tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42326578983152059972012-01-21T18:13:38.892-05:00m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.comBlogger5301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-59173995729806632462012-01-21T18:09:00.002-05:002012-01-21T18:13:38.897-05:00

In the midst of what seems to be the warmest winter on record, we finally got a significant amount of snow (If you call 4 - 6 inches significant). Lauren has been dying to go sled riding, which is challenging when there's no snow on the ground, but today she got her wish.   She started by doing runs down our hillside with Daddy... But then quickly graduated to doing solo runs.  

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-33290604855316963322012-01-20T19:42:00.001-05:002012-01-20T19:42:27.535-05:00

  --Melissa "Alanis Morrisette" Corbelli, upon leaving Szechuan Taste and discovering that her Chinese takeout container was in her coat pocket. I've been terrible about posting the daily challenge photos here. Truth is that I feel kinda lame just repeating what I write on Flickr, but I guess those four or five of you who read this regularly probably don't care about that. Anyway, today's

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-44941642820151433502012-01-14T22:14:00.002-05:002012-01-14T22:16:17.418-05:00

So today was my big debut at choosing the daily photo challenge. The group maintains a huge spreadsheet of every topic chosen over the last two years, but since I wanted to come up with something that hadn't been done before, I had to really rack my brain for a new concept. It wasn't easy because they've pretty much covered everything. In the end, I decided on "trend." Because I had a hair

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-91186205594216767662012-01-13T20:25:00.000-05:002012-01-13T20:25:24.289-05:00

This is going to be a looong, dark winter. Lots of moody, low lit shots to come in the next several weeks. Anyway, today's challenge was "four," and although it's a pretty broad topic, all I could come up with is "four of a kind." At first, I wasn't entirely pleased with this because four aces seems so cliche. However, once I started to post process, I thought, "That heart could really use an

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-76034013466331242242012-01-10T20:19:00.000-05:002012-01-10T20:19:10.594-05:00

  Since I finished the 25 Days of Christmas, I've been in a bit of a photography slump. Responsibilities have picked up again, so I've been spending my down time as down as possible rather than expending more energy. And as much as I enjoy it, photography expends a lot of it. Today's challenge was "feminine." When I saw it, I thought well gee, I'm a woman. This one should be easy. However, it

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-79802431784862205982012-01-02T19:34:00.000-05:002012-01-02T19:34:46.588-05:00

  Today's challenge was "cover." What immediately came to mind was making a clubhouse or fort by draping a blanket over a table. I think every kid has tried that a least once. It's also good for hide and seek. Almost. Been working on my annual photo calendar. This year, I had a lot of photos to choose from. These are the ones that made the cut. Not necessarily all favs or best shots, just

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-13034276388299340582012-01-01T21:45:00.000-05:002012-01-01T21:46:06.849-05:00

  Today's challenge was "In With the New." I've told this story so many times, but I don't think I've ever written it down here. This is my "new" stove. When we remodeled our kitchen at the end of last year, we wanted to get a vintage stove. Mark found this 1952 Hotpoint on Craigslist. The place where we picked it up was right out of American Pickers. Warehouse after warehouse filled with junk.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-44152633413518883582011-12-31T11:10:00.000-05:002011-12-31T11:20:22.832-05:00

   Thankfully, we spent Christmas Day at our own home so that we could recuperate from the wild Christmas Eve festivities. We'll start with Christmas morning. Santa never disappoints and always comes through with wonderful presents. Whoa - kitty socks! Look at that happy girl with her Legos! Yes - our child actually pauses to look at the books that she got. Lauren was really excited

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-41518033737430493942011-12-31T10:44:00.000-05:002011-12-31T11:21:26.238-05:00

As usual, the week after Christmas got away from me. I worked through Wednesday and then spent the rest of the week playing video games and eating cookies. Since Christmas was already a week ago and the New Year is upon us, we better get to it.   As per tradition, Christmas Eve was spent with Mark's family. Oh yeah, we all know how this is gonna go.     See Baby Jacob - you're not the

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-45894096518026359342011-12-25T21:52:00.001-05:002011-12-25T21:52:23.480-05:00

  Another Christmas under the belt, and the 25 Days project completed. It was touch and go, but in the end it all came together. In middle, I thought to myself that there's no way I could do this again next year, but then I started to reconsider. I still had quite a few tricks left that I didn't have a chance to pull from my sleeve, so between those and a few new ones, maybe I could pull it off

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-33399440497381829412011-12-24T23:02:00.000-05:002011-12-24T23:02:03.389-05:00

  I know that I promised for today I would take a photo of the finished nativity at the local church, but I just didn't have time to go up there. Besides, does it get any more Christmas Eve than cookies for Santa? Bonus - today's challenge was "all wrapped up." It's become a tradition for me to take photos of my finished packages, so I had already planned to take this one. Here it is,

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-48263341303131025602011-12-23T22:56:00.001-05:002011-12-23T22:56:36.745-05:00

  I finally did some baking tonight, so my initial thought was to take some cookie photos, but since the weather finally dried up today, I revisited yesterday's plan to head outdoors and capture some light displays. This is our neighbor's house. Their icicle lights twinkle, which really gives a nice effect. They also added the shooting star just this year. They used to have a giant moose made

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-50887279743408325102011-12-22T21:33:00.001-05:002011-12-22T21:34:21.485-05:00

  Sorry my photos are so unvaried. I had plans to take a photo of my neighbor's light display, but the rain prevented that from happening. Instead, I'm sharing the gingerbread house that Lauren made in school today. The marshmallow concoction on the left is a snowman, in case anyone was wondering.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-41509986526173380002011-12-21T21:47:00.001-05:002011-12-21T21:47:54.917-05:00

  Last night, we made these ornaments by squirting and swirling acrylic paint into clear ball ornaments. It made a big mess, but it was fun. The colors that we used were really pretty (Cloud, Bright Red and Caterpillar), but unfortunately, I thinned out the paint a little too much, which caused it to mix into a yellowish brown color in some of the ornaments. I'd like to try this again next year

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-8012109480744603252011-12-20T23:11:00.002-05:002011-12-20T23:11:34.825-05:00

  In order to keep them a surprise for the recipients, I normally wait until after Christmas to unveil any handmade items, but desperate times (i.e. I need a photo today) call for desperate measures. This weekend, I made these cute candy cane holders. They were born from the minds of the nice folks as Martha Stewart Living.   I'd like to say Lauren helped with these, but once she made one for

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-13612569703879758822011-12-19T22:38:00.001-05:002011-12-19T22:38:19.475-05:00

  This weekend, I mentioned to Mark that I wished we had space to display my father's train set that I had inherited. I used to beg my dad every year to put it up.   And then before I knew it, I had a train in my dining room. The hamburger joint is my favorite part.   Lauren even got a train of her own in her Wendy's kid's meal. We set it up like the train at the mall, complete with a

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-61259002511352572342011-12-18T19:22:00.001-05:002011-12-18T19:22:52.111-05:00

  "What do you get a Wookie for Christmas, when he already owns a comb?" Yes, that was the question on all of our minds back in 1980. I'd like to point out that I am the original owner of this album. Somehow, from move to move, it has stayed with me. This photo costs me $5, which was the exact amount that I paid for those pink headphones.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-52558198060505961922011-12-17T22:06:00.001-05:002011-12-17T22:06:36.965-05:00

  Our antique rocking horse has found a home in my craft room in progress. I didn't have any jingle bells to use for reigns, so I wrapped him in some garland strung with red wooden beads and toys.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-82795145711788429212011-12-16T22:16:00.001-05:002011-12-16T22:16:22.221-05:00

Since today was Marcus the Airedale's 3rd birthday, I had planned to have him featured as the 16th photo, but he was uncooperative. I may still try again another day. Thankfully, my cousin Noreen sent us a HUGE care package filled with awesomeness. As usual, the awesomeness was most expertly wrapped. So I present to you, the first gift of Christmas!

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-62876943773369073302011-12-15T20:00:00.000-05:002011-12-15T20:01:55.020-05:00

I realize that this is cheating, but I needed to have a backup plan in case I wasn't feeling well or uninspired, or if I was just plain too busy to shoot. So I had this old Polaroid and this post at the ready in case I needed it. Today, I needed it. Now what does this photo have to do with Christmas? Well, back in the old days, we didn't have fake beards ready at our disposal, and therefore

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-57276520760870294352011-12-14T19:28:00.000-05:002011-12-14T19:28:16.640-05:00

  Okay - the candy cane heart thing has been done to death, but since I had cupcakes and candy left over from yesterday and needed to work quickly, I thought, "Why not?"

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-76055677809371843442011-12-13T21:59:00.001-05:002011-12-13T22:00:54.686-05:00

I'm extremely pressed for time today as well as the next two days, so let's get to it. Today Mark celebrated his 38th birthday. Lauren wanted to make sure he knew by writing it as big as possible. Our celebration was simple. I made dinner (Stuffed shells), then we opened presents and later had cupcakes. Mark received a shirt, a Martha Stewart book of pie and tart recipes and a pair of

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-10048715387724511262011-12-12T21:54:00.000-05:002011-12-12T21:55:06.453-05:00

Can you believe that we're almost to the halfway point? We usually get a live tree to complement our fake white one, but this year, we were leaning towards just being a one tree family. Mark and I are real scrooges when it comes to buying trees. We pride ourselves on getting the cheapest tree possible and will bend your ear with tales of our bargain hunting, like the time in 1996 when we bought

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-45524994397080508942011-12-11T19:02:00.001-05:002011-12-11T19:06:28.920-05:00

Today Lauren was invited to a Build-A-Bear birthday party at the mall, so I thought I bring my camera because there was bound to be some nice Christmas displays to shoot. Unfortunately, I came away disappointed as nothing really caught my eye. So I'm settling on these cute ornaments at Crate and Barrell. One of these days, I'm going to get one of those pickles!

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-73481268763539472392011-12-10T16:14:00.001-05:002011-12-10T16:18:21.797-05:00

  I call this, "A Bowl Full of Jolly." :) I bought these bells last year to use as package decorations, but I forgot to use them. They're getting a lot of use though this year, at least in my photographs. Lauren also wore the red one as part of her kitty costume at Halloween. They may look festive, but looks are deceiving - they don't even jingle. How lame is that?!

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-44282520694443405172011-12-09T23:05:00.001-05:002011-12-09T23:10:06.733-05:00

Lauren was disappointed that they were not going to have Polar Express day at school like they did in kindergarten, so we had our own.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-39145366055243363132011-12-08T17:56:00.001-05:002011-12-08T18:31:00.300-05:00

One of the churches near our home has the cutest nativity ever. I've never seen this done by other churches. At the beginning of Advent, Mary and Joseph are positioned on the side of the church. As the days go on, they inch their way closer and closer to their destination - the front of the church. Then on Christmas Eve, we're all rewarded for our patience with beautifully painted cut-outs of

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-46615938966006424052011-12-07T19:15:00.001-05:002011-12-07T19:37:08.676-05:00

  The title of this one is, "Waiting Until the Coast is Clear." I finally broke down and used off camera flash today. I am so looking forward to the weekend when sunny days are predicted! Today's challenge was "memory from your childhood." I'm very fortunate that I have many of the Christmas decorations that I grew up with, whether from my own house or that of my grandparents. When I saw the

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-14637722183961989112011-12-06T19:03:00.001-05:002011-12-06T19:27:20.846-05:00

  And...we're back to ornaments again. This is a new addition. On Sunday, Lauren told me she wanted to craft, so as we usually do, we went online to search for a craft that was simple enough for a 6 year old, wouldn't make a mess, and could be made from supplies that we had on hand. We settled on this button wreath. Lauren really knows her Roy G Biv and chose to make a rainbow pattern instead of

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-47292926208229069852011-12-05T18:38:00.001-05:002011-12-05T19:35:12.663-05:00

  Now for something completely different. Today I actually ventured outside of the boundaries of my house. I figure that I'm going to have to do that a few times because I only have so many decorations to shoot. I pass by this park pavilion on the way to work. I get such a kick out of it. I think it looks like a place where Mary and Joseph would stop, had they been traveling through North Park

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-74730609645223922592011-12-04T18:38:00.001-05:002011-12-04T18:40:19.075-05:00

  Aren't these singing nuns adorable? I found them a few December's ago among the Christmas decorations at a local antique store. They're technically not a Christmas decoration. In fact, I think they were intended for a nursery or a child's room. Nonetheless, I only bring them out for the holidays. I think the music box inside plays "Edelweiss," but it's too damaged to tell for sure. On a

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-7533445608476985232011-12-03T16:29:00.001-05:002011-12-03T16:31:34.559-05:00

I'm very thankful that we had some nice light to work with today. Made my job easy.This is also for today's challenge, which was "A Child's View." What I wanted to convey here is how larger than life Christmas is in the eyes of a child. My child supplied the hand, while I supplied her with a trip to the store to buy a small trinket as compensation for her hand modelling. The talent is always so

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-64072398353316446652011-12-02T19:01:00.001-05:002011-12-02T19:05:29.207-05:00

Today went a lot better. Still exhausted. Still no blog banner. Maybe tomorrow. I love these little candles. They're made by Slatkin & Co. and can be found at Bath & Body Works. They're not necessarily a great value (3 for $5), but I like that they're low commitment. I hesitate to burn my larger candles because they're more expensive, and I never seem to be able to attend to them long enough

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-48964009907000989922011-12-01T22:57:00.001-05:002011-12-02T19:04:11.228-05:00

   Ugh - this is going to be harder than I thought. I am so exhausted that I can't muster a creative thought if my life depended on it. Monday night I had to go to our monthly Girl Scout Leaders meeting, last night I attended a work event, tonight was our regularly scheduled troop meeting and tomorrow I have another work event. Sometimes, my obligations seem never ending. And it just occurred to

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-56021079795079759092011-11-29T20:51:00.001-05:002011-11-29T22:14:13.912-05:00

The holidays are in full force here - the decorations are up and the shopping is well underway. I've got Christmas crafts planned and ideas for this year's card. Christmas 2011, I must break you! This weekend, Lauren and I made our first Christmas craft - paper ornaments. I found a Martha Stewart kit for half off, so I thought, why not? At first, I was a little intimidated by them, because

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-50431534198526822412011-11-24T21:39:00.001-05:002011-11-24T22:19:48.923-05:00

  For husbands who make delicious apple pies. For little girls who make pinecone turkeys. And for lots of food and family to share in it. Happy Thanksgiving!

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-8343617579671035622011-11-23T21:02:00.001-05:002011-11-29T19:24:19.423-05:00

This past weekend, we were treated with a visit from my cousin Noreen and her husband Nick. We'll now refer to him as "Saint Nick" because he graciously tolerates our wacky family and our quasi liberal beliefs. ;) I love when my family visits because I get to do stuff that I wouldn't normally get to do. Like spending a gorgeous sunny day in November walking around the city. Our first stop was

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-43346132009719035322011-11-22T20:58:00.001-05:002011-11-24T09:31:49.550-05:00

   After a brief hiatus, I'm finally ready to get back to blogging. Since we left off, I've helped coordinate our Girl Scout Troop's annual Magnut sale and investiture ceremony, traveled to Boston for my annual business trip, enjoyed a visit from my cousin Noreen and her husband Nick, and of course, continued to manage life around the kitchen remodel. Even with my Thanksgiving dinner hosting

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-18523687804646298322011-11-01T21:10:00.000-04:002011-11-01T21:10:12.376-04:00

  After two full days of Halloween activities, I'm completely exhausted. First, I got to help out at Lauren's class party at school. I'm so glad I took the time off to do it. Opportunities to do things like that will get fewer and far between as she gets older. Plus, the kids were just too cute and pretty well behaved. Here's Lauren with another one of her BFFs. And Captain America.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-15655579308247135902011-10-31T16:33:00.000-04:002011-10-31T16:33:29.248-04:00

Yesterday, we attended Zoo Boo at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. In addition to the usual creatures on the display, the zoo invites over some creatures of the night to celebrate Halloween. Her highness Miss Kitty was joined by two gallant knights. It just so happens that the son of our old friends is in Lauren's class this year, so we made plans to attend with them and their older son.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-13427228025038333172011-10-30T18:57:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:02:21.693-04:00

I've been taking a break from photography and blogging in order to focus on some other things. We have two home improvement projects underway and the demands of managing the life of a 6 year old continue to increase. Nonetheless, I can't let October slip by without some Halloween themed posts! Lauren picked out this caution tape to decorate her room for Halloween. Since there was a lot left

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-34902518674654807112011-10-10T19:15:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:02:34.965-04:00

"The bull is my masterpiece." ~ The Artist (View large to see the drawings better.) This photo cost me a trip to the dollar store. I thought people were supposed to pay photographers to take their photos and not the other way around. Lauren was really proud to have her pictures hanging on the wall, so she made even more. Now the gallery contains 27(!) pieces. Good things happen when I take a

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-128504612827595242011-10-09T21:00:00.001-04:002011-10-30T19:02:47.291-04:00

  The weather has been gorgeous over the last couple of days, and today was no exception. We didn't have any plans, so we were just hanging around the house. As I sat and watched a football game on TV, I thought that days like this are numbered, and it would be a shame to spend it in the house. So off we went to take a hike at our favorite place, Fall Run Park. Of course, I took my camera

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-10535533436901959812011-10-09T20:45:00.002-04:002011-10-30T19:03:12.863-04:00

Yesterday, we participated once again in our school district's homecoming parade. This year's theme was "Epic Adventure." And it was an epic adventure alright - the unseasonably warm weather must have increased attendance by tenfold. The crowd was enormous! Given that this was her second year at school and she seems to know all of her classmates, I thought Lauren would have been more excited

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-80878972587544404452011-10-03T20:59:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:03:34.263-04:00

I've been so busy this past week. Our Girl Scout year has finally started, so I've been spending much of my time attending meetings, emailing and just general planning.  Things should calm down a little bit on that front now that we've kicked things off. And here it is only October 3rd, and I think I'm already suffering from winter depression. After a week of not even touching my camera, I

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-70568285157144081912011-09-25T19:38:00.002-04:002011-10-30T19:03:48.071-04:00

  Having a bit of a horse themed weekend. I downloaded this game for iPad a few weeks ago called, "My Horse." I just remembered yesterday to show it to Lauren, and now she's obsessed with it. You can do all kinds of fun things to take care of your horse like mix its feed, dress it up in tack, and enter it into competitions. It's just like having a real one, without the smell and the expense.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-38217139984669344252011-09-23T21:55:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:04:00.682-04:00

Yesterday, Mark and I attended curriculum night at Lauren's school. It provides parents a chance to learn more about teaching methodologies and what goes on during the school day. It gave me a chance to take some photos of Lauren's classroom. She strictly forbade me from doing it before the school year started when we went to meet her teacher. HA! I showed her! In fact, I've resolved that

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-47354803741540107952011-09-23T21:10:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:04:18.718-04:00

Today's challenge is "Magnify." Mark is a scientist - in fact his lab is the biological imaging center for the university where he works. So one Christmas I gave him this antique microscope and an old copy of Gray's Anatomy. Today was another dreary one, devoid of light, so I broke out the strobe once again. Originally, I was going to title this with a quote, so when I went looking, I found

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-45449338328891271632011-09-21T22:08:00.001-04:002011-10-30T19:05:20.433-04:00

  I expected to post only the honeymoon photos today, but then again, I didn't expect Mark to give me an anniversary gift. Since we are in the middle of redesigning our kitchen, I had told him not to worry about buying gifts this year because we're already treating ourselves with a new kitchen. Nonetheless, he went ahead and purchased this original painting by El Gato Gomez. You have to check

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-44367093303513637032011-09-21T21:33:00.001-04:002011-10-30T19:05:39.080-04:00

Today marks our 9 year wedding anniversary, so I thought it would be fun to show some NEVER BEFORE SEEN (Okay, rarely seen in the last 9 years), photos of our honeymoon! I adore our honeymoon photos, and in fact, I'd have to say that I hold them more dear than the ones from our wedding day. Several years ago, I made a photo album / scrapbook for them. We spent our honeymoon in Las Vegas, so

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-78672893997141130942011-09-20T21:23:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:05:53.740-04:00

(Get it? "Hairy" eyeball?) Just in time for Halloween next month, Lauren dug out this little guy and suggested that I take a photo of him. This time around, I thought I'd try some off camera lighting to achieve the look I wanted. I started to learn off camera lighting last Spring, but since there has been plenty of natural light to go around, I haven't been practicing at all. My plan is to

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-21521733600088070812011-09-16T21:26:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:06:07.161-04:00

For the last month or so, I've still been doing the daily challenges off and on, but I haven't been so good about posting them here. In fact, I've been experiencing a creative slump these last couple of weeks. It happens now and then, but each time it happens, I fret that this is going to be the time that I don't recover! So in an attempt to break out of my slump, I brought my camera to work

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-58578664688166795452011-09-07T19:32:00.000-04:002011-10-30T19:06:36.359-04:00

  Usually our district starts school at the end of August, but this year the kids went back after Labor Day. So I feel like I'm late arriving to the back to school party. Believe it or not, I had to convince Lauren to pick out a new backpack. While her old one was still intact, it had acquired quite a few stains last school year, but she was still insistent on using it. This frog themed

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-8026930780077556402011-08-28T20:20:00.002-04:002011-08-28T20:30:22.312-04:00

All weekend long, Lauren and her friends have been playing with perler beads, also known as fuse beads or hama beads. A couple of years ago, we bought her at huge jar of them at Ikea, but since then, they've pretty much remained untouched. Until Saturday, when she took a sudden interest in them again. Once her friends spotted them, they wanted to make some too and have been cranking out

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-79616737838390210582011-08-25T21:44:00.004-04:002011-08-25T22:32:07.683-04:00

Trying as hard as we can to hold on, but summer is slipping away from our grasp. Girl Scouts has already called me back to active duty, the Fall season of soccer starts next week, and 1st grade room assignment arrived in the mail today. In fact, Lauren received her first phone call today from a boy(!) who wanted to know if she was in his class. I'm beside myself. Every once in awhile, Lauren

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-51155113791022585872011-08-22T18:42:00.004-04:002011-10-30T19:06:19.849-04:00

I admit that I have been a lame blogger these past couple of weeks. In my defense, I've been trying to post this update for the last several days, but I kept facing technical difficulties with the forthcoming video files, which unlike camera files, I know nothing about. Thanks to the glories of the internet and with the help of iMovie, I was finally able to download the videos off my SD card,

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-68181092104375358572011-08-14T21:04:00.002-04:002011-08-14T21:08:03.953-04:00

Just a quick post to mention that eleven years ago this month, we adopted our sweet little lady. On vacation now - a whole week at home without schedules or routines (Except for soccer camp in the morning). To me, that is absolute paradise.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-76229692252244492272011-08-11T20:11:00.002-04:002011-08-11T20:48:43.221-04:00

The wording of the title is intentional. It's an unfortunate homage to the fact that in spite of a very promising start, the Pittsburgh Pirates have returned to their losing ways that have become the norm over the last twenty seasons. Nevertheless, last Sunday, we traveled with our friends to PNC Park to see the Pirates play. This was Lauren's second baseball game, and the first one that we've

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-28974735069178023312011-08-08T19:23:00.004-04:002011-08-08T20:49:24.312-04:00

This Saturday, we made our third trip to the Zoar Ohio Harvest Festival. You can read more about our previous visits here and here. I'm beginning to think that I'm cursed in a Charlie Brown kinda way. You know - "Everything I touch gets ruined." My favorite products get discontinued. Most of the significant landmarks from my childhood / coming of age have been closed or torn down. Now I find

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-67777845289121389122011-07-23T19:36:00.004-04:002011-07-23T21:14:56.112-04:00

Today we participated in the PittStop MINI Club meetup at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. 140 MINIs travelled parade style from the West End Overlook to Schenley Park. We were one of last cars to arrive because there was a major accident on the most direct route, leaving us to backtrack almost all the way home so that we could take a detour. Here's Mark posing in front of a fog covered

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-50013674656650929682011-07-21T20:30:00.003-04:002011-07-21T20:41:42.682-04:00

Today I was going to post some photos from Girl Scout camp, but my appointment at the hair salon took longer than expected. However, I did have just enough time to take a couple of shots for today's challenge.Wouldn't it figure that on the hottest day of the year, the air conditioner at my parents' house went kaput? So poor Lauren and Grandma spent their day doing their best to keep cool.The

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-4827336580354883302011-07-20T18:54:00.006-04:002011-07-20T19:11:52.426-04:00

Also last weekend, my Aunt Beth and Cousin Jen came to visit us all the way from Texas. Most of my family is scattered across the country, so it's always a real treat when they come for a visit!My cousin Michele couldn't make it because she had a prior engagement. If she comes to visit next time, we promise not to make her walk a mile in the hot sun like we made poor Beth and Jen!Luckily, we did

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-56710709730114986562011-07-19T18:58:00.004-04:002011-07-19T19:35:31.476-04:00

It dawned on me that Kennywood is a lot like an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. You make Memories there. It has a Musik (Starlight) Express and Phantom ('s Revenge).You can ride the Carousel. Oh wait, never mind. That was Rodgers and Hammerstein.And sometimes you see a Jellicle cat.Last Saturday, we headed to Kennywood with our friends Scott, Beth and "the other" Lauren. Here's Mr. Scott on the Musik

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-46915300190429674622011-07-18T20:26:00.002-04:002011-07-18T20:34:47.056-04:00

We had a very full, happening weekend which I will hopefully post about as the week continues when I have more time and energy to edit photos. For now, I give you this grasshopper. Please try to contain your excitement.This fulfilled today's challenge, "part of the full picture." The only time that I ever see a grasshopper is when one perches on our daylilies. I had a lot of fun shooting this

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-28438469415224536102011-07-14T20:35:00.002-04:002011-07-14T20:38:47.957-04:00

Today's challenge was "Begins with G." As I've mentioned before, this is one of my favorite photos. It was taken sometime in the late 60's / early 70's at the Playboy Club in Las Vegas. Pap is posing with "Bunny Nikki."Pap was a gentle man. He liked to do Snoopy impersonations, perform tricks with his handkerchief, dye Easter eggs and smoke Winstons. A larger version of the photo can be seen

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-16111914714351218912011-07-14T20:23:00.004-04:002011-07-14T20:35:18.262-04:00

My Flickr account has been enjoying a surge of activity this past week. Yesterday's challenge was "Have a seat." Coincidentally, I just did a chair photo for one of last week's challenges (This actually happens quite a bit). I shot this in a two foot space next to my Lauren's bed, so I had very little room to compose. And since I had a pot of macaroni and cheese on the stove, I was also under the

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-2034316499244142292011-07-10T19:59:00.004-04:002011-07-10T20:11:56.693-04:00

The primary challenge of this weekend had nothing to do with photography, but the fact that Lauren is sick. It would seem that her lethargy on Thursday had nothing to do with her being tired, but everything to do with her 102 degree temperature that she just can't seem to kick. Needless to say, we missed the last day of Girl Scout camp as well. I'll try to upload the few photos that I did take

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-48113638112816975762011-07-07T20:19:00.004-04:002011-07-07T20:30:57.761-04:00

Playing hooky today from Girl Scout camp because Lauren and I are completely exhausted. I thought for certain that she was going to be devastated when I told her that we weren't going tonight (The girls were scheduled to go swimming), but she merely shrugged it off. Usually she spends her entire evening outside in the backyard, but right now, she's lying on the couch watching Return of the Jedi

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-75238705767597261812011-07-04T20:03:00.004-04:002011-07-05T07:16:21.322-04:00

Since non-photography life has been keeping me so busy, I haven't had time to participate in the daily challenges, but given we had our 4th of July celebration on the 3rd, I had a little free time today.When I saw today's challenge, I immediately thought of someone looking for their lost camera. After I was finished editing, I thought that it should be titled "I would be lost without you." Too

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-72182728690293041012011-07-02T16:51:00.005-04:002011-07-02T17:20:19.422-04:00

Just a little patriotic pun in honor of the impending Independence Day holiday. Here we are at 2011's halfway mark, and would you look at that? This is the 51st post of the year. That's as many as entire 2010! I think I can now claim that I have brought the blog back from the brink of extinction. :)Took the day off from work yesterday so that I could take Lauren to our community pool. She has

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-61404937995364512642011-06-29T20:10:00.004-04:002011-06-29T21:19:15.788-04:00

Two weeks ago today, we visited Longwood Gardens, which is located on over 1000 acres in Kennett Square, PA on the Eastern side of the state. According to Wikipedia, the land was purchased from William Penn himself by the Peirce family, who collected all kinds of different specimens of trees on the land. In the early 20th century, the trees were in danger of being sold for lumber, so Pierre S. du

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-13316458944653756192011-06-24T18:05:00.004-04:002011-06-24T18:39:53.985-04:00

This damn dirty ape.I was browsing the work of Dennis Stock when I came across it. Stock was most famous for his atmospheric portraits of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, but he also did a series of behind-the-scenes photos from Planet of the Apes, mainly the actors hanging out and going about their daily business dressed in costume. I love everything about this one - the donut shop

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-73557171070941269652011-06-22T18:30:00.005-04:002011-06-22T19:06:26.895-04:00

We conclude our tour of Ocean City with a little family shoot. I had the foresight to buy Lauren a lollipop before attempting this. While she was distracted enough not to complain about having her photo taken, the bloomin' thing had to be in every shot. Oh well.No lollipops needed here.Me and Mark, as taken by Lauren.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-29344936221454386982011-06-21T19:06:00.004-04:002011-06-21T19:23:11.668-04:00

Jaws reenactment at Playland's Seaport Village Mini Golf.And in case you see a real shark, here is the headquarters of the Ocean City Beach Patrol.Me and my new best friend, Mr. Taffy, Shriver's Salt Water Taffy's mascot. LOVE Mr. Taffy! I even bought a mini stuffed version to take home to remind me of our brief but torrid meeting.Here's a Zoltar machine just like in the movie Big. Too bad it

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-86284114046159701142011-06-20T18:55:00.002-04:002011-06-20T19:15:09.302-04:00

(As I was editing this photo, I only then noticed the cute little seagull perched in the top left corner. See him? He's easier to spot if you view the photo large on Flickr.)The OCNJ boardwalk has two amusement parks - Playland and Wonderland. Unfortunately, neither of them is cheap: one buck per ticket, with each ride averaging 3-4 tickets. Yikes.But when Lauren started begging to ride the cute

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-35448057287210794252011-06-20T17:55:00.002-04:002011-06-20T18:05:03.910-04:00

...Cowboy monkeys who ride Border Collies.When Mel C and I partake lunch in our campus cafeteria we are subjected to, I mean, are able to enjoy Fox News. Well, score one for FN, because without it, we would not have known that monkeys could be cowboys. And our lives are better for knowing that.Later in the day, as I was pondering Whiplash, I remembered this monkey:GET SOME!

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-78255854087378627442011-06-19T15:55:00.005-04:002011-06-19T16:05:56.681-04:00

~ EuripidesTaking a break from the vacation photos for a Father's Day tribute. Lauren got a bit confused when I asked her to decorate a gift bag for her daddy's Father's day gift. She's also a little off base with his age - lol!Lauren is so lucky to have such a good daddy. He gets her ready for school in the morning (and according to her, makes a better ponytail than I do), buys her donuts and

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-75924616235197664772011-06-18T17:23:00.004-04:002011-06-18T17:41:51.771-04:00

Long live Jilly's Arcade. It's an institution. When I was a kid visiting the shore, the video game craze was at its height. I have distinct memories of playing Pac-man, Donkey Kong, and Galaga at Jilly's. Oh, and that Space Invaders pinball machine. Everyone wanted to play that. And don't forget Skeeball. Lots and lots of Skeeball...Lucky for us, they still have 10 cent skeeball, as we just so

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-82715993054471245432011-06-18T16:16:00.002-04:002011-06-18T16:40:43.763-04:00

Say what you will about boardwalk shopping (If you're Mark, you'd say that they are filled with cheaply made yet expensive tchotchkes.), you can't say that they're boring.The trends may change, but what doesn't change is that the boardwalk is the place to get the latest graphic t-shirt. Come to think it of, one thing that did change is the way they make them. They didn't used to be pre-made, but

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-35741570880066349662011-06-18T15:25:00.002-04:002011-06-18T15:46:05.930-04:00

The first thing that we want to cover is, of course, the beach. Our motel was only a block away from the beach and boardwalk, which made it very convenient for us to make trips back and forth when we needed to take a break.Lauren was crazy about the beach. Our morning ritual was to get up and head straight to the beach so that we could collect shells. As we would walk the boardwalk throughout the

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-35074557110043001852011-06-18T12:33:00.006-04:002011-06-18T14:15:33.224-04:00

In case it isn't too obvious, the title is a Jersey Shore reference, which although I've never watched the show, having spent several days at the Jersey shore I feel that I am intimately familiar with it. The one thing Lauren wanted to do most of all this summer was to go to the beach. We chose Ocean City, NJ because it was the closest (A little under seven hours away, or about six if you drive

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-82223211777623041572011-06-11T21:31:00.004-04:002011-06-11T21:52:39.322-04:00

With all our vacation preparations, I wasn't planning on participating in today's photo challenge. When I went to Wal-mart to pick up a few things for our trip, I remembered that we needed dog biscuits. As soon as I saw these, I had to get them. The Airedale on the packaging was just too cute, and of course reminded me of a certain someone. When I got home, I thought that this would make a great

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-54817009260374683552011-06-11T21:28:00.008-04:002011-06-11T22:54:59.580-04:00

Just taking a moment from packing to enjoy my birthday presents from Mark. Tomorrow, we're headed to the beach - Ocean City, New Jersey to be exact. Unlike with British soccer camp, I hope Lauren does not bring home the accent. ;)But before we go, I want to take another moment to give a big thanks to my far away friends that go out of their way to make me feel special on my birthday. Since I

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-15035237928198077642011-06-09T21:43:00.003-04:002011-06-09T22:31:48.652-04:00

Hard to believe, but today was Lauren's last day of kindergarten. Here she is: same kid, same backpack (Quite a bit heavier, but more on that in a moment), yet if you look a little closer, you'll notice how much she's changed since September. This kid can read, write sentences, count past 100, tell time, add and subtract. This kid made so many friends that we can't even keep track of them all.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-35598022270537571502011-06-08T22:08:00.003-04:002011-06-08T22:22:15.925-04:00

I haven't been participating in the daily photo challenges, but an idea popped into my head today, so I went with it. I'm not entirely pleased with the way this one turned out, and I think I can do a lot better. Maybe I'll try a re-shoot if Lauren gets in the right frame of mind to participate.I should explain that this is our new old piano. Mark obtained it from someone on Craigslist. The movers

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-26328738368817744162011-06-07T20:02:00.002-04:002011-06-07T20:19:54.193-04:00

This week completely got away from me. We've been really busy with end of the school year activities, then next week we're going on vacation. I was thinking that once Lauren was on summer break that things would begin to calm down a bit, but we're pretty much booked through mid-July at this point.This weekend, Lauren finished U6 soccer. After two seasons of being orange, her team was finally

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-81193122584745431962011-05-31T19:26:00.005-04:002011-05-31T19:48:23.452-04:00

I wanted to post these yesterday, but we spent the majority of the day outdoors enjoying the unseasonably hot weather. And wouldn't it figure that of the two parades that I've participated in during my lifetime, the one occurs on a day when temperatures are in the mid-nineties?Nonetheless, my Girl Scout Troop marched like champs through the heat as both veteran and non-veteran onlookers clapped

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-69419219739937969482011-05-26T22:17:00.006-04:002011-05-26T22:36:02.207-04:00

I had a lot of great things to choose from for this challenge, what with the nearby Victorian houses, waterfall and roller rink. This is Glenshaw Presbyterian Church. It also serves as our school bus stop. Speaking of the roller rink...here it is! I had difficulty with this one because I really needed a higher vantage point in order to get the whole sign in the shot. Mark suggested that I try to

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-8423919809032815642011-05-25T19:56:00.005-04:002011-05-25T21:13:30.347-04:00

I'm still trying to take part in daily photo challenges, but due to time constraints/lack of ideas and or energy/inclement weather and so on, more often than not I end up participating on a weekly basis. If I only shoot one subject for the challenge, I've only been uploading the photo to Flickr. However, I've decided that in an effort to make good on my promise to dedicate myself more to blogging

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-67890994343175894552011-05-24T19:45:00.003-04:002011-05-25T21:08:40.316-04:00

Another photo shoot with Lauren, another painful, I mean, another memorable mother / daughter bonding experience. The way I saw this in my mind was a black and white shot with only the scarf in color, but in the end, I decided to keep it all color.Please note that no Coach ponytail scarves were lost or harmed during this photoshoot. In fact, at one point I had turned away only to look up at

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-79903946941533029812011-05-23T19:32:00.003-04:002011-05-25T19:54:20.280-04:00

I sneaked into my neighbor's garden to get this shot (All the while Mark was reminding me how we had a large patch of poppies in our own garden at our previous home). I never realized how interesting poppy buds are. They sort of remind me of alien antenna, or maybe baby versions of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. The back light from the sun only serves to intensify their outer worldly look

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-49275298254343004062011-05-14T22:53:00.003-04:002011-05-14T23:10:49.983-04:00

Like most kids, Lauren often complains, "I'm bored!" Lately I've found that my equivalent is "There's nothing to take pictures of!" This is a common struggle that photographers face. Those who teach photography advise that there is always something to take a picture of, you just have to see it. That "it" is the interesting in the ordinary.That is one of the most wonderful things about photography

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-76385308667057018052011-05-09T20:25:00.003-04:002011-05-09T20:32:37.974-04:00

I still need to share photos and tales of Lauren's birthday party, but as usual I'm procrastinating. This year, I'll try to upload them earlier than November.In the meantime, I thought I'd share some photos of Marcus. I find it very difficult to get good photos of him. It's partly because of his coloring, but also due to the fact that he doesn't stay still. I've found that taking photos of

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-28852416643278165512011-05-08T11:11:00.001-04:002011-05-08T11:40:03.508-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-29058504020509485332011-05-02T20:57:00.003-04:002011-05-02T21:11:55.512-04:00

I was telling Aunt Phyllis last weekend that if I could freeze time, this is the age I would do it. She's relatively self-sufficient, independent enough to have friends and participate in activities, generally understands when you explain things to her, and can do lots of things like play games, draw, write and even read a little. In spite of being so grown up, she still wakes up early to wave

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-19233516136130464512011-04-29T21:00:00.005-04:002011-04-30T10:40:43.685-04:00

With her birthday only 3 days away, I'm warning everyone now that the next few posts are going to be very Lauren-centric. First, I thought I'd catch up on our adventures in Girl Scouting. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking our troop on their first hike. Unfortunately, a few of the girls were ill and could not make the trip, plus the constant rain throughout the last several weeks made

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-612287609629757482011-04-24T20:10:00.003-04:002011-04-24T20:44:22.311-04:00

I'm sorry to say that this year, with the exception of these two treasure hunters sprinting through the backyard searching for eggs, I don't have any photos of our Easter celebration to share. It was just too hectic for me to juggle the duties of hostess and family photographer. Instead, I have more photos of jewelry and muscari. I really need to start branching out.I'd almost forgotten about

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-24829866079195312002011-04-16T18:58:00.005-04:002011-04-16T20:03:26.303-04:00

I intended to make Easter cards this year, but I thought that everyone might be disappointed if they didn't include a family photo or at least a solo photo of Lauren. Since a posed photo involving Lauren usually begins in bribery and ends with mental anguish, neither of which are in the spirit of Easter, I decided to forgo the idea. Then as I was editing photos I saw the one of the chick and the

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-13466713753142136842011-04-02T19:05:00.004-04:002011-04-02T19:55:34.565-04:00

I can't believe it's April already. Winter continues to go down swinging. We've actually had snow flurries during the last two days, which is putting a damper on our extracurricular activities like soccer. These were all shot with the D50. I really need to start using my new camera. I took this shot one handed while holding up the Eiffel Tower in the other hand and balancing on a chair. I

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232657898315205997.post-88097990567949007172011-03-29T19:42:00.004-04:002011-03-29T20:00:39.753-04:00

~Chinese proverb Was in the mood to take photos today. I had no particular goal other than to practice producing sharp images. I grabbed my comfy old friend the D50, still outfitted with the 50mm prime lens which limited me to only one focal length. No pressure. Hold the camera steady. Maybe get my knees dirty (Which I did, and the elbows of my favorite jacket).I think I might do this more often.

m+m=lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950090590233176527noreply@blogger.com0