Memories we make

I've been asked to do more and more paid photo gigs lately and it's sparking my interest again in taking pictures as a side hobby. I mean, I always take my camera everywhere. But to be commissioned to do work that someone else directs, that's new. I'm also finally confident enough to accept the work.

So in my quest to just see where this takes me, I'm updating my old portfolio. This means I drug out a tub from the bowels of our closet to sort through pictures of yester-year to add to the digital ones I've been accumulating lately.

My god. I swear every photo I took from 1996-2000 was of the same moody pose with dramatic lighting and everyone, EVERYONE looked like they were BERSHON till the break of dawn. Ugh.

I'm glad I've finally embraced the "smile" for my subjects. It was quite a trip to see how far I'd gone and to remember why I loved photography from the moment I picked up my first Pentax.

P.S. Also, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I've uploaded 2 pictures from my Senior year of high school. I've been thinking about how fast time is going so when I came across those in my photo box, well I couldn't resist.

Babies for sale!

Just returned from HomeTownVille from a day filled with babies!babies!babies! The shower was a success. Ashlee's nursery, once completely barren, is now filled with so much baby stuff it looks like it was hosed down with pepto bismol. PINK EVERYWHERE. Everyone loved the cake, the diaper cake, the shower games and it was a gorgeous day with fabulous weather. Even a nice storm to cool things down.

I've uploaded a ton of pics. Mostly of family for my family to see, but you can look too. Go ahead. They are cute and did I mention: BABIES!

P.S. I couldn't get out of that town fast enough. I felt like the car was going to break down or something and I'd be stuck there. I even drove past my old place of employment and just shook my head. I miss my family and friends, but dang...Chicago is our home. It was nice to have confirmation. Now I just need to get Mrs. T. up here. (wink wink)

Baby Bum Cake

I finished the putting together of ye olde diaper cake this weekend for the upcoming baby shower for my cousin. (Ashlee, if you're reading this...here is your present. SURPRISE!)

It proved to be really fun and only went through about 3 transformations before I finally decided to quit fucking with it and let it go. Most of the stuff I got from the dollar store and believe it or not, there are 96 diapers on this mofo.

Mrs. T. & I will be hosting our second baby shower this Saturday in our short party planning career. Since we've both got the "I want one" blues (her more than me, infinitely, I wouldn't even try to compare...come on you stupid ovaries already!!) we decided over emails today to go about this shower like so: To show everyone that our parties are awesome and make them jealous of our extreme decorating, cake designing, and game playing skills and to just watch Ashlee glow and everyone stuff themselves silly while we look fashionably hip in our leopard flats and skirts while staying cool under pressure. And as the last person leaves we'll high-5 and eat the rest of the cake.

We'll be Samantha if we were playing Sex & The City: The Baby Shower edition.

So yea, we're taking the high road. It's just that I got a sick high off people telling me we should go into the catering business during the last one we hosted, I think because I've wanted to do something like that for a long time. We come from a line of caterers and planners, so why not. And how freaking fun would it be to go into business with your best bud??

But for now we will continue to use our superpowers to spoil our family and friends and get compliments like junkies straight to the vein. Seeing people happy is a good drug.

We're quick

Kids, if you want a "Don't Drink Before Noon" segment for your after school special, you should have been with us today. We got up and had a fabulous breafkast at Over Easy, I mean really fabulous...stuffed ourselves silly to create a good base for the drinking about to commence in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Then we get back to Rope & Hodney's for beer, mimosas and iced sugar cookies. Turns out eating and drinking before noon causes you to be really really slow and miss the parade in which all the eating and drinking were in celebration of.

OH well...I still got fun pictures.

Whoa...seriously?

A housekeeping meme...or just when you thought this blog couldn't get more boring.

Aprons (Y/N): Yes. I have a fabulous red and white striped one from my great-grandmother. Although I hate to wear it because it's so special. Maybe I could make it into a skirt? With my ass showing apparently.

Baking (Favorite thing to bake): ANYTHING! I love to bake! theMan's favorite thing was my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with real chocolate shavings...but it's been awhile. Baking is my form of alchemy. It soothes my soul.

Clothesline (Y/N): I don't have a clothesline but I would love one. I have so many memories of running through clothes hanging on a clothesline at my grandma's houses.

Donuts: Boston Creme filling donut covered in chocolate OR Hostess chocolate donuts (the little ones). But take those cake donuts and shove them up your ass. Yuck.

Every Day (One homemaking thing you do every day): Hmm...I'd say try to make the bed but really there isn't anything I do everyday other than putting the toaster away.

Freezer (Do you have a separate deep freeze?): God I wish. It's the standard hooked to our fridge. I'd love one that was stand alone that I could fill with veggies. Frozen chopped veggies are one of the things I require to make almost any meal.

Garbage Disposal (Y/N): No, but I don't think I've ever had one.

Handbook (What is your favorite homemaking resource?): My aunt sent me a cookbook from the 60's with pictures of hippies with armpit hair in it and it tells you how to make anything from scratch with few ingredients. I cherish this book.

Ironing (Love it or hate it?): I don't even own an iron. (Sorry mom.)

Junk drawer (Y/N) (Where?): In the kitchen, by the sink full of batteries, cell phone chargers, cards and dice and manuals to all my kitchen appliances.

Kitchen (Design and decorating): We rent so we take what we can get, but I love to pepper my kitchen with old kitschy stuff and all colors of the rainbow. Right now there is a red sci-fi poster, racists salt & pepper shakers and a light display stolen from a run-down mental institution.

Love (What is your favorite part of homemaking?): Decorating. That's probably why we move so much. I love designing a room. When we buy a place, it's going to get scary with some of my paint choices.

Mop (Y/N): My sister said I needed to vacuum our carpet and I have all hardwood floors. Guess I should at least sweep, eh?

Nylons: What? I suppose since we're talking about housework we are talking "stereotypical" women stuff too. I like nylons in the bedroom and if they are fishnets. Other than that, no thanks. A good shave and some lotion looks better usually. They are good for storing onions though!

Oven (Do you use the window or open the door to check?): Open the door, even though it lets the heat out. I have to poke things to see.

Pizza (What do you put on yours?): My perfect pizza would include feta, red peppers and garlic. YUM.

Quiet (What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?): Every morning I sit by the front windows with my breakfast and my cup of coffee. I watch the sun rise and pet our dog. I can't think of starting my day otherwise.

Recipe card box (Y/N): I have a cookbook that houses all printed recipes off the internet and passed on in. So it's more like a recipe "binder" without the binding part.

Style of house: Apartment, third floor and the walls look like the outside of a demented birthday cake but I freaking love it.

Tablecloths and napkins? Painted tabletop with placemats. No napkins, but I'm working on collecting those this year.

Under the kitchen sink (Organized or toxic wasteland?): I have no "under the sink" because of the radiator. But there is a bag of dog food under there next to it.

Vacuum (How many times per week?): None...wood floors.

Wash (How many loads of laundry do you do in a week?): I have no idea as I do not handle this. theMan (thank sweet merciful god) does this chore in exchange for me doing dishes. All I know is I give him $25.00/mo. for budget for quarters to run the machines.

X's (Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?): Yes, I'm an anal retentive list maker, at work and at home.

Yard (Who does what?): We have none, but I do pick up dog shit when necessary.

Zzz's: I must get 7-8 hours or I'm a zombie. I go to bed at 9:30-10:00 and get up at 6:15 a.m. everyday, even the weekends now. Getting old is so much fun....I can't even fathom sleeping in until 10 like I used too.

Your turn.

Lovely, the Cashier

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend after all the prior stressful ones. On Friday I went wedding planning with Hope and passed out to Aqua Teen Hunger Force at 9:30. Saturday I met up with the family (mom included) for some blueberry pancakes followed by wedding cake tasting at 10:30 a.m.! If you know me well, you know there is nothing that makes me more excited than cake. Especially in the morning.

Mom had come up for a visit (mostly to just smell Coen's head for 24 hours non-stop) so we decided to throw them a dinner party and then let them clean it up while we sat around the dining room table telling the tales of our youth.

This morning I woke up with nausea and a headache all day, but it didn't stop me from experiencing the glorious shift in weather with theMan. We went grocery shopping, strolled aisles of the local art supply store and bookstore and generally enjoyed this beautiful 50 degree weather. I even finished my research paper in time to go babysit Coen for a few hours.

I've put up some pics in Flickr like usual. Sorry for the whole "This is what I did today" post. After writing all afternoon I'm anxious to get off the computer and out into the day again.

Sunshine, I missed you.

Cut up

I cut my own hair. The last time I did this I had just watched a Meg Ryan movie and thought I could recreate her adorable hair with a pair of kitchen shears and sheer will. 6 inches and a frantic phone call to the local Super Cuts later, I looked like I may have arrived on the planet by a very short bus and struck by a thick ugly stick on my way.

Tonight, I recreated that scene only just on my bangs. It didn't turn out terrible. Certainly not even, but I can hide it until I can get to see a professional. I just couldn't help it. We're on a tight budget and hair cuts aren't in it for awhile. I had too! But mom, all my friends are doing it? Okay, I have no excuse. I was just feeling like a change.

The finished product is in Flickr. Hey, it's been at least a month since you've had pictures of my hair, come on now.

Sourdough Batard

Our bro, Chippee is in town for a few days for a visit so I invited them over for a home cooked meal. It was way over my Weight Watchers points but lately, what day isn't. However, it marked the first time I didn't screw up brown rice and the first diaper in at least a week that Coen didn't crap up his back in.

I'd say that calls for celebration.

So in between my brother having asthma attacks from Kaboom hair and poopy diapers, we smothered Coen with kisses and flashes. Click in Flickr to see his round little face.

Holiday Inn Cambodia

To send our friend Jose off to Cambodia for a film project, we got together for one of everything from the menu at our favorite Thai place and a free show by some rock-a-billy badasses. The new Foys have decided to take advantage of this fair city. A city we took for granted before.

The new Foys go to restaurants, go to clubs and check out bands. It's a good thing too because I parted with some of our hard earned cash for an album from The Blacks. AWESOME voices and sweet melodies.

But sadly, Jose leaves on Sunday and no amount of good tunes can make us miss him less. What am I going to do when I have to pick between a Shiraz and a Pinot Noir for dinner???

Be careful Joser, come back with all your limbs.