Random

The girls were bored last night, so I gave them permission to organize cupboards.  They jumped on the idea.

 

Meanwhile, don't ever tell Ross he's acting 'ridiculous'. The word itself is enough to throw him into fits of hysterical laughter.  

 

He's such an 8 year old.

 

 

On the other hand, Friday he will be 8-1/2 years old.

 

Whoa, say what?

I know buddy, I kinda feel the same way.

 

New Shoes

It started when Maisie got new shoes for the Father Daughter Dance.  Molly desperately wanted a pair for herself, but new shoes for Molly weren't a priority at the time, nor where they in the budget that day.  There were tears and I was ready to cave while sitting in the Shopko shoe department, but upon trying on her size it was clear they were not comfy and she was forced to walk away.  It was a tough day, but one that made her stronger. 

 

Fast forward to Monday of this week.  A pair of cheetah print shoes with black bows were posted on the Winterset Online Garage Sale site. 

 

They were Molly's size.  

 

They were $5. 

 

I asked Molly what she thought of the posted photo and she was instantly obsessed with the shoes.  I made arrangements to have the shoes dropped off Monday at 6 p.m.  It made for a long, long day for Molly.

 

6:00 came and went with no shoes.  It was snowing and turned out the lady forgot to stop by with the shoes.  At 7:00 I headed out in the snow on a mission in the mini-van to bring those shoes home. 

 

Molly had the shoes in her possession by 7:20 Monday night.  She hasn't taken them off since. 

 

 

Honorable Mention and Library Fights

I couldn't resist posting photos of the cake I made for the Blue and Gold Scout Cake auction this year.  Not to toot my own horn, but it brought home an honorable mention.  Again, thank you Pinterest.  You never cease to amaze me with your time-sucking ideas.

 

 

 

In other news, Molly started a fight with a little boy at the Winterset public library over the weekend.  The boy kept walking past her while she was working quietly on puzzles.  I was distracted reading Strawberry Shortcake meets Cherry Jam to Maisie and looked over just in time to watch Molly swat the little boy and yell, "I hate you!"  The boy walked back to his mom as Molly repeated how much she 'hates that boy' in a loud, angry voice.  She certainly had everyone's attention and it wasn't long before the boy returned and intentionally ruined her puzzle.  I figured that was enough for all hell to break loose, yet once again she swatted him and yelled at him "I hate you!" over and over until he walked away.

 

With that, we gathered our belongings, checked out Strawberry Shortcake and left the public library before she could throw her first punch. 

 

 She's her mothers daughter.

Wrestling Lessons

Once again, Papa Green and GG took Ross to the state wrestling tournament.  School was dismissed at 11:00 on Thursday due to impending weather, yet that did not hinder these die hard wrestling fans. 

 

Upon their safe return to Winterset, Ross was eager for Papa to teach him some of his wrestling maneuvers.  And no, the 'souffle' was not yet introduced.

 

 

 

 

The girls would could only watch for so long...

 

 

before the temptation to jump in became too overwhelming. 

 

 

 

 

Papa's a good sport.

 

 

Afterwards GG treated Ross and Maisie to Cable TV on her laptop.  She knows how to spoil them.

 

 

A Kitty Day

Kratt got trapped in the garage all day.  I realized it late afternoon and rescued him.  He graciously didn't try to jump on my lap or crawl up my shoulder.  Instead, he rubbed his back across my legs and walked away.  He's a smart little kitty.  I recently learned when cats do that, they are marking their territory.  Claiming you as theirs.  This makes me curious.  Then again, he knows who feeds him and rescues him from garages.

 

Meanwhile, the girls decided they were kitty cats today.  It was an early out, so why not?  I'd pretend to be a cat if it was an early out and I was 3 or 5.  But pretending to be a cat at 35 would be weird.  So I just took pictures instead.

 

 

The blonde kitty was very intense.  Believe it or not, her hair was done today.

 

 

And you may be wondering what kitty cats eat? 

 

Goldfish, of course!

College Party

I clearly remember the thrill of playing dress-up as a kid.  It was magical.  Something about dressing-up changed everything... your personality, your voice, your name... everything.

 

Maisie had a friend over yesterday.  The girls spent most of the day playing dress-up.  I peeked in on them often, but I couldn't get over the fact they were playing 'college party'. 

 

 

 

 

Molly appeared to be going for the Hugh Hefner look, Elizabeth was a bride with terrible lipstick while Maisie was a bossy gothic princess. 

 

 

 

 

Based on their wardrobe selections, it was definitely a 'college party'.

Backlight

I've been experimenting with backlighting.  Ross has been experimenting with snowboarding. 

 

I'm still learning... as is he.   

 

In the first photo, I should have stepped to my left to allow that tree to block more of the sunlight.  I also should have asked the girls to fall down the hill.  Which they later did.

 

 

Backlighting gives a hazy-dreamy quality to a photo.  They aren't as crisp as front-lit photos, but can be a fun way to set a mood.  Backlit photos tend to appear 'washed-out', so I find it helps to bump the exposure up just a tad when processing.  Whatever a tad means.

 

These photos were taken Thursday evening around 6 p.m.  We had significant melting on Thursday.  Friday morning we woke to 3 inches of freshly fallen snow.

 

Like I said, Ross is still learning too.

 

In the below shot, the sun was lower which let me capture his silhouette. 

 

 

In this photo, you can see sun flare.  Although a little harsh, I kinda like it.

 

 

Meanwhile...

 

 

I figured out why snow pictures usually turn out sharp and crisp.  The snow acts as a natural light reflector which is essential for sharp photos.  Just some food for thought.

 

 

The below photo of Maisie is a front-lit photo (meaning she's facing the sun).  Front light creates less shadows and brighter colors but can also appear one dimensional. 

 

 

In this shot, Maisie looks washed-out.  I should have increased my saturation and decreased my exposure.  I'm sure there are a zillion other things I should have done to make this better, but again...I'm still learning.

 

 

Told ya they'd fall down that hill.

 

All photos were shot in manual mode at 500 ISO and 2.8 f-stop.

She Didn't Need Me

It's not that I really loved listening to the stories at library story time.  But she needed me next to her.  She's shy.  We attend 'school', as Molly calls it each week.  She refers to the librarian as her 'teacher' and the reading room is her 'classroom'.  The other moms sit outside the reading room chatting about pregnancy weight, sick kids and what they're having for lunch.  Not this mama.  Molly's shy and wants me to sit with her.  She needs me.

This week was the Valentines party.  Lots of kids showed up and the teacher even brought cookies.  One poor little girl had to leave halfway through the party when her mom noticed the kids eating cookies.  Apparently her daughter is allergic to eggs and milk.  Can you even imagine?

However, before the party began, I asked Molly if I could go look for a book and be right back.  She said "No, not right now."  A minute later I asked again.  She replied, "okay mom."

As I walked away, I caught myself looking back at her.  She didn't appear phased by my leaving.  I wandered the library feeling an odd sense of freedom.  I decided I didn't like it.  I snatched the current issue of Food Network magazine and found a place to sit outside the reading room where I could see her, but she couldn't see me.  I heard her talking during show and tell, I saw her make a Valentine card out of a doily and eat  cookie sprinkles off the carpet.  That's when she looked up and caught a glimpse of me.  She burst into a smile...she was proud...she was confident... she's growing up.  Suddenly I noticed my heart was heavier than normal.  As much as I pray she grows to be a strong, confident and independent woman, she is and always will be my baby girl.  

And as the chair I normally occupy during library school sat empty, it was clear she no longer needed me. 

Good gravy, when did I turn into such a sap?

A Nap?

Quote of the week by Sugar Plum...

"Your acting so nice today mommy.  Did you take a nap?"

One day she'll learn just how powerful a glass of wine can be for us mommy's. 

Lots of Faces

I've been trying to make the eyes in my photo's sparkle more.  Luckily for me, I have a willing subject to practice on. 

 

No matter how many times I asked her to remove it, she insisted on the wig.  She said it made her look like a 'mama'. 

 

I'm not sure what to make of that.

 

This is her smile face.

 

This is her mad face.

 

This would be her surprise face.

 

Her sad face.

 

Her laughing face.

 

But hands-down, my favorite is her smile face.

Father Daughter Dance

Click the link for a slideshow of photos from the Father Daughter Dance.

 

Father Daughter Dance

All Kinds of Awesome

Maisie made this for her sister at school today.

 

 

That girl.

She's all kinds of awesome.

There She Is

Molly can't get enough of the Miss America theme song.  This morning I let her watch Bert Parks sing his version on U-Tube. 

Of course I went straight to the crowning moments of 1986-1991.  I'm a bit partial.

 

 

She was in heaven.

You see, there's nothing quite like watching Miss America being crowned while eating oatmeal, then twirling around over the heat vent to make your dress poof up. 

 

 

Good God. 

Life is Good.