mustache max.

I know you all have been eagerly awaiting my mustache photos, right? (I know you all missed me so much last week. Or maybe you didn't even notice! LOL.)








And there you have it! I took these before my trip to Seattle. Max actually sat still for me (well, ok, I told him he had to let me take photos if he wanted to play with the band-aids.) I processed in Picnik. Didn't have much time to play around with Elements last week.
The weekend was long, but ok. Max was having a bad day of sorts on Saturday and I'm sure I wasn't the greatest mom that day. Got a few stares at Safeway when Max wouldn't stay with me and I grabbed him, scolded him in the store, and promptly left with him under my arm. Yea...not my finest moment. Funny thing is that I always gave "those" moms the stink eye for scolding in public before I had a child. And now I get it. In that moment I was in my own little world dealing with my child. And I didn't care one iota about the stares (well, I noticed them, but didn't care till later. We live in a small town and the likelihood of running into someone you know at the store is quite high.) It's been a difficult few weeks with Max. He's been testing his boundaries and independence, and thus my patience. I always thought I was a fairly patient person until I had a child. Not so patient after-all. It's the one thing I really need to work on. And work on a lot harder.

On another note - I think I picked-up my camera three times in the past week. I just wasn't feeling inspired. It's so hard for me to see the everyday with new eyes. I don't have the most creative mind in the world, so I tend to look at things around me and think, "That would be a boring photo." And so I don't take photos. And then there is my lack of models. Sigh... Max doesn't really like me to take his picture these days. Oh, and the golden hour light! There were a few days late last week that were just gorgeous! But alas, I was getting Max ready for bed. And who knows if he would have sit still for me to experiment with that golden light. It is so softly, beautiful though.

The husband is doing ok. He is back to work after three days off plus the weekend. He had surgery Wednesday and now has a titanium plate and some screws in his left collar bone. He would like to be called Titanium Man now, just so you know. No matter what the circumstances he always knows how to make things funny. I think he had a nice Fathers Day despite his set-back. I know he really would have liked to have run the Vancouver Marathon, but there is always next year (and he can run the Portland Marathon in October!)

Look at me rambling again...
Well, happy Monday, friends! I do plan to play around with the above photos in Elements. So don't be surprised if you see them again.
A

a break.

Seattle was fun. I shopped, ate at a couple of favorite restaurants, had a few tasty margaritas and a couple of delicious cupcakes.
It was a great two days off from mom duty.
But by the time my friend and I arrived in Seattle Friday night, dropped Max off with Omi and Opa, and arrived at my parent's house (about four hours later) my husband called with good news and bad news. The good news was that he wasn't going rafting the weekend before my birthday, so I wouldn't have to find a sitter if I wanted to go out with friends. The bad news - he wasn't going because he broke his collar bone.

And not only did he break it, he broke it in two places.
I feel really awful for him. He had big plans this summer - running the very first (and his very first) Vancouver Marathon (on Father's Day), riding the STP with his dad, doing the things he enjoys doing in the summer.
His plans did not include surgery, or not being able to pick-up his son or play with him.
Having an immobilized arm is not easy. I've been there. It was just three years ago that I had a fractured shoulder-blade and I was that person who couldn't hold or pick-up her 16 month old for two months.
So after a long drive home, and an afternoon and evening with a very, very whiny boy who told me I was a "blockhead" (too much time watching Charlie Brown), and told me he didn't like me anymore (I know, I know...don't take it personally, but it still hurts a teeny bit) I have decided to take a break.
Just for a week or maybe two. I'll still be reading all of your wonderful blogs and drooling over your gorgeous photos. And I may even find some time to pick-up my camera and learn a little Elements. We'll see...
A.
(P.S. - Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about those super cute mustache photos. They are still tops on my editing list. It'll be worth the wait. I promise.)

tgif! preview...

You give a boy some mustache bandaids and...

...you have a few good laughs.
Lots of funny photos to come. In fact, I took so many that I'm having a hard time choosing which ones to share. I may just share them all! And I want to try to process them in Elements.
But in the meantime - I'm off to Seattle with a good friend. Girls weekend! (With sick boy in tow to be dropped off with my in-laws.)
Happy weekend, friends!
A

some pretty.

It's been a week.
A cold. A cough. Pink eye. Ear infection.
A sad boy. A grumpy boy. A boy just trying to deal with all this yucky stuff.
Two trips to two different doctors - one for me, one for Max.
Three trips to the pharmacy.
Coming home to find dog pee on the carpet, yet again....

It's also been a good week.
An early birthday present from my mom and dad.
Two very enjoyable days with six other aspiring photographers and one amazing teacher.


I needed some more pretty in my life this week. So I bought this lovely pink bouquet at the store the other day, while picking up a second prescription for Max.

{I will tell more about the photography class next week.}

15:52

Picture Inspiration week 15. Double Vision. This week we were supposed to create a diptych with two differing points of view of the same subject. I love the gorgeous maple trees in our backyard/greenbelt. They are enormous. And one leaf is about three times as big as my hand. Simply huge. I love to hear them rustle in the wind. Or to hear the pitter-patter of the rain. Both such pretty sounds.
(Yes, I'm getting caught-up on my assignments! YAY!)

13:52

From the ground up. Picture Inspiration week 13.

tgif! random edition.

The first two days of June have been filled with lots of clouds, a few downpours, and the occasional glimpse of sun. One day I'm totally used to it and it doesn't bother me. And the next - it's so dark and grey and wet and dreary. It's supposed to hit the low 80s this weekend. But I've lived in the Pacific Northwest long enough to know that seeing is believing when it comes to weather.

I finally uploaded Elements to the desktop. And after it was loaded I sat there wondering, "Now what?" I'm excited to have it, but feeling overwhelmed at where to start. So overwhelmed. Since I don't have any good books on Elements I've decided to start by creating a watermark for my photos. Should be simple enough, right? We shall see...

Not a lot going on around here. Max has started swim lessons and seems to like it. He's a little hesitant about putting his face in the water, but most kids are at this age, right? And this big kid is still afraid to put her face in the water. (Maybe I should be taking lessons?)

I haven't been posting much this week because I kind of don't really feel like I have anything interesting to say. Not that that has stopped me from posting some randomness before. But you know how sometimes the randomness sounds just fine, and sometimes, if you really think about it, the randomness sounds, well, just so random and dull? (Already, this post sounds so dull.)

I haven't taken all that many photos lately either. Yesterday, between rain showers, Max and I ventured into the backyard for a bit, and I brought my camera with me. I actually took quite a few photos. I'll post a few next week. Oh, but I was shocked yesterday to see this photo posted on the Shutter Sisters 365 page.

I guess that's all I really have to say for now. Sorry this post isn't more exciting. I guess it's hard to write about things when none of it sounds very exciting in my head. Anyway...I hope you all have a great weekend! And get out there and enjoy the sunny, warm weather if you have it! You know where I'll be if the sun comes out!

Happy Friday, friends.
A