Getting in the Mood for Christmas....

Hobby to Business to Hobby

Way back in the year 1999 my hubby wanted to cheer me up. I was going through a “blue” stage & it wasn’t pretty. The poor man. So what did he do? He threw me a surprise birthday party which I found out about so it wasn’t a complete surprise (thank goodness!). He invited a lot of friends and even arranged for a friend to make the cake. It was a lot of fun.

But what I remember most about that day is that he gifted me with my first (and only at this point) SLR camera. He bought a Canon EOS Rebel and it used film. Actually, it still uses film. I still have it & I still love it. Even with everything so digital these days.

Over the years for either Christmas or my birthday he would buy me a new accessory for it. I have a telephoto lens, a tripod, an external flash, and a trigger for it. I love this camera and I used it a lot.

Once day I decided to try my hand at a little photo business. I started small. Well, I stayed small too. I did a handful of weddings, a few family shoots, and some senior photos. A good year was two weddings and a few miscellaneous shoots. I never pushed it hard but I enjoyed it.

Weddings were fun as my sister soon had the exact same camera so she would come be my assistant. She would keep both cameras loaded and hand them to me to use. I would just switch out my flash. We had a blast hanging out together – even when we were on our feet for 4+ hours.

The only camera I used was my beloved SLR film camera. Digital cameras were becoming popular but were still very expensive. I wasn’t worried at the time.

Then we moved to the boonies – that’s where I live now. I still managed to get the word out that I was here by hanging some flyers in some local stores. I did a few senior photo shoots. I managed a few paying jobs but nothing of any substance.

Finally the digital movement exploded and I hung up my little SLR. I even moved over to digital myself. I still took lots of photos. I still had fun. I just didn’t do it for pay.

After my Mom died at the beginning of the year, my Dad gifted her old digital camera to me. I had a small Nikon point & shoot. It was a good camera to carry all the time but the photo quality wasn’t always the greatest. I know carry a Kodak Easy Share. It’s an older model but the photos that I can coax out of it are better than the Nikon. It’s not quite a SLR camera but has some manual settings – although admittedly I still haven’t read the manual to figure them out. Shhhhh, don’t tell my photography students!

So earlier this year a friend on mine had posted to Facebook that she couldn’t afford to get her twins photos done. I thought, “Hey, I could do that!” So I offered my ability to Lori-Beth. Her twins are certainly adorable and a lot of fun to shoot. In fact, I just did their Christmas photos too.

I’ve been having a lot of fun taking photos of my friends and their families and newborns and more newborns (and hopefully more newborns!). I even had one paying job in the midst of it all.

Right now it’s still a hobby. My camera is not really powerfully enough to do weddings although I did shoot three this summer. Two were done with a borrowed digital SLR camera (some day!!!) and one with my Kodak. That was my sister’s & I’m admitting right now I still have to edit the photos!

I use Picnik to edit them. So when I do a shoot, I will take anywhere from 20 to 100 photos. However, once I do all the editing on them (typically just adding effects like B&W or frames), I end up with three times the number I took. Then I load them to an online service & all the families to order whatever they’d like.

Will I turn it back in to a business someday? Maybe. Right now I’m just having fun with it all.

Stats

I thought it would be fun tonight to look at the stats regarding my blog. Just for fun. And, well, okay, I'm attempting to post something daily & I needed a topic.

I started blogging on June 8, 2005 over at Homeschool Blogger. I maintained a blog there off and on (mostly off) until Septmeber 29, 2006. I found Homeschool Blogger pretty clunky & I saw a lot of my friends making their blogs pretty using Blogger. It was easy to edit, add gadgets, and gussy up quite a bit - so I switched. I left my blog at Homeschool Blogger until June 2008 when I ended up making it in to a MS Word document & deleting it all off Homeschool Blogger (they had a rule against inactive blogs). I can't get my photos to copy out of Word & into Blogger or I would add all the posts here. All the photos I used on that blog are on an old hard drive that is no longer residing in a computer. This has future project written all over it doesn't it?

So I have been here - at Blogger - since October 2006. Well, actually, I do have a few posts from 2005 (my first is here - there are no links as mentioned in that post because the link no longer worked) but I didn't begin using Blogger fully until that October post.

This post HERE was a fun look back to the beginning of 2005. This is when my boys were little. J5 would have been just over a year old. N8 was 3-1/2 & B13 would have been 9. WOW! Time certainly does fly by fast. The end of January 2005 would have also marked about six months living in here on the farm.

I've had over 18,000 visitors to my blog in the three years I've had it here on Blogger. That's just amazing. Over 18,000 people read what I write! Yeah, I know, compared to a lot of bloggers out there, 18,000 is what they get in a DAY let alone three years. But I'm quite happy with my little spot on the web.

I have posted over 750 posts as well in that time. Wow - you'd think I have a lot to say or something!

And just for fun....

December 6, 2008

December 5, 2007

December 5, 2006

Cheap Fun

One of my favorite features of Google Reader is that I can "star" a post that I like. It is then saved in my "starred items" area & I can scroll through to find it again or even do a search for it.

Back in March I saw a really neat idea on Her Cup Overfloweth about making a roadway using painters tape & a Sharpie marker. I saved it knowing that my boys would love this idea but I needed to pick up some painters tape.

Just a few days ago I noticed we still happened to have some hanging in the shop leftover from our trailer renovation. I managed to snag it down from the hook it was on (have I ever mentioned I'm short? LOL) & set up a roadway in our living room.

The best for me? My middle son, N, said, "Mom, I love this. Do you want to know why? Because you made it for us." That made my day.

PS: The boys are scrounging for boxes out of our recyclables & added to their town as I type.

What a Friday!

Wooo! I had grand plans for today but nothing really worked out like I hoped although in the end we all had fun so I guess that's all that counts.

On Thursday morning my hubby left for work per usual but he took the truck I typically drive instead of his small commuter car. He was going to be going muzzle loading hunting on Friday & Saturday morning. The truck also had to go to the mechanic. My middle son had gotten in one day & his jacket snagged on the metal alloy door handle inside the door. It snapped right off! Needless to say that was a tad inconvenient and a cheap enough fix so he took that to get done.

As I was reading e-mails on Thursday after he had left, I saw that the Maine State Museum (one of our absolute favorites to go to) was having a model train exhibit on Friday & Saturday. Since I have two boys who love trains, I knew I had to take them.

As an aside...a few years ago we went to our little local library for a special outing. One of the trustees had dressed up like Benjamin Franklin & the librarian interviewed him. It was a lot of fun. There was a camera guy there from the local cable access channel filming it. While we waited for them to start the program, some of us were chatting & it came out how much my middle son loves trains. This gentleman asked his name & later left a video for him at the library. He had filmed the very train exhibit we were heading to see - they do it every year in December. N watches that video a lot!

So I head out around 8am to start up the car & hook in the car seat for Miss H. That's when it hits me. Hubby had all the car seats. I only had booster seats. He had asked me if I needed them & I told him I had all I needed. I hadn't planned on doing this when he left Thursday morning. Oh no! Now I was stuck & I had to go back inside & tell the boys we could not go after all. Oh my! To say they were disappointed was an understatement.

I decided to try to make it up a bit to them & take them to the movies if I could find something good playing close. I remember my friend Deb telling me about the movie Bolt. The nice local theater that is cheap was playing it - yeah! The only downside - it was only showing at 7:15. We made a night of it complete with dinner out to McDonald's.

I was a bit concerned when we got there super early & another family walked in some three kids who were running ALL OVER the place & not listening to their mom at all but thankfully they settled down during the movie - for the most part.

I loved this movie. It was so funny!!!! We did not see it in 3-D which was probably good as I think it would have really freaked out J. He was still a bit nervous over a few of the scenes but did great overall. They all had a fantastic time & I saved the day. I would really recommend seeing Bolt - the gerbil/hamster/rodent character was hilarious. It was such a good movie & it's going on my "to buy" list.

I've Been Tagged

Alexandra over at Happy Hearts at Home tagged me with this fun little Bookworm Award.

Here are the rules:

Pass this on to 5 blogging friends. Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56. Write the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.

"I am often asked, "But what about the children? Did they feel deprived, growing up without Santa on Christmas morning?" Our children felt it was more fun having multiple celebrations than trying to cram it all into one day." ~from Celebrating the Christian Year by Martha Zimmerman

Now to the fun part...I tag....

Kayla at Living the Good Life
Christa at Katrina Relocators (hi!!! She taught me all I know about html codes! ::wink::)
Linda at MacDonald Clan
Debbie at Following the Narrow Path
Monica at Once Upon a Time

Enjoy!

My Blog's Personality Type

ESFP - The Performers
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

*******************
I saw this over at Happy Hearts at Home & it looked like fun. It's a "Typealyzer" for you blog. It checks out the writing style & then gives it a personality.

I'm not too sure about the first paragraph but it got me totally right with that second one. All true - which is why I was never a manager - ever.

A Fun & Easy Meme

Some days these are just fun to do. I saw this over at His Mercy is New which is a blog I read but I can't remember now how I found it. ;-) It was either through another link of some sort or the wonderful "discovery" button on Google Reader. What? You've never tried it?? Oh, you really should. Trust me.

Feel free to grab this to do on your own blog. If you don't have one, feel free to grab it to do via e-mail. Have fun!

Anyway, this is really simple, but fun. You just highlight the things you've done in your life. Mine are in bold & italics.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Accent? I have an accent?

My friend, Deb, had this on her blog. It's a very fast but fun quiz. Here's my result.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

For those of you who know me, you can stop laughing now. ;-) I have lived all thirty ::cough, cough:: something years of my life in MAINE people! I've never been further west than NEW YORK! ::chuckling to self:: At least this gave me something to laugh about before heading off to bed. Too funny. Night y'all! Oh wait, now my southern accent is coming out! ::sigh:: ;-)

I've Been Tagged

Okay, I have two posts in progress, 49 more posts to read through my Goggle Reader before I get caught up, and it's now closing in on 9pm. Oh & my youngest son is conked out on the couch not feeling so hot tonight with a mild fever. So what am I doing...I'm responding to the tag I received today from Kayla over at Living the Good Life.

Here are the rules...
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post (or however many you want)
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!!

I've always been one to follow the rules so here you go.....

1. I started taking piano lessons at five years old, lasted for a few months, begged to quit, learned to read music in fifth grade music class (playing the clarinet), taught myself the "right hand" & begged to start taking piano lessons again. I did until I graduated high school.
2. I didn't keep up with my piano playing & now I'm trying to teach myself all over again. It's much harder at 30(cough, cough)something than it was at 13.
3. My hubby & I spent 10 days in England (outside London) in 1998. We were there for a wedding of one of his high school friends. I had a blast & would love to go back.
4. I love to play sports & can be highly competitive.
5. I was the captain of my basketball team my senior year. Our record was horrid.
6. I wanted to work with the deaf when I grew up, but I got side tracked. Now I plan to teach sign language to my kiddos this year.

Okay, I know I said I like to follow the rules, but I'm breaking one slight one. I'm actually going to tag EVERYONE who reads this here. Go ahead & consider yourself tagged & feel free to post on your own blog if you so chose. ;-)

How To Waste Time on the Computer....

While reading blogs this afternoon I saw a really fun diversion over at A Piece of Pax called Yearbook Yourself. This gave me quite a laugh this afternoon.

Here is the photo I started out with....(some photos wouldn't work because I have my glasses on but it was still fun - they just looked really funky).

And here we go.....

circa 1954 (if I remember right) - this is a bit freaky to look at....

circa 1960

This one is VERY freaky to look at. I really should find my mom's senior photo.....

circa 1970. LOL

And the best for last.....

circa 1990 -the year I really did graduate from high school

Trust me...my senior photo looked VERY similar to this one - minus the glasses. ;-)

Have fun wasting some time!

How 'Bout That!

This little comment showed up in my inbox today...."I came across your blog and am now hooked. I've passed on a cute little award to you. Just head over to my blog to 'pick it up'!"

Really? Huh. I never thought my life was all that interesting. Kind of makes me happy today. So off I went to be sure this wasn't a stalker or something like that. (Psst...it wasn't.)

Tranquility...and Turmoil (isn't that a great name!!) passed this neat little award on to me. THANKS! Here's the little catch though...(but it's an easy one): I've been asked to post 6 Things I Value & 6 Things That I Don't Value and then to pass this along to 6 other lovely bloggers. So here goes!

6 Things I Value

1. My God - I serve an amazing & loving God. I trust wholly in His word & know that he will lead me to where He wants me to be. I value the ability to proclaim His name far & wide without fear of reprisal.
2. My Hubby - He is one of the hardest working men I know. He may deny this but I've seen him in action. While I may complain about him being gone a lot during hunting season, he totally deserves that time away. He works in a job with many MANY stresses and yet he does it day after day to provide for me & his sons. Thanks, hon.
3. My Boys - I have three amazing boys. I love how much they love me. I love their exuberance. I just love having them around - yes, even when they are totally annoying me! ;-) Which they are so very good at.
4. The freedom to homeschool - I value all the hard work that those who went before me put in. I am so thankful that it's a simple matter of a single letter to the state and I can educate my children at home. I read about the hardships in other countries - especially in Germany - where many families have lost their children over this issue. This is one reason the name of our homeschool is Freedom Academy.
5. My friends - I have had some truly amazing friends in my life over the years. Some are still there. Some have moved on. But I am truly thankful for all of them. I could start naming names, but I'm not going to. You all know who you are & you know how much I appreciate your friendship. Thanks.
6. Diet Mt. Dew - Hey, it was getting a bit serious there for a minute don't you think? This is my favorite drink. I am so very addicted to it & freely admit it. I won't even begin to tell you the number of times I've run out to the "corner store" to get some when I run out. Did I ever mention said corner store is a 30 minute round trip? Anyway, I am working my way off it - I think. But for right now, I really value it! ;-)

6 Things That I Don't Value

1. Poor driving - This is probably topping number #1 right now since I was almost hit in the parking lot yesterday as some yahoo drove across the parking spaces to get out. No, he didn't stop. I did. sheesh! That & the fact that we had a drunk driving (at 5pm!!) hit & kill a mom of three children just recently. She was only two years older than I. He forced her off the road & walked away without a scratch. This is after he almost hit 3-4 other people on a busy highway very near to where I live.
2. Those who use the argument for "freedom" to push only their viewpoints without listening to others. 'Nuff said I think.
3. Gossipping - Probably one of the hardest things not to do but try, please?
4. Insurance companies - I won't go in to all the details but read HERE if you haven't read my story.
5. People who don't keep their promises - Nothing in particular has happened lately, it just bugs me.
6. Winter - I know, I know, I know. I live in Maine. Why don't I value winter? I dislike the cold. I don't do any outside sports. I hate shoveling. Seriously, I need to find someplace that is fall-like all year round. Although, I doubt I'll get my family to move with me. Oh well!

Here are the 'official' rules: *Mention the blog that gave you the reward and comment on their blog to let them know that you have posted their award. You also have to list 6 things you value and 6 things you don't value. Lastly, you have to pass the award onto 6 other friends! *

So here are the six folks I'm passing this along to....

1. Deb at Following the Narrow Path
2. Steph at From Glory to Glory
3. Sheri at The Carneal Chronicles
4. Monica at Once Upon a Time...
5. Sara at Embracing Destiny
6. Suzanne at Just a Bunch of Nothin'

And I know I'm only suppose to only do six, but I'm breaking this rule slightly because I want to give it out to Linda at MacDonald Clan too.

Stories in Hand: Free On-Line Class

I saw this on another blog I've just started reading (Let's Explore) & thought it looked really interesting. Two things caught my eye...it's free & it's about capturing your stories. I have three boys who are growing up far too fast. I like the looks of this. I'm signing up. I'll try to post a reminder on October 20th when the sign-up goes live! Hope to see you all there!

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Belong in 1982

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

What Year Do You Belong In?

===============================

I saw this little quiz over at Kristine's blog. The results when I took it did NOT surprise me AT ALL! I am such a product of the '80s it's just comical at times. I really should share a photo of me from high school but I'm not taking the time now to dig one out & scan it. Be watching though - it will show up soon.

More Fun

I'm totally amazed about these test results! I thought I would get a much smaller score. Huh!

86 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Just for Fun

Random One Word

Not as easy as you might think. Change the answers to suit you and pass it on.

1. Where is your cell phone? ..........Purse
2. Your significant other?................NH
3. Your hair............................ Up
4. Your mother? ........Home
5. Your father?........................... Home
6. Your favorite thing?...................Chocolate
7. Your dream last night?................... None
8. Your favorite drink? ................... DietDew
9. Your dream/goal?........................... Contentment
10. The room you're in?...................... LR
11. Your ex?.............................None
12. Your fear?...........................bugs
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?................ house
14. Where were you last night?............. Home
15. What you're not?....................... content
16. Muffins?.............................. Blueberry
17. One of your wish list items?.............. SUV
18. Where you grew up?........................Maine
19. The last thing you did?....................... Read
20. What are you wearing?...................... clothes!
21. Your TV?............................On
22. Your pets?............................ Annie
23. Your computer? ...................Laptop
24. Your life?............................. Fulfilling
25. Your mood?............................Off
26. Missing someone?...................Yep
27. Your car/truck?..................... Old
28. Something you're not wearing?...............Socks
29. Favorite Store?..........................Scrapbooking!
30. Your summer?................................ Rainy
31. Like someone?....................Yes!
32. Your favorite color?...................... Purple
33. Last time you laughed?....................... Today
34. Last time you cried?...................... Yesterday
35. Who will re-post this?............???

(phew! That was harder than I thought - I wanted to add more & actually had to redo it! LOL)

You're It!

So I was taking some time tonight catching up on some much neglected blog reading only to find I have been tagged by Linda Mac over at MacDonald Clan. Happily enough, I have time to post my response. Yeah!

Come up with 5 things that would be on your gift wish list. It has to be something totally fun and possibly frivolous. There is no cost limit, but be realistic.

1. First & foremost - a digital SLR camera. I've been really eyeing the Cannon XTi. My hubby bought me a regular film SLR camera eons years ago & I really love it. However, I didn't like the bulk of it to carry every day. Last year he bought me a small Nikon Coolpix digital that I carry everywhere. While I like it, it does not give me the quality of photos I once enjoyed.

2. A new computer. My desktop died over a year ago. Since then I have been using my hubby's laptop. All well & good, but I'd love a new PC of my own - preferably a laptop all for myself.

3. An external hard drive. While my PC died, the hard drives are still intact (we had two). I'd really love to get an external hard drive in order to get all that information in to a usable format. I had tons of ebooks on there I used for the kids school. Then I could also store other stuff on there such as my photos & what not.

4. High speed internet. Seems silly I know. However, I live in the boonies of Maine. Seriously. The only way to get something faster than dial-up (yup, I still use dial-up), is to get satellite internet.

5. A new vehicle. Currently we own a full-sized pick-up truck that is two doors. This is our "family vehicle." Hooking up kids in booster seats in the back is a big old pain in the neck. J is getting better at it but typically I have to climb in there & help him out. My hubby drives a very small compact car. We can sort of all fit in it, but until N gets out of his booster seat next year, it's pretty tight for poor B who ends up in the middle between his two brothers. I'd love a Tahoe or something like that. Oh & if I did that, I'd have to add one more thing - free lifetime gas card. ;-)

So, I'm going to tag..... Sheri, Bessie, Kristine , and Deb.

In Case of Emergency

Are you still covered in more snow than you can possibly measure? Did you come close to breaking your snowfall record for the year? Do you still have snowbanks that are WAY taller than you or your six foot tall husband? Then please click here ASAP! It will be a little bit of spring on your computer screen until the real deal hits.

I would recommend clicking (and holding) down the mouse button while you drag your cursor all over the screen. ;-)

How Do YOU Eat an Oreo Cookie??

This question was answered while we were at Deb's this past weekend visiting. Oh & they weren't "real" Oreos but Newmans O's - mint & regular flavored. Yum!

Go Red Sox!

Sometimes a photo is worth a 1000 words!

Oh & don't let Annie fool you - she loves the Sox too!!!!