Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Just a few moments ago, I said to Sophia: "You have cute buns." (well, she does!)

She responded, "No, you have cute buns, Mama!"

I laughed.

"No I don't... you do!" I responded.

"Yes you do, you have cute OLD buns!"

Oh man. :)

Retro!

So... I was over at 5 Minutes for Mom, when I saw this giveaway. Oh my, can't you just see Sophia cruising around in it? So I've entered. You can enter too. You can choose the car or other items, if you're the winner. If you're into retro stuff... you'll be like a kid in a candy store here.

So check them both out, and I'll post pics of Sophia in the car when if I win it!

You know you're a redneck when...

This lil news story was in the local paper today. Wow.

"SWANVILLE, Maine - Police say it's case closed on a sibling spat over the shaving of a pet cat in Swanville.

State police launched a search last week using tracking dogs for 22-year-old Nicholas Palmer after his 18-year-old sister claimed he choked and struck her. He fled after she called 911 and was located several days later.

State Trooper Luke Cunningham says Palmer is now back home, and the trooper says the sister has recanted her story.

Cunningham says the sibling altercation began when Palmer attempted to stop his sister from shaving the family cat to help control fleas and ticks. He says the family has since decided to use insect powder."

Ain't country life grand????

I need your help! Please?

I took these pictures last week, for a friend from church. Please check them out, and read the text below... I need your help!


This is my favorite!


Isn't she a doll? I did not edit the color of her eyes, I just made the rest of the picture black & white.


The whole family


Awwww...





I've been taking pictures for awhile now. No professional training, (unless you want to consider one adult-ed class professional training, ha!) just a hobby. I love taking pictures of my family, and have close to a dozen scrapbooks on the shelf, showcasing our memories.

I've been asked many times to take pictures for friends and other family members. I've done a couple weddings, some senior portraits, and a family reunion. I've never charged for this, as I'm certainly not a professional, and have done it as a favor to whoever has asked. Over time, my pictures have improved. I'm at the point where I think I want to turn my hobby into a bit more. Am I ready to get a degree in photography? - Nah... While I'd love to learn more and take better pictures, I don't have the time or desire to make it a full-blown career, at least not right now.

What I'd like to do is create a brochure with a sampling of my work, and promote it locally. Not a big expense or a big deal, but to start charging something. Obviously, I could not and would not charge what the pros are getting, their work is in a different class. I don't have a studio set up, I take all my pictures outside and use natural lighting. I'd like to get some lights and filters like a studio would have, and play around to figure out how to set them for the best results. Good thing I've got some models around here to be my guinea pigs!

I went to Barnes & Noble the other night, and looked at some photography books. 'How to take Senior Pictures', 'How to photograph children'... as I browsed through them I suddenly got intimidated. All the tricks for lighting (which I know NOTHING about), and the pictures were so gorgeous in the book! 'What am I thinking?' I totally doubted myself. Then I realized, that there is a market for a 'good' photographer, that is reasonably priced. Not to mention that if you look at my pictures (and you're not a trained professional - ha ha!) you'll likely think it's a 'good' picture. No one is going to be putting my pictures right next to a professional's pictures, and picking them apart.

I want to make a little something, but I also want to provide a good picture at a reasonable price for people that can't afford to hire the professionals in the area. Not every family has $800 or more to spend on Senior Portraits. I know I need to really check out the prices in the area, and go from there.

I also want to offer something different. Whoever I take pictures for will get the CD of all the pictures taken, to do what they want to with. They can take it to Walmart (or hopefully a better photo printing place,) and can print their own 8 x 10's for $2 rather than paying one of the pros $50 for the same picture. I guess I would also offer to print the photos for people (at a more reasonable price) if they would like that option. Photo editing would be additional too, as it can be time consuming. Can you tell I'm having such a hard time trying to figure out what my services are worth??? Any comments, suggestions or advice would be appreciated! Let me ask you this: What would you expect to pay, or be willing to pay (realistically) for a sitting with your family, if you could take the cd of edited pictures when it's all done? What about 'senior pictures' for your teen?

Dancing Queen

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY (& shoes that clash)

Lunch w/Grammie

The other day we went to lunch with Grammie (my Mom) at a local chicken/seafood place. Whenever we go there, Sophia has the job of putting ketchup into the little paper cups. She takes this job very seriously.

Oh - she's getting that rascal look in her eyes... watch out!

Sophia looks over at Grammie - (I love this look!)

Here's the 'I'm so proud of myself' grin, once she completed the job.

"Hmmm... you can drink ketchup, right?"
No - she didn't really drink it, she just teased me like she was going to.

Look at that yummy DEEP FRIED chicken and mozzarella sticks! At least it's real 100% chicken... crispy and delicious!

Sophia was curious about the little man in the corner.

After lunch we went to get apples. No, we didn't pick them ourselves, but bought them from a local orchard. Here is Sophia, posing with the pumpkins that were also for sale. She was very willing to sit there, but I couldn't convince her to smile.

Who loves her Daddy?

Sophie does!

Wordless Wednesday

Mainers... (ayuh)

Someone emailed this to me, and I couldn't resist posting. They're all true!!!

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through
May, you live in Maine (yup!)

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and
They don't work there, you live in Maine (This happened just yesterday!)

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you
live in Maine (I've gone barefoot in the snow to the end of the driveway to get the mail!)

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with
someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Maine (yes. Once I even pulled out the phonebook to look up the number for the person that had dialed the wrong number, and got me!)

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Maine (yes)

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live
in Maine (I am one of those people!)

If you have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day
And back again, you live in Maine (hmmm.. I'd have to think about this one...)

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a blizzard
without flinching, you live in Maine (yes)

If you install security lights on your house and garage,
But leave both unlocked, you live in Maine (have left the pocketbook in the car overnight, unlocked too!)

If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how
to use them, you live in Maine

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a
Snow suit, you live in Maine (as a kid I remember trick-or-treating in lots of snow, and getting snow in the tops of my boots!)

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes
are filled with snow, you live in Maine (This is so true!)

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still
Winter and road construction, you live in Maine.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car,
You live in Maine (not snow blower - plow truck!)

If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you live in
Maine (ha! Ask me in January!)

The Fox & the Hens...

We've got a good sized fox roaming around here. A few days ago he ran out of the edge of the woods and tried to get one of the six Guinea Hens that we have roaming around. We got the Guinea Hens to eat ticks on our property. Click HERE to see the original post when they were just 3 days old. I saw the fox, and grabbed the pups, and we headed out on foot to scare him off, and rescue the Guinea Hens. I found a pile of feathers on the ground, it wasn't looking good. As I rounded the corner at the bottom of the driveway, I saw the fox dart to the other side of the dirt road, and there was no Guinea Hen in his mouth. Now, where were my birds?

Centered in this pic is a Guinea Hen up in a fir tree.

This one was very obvious, up on the wire. How he balanced up there, I don't know. After about five minutes of calling to the birds, they decided it was safe enough, and flew down to me.

Here comes the last one, flying down to meet the rest.

Diesel helps guide them back home

When they're walking around on the lawn pecking at the ticks & bugs, they stay pretty close together like this. I really enjoy them. They don't make a mess, and they're so low maintenance. We haven't found a tick on the kids or dogs since getting them.

Here the Guinea Fowl are admiring themselves in the bumper of one of Ted's truck. We had read in the Guinea book they would do this, so I chuckled when I saw it was true.

Out of the mouths of babes...

So today Sophia & I had lunch with DH, at the Ninety Nine Restaurant. (Do you have them where you are, or is it a northern thing? Their chicken caesar salad is the best!)

Well, DH excused himself, to go to the restroom. Sophia clearly says from across the table, "Daddy going to the boys room?"

"Yes he did. Well he can't go to the girls room... SILLY..." I said to her playfully.

To which Sophia seriously and ever so loudly and clearly replied, "Nooooo, he doesn't have a 'gina', he has a penis!"

Why is it that the restaurant went completely quiet just as she started to talk? I could feel the heat coming up in my face, but it sure was funny! She's such a chatterbox lately!

Sophia's Birthday - Part 2

Here Sophia poses with her Mermaid cake. She wasn't upset or sad, she had woken from her nap only 30 minutes before the party! It took her a few minutes to wake up. She blew out her '3' candle the first try! She was so quick, I missed getting a picture of it.

Sophia liked her Dora card

Paige, Noah & cousins Ben & Carolyn put Sophia's 'Stephanie' wig on Noah

Oct 9th - Sophia turns 3

Sophia enjoys her Mermaid cake and ice cream
(with her Daddy by her side, of course!)

And orange soda (well it WAS her birthday after all!) Our house has been sippy cup free since Sophia was 1 1/2 - REALLY! She is very careful with a regular cup.

Sophia got this Stephanie wig as one of her presents (from Lazytown), and Noah couldn't help but be a ham!

Can you see the joy in her face? Or was it a sugar high? (cake, ice cream, soda & chocolate!) Here she was chasing someone, trying to turn them into a frog.

Okay, I had many more pics to upload, but blogspot is being mean, and not letting me add any more pics to this post. It had better be a temporary problem, that's all I can say! Maybe I'll do a part 2 birthday post later.