... and it's off with a bang! :)


My children are officially doing their best to make me insane.  I don't know how you moms do it that don't have a regular daily naptime for the kids, because when I don't get those couple hours of me-time, I feel like screaming and running around throwing things.  Bad idea, eh?! :)  Probably not the best example for my lovely little angels. ;)

Today, as well as last Friday, and Sunday, Gabriel and Zachary have laughed and played and banged and whined their way through naptime.  I'm pretty sure (and as of this afternoon, Victor agrees) that Gabriel is the main culprit--he instigates the trouble.  Today Victor got home for his free afternoon time just as the boys were starting in, so he offered to stay home and sent me off to Barnes & Noble to read books on photography.  His orders.  How could I turn that down?! :)  So off I went, although I have to say that I'm not a good book-picker, because I didn't really learn anything amazing in my readings.  I did note a couple of things in the D50's ummmm "field guide" I think it was called that I didn't realize my camera could do.  So that was interesting.  Got a couple new pose ideas.  That's about it!  But it was blessedly quiet!!  And when I got home, Victor was coming out with the kiddoes and the soccer ball for a walk and playtime in the field down the street, so I went with them and kicked the ball around too.  In my long corduroy skirt.  Very lovely it was. :)

Friday evening we met back up with Azael & Becca to take some motorcycle pictures :) which we weren't able to take the first time around - the only problem was that we got a late start and lost the light before we got any STUPENDOUS pictures.  Isn't that what a photographer is always looking for - THE shot??!!  I don't really feel like we got THE ONE, but we did get some pretty good ones. :)  Victor and I were both taking pictures at different times, so I'm not entirely sure who took what, but if you're interested in bikes, you might like these:  :)



I'm certainly not into motorcycles, but even I can appreciate a nice Harley.    Is "nice" a word you can use to describe a Harley?  Probably not.  Victor gets a little drooly every now and then over Azael's bike, but I honestly don't expect him to get one.  But WHO KNOWS!!!  I shall not make predictions. 

This weather is Hot.  That is with a capital H on purpose.  I turned the air off a couple of weeks ago when a brief cold front went through, and I am resisting turning it back on, although it would feel SOOOOO GOOD.  Yes, it was in the 80s today, and has been all week.  *sigh*  I do miss fall.  Oh well!  I will enjoy the weather in ummm November maybe??!! :) 

Happy Monday night!  I'm off to catch up on Ugly Betty!! :) :)  (SOOO enthralling you know...)

OH . . . . . . .    WOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I'm perfectly happy to be sitting in my comfy little mini chair with peaceful music playing just loud enough to mostly drown out the sound of Zachary crying/whining/talking himself to sleep down the hall.

A huge disaster was just averted!  Gabriel has been quite the little stinker lately, and tonight was no exception.  I had finally gotten both boys in bed after quite a process of bathing and potty and feeding and ETCETERA, and had taken myself off to the bedroom to fold laundry, when here came Gabriel out of bed once again, playing with his bedroom door.  (??!!)   I marched him back into his dark bedroom where Zachary was crying (Gabriel had woken him up), put Gabriel in bed, and turned around to the sight of Zachy on his knees, holding on to the edge of the crib, leaning over the rail with a desperate look on his face.  Reminded me of a bridge-jumper.  We had left his crib on the highest level, even though he's been "scooching" around the house for a few weeks now, because he scooches on his tummy and doesn't (didn't?!) pull himself up.  Needless to say, I paged emergency maintenance (Haha!  That's Victor, btw....   No really!) to lower the crib ASAP.  That involved lights and tools and mattresses and bumper pads and all the trappings, so of course any sleepiness that HAD been in two little boys was fully gone by the time everything was set straight.  Good times. 

So now they're back in bed, the laundry is folded, the lights are low, the music is playing...  and my mind is back in a whirl!  Tonight we went lens-shopping.  It wasn't really shopping - more of lens-playing, or lens-testing.  :)  We went to three different camera stores in town to look for/at a lens we're thinking about buying for our camera.  The first had nothing like it in stock and recommended another store, which didn't have the exact one we wanted but did have a very similar one (which only cost twice as much...) AND another AMAZING one (which only cost 4 times as much)!  So we played with cameras and chatted with the store employee who was very helpful and knowledgeable and full of ideas of things for us to spend much money on! :)  The third store was a "bust" - I believe that's the technical term.  The only interesting thing they had was the new Nikon D90 that can also take video - and the battery wasn't charged, and they had no power adapter.  Strange. 

ANYWAY, all of this lens-looking is related to some new developments, although we've been talking about expanding our lens collection (of one) for some time.  Last November, a friend of ours took some family pictures for us, and I told her at the time I'd gladly repay the favor if she ever wanted some pictures of her husband and her.  So she brought it up a few weeks ago and I offered to take the pictures, which will be coming up this weekend.  Then a friend of Victor's got engaged, so I asked if they'd be interested in getting some (free) engagement pictures - which they were really excited about; so excited, I guess, that they asked if I'd take pictures at their wedding alongside his (the fiance's) brother-in-law, who is also getting into photography.  I was and am TOTALLY excited, and of course agreed, but I have to admit I'm doing just a teensy bit of freaking out. :)  I believe the other guy will be "head photographer" so the responsiblity will really be his (thankfully?!), but I'd hate to not get the kind of pictures for them that I would want if it were my wedding.  Anyway, all of this has sort of brought our lens-discussion to the forefront again, so we're probably going to be getting another.  I was really amazed at the quality of the pictures we randomly snapped at a dimly-lit store counter.  Soooooo exciting! 

All I've been doing lately (besides um work, cooking, cleaning, and other housewifely stuff as well as keeping track of two very mobile boys - did I mention Zachary scooches basically anywhere he wants to go?  Very quickly?!) is think photography this, camera that, idea file the other thing....  Fun!  But my brain would like to remember things like - Zachary's sheet and blanket were sent home yesterday from daycare; that means he needs a clean set sent in today...  Important daily-life things like that.

Oh, I'm getting back a teensy bit into design as well - well, almost.  Not yet really.  My parents' church is in the process of producing a cookbook (my mom is the very efficient and talented organizer/production engineer), and someone asked her if she'd ask me to design the cover.  I'm really excited about that too - just honestly have no ideas about what to do!  They haven't decided on the title yet, but according to my mom, it's basically just a homey style of cookbook, nothing too gourmet; it includes a full range of categories (from appetizers to desserts along with some fun recipes like edible playdough, etc.), though she says the largest categories are probably main dishes and desserts.  I'd like to put photo(s) of some sort on the front - not sure of what - orrrrrrr maybe a nice pattern broken up in sections..... if that makes any sense....  Anyway, I'm putting this info out here because I'm WAY open to suggestions!  Anyone have any good ideas about a cookbook cover?  Please speak up if so, because I need help! :) :)  (If you're from Temple, you didn't just read that.  I have everything under control at all times. ) 

I ALSO keep wanting to do more in web design.  All of that got put on hold when Zachary was born, and I realized the other day, thanks to my ever-remindful mother, that I never actually finished one last thing on my dad's site.  I couldn't get the server to accept the flash file, and when I wrote their customer service, they sent me back all of this gibberish that I couldn't make heads or tails of, so I ended up putting the original layout back up until I could figure out the flash dealy.  Which I never did, and remained happily ignorant of that until just last week, I believe.  So now I have guilt along with mental whirlings.  :)  Better than being bored!  Add that to (still) thinking about designing a website for myself, and you have - officially - too much to think about.  I need mindless activity.  I'm off to make more yummy pretzel-stick-thingies.  :)  (Honey-wheat pretzels dipped in almond bark - deliciously nutritious...  at least that's what I like to tell myself!)

Good night!  Enjoy this cooler weather!  I was SO thrilled to walk outside this morning and feel temperatures under seventy degrees!  WONDROUS!!!  (Yes yes, I know all you northern people don't care.  **I'm**  in heaven.)