Aprons and Family

So while I have been a photography blog stalker for some time now - I have started to venture out and see what everyone else is stalking... Look at these aprons! I am not much of a in the kitchen kind of girl - but one of these just might do the trick. Go check them out - she has a giveaway going on today for either an apron or an apron kit. So very cute!

This past weekend was great. Spent some fun times with the Wise One and football is finally over. While it was sad for the boys - I was very excited that my house and my life can finally get the attention it deserves. Just a couple of pics from the weekend.

"It doesn't take much to move me. To shove me down or lift me up."

Birthday Wishes and random stuff

Today The Boy turns 12...WOW. I really wonder when that happened. It is amazing to me the person that he is and who he is becoming. While we fight like crazy, I pray it is only the age and the hormones and that soon we will circle back around and find some common ground to land on. He is such a great person and has such a sweet little heart. Sometimes it's hard to see, but it's there.

Today was one of those rare moments where he let his love for The Girl show a little bit. He was opening his birthday presents from us this morning and The Girl gave him her gift...it was some fuzzy socks (from Bath & Body Works) that he has been wanting since last year. He looked at the socks and looked at her and asked if she picked them out. She hesitantly said yes and he told her "thank you so very much" and gave her a great big hug. Which of course led to me having to redo my flippin' eyeliner again -but it was SOOOO worth it.

I took him to Starbucks this morning to get a pumpkin loaf and a hot chocolate...because I hadn't gotten all the ingredients to make the pumpkin bread... and while we were waiting in line the radio station we listen to started to announce the birthdays...he waited so patiently - just hoping that his name would be announced over the air. I prayed that I had gotten the email in early enough to be added to the list. FINALLY they said it - mispronounced the last name - but they said it...and that was all that mattered. I tried not to look at him, but with tears in my eyes behind my sunglasses (i have no idea why i teared up) i turned around and he had the biggest smile on his face. It was priceless....then he says "They ALWAYS say it wrong". We both laughed - lord knows he is destined to a life of people mispronouncing his last name.

We are going tonight for his birthday dinner to Texas de Brazil. It is a crazy expensive place - but I swear I don't think I have EVER seen The Boy enjoy something so much. This place serves meat...LOTS AND LOTS of meat. Any kind of meat you want - The Boy prefers the filet mignon...imagine my surprise. They give you these little round cards and one side is red and one is green. The red side says "no, please don't offer me any more food" the green side says "bring on the meat!" so the waiters just keep coming around with these giant spears of meat that the shave off or slide off on to your plate. The first, and only, time we had been there I think he had a sirloin, a pork chop, something else, and 6 filet mignons...I'm really not kidding. If you have spent ANY time with The Boy...you understand exactly how big that is for him. He ate and ate and ate...and they just kept bringing it around. So after football practice tonight - we are off to eat lots and lots of meat...and make one little 12 year old a VERY happy boy.

I love him! I love him so much - it almost hurts my heart. I love it when I get a text message in the afternoon about 3:45 that says "How are you?" It's almost like he actually cares...I know in reality it is just to be able to send a text message..but every once in a while I get an unprompted "I love you". I hope he knows that I love him more than it seems possible.


OK - on to the random stuff

I'm headed to go buy candle stuff today to get started on that project. But first, I really have to get the house cleaned up. I have no idea how to get it all cleaned up. While we went to laundry mat to get all the laundry done (seriously - I had 10 loads) I still have a closet full of dirty clothes and a crazy pile of clothes that need to be hung up. Overwhelming just doesn't even describe it. I really really need a whole day to get the house clean - a day with no kids, no activities, no nothing but me the radio and a LOT of cleaning. There is just no time to get it done. Maybe I will go home for lunch tomorrow and see what I can knock out and then tomorrow while the boys are at practice.

We won the first round of playoff games and have another one this Saturday night. If we win that one - we play again on Dec. 6...regardless of the outcome of that one - I think we play the following Saturday. Is it wrong to pray that we loose this weekend??

The Man says I will get a break from practice next week even if we win this weekends game...I almost laughed out loud (I couldn't because I was livid about the practice time for tonight) but his idea of a break from football and my idea of a break from football are a little different, i'm sure of it. I didn't even ask what it meant, because in all reality it just doesn't matter. So what if no one has any clean underwear, so what if no one has no toothepaste because I can't get to the store...it's all for the greater good. right?

My goal with the candles is to get 10 batches done by this sunday...I figure i can do 2 batches on a normal night and i can knock out quite a few on sunday. I want to try to let them cure for 10 days so that means they should be ready to sell by December 1st.

That's about it for now...i'm sure I will think of something later.

Big Plans

Holy Moly...Christmas is almost here.

So I am almost done with my lists of who we are buying for, now I just need to get out there and get it all bought.

This weekend I have a lot to get done and the shopping is just going to have to wait.

Tomorrow's plans:
hair appt at 10
soccer game at 12
laundry MUST get done at this point
football game at 8 - but we have to be there at 7

Sunday doesn't look too bad...yet
so far just church
and more laundry

Next week, I have to get the two Bosses out of town for an EXPO, celebrate The Boy's birthday, The Wise One is coming into town, go buy supplies for candles, and of course...don't forget football practice every night. Depending on when the playoff game is next weekend, The Boy and The Man are going to take two other Boys to the TCU football game as part of The Boy's birthday - his actual party is going to have to wait until December when all playoff games are over.

Unfortunately, no photography this weekend. The football game is at night, so i'm not real comfortable shooting in the dark yet, but I will try to get some of the last soccer game.

OK, back to working on the budget and picking out christmas gifts.


OH...by the way...if The Man asks you what I want for christmas...please be sure to tell him that I want an English Bulldog. He knows, but a little extra reinforcement never hurt.

Thankful:
- I'm so very thankful that The Man and I are on the same page about what our future holds for us.
- I'm thankful for a job that allows me to be close to home and pay off some more debt.
- I'm thankful for The Scott-Kinzie's...they have been a wonderful addition to our lives.
- I'm thankful that my best friend is going to start her own Thanksgiving Day tradition and that will get to participate.
- I'm thankful that people seem to like my photography, even when i'm not so sure.
- I'm thankful that The Man - gets excited about the things I'm excited about.
- I'm thankful that my crazy kids still love me...no matter how much we get frustrated with each other.
- I'm thankful that it looks like we might get to have most of our debt paid off in 4 years.

Mentoring..

So here is what I'm thinking...I would like to mentor with a photographer for a day. To pick her brain, to see what i'm doing wrong, to see what i should be doing going forward. Not necessarily to build a business but to just take better pictures in general. While I do want to have this become a business, I really just want to be better at something that makes me happy.

But how do you approach someone? How do you say...Hey, can I tag around with you for a day and pick your brain?? Is that insulting? Is it a complement? Is it a complete pain in the rear end for someone to ask so many questions.

I have become a blog stalker for so many photographers just waiting...patiently...for someone to offer out a little nugget of information about how they achieved a certain something in their photos...

Ugh! this is so hard.

Two Photo Shoots

Whew! This weekend I was lucky enough to be able to shoot two beautiful families. I love that I learn something every time I do this and I feel as though I get better and better. I absolutely love doing this and really hope that it can develop into something wonderful. What a great life - to shoot pictures and make candles...my kind of perfect job!

I'm thinking that I want to incorporate both hobbies into a business. .. Maybe I could name it MaddiePie Innovations or MaddiePie Creations...or MaddiePie something or other...I haven't landed on a name just yet - but we are working on it.

I have too many favorites to post from each session so I'm just going to post my absolute favorite from each one.

Driving

So I leave this morning, completely frustrated because it's been one of those mornings...they happen often. Drop off both kids - leave the school and head for work... A decision must be made, go all the way down to the road that has the light or just turn left without the light. I decide, today I can just turn left without the light and cross 3 lanes of crazy traffic. Well...I was wrong, today I hit this little red car. Just clipped the back end of her, I still can't figure out why she wasn't out of the way by the time i got there...I guess my timing was WAY off. she was fine, I am fine. But dangit!! I can't believe I hit her. I mean I really can't believe I stinkin' hit her. The Man was wonderful and didn't get upset with me. I know it's just a car, but for the love of all things...it's still frustrates me. Dangit!

You're freakin' me out lady

As we sit down for dinner last night, I ask The Boy...how church went..."fine" he says. I ask him "So, what did ya'll talk about as you tipped backwards in my chair with your feet propped up on the table?"

"How did you know???"

"When you guys were praying at the end, did everyone go around the table and say something?"

"You're freakin' me out lady! How in the heck do you know that? Were you watching cameras somewhere?"

It was the funniest thing, he was completely stumped. In reality me, The Man, The Girl, and H stood outside watching thru a window that had a screen over it so they couldn't see out. It was so stinkin' funny to watch his reaction...I never told him how I knew. Maybe it will keep him on his toes never knowing what I know (insert evil laughter here)

I have to brag on The Man for a minute. He has gotten up two work mornings in a row and gotten the kids out of bed and started on their routine for me before I have gotten out of the shower. It makes the mornings soooooo much better. He helps out in a little ways where he can and I love him so much for that.

Weekend was good - we lost our football game, but I think we all expected to. The boys still played hard and that is all that matters. They didn't go out there and just let the other team stomp all over them. The Girl did great for the 1st half of the soccer game but we had to leave at 1/2 time to get to the football game. She did great in cheer too.

Halloween was fun. We went around with some of the people from the football team. It was nice to be with a group of people...I think the adults had just as much fun as the kids. After that, we stopped at a house of some friends that we hadn't seen in a while and it was a reminder that our families have really just grown in different directions. We want different things out of life. There is nothing wrong with that, it just kinda makes me sad that an 11 year old friendship has gone by the wayside.



Off to start the week...