing in the same spot.  I think he thought he wasn’t supposed to move!  It was so funny.  But, the best part of the game came after half-time, when the teams switched baskets.  Seth got the ball and started running towards their old basket, which was now the other team’s basket.  Everyone was yelling at him to turn around.  He got about 3/4 of the way down before he figured it out.  Luckily, we got it on our Flip camcorder.  I think we should pull it out when he has his first girlfriend over years from now!

Editing: cropping & adjustments in ACR

• f/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• 800 ISO
• 28mm