2Remember Studio

family pictures....

2012-02-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

I already posted a family picture in the post before, but thought I'd share some more from our day in Flagstaff. What a fun day it was! Although I wish I would have worn warmer clothes on the kids, because they kept complaining that it was freezing! I guess I wasn't thinking....

Just look at that....

2011-04-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm back in business! Wow, was that an absence or what? LOL It's been quite a while since I have been on here last.....so how do I wrap up the last two months in one post? Ok, I won't. But I will share a few pictures to show a little of what we've been up to around here! :)
I realized a few weeks ago that I never did post any pictures of Ashley and Drew's wedding on here! I traveled to Washington for their wedding in November. We had a fun day despite the fact that it was soooo freezing outside, and the bride had a miserable case of strep throat! Here are just a few pics to show you.
My adorable niece Claire was the flower girl....

Around here this winter, probably the biggest thing going on, is Frans getting started on his own roofing company! We've been beyond busy trying to get everything going, but it has been fun too. We are now the proud owners of UltraFoam L.L.C!

We have also had lots of visitors, and it has been great having them all! Jari was with us for several weeks, then we had a short break until Frans' mom and dad came for a week and a half, then a break for a day, and Anita, Anna and Tia were here for a week! Now our nephew Brian is here from MN staying with us for a short while. It has been busy but so much fun to have the out of town family here! Here are the girls with Grandma and Grandpa....

I love this picture I took of Tia when they were here....

And her and my crazy daughter thought that for some reason it was warm enough to swim at the beginning of March!

Taryn having a ball one day showing off her hula-hooping skills to us!

And while the weather has not been warm enough for me to go swimming, it has been perfect for hiking! Kierstyn and I on the top of Squaw Peak...

And there are lots more pictures to share, but I will save them for another post! And I promise you won't have to wait another two months for them! But I can't end this post without sharing these pictures of my brand new niece Piper who I got to meet when I was in Seattle! Isn't she adorable!?

5 generations

2011-01-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

I had the privilage of photographing 5 generations of beautiful women today! I was thrilled when Ashley called me to schedule a date last minute! You don't hear of five generations often, (at least I don't), and to have them all be girls is awesome :) And I am related to all of them....my grandma Esther, Aunt Pat, cousin Debbie, first cousin/once removed Ashley, and what would that make me to Rihanna? First cousins, twice removed? Anyways.... here is a sneak peek Ashley!

I just LOVE this picture of grandma and Rihanna...Grandma will be 91 in February (doesn't she look amazing), and I'm not sure how old Rihanna is, but I would guess she's two. Many years between these two!

Grandma's hands...to think of how many tears they have wiped, meals they have baked, hugs they have given, how much work they have done, hands they have held, spankings they have given, nails that have been bitten...

At Ashley's wedding, she had a picture taken of 4 generations of hands... Here is the same picture with one more set added in!

Craig and Lora

2010-12-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

Craig and Lora were married in November on my birthday! So I spent the day celebrating by getting to do what I love....take pictures :) What a sweet couple these two are, and we had a great time with them! I also photographed one of her bridesmaids' Lisa's wedding a few years ago in Seattle, so it was fun to see her again! These two didn't have any trouble smiling. Even hours later...the smiles were still real! Here are a few of my favorites from their special day.

The guys....

and the gals...

The cakes were made by Bruce Wuollet, and they were to die for!

The table decor...so beautiful!

Congratulations again you two, we wish for you many many years of happiness!

A wedding post!

2010-12-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it?! I know it's December, and I know it's busy....but my blogging has been pretty darn pathetic :) Today is my catch up day. On the blog, on laundry, on cleaning, on wedding pictures....we'll see how much I can get done! I've got my running shoes on, and I'm raring to go :) Only three days till Christmas, so I gotta make them good productive days!
Here are a few pictures of Melanie and Glen...They got married back in October. Melanie has a sister right under her named Gwen, so everyone is used to saying Melanie and Gwen, now we gotta change it to Melanie and Glen! I gotta think about it everytime and make sure I'm not saying Gwen to Glen! LOL
Isn't she beautiful?

LOTS of people came to their wedding....the church was packed with friends!

And probably my favorite :)

Hello!

2010-12-06T22:19:00.000-08:00

Hey, is anyone out there?? Or did I lose you all since I have been M.I.A so long? Anyways....I'm here. I have been meaning to update on here this whole last week, but as you can see....that didn't happen! Do you ever feel like life is just whizzing past you and you are just hanging on tight hoping you don't fall off?! Well, that's how I've felt the last few months, but now looking forward from here....things should be slowing down a bit! Thank goodness! I have a few weddings to share, but that will have to wait for another night....for now you are going to get lots of P.A.D. pages :) I am still playing catch up on these....I got so far behind when I went to WA....now I am only 7 days behind! I just cranked out 4 pages today, so at that pace, I should be caught up in a few days!
Hope everyone has a great week! I am planning to get some wedding pictures worked on, some baking done, I've got another Norwex party, and in the mean-time, I hope I can get some grass to grow :)

Some of these are kind of old, but wanted to share them anyways....

Birthday girl....

2010-11-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

My Trina is now 3! And I am hoping that the terrible two's will completely be a thing of the past! J/k, she's not all that bad, but she can sure throw a good fit when she wants! She was just loving all the attention on her birthday! Isn't she so cute!?

I am off to Seattle until Tuesday! I still can't believe that I am going by myself....And I am hoping that once I get on the plane, my guilty feelings for leaving are gone! It's hard leaving....gotta get myself packed up and make sure I'm not forgetting anything, as well as make sure everything is in order for the ones at home! Babysitters lined up, meals planned, etc....
I have a wedding on Saturday, and two Norwex parties! It will be a fast, busy, fun five days!!

The Lloyd's

2010-11-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Halloween afternoon found us on a photo shoot with my cousin Robyn and her family! What a great bunch of people, and isn't little Rion just the cutest little one year old boy around?! (Notice I said 'boy'....I do believe I have got the cutest little 1 year old girl around! I am just a little biased I know! ) He was so awesome the whole time, and was such a trooper :) Here are a few of him and the crew.....

Love his big blue eyes!

Love this of Robyn and Rion! I can just hear the giggles....

Daddy had all the right tricks for getting him to laugh!

Love this picture too with the sun flare :)

Lots of Love surrounds this little man! Robyn's parents on the left, and Eric's on the right. Wonderful people that I am glad to have met!

Have a great weekend everyone! I've got lots on the "To Do" list, so I'm hoping I'm able to cross some of them off!

Robert and Sheena

2010-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Robert and Sheena were married at the Radisson at Fort Mcdowell...and what a gorgeous desert backdrop! The weather was perfect, and we had a great time! Here are a few of my favorite photos of the two of them. Congratulations again Robert and sheena!

catch-up

2010-11-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

I have some serious catch-up to do on the ol' blog! I've got wedding pictures to share, family sessions to share, and some P.A.D pictures to share! I better get all caught up on these things tomorrow, because with still a wedding and two family sessions to edit, and three Norwex parties this week, it will be friday before I know it :)
The news is claiming that tomorrow starts our cool down here in Phoenix....hmmm....I wonder if that will turn out to be true! Still running my A/C over here, and I'm just trying my hardest to keep the thought "it's November!" out of my head! Unbelievable! Crossing my fingers that it really does start cooling off!
Does anyone in the Phx area know where I can find a piano teacher who is reasonably priced to come teach my girls to play the piano? They are actually pretty good at plunking out several tunes by ear....but I would like to get them in lessons soon! This piano has such a beautiful sound! (And huge thanks to some wonderful friends for making it affordable to have it!) My mom and dad came over last week, and my mom actually sat down and played a song! She is a great piano player, and we are lucky when we can get her to play even one song! But I do have memories of her playing a lot while we were growing up. :) Who knows, maybe I will even take lessons along with the girls!

This weekend was fun just hanging out at home with the kids! I think it was needed by them just as much as us! It feels so good to just 'chill' every once in a while :)

Have a great Sunday everyone!

and a few more....

2010-10-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more for you Anita ;) Now I am caught up on all but one!
This has been so fun (and yes, a bit of a challenge too) to do this picture-a-day project, but at the end of the year, the book is going to be so awesome to look through! I challenge all my readers to start doing this!

Happy Monday everyone! And can you believe it is November already?? Two birthdays this month, 4 norwex parties lined up, two weddings, a trip to Seattle, Thanksgiving....I'm going to be busy! :) But it all sounds so fun!

slacking....

2010-10-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have really been slacking on the blog business! But I have been so busy, that my computer time all together has really been pretty minimal! Here are a few pages from my P.A.D project Anita! I have been good about staying on top of this until the last three days! I have the pictures, I just haven't put them into scrapbook form! Tomorrow. After church. before a photo shoot. Hopefully! Aaaahhhh....so much to do, so little time! I need a day to regroup :)

And I know this is more than 'one' picture....but I thought the three together was so cute! We got this outfit from Lindsey's teacher, and Taryn thought she was just great wearing it! But she would not stop for a picture!

Looking thru all of my pages that I have done so far, I realize that most of them are of Trina and Taryn. And while I guess that makes sense because they are the two home with me during the days....I really need to get some pictures of Toni and Alanys too! That's my goal for next week!

Simonson Family {Phoenix Family Photographer}

2010-10-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peak at a few pictures from our photo shoot today with the Simonson's. We had a great time at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, and the kids were all so good! I got my workout in too chasing after little Paylin trying to get some good pictures of her! What a doll she is, but she wouldn't sit still for more than two seconds at a time :)

Such pretty girls! After looking at their pictures on my computer, I decided that the twins each have a different look even tho they are identical twins....but I just don't know what name goes with what look!

And a half-ways smile out of Trey....I'll take it!

My first Norwex party....

2010-10-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Was exciting and a great success!! I am so excited to be on this new venture :) The consultant who I signed up under came down from Minnesota to train me by doing my first party for me. I even brought my camera to the party to get a picture of her presenting, but of course I didn't get one picture! She is going to help me at my second one tomorrow night, then after that I'm on my own! It was really a lot of fun, and it's the product that is so awesome that it is so easy to sell. If you are interested in hosting a party, or would like to attend a party, contact me and let me know! If you would like to attend one, I have several coming up here in Phoenix in the next few weeks, and one in Washington on November 22nd.

In other news.....I am just loving this cool weather we are having here today!! It is cool, gray and rainy and my doors are open and I am enjoying it to the max!! Gray and rainy probably doesn't sound all that appealing to those of you who don't live here.....but for us, it's a great change!! I'm crossing my fingers that this cool down is here to stay now for the winter :)

more family pictures....

2010-10-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

I already posted a family picture from our day in Flagstaff in my last post, but thought I'd share some more from our day :) It was so beautiful up there, and chilly too! I don't know what I was thinking...I should have dressed the girls in warmer clothes! They complained almost the whole time that it was sooooo freezing! It wasn't that cold!
It just made me think all the more while we were there, that I would love to live there! You get the four seasons, a smaller town, close enough to the big city.....sigh...maybe someday! :)

fall colors

2010-10-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

Driving up North to see the 'fall colors' is something I have wanted to do for many years now, and we finally did it! Last night we decided that today we would head up to Flagstaff and spend the afternoon taking pictures. We went just North of Flagstaff where the aspens were all bright yellow. I was a little disappointed to not have seen any reds and oranges, but maybe we were too early? Anyways, it was a fun day with the hubby and kids! Here is our attempt at a family picture, and my picture-a-day photo for day 7!
We started out by doing the self timer thing until some nice guy offered to snap a couple for us!

Day 6!

2010-10-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

I am on a roll if I do say so myself! I've almost made it to a week, and it's been a lot of fun doing this!
Here is day 5 and day6
I did these pictures a little smaller than the pictures in my other posts....are they better this size? easier to view?

New blog

2010-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

If you're here, then that means you found my new blog! I have wanted to switch over for a while now, bucause I love the bigger pictures, and the best part is I will be saving $8.95 a month!! The pictures are a little bigger than I would like them, but just bear with me and I'll get it figured out!
What do you think? Do you like the look of this blog better or the old one better?

I am happy to say that I haven't missed a day yet on my picture a day (P.A.D.) project! It has been fun :)
Are any of you guys doing it yet??
Day 4:

P.A.D. project day 3

2010-10-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

I finally got my wisdom teeth taken out! finally! Going to the dentist for anything tops my list of things I absolutely hate, and I was dreading this day for so long!! And I was such a stress case going in to my appointment, that the surgeon probably thought I was such a baby! But that's ok. I'm just overjoyed that it is now behind me!! I was feeling pretty nausous all day yesterday, and I finally figured out last night that it probably was not the after effects of the laughing gas, but the vicoden that was causing it. So I quit taking that, and just took Motrin today. I felt so miserable yesterday!

2010-10-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Jay and Amy were married on Sunday at the Pioneer Living History Village. It was a gorgeous day and it was my first time there, so it was fun to check it out! Here are a few pictures of the two of them that caught my eye while looking through their pictures today. Congratulations again you guys!!

And our 'Blue sky' picture from their wedding. It was a great venue for a wedding!

And yesterday I started my 'picture-a-day project....here is my picture for day 2!

Have a great Tuesday everyone! Today is the dreaded day that I get my wisdom teeth pulled! I have been dreading this day for so long! And I am such a nervous wreck. I HATE going to the dentist, but will be SO GLAD to finally have them out!!

my picture-a-day project....

2010-10-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to start this!! I have actually wanted to do this for a long time, but have always put it off because I was waiting for a specific day to start...didn't think I should just start on a random day! well, what better day to start than on 10/10/10? That way it'll be easier to remember what day I started on :) I am going to take a picture a day, put some journaling with it, print it to an 8 1/2 X 11, put it in a sheet protector and start my book!
I am really hoping that I can keep up on this! If any of you reading my blog do this, you should leave me a link in the comments section to where I can see your picture! It doesn't have to be with journaling...just a picture is fine! And I am not going to guarantee that I will post it everyday on here, but I'm going to try!

Here is mine for today...

ahhhhhh...

2010-10-06T02:49:00.000-07:00

I think Fall may have finally arrived! And it sure came in with a windy, chilly, rainy bang! After an average temp in September of 103 degrees (!), I think we phoenicians are all ready for cool weather! We had a couple of awesome hail storms, but of course I didn't get pictures of it! I also heard on the radio this morning, that there was a tornado and a few tornado warnings up near Flagstaff. Crazy!
Here are a few pictures that Frans took later in the afternoon....

I LOVE Fall, and I LOVE the rain!! And I love that I was finally able to turn the AC off, and open the doors to let the cool in! Ahhhh...

Tuesday's Tip....make your eyes 'pop'

2010-10-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how some people post pictures online where the eyes of the subject just 'pop'? Well, I am going to teach you one way of doing that to your pictures. I work in Adobe CS3, so if you are working with a older or newer version, your screen may look a little different than mine. And there are several different ways of doing this, but this is the quickest way for me :)
First, open the picture in photoshop that you want to work with...

Next, zoom in on the eyes to make it easier to see what you're doing...and click on your 'lasso' tool. trace around the first eye (it doesn't have to be perfect), then while holding down the 'shift' key, lasso the other eye. So now both eyes should have a moving dotted line around them. Now, right click on your mouse and select 'feather'.

and put your radius at 10 and click ok.

Next, go to your 'filter' tab on top of your screen and choose 'sharpen', then 'unsharp mask'

Play around with this a bit until you get the look you want. You can check the box that says preview to see the difference before you ok it.

But be careful you don't over-do it....you can end up with some scary looking eyes!
Here is a picture of the before and after....

At church

2010-09-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

While sitting in church this past Sunday, Lindsey was busy writing in her notebook, and she gave me permission to share 'her story'. I thought it was so cute! I always wonder what's going thru their minds!
"At Church"
by Lindsey Kuoppala
Right now me and my family are at church and a sermon is speaking to us. Right now Taryn is peeking over the bench and seeing what's going on behind us, Trina is staring behind us also, Toni is trying to go to bed, Alanys is sitting down and talking to her friend Emalee, and Kierstyn is sitting down and listening to the sermon.
At church right now there is about 100 people sitting down and listening, 40 people playing outside, 20 people talking, and 10 people out with crying or hungry babies.
The end.
Isn't that the greatest?!?! At least one of my kids was listening, and I wonder what Frans and I were doing? Good thing she didn't put something like mom is trying to get us to be quiet and dad is snoring! LOL
I love it. Oh the things Kids say and do! All too quickly these days will be gone, so I am going to get better about documenting the great things they do!

Living life the way I picture it...

2010-09-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

Epiphanie is having a contest on "living life the way you picture it", and they are giving away a canon 5D mark ll camera!! This is my dream camera, so I thought I'd play along. Check them out, their bags are amazing!
I need to include a picture that had a few specific things in it....Here it is! Good luck to me! If I win this awesome prize, you will all hear me yelping with glee no matter where you are!

good morning!

2010-09-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

Happy hump day! It's a beautiful morning here :)

Ok, so I had a friend (who shall remain nameless) call me yesterday and share a 'norwex' story with me that I thought was pretty funny....
She got to cleaning her house with her 'rags', and when she looked out her kitchen window she decided that her car windows really needed to be cleaned too. So she took her 'rags' and went outside to clean the inside of her car windows. Well after she got done, she realized that the outside of her car was pretty darn dirty too....so she packed up the kids and headed off for the carwash. Her car came out sparkling clean, and she realized that the rags really worked awesome on her windows now that she could see through the outside dirt :) As she drove away, she realized that she still had some time, and the kids were getting cranky because they were hungry, so she decided to roll through McDonalds. She got herself a sausage and egg mcmuffin because they were cheap, and she thought that it couldn't be too high in calories because all it is is a sausage and egg and a muffin. Well, she was NOT happy to find out that she had just consumed 490 calories in one sandwich! So now all because she decided to clean up a little in the morning, she spent about $10 extra between the carwash and Micky D's, and she would have to work out extra hard at the gym that day! Not to mention that after all that she picked up her Kindergartner from school, and after spotting the McDonald's bag, and realizing that there was no food left for him, he became cranky too! AAaaah! Time for naps!
The Norwex mission is to radically reduce the use of chemicals in your home, and at the same time save you TIME and $$....but what you do with all your extra time and $$, well, that's up to you!

Sheena and Robert

2010-09-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

Here is just a sneak peek at a few pictures from our engagement session with Sheena and Robert. These two are a fun couple and we are looking forward to their wedding at the end of October!

do over....

2010-09-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have days or weeks where you just feel...bLAH? That was last week for me. And I would like a do-over please! I only got out to hike a few times, and my eating was horrible, and I feel like my mood wasn't so hot either. But it's a new week, and I'm determined to make it a good one!
These pictures were taken on our hike up Camelback last Friday. Every time I hike I wish I had my camera....so this time we took it :) (Maybe for Christmas I'll ask santa for a little point and shoot camera so it's easy to tag along in my water pack)

I love the red rocks!

Happy Monday everyone, and like our friend Warren would say....Make it a great day :)

Norwex

2010-09-24T03:49:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a couple days ago, that I am now a Norwex consultant. And you're probably wondering...what the heck is Norwex?! Well, let me tell you, that I could go on and on and on about their products, but I will try to just give it to you in a nutshell :) Their stuff is so awesome, but you can't just take me word for it...you have to try it, and watch it being demonstrated, and I promise you, you will be in love! Now, am I sounding corny or what!
anywho... Norwex's mission is to "improve the quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning".
They have a ton of different cleaning products for personal care and for cleaning, but probably my most favorite, is their rags. And I guess I shouldn't call them 'rags', because they are much more than that!
these cloths are microfiber with an antibacterial silver-based agent embedded inside the tiny microfiber. They are amazing! You are able to clean your entire house with these cloths while only using water! You can throw away your windex, and clorox, and pine-sol, etc...All you need is water and a cloth :) Cleaning windows with these is so awesome! It's so fast, and easy, and you won't find one streak anywhere on your window. You can rub raw chicken on your counter and after wiping it off with your cloth, there is no bacteria left. It sounds too good to be true I know....but after you see the demonstrations, you will be sold like I was! Call me up if you're interested in hosting a party!! I would love to come show you what all they have, and how wonderful everything is! I do have a few parties lined up for the middle of October...so if you're interested in attending, let me know!
I am so excited to be a part of this! And I love that I can earn some extra income by selling a product I really believe in, and at the same time, still have time for my photography!
Anyways, If you want to read more about it, check out their website.... www.norwex.com
And since I can't post without a picture....I was just going thru some old pictures on my computer, and found this one of Trina and "Hazel". (She used to be at the PHX zoo) It cracks me up:)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Energy...

2010-09-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

Have any of you ever had one of these??

I have never had any interest in energy drinks. But I brought home several free samples of these babies from the women's expo last sunday, and finally yesterday decided to try one. I had it at about 6:30 yesterday evening. (why I thought I would need boundless amounts of energy in the evening, i'm not quite sure!) So anyways, I didn't notice that it gave me a major energy boost. Until...about midnight. When I'm laying in bed wondering why the heck I can't fall asleep! I want to get up at 4:30 to hike, but now it's 12:44 and I'm still wide awake! ARGH!! Never. again. At least, not anytime past noon! I'm not sure what time I finally was able to fall asleep, but needless to say, I didn't hike. I did wake up to my alarm, but knew that if I stayed up, I would not be a happy camper today!
And I wouldn't have had any patience for these two cuties of mine!
Trina loves when she can make you laugh, and her laugh is so contagious! It's loud and funny, and I love it!

And this little runt....she's quite the character. She makes me smile too :)

Happy Thursday everyone!
I am hoping for cooler weather this weekend! It has been so darn hot, and I rescheduled an engagement shoot I had for last weekend to this weekend with hopes that it wouldn't be 110 degrees! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Tuesday Tip....What is ISO?

2010-09-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

If you are just switching over to shooting in manual from automatic, you may be wondering....what does ISO mean?? Well hopefully today's tutorial helps you and you are able to become more familiar with it!
The ISO on a digital camera is the same thing as 'film speed' on a film camera. If you wanted to shoot with different film speeds on a film camera, you had to change your film to do so. With digital camera's, you are able to change the ISO (film speed), and do it while never changing out your memory card.
The ISO determines how sensitive the image sensor is to light. The lower your ISO, the better quality picture you are going to get. The higher ISO you go, the more grainy or noisy your picture becomes. On a bright sunshine-y day outdoors, you probably won't need to set your ISO higher than 200. But when you start getting darker or are indoors without a flash with low light, you will need to set your ISO higher.
This series of pictures of Lindsey shows you the difference in ISO settings. They are all taken at a shutter speed of 1/100, and an f-stop of 2.8. The sun had just set so it wasn't very bright out.
Starting with my ISO at 100:

and my ISO at 320

and my ISO at 500

and my ISO at 640

and my ISO at 1250

and at 1600

and another picture of Lindsey with the ISO at 1600 indoors with low light and no flash... Notice this picture is a little more 'noisy'. (It might be a little hard to tell here)

When your digital camera is in automatic mode, the ISO speed is chosen
for you to suit the level of light available at that particular time.
If you set your camera mode to "P" (program AE), you can choose your own ISO and your camera will then set the shutter speed and aperture automatically.
In manual mode, to change the ISO setting on your SLR camera, press the ISO button then
use the up/down or left/right buttons to change the speed.
Hopefully this tip was helpful for some of you!
have a great Tuesday! And feel free to let me know if any of you have any photography/camera questions you would like to see answered on here! (Or you may also email me privately)

story time...

2010-09-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday morning y'all!
Like my hubby posted on his facebook, my "wordless wednesday" was so wordless, that it brought us right through the weekend! Well, I took a few days off there, but I'm back! :)
My girls were all about the dark this weekend! Don't know why, but every once in a while they'll do this. Shut off all the lights, and want me to light all kinds of candles, and they round up every flashlight in the house! This time, we had no working flashlights, so the light off of Frans' video camera was their 'flashlight'.
I came in the room and saw this, and thought it looked pretty neat :) Kierstyn kept them entertained for a long time reading to them!

Have any of you ever been to the women's expo? I went yesterday with some girlfriends, and we had a great time! My friend Michelle was really hoping to get a free haircut, and she got her name drawn for one at Toni and Guy, so she was fired up about that....and the cut looks great on her! (was thinking I should have brought my camera, but didn't!)
We wandered around there for a good 4 1/2 hours and had some good laughs! And I even came home all excited about becoming a Norwex consultant! Have any of you heard of Norwex? (If not, well, that's for another post!) I'm just thinking that I need to get out like that with the 'girls' more often...:)
Have a great day!

wordless wednesday

2010-09-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Tip...shooting in Manual

2010-09-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

If you own a DSLR, and are shooting in fully automatic...this week I challenge you to switch over and practice with shooting in manual! Once you see how much better you can make your pictures by being in control of your shutter speed, ISO, and f-stop (aperture), you will never go back to shooting in automatic!
What does f-stop (aperture) mean?
The aperture and how it works can be confusing to some of you.
The aperture is the part of a lens that determines how much light is
let through to the sensor. If it’s wide open, lots of light gets through. If it’s closed
down, only a little light gets through. Aperture settings are expressed as decimal numbers, and work opposite to the way you’d think... a higher number will let in less light than a lower number. Each aperture has an Open, and a
Closed – the most and least light it will let in. In between it is what is known as the
f-stops, or aperture settings – numbers like f1.6, f2.8, f6.0, f16.0, with many in between. And not all lenses will have the same apertures....for example.. a cheaper lens may only open to
f3.5 or a f4.0, not letting in as much light as a more expensive lens that will open all the way to an f1.6.
When you change the f-stop, it will affect your "depth of field"
In these two pictures you can see the difference. the lower f -stop (I had it at 2.8) causes the background to really be blurred.

and with the higher f-stop (this one was set at 8.0) the background isn't so blurred.

What is shutter speed?
The shutter is what determines the length of time the sensor is exposed to light.
Shutter speed is usually expressed as a fraction – 1/2, 1/30, 1/80, 1/125,
etc. Some professional cameras go as high as 1/2000, or even higher.
The longer the shutter is open, the more light is hitting the sensor. A shutter speed of 1/4 means that the shutter is open for one quarter of a second, while a shutter speed of 1/2000
means it is open for only one two thousandth of a second.
A slow shutter speed picks up camera motion, and is one of the primary causes of blurry pictures. A safe rule for most situations is that you want a shutter speed of at least 1/50 or 1/60, but the faster, the better. If you go much lower than that, you will need a tripod, or you will have a blurry picture. But keep in mind, that if you are using a tripod, it will still blur a moving object. This picture was taken with a tripod with the shutter open for 2 seconds. Notice that the lights in the water are blurry because the water was 'moving'.

While practicing with shutter speed, Anita got this great picture....and with a tripod she could have gotten the greener and rocks around it to be a lot sharper. Anita, do you remember what your shutter speed was for this?

And one more picture....just shows a difference between automatic and manual.... This was taken in open shade, and they are straight out of the camera. The one on the left was taken in automatic, and the right is manual. Much nicer picture in manual!

Maybe next week I will touch a little bit on ISO, but for now, practice with these two things. And let me know how you do :)

what a weekend!

2010-09-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

What a weekend it was! Our Mother's retreat this weekend was wonderful! And now it's Monday, and I am thinking..."Is it really over already? Is my work really done? How did it come and go so fast??!" It was a lot of work, and I am SO relieved to be done, but it was also fun at the same time. And I was able to relax at camp too :) That is, until I got a call. At 3:00. And that's A.M. not p.m. Mind you, I had just barely fallen asleep maybe an hour earlier... It was my friend Michelle..."we have bed bugs, do you have another room you can move us to?!" OH NO!!!!!!!! Are you sure?? Bed Bugs??? Say it isn't so!! My skin instantly started crawling, and of course we then had to check under our beds! (good thing there were none!)
So after getting them a new room, and calling my brother the bed bug expert (sorry for the middle of the night phone call scare ben!!) it took me a while to get back to sleep! What a night and what a morning it was! I can now say that I know all that I care to know about Bed bugs! Ever wonder what one looks like? Here is one that looks just like the one I saw....nasty little creatures hey!?

But despite all that hoopla, camp was very refreshing and so uplifting!! So awesome to be surrounded by so many other mothers who share the same trials and temptations and joys as I do! I didn't bring my camera, but did take a few with my friend Denise's camera. So when she gets them posted on her facebook, I will have to 'steal' a few! We ended camp by stopping at our friend Diane's house in Prescott, and got a wild ride with her on her new golf cart :) It was a good weekend!
For Carol's wrap up and some photo's, check out her blog
I'm off to get some cleaning done, my house has been getting neglected for too long :(
And I'll leave you with a few more pictures that are a little more pleasing to look at! My two sweeties! Taryn is just thrilled I'm home, but she hasn't wanted to be real close to me yet! She's still a little mad at me for leaving her for the weekend :( But maybe now she won't be so attached to me. She much more preferred Frans than me all evening!

How was your weekend?

cruisin....

2010-09-10T02:14:00.000-07:00

My big 1 year old has discovered the car! And now you can hardly keep her off it when she's outside...it's so cute! And she especially loves being wildly raced around pushed around by her big sister Trina :)
No time for chatter today as I am off to camp in less than an hour!!
Have a great weekend everyone!

last day....

2010-09-09T02:59:00.000-07:00

My last day to get everything pulled together for camp, and what am I doing?? I'm baking cookies first thing in the morning, so the kiddos have some treats for the weekend while I'm away! As if I don't already have enough to do today! Geez... I'm making monster cookies and I'm hoping that the name alone keeps me scared away from having one, even tho they are starting to call my name louder, and LOUDER and LOU....well, you get the idea! I will have more than my share of treats this weekend at Camp, I don't need to start early! My first time making these and the kids all had one and said they are good! You know you don't bake much when you hear one the girls telling another girl..."she's making cookies, and they're for us, and for no special reason at all!" Hahaha..! What a hoot she is ;)

How many of you have kids home from school today?? Of all days, I have them all home today! They had monday off, then went back for Tues and Wednesday, now today off for some kind of fall recess, then back to school for Friday! What's up with that?! You would think that they would have just given them Tuesday off or else tomorrow off. But whatev, they're here, and I hope they are good girls for me today!
I'm off to get something accomplished!
Happy Thursday everyone!
ETA...Kendra, the recipe for these cookies is from the Rockford cook book...Maria Bratt's recipe.
4 eggs
1/3 lb. butter
1 1/2 C. brown sugar
1 1/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. white Karo syrup
1 lg. bag M&M's
6 C. quick oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 tsp. baking soda
2 C. peanut butter
1 C. chocolate chips
mix all ingredients together . Roll into balls and flatten. Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
I actually only put in about 5 Cups of oatmeal, and they came out good!

Sweet Nelson...

2010-09-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Jana and Robert were here from Colorado this past weekend and we were able to squeeze in a photo shoot with them and baby Nelson. I'm sure the weather was much cooler in CO than it was here, It was such a HOT day, but we survived it! Here are a few of my favorites from the day...

Isn't he just the cutest?!

I love his cheeks!

Thanks Jana and Robert, it was fun getting to know you a little bit!

Kamp Kipa

2010-09-07T02:17:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning everyone!
I am taking a few minutes breather before I hit the ground running for the day :) For me it's off to get my haircut (finally!!) then get some cleaning done during baby's nap-time, then off to the dentist! (ugh!!) I have been putting off the dentist thing for quite some time now for several different reasons...but I can't put it off anymore! I need two wisdom teeth pulled, so today is just the exam and x-ray. I think I can manage that fine. I think I can. I think I can.
I am the director for our church's mother's/ladies camp this year up in Prescott, and it's this weekend! EEEeeek! I am getting a little stressed out now hoping that everything goes fine! With that, and the dentist, I am a bundle of nerves right now :) So I will have a busy week finishing preparing for camp and running around doing last minute things.
Frans was up at Kamp Kipa, our church camp this past weekend working, so I took the girls and met him up there for the day on Sunday. I hadn't been there for quite a while, so it was really neat to see all the work that's been done! A LOT has been done, and it is exciting to see it coming together. A few pictures of our day...
Kierstyn and Toni looking out of one of the boys' cabin windows...

The porch of the same cabin....new window, new door, new railings, etc...

Taryn standing on the new steps leading up to the cabins....

Inside of the main lodge (kitchen and two bedrooms and a bathroom are behind me). They are building two rooms at the front of the lodge. probably for storage and an office of some sort.

Shot of the main lodge from up by the girls cabins. Roof about half done...

some of the girls cabins...

T Bomb loves having her picture taken!

visiting up at the upper ramada...several Prescott folks were there...

T Town looking cute as ever :)

Trina with her new friend Nora, who did NOT want me taking a picture of her! She got a serious pout going on!

And eating watermelon was all serious business for this guy!!

Frans got the hang of this thing pretty quick...what are they called...kick tide's or something. I wasn't about to try it!!

and of course the little spoiled T Bear.... she was loving it up there! (that is until she fell asleep and then woke up too early!! time to go home!)

It was so nice to get away for the day and relax a bit! (But sorry for so many pictures!!) It was a fun day, and we need to get up there more often!

it's Friday!

2010-09-03T00:20:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by! It just amazes me how fast time goes...I'm not getting done all that I would like, and would like for it to slow down just a little! For just a little while :)
Frans headed up to our church camp to work this weekend, so it's just me and the girls...what to do, what to do? Got any ideas for us? I don't think the honey-do list is going to get any shorter with him gone, but maybe I will try and tackle painting my front door red! I have been dreaming about having a red door for some time now, and I happened to find some paint in the "oops" section at home depot! score! So I will post pictures of that if it happens :)
I love this bridge going over the SR 51 between Greenway and Bell, so on my bike ride the other morning, I decided to take my camera along and get a picture of it! For some reason, I really like it...

I am going to start taking my camera along more often....there are so many awesome sites in this city! This one included...my cute girls loving the wind in their face!

It was REALLY hot this day, so I decided to take the girls swimming when we got home. I think my swimming for the year is done!! The water was so cold, it took me at least a half hour to get all the way in! Poor Taryn didn't have a choice....she just got plopped in there, without anyone asking if she was ok with that! But she didn't complain a bit...not too cold for her!

Trina on the other hand...she was better watching from the other side of the fence. Too cold for her!

So she sat on the patio and played in the hose. Hmmmm...I can't imagine that that water was much warmer. Silly girl!
Have a great weekend everyone! I'm looking forward to a family photo shoot tonight with some folks coming from Colorado! Watch for some Photos from that next week!

fun in the gutter....

2010-09-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

If you grew up in Phoenix, you will be able to relate to these pictures! I remember every time it rained, we would be out running and splashing in the gutters and water filled streets! What I don't remember is how dirty and disgusting it really was! Why should I have cared....I wasn't doing my laundry! :) We got a wallop of a storm last Saturday, and as soon as we got home after it ended, the girls were changing their clothes and racing for the streets!

Our street was pretty dry by the time we got out there, but a few streets down had water flowing pretty good!

And Taryn was really funny to watch....she didn't know if she dared get wet!

I love the golden warm reflection of the sky in the water....

and the calm after the storm....

What fun they had! There were actually many neighbor kids out playing with them, and I got to meet several new people from around the 'hood...it was good!
what is your favorite monsoon memory? Did your mom let you play in the gutters?
Happy hump day!

Tuesday Tip....Backlighting and sun flare...

2010-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

A lot of beginner photographers are given the advice to shoot a subject with the light coming from behind the camera, lighting up the subject. And maybe many of you (I know I was when first starting out) are pretty intimidated to shoot into the light. Once you practice enough and get the hang of shooting into the sun or another light source, you will find that you can create some stunning images!

When taking a picture of a subject with the sun behind, you will most always need to use fill flash to light up the subject's face. Backlighting is wonderful in the way that it separates the subject from the background!

Although in the picture of this aspen, I did not use fill flash.... In this case I bumped up my ISO a tad, and overexposed it by 1 stop.

It is really difficult to take a picture in automatic settings with your subject being properly exposed with a bright light behind it. Your camera will want to expose for the bright sky and it will leave your subject dark unless you are using flash. Using automatic settings, your camera will take what it THINKS you want it to take....but to get the picture that YOU want, you will usually have to use manual settings.
I am also a big fan of sun flare in pictures, but I do recognize that it is not desirable in all situations. When I go out on a photo shoot with you, I will always be watching for an opportunity to get an awesome picture with sun flare!

It's a date!

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I decided not to wait until the weekend to go out together! My got a sitter last minute and decided to take off :) Thanks for watching the kiddos Julie! We didn't do anything grand, but it was fun to just get out and be together....definately something we don't do often enough!
We did a little shopping before going to Tempe Town Lake to check that out. I hadn't been there since the damn burst, so it was pretty wild to see it all empty! And I realized while there, that how ironic that we ended up there....as that is where he proposed to me! We were sitting on the wall with our feet dangling over the edge on the lake side, and he was so scared I was going to drop my ring in the water!! Whew...could you imagine!

Frans climbed down to the bottom of the 'lake' to get some pictures of the mud....

I love the reflection of the bridge in this one!

From there we headed downtown where we hoped to end up at Pizza Bianco.... but after much walking, we found out they are closed for a week for their 'summer vacation'!! I was a little annoyed!! who just closes for a week!? I got over it tho :) But I have heard great reviews about their pizza....has anyone else been there? Maybe next time we are down there we will have to check them out...
and a self timer portrait! the ground was the only place to put the camera!

We ended our date with dinner at Chili's before heading home. Fun fun!!

And I can't end the week without a recipe :)
These are "Almost Candy Bars", and let me tell you....they are to die for!! And you know me, I am all about easy, and these are definately easy! But having them hanging out on the counter all week taunting me wasn't such a good thing! But they are perfect for school lunches, or last minute company...

you will need:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 box of devils food cake mix
1 stick butter
coconut (optional) ( I say optional, because I don't like coconut!)
Mix (room temp) butter and cake mix together until crumbly, then spread on the bottom of jelly roll pan. sprinkle choco/butterscotch chips on top, and coconut, then drizzle all the milk on top. bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes. so so so so good!! Let me know if you try them and what you think!
Have a great weekend everyone! Cooler temps are coming our way!! I think it's only supposed to be 98 on Sunday, so it would be a great day for the lake :)

Happy Anniversary...

2010-08-26T01:19:00.000-07:00

Wow. Has ten years really gone by since we said "I Do"??! It is amazing to me how fast time is marching on! Happy Anniversary to my hubby, I have sure been blessed with him in my life! We will celebrate this weekend, I'm just not sure yet what we will end up doing! Maybe head to downtown to eat and explore....
sorry for the bad picture! I don't have a scanner, so I had to take this with my camera. (with my rebel...my camera is still in the shop, and I'm hoping that it's just the mirror that they had to fix...will find out today!) I don't think we have changed much in the last ten years, what do you think?

And to add to the celebration, check out this sweet deal....if you book your wedding with us between now and September 2nd, we will add a free engagement session to your package! ($175 value!!) You must mention this blog entry for the deal, and time is limited, so you must act fast!

This little girl....

2010-08-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

This little girl is going to be what keeps me smiling today!

dirty licorice face and all :)
My camera is off to the repair shop this morning :( There is something wrong with the mirror. And I am just crossing my fingers and will say a prayer that it is not a major ($) fix!! And if you have a session scheduled with us soon, don't worry....we've got you covered ! Although, if it is a major fix, maybe this will be the excuse I need to upgrade to the Canon 5D mark II! Or maybe that one's still a dream....!
Although maybe that dream will be closer than I think if I keep saving like this...

This was a few weeks ago now, but it has been my best savings trip yet! I am finding it harder and harder to buy things that aren't on sale, or that I don't have a coupon for! It has been a challenge at times, because it does take so much time, but it is definitely worth it! What's been your biggest savings in one trip? I have only gotten this high once, but it seems like my grocery bill has been cut almost in half since I started!
Happy hump day!

I heart faces weekly photo challenge..."beach fun"

2010-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

This weeks photo challenge over at I heart faces is "Beach Fun". This was one of my favorite pictures of our trip to San Diego a few years ago. How fun to enter it in this contest!

Tuesday Tip...Night time Deep Blue Sky...

2010-08-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

We have been asked many times, how do you get the Deep Blue Sky pictures in your night scenes. It is all in the timing. See you next week for the next tip.
Just kidding of course.
It is all in the timing though. Too get the deep blue in the sky with a night scene first you need to take the picture at night. After sunset there is about a half of an hour where it is still bright out. Towards the end of that half hour it starts getting pretty dark out but if you look at the sky you will see that it is still pretty light. What you need to do is wait until the sun goes down below the horizon far enough that it is dark outside but still a hint of light still in the sky. (when I say a hint of light, I mean just a hint. The sky at this time will look dark to your eyes probably.) So now the sun has set and we have waited half an hour. It is looking pretty dark out and now you have about fifteen minutes to get your night time blue sky photo. If you wait more than that there will be no light shining into the sky from the recently set sun to light the sky blue and your sky will turn out black.
You will need a tripod or some thing to set your camera on to compose your image. You will not be able to hand hold the camera for this because of the slow shutter speed you will need.

For this photograph of Tempe Town Lake I used our 5d with a 17-35mm sigma lens @ 17mm. I held the shutter open for two seconds with an f-stop of 9. I had my iso at 400. I could have gone with a higher iso and lower f-stop so I could speed up the shutter but I wanted the lights from ASU stadium (on the far left of the image) and the tall buildings next to it in focus and the bridge as sharp as possible.
If you have a question regarding your camera or photography in general, feel free to ask it here, or shoot us an email!

re-group day....

2010-08-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up, when us kids would start to get major attitudes going on, because we'd been running too much, or whatever...my dad would make us stay home for a while and "re-group." Although, it must not have been until we were older because I sure do remember being plain old "grounded" too! :) Well....that was one of those days around here today....we "re-grouped!" and it was good. The first week of school always leaves everyone tired and cranky, and with that comes attitudes and whining and the whole works! It wasn't intentional that I stayed home with the kids from church...we kind of overslept! But it did feel good to have a day where there was nothing that had to be done, and there was nowhere that we HAD to go! (although I did make a dash to target because we were out of diapers)
We just kind of lazed around and ended the day with a bike ride to grandma and grandpa's house :) We took a quick dip in their pool, had a short visit, then made our way back home again. Everyone loved it, and i'm sure we were quite the site on the road! We finally all have working bikes, and I can't wait for the weather to start cooling off and we can enjoy it even more!

what is something that made your weekend great?
Have a great Monday everyone!

food-ie friday...

2010-08-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

I just have to post this recipe for this taco salad on here that my friend Dayna shared with me. This salad is a big hit in our house, and it's the perfect meal for anytime! And I didn't think it would be good as leftovers because I thought the chips would get too soggy....but the romaine lettuce keeps it crunchy :)

Try it out and let me know what you think!
you will need:
1 1/2-2 lbs gr. beef
taco flavored doritos (crushed)
red pepper (chopped)
green pepper
zesty italian dressing mix (i use two packs)
big bag romaine lettuce
ranch dressing
brown your hamburger, add italian dressing mix. in large bowl mix everything together and mix in ranch to your desired amount! So simple and so so delicious!
We have made it through the first week of school...and I think it went pretty good:) Even tho Alanys tried to claim she was sick on Wednesday. I overheard her telling Lindsey that she likes playing on the swings, but she didn't like singing her ABC's twice! She went to school that day....and after school, she told me she was glad she went!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

summer's end....

2010-08-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we headed up the hill to Flagstaff in the middle of the night wee hours of the morning. We left at 3 a.m. and dropped Frans off around 5:30 or so at Kendrick mtn. He spent the day looking for elk trying to get pictures. He didn't have much luck getting pictures, but he saw quite a few, and got some great video coverage :)

I think the girls and I covered just about the whole town of Flagstaff while garage sale-ing (with NO luck...grrr....)!
But I cheered up in no time at the park! I mean, who couldn't smile watching this girl?! I can still hear her excited giggling! :)

Cute Kierstyn...

I
was quite peacefully laying here reading my book until these two wild girls kicked me right off the sleeping bag!

Lovely Lindsey...

After spending the morning at the park, we went to "Bearizona" in Williams. The kids were so excited to go there, but I was a little disappointed at how little there was to actually see. We saw some burros, and some Bison and a few bears, but the bears were far off. It's been many years since we drove through "Bear Country USA", but I thought I remembered it being 'more'. Have any of you been there? And if so, what did you think? And I was a little disappointed to find out that they charge for each person in the car, instead of a set rate for the whole carload. Oh well...the kids still enjoyed it, and now we can say we've 'been there, done that'!

At the end of the park, there was a 'walk through' area where you could see baby cubs, a fox, etc...All we could see were these two cubs playing!

My girls :)

Alanys and Kierstyn....tough girls with their tattoo's!

After Bearizona, we headed back to Flag to join Paul and Kendra and kiddos for pizza in the park for supper. It was so awesome to be up in the cool pines and out of the heat! It was a great send-off to summer!
Made a quick stop in a field of flowers on our way to pick up Frans...

my beautiful girls ( I'm just a little biased!) Toni and Alanys....

It rained!

2010-08-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

WHOOOO-EEEE! Hiking this morning, I could have practically swam up the hill! At 5:00 it was 77 degrees and 84% humidity! Can you say disgusting!? Although there was a pretty good breeze at the top, so it made it actually kind of chilly :)
Finally all the black clouds produced some rain over our house around supper time last night....and it actually was still raining pretty hard when I hit the sheets at 11. We have gotten teased so many times this summer, so it was fun to actually get the rain here. And the kids were loving it outside! Such a nice break from the sweltering heat :)
Anita, this wagon has provided more hours of entertainment around here :)

Alanys the lucky one who got to be the "pusher"! I have tried many times to get rid of this broken jeep, but every time I put it in the garbage pile, the kids haul it back out!

Excuse me missy-poo, get over here! I guess teaching her to play in the road maybe isn't one of the best ideas!
But she was having a ball!

Today is going to be another "purging" day around here... I said that when school starts, I was going to go through each room in my house and CLEAN it! Yesterday I tackled the girls room, and it took me a few hours, but man does it feel good to have that room done! When I was done with that I went through all the girls drawers, and cleaned out my little storage/garage sale bin. As a result....I ended up with two BIG garbage bags of garbage, 3 bags to send to goodwill, and one bag of stuff for my sister to rifle through. I love purging!!!
Now to just get these bags out of my house :)

Next up....my much dreaded office :)
Happy hump day!

Tuesday's Tip....Fill flash...

2010-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Back on August 3rd, on my blog about how to "take a better picture", I mentioned using fill flash. A few of you had questions about this.

---Appreciate the info Jenny - now can you explain the fill flash on the camera to me?

Posted by:
Karen Johnson

I will try to explain this the best that I can!
Fill flash is used to supplement existing light in a scene. It's generally not the primary light source (as a flash often is in low light situations) but fills in light where natural light doesn't go. It helps to eliminate shadows cast by facial features (under eyes, noses, chins) especially when light is shining down from above. It will also help to add a "sparkle" to the eyes of the person you are photographing.
In most point and shoot cameras the main button to look for will be the
one with the lightning bolt (flash) on or near it. Press this multiple
times and it will cycle you through the different options for flash (on,
off, automatic, red eye reduction are the main four). Some point and
shoot cameras even have a ‘fill flash’ option that ramps back the
strength of the flash a little which is ideal.

Some more advanced digital cameras will allow you to experiment with the
strength of the flash you use. This will enable you to tailor your
flash to the situation you’re in.
Rieno posted this question:

--Can you force all cameras to flash if it tells you it is bright enough without a flash?

Posted by:
Reino Kuoppala

Reino posted this question, and then called us and we walked him through how to use fill flash with his point and shoot camera.

When he tried to pop up the flash with the camera in the automatic setting, the flash popped up but did not fire when he took a picture.

Then we told him to set his camera on manual, so he set his aperature at 1/60th of a second, and his f stop was 5.6. He then popped up the flash again, and with the camera on manual settings, the flash fired this time.

Notice the flash filled in light on the plants, without having to "blow out" the background.

Thank you Reino for the pictures!

Hopefully this helped you!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

And they're off....

2010-08-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

To School!!

The girls were soooo excited for the first day of school!! Yesterday I overheard my 8 year old telling my 9 year old..."This sunday is taking was too long to be over!!"
On 'meet the teacher' night last week, Alanys' kindergarten teacher gave her some 'magic confetti' to set by her bed the night before the big day. She loved it, and it was right there on her pillow next to her as she fell asleep!
Here is the poem that goes along with it...

The night before school is exciting and fun.

There are always so many things to be done.

Your clothes are ready, your backpack is too.

Your classroom is full of fun things you will do

There are so many questions that go through your mind

All types of thoughts of every kind.

But sometimes we all get the jitters down deep

And that makes it hard to fall fast asleep.

So i've made you some magic confetti, it really is cool

it will help you be rested and ready for school.

Just place the confetti next to your bed

On the night before school starts where you lay down your head.

The confetti will help you sleep through the night

and you will wake up in the morning fresh and bright.

I'll place the confetti near my bed, too

And remember, I just can't wait for school so I can see you!

I thought it was really cute. She was actually not one bit nervous until this morning. I can't believe she is in school now....

And I don't think Toni was nervous at all...My big 1st grader!

Kierstyn is in 3rd grade. She was not liking me and my camera when we got to the school today! She was so worried that everone was gonna laugh at her getting her picture taken!
Silly :)
And do I really have a girl in 4th grade??! Crazy how time is just flying right along!

Some new shoes and a few new backpacks....they're all set! I hope they have a great year!!

I should have it pretty easy this year with only two home with me during the days....but so far today, my baby has cried all morning and I have had to hold her! Now she is zonked out in my arms. Hmmmm....is she sick or just tired?

Happy monday everyone!

On my plate today...

2010-08-13T01:16:00.000-07:00

MMmmm....doesn't this just make your mouth water? My new breakfast of choice lately...multi-grain waffles with a little bit of syrup, fresh strawberries, and topped with whipping cream! I actually have a hard time with wondering what to eat for breakfast! Is anyone else like that? For years and years I usually went without eating at all, or just having a bowl of cereal, but I can't do that anymore! So I will have waffles, or oatmeal, or toast and occasionaly a bowl of cereal. But what are some other easy ideas? I'm all about quick and easy in the morning!

I'm also always open to some quick and delicious dinner ideas/recipes.
Last night we had some awesome southwest meatloaf! If you haven't tried this, you should!
you need:
1 1/2 lb. hamburger
2 eggs
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. bread crumbs
1/2 C. salsa
1/4 C. ketchup
1/4 C. BBQ sauce
salt, pepper, and season-all
Mix together and bake in muffin tins for 15-20 minutes @ 450 degrees
so easy and the kids all love it too!
What's going to be on your plate tonight?
Happy Friday the 13th to everyone!

goggle guy and Taryn....

2010-08-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

I ran across these pictures of my friend Andrea's little boy Flynn, and just had to post them. He was so funny waddling along with his goggles! This swimming was serious business! And no matter how hard I tried, I could not get him to crack even the tiniest smile!
First he's got to scope out the situation before he heads into the water.....

ok, coast clear, but all that tired me out! too funny... :)
And another one of Miss Taryn....
TAKE TWO:

I finally figured out what the problem is....she's scared of Care Bear!! So we called it quits and tried again the next day....
TAKE THREE:

So now the question is....Do we try again for a smiling picture? Or do I settle on this one as our final?
What a little bugger she is being with our LAST picture! Here she is each month....(click on it to see it bigger)

This was a fun project!! And I only got behind a couple times :)

Raw Vs Jjpeg...

2010-08-10T05:15:00.000-07:00

If you shoot with a digital SLR, what do you prefer, shooting in raw or Jpeg? I will shoot in Jpeg if I am limited on memory card space, but otherwise, I pretty much always shoot in Raw. I am often asked why I do, and what are the pros/cons to raw vs. jpeg. Here are a few:
pros for RAW format:
1. RAW is a digital negative that holds all of your data that is captured by your camera. You are able to make edits to your photo in processing without losing any quality (lossless)
2. Raw file software (I use Adobe CS3) allows you to quickly and easily change the output of your image such as exposure, white balance, noise reduction, levels, saturation, contrast, sharpness, etc
3. RAW file software editors allow you to load saved adjustment
settings and you are even able to batch process a group
of photos instead of making changes to just one at a time
Cons for RAW format:
1. Raw files take up more space on your memory cards and hard drive than other formats
2. Raw file require post processing to convert them to an editable file for printing, online display, etc...
3. Raw file software takes a bit to learn and may seem intimidating to some
Pros for JPEG:
1. Jpeg files are easy and simple to view on most programs
2. Jpeg's take up less space on your memory card
3. Most DSLR's allow you to take your JPEG in S (small), M (medium), or L (large) format
Cons for JPEG:
1. JPEG's are a Lossy file format. What this means, is that everytime the file is edited or saved, it is compressed and loses data.
2. A JPEG file
3. JPEG files reflect a one-time interpretation of your subject
based on the settings of your camera (white balance, exposure
settings, etc.). Changing these settings and recreating your file, as you can with a RAW file, is not
possible. So basically, What you capture is what you get. Like my kids say, "You get what you get, and don't throw a fit!"
Here are two pictures that I took of myself to show you how much more you can do with a raw file. They are both taken with the same settings, but one in RAW and one in JPEG
If I had only taken this in JPEG, this picture would have automatically been deleted. But taken in RAW, it isn't such a bad picture....it just shows the difference between editing a JPEG and then editing a RAW. You have a much better chance of "saving" a bad picture in RAW.
Jpeg:

and this one in RAW:

Did any of this make any sense?
There are advantages to both ways, I just much prefer RAW. Now that I know how to use my RAW editing program, it is really easy!

Monday....

2010-08-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

Lazy. Lazy. Lazy. It's one of those Monday's around here today! I decided last night as I was going to bed, that I am not even going to set my alarm clock to go hiking....and if I wake up, then great, I'll go, and if I don't wake up...that would be just fine too! Well, I didn't really expect to sleep until 9:30 either!! I guess I needed it tho :) It felt good, but now I am feeling quite lazy, and I need some serious motivation to get going! This is what I feel like doing...

But if I grabbed my book (which I just started and is really good so far!) and sat down to read....my house would be a great disaster. It would be much greater than just a few bowls spilled and left on the table from breakfast! (breakfast at 10:00 mind you!)

But even if I got moving and shaking right now and kept at it all day, if you stopped by at 5p.m., you still might find little miss Taryn like this ;)

diaper-clad and hair all a mess!
At least some of us around here are raring to go....the other girls are playing wedding, and miss Trina is the twirling flower girl! But she kind of forgot what she was supposed to be doing when she saw me out with my camera LOL. Trina...I think you're wanted in front of the church!

How is your Monday going? Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, I hope it's great! One week from today, I'll have some organization around here. Kids will be back in school!

Taryn's one year...take one...

2010-08-06T02:28:00.000-07:00

hmmm...It seems this little chick just wasn't into our little photo session. :( I guess we will have to try her one year picture with her care bear later today or tomorrow. She just. would. not. cooperate. When I get one taken that I like, I will post all the months together! This was a fun thing to do every month to watch her grow :)

pool day....

2010-08-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

We have a pool in our backyard, but sometimes it's fun to shake things up and head down to the public pool in south Scottsdale! We usually go with friends, so it's always a good time for me and the kids :) Growing up we lived near there, so we spent a LOT of time there, like every day! And back then, it was only a pool with two diving boards, and a little kiddie pool....nothing special. Now there are two slides, and the two diving boards, a basketball hoop, and a big play thing-a-ma-jig for the kids with beach entry pool. Pretty cool! We don't live all that close anymore, but have made it there a handful of times this summer. And we'll get one more hoorah down there before it closes for the year! Here are a few pictures from the last time we were there a few weeks ago....We didn't get a storm, but it was threatening!

And have I ever mentioned that my hubby loves to take lightening pictures? Anytime we have a good show, he is up on the roof with the tripod! Here are a couple from a storm a few weeks ago...

Pretty awesome!
What has been one of your favorite summer activities? I can't believe that it's almost over and school will soon be back in session! I will say tho, that as much as I have enjoyed this summer, I am quite ready for the kids to be out of my hair there to be a schedule again, and for some quieter days! :)

75 years young...

2010-08-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday today to my dear mother-in-law on her 75th birthday!! We are not in Minnesota eating cake with her on her special day, nor were we there for her big celebration a few weeks ago...but we are very fortunate to have her in our lives for so many years, and we hope there are many more :) The family in MN put on a surprise party for her a few weeks ago....
(a picture I stole off of our family blog)
We may not be able to attend all the special activities with them in MN, but at least we get them here for two weeks every February! Here she is with her hubby of 46 years, and our girls last February. Doesn't she look wonderful!!?

She may be 75, but she is so energetic and she sure doesn't let herself get bored! From quilting, to traveling, to gardening, to writing her monthly newsletters, to baking and canning, and always making time for others, she is one special lady whom I admire greatly. Happy 75th birthday Diane from the Arizona crew!

Tuesday's Tip...take a better picture

2010-08-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning everyone!
I thought I would use today to share a few tips on how to "take a better picture". Most of you probably know all or several of these basic "rules", but it doesn't hurt to be reminded of them does it? :)
If you follow these few basic things, you could be hearing from all your friends..."wow, I love your pictures, you must have a good camera!" When in fact, it's not the camera that makes a great photo, it's the person behind the lens that makes a great photo! Happy clicking :)
1. GET DOWN ON THEIR LEVEL...

Whatever level they are at...get down to it.
This picture is much more pleasing and inviting when taken at her level. In this case the subject is in the water...so I was too...(just be careful if your camera is not waterproof!!!) I was able to capture the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye much better than if I would have taken it from up above. You may feel like a total dork when you are crawling around on the floor...but your picture will be worth the extra effort!
2. USE A PLAIN BACKGROUND...
Always watch for distracting objects in the background of your photos. If you'll see in these next two pictures, the pole between the couple is very distracting. I moved just a tad to the left, and it looks so much better. Especially watch for poles, tree branches, etc sticking out of the top of peoples heads. A minor adjustment makes a big difference!

3. USE FILL FLASH...
Remember to use your fill flash even outdoors to lighten up a shaded face. When the sun is behind or directly above you, you will have shadows under the eyes, etc, and the flash will fill these in to make the subject much more attractive. Even use your fill flash on a cloudy day, as it will help in separating your subject from the background.
In this picture, a fill flash would have filled in all the distracting shadows and eliminated the racoon eyes
4. MOVE IN CLOSER...
Your photo will be way more impact-ful if you fill the viewfinder with the subject. You will eliminate distracting background and be able to focus on the beauty of your subject. For smaller objects use the camera's macro or 'flower' setting to get sharper close-ups
While both of these of Conner are cute, the close up one is much more dramatic.

and just because I can't resist one of my girl :) Close-up is fun!!

5. MOVE IT FROM THE MIDDLE...
Think of your viewfinder as a tic-tac-toe grid. Now move your subject to one of the intersections of the grid. Your photos will come to life just by moving the subject from the center.

Those are my top 5 tips, hopefully some of you found them useful! There are more tips, but 5 is all you're getting today :) Practice these things the next time you bring your camera out, and you will find that your pictures are so much better!
What are some other Photography/camera/editing tips that you would like to read about here in the future?

weekend wrap-up

2010-08-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be able to escape the valley heat this weekend and head up north to Christopher Creek for our church Mothers and daughters camp! It was a great weekend away, and a very uplifting camp for me and the girls. I took the four oldest, and left Trina and Taryn home with Frans. He said they were great at home, so I shouldn't have spent so much time wondering how Taryn was doing without me! Michelle and her girls rode to camp with us, and we traveled with Caroline and Deb's carload. After dropping our stuff off at camp we headed back to Payson to eat dinner at Macky's Grill....good choice, the food was delicous! And we ended the meal with a southwest cheesecake...I'm drooling now just thinking about it! I should have taken a picture of it....but it is a chesecake filling wrapped with a fried tortilla rolled in cinnamon sugar, and topped with ice cream and strawberries! Yum Yum Yum!! Here is our crew of girls at the restaurant...4 adults with 12 kids between us :) Great memories for these girls!

We made sure to grab umbrellas at Wallmart before we headed back to camp, because we seem to get rain every year there. Good thing we did, because we got rain! And with the rain of course, you get the lovely MUD! Skye was smart and remembered to bring her rainboots! Me and my girls!

So fun to be with friends all weekend! And fun for me too!

Kierstyn having fun!

Caught this picture of these girls down by the creek, and I love it!

When we headed out of camp on Sunday, I had to pull over and get a shot of the low laying clouds... so pretty!

And of course.....a traffic jam that had us going an average of 5-10mph for about an hour and a half! What would a drive home from Payson be without that??!!? At least a 5 car pile-up near Sycamore Creek. But we were in good company, so the drive wasn't all that bad :) Brake lights and cars as far as the eye could see through the front window.....

and same with through the back!

And little cutie-pie Maddy was just thrilled to be able to come sit with Mom!
Before I wrap this up, I thought I'd share the super cute photo blocks that we made at camp on Saturday. We were each responsible for bringing 5 pictures for each girl for the project, and Laura supplied everything else. How cute are these?

They would also be darling with those wire photo holders sticking in the top!

supplies:
block of wood
pretty scrapbook paper
mod podge
sponge brush
craft paint

photos
embeleshments...(beads, sequins, ribbon, buttons, etc..)

to create:

1. sand down the wood smooth
2. paint the edges the color of your choice
3. glue squares of scrapbook paper to each side
4. glue pictures on
5. brush mod podge over everything. this seals it.
6. apply embelishment
So easy to do, and they are so neat. The kids had fun doing them, and I think we will just have to make some more at home!! They would be perfect for gifts! Even for a teacher. If you could get some pictures of her throughout the year, they would make a great Christmas gift.
And for more mod podge home DIY projects, check out my sister Heidi's blog Crafty Mommy that she just recently started. Some great ideas and motivation going on over there :)
Have a great Monday everyone!

back to school...

2010-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Almost. Not yet. But I can't believe we are already at the end of July! After really not enjoying last summer at all, I was actually really dreading this summer. But I shouldn't have been....it has been a lot of fun! And honestly, the heat really hasn't bothered me. :) But back to the matter at hand...I am not ready to send this little sweety of mine to Kindergarten!! Does it get harder with every kid to send them off?? I tell her at least every day..."I don't know what we are going to do without you!!!" And last night I told her in a gruff voice..."you aren't allowed to go to Kindergarten, you have to stay home with us, because we would miss you too much if you go!!" She just got this worried look and stared at me until she realized I was kidding! But seriously...I only get three more weeks with her?? BOO HOO HOO!
I brought her on the much anticipated shopping trip to Target on Monday to pick out her backpack! After doing much research on the internet about backpacks, Lindsey already had one picked out for Alanys before we went! She was going to get the shiny pink 'hello kitty' one....even as we were dropping lindsey off at summer school, she told Alanys..."remember, get the shiny hello kitty one!" Hmmmm....Is it just because she's the oldest, or is she bossy just because?? After much contemplation tho, Alanys chose the beautiful Princess castle one! Good choice girl!
"Hurry up and stop taking pictures mom, so we can go in and buy a backpack before they are all gone!!"
hmmm....do I go with Lindsey's choice, or go with the princess one!? so tough to decide :)

She thouroghly checked them out to make sure she was getting the perfect one :)

"Take a picture of me too mom....cheeeeeeeeeeese..."

My big Kindergartner!!

2010 Photo walk

2010-07-28T02:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I participated in my first Scott Kelby photo walk in downtown Phoenix. It was a fun walk getting to know the other photographers, and I learned a few things too! If I am remembering right, around the U.S. on Saturday, there were 1100 photowalk groups and over 3300 photographers walking! pretty cool!
This was only my second time going downtown to take pictures, and I hope to get down there more! There is so much to see and a lot of history that would be fun to learn about. Here are just a few of the shots I got.....We started and ended at the Arizona Center...

I loved the flowers against all the concrete and glass!

I really liked most of the pictures, but I think this one is my favorite!

Does anyone know what this vacant building used to be??

Has anyone stayed at this Hotel San Carlos? I thought it looked pretty neat!

Water from the misters...

And I think this was my hubby's favorite :)

Tuesday Tip.....Back button focus

2010-07-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

Back button focus....what did I ever do before I knew about you??? Before I knew about this great function, I struggled mightly with my focus on moving subjects. For example, a processional or recessional at a wedding. I had a hard time getting my subjects to focus while using the shutter button as my focus button. Well, those days are done thanks to this tip I learned, so thought I would share it with you here.

I shoot with the Canon 5D, and to set your camera:
1. under custom function #4 set it to #1: AE lock/AF (setting 0 is default)
2. turn your AF setting Al Servo and leave it there!
Normally, I try to put the focal point on the eye of my subject. However, with a moving subject I like to focus on the largest part of the body, with a high contrast area. For example, during processionals and recessionals I will focus on the man's torso area between his black tux and white shirt.

I love that the shutter button is no longer my "focus" button! And I love that when I am shooting a stationary subject, I can lock in the focus (push the * button with the focal point on the spot that I want in focus) and shoot away, even recomposing, and the focus will stay dead on.
Practice with this before you go out on a photo shoot! It took me a little bit to get used to, but now I am much more confident that my pictures are in focus!!
Hopefully someone out there found this helpful! :)
photo of the camera and tip from Melissa Jill

what a deal...

2010-07-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

I am all about finding a good deal these days!! And I am really enjoying becoming a "couponer" (is that a word??)! I have been doing it for almost three weeks now, and finally feel like I have a handle on how it all works! Now that I've got my coupon book all organized, it's actually pretty fun, believe it or not! But then, who doesn't have fun knowing they are saving $$$?
I thought I would post a few pictures of my new "baby"...aka...my coupon organizer :) This thing goes wherever I go, and is loaded with the ads, coupons, rainchecks, etc. It is so much easier to do now since I've put it all together.
The beginning of the 3 ring binder are my coupons in nifty baseball card holders! I found these ones at Office max and staples, but I'm sure you could find them at Target or Walmart as well. I looked at Walmart supercenter and they didn't have them, but a lot of times the supercenters don't always have as big a selection of stuff. And maybe I just couldn't find them....So easy to see what I have, the expiration date, etc.... so much better than leafing thru my coupons trying to find one!

I have them all divided with tags marking the different categories....frozen foods, dairy, baby, paper products, office, etc...everyone seems to do this a little different, but this seems to be the best way for me so far.

Behind the coupons are my pocket dividers that hold all my ads, so I have them all with me all the time. so nice to be able to be in Fry's and pull out the Albertsons ad to compare prices...After taking the picture, I added those little tags labeling which ad is where for fast finding!

And last, this is actually in the front of the binder, is my pencil holder that has all my rainchecks in it. The only bummer about ad/coupon shopping, is that if it's a hot deal, you have a good chance of the store being out of the product. So it results in making multiple trips to the store to get those items. But I'll do it if it's a great sale.
Before I go to the store, I make my shopping list, and put it in the front, and pull the coupons I know I need and put them in the pink pouch as well. And on my list I'll write down for example 'bread', and I'll put the price, and the quantity i'm getting, and if I have a coupon. Can you say EASY!!? I used the binder for the first time last night at Fry's and Safeway, and it was so easy to use! And maybe I do look like a total dork in the grocer store...but hey...who cares!? I'm saving money!!
I also thought I would post my favorite deals of the week here on Monday's too...(This is for the Phx area )
Staples: Has packs of 500 count multipurpose paper for $0.01! Cost is $4.99 with a $4.98 rebate that you can send in for or do online, which I prefer, and they will send you a visa cash card. Can't beat a penny! The only bummer is that there is only a limit of 2 rebates :(
CVS: (my new favorite store!!) Has pamper's diapers for $21.99 with $10.00 of extra bucks rewards, so that's like getting them for $11.99, and I have a coupon for $2.00 off. final cost: $9.99
I will use my $10.00 bucks rewards for diet coke 12 packs which are only $2.66
What other deals can you all share with us?
My friends are all probably getting sick of me talking about this :) but it is still exciting for me as I just started! And it is so fun to look up others blogs to see how they do it!

just because....

2010-07-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

I just love these two pictures of my two youngest monkey's....thier expressions in both of them are so "them" ! Trina is such a little fish, and knows how to swim, but is just as happy to play on the steps. She kept bobbing up and giggling at me :) If you put her in the pool at 7:00a.m. and didn't take her out until sunset, that would be just fine with her!

And Taryn...that sneaky little thing....anytime the back door opens, she is outside and in her little play kiddie pool before you even knew what happened! Clothes on, clothes off, either way is good for her!

I'm wondering right now Why I am sitting inside on the computer, when a storm is brewing outside, and it feels so good! The kids are all out there on their bikes for the first time in a long time, and I think I am going to head out there and join them! LOVE a good AZ monsoon storm, and this one looks promising!
But is there anyone else out there that remembers being a kid growing up here, and the storms being so much better than what we get now?? My memories are heading for the green belt and watching the roaring river, and running down the gutters splashing in the water, and the power going out and the flashlights and candles would come out. Or is it just that when you're a kid, everything is just that much more exciting? :) What is your favorite monsoon memory? And is it raining where you are right now?
Enjoy the rest of your Thursday evening!

Baby Cooper {Phoenix newborn Photographer}

2010-07-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have lots of fun pictures to share today of Baby Cooper. I'm sure his mom and dad are anxious to see them, and I hope they love them as much as I do! He is just 8 days old here, and is the cutest little guy! Oh to have a newborn to cuddle again....there is almost nothing that compares! I couldn't decide which ones to post, so I am posting lots of them :) (but I'm sure you don't mind!) Congratulations again Troy and Heidi, he is definately a keeper!

These daddy and baby pictures just melt my heart!

Marveling in God's creation! Another special gift from above!

I just love these next three of mom and baby!

So sweet!

oh baby, don't cry!

Heidi wanted this picture, as it very much signifies their crazy busy life right now with Troy in school!
Big Yawn! It's tiring doing all this posing!

He slept thru the whole photo shoot, until the very end!

and I love these last two of him all curled up!

And my favorite I think.....and how beautiful is my friend Heidi...she looks amazing for just having number 5!!

Wouldn't you agree that he is one adorable little guy!?
On a different note....make sure you hop on over to Kim's blog and check out the awesome card kits she has for sale as a fundraiser for our Mother's retreat this fall!

mid-summer excitement....

2010-07-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

July is always a busy month for us! Frans spent the first 5 days of July in Minnesota for our church's summer services and his high school's 20 year class reunion. He had the camera with him, so I didn't get any pictures of our family get-together over here for the 4th! By the end of his trip, I was starting to wonder what I missed more....him or my camera! I'm JUST KIDDING :) We really did miss him, but I was glad he had a chance to go...he needed a vacation!
We celebrated Taryn's 1st birthday! How in the world did a year pass already since she was born??? It just amazes me how fast time goes sometimes :( She is ALMOST walking, she loves when we all make her laugh, she loves to be held by mom or dad, she loves being outside and in the pool, she is the light of our lives!! All the kids RACE to get her when they hear her wake up in the morning or from her nap! I really love this stage she's at...now if we could just keep her here for a while :)
We celebrated her birthday at Bartlett lake with my sister and her family...
She did not like us singing Happy birthday to her! We sang to her all week long, and she loved it, but when it came down to singing at her "party", she was not thrilled...I guess she just figured that it was HER party and she could cry if she wanted to!

The lake is the best place for that frosting!

Once we put her in the water, we couldn't get her out! She loved it....

And one more shot I got of her that I just love!! I printed it to a 12x16, but am thinking that I would really like it on like a 20x24 canvas...how cool would that be!

This month we also celebrated Kierstyn's 8th birthday....she had a few friends over for a day of swimming...My beautiful 8 year old! She is so tenderhearted, has a very unique individual style, loves to wear boots with any outfit, has a beautiful smile, is very expressive and i love her face expressions, is very bubbly, and is so loved by us all!

In other news, I have started coupon/ad shopping, and after just 2 weeks into it, I am loving it!! I am excited to go to the store now to see all my savings :) Who would have thought that I could enjoy grocery shopping!? I have found a few online sites that I get coupons from....like: www.coupons.com and www.shortcuts.com and www.cellfire.com to name a few. Are there any other sites that you can share here? And any pros out there, feel free to share your information! I posted this on my facebook a week ago, and got some pretty good tips from lots of ladies, but I welcome any other tips/advice!!
I was pretty excited on my first shopping trip...I spent $72 and had $59 in savings, and my 2nd trip I spent $55 and saved $40! So I'm off to a good start I think :)
And speaking of a good deal....stay tuned tomorrow for a way to purchase some greeting card kits from the ever so talented Kim Kesti
She put together some card Kits to help us raise some funds for our Mothers retreat! Thank you Kim :)
Happy Monday!

What a fun weekend!

2010-06-28T02:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so much fun!!
On Friday afternoon I left the house and headed to the Pointe Hilton at Tapatio Cliffs for some girl time! It was such a treat :) There were 7 of us ladies and we lounged in the pool, ate dinner at Tutti Santi's and spent the evening lounging in the pool some more! The visiting went well into the night and I think I finally fell asleep on a few of the girls around 4a.m.! Wow....it's been a while since I've been that foolish! That's just a half an hour before I have been waking up lately to go hiking! But the visiting was good, and worth the lack of sleep:)
On Saturday morning after checking out of our room, I went to pick up my girls from home and we went to the Hilton Squaw Peak and spent the day at the waterpark there. The girls had so much fun running between the water slide and the lazy river! Frans joined us at about 4:00 and we didn't leave for home until around 6! It was a great time, and felt like a little mini vacation:)
The best part of the whole deal was the price! Would you guess it cost only $10.00?! We got the room for $70 and that was split between 7 of us...! Can't wait to do it again!
Love these pictures of Adeline and Taryn....Taryn was loving the water but insisted on playing on the step without us holding her!
Good friends....good visiting! Thanks to Lindsey for arranging it all....and for not letting me stay home!

Even us "big" kids enjoyed the slide!

Trina got so tired after not having a nap! while on the lazy river I told her "just lay your head down and go to sleep..." she was out in about 30 seconds!

The kids were all zonked out early on saturday night after spending the whole day in the sun! Sure beats a Saturday spent at home cleaning!
Sunday started out with an early morning hike with the hubby, then off to church, then an afternoon of lazing around reading, and we ended the weekend with some friends over for visiting and swimming! Now to play catch up around here....:)
How did you spend your weekend?

ahhh...summertime....

2010-06-24T04:16:00.000-07:00

Calls for ice cream!
and Swimming
and reading
and being lazy
and sleeping in
and playing in the hose
and staying in PJ's all day
and building forts
and trips to the library....
I make it sound so lovely don't I? :) I won't mention all the begging, and fighting, and restlessness, and eating, and eating some more, and digging in cupboards to eat some more...etc!

No really, it's been fun! When they start getting bored, just send them outside with ice cream!! That usually does the trick :)

The hike was awesome!

2010-06-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

Pretty much the best way to describe hiking to the top of Humphrey's Peak, is WOW.

We started hiking at 8:40 and got to the top at about noon. It was an awesome experience,and I am so glad that I went. Despite being sick all week, and behind on sleep, I made it all the way!
My hubby and I....so fun to do this together! :)

There were times that I definately thought about turning around and heading down tho, but I kept truckin along...The views were fantastic, and the trail was actually pretty nice most of the way.

I only got a few pictures of the others that were with us....
there were 8 girls that took off about a half hour before us...a few girls each from Flagstaff, Prescott, CO and one from Phoenix.
In our group there were 11 of us that hiked up together. We had a good time!

The winds at the top were probably between 60-70 mph, and the temp was about 50 degrees!! Can you say bitterly cold??! It wouldn't have been so bad if I was better dressed for the weather. What I wore was fine until we got to the last mile of the hike! The winds were the strongest winds that I have ever been in, they were just about enough to knock you over! Yikes! There is a wall built out of rocks on top to make a little shelter from the wind....so we huddled in there for a while before heading back down! I believe this next picture is looking down at Locket Meadow....so pretty! The views from on top were absolutely amazing!

So much snow still on top!

throwing snowballs!

My first time ever being above the tree line.....no trees growing this high, but I did find a few flowers!

Heading back down. I didn't enjoy the trip down so much....I had a massive headache from the elevation, and It lasted most of the way down.

We ended our day with pizza and visiting at Oregano's in Flagstaff. What a day....now I need to catch some zzzzzz''s!

random ramblings...

2010-06-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'll start off with the weather....:) It has been awesome this last week here in Phoenix! It is warming up again now, but we have had some cool days this last week, and the evenings and mornings have been wonderful! Especially Saturday when it was overcast and 75-80 and we even had a few sprinkles :) I got to turn the A/C down and open the doors, and oh it felt so good!
Girls are keeping busy with birthday parties, swimming, playing school....Lindsey and Kierstyn even got to go on a bow shoot at Mormon Lake with Dad last Saturday! We gave Kierstyn a bow as an early birthday gift, (her bday is in a month) and so she has been having fun with Target practice in the backyard. Now Lindsey has found that she actually enjoys it too...so Frans has a couple of 'boys' to hunt with this year :) Here is a picture of the three of them at the bowshoot...(thanks for the picture Logan!)

We are getting ready for our big hike on Saturday to this monstrous hill! Getting pretty excited about it too! This is Humphrey's Peak in Flagstaff...I have been hiking Squaw Peak just about every day, but this baby is almost 11,000 feet higher!! I'm actually not nervous about the 'hiking' part of it, just about the breathing part! The air is so much thinner....It is 4.5 miles and is 12,633 feet, and is said to be the "best hike in Arizona". I'll have my hiking shoes on, my camera around my neck, and be ready to go come 10:00 Saturday morning!! Anyone else want to join us? The more the merrier!

And I can't end this post with a picture of the sweetest little baby around! Taryn is wanting so bad to start walking, and she is almost there! If she would just quit giggling and get going! :)

and a few pictures from a hike I went on on Saturday with Trina and Taryn. The girls loved it! It was a paved trail, but it was pretty steep, so coming down was fun!

Summer is just cruising right on by! What are some ways you are spending your summer days?

Play

2010-06-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

This weeks Theme at I heart faces is "Play". My husband would "play" this all the time if it was possible!

feels so good....

2010-06-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

to just laze around and do nothing every once in a while! I went hiking early this morning, then ran a few errands, but since I've been home, I haven't gotten much accomplished! But like Frans said....Don't worry about it, it's ok to have a down day every now and then! Unlike me, he actually got a lot done, like the dreaded run to the dump, mowed the grass etc...and he even had the girls clean the house while I was napping!! Does it get any better than that?
What did you spend your Saturday doing?

and swim lesson time for Trina!

summer is here!

2010-06-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

And is in full swing around here! So far we have been camping, slept in, had some late nights, lazed around, had sleepovers, done lots of swimming....and we have loved that we don't have a schedule! The girls are asking to go swimming by 9:00 a.m. most days! During the winter months, I often wish we didn't have a pool, and just had a bigger yard for the girls to run in. But come summertime...I am sure glad we have it!
We don't have any big summer plans....but to just hang around here and have fun! Any ideas on how to (cheaply) entertain a bunch of girls?? I've also got a girl turning 9 next week, and a girl turning 8 next month....What are some fun birthday activity ideas for that? I gotta start brainstorming!
In the meantime, here are some fun pictures of our camping trip last weekend, and of the girls having fun outside...
Have a great weekend everyone!
We camped just past snowball...I couldn't believe that Humphrey's Peak still had snow up on top! We are hiking that mountain in a few weeks, and I'm thinking that it's going to be cold up there!!

Loved how relaxing of a weekend it was! Took a couple walks, got a few pages of my book read, sat around and visited....good times! And I hope we are able to go a few more times this summer!

The girls have spent most of their days so far this summer in the pool! I put Taryn in the baby pool today, but she was NOT impressed!! Poor baby...will have to let the water warm up some more before she goes again!

Being in the sun all day makes for some tired girls!! hmmmm...need to get better about remembering the sunscreen!

And a fun shot of Kierstyn now that I'm here! This is my girl who loves to have her picture taken! She was all dressed up the other day, and when I pulled out the camera, she was just thrilled! Love her!

Toni's end of the year program.....

2010-05-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

Was so cute to watch! This past Tuesday night was the Kindergartener's end of the year musical, and they sang all the songs they have learned throughout the year. It is always so fun going to this program, and Toni was so cute when she got up on stage and spotted us in the crowd! She kept tapping her teacher on the arm (who was trying to organize kids, and is the most patient person ever!) to tell her "look, my baby Taryn is here too!" She was so excited and couldn't stop waving and pointing us out to her friends next to her. Frans and I just sat there and waved with smiles so big our cheeks hurt!
So another year ends today, and the lazy days of summer are going to start. Hard to believe that we will have our fourth girl start Kindergarten! Toni is feeling like a pretty big girl too, because after pre-school and Kindergarten, now she is going to be a big 1st grader! Fun stuff :)
I had to keep this little bugger entertained during the program...and boy was she busy!!

Trina was so cute....clapping at all the right times, and for the second half of the program, she stood on the bench swaying and waving her arms and singing right along with the kids! I wish I could have gotten a picture!

This wonderful teacher Roseanne is a retired elementary school teacher and volunteers at the school two days a week teaching music in the Kindergarten classrooms. She is amazing, and the program was awesome! We were fortunate to have her this year!!

And Toni with her so so wonderful teacher Miss Burns!! I wish I would have had more time this year to volunteer in her class, but it just didn't work out... we will miss her!

look who's 5!

2010-05-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

I think turning 5 is the most exciting age to turn! It is definately the most anticipated birthday I think....it means that you are finally old enough for Kindergarten! We celebrated Alanys' birthday at the park with pizza and cupcakes:) I can't believe this sweetie of mine is going to be starting school in just a few short months! She is a big-time mommy's girl, and we are going to miss her during the days!

This is her nervous look....I love it:)

She was just thrilled when I brought her to the store to get 5 balloons!

The wind kept blowing out her candle!

3rd times a charm...

2010-05-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

Or at least I hope so! Her is the newest addition to our family....introducing: Lulu! She is part American bulldog, black lab, and german shephard and she is just 6 weeks old. We have had her since Saturday when I saw a sign while garage saling that said "free puppies"....(As if I'm not already busy enough, now we add a puppy to the mix!) Of course the girls were so excited, and they just love her to bits. I do gotta admit, she is pretty darn cute!

Brittney's senior photos {Phoenix Photographer}

2010-04-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

I had a great time yesterday with Brittney out at DC Ranch in Scottsdale for her senior photo session! What a beautiful girl, and she was so easy to photograph! Here are a few of my favorites of her...

I couldn't decide if I liked this next one better in black & white, or color, so you get both!

Adam and Jenna

2010-03-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Adam and Jenna were married on March 20th at the Farm at South Mountain. What a gorgeous couple both inside and out! We had a great time with them, and got some great photos of their special day! The weather was perfect and the location so beautiful :) Congratulations you two and enjoy your sneek peak at a few photos!

B&W dramatic photo contest

2010-03-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here is my B&W photo for the dramatic photo contest sponsored by i heart faces. Tara whitney is the guest judge this week, and I just love her!

loving the rain!

2010-03-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

It is unbelievable how much it has rained here in Phoenix in the last month or so! I am loving every second of it, because I know it will end soon, and then warmer weather will be on its way! And with all the rain, it has made our desert so green and beautiful! Our yard hasn't had much of a chance to dry out between rains...anyone want to come help pull weeds?? :)

Our yard has already been mowed twice in the last month....looks like it will need it again after it dries up!

Frans brought the girls and the camera hiking on Saturday, and got some great photos....

The girls were pretty proud of themselves for making it all the way to the top!

Hospitals are no fun....

2010-02-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

when it's your baby that brings you there! Our little Taryn has not been feeling good since last Tuesday, so this past Monday I brought her back into the doctor to see what was going on with her. Her oxygen level was low, she was running a high fever and she was really working hard to breathe, so they sent us to Scottsdale Healthcare Shea where we were admitted. We stayed there until this afternoon when they sent us by ambulance to Phoenix Childrens where we are now! They just thought that she needed a higher level of care, and childrens PICU was going to be the best place for her! She is finally resting after a really rough day, and I am hoping that she continues to behave throughout the night! It has been so hard on me to watch her struggle and to be so uncomfortable! And even though it is unfair to all the awesome docs and nurses, it has been really hard to watch her be suctioned so many times and to be poked so much! I have had to leave the room on several occasions. She has gotten so used to being 'tortured' (as she would put it if she could talk!) that she cries when she just sees the yellow gowned people coming towards her! My poor baby! It is kind of funny though watching her kick her little chubby feet and legs when she is so unhappy about something!
It has been hard thinking about my other kids who are being taken care of by family and friends while we are here...I know that they are being taken good care of, but I miss them, and I'm sure they miss me!

Thank you to all our family and friends for all the prayers and well wishes, and for taking care of the other kiddos at home! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives:) We are hoping for a good night, and an even better tomorrow, and hope to go home soon!

Here are a few pictures of our little spunky sweetheart!

Happy birthday....

2010-02-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

to my sweet grandmother who turned 90 on Valentines day!

Since there were so many people who came, we celebrated her birthday at our church on Saturday night. And she was just glowing all night! Isn't she beautiful? She has 4 boys and 4 girls...my dad is the second one from the right in the back. Along with that, she also has 88 grandkids, over 200 great grandkids, and even some great, great grandkids!

my mom's mother also celebrated her 90th birhtday before she passed away two years ago! What a blessing to have been able to enjoy our dear grandma's for so many years

Monday morning....

2010-02-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a good day...
it's going to be a productive day...
If I keep telling myself that, it will happen right??
Lots to do today after a half sleepless night with my two year old! She's got a cold/cough, and it's kept her and us up the last few nights! Hopefully she is on the downward slide with it!
My chores look like this...anyone want to come and help??
Lots of laundry to put away....ugh!

Friday and Saturdays are usaully my laundry days, but this weekend was taken up by too many other things!

As much as I hate laundry, I would rather do that than pay these!

Have been meaning to get this box to the post office...I thought that if I put labels on and put it in plain veiw, It would get there quicker...that hasn't been the case! (your jacket is coming Jeanette!)

and one sweet baby down for an early nap may make all this possible! Poor thing is teething I think, she had one little tooth pop through a week ago!

Happy Monday everyone!! I'm hoping to get all my "to do list" done and then some! What's going on in your world today?

The Lahti family {Phoenix Family Photographer}

2010-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Check out this sweet boy Bracken and his mom and dad...isn't he the cutest?? It was fun spending part of the afternoon with them at the Desert Ridge Marriot!

gorgeous skies....

2010-02-04T04:48:00.000-08:00

Here is one reason why I love living in Arizona...

Now if only this would make up for the horrible heat in the summer!! absolutely stunning! Taken on our roof last night in two different directions. I looked out the front window and everything was red, so I told Frans..."get the camera and run!" Love it:)

My twin brothers

2010-02-03T01:43:00.000-08:00

I don't know what has gotten into me this morning, and don't even know why I'm about to post this, but here goes anyways...My brothers a year older than me are twins...Brad and Brian, or better know maybe to most of you as the 'borlups'! I took some family photos of my brother Brian and his family while they were just in town over Christmas, and while going through and editing them this morning, I had this wave of sadness go over me thinking about how much they're missed here! I am not one to let my friends/family know how much they mean to me, so here I am letting everyone know:) No seriously, we did so much together growing up, and I wanted to be with them all the time! They probably got so sick of me always tagging along, but I like to think that deep down they enjoyed me just a little! At 18 I moved to WA (they lived there then too), and even away from home I still turned to them to borrow money, to get me out of jams, etc...and I got to be with them while they courted their wives, and for both of their weddings, and was there to see their first kids as newborns! I even got to see Allison's ring before Brad proposed...( I think I was the only lucky one!) And lucky for me too, they both married girls that I just love!!!! Double bonus for me:) I have always wanted myself to have twin boys, (and still hope I do!), and I think it's because of the closeness we shared. Anyways, I thought it would be fun to one, let them know how much I love them and miss them, and two, I thought it would be fun to hear stories from my blog readers of memories you have of the Borlups!
Here are a few pictures taken while we were in WA in 2007....can you tell who is who??

Little sweetie...

2010-01-31T08:54:00.000-08:00

I just have to blog about Alanys, my sweet 4 year old! She is my spunky little girl who doesn't do much around here to help out. When you ask the girls to clean up, she doesn't.lift.a.finger! Usually. Until recently. I don't know what changed, but this last week, she has been the best helper ever! I don't even have to ask her, and she will start picking up! Or even if I ask one of the other girls to do something, or get something for me, she is off and running to do it. So awesome! I am just in awe over this change, and I am loving it:) So Saturday she got rewarded with a strawberry frappacino from starbucks....She was just thrilled! It's the little things. I love this girl!

Daniel and Michelle {Minneapolis Wedding Photographer}

2010-01-24T14:07:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I never did blog about our trip to COLD Minnesota a few weeks ago for Dan and Michelle's wedding. Michelle is Frans' niece and she was such a beautiful bride! It was awesome to be a part of their wedding day, and we hope that they had just as much fun as we did! They got married at a church in Minneapolis, and being as it was such a cold day, we were only able to get a few outdoor photos. Here are a few pictures, and I will be sharing more from our trip in the next few days!

blog slacker...

2010-01-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking the last week or so on here! I am feeling down-right crummy today... I have a cold that is just kickin my butt! I am hoping that I wake up tomorrow morning feeling a lot better :) And if not, then at least I'll have these two sweet gals to keep my happy!
My two year old Trina is so into having her picture taken lately. At least once or twice a day she will get some dress up clothes on and tell me to take a picture! Gotta love it:)
Happy Monday to all!

Taryn's 6 month photo...

2010-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Finally we got her 6 month pictures done...only a week late! Poor care bear got attacked this month! She was oblivious of care bear for the first couple pictures, but as soon as she noticed her, she wouldn't leave her alone! It was sure good for a few laughs:)

Caleb and Nikki {Phoenix Wedding Photographer}

2010-01-04T00:12:00.000-08:00

Caleb and Nikki were married on Saturday at our church in Cave Creek. What a fun couple, and we had no shortage of smiles from them! We had our photo shoot at the Desert Ridge Marriot again, and this time the sun was out! My last two photo shoots there were overcast skies. I haven't had a chance to really look at all of the pictures I took, but from looking through them quick last night, these are the ones that caught my eye. I will post some more after I have a chance to edit them. These three girls were so cute...the perfect little flower girls!

Nikki, the beautiful bride:)

We walked out of the resort and there was this sweet Ferrari parked there, so we thought it would be cool to get a picture of them standing close to it...the owner of the car came over and said "go ahead...sit in it for a few pictures!"

It didn't matter if any of these folks missed their workouts that morning....I had them running and jumping enough to make up for it:) And they smiled all the while....
I love how I just caught this look between the bride and her father right before they walked down the aisle!

and another amazing cake by Kaija....

Forstie Family....{Phoenix Family Photographer}

2010-01-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

My brother Brian and wife Erica and their family were in town from Washington over Christmas break, so we made time for a family photo shoot while they were here. They have been married for 12 years and have never had family pictures taken, not even in a studio, so this was exciting! Erica probably still has rolls of film that are ten years old that she has never had developed! :) She's been my good friend since before they were married, so I can tease her about that and get away with it!
This day was very overcast and quite dark by the time we started taking pictures....but I still like how they turned out. Here are a few from our shoot....
I love this picture of the two of them...

Jack and Adrianne {Phoenix Wedding Photographer}

2009-12-14T12:14:00.000-08:00

Jack and Adrianne were married in Cave Creek this past Saturday, but first we headed off to the Desert Ridge Marriot where we got some great pictures! These are a few that caught my eye while looking through them the first time...
I love this picture of her! This was while we were waiting for Jack and the bouquets to arrive!

Taryn's 5 month photo...

2009-12-10T04:25:00.000-08:00

Here it is:) A little late this month, but hey, it's December, and it's busy! Does that excuse work?
This month was a challenge! It was hard to get her to sit right...she just learned how to sit about a week ago, and all she wants to do is grab her toes and try to get them to her mouth! And it didn't help that I lost my voice, so I had to rely on my 4 year old to get her attention! But we got it! Doesn't she just get cuter all the time!? :)

Singin in the swing...

2009-12-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

I was working away at my computer and glanced over at Taryn to find her just hanging out in her swing like she is a big girl!! Time to start buckling her in! And this reminds me, I haven't done her 5 month pictures with care bear yet!! I am slacking big time! So stay tuned tomorrow for pictures of that:)

a few more....

2009-12-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a few more pictures from the Nickerson clan from this past Sunday. Jared is very sick, and only God knows how much longer he will be with us here before He calls him home to be one of his angels. But I was so touched to see how much love surrounds him at home!! I just love these first two pictures. He is sure blessed to have such wonderful family!

Nickerson Family {Phoenix family photographer}

2009-12-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

Here is one family picture of the Nickerson family. Jared was able to be up in his chair for about a half hour, and we got some great pictures!