What my neighbors are watching

Browsing my netflix the other day, this caught my eye, and pretty much sums up where I live.

Legendary - a movie about wrestling
Racing stripes - a B grade kid movie about a racing zebra.
Jeff Dunham - his world revolves around puppets.

And not one, but TWO Cannonball run movies.


Academy awards? We don't need none of them thar fancy type awards to haves us a good time!

The day I tracked a velociraptor - or - deep thoughts by Jack Handey

There is just something about winter, and the tracks in the snow that makes me fall in love year after year. Maybe it's just that it harkens back to when I was a kid on a snow day. Snow seemed bigger back then and more magical, or maybe it's just because I was smaller then and the snow looked bigger to me.

It's kind of enchanting, seeing the places all the little birds have been. Playing and searching in the snow for dinner.

And here, a dog possibly, tracking a turkey.

Or maybe it's a turkey tracking a dog!?

Or maybe it's a velociraptor tracking a werewolf.

{My money is on the velociraptor. I would probably pay to see that. Then I'd cover my eyes the whole time.}

Anyway, I think that tracks in the snow is a beautiful metaphor on life. Once you pass through it, there is no denying where you have been. You can work diligently and carefully, but you can never hide what you've done - until something bigger comes along (more snow... or sunshine), but even under the bigger, better (or worse) happenings in your life, under it all those tracks are still there... your history.

Anyway, the other day at the end of my "explore". I was standing at the top of the huge hill that months earlier had been covered in dandelions and clover, but now just snow. I could see forever all the way around me and was very completely alone.

I decided that I too, needed to make a "print" ... a little "history" of my own that day.

{when life hands you snow - make snow angels}

So I plopped down and made a really bad snow angel for some random farmer to find. Pristine snow, a few tracks in from the road and "plop" a snow angel. I picture said farmer saying "wth?" lol.

{I'm apparently really bad at snow angels. It's kinda hard to do with a big old camera in your hand, the wrong shoes and a light jacket. I told you I was ill prepared for "adventures"}

Thursday Sparks - Enamel brooches

I don't know what it is, but lately enamel brooches have been making my heart all aflutter. Sad considering I probably tossed some of these from a past life.

Why? No idea.

However, I'm falling in love with brooch mirrors and making art that I can hang in my home.

Yes, I will be THAT crazy old lady. I'm ok with it.



And don't even get me started on brooch bouquets!

I wish I would have done this! What a beautiful way to include grandmas, aunts, mother in laws, moms, cousins, etc etc. *swoon*

Sooooo.. if you're related to me, and wanna dig through your jewelry box and give me an old brooch for me just being my wonderful self, well, I swear I won't yell at ya or nuttin. ;)

I'm ITCHIN' for garage sales now.
sigh.

ADVICE: when going on an adventure, wear the right shoes

So Tuesday, after I made a special trip to town to pick up the magazine article that appeared that day in Josephine, I decided I needed a little photo adventure. Funny, I did the same thing back in April when my feature was on the front page for Earth Day. I just needed to be out, and I had my camera so I went.

The thing is, I kinda suck at spontaneous adventure and had the wrong shoes (furry clogs) so most of my adventure was roadside.... with muddy shoes.

Not cool.

So it's final, I'll never make it to the top of Everest. heck, I'll never make it to the top of a really big hill if I keep wearing those shoes.

After some searching for *something*, I finally decided I'd just pop it in 4WD and hit the same place I did back in April, after all, it would be interesting to see what it looks like vs the spring.

And this is where I almost got a shoe stuck. It's also the same shoe that I tracked mud through the house.

Like I said, I'm not very good at this thing.

But it was just as pretty as before. The top of a huge hill, looking out into almost forever. That's when I decided that I would try one of my favorite techniques - before and after. Some comparison photos from then and now.

This would have been way more impressive, had I worn the right shoes.


Tomorrow, I'll share with you something I left for some random farmer to find.


********In other News*********

Anyway, I mean to share this with you yesterday evening, but for some reason, that Sonic Blast I shared with Gene put me in a sugar coma. *no really* and I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. and didn't get up til 8 a.m.

Yes I do feel refreshed, why do you ask.

I should, and I'm a little disappointed I didn't wake up looking a couple years younger considering how long I slept. But, it's just sleep, not a miracle, so I won't push it. Tonight - I'm going to try to stay awake until 7:45. I'll report later to see if that happens or not.

Man it's hell being so damn beautiful and popular!

that's sarcasm if you didn't pick up on it.


However, check this out!

So after my article was published in the Maryville Daily Forum, the St. Joseph News Press contacted me. They wanted to feature me in the women's magazine they put out monthly!! Finally, today it came out! It'll be seen by around 30,000 people! GET OUT!

If you'd like to read what the article says, you can see it online here!

Yay it's Monday!

Pretend like that's an awesome shot of a bridal fair booth with all the trimmings and packed with customers.

That's because I had a bridal fair on Sunday and didn't take out my camera one time! I couldn't, I didn't have time. I'm pretty sure that's a good sign. Yesterday (not just the bridal fair) was a good day business wise.

It snowed out the yingyang again (that's a very technical meteorological term fyi) and our master plan of taking the neon AND Tanner, turned into taking the 4 wheel drive jeep and dumping Tanner alone at home.

I'm quite positive my 16 year old boy was home crying his eyes out he didn't get to go to the bridal fair. I'll make it up to him soon, I will probably take him to the nail salon so he can watch me get a new set of nails.

Friday, my throat started to get a "tickle" and I flopped myself in the middle of the floor and had a huge hissy fit. You see, I JUST GOT OVER a cold (you don't remember me whining for 3 weeks?) and I'm really not ready for another one. In fact, I kinda prefer the old one. That one didn't make me sound like Barry White. So, going into the show I knew I would be hurting today. Talking for 4 hours straight normally sounds really appealing to me, but in reality it was more like swallowing a bag of gravel. My throat hurts today.

I did get to see so many wonderful brides, and have come to the conclusion that 09-10-11 shall be banished from the earth. I've had no less than a dozen brides want that day now. *a dozen* Girls... 11-11-11 is WAY COOLER (and I'm open so go for it).

I also ran into a girl that I went to high school with, who apparently stalks me here. (Hi Beth). She was much older than me tho ;) I'm unofficially booked until 2016 for her son's senior pics.

My ultimate goal was to come home, go to bed and sleep 12 hours. I went to bed at 10:30 - the same time as Gene - but couldn't sleep. GRRR. I ended up getting up at 11:15 and staying up til 2 a.m. working on an album (which is friggin awesome just for the record). Up at 8 a.m. So, half time sleep is acceptable right?

Hmmfpt.

TODAY: Run some errands. That damn banker prefers when I put money in the checking account. What is up with THAT? Plus, despite having a cold, I really feel energized business wise and I have a lot of things to get done like mailing an album, working on designing about 6 more this week (which is my favorite part of the whole process fyi... yeah, I'm still a scrapbooker at heart!)

I'm also going to continue to stalk Kal Barteski's blog multiple times a day hoping for a new baby. I've been reading Kal's blog since she was married just a few months and she's on her third little one now. I'm sure she puts me in the "certifiable stalker" category (like I do Beth ;).

Oh, and I'm going to eat lots of honey. Not just because it's good for your cold and sore throats, but because it tastes friggin awesome and who couldn't use a couple more honey induced poundages right?

Hellooo?

Thursday Sparks - OOF

OOF = out of focus.
Blurry.

Lately I've been inspired by blurry photos. I don't know why for sure, maybe it's because they're a little more mysterious and magical. Romantic and dreamy. It's like trying to tell the story, without all the words.

It just doesn't seem right, unless it's perfectly wrong.

Only the last photo is by me (click on the photos to see their other works).

Gene doesn't "get it", and I suspect most people won't. I mean, 10 years ago, if I'd gotten that on a roll of film, I'd have cussed and tossed it. Now I slapped my logo on it.

Try it, you have virtually nothing to lose. Just remember that your camera will have to be on manual focus. OR, if you feel adventurous, put a little vaseline on your lens.

{Lens is not a euphemism.}

What up, dawg!?

It snowed last night. A lot, around 6-9 inches. It's Missouri, and it's January.... why are you repeatedly surprised by this?

So on my way to bed (which for the record is 2 a.m. I'm a night owl) I peek out the window to see fat magical snowflakes tumbling out of the sky. So fat that you swear you can hear them fall. So it was no big surprise that I got totally jacked up and went outside to capture some photos.

Me, a camera, Gene's boots and a porch light. That's it. We did alright.



So this morning, when I tumble out of bed at 9 a.m. (I can't get up earlier, please see the 2 a.m. reference), this note is stuck to the microwave/bulletin board.

This is Tanner's polite way of saying "Don't effin' wake me up, Dawg."

'Cept Tanner doesn't say "effin" because he's a fairly polite kid. (accent on fairly) He also doesn't say "Dawg" because it's not 1997.


So.. snow day!
I wonder how the chickens will feel about having snow up to their nether regions.

Must investigate.

A conversation with Tanner

{This is an old picture. Tanner is 19 feet taller now. No really}

Tanner: "I had a dream last night I was shopping for cars at XXXXX car lot. All I could afford was a lawn mower or a bbq grill."

Me: "Oh Tanner, you can't afford a lawn mower!"

Chestnuts roasting in my bedroom... *singing*

I'm going to celebrate my 1000th post (yes.. one. thousand. posts.) by sharing some heat.

Yes my friends, I'm basking in the sweltering interior of my wee lil' home in the middle of a bean field. If you remember, back in December (like, right before Christmas bah!) our furnace said it's final good-byes.

We spent that day hitting the home improvement stores looking for ventless heaters. I really dragged my feet, but I only had one other choice, and that was to pony up for a whole new furnace. Which, I could do, but it would have pinched us so we went with the Plan B.

{I know... I need to vacuum!}

The up side to this plan is, that now I have a little gas fireplace in my bedroom. The downside is, that there's a little flickering light dancing across my ceiling all night long. It's taking some getting used to.

Well, for Gene, not me. He sleeps with a sock across his eyes to keep the light out.
Don't ask.

It's cute, and really does look like a fire at a glance. Plus it was CHEAP! It was on sale for $150 for the entire unit! That is much less (like 90% off) of other units we looked at we liked.

So, if you're considering ventless heaters, it's a pretty good deal! We're keeping the house warmer than before, while using less propane in the process. (our furnace was NOT efficent - not even close).

Yay warm!

I'm here... I got my quirk on

I like to decorate. I always have, although I wouldn't say I'm the best at it, it's fun making my "space" unique and different from anyone else's anywhere. My style is somewhat eclectic. At best you could call it "quirky".

I no longer buy things from Target or somesuch to add to my house. Most things are found in antique stores or flea markets and so on. I love to find those really cool one-of-kind pieces. I thought it might be fun to share with you some of my very favorite quirky stuff.

1. This is absolutely one of my favorite pieces ever. It's a handmade lunchbox. I don't know who C. Lundy is, but I can tell you it's not from 1851. It's probably around 1951 instead. Beautiful pine, with faux finish on it. Apparently Mr. Lundy loved fishing too.

Closer inspection shows a photo on the front. I'm assuming it's Mr. Lundy. He's a shoe shine man!

Love love! And it was only $10. I walked by it a couple times and couldn't stop thinking about it so I had to get it. I do absolutely nothing with it. :p Like most containers I have, nothing is inside. Weird.

#2. A bird's nest in a branch. I've had this for several years now. I think it makes a cool accent piece in my living room. It's fallen off the wall 900 times by people bumping it (mostly me) and that little nest is still hanging on. Well done lil' birdy! $3.00 at an antique mall.

#3. Our wagon with a fighting cowboy and Indian. The wagon came first. It has amazing detail. No idea if it's hand made or what, but we fell in love with it and had to have it. The cowboy and indian just really struck me, and when I got them home, well, they were the perfect size. There's a whole cowboy western going on right there on my bar. Wagon: $40.00 at an antique show. Cowboy/Indian $5.00 (I think each) at a different antique show.

#4. My Hobo Horse. I saw this at an antique show/flea market and fell in LOVE. Gene hates it but he indulges too. It's considered tramp art as it was supposedly made by a hobo with found materials. In reality, tramp art is usually just dad/grandpa making due with what they had available. The top unlocks to a hidden chamber inside. I talked the guy down from $65 to $45.

#5. Our vietnamese bow and arrow set. *they are real* the arrows are kinda scary. I need to get this hung on the wall. I've just been avoiding it because I have to rearrange my entire wall to make them fit! $30.00 at an antique mall.

#6. My silver tea set (plated for the record). I love this because it was my wedding gift from Gene. The little bird salt and pepper shakers I added later. I think he paid around $50 for the tea set, and the salt and pepper shakers I can't remember for sure, I think $10.00

#7. My lamp made from surveyor's tripod. Nope, not an antique. It's the first "big" purchase I made after my divorce. I just saw it and fell in love. I still love it but it takes up a lot of space for a floor lamp! (I have a lamp fetish fyi). Bought at a good old furniture store - that's now out of business. $80.00

#8. My suggestion box. There better not be any SUGGESTIONS in there. Grr. I just loved the wood grain on this and the cute lock (it's unlocked - no key) $10.00 at antique mall.

#9. Old red baby cowboy boots. I orginally intended to resell these but I love them too much to let them go. Mint condition. CUTE as a button. $5.00 at antique show.

#10. My leaf plate. Empty here but always has some misc crap in it. I'm trying to think of a way to display it on a wall so that doesn't happen anymore! It's kinda big, over a foot long. $14.00 at an antique mall.

#11. My hand painted folk art jar. I really love folk art, it's one of those things that you either love or you hate. If it's well done, it just looks "special". This piece really jumped out at me. $8.00 at an antique mall.

#12 - An old plate from a steak restaurant ($4.00 at an antique mall) and a set of serving knife/fork - $10.00 (I think). These hang in my kitchen. I love the handles on the serving pieces.

#13 - our latest acquisition. A globe! I found it yesterday at an antique mall. The globe itself is all inset gemstones. How cool is that!? As soon as my bar/library is done, it will go on one of the shelves. I've needed a globe for a long time. I'll be honest, I'm not very savvy when it comes to the world geography, so now when I hear something on the news, I can visually see where we're talking about. A steal at $30! (I've found them online for around $200)

As you can see, we find pretty darn good deals. That means I've also walked past a whole lot of stuff that I thought was equally as incredible, but more appropriately priced too. (ie: too expensive for my tastes). If I don't hit the powerball, that might be a good thing, god is watching out for me. lol.

In the next few weeks, I'm going to bring you a NEW FEATURE here! Trash to Treasures! I recently shared a post about my dresser makeover and it was a huge hit. I realized this is something I really enjoy doing so I thought I'd share more of my redecorating on the cheap pieces.

Like to decorate? Please share your links!

A conversation with some chickens:

Me: "Do my chickens wanna go outside??!"
Chickens: "bwak bwak BWAK"

(translation: "Screw that crap!")

Don't worry too much, the chickens are all safe and sound. Their chicken coop is probably a nicer house than many third world countries (no lie). They have a heat lamp which is probably costing me a fortune to run (it keeps it above freezing), plastic to keep the breeze out, a full view glass door to let in a lot of light for warmth, the neighbor plowed a path right to the coop door and lastly, Tanner fixed the little gap under their door to keep the snow out (brilliant job btw).

The down side is, the dirty little buggers are all cooped up (get that joke now?) with 20 of their closest friends and frienemies. I bet there's some interesting conversations going on out there.

Besides the conversations with me anyway.

Someone is obviously sulking

{Things only women understand: #1. Cats facial expressions}

He looks kinda pissed doesn't he? I'm not sure what I said or did, but dude is mad at me. What else is new right? He is male after all.

My dining room table has been my work desk for about 6 months now. (yeah, I know). He likes to sit behind the computer and occasionally pokes his head around looking for attention. Apparently I've offended him in some manner because now he sits with his back to me, head hanging down and once in a while he'll bat something onto the floor just to be a typical man/pain in the arse.

I might have to trade him in for a better, non-defective, pissy cat.

Do those even exist???!

Jenny and Drew get Married! St. Joseph, Missouri Wedding Photographer

You might recognize Jenny. She was one of my bridesmaids at Lauren and Josh's wedding back in July. Nope, they had no idea that they both booked me. I had no idea they were friends until I saw them in a photo together on facebook. In any event, it's always so much fun to see a lot of the same players at multiple weddings as you get to know everyone a little better. Both are really sweet people, and I'm not just saying that because. I'm saying it because it's true. I have both Drew and Jenny on my facebook and every few days, Jenny posts a sweet little love note on Drew's wall. It's so obvious that these two are head over heels for each other.

To see the rest of the photos, please visit here.

It's a puzzle... what IS this???

Any guesses what this might be?

Nope, it's not the moon.
Not a nasty infection or warts.
Not a topographical map....


It is....
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An egg!

And you thought your natural birth was rough. (pun intended). Did you give birth to a porcupine?
breach?


Ouch.

Feelin' good I'm not a chicken today.

Sometimes snow isn't so bad

We have a blizzard.
It's January, so are you shocked by this revelation?

Yeah.. me neither. *sigh*

We've known for a few days it was coming, and everyone running around like it's the apocalypse or something equally as fun. However, it's been fairly easy going, although I have no idea how much since I haven't went outside since 11:30 this morning.

The up side is, I've gotten lots of editing done today and I'll have photos to share TOMORROW (that'd be Tuesday).

Saturday - a wedding. It was simple and sweet. Within 15 hours of us leaving, they were in Miami headed on their cruise to Mexico, bahamas, blah blah blah. Poop to them.
;) In contrast, I spent most of my Sunday in pajamas and limping around the house like I normally do on Sundays. Poop to me, and my bad back and weak arches.


And on that note:
She must sleep.

Thursday Sparks - Kiss the Groom

Yes, I'm a day late (and a dollar short as usual). I had this planned out for several days and could not for the life of me, remember what was it I was going to post.. hmmm.... I remembered before I fell asleep last night.

*headdesk*

I don't remember how I happened across this site "Kiss the Groom" but I really fell in love with it the moment I did. I figured out *why* after doing some exploring. It's operated by a photographer! They always seem to know what's the greatest pics don't they? We loveee those photogs ;)



If you're into photography, or planning a wedding (or hoping to plan a wedding) this is a wonderful little gem of a site!


********************

Today:
Work work work, errands!
It's the first day I haven't been hacking up a lung for 2 weeks and feel like I can get something accomplished. Hopefully it stays that way, I have a wedding tomorrow!

In other news, I was woke up today by a huge chunk of my gutter blowing off and hitting the house. *sigh* Home ownership isn't always what it's chalked up to be!