Mad Skillz

I am teaching Brynn the fine art of getting a Sheetz fountain drink.

Step 1: You choose your cup size. You don't want to go to small or you will be done with the drink before you leave the store but your don't want the Pre-Diabetic size either. You will be running to the potty all day. Aim for the middle size, just enough to savor but not too much that it will be watery before you finish.
Step 2: Dispense the perfect amount of ice. Just enough to keep your drink cold but not too much that you have a little bit of Pepsi to go with your ice.

Step 3: Fill your cup with the sweet nector of the gods that is Pepsi. Now pay attention. Fill it up until the fizz is at the top and then STOP AND WAIT. Let the fizz go down. This will leave you with more room to add more Pepsi. Patience is a virtue that will pay off in droves.

Step 4: (Optional): If you are getting a snack (and you are at Sheetz which has the best snacks so this is just a given) follow steps 1-3 first and sip on your drink while you peruse the aisles. When you are juuuuust about to check out, top her off my friends.

Make it one for my baby
and one more for the road...

Film is not Dead...

If I looked hard enough, somewhere in this house is the first picture I ever took. When I was about 8 years old a family friend gave me a CHEAP plastic camera that didn't have numbers on the lens but pictures of clouds, a sun, and a bulb. I had no idea what I was doing but I saw a beautiful pine tree with snow on it and I knew I NEEDED to capture it. I needed some way to put that tree in my back pocket, so I took the picture. That started my obsession with cameras, pictures, and film.

My fascination with film was tabled a few years ago when I purchased my first digital camera and while I love it, it doesn't hold the magic that film does for me.
So I decided to get back to my roots. Thanks to some advice from my friend, Jackie H., I purchased an eBook from the insanely talented Jonathan Canlas, dug out my old film SLRs, bought me some film and went to town.

The following pictures are straight from the camera. They have not been post-edited. Period!

Sick, right!

I love film! Always have and now, I always will!

**Post Edit: For you Jackie, The film is Portra 160 35mm. The camera is a mix between Minolta and a Cannon. And, get ready for this, I got them developed at TARGET! (((Newbie)))

My Christmas to do list:

With just a few days left until Christmas I am making my to do list and checking it twice!

*Drive all over creation to find a Christmas tree farm, discover it is only open on certain days. End up finding a tree at a garden center and stare in wonder at their slim pickings. (Done)




* Decorate the tree (Done)* Take Caroline to her first performance of "The Nutcracker" at the Carolina Theater. Get a little teary-eyed as I watch her face light up at the magic of it all. (Done)

* Do my Christmas baking. (Almost done, I have all the ingredients. I am waiting for my cute sous chef to finish school.)
*Find our family stockings. These will be the ones we have forever so we have to be picky.
*Watch "It's a Wonderful Life". (Almost done. This movie is being shown at the Carolina Theater and I WILL be there.)
*Print, address, and mail Christmas cards. (Done. I finally gave in this year and got them printed at Sam's. Great price and they turned out great.)
*Listen to Christmas music. (Listening to the new Michael Buble CD and it is like butter!!!)
*Enjoy all the new Christmas crafts Caroline is bring home from school.
*Shop for Christmas presents (Almost done. I hope to be done by the 22nd so we can play, play, play.)

I love this time of year. I love the music. I love the hustle and bustle. I love that everything has a Christmas-y feel to it. I love having my family close and can't wait to see what Santa brings us ;)

Message received...

Two days before Brynn was born we ate dinner at a Japanese steakhouse with Kevin's family. After dinner, fortune cookies were passed around to everyone and mine said, "You will have a beautiful family." I still have that slip of paper in my wallet.

Today I received hard evidence that this is true. We got our family portrait CD in the mail from the lovely Courtney Beck.

(Pace yourselves. You know I don't understand the meaning of the word moderation when it comes to pictures.)



I researched to find the right photographer for months. I saved for this photo shoot for months.
We drove 1.5 hours to Charlotte for our session. I have been waiting for my CD for 2 weeks.
And the truth is, IT WAS WORTH IT!!!!!

Courtney Beck, you are a rock star. Go and check out her website here. You know you want to.

And so it begins...

It was only a matter of time.

Multiple Choice...

Time for a quiz. Take a look at the picture.

Today, will I ...

A. Walk in Brynn's room and quickly walk back out.

B. Walk in Brynn's room, shut the door and scream.

C. Walk in Brynn's room, walk back out, march into my own room, crawl in bed, and pretend THAT doesn't exist.

D. Walk in Brynn's room, shut the door, and get to work.

Want to know what all that is? It is box after box of clothes. Some are clothes she has outgrown that need to be boxed up and put in the garage. Some are the next size in clothes she needs. Some are the clothes she is wearing right now. I am so grateful that I have 2-girls worth of hand-me-downs but there are some times when I want to just strike a match...

That's what she said...

When Caroline was younger and we would make her laugh she would say, "Mommy, you knock me down" instead of "you crack me up". We loved it so much it has become a staple in our family.

Here are some of the things she said lately that have "knocked us down."

*Caroline had been having a rough time going to school in the morning. She would cry when we dropped her off. We tried everything to help her not be nervous. One day on the way to school she piped up from the back seat, "Mom, I wish I was a mom like you. Then I wouldn't have to go to school."

*I told Caroline that on the first day of school I was going to take her picture on our front porch and at school and with her new teacher. She rolls her eyes and tells me, "Mom, you can't take too many pictures. It will give me a picture ache."
Only my children have to worry about that :)

Stink Face

I LOVE this picture.

Her majesty!