a cat in the hat and picture day

attempt #1...did not notice the fiery red chapped skin right above kylie's lip(hopefully chapstick will fix that)

#2- went with a more vintage feel, but couldn't help but get the feeling that noah was about to do something naughty behind that innocent smile...

finally, kept the vintage feel but played it safe and went with the lower body shot....

looked over at maddy and saw that  someone was not happy that they weren't in the photo... 

tried to make it up to her with a mini shoot of her own...

finished off the day with my cat in the hat....

i know those two things sound like they make a pretty weird combo, but that's how things roll around here; one day stranger than the rest... my big kids( all of 9 and 7 years, but it's perspective people) had school picture day so i thought it would be cute to put them outside and take a few...needless to say this is what i got:

friday!

my big girl...so proud of you!

noah...excited about friday!

kylie and her bff...love the way it captures the friendship...

today was a good day:) i love fridays because it means the weekend is upon us and we can all take a deeep breath and relax as a family...i also get to play on the computer more, lol. kylie receive the CARE award at school today and i felt like such a proud mommy. She came home with a big smile on her face- here are some shots...

fun edits(again)

love love love feet(on kids lol)

looks like a 50's colorization...

did a lomo effect...nice and bright!

not sure about the star bindi lol

love the red lips and matching dress!

found a fun site called picnik...very cool and easy edits!

grateful

steve's old helmet, hanging in our garage

loved this with the color select...

color was nice too...giving bailey a kiss before work...

yesterday i learned that the firefighter killed in the la city house fire was known by a friend's husband, who worked with him. While i am not naive about the dangers of the job, i tend to put it out of my head until it comes crashing back when something so tragic happens. While steve is no longer "on the front lines" daily, his current position has it's own set of dangers, not to mention the overtime(when they happen) shifts occur during times of need, such as a big fire. I thought to take a couple of pictures today to both commemorate the fallen firefighter, while at the same time, celebrating my own(and often taken for granted)personal hero.

new discoveries

added just a bit of color to the eyes and cheek...

added cheek color and desaturated the pic

i probably could have added color to the cheeks her too, but i had not discovered that yet, lol. 

had a chance to use a couple great lenses yesterday and loved the results:)  i have been exploring in pse and have figured out how to add color to a black and white photo on a more customized level. Bailey is my guinea pig as usual(funny, she sees the camera and now runs, lol) and i think i got some good shots...

sick sick sick!

these are my "weapons of war" lol...that is all i can use....they are working VERY hard!

this is the face of one who has been beseiged by the daddy of all cold bugs...feel better sweet bee!

for the record, RSV is HORRIBLE! it keeps resurfacing just when you think the worst is over...

happy monday:)

i have a glass bottle collection and thought it would be fun to take a pic...color select seemed good here...

fake flowers= bright photo!

i LOVE this picture...it also got a lot of comments on my 365 project..yay i am legit, lol

played with sllloooww speed and lighting with my kid's glowsticks...

i entered this in the overexposed theme this week on 365...love her eyes here(yep I watermarked it, not bcuz i am good, just afraid someone will post it somewhere, lol.)

desaturated the color- technically not the greatest pic, but i just love how it captured the playfulness of b and her daddy...

i called this one "safe" i hope my kids always feel that way

I LOVE baby hands and feet...you will see a lot of those here...i actually have a whole wall dedicated to them, lol

feet

selective color feet...

b looking out into the world...maybe if she stopped getting sick, she could actually go out in it, he he

this is a dress up trunk in the playroom...just thought is was pretty

well as you can see i have changed the name of my blog AGAIN! this one just came to me, as it is the one i use for my 365 project, and i thought it would work well with this blog:0. i am not really doing anything other than displaying my experiments in photography, so it really did not fit to pretend this was going to be some revelation into my "exciting and adventurous" rocking lifestyle as a mama to 4 kids...SO i thought i would make it clear up front that this is nothing more than a gallery of my attempts to let out some creative juices to a very small group(read 2 at this time) of people. that brings me to this...i LOVE LOVE LOVE taking pictures and always have, but somehow with  a rocking camera it is soooo much better, lol. i get giddy thinking of the lenses, filters, flashes and actions in elements that i can aquire and i know i am in trouble! i am doing a 365 a day photo project and am humbled by the talent, yet inspired to move forward and learn by doing...i have always tried to channel my creative side- either through home decorating, in the kitchen or on a few occasions, painting.  Photography has claimed me more so because it is (after initial output and excluding my long and $$$$ wishlist) essentially free...i can snap 1000 pictures at no cost and oogle them on the computer...this is as good as it gets, and my kids will be able to eat, lol.  Anyway, here are some of the latest....