yesterday my sisters learned to knit

It was a very happy day...

Lily looking on

The sky on the way to my mom's for dinner

I can't even tell you how happy this makes me. I don't know why. I think I'm just excited to have girls I can sit around and knit with. I mean, the TV is OK, but I'm looking forward to some actual girl interaction while I knit. I'm not sure Sarah and Katie are aware of these plans. For all they know I just showed up and shoved needles in their hands. But there are plans sisters.

Isaac getting big...and dimply.

Also I turned 32. Yay me!

This is my traditional birthday cake. Somewhere between ages 6-12, after asking for it every year, it became a tradition. Jake makes it for me now...awwwe.

because one never knows what danger lurks...

diary of a failure

So I've failed miserably with my 365 photo experience...in month 2. I had such great intentions, but a combination of running out of free space on flickr in the middle of the month, and then skipping three days of photo-taking because I had influenza and was trying not to die has brought me squarely into the realization that it's not going to happen this year. And actually, I'm OK with it. What's a few missed days, anyway? I'll just keep taking pictures and posting them here anyway. Whenever I get to it, of course.

Because that's how I roll.

OK, so lately I've been inspired by this and this and this. Street photography. Love it. But it's hard enough for me to bring my camera with me everywhere I go (I like to blend in), much less ask people if I can take their picture. But oh how I love it when other people do! It just really speaks to me. I could stare at strangers' faces for hours.
Weird, I know.
So I thought I'd start with the first thing...bring the camera. I don't live where it's particularly urban, so I have to think outside the box a little...

So I give you...Our Trip to Wal Mart.

She is in mourning in this next picture. I made her choose between Captain Crunch cereal and a bag of marshmallows. It was difficult.

I almost deleted it because it's out of focus, but decided in the end that I actually love it. Check out that lower lip action.

The marshmallows won out, which is good because I know she eats marshmallows. She's never actually eaten Captain Crunch, and if it came home and sat rejected on the shelf, I'd feel obliged to eat it, and then it would be a Cocoa Crispies scenario all over again.

8 bottles of diabetes. Sorry, nothing against Pepsi. It's just that when the soda isle leads right into the pharmacy, the shot kind of sets itself up.

Checkout isle fodder.

Then we picked up the boy.

School's out, baby!

Tomorrow is his 100th day. Weird.

If nothing else, I have been inspired to take my camera more places. It is so much more my style, so I vow to do more of it in the future. AND, hopefully, I will be able to work up the courage to start taking pictures of other people.

So faretheewell 365...hello bemyselfanddowhateverIwantto.

Yes, that's a real thing.

a week (or so) in the life...

This is how my kids eat. I also only have to make one hard boiled egg to feed the both of them. (ps this is another diptych :):))Outtakes from our valentine card shoot. The homemade valentine cards are a product of getting inspired by Amy, and finding a free template over at shutter sisters all in the same week. If that's not meant to be, I don't know what is.A little project that I started that is now finished--a hat for Alex. He still loves it when I knit for him. I'm sure that one day soon it will be horribly embarrassing for him to wear something knit by his mother, but until then, I'm knitting feaverishly for him. A little Battleship (and a bit of cheating) to pass the time.Some pants I made for Lily. For some reason she's always low on pants. case in point.The trampoline finally got lowered into the landfill...er...hole in the backyard.Must be why all her pants are always dirty. That's what leftover fabric is for. For some reason I can't get that Charlie Brown song out of my head. Brett says this is his first time on a trampoline. He must be some sort of trampoline miracle savant. Peeringafter a bathsunset/moonrise.
over and out

I'm in love with diptychs...

What's a diptych, you might ask? Well, it's what we nerds call two pictures put together to tell a story. I've been stalking them on flickr for quite some time...there, I said it.

But I'm really really shy when it somes to relationships, so it took me a while to ask it out on a date. I'm so glad I finally did...




I had a great time. I think we'll be going out again.

ckreepeest storees By Alex

Alex loves to write stories on the computer. Usually they look like this...

kfmfjfrjdfrjuedidxzcjfugifdoergv ocfrmv ngjhgtjuhftrirfi1674869e0930rtjrjfthfjgjtyjgjfnvgjhgnbmvgmgvjvfvcng0khghjkhkjkgtjghyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyhjvjmnftghhgbfdcujed8GNGHTJJGGRGIHJKJJ,GBGNGGCNMJHGJHJD.LFLVB,N.JFJHJGKTRKYJUT&LKGNBVNMAN F HE MAN HFGFGBHYRTFFGTERWERTYER

But at some point this week the marriage between the spelling of words and those little letters he sees on the keyboard sparked a synapse in his brain, and words began to emerge.


GFFRGTRYTUERHFGVBCNDFHFRGTTVXGDBGDSEGDVGGDF63549876543111111111111111111111111111111163W53245521452345BGSBGCFHGFHDVDGHGFJDNCHNFCVNCHVNCNVNVNFNVN THE END P S DIL 8794651 FOR MOR CKREEPEEST STOREES BY ALEX

The phone number was mine, but I changed it before sending it out into the void. So if you call it, you won't actually get ckreepees storees. Not actually sure what you'll get, but good luck to you.

65 pounds and she pees like an elephant...more from our visit with Jade.

Photographing Jade proved to be quite a difficult task because she's almost black, so every time I tried to expose for her my shutter speed was really slow, and on top of that (and I can not overemphasize this) she is a puppy and never stops moving. It's deceiving because she's so big, and you'd think she'd act like a dog but ( and I can not overemphasize this) she doesn't. She's an enormous puppy...and all that that implies.

This is Buster contemplating the pros and cons of an altercation with Jade. By the end of the day Buster was done contemplating.

Just a little perspective.

I love this picture. She is so powerful it's a little scary.

Me and my new pal.

Jade with Mommas.

A little more perspective. She will double in size. for shizzle.

I would love to have her every day, however, Buster would not like to have her every day. I'm pretty sure he hates her for accentuating his small dog syndrome. Jade was very playful with him, but by the end of the day Buster wasn't playin'. I had to sit between them. So for Buster's sake we probably won't have her again, but oh how I love that beautiful, goofy girl!