knittens

Feedback!

Camera: Canon EOS 10d

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/180)

Aperture: f/2.8

Focal Length: 27 mm

ISO: 400

Flash: Not Fired

I would like to participate in the iHeartFaces constructive feedback friday this week.  I have choosen this picture for a number of reasons.  1) I think the entire image (but especially her skin) looks green/grey and I think it may have to do with the color profile I am using in PS CS3.  2) I have been having a hard time with eyes, they always seem to come out so dark, regardless of whether or not I meter off of them. 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

xo
meg

On Motherhood

Some days all I want is 5 minutes to myself.  I don't want to sit quietly, straining to listen, wondering if that was the baby groaning or the cat snoring.  I don't want to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom for the 40 gazillionth time.  I don't want to wrestle my screaming toddler as I try to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. I don't want to blow so many bubbles that I feel like I am going to pass out from lack of oxygen to my brain.  I don't want to pretend to nibble fake food, tote around a bag that weighs as much as my child, or hold my breath every time she climbs the stairs to the "big" slide.  Instead, I want to be able to spontaneously head into the city and see a show or eat dinner after 5pm.  I want to go out to see a movie without the mommy guilt hanging onto my shoulders.

But then I will get some time to myself, and I'll be out and about kid-free and I will see someone unfolding an umbrella stroller and for a split second I wish my babes were there with me.  I'll be walking through the foodstore trying as hard as I can not to narrate the experience because only food is in the shopping cart and people have a tendency to judge you if you walk around by yourself talking.  I want to share the experiences I'm having with my toddler because she will surely think they are cool too.  I want to be walking through the parking lot with my baby because I know the gusts of wind will take her breath away and then send her into a ragging fit of giggles.

I think it is all too easy to get caught up in "the grass is always greener" trap.  On the days that I would rather be anywhere else than with my kids, and I am just screaming for a minute to myself, the instant I set foot out the door I feel like I'm missing something.  It is that feeling, the feeling of being incomplete when I am away from my family, that makes me realize how special it is to be a mom and how important of a role motherhood plays in my life.  I remember how whole I feel toting two kids and a bag the size of a labrador around with me.  That feeling doesn't send me back in the house or change any arrangements I've made to get a minute to myself, I feel it is important to have time to myself and to be able to carry on a conversation with someone who is capable of stringing more than 5 or 6 words together.  The feeling does help me remember what my priorities are and helps me re-center myself.

I look back on those moments that my husband and I had before we had kids and I remember the absolute freedom we had because there was no one to worry about but ourselves.  Now that we have kids I may crave moments like that again, but I now that I have little ones of my own to love, I know the price that comes along with having such freedom.  I would rather have the responsibility over the freedom because I would rather have that feeling of wholeness, encompassing love, and daily unpredictability and variety.

So, for all of you mommies out there, remember that Mother's Day is about you, but not only about the sacrifices you make, but also the feeling of completeness that our children bring.  Mother's Day is a day that people show their appreciation for all the the tough stuff mommies do... but I also like to take a minute and think about how lucky I am to have that tough stuff to take care of in the first place.

Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!
xo
meg

Trip to the DMV

My inlaws bought a new car and were kind enough to give us their old one.  Our new-old car is wonderful.  As my husband says, its like we upgraded our dirt-bike for a huffy.

Everyone knows what a new car means - a trip to the DMV. Here in NJ, the DMV is an extra special place where the staff are actually relatively friendly, but everyone goes in thinking it is going to be this awful experience, so the "customers" create this stressful environment.

Surprisingly, we transferred the title, registration, and insurance in less than 15 minutes.  It was awesome.  No problems.  This is a perfect example of why it pays to be prepared.  You walk in, hand them everything they are about to ask for, and walk out.  Perfect.

So, next step was to get the car inspected.  Again, no issues.  I can't tell you how exciting it was to have a car that passed inspection on the first go around.  Lets just say that our main car used to be a 1999 Jeep with 150,000 on it, and our backup was a 1993 Saturn with 140,000 on it.  We're pretty excited to have a car that is in one piece :)

So, apart from the sketchy guy who couldn't follow directions and was walking down the inspection lane much to the dismay of all the employees, it was rather uneventful.  Just me, my chucks, and my camera on my way home from my first "shoot".  Which, by the way, was very successful.

Have a great Thursday, and watch out for middle aged men who can't follow directions to "walk to the wall and follow the yellow lines to the customer waiting area".  Then complains about how there are too many yellow lines to be able to follow them properly.  Seriously?!

xo
meg

*New*New*New*

Hey Everyone!  I'm excited to announce that my prints are now available for purchase as note cards!  4x6 images are attached to heavy 5x6.5 cardstock.  Each card comes with a matching envelope and in its own bag.

I've got two sets available for purchase in the shop NOW! 

The On Turquoise series is a set of four note cards.  It includes Raspberry Love, Raspberries on Turquoise, Balancing Act, and Optimism.

The Angels series is also a set of four note cards and includes Plant Kindness, Garden Angel, Sunny Angel, and Winter Angel.

Both series include four cards, but larger orders are gladly accepted.  If you are interested in a set of 12 or more, please "convo" me in Etsy.  I will bundle them together in one order and give half off the shipping cost!  Just be sure to mention that you saw the special on the blog!

On a sidenote, does anyone have typepad that could help me out with a quick question?  Right now all comments are emailed to me.  I used to be able to hit "reply" and type a message to the individual.  I used to respond to almost every comment!  Now when I 'reply" it posts on the blog as another comment.  I'm not crazy about that - I like being able to send a personal message.  I guess I'm trying to say that I appreciate all of your comments, and I'm sorry I haven't been replying to them.  Just know I'm trying to figure out how to do the individual responses again!

Happy Tuesday! We're off to storytime at B&N!

xo
meg

iHeartFaces :: Week 17 :: Hats

This week is off to a fine start.  I'm almost done with classes, and boy does it feel good.  Once I finish up tomorrow, I'll be able to sit back, relax (ha!) and focus on some exciting photography projects that I have lined up.

Before I post my entry, did you know that iHeartFaces has an awesome giveaway going on this week? It is for some Alien Skin software. Very cool.

And, here's my kids entry:


 She is so funny when I put hats on her! She laughs and giggles, and tries with all her might to pull them off.  Usually she is successful, but this time I was a mean mean mommy and did the velcro strap under her chin so I could snap a picture. Bad mommy!  It was worth it though.

There are some things I would change about this picture, but they are minor.  I had a different shot in mind, but she is such a wiggle worm this morning, I am lucky I got this!

I hope you have a happy Monday.  I'm off to put Brie to bed and then jump in the shower with Tea. It is a rainy day here, but maybe I'll venture out later and take some pictures of Tea jumping in puddles with her too-big-rain-boots, coat, and umbrella.

xo
meg

On Being a Mom

I have been tagged by Kylie over at Cherish the Moment. This little meme started at Her Bad Mother, in a post called ‘The world according to Mom.’ To make a long story short, she wrote out five reasons why she loves being a mom and then tagged five people to do the same.  Her goal is for this mommy meme to make it around the world in 80 clicks. I am sure she has reached her goal. So, here it goes - 5 reasons why I love being a mom.

1) I love the fact that Tea thinks worms are THE coolest thing in life right now, and she could spend all day digging them up and then putting them back in their home. This just goes to show how amazing the simplest things are (think: rocks), how cool every day objects can be (think: toothbrush), and how much fun the things I take for granted really are (think: bucket).

2) Hearing a little two year old say, "I'll help you!" is possibly the easiest and most efficient way to turn my heart into goop. Something about how eager children are to please the adults in their life just gets me. every. time.

3) I may not always think the world of myself, but Brie doesn't know any better.  She is ALWAYS happy to see me, no matter how disheveled I look, how much I weigh, if I've been productive or lazy, if I'm happy or sad. She always wants to be with me, to play with me, to press her forehead into my lips and nuzzle her cheeks into my neck.

4) Seeing love in the physical. Truly amazing.  I love my husband, we created these beautiful children, and now it is up to us to teach them, take care of them, show them love.  Love just radiates off of them, from the first breath they take, to their first smile (she did NOT fart, dammit, it was LOVE), to the first time you say "hold my hand, sweetie" and they do.  They show love - they KNOW love before it even has a name to them.  Amazing.

5) I am a better person in everything I think and say and do.  Every day my patience, love, and humor are tested, and every day I believe that my capacity for patience, love, and humor grows.  I share my life with these little souls, I share my existence.  As they grow, I grow - it is impossible not to.

I think the only rule is to tag 5 other people and one of them has to be from another country. So I tag Aimee at PutYourFlareOn, Wendy at 2-Moms, Amanda Cathleen at Mistress Stash Enhancer, Farmer Gal at Ramblings, Dawn at The Dawn of an Old Age, and YOU.

On a side note: I have some new prints up in the shop. Check them out Here.

Happy Saturday!
xo
meg