Posted on

Am I hot or cold?

The answer is: I am fickle.  And so are you, I’d bet.  When it’s cold outside {like now}, we dream of the warmer days at the pool or barbecues on someone’s back porch.  And then we’re reminded of the endless swim meets, of the thick wall of heat that greets you when leaving the house, of the crazy electric bills from the blasting AC, and that that infernal barbecue is at your weird neighbor/co-worker/uncle/fill in your blank’s house.  So, in those sultry, languid months of, say, July or August, our faintly faithful hearts begin to yearn for winter.

Will we ever be content?

To celebrate and engage those wishy-washy pangs, I am uploading some hot and cold photos.

You get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.  That’s what my son’s teacher says {and I know she’s already thinking about Spring Break.}  SPL

Homemade peppermint marshmallows and real deal hot chocolate.  Want the recipe?

Whew!

Posted on 2 Comments

do you hear what I hear?

No one would ever accuse me of being a talented singer.  No one.  But, I do make a joyful noise around the holidays.  And so, I have my car radio tuned to our local Easy Listening station which from Thanksgiving to Christmas plays non-stop holiday schmaltz.  And I eat it up!  I sing all of the syrupy holiday tunes like an uninhibited kid, like the car is my personal shower, like that drunk lady at the karaoke bar… Well, you get the idea.

Do you know how many different versions (and unlikely couples) there are of “It’s Cold Outside” ?  I’m waiting for Ke$ha and maybe Michael Bublé to give it a go… That would be an interesting sound, don’t ya think?

Family photos shoots and one-year-olds are hard to mix as well.  And for this holiday shoot, little man here wanted to make his own brand of holiday joy.  And what a noise it was.  It’s a bit “pterodactyl meets Braveheart.”  We were all crying for “freedom!” in the end.

Bring on the noise!  SPL

Daddy’s got a handle on the situation.

Oops, he got away for a second

After some serious Photoshopping, I got everyone together…

Posted on

Fix-it-Friday #66

I heart faces (dot) com has put up another fix it friday post.  Here are my edits.  Be sure to go to their site to see all the other entries.

Here’s the original.  He’s such a cute boy and I love his eyes.

color edit with pioneer woman's bring on the eyes action
BW edit
Hodgepodge edit: combo of Pioneer Woman's seventies, and dim the lights actions with my own level and color balance adjustments

Posted on

Mister O

I had a teacher in high school that we affectionately called Mr. O.  This little guy here though doesn’t have a beard and doesn’t teach listless sophomores about details of Modern European History.  This new Mr. O has only been around for about two and a half weeks.   Isn’t he adorable?  It’s usually hard to keep a newborn awake for longer than thirty minutes, but this sweetie stayed awake and alert the whole time.

Enjoy.  SPL



Posted on

Who's a sucker for a big sky?

No rainbows or sunsets here, but I love the big, blue sky.  We have had a mixed bag of weather on vacation: overcast, to rain, to cloudy, to perfect blue.  Here is a collection of sky snaps.  Enjoy.  SPL

That’s my son skiing.  Doesn’t he look so little?

Moody blue sky that is threatening rain

That’s Smith Mountain (in Western Virginia)

Don’t count this as a sunset.

Cloudy day

Sunny day

5AM at the lake

8PM at the lake

Big eyes (not big skies) at the marina shop.


Posted on

It's too darn hot

I took the kids on a field trip the other day, because it was 102F outside and I wanted to do something fun, but indoors.  We have been having what feels like record-breaking temps recently.  I’m sure that there’s some Nino/Nina something-0r-other to explain the wacky weather.

However, for our outing, we decided on the Virginia Aquarium.  It’s recently renovated with many more interactive exhibits for the kids (and parents, too.)  Yes, I touched the snake, too.

Enjoy. SPL

indoor waterfall
find me in the photo... there are a lot of me's
outdoor railing
it's like you're in the tank with 'em
eww. he's cold.

Posted on

The ones that got away: poll

Thanks to all who voted in our poll yesterday.

Our clear winner was  The boy at the birthday party.  CONGRATS!

These are some great photos, but not necessarily the ones you’d want on your wall (unless you’re me.) I love the quirky faces and funny expressions.   I need to find my ice-cream-covered-face shots for later…

Vote for your favorite and the winner will get a free 5″x7.”

(You can only vote once.  If that’s your kid, encourage your friends and family to vote.)

Contest ends at 9am July 23, 2010.

A.  Brothers on the porch

B. Boys praying

C.  Girl in pink close-up

D. Boy with hat talking

E. Blond girl who won’t smile

F. Boy looking away

G.  Girl with curly blond hair and koolaid-stained mouth

H. Boy getting psyched to swim

I.  Boy at the birthday party

[polldaddy poll=3502657]

Bookmark and Share