Passions and Obsessions

New Home

2010-04-13T01:22:00.002-05:00

No, it's not a new house. It's a new home for my blog. With the on-going issues of not being able to upload images, I've decided to relocate. The one drawback is not having the same ability to move my "followers" along with me to my new home. So, if you'd like to keep reading, and viewing my work, please come visit me at:

txdeputyswife.wordpress.com

I look forward to seeing you there. And thanks for your support here. Blessings, ~T~

Photo Challenge #61

2010-03-16T12:42:00.002-05:00

This shot just reminded me of when paparazzi shout at celebrities for "one over the shoulder".

Photo Challenge #60

2010-03-16T12:39:00.004-05:00

We came across a small heard of deer - about 6-7 - in a field along the side of the road near Palo Duro Canyon. The road was too narrow to stop so we drove about a quarter mile then I walked back. I was surprised at how close they allowed me to come.

photo challenge #59

2010-03-16T12:37:00.002-05:00

I added the text because it just "fit".

Photo Challenge #58

2010-03-16T12:36:00.001-05:00

Rock formation known as The Lighthouse, Palo Duro Canyon, Texas.

Photo Challenge #57

2010-03-16T12:33:00.002-05:00

Probably one of my favorite shots I've taken....ever.

Converted to black/white and cropped in PP.

Photo Challenge #56

2010-03-16T12:32:00.000-05:00

Using leading lines.

Palo Duro Canyon, Texas

#55 Photo challenge

2010-03-14T22:12:00.004-05:00

The child has zero fear. Mom, on the other hand...

Little Miss standing precariously close to the edge of a small ridge in Palo Duro Canyon.

#54 Photo Challenge

2010-03-14T22:10:00.005-05:00

Lilly. Climbing inside the wood blinds.

#53 photo challenge

2010-03-14T22:09:00.003-05:00

Playing with fire.

Photo Challenge #52

2010-03-10T21:46:00.002-06:00

*singing* Sometimes I feel like...somebody's watching me...

It's a little challenging to work with a kitten watching and attacking the laptop. Her favorite things to do are chase the cursor and chew on that latch that is visible in the photo just below her chin.

Photo Challenge #51

2010-03-09T12:30:00.004-06:00

What do you do when you stuck waiting for a train?

Me, I take pictures. Next time I hope to capture the perplexed look on the engineer's face. I think I'm learning to enjoy the obvious questioning look of "why ARE you taking MY picture?" The ornery side of me, perhaps?

photo challenge #50

2010-03-09T11:54:00.004-06:00

The fiftieth post to this challenge! Whoot whoot!

Another shot from the zoo. At least it isn't a lion. :)

Seriously thinking about doing my blog a different way other than through BlogSpot because of the ongoing problems loading images.

Photo Challenge #49

2010-03-08T23:08:00.003-06:00

Another nice day, another trip to the Amarillo Zoo.

Still working on trying to get a decent shot through the fence. Trying different settings, angles, etc.

Photo Challenge #48

2010-03-08T13:54:00.005-06:00

Miss Mac and her first lost tooth.

Actually, it isn't lost. She yanked that sucker out herself. She did that about a week and a half ago, but I'm just now getting around to taking a picture with the real camera. I did take one the night she pulled it but with my cell phone.

Photo Challenge #47

2010-03-07T20:35:00.002-06:00

Palo Duro Canyon. Also known as "The Grand Canyon of Texas", which is a rediculously stupid tag because PD Canyon is much smaller than the Grand Canyon and supposedly everything is BIGGER in Texas.

It's still pretty.

Photo Challenge #46

2010-03-07T00:28:00.004-06:00

Shoes. Reflective of my intent to fulfill a goal of starting and completing the Couch-to-5k program.

I first heard of C25K from another police wife. She is currently finishing up and has 3 or 4 scheduled 5ks she is doing within the next few months. I'm so proud of her and a wee bit envious, too. I intended to start weeks and weeks ago. However, between family chaos and more importantly, cold, yucky weather, I have, in typical procrastinating form, put it off. However, with new-found energy with sunnier days, and warmer temps, I'm encouraged and motivated. I plan to start.

Tomorrow.

Photo Challenge #45

2010-03-06T17:46:00.003-06:00

Color. Finally.

Photo Challenge #44

2010-03-03T22:43:00.004-06:00

This is the second in the series with the lions. I meant to post this shot after the initial shot of the brother and sister playing. However, I stuck the geese post between the two. Sorry! Anyway, this is after she took her brother to the ground.

Photo Challenge #43

2010-03-03T22:02:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite things about where we live. The Canada Geese that "winter" at the playa lake one street over from our house. Starting around the end of October and going through about the first of March, several times a day approximately 300 geese fly into or leave our lake, The sound is amazing. When they take off to or fly in from the west, they fly right over our house. Since they are so low, it can be very loud! Miss Mac and I always run out the front door when we hear them because they are so graceful when such a massive amount fly in to land at the same time. How they don't crash into each other amazes me!

Each season I manage to take hundreds of photos of them, hoping to eventually get that one great shot!

Photo Challenge #42

2010-03-03T16:19:00.004-06:00

Brother and sister lions at our zoo. She had no problems tackling her brother and taking him to the ground.

Girl power!

Photo Challenge #41

2010-03-03T13:56:00.005-06:00

A horse is a horse, of course.

Photo Challenge #40

2010-03-03T13:54:00.003-06:00

One of the foxes in the exhibit. I've tried several times to photograph them; however, they're always sleeping during regular zoo hours. This particular day we were lucky enough to be there during feeding time. When the keeper went in to give them the food, they promptly woke up and scurried around the exhibit. Apparently they don't like the keepers being in their area.

We did learn an interesting fact. The foxes are about 3 exhibits away from the skunks. While walking around, I smelled what I thought was a skunk, but the keeper said they've all been de-scented. What we actually smelled was from the foxes! I never knew they made a smell similar to a skunks but not even close to as potent. This was interesting to know because one street over from us is a playa lake that we know is home to several foxes. Husband and I have both seen them. Frequently I've smelled what I thought was a skunk scent. Now, I'm pretty sure it's from the foxes.

Photo challenge #39

2010-03-03T10:35:00.002-06:00

A better shot of the peacock. The first was just for fun because the look was priceless.

Photo Challenge #38

2010-02-23T17:50:00.003-06:00

He seemed to be saying, "Why are you following me?"

Granted, I took about 20 shots before he finally looked directly at me. He didn't like me following him at all, either.

Photo Challenge #37

2010-02-23T17:49:00.003-06:00

Not a new picture, but one of my favorites. Taken last summer from Dinosaur Ridge in Denver, Colorado. I forget what this rock formation was called, but it sure looked amazing. Such a stark difference from the flatness of the Texas panhandle.

Photo Challenge #36

2010-02-23T17:48:00.005-06:00

What I like about this photo:

the fence

the angles of the fence

the look of the snow where it meets the ground as it's melting

the lighting and shadows

What I don't like:

the slight blurriness of the first post

the damn two twigs in the top right corner that I tried to crop out but are too in the way

*Mental note to self* Check and double-check composition in camera before taking shot!! In my pathetic defence, it was cold, muddy, snowy, and uneven ground. If I stood at the angle I wanted for the shot, the tree/shrub thing was in the way. If I dropped down the little hill I was standing on, the angle of the shot changed. I was too close, and too low, but the tree/shrub would have been out of the way. And it was muddy. Did I mention the mud? Did I mention I had on Crocs?

*Mental note to self #2* Don't wear Crocs to go shoot nature photography when it's cold, rainy/snowy, muddy, etc.

Photo Challenge #35

2010-02-19T10:22:00.003-06:00

This stinks!

I was making potato salad for dinner, and the color of this onion was so pretty, I decided to snap a still shot real quick. Still practicing taking shots in RAW format. Still not crazy about it and have kind of a "what's the point, it takes more work!" attitude about it.

Photo Challenge #34

2010-02-19T10:21:00.004-06:00

Oh, look. Another kitty picture. I know, I know.

Actually, I've been practicing working with pictures taken in RAW format versus JPEG. I have sooooo much to learn.

Photo Challenge #33

2010-02-19T10:20:00.008-06:00

(Click to enlarge)

Yes, another snow picture. When we get this much snow this frequently, it makes it difficult to shoot anything other than snow (outside) or kids & pets (inside).

This time I opted for something a little different. My challenge was to take a nighttime shot of our neighborhood, something other than my neighbor directly across the street. So around 11:30 p.m. I set up the tripod and camera outside to take some night shots of the snow. Since the NYIP Unit I am currently working on is Exposure, I figured this would something interesting to play around with since the snow, and clouds, and some lighting from the street were all present.

Photo Challenge #32

2010-02-19T10:20:00.005-06:00

Shooting range. Practicing stop motion shots for photography course. Hindsight is 20/20. I should have submitted this photo instead of the one I actually turned in, because even though I got good feedback on the photo I submitted, I like this one better.

Lesson learned: Stop second guessing myself!

Photo Challenge #31

2010-02-18T17:45:00.012-06:00

I didn't set out to shoot this photo but sometimes things just happen.

I drove to this particular area in the Texas panhandle because we had driven here a couple of times searching for a geocache in the area. This is looking due north while standing on the caliche road. If I had turned around and snapped another shot, you would see numerous trees lining the opposite side of the road. Living in these trees are several red-tail hawks. I had hoped this day to get a couple of shots of hawks. However, someone nearby was shooting - it was hunting season - so the hawks weren't out. I intended to use this shot as a practice shot in case we did see hawks. I was really surprised later when I saw it turned out quite well.

Photo Challenge #30

2010-02-18T11:06:00.006-06:00

Miss Mac has been going to the shooting range for about two years now. Usually daddy helps her shoot the .22 that was her big brother's when he was her age. On this day, another LEO was at the range with his son and he let us borrow his ... ok, I am sure the thing has a name, but heck if I know what it's really called...shooting support chair thingy. This was a huge help because the .22 is still pretty heavy for Miss Mac to hold, aim and shoot all by herself. Even with the support thing, big brother still lent a hand.

Photo Challenge #29

2010-02-16T17:20:00.004-06:00

"The Tank"

A big reason for my lack of time and energy lately! Our grandson is staying with us for a while. I'd forgotten how time-consuming and energy-draining babies can be. He's a sweet one with a really happy disposition. I'd just become quite spoiled with how it easy it is with a 6 year old to just pick up and go when I need to run errands. I'm building up some serious upper body strength lugging this guy around!!

Photo Challenge #28

2010-02-16T17:14:00.002-06:00

Got Cookies?

Introducing our newest family member, 8-wk old Lilly. She enjoys playing in the Girl Scout cookie boxes. Apparently she prefers Thin Mints. I'm more of a Caramel Delight kind-of-girl.

Photo Challenge #27

2010-02-16T17:10:00.004-06:00

I wish I could start my morning with one of these each day! A tall caramel latte from Roasters, a local coffee shop. However, at $4 apiece, I'm forced to settle for regular, although VERY strong, home-brewed coffee with Coffee Mate's Belgium Chocolate Toffee creamer.

Photo Challenge #26

2010-02-09T14:01:00.003-06:00

From DailyShoot.com:

Franz Kafka said "Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." Make a photo of something beautiful today.

So, this is an old post - from several days ago. Between life's realities and the blogger vs. my laptop issue, I'm just able to load the photo today. This is our new kitten, Lily. Miss Mac calls her "silly lily". Psycho Cat is tolerating Lily quite well. Better than she tolerates people, actually!

Photo Challenge #25

2010-02-08T23:00:00.006-06:00

These are Miss Mac's favorite snack cracker. And I took a picture to do more practice with still's and my homemade lightbox. The idea for the photo, although lacking in creativity, came from another photo forum challenge about you guessed it...crackers!

Also, for the next couple of weeks, I am testing out different photo editing software. This week I am testing out Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3. This is an upgrade from the current software by Corel that I use. So, the pictures I post and blog about in the upcoming weeks will possibly have more post-processing done than usual as I try out various programs to see which, if any I like best. I might just stick with what has been working up to this point.

For post-processing in this shot, I edited out a seam in the paper, added fill light, tried to brighten the white background, sharpened a bit, add a little saturation to the color, and finally tried to eliminate some of the "noise" on the box. Notice the word "try" in the previous sentence appears often.

Photo Challenge #24

2010-02-08T02:23:00.008-06:00

I really am taking pictures daily!! Ok, almost daily, but still.

The hardest part about this challenge isn't taking the pictures. It is the loading them onto the computer, cropping and editing, writing something halfway interesting, and then, if I'm very lucky, getting the picture to load the first 20 times I try. I am not sure why blogspot doesn't like my computer, but something doesn't jive between the two. So, I really have to psych myself up full of motivation to write these blog entries.

And that is the end of my pity party!

This shot was taken at an intersection just south of town. Another West Texas sunset. And if anyone can tell my why the Texas Panhandle is called WEST Texas and not north Texas, I'd love to hear it. North Texas is considered that little part above the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Oh yea, the picture. I was trying out different exposures but playing around with ISO, and complete manual mode - meaning I messed with apertures and shutter speeds like crazy!! I took some good shots, and....some really crappy ones. Ain't that learning curve grand?

Photo Challenge #23

2010-01-31T01:24:00.002-06:00

I made myself a small lightbox so I could do photo shoots like this. My box is small and I need another light, but I have something that is somewhat usable now. I'll probably look back on this photo in a year and think, "good gravy, what was I thinking?" but for now, ignorance is bliss, and I had fun playing with it!

So, this picture is for another mini challenge on the photography forum. The challenge was "letters". These are little plastic tiles Miss Mac uses for phonics. I thought they would make a cute, whimsical photo with the bright colors.

Photo Challenge # 22

2010-01-31T01:10:00.003-06:00

If you were to lay on the entry floor and look out my front door, this is how the snow would look at midnight.

Believe it or not, this picture had a purpose. I am currently working on Unit 2 for my Professional Photography course at the New York Institute of Photography. One of my assignments for this unit is framing. This picture is a practice shot. And, I learned, not a good framing shot either. While the snow and the side pillars do frame my neighbor's house, the trees are in the way.

I also wanted to practice lighting. Taking a picture at night is different from taking a picture at night when the ground is covered in snow. Snow works as a reflector of light. So, the snow in front of me is too bright while the house across the street is shadowed.

I have to continuously remind myself that I learn from my failures. Rejoice in the successes, learn from the failures.

Photo Challenge #21

2010-01-31T00:43:00.005-06:00

This was one of my first attempts to do photo shoot with this kind of set up. This was taken for a mini challenge on a photography forum. The challenge was "glass". What I tried to achieve was the look when using a lightbox.

One problem. I didn't have a lightbox.

So, I made my own little set up using white paper, and the spotlight above our fireplace. Several shots and adjustments later, this is the result.

Photo Challenge #20

2010-01-31T00:34:00.005-06:00

This is another picture from the day I stopped at the cattle feed lot. A couple of things to point out:

It's FLAT here. No, like really FLAT.

Yes, those are all cows and this is just one of a gazillion feed lots here.

Cows are stupid. Funny, but stupid.

The one steer is not supposed to be on that side of the fence! Why didn't he escape? See comment above.

We actually try to eat as little beef as possible at our home, and when we do, I try to use organic, grass-fed beef. But, I thought the caption I added was funny. So, there ya go!

Photo Challenge #19

2010-01-29T18:09:00.006-06:00

(Click for larger image)

Tonight's full moon was the biggest and brightest of the year. There is a wonderful article about it on Space.com that explains why it is bigger and brighter.

I had hoped the clouds from the snow storm would pass and I'd have a chance to photograph it. That opportunity came about 1am. I grabbed my camera and tripod, explained to my husband what I was doing, endured looks of "you're crazy!" and headed to the garage. I figured that the moon had past far enough that I'd be able to shoot from the pseudo-warmth of the garage. Nope. Not wanting to waste time going in to change, I trudge through the almost foot of snow in my: tshirt, jacket, pajama pants, socks and....pink crocs. Yes, I am that stubborn (read:stupid).

Several minutes later, I'm soaked from the mid-calf down, my fingers and hands are numb, but I have pictures. I trudge back through the snow, into the garage where I leave my tripod and camera because I can't feel my fingers to take the camera off the tripod, and go inside to take everything wet off. I load the pictures onto the computer and...my settings were off. So, I have about 10 pictures of white blobs. Great! Take two...

Now that I know that I can't shoot from the comfort of the garage, I opt to go to the front yard this time, because at least half of the sidewalk got shoveled and I can set up the camera there. And I put regular clothes and shoes on. Oh, and I fix my camera settings inside the house where it's warm. Of course, the moon is directly overhead and the tripod won't tilt far enough so I have to trudge into the snow again but at least this time I have real shoes on!

I played with the settings a little while outside shooting, and this was my best shot. I used the settings of: ISO 200, f/11 @1/1000th sec. with a focal length of 250 mm. I cropped in post to position and zoom a bit.

Photo Challenge #18

2010-01-28T22:24:00.009-06:00

(click to view larger image)

Today, it snowed. And snowed. And then, it snowed some more.

I will say, people prepared well. They bought every loaf of bread in town. Not sure why because there were still knuckleheads that ignored every warning issued by the media, police agencies all over the Texas panhandle, TX Department of Transportation, etc. that specifically stated DO NOT DRIVE! and went out driving anyway.

This is why my husband is the cop, not me. If I were the one who had to freeze my backside off rescuing idiots who were too stubborn to head warnings and stay home, then got stuck in a snow drift, I'd let them sit there awhile so they had time to think about what a stupid decision that was. Perhaps that is the mom in me? You live with the consequences of your actions. I'm not risking my life to save your ass. :) OK, maybe for my kids, I would.

Anyway, this is a picture I took during the snow storm. The photo is of my neighbor's house across the street. Why her house and not my own? Because it was too stinkin' cold to leave my front porch, which is where I took the picture. Because it was so cloudy, snowy, and just grey outside, I did clean up, brighten and sharpen the image in post-processing more than I usually do.

Photography Challenge #17

2010-01-27T10:09:00.008-06:00

This is where I spend far too much time. The keyboard on my laptop.

Normally, I don't go around photographing my keyboard. I know there are far more interesting things. However, the members of a photography forum that I belong to do random challenges intended to inspire and motivate us. This photo was for a challenge involving "Letters". Initially, I had another project in mind that involved using small plastic letters that Miss Mac used for phonics. They are small, and brightly colored. But, they seem to have been misplaced. So, I opted for the keyboard. A quick but simple task.

I thought wrong!

Ten photos and thirty minutes later I realized some important points. First, my living room has terrible lighting at night. Second, my keyboard on the laptop is black and glossy and reflects in an odd manner. Trial and error. Adjust and re shoot. And this is what I ended up with finally. Not great. Definitely not too interesting. Vast improvement over the initial photo on a project I thought would be simple.

Thankfully, nothing is ever simple and we are given ample opportunities to learn from our challenges.

Photo Challenge #16

2010-01-25T22:37:00.005-06:00

Down in front!!

Texas is known for cattle and rightfully so. I know of four rather large feed lots within ten miles of our house. My husband would probably correct me and tell me there are more but then he spends his time driving around our county so he would know. A feed lot is where cattle go before they're taken to slaughter; it's for a final "fattening". Feed lots are smelly, and enough to make any meat-eater consider a vegan lifestyle - at least temporarily.

But cows can be kind of cute.

After an afternoon of driving around taking pictures, I decided since the wind was blowing away from the feed lot that I would stop and take some pictures. I never knew cows were so funny! We stopped the truck between two lots, and every cow in each lot pushed up against the railings to see. The ones in the back would push forward, causing the ones in front to have to scoot over. And they all just looked at me standing there with my camera, taking pictures. I couldn't decide if they were trying to figure out what I was doing, or if it was more of a "me next!" kind of thing! Then these two in the photo jumped up to see over!

I never thought when I decided to stop for a cow photo shoot that it would be half as entertaining.

Photo Challenge 15

2010-01-24T18:49:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, my son commanded his Jr. ROTC Color Guard at a special memorial ceremony. He did a fantastic job. About one hundred people turned out to show respect for fallen soldiers. This picture is one of many I took. While the photo looked nice in color, I did change it to black and white to give it emphasis in post-processing with Corel.

Photo Challenge

2010-01-23T22:19:00.008-06:00

Since I have fallen so far behind with posting pictures for the photo challenge, and it would be silly to post 4-5 pictures just for the purpose of catching up, I'm just starting over. After all, it is my blog and I can do that! It's part of the reason I didn't go with a structured group for the challenge. I knew at some point I would slack, and while a group can sometimes be helpful by holding a person accountable, it can also be a deterrent. Once you "fail" at the task, it is far too easy to convince yourself there isn't any point to starting over. It depends on the personality of the group, whether rigid or flexible.

Now that I've babbled on about that long enough...here I start. Again.

Our family is blessed to live where we do. Our neighborhood is nice (mostly - you gotta have a few bad eggs to keep things interesting, right?) and our street in particular is small and pretty social. The children all play together and we look out for each other. One of my neighbors, a lovely woman, turned 70 yesterday. A friend she has known since school sent her these for her birthday. She invited me over to see them and I offered to take photos for her - after all a picture will last longer than flowers. The entire bouquet was 70 yellow roses and it was just stunning!

Friends are the glue that holds us together. I hope I live to be 70 and if I do, I hope I'm blessed to not only have friends like that but more importantly, to be a friend like that.

#13 of photo challenge

2010-01-19T01:52:00.006-06:00

This is a "cheat". I didn't take any photos for this day so I'm cheating. The photo is actually from last summer during our family vacation to Denver, Colorado. During the trip, we visited the Downtown Aquarium. My son is reflected in the aquarium glass and I think that lends a nice look to the photo.

The Downtown Aqurium in Denver is a neat place, although a bit expensive. However, the exibits are interesting and well-maintained. I highly recommend visiting if you have children. Both our youngest (5 at the time) and our son (15 at the time) enjoyed it.

#12 of Photo Challenge

2010-01-19T01:32:00.005-06:00

This is Miss Mac. I intentially tried to give this an "aged" look without the use of post-processing. My goal was to have the photo look like a typical snapshot taken in the 1970's. I used a high ISO and set the white balance to "shade" in order to achieve a grainy look.

Days 9-11 of Photo Challenge

2010-01-19T00:36:00.007-06:00

Between family chaos, mandatory vacation time for the husband, and trying to organize a police wives conference, it has been a crazy kind of week (or more). I did manage to take pictures most days, but even when I was able to take pictures, I didn't have the time to upload and blog. I also seem to have issues every time I try to upload photos to my blog.

So...here are photos for days 9, 10, and 11.

Number 9 is the reflection of a house in a water droplet. I decided to water our lawn and noticed the water drops hanging on to the bare branches of our willow tree. I grabbed the camera to practice some micro shots. Only after I loaded the photos onto the computer to crop/edit did I notice the reflection of the house.

Number 10 is another picture of our cat. She's laying on the Christmas candy that Miss Mac had dumped onto the floor. This cat will lay on anything and everything. Including candy.

Number 11 is a photo of a local church. The original picture is in color but I converted to black and white in post-processing.

Day #8 - photo challenge

2010-01-09T01:05:00.006-06:00

Today's photo comes from assignment #54 from The Daily Shoot:

Glasses help many folks bring the world into focus each day. Make a photo of a pair of any kind of glasses today.

I love this book, but the cover freaks me out. The entire time I read it I had to leave to dust jacket off, and turned upside down! When this assignment on the Daily Shoot posted, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Day #7 - photo challenge

2010-01-07T23:27:00.006-06:00

I love my husband. I don't always like him, or the things he does, or the way he behaves. I'm fairly sure...no, I'm positive he could say the same about me!

Love isn't about always getting along. It isn't about the good times. And it isn't always easy.

Love is being able to look back on almost 15 years and saying we have really made it through a LOT of crap without killing each other! Love is still wanting to spend time together. Maybe not that 24/7 obsessive stuff when you first get married, but still able to enjoy each other's company.

I love my husband. He does so much for me, and our family. And...he puts up with me!

Day #6 - photo challenge

2010-01-07T22:59:00.005-06:00

I took this photo yesterday. It just didn't get blogged about until now because the wind, clouds and general yuckiness moved in and caused periodic internet losses.

Yesterday afternoon, around 3 p.m., I went to this location to practice some panning and action shots with passing trains. I sat for forty-five minutes without a single train passing by. Now, this railroad track is about a mile from my house. I hear the trains. ALL THE TIME. But, apparently they do not run between 3-4 p.m. yesterday. Of course, I heard one about 10 minutes of arriving back home but the cold front had arrived. It gets better. As I sit here typing now, I hear another train. I believe I'm being mocked now.

About the picture. This is what yesterday's "Blue Northern" looked like as it entered the Texas Panhandle. It took this front about 5 minutes to go from what you see in the picture to a completely black and grey sky, winds gusting around 30 m.p.h. and the temperature to drop from 53 to 36.

Day #5 of 365 Challenge

2010-01-05T22:55:00.008-06:00

This is our cat. As you can see, she is praying to her god, the heater vent. She doesn't like being cold, and she has figured out that heat comes out right here.

I have had a pet of some kind in my life ever since I was little. I've had dogs, cats, even gerbils. I've had dogs hang their heads out windows, cats hat snuggle under blankets. But this cat does two things that are just odd. Even for a cat.

She knows when the heater comes on, too. Usually about 2-3 minutes after it turns on, she will run up the stairs and jump up on the banister. And sit there. Face into the heat.

When we have a fire burning in the fireplace, she will lay, either on the hearth or on the floor in front of the hearth, on her back belly-up like dogs do.

My lack of sleep the past two night is the reason for a really boring picture tonight. That, and my original attempt bombed. I tried to take some night shots of our little solar snowmen lights that we still have in the front yard. But, it is cold. Couple that with being tired and having no patience to mess with apertures, f-stops, etc. and you end up with pictures of your cat staring at the air vent.

Ta-dah!

Day #4 of 365 Challenge

2010-01-04T23:47:00.005-06:00

A little about today's photo. It was an experiment on several levels. The cars are four model cars that my husband received for Christmas. They're replicas of police cars from different eras. From top left, clockwise: 1949 Mercury; 1964 Ford Galaxie; 1940 Ford Deluxe Business Coupe; 1958 Ford Fairlane 500.

First, I've never, ever tried to do any kind of staged photography. The kind of photo where you set up the entire shot from lighting to positioning. It was interesting to say the very least. Being fairly new to this, my equipment list is short. Very short. A camera, a few lenses, some filters. That's it. No backgrounds, no lights, no softboxes. In fact, until about 4 months ago, I'd never even heard of a softbox! So, my setup was very basic. For a background, I put a black silk shirt over a barstool. I used the other barstool to balance the camera. Big mistake. I should have taken the time to use the tripod, but it's in the garage and it is C.O.L.D. in there! I also should have used additional lighting. Lesson learned.

Next came creating the collage. Another adventure into unchartered territory. I think it took longer to create the collage than to actually take the pictures. I use Corel PSP X. It's what I have used for years and while I'm not an expert, I am familiar with it, and it's cheap. I managed to get the four photos collaged, but as you can tell, there is some distortion. I cannot seem to resize without this problem. Trial, error and practice, I guess.

I learned a lot from this experiment. First, I need A LOT of practice! Second, I'd rather spend 30 minutes setting up a shot properly than spend 30 minutes fixing a photo with editing. And finally, I have so much to learn but I'm having a blast in the process and that is what matters. And, when I lack the "correct" equipment, I can make do with items I already have - it pushes me to be creative.

Oh, and always use a tripod...even if it's in the very cold garage.

Day #3 of 365 Photo Challenge

2010-01-03T19:47:00.004-06:00

Since I focused on macro shots yesterday, today I went out to the edge of the city limits to work on some hyperfocus shots.

This is a West Texas sunset. I took this about 6 p.m. this evening, just as the sun passed below the horizon. The dark strip along the bottom of the photo is the horizon, the flat land around the panhandle of Texas.

There are many photography groups doing variations of the 365 Photo Challenge. For personal reasons, I have opted to do my own thing versus participating in a structured format. Mainly, I like to do my own thing and for my own reasons. Plus, I can set my own guidelines. For this challenge, my rules are fairly simple. I will only post pictures that I take that day. No cheating and posting pictures I took a year ago. While I do have some really great pictures I'd love to show, the purpose of this challenge is to watch my progress as I work through the Professional Photography course during the upcoming year. Also, the only way to improve is practice. My only other rule is to keep the post-processing to the absolute minimum. I will do some editing as needed, but I'm not going to totally change a picture. What you see is pretty much what I photographed.

Day #2 of 365 Photo Challenge

2010-01-02T19:03:00.014-06:00

This is the types of picture I usually enjoy taking - nature or macro and this is both.

The great thing about photographing nature is nature doesn't care how the picture turns out. This branch never asked me if the snow made her look fat. The branch didn't fidget or fuss as I took several minutes to take several different photos, testing out different apertures, lenses, and filters.

A little bit about this photo. The branch is from one of the Bradford pear trees in our front yard. Last night, dense fog rolled in and this morning everything was covered in a frosty glaze. Just beautiful!! I cropped the photo to what you see here, and brightened it just a bit in PSP X, then added the border and signature. I prefer to do the least amount of post-production editing I can get away with...it's not as enjoyable to fix a picture as it is to take a picture.

Nature accepts itself for what it is...beauty made by God. Wouldn't it be a great place if we all could learn to see the beauty in our own uniqueness?

One thing I would like to eventually do is combine photographs with inspirational quotes and Bible verses. Just playing around with ideas...

Finally, if you didn't already know, you can click the pictures to see them in "full view".

Day #1 of 365 Photo Challenge

2010-01-01T22:48:00.008-06:00

I would love to think that I am off to a great start with this photo challenge. However, it is only day one, and I do have a slight tendency to lack follow-through. The heart is willing to go the full 365. The mind is sometimes lazy, and I hope I last longer than one week! Encouragement is always welcome.

So, here it is...day one. Thanks to a bored 15 yr. old who was so desperate to just get out of the house he suggested, "let's just go drive around", we loaded up the car, drove to Sonic for drink treats (a reward for the 6 yr. old who went along somewhat willingly), and drove around town. Our first stop was our newly rebuilt church. The old one burned down a couple of years ago, and the new one is just amazing. The outside brick work, and the inside detail of the sanctuary are just gorgeous.

After taking a few pictures of our church, we headed downtown to look at some of the older, more historical churches in town. This is a Presbyterian church - I should have written down the year it was built - and as usual, my picture doesn't do it justice.

I am working my way through a professional photography course and I have SO much to learn. But, I have found that after a few months and the beginning lessons, my knowledge and output have increased substantially! My goals for completing the 365 Challenge are:

Follow a project through to the end
Practice both writing and photography
Be able to look back a year from now and hopefully see marked improvement in both my writing and photography

Thank you for following along!

Adios 2009!

2009-12-31T14:07:00.002-06:00

Today is the final day of 2009, and what a year it has been. Some good, some bad and a whole lot that falls somewhere in between the two. But, for better or worse, the year ends tonight. And with a blue moon even! So I figure, what better than to end the year with a post on my blog, which in recent months seem to be "once every blue moon"!

With the close of one year, and the beginning of a new one, I've decided to set several goals for the year. Don't we all!?!?!

One of my goals for the upcoming year is to blog more regularly. Another goal is to participate in a 365 photography challenge. This means that I am challenging myself to take at least one photograph every day in 2010. To simplify things, I decided to combine the two. I will be posting the daily pictures here on my blog as a means to keep up with the challenge, and also to help me photograph things I'm either passionate or obsessive about.

I look forward to starting this project tomorrow, and I look forward to sharing it with you as well. I hope you'll follow along with on this journey, whether it is just from an observation point-of-view or an active participant. If you'd like to participate along with me, please let me know as I'd love to share the journey with others. As always, I'm open to your thoughts, comments, and even constructive criticism regarding my photos.

Bad drivers

2009-06-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

Dear Terrible Driver,

In case you aren't aware, you do NOT need to suddenly veer left in order to execute a right hand turn. The same goes for veering right in order to turn left. You especially do not need to go so far in the opposite direction of your turn that you take half of my lane, coming precariously close to my car.

Also, my signaling my intention to change lanes, therefore putting my car in front of yours is NOT an invitation for you to speed up in order to block my maneuver. That's just plain obnoxious and completely rude. If you don't want me to drive in front of you, at least pull up fast enough and far enough for me to move over behind you.

And finally, a question, terrible driver. Why do you feel the need to drive ten m.p.h below the speed limit until the upcoming traffic signal turns from green to yellow which prompts you to step on the gas and fly through the intersection doing at least 15 over the speed limit? If you were in such a hurry that you can't stop for the three minutes the light will be red, drive faster!!!

Thank you.

So....what's your driving pet peeve?

Growing up

2009-06-10T10:19:00.003-05:00

Today was Day 3 of Vacation Bible School!

And today was the hardest...for me. It was a day of letting go, of watching the little girl transform even further into a big girl.

Vacation Bible School was an exciting new adventure for us. Miss Mac is homeschooled, and therefore has missed out on the separation-anxiety that comes with the first day of school or even day care. The closest thing she has experienced was the play room at the gym and she was only away from me for, at the most, an hour. VBS was key because later this summer she has other day camps and classes scheduled.

Day One, we were both a bit excited and nervous, but after walking her to her group and getting her settled in, I did manage to let go of her hand and leave. Day Two was easier because I overslept, and we were running late so I had to walk her to the classroom and leave quickly so she didn't miss anything.

But today. Oh, today. We were on time when we pulled into the parking lot, and she saw other children walking up to the door - most with mommies, some older ones by themselves. And she said, Mommy, can you just pull over there (points to curb by the steps) and drop me off so I can go in by myself?

*gasp, swallow, try not to cry*

I did. She got out all by herself, ran around to the steps, waved, then pulled open the heavy doors. To everyone else, she appeared to be just another child going into VBS. To me, she was a little girl going into a new chapter of her life - one filled with confidence and self-assurance.

ABC's of Me

2009-06-08T22:45:00.004-05:00

Yea I totally stole this from Meadowlark because I'm just far too tired. My morning started at 8am as opposed to the 10:30 am that I usually tolerate. Can you tell I am not a morning person? Anyway, I digress. Here are my answers for your reading pleasure or entertainment, whichever you prefer:

A - Age: Physically I'm 40, mentally I'm still in my 30's somewhere and some days I behave worse then my 5-year-old.

B - Bed size: King. We need a new one but good gravy it's expensive to buy a king-sized mattress. And yea, we're still paying on the one we have, so you can figure why the hubby won't splurge on another one!

C - Chore you hate: Chore? As in I have to pick one? Ok...I hate chores. All of them. Equally. Well, not totally true. I pick the one I hate so much I would rather pay someone else to do it...bathrooms. Blech.

D - Dog's name: Sherman, and Meg

E - Essential start your day item: Coffee. Preferably by IV, thank you.

F - Favorite color: PURPLE!!

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Yes!

H - Height: 5'2

I - Instruments you play: I can play anything. Oh, you mean, so others can tolerate listening? Piano.

J - Job title: Chief cook and laundry washer, aspiring writer and photographer.

K - Kid(s): 3

L - Living arrangements: My dream house. I just wish we had a lot of land to go with it.

M - Mom's name: Psychotic Bitch.

N - Nicknames: most aren't printable on a family-friendly site. My friends call me T. yes, just T. It's a laziness thing that started with me calling my friends Karen "K". See, somethings are just better left unanswered.

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Hospitalized with pregnancy-related heart failure after Miss Mac was born.

P - Pet Peeve: Oh, I have FAR too many to list here. I could sum up most of them by saying arrogant, inconsiderate, stupid people.

Q - Quote from a movie: "I'll have what she's having" from When Harry Met Sally.

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: No, I'm an obnoxious lonely only. Surprised? No, I didn't think so! :)

T - Time you wake up: usually about 10:30 but this week Miss Mac has vacation bible school so I'm up around 8am, and I'm NOT liking it! The only way I'll be a morning person is when mornings start at noon.

U- Underwear: Do you really wanna know? No, I didn't think so...

V - Vegetable you dislike: Broccoli, unless it's steamed, then pureed, and used to batter chicken nuggets, then it's all good. And yes, I do use it this way because my kids and I will actually eat it.

W - Ways you run late: I try not to be late. Usually I'm late because of someone else, like another person not doing their part to get ready to leave.

X - X-rays you've had: Yearly teeth x-rays, and chest x-ray when I had heart failure.

Y - Yummy food you make: II'm learning new recipes all the time so it's hard to narrow it down. I'm going to copy Meadowlarks' answer and say it's all good; otherwise, why would I make it? ;)

Z - Zoo favorite: I don't like most zoos because I don't think animals should be kept in captivity for human entertainment. The ones that actually serve a purpose, like research or to help endangered animals, that's different...and you can see the difference. My favorite animals are koalas.

Ok, well, you made it through to the end. Thanks for playing. No, you don't win a prize. But, if you post on your blog, post a message for me here so I can read your responses.

Kid Logic

2009-06-07T20:52:00.003-05:00

My youngest daughter, Miss Mac, is currently upstairs cleaning her room. Well, that is what she is supposed to be doing. However, it is far to quiet so I believe she is playing rather than cleaning since every toy that normally resides in two pink storage buckets in her closet was scattered throughout her room and in order to putthings back in the buckets, and then back into the closet, noise must be made. You know, the sound of toys hitting against toys as you toss them into the storage bucket? Yea, it isn't.

So, I call up to her:

Me: Miss Mac, you need to be cleaning, not playing.
Miss Mac: I AM cleaning!
Me: It is too quiet for you to be cleaning.
Miss Mac proceeds to walk very heavily across her floor.
Miss Mac: Can you hear me cleaning now?

Now, before you think her a spoiled, sassy child, she isn't. She didn't say or mean it maliciously. It was honest, innocent...and just adorable.

Track? What track?

2009-05-17T23:17:00.002-05:00

You mean there is some sort of track I'm not only supposed to be on, but manage to stay on?

Yea, right. Okay.

I'm so far off track, it has passed the point of even being remotely funny. My "to do" list is growing into a "to do"pile. I cross one thing off only to find five more things to take its place. I'm praying I have a next life, or five or six, because it will take that many just to complete the things in this life I didn't get finished!

This past week was insane. Nothing else could possibly describe this week except pure insanity. First, I started a new medication to help me get rid of the lovely water retention (yea, you *know* you wanted to know...just wait, it gets better), only to have it dehydrate me to the point that I got sick at work on Wednesday and spent the rest of the day in bed praying for either a quick death or instant improvement. Thursday was spent taking Miss Mac to her homeschool girls group, going to see a replica of the Liberty Bell, having dinner, then going to CPR training and finally getting Mac to bed. I have no clue how Friday was spent so it was either insignificant or such a chaotic blur that my alternate personality stepped in to take over (joke..please laugh).

Saturday was so hellish it deserves its own paragraph. I should recount, but I don't want to even remotely relive it. Besides, I already posted an explanation over on the NPWA forums (for all my police wife friends!).

But now, life is good, and I'm back on track. Yea, there is a track. And it goes in a never-ending circle just like the ones in high school. Like a big ol' hamster wheel for humans.

Days Like This...

2009-05-04T20:57:00.003-05:00

Ugh.

Days like this just suck. There is no other polite way to describe them.

And on days like this, I seriously think that if I could go back in time, I would opt to join the circus instead of being a mom. At least you can train animals.

Ugh. Just ugh.

Mission Accomplished!

2009-04-29T21:08:00.003-05:00

A HUGE thank you to my oldest daughter who unknowingly helped me accomplish my mission of getting a picture of the TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) 2 from Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers show.

Surprisingly just a few days after posting my mission, a chance run-in with my oldest daughter at the gym provided necessary information to finding TIV. She went to have her car inspected, and what should happen to be at the automotive shop? You got it! The TIV 2 is there getting some work done. The best thing is my husband worked with the co-owner of the shop years ago (pre-LE days!), so not only did I get to take pictures of TIV 2, but the Little Miss got to actually sit in the driver's seat!

So, missioned accomplished beyond wildest possible expectations!

On a Mission

2009-04-26T18:57:00.004-05:00

For those who don't already know, I live in the panhandle of Texas. The area is also part of a larger place commonly known as "Tornado Alley". Each year, weather geeks descend upon our area of the country in hopes of chasing big storms and possibly catching a glimpse of a tornado. In fact, the Discovery Channel even has a show called "Storm Chasers". I love this show!

Well, today while driving my son over to his dad's house, my husband calls. Apparently one of his fellow deputies told my husband that he had seen the TIV here earlier today. If you don't watch the show, the TIV is a Tornado Intercept Vehicle, and it's just freakin' cool looking (that's it in the picture, but not a picture I took). And my husband, knowing how much I love the show, had to tell me that it had been here in town. Like less than 5 miles from my house.

Since hours had gone by since it was spotted, I know it's too late to go find it. So, on a whim, I check online at the Discovery Channel site. Probably not a good thing. Because now I know I can track the vehicles. Live.

So, I have a mission. A goal, if you will. I want to get a real picture of the TIV sometime during this tornado season.

Like my husband said when I told him this a few minutes ago...everyone has to have a hobby, I guess!

Results from the shooting range

2009-04-26T15:21:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to the shooting range yesterday.

My son's result from shooting husband's sniper rifle.

Little Miss's results from shooting the .22.

Pretty good shots, I'd say!

PWO blog-a-thon success!

2009-04-26T15:08:00.002-05:00

Well, we didn't quite reach the goal, but we did raise $300 at last count and I think that is a huge success.

A huge thank you to everyone who read and supported the blog-a-thon and to those who donated.
A huge thank you to all of the blog authors that stayed up to participate.
And to MJ who took on the task of organizing this challenge and managed to actually stay up all night to continue. You are a force to be recognized and we are blessed you are part of the site. Thank you, yet again.

It was a great project although I'm embarrassed to admit I fell asleep about 4am. I didn't mean to. I meant to simply lay in bed and read until the husband fell asleep...but I actually think I passed out before he did! Even still, it was great fun!

Writing prompt response

2009-04-26T02:02:00.002-05:00

This writing prompt is from MJ, the Blogger Extraordinaire and organizer of the PWO blog-a-thon.

Writing Prompt: Everyone has a bit of nerd in them. Tell us the nerdiest thing about yourself.

I am a total book nerd. I'll read anything. I get a rush from being in a bookstore or a library. Every now and the, I get the opportunity to visit a "real" bookstore. You know the kind. Locally owned, been at the same location for decades, and it just smells like old books inside. They usually sell new and used books. It doesn't smell or feel sterile like the big name bookstores. We have one here and there is no way that place makes money - it must be threre because the owner just loves books.

That's what I'd love to do. Own a bookstore like that. I'd sell old and new books, and coffee because I can't live without it, and my photographs.

Yea. I'm a total nerd.

Reflecting

2009-04-26T01:43:00.002-05:00

It was a gorgeous day here today. Mid-80's with a ligh wind. Bright, sunny. Just a perfect day.

And while we were driving out to the shooting range, I notice many people enjoying the day while riding motorcycles, and I felt envious.

You see, one of the things I really enjoyed doing when I was a teenager and in my twenties was riding. I had many male friends with motorcycles so there was always someone available to catch a ride with on days like today.

However, the husband doesn't ride. And after becoming a cop and working so many fatalities involving motorcycles, he refuses to ride. And me being a married woman, the opportunites of having male friends who DO ride are few.

I respect his need for caution. But I'm still a little envious.

I miss riding.

Through a child's eyes

2009-04-26T01:31:00.002-05:00

This is a story the husband just shared with me. I thought it cute enough to share with you.

Last week, while the husband was away as sniper training, I bought Little Miss a set of police gear she found in the toy section of Walmart. During his absence, part of her writing assignment consisted of writing letters to Daddy. After we bought the police gear, she wrote him a letter. It read:

Dear Daddy,
When you get home, will you play police stuff with me?

Earlier today, she took him upstairs to show him all of her new things. As she is showing him, she is telling him what each thing is. This is my handcuffs, and the keys really work! This is my helmet. These are my radios and they work, too! Then she holds up the police baton - the old style with the hand grip. She couldn't remember what it was called, but she remember it started with a "b" sound and was used to strike at someone. Finally she says, and this is my basher.

I guess that's one way of looking at it!

Spending time with my son

2009-04-26T00:46:00.003-05:00

I have had to divide my time between the blog-a-thon and my family. It happened that the same weekend that we had the blog-a-thon planned was also the same weekend the husband would return from his week at sniper training and my son would be here over the weekend. So, like most moms, I have to divide myself between two equally important but vastly different priorities.

One of the things that bothers my son is that I spend a lot of time on my computer. I really do but not all of my time is spent online. I write. I edit photos. I work on web updates for the site. And, yes, I also socialize. But regardless of what I'm doing while on the computer, I'm not spending time with him. Until yesterday I didn't realize it was an issue. I figured he was texting most of the time anyway so he probably didn't want to spend time with me.

But, he does. And now I know this.

So, tonight we watched a movie. I'll admit - he baited me a bit. He said, how about we watch Twilight, because I haven't seen it yet.

Oh yea. I'm in. I made popcorn, we watched the movie. I didn't get up once to come make a post. And at the end, he said "That was much better than I thought it'd be."

I know, son. On all accounts. It was really awesome, and I'm glad I chose that priority.

Role of PWO

2009-04-25T21:01:00.003-05:00

Police Wives Online was launched in April of 2004, so this year marked the fifth anniversary of the site. A lot has changed since the initial site. Cat, the founder, stepped down, and we are actively working towards gaining non-profit status.

I found PWO in the summer of 2004. My husband had been on patrol for about a year and a half, we had a daughter who was almost a year old, and I was in need of some adult conversation with people who could understand this life of being married to a cop. I honestly didn't expect to find anything when I did a google search. I was amazed when I signed onto the forums. These women knew exactly what I was talking about!

I made some wonderful friends over the years - some were long term, some have come and gone, but each are cherished. Yes, even the ones that didn't work out so well. I still consider these women to be sisters because we still share a common bond, and if God forbid something ever happened to any of their husbands, I'd be the first to extend a heartfelt hand in sorrow. I'd like to think that if tables were turned, they'd do the same.

Police Wives Online is a special place where bonds are formed, friendships are made, and support is given. We have come so far in five years but we have lofty goals for the future. Please, help us with our goal of raising $1000 during this blog-a-thon. Even if you can only give a dollar, every bit helps. And if you can't give, spread the word.

Thank you!

Home from the Range

2009-04-25T18:49:00.003-05:00

We spent two fun hours in the windy sun - me shooting the camera, the others shooting various guns. I took a bunch of pictures that I will upload to show you after I cook dinner.

Little Miss (5) made some excellent shots, including one center mass, with the .22 that once belonged to her big brother. It's the gun he learned to shoot with and has now been passed down to her as he's moved on to bigger and better weapons. Although, he did fire off many rounds with it today.

The boy prefers to shoot the AR-15 but after stopping at two different Walmarts (both being out of ammo), he stuck to shooting the Glocks, the .22, and dh's sniper rifle. He shot a perfect head shot with it, too. Not bad, at all!

I don't know how my shots turned out yet.

Late start - story of my life!

2009-04-25T13:34:00.002-05:00

I'm just getting around to the productive part of my day. I have never been, nor am I now, a morning person. So, until mornings start at 10 or 11, count me out.

But, here I am, ready to start the blog-a-thon. I'm excited although until later, my posts will be sporadic. You see, the husband just got back from a week-long training and the kids want to "do stuff", so we're taking them to the shooting range this afternoon.

This will be fun for everyone except me. While I completely support our 2nd amendment rights, I'm just now a big fan of guns. Shooting is not a fun thing for me. However, my son who will turn 15 next week, and my youngest daughter who is 5 love to go shooting. So, I play along.

After all, that is part of being a mom.

Blog-a-thon for Police Wives Online

2009-04-25T03:03:00.003-05:00

One of my most time-consuming passions is Police Wives Online, an online support system for the wives of law enforcement.

Today, April 25th from 9am until Sunday April 26th at 9am, bloggers will be posting around the clock with hopes of raising lots of money for PWO and the programs we offer there. The more money raised, the more support we can offer.

Information about being a supporter or even a blogger for this great cause can be found at:

http://policewivesonline.blogspot.com/

There are ways EVERYONE can participate - be a blogger, be a donor, be a cheerleader. Everyone can do something.

Almost Spring

2009-03-07T23:36:00.006-06:00

The geese that have flown over our home several times a day as they took off and landed in the small lake only a block from our house have now returned to their homes in the north. I noticed about a week or so I no longer heard their fly-overs. Their presence is one of the few things I enjoy about the winter months. They are very low as they fly in and the noise can be unbelievable! My youngest daughter and I love to go out and watch as they fly over us, then in a cyclone patten, glide down into the water.

Another sign of spring is the bulbs are poking through the ground. The crocuses bloomed last week! Sadly the blooms didn't last long. They were too tempting for the youngest one who, in a moment of generosity, picked them for me. We do still have daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths to enjoy.

Finally, I noticed our heating bill has dropped significantly. I've even been able to open the windows for some fresh air a few days the past week. There have been many warm days, but warm spring days in the Texas panhandle usually are accompanied by strong winds.

Absent-minded

2009-03-05T02:31:00.001-06:00

I had this really great idea for a blog, but it has been way too long since I'd even signed on, and of course I had to catch up on what everyone else has been writing about, and now....it's an hour later, and I've totally forgetten what was so interesting.

*sigh*

Mom-brain.

Only a mom...

2009-02-15T18:44:00.004-06:00

The following are small portions of conversations I've had with my children throughout today. Only a mother would hear things like this.

My 14 year-old son came to me this afternoon with a nearly empty box of chocolates he had received from his little sister for Valentine's Day.
Me (questioning the 5 year-old): Mac, did you eat his chocolates?
Mac: Only one.
Me: There are many more than just one missing. There are about 12 missing. Why did you eat so many of his chocolates?
Mac: Well, I wanted one with the pink stuff in the middle, but I kept getting ones with other stuff. I had to keep trying.

My oldest daughter, who now lives on her own, called while I was in the car a little while ago.
A: Mom, what's the non-emergency number for the police department?
Me: (I give her the number). Is everything okay?
A: Yea, a homeless guy just keeps pee'ing on the mailbox.

My son(earlier this afternoon): Mom, can I fry a hambuger patty? I mean, like deep fry it.

Mac: I love you mommy.
Me: I love you, too, ladybug.
Mac (giving me a big hug): You're the best mommy I've ever had.

Ah....children

2009-02-10T22:43:00.002-06:00

Children. The ultimate daily challenge of one's patience and sanity.

Today is one of three days where we have scheduled things to do. We do things on other days, these days just have regularly planned activities. Today it was the gym for me and gymnastics for her (well, duh, I guess it'd be quite hillarious the other way around). Anyway, as I am getting myself ready, I tell Mac she needs to get dressed as well.

The rule is she is allowed to watch tv while getting dressed as long as she does the getting dressed part. I finish and walk into the room where instead of getting dressed, she is doing some five-year-old part roll/part climb on the couch. In her panties. In twenty minutes, this is all she has managed to accomplish. So, off goes the tv, out comes the screams - because apparently turning off the television in the middle of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is something akin to severing a limb.

Needless to say, we made it to the gym but not to gymnastics. Only because afer that meltdown, I needed some stress release.

Go Red For Women

2009-02-09T19:00:00.000-06:00

In case you didn't know, February is American Heart Month.

Why should you care? Because heart problems can strike anyone..at any time.

On an early Saturday morning just over five years ago, our beautiful daughter was brought into the world via c-section. There weren't any seriously complications afterward, so with the exception of some serious water retention, I was ready to go home as soon as possible. On Monday afternoon, my husband drove me and our youngest daughter home from the hospital. We have an SUV and because of the swelling in my legs, climbing into the passenger side was very painful and difficult. The nurses all said swelling was normal after c-section and would go away in a few days.

That night, sleeping was tough. New baby, incision pain, swelling. I slept with two pillows under my head. The next night, same thing but a little worse. Wednesday night I couldn't sleep at all because I couldn't lay down. If I tried, I felt like the swelling in my legs was moving into my chest and within minutes, felt like I was suffocating. My heart raced. I thought I was having panic attacks made worse by sheer exhaustion. At about 5am, I had my husband call my doctor who told me to come to his office first thing in the morning.

I arrived at his office thinking at worst he'd send me home with a prescription for Xanax (or some other anti-anxiety medicine). Instead, he checked me, left the room for about 5 minutes, came back in and said "We are admitting you back into the hospital. You have post-partum cardio myopathy or heart failure caused by pregnancy."

What? Heart failure? I was 35 years old! Who has heart failure at 35? Apparently, I did. And what did he mean "caused by pregnancy"? That wasn't in any mom-to-be book I'd ever read.

I stayed in the hospital for almost 5 days - longer than when I was in for the c-section! I left with a lot less water retention, a ton of prescriptions, and a hatred of hospitals. I found out later from my cardiologist that my EF (ejection fraction - or the percentage of blood your left ventricle pumps out) was 17%. A normal EF is between 55-70%.

It's been five and half years, and until last January, my heath was terrible. I terified of working out, especially cardio, because I didn't want to strain my heart when just being over-weight was straining my heart already. See, the lovely little pills I've been taking since called beta-blockers help keep my heart rate and blood pressure down. They also make your metabolism slug. along. like. a. turtle.

In the past year, I've changed to eating about 60% organic food, I go to the gym 3-4 days a week, and after getting a Wii Fit last October, I try to do that several times a week also. I've lost about 20 pounds, as well, but still have more to go before I'm satisfied. Most importantly, when I first started doing cardio bicycle, my heart rate would jump to 160 in about 3 minutes. Now I do about 40 minutes at two levels higher and my heart rate stays about 145. So, my heart is getting better. My goal isn't just weight loss, I want to be off the beta-blocker.

So, I remind you again. February is American Heart Month. And here are some great sites you need to visit:

http://www.goredforwomen.org/

http://www.americanheart.org/

What are you doing to keep your heart healthy?

2009-02-08T19:54:00.000-06:00

Thanks to some PWO friends, another obsession is entering these blog giveaways!

Some Free Giveaway contests I came across today- either through PWO, or clicking links at other Blogs:

Leather Necklace http://www.lifestylewithlove.com/2009/02/g-is-forgiveaway.html

Assorted summer-y things http://zapoldesigns.blogspot.com/

2009-02-08T15:12:00.000-06:00

Newest obsession: Writing

Ok, so technically it isn't a new obsession since I've been writing off and on for many years. However, since I took a hiatus about three years ago, and haven't written anything substantial, creative, or worth publishing, I'm calling it new. For three years, I lost my writing voice and it really felt like I'd been stiffled. Is there anything worse than self-inflicted writer's block?

So, here I am. The beginning of a new chapter.

Let's see what happens.

Hockey Mom, part 2

2009-02-07T13:43:00.000-06:00

Several years ago my son played hockey for about two years. While he mostly played inline, he did play one season of ice. The cost to play ice hockey here is outrageous! He has since moved on (and through) fencing, football, and is currently involved with the ROTC program at his high school.

I figured my days of being a hockey mom were behind me. This saddened me because out of all the various sports the kids have been involved with, I think I enjoyed watching hockey the most. However, with him being involved with other types of activities, and the youngest being a girl, I knew my chances were extremely slim.

Then, last weekend, all of us went to watch our local hockey team. This was the first game we'd attended in about 4 years.

Now, it seems the hockey bug has bitten not only my son, but my youngest daughter, also.

It is too late for either to play this spring, but it's possible by the summer, I could have two hockey players!

Obsessions

2009-02-07T01:47:00.000-06:00

I think since I posted about my passions, it is only fair to let my obsessions have equal billing.

Currently , I only have two obsessions.

My first obsession is iTunes. I knew when I opened the purple iPod at Christmas, I was going to be addicted to downloading.

And, I am.

I download songs. I download podcasts. I listen to them while I workout at the gym. I walk and listen to tutorials on photography. I learn about finance and listen to Dave Ramsey talk about budgeting. I have song after song of 80's music, 90's music, new artists, old artists. And of course, my song list would not be complete without the entire Twilight soundtrack, plus some additional Muse songs.

Which leads me to my other curent obsession.

Yes, I am totally 100% addicted to the Twilight series. I have read all four books. I've read everything on Stephenie Meyers webpage. I've read the online chapters for Midnight Sun. I've seen the movie. And now, I'm re-reading the entire series.

Why?

Because, after blubbering like a love-sick, heartbroken teen at the beginning of New Moon, I read through the rest of the book, and then the first half of Eclipse, so fast, I felt like I really had missed out on some important parts of the book. Plus, I love the characters and I just flat wasn't ready to put them away yet. So...I'm re-reading and I'm currently halfway through New Moon, and I am glad I'm going back through because I did miss out. While I'm still not a huge fan of Jacob (he just really annoys me), I do understand his character more.

Passions

2009-02-07T00:54:00.000-06:00

I figure since this is my first entry on my brand new blog, I should mention some of the things I'm passionate about. This isn't a complete list by any means, just the things I can think of right this minute at this late hour and the movie "Something About Mary" blaring from the other room.

My passions:

My children - all three of them equally, even though they would argue this until they lost their voice.
My husband - although sometimes, I admit, I entertain fantasies of plotting his untimely demise. He puts up with me (mostly) and that's a good thing.
Writing - I really need to get back in a daily writing groove.
Photography - While I hate being in pictures, I take the camera almost everywhere and will shoot just about anything that looks interesting.
the color Purple