Tonkamom

Sleepy Head

2010-07-15T21:00:00.002-04:00

I caught this little cutie pie passed out in the chair. Startled her with my flash. oops. I caught her in a stretch. Love it.

Beach baby, beach baby

2010-06-29T22:31:00.002-04:00

We had such a great time at the beach with our great friends this week. We miss them already :(

I ♥ Faces Pets Week

2010-06-29T22:24:00.003-04:00

It's that time again!! Pet week. I just loooove this one of Goose. He's a funny little guy!

Check out these other fabulous entries!!

http://www.iheartfaces.com/

tHiNgS

2010-06-12T13:53:00.002-04:00

I was promoted at the credit union. It's a fantastic and fun job. I'm underpaid and overworked, but I love it. Sad, though. The branch is closing. We'll all be moved throughout the county, and I have no idea yet where I'll end up. Things have been ultra crazy lately. So pictures have taken a sad backseat to life. :( I've only taken a few over the past few weeks. Simple ones. I'm a bad bad bad blogger!

I ♥ Faces Smiles

2010-04-26T22:16:00.002-04:00

Do you ♥ Faces? I sure do! I took this one of my sweet Kevyn. He has problems making eye contact, so this backlit beauty is extra special to me :)

Clicky clicky the linky below to smile lots at all of the cutie pies!

I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday #51

2010-04-23T21:20:00.003-04:00

before:

after:

Using CS3:
duplicated layer, transform/rotate slightly to the left and cropped. Flattened layers.
Duped layers again, ran curves to brighten. Flattened.
Duped layer, added saturation, masking out her face.
Brightened shadows around her eyes.
Lightened eyes, burned lash line, pupils, and outer edge of eyes.

and

Duped previous photo, ran PW's heartland, and boost at 40%.

I ♥ Faces Collages

2010-04-19T21:49:00.002-04:00

I had a great time photographing my friend's daughter last weekend. She is just the cutest little thing, and so much fun! Not much of a smiler, but certainly didn't lack in personality! I took my 3 favorites from the day and made a collage for this week's I ♥ Faces challenge!

Be sure to click below to see all of the other wonderful entries this week!

I ♥ Faces “Dramatic B&W”

2010-03-29T19:36:00.002-04:00

This week's theme had me really excited. Personally, I think photos are so beautiful in black and white. They are powerful. Evoke emotion. Simple. Beautiful.

This photo that I chose is of my 3 little ones. We went for a walk, and I turned around and caught this. It lasted about 5 seconds. I'm so glad I caught it.

Now make sure you click the link below to see all of the gorgeous entries!!

I ♥ Faces {{{Angles}}}

2010-03-23T18:32:00.002-04:00

Oh happy day, I have time to enter!! These two were so incredibly brave for me. This dumpster is on the Marine Corps base that I live on. It's used to hold deer parts after hunting. Seriously. It stunk. A stench I can't even describe. Yet Gary was willing to climb up there for this shot. And Marci was willing to kiss him despite the horrid smell that was making us all gag. Oh the things we'll do for a fun shot!

Be sure to click the logo below to check out all of the other AWESOME photos!

CoLoRs

2010-03-16T22:27:00.001-04:00

I ♥ Faces “Jump For Joy!”

2010-03-08T20:58:00.003-05:00

It's that time again! Time for me to get off of my duff and enter a picture!

This week's them is "Jump for Joy!" To me, nothing gets more joyous than this moment. Joe had just gotten home from a very long tour in Afganistan. Miss April was so happy to have her man home. These two are newleyweds and have already gone through 2 very long tours with Joe fighting for our freedom. In their year and a half of marraige, they have only gotten 4 1/2 months to spend together. Moments like this are so fun to capture! This photo sums up how much fun these two are, and how they felt finally being together again!

don't forget to check out all of the other great photos!!

I ♥ Faces {{hands}}

2010-02-22T06:44:00.002-05:00

I know, I know. I'm a slacker. I haven't entered in weeks. I've been so busy!! This week I have a personal favorite to enter. Taken recently, and I love it. This was baby "L's" first experience with sand. She was completely fascinated!

Hop on over to I ♥ Faces and check out all of the amazing entries here:

2010-02-13T13:16:00.003-05:00

dark chocolate.

pepperoni pizza.

jeans.

flip flops.

boots.

shopping.

good friends.

my camera.

photoshop.

midori sours.

Anthropologie.

70 degree weather.

Dooney & Bourke.

Coach.

Estee Lauder doublewear foundation.

Chapstick shimmer.

Owen's blue eyes.

the singer "Pink."

rock music.

Mexican food.

baby feet.

vanilla.

California.

my job.

Wii bowling.

facebook.

editing photos.

Target.

Jake from The Bachelor.

books by Janet Evanovich.

Christmas Eve.

magazines.

movies. silly sappy ones.

texting.

salami sandwiches.

black olives.

the feel of carpet on bare feet.

fruit roll ups.

tank tops.

summer sun.

Abby's orange boots.

Kevyn's red hair.

dr. pepper.

tattoos.

bad boys.

toe rings.

hot chocolate.

cupcakes.

Pioneer Woman.

towels right out of the dryer.

bubble wrap.

good pens.

post-it notes.

sugar cookies.

mcdonald's french fries.

burger king's cheeseburgers.

my flat and floppy pillow.

rolos.

my truck.

Sundays at Sara's parent's house.

soft sweaters.

my boss.

pretty shopping bags.

buttered popcorn.

black & white photos.

jelly beans.

wedges.

I ♥ Faces Texture

2010-01-25T09:40:00.002-05:00

It's been weeks since I have joined in on the fun. So little time I have these days!

Here's my entry for this week.

Don't forget to check out all of the other beautiful entries here:

====Party time====

2010-01-20T19:58:00.002-05:00

Party time at J & J's house. I love it. We had so much fun!

pouty girl

2010-01-10T21:49:00.001-05:00

need I say more?

Boy.

2010-01-03T19:32:00.001-05:00

He's all boy. Curious. Funny. Imaginative. Messy. Stubborn. Lovable.

Love this boy.

I ♥ Faces Pets

2009-12-15T21:48:00.003-05:00

If there were 5 more hours in a day, I'd have time to pick up my camera once and a while!!

It's I ♥ Faces Pets and I just happened to take some pictures of our newest addition, Goose! He's a 10 week old Beagle Puppy that is full of energy. You can find him doing this allllll day long:

Check out all of the other hilarious and beautiful photos here:

Hairstyles and puppy dogs

2009-11-26T14:18:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This morning, the boys decided to be nice and do their sister's hair for me. Keep in mind they are 6 and 8. The result is just fabulous if you ask me. (teehee!) Don't you love the juice mustache?

Uh-oh. Someone's in trouble. Shame on me for snapping the pic. But I had the camera in my hand and couldn't resist.

And here is Goose. He has grown a lot in 2 weeks!

Salt Lake ~ Vacation ~ Puppy

2009-11-15T15:36:00.003-05:00

It's a bummer that I was sitting over the wing. But I think I still got some pretty good pictures. I was flying (sans kid and husband) to California for a long weekend with my girlfriends. SO much fun! I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures as we flew over Salt Lake!

and Here's one of all of us. Can you guess what kind of a party we had? LOL!!

Me and Sara being silly

Me and Suz

What I did on Sunday.... teehee

and what we brought home on Friday after I got home:

haLLowEEn 09

2009-11-03T19:48:00.002-05:00

Not that this is unusual, but my kids all decided on costumes for Halloween that are nowhere near coordinating. But I still think they were adorable. Abby's costume wasn't nearly "poofy" enough for me, so I made her a tutu to go with it.

and this little guy didn't last too long. But I just had to share one of baby "B". This one cracked me up!

Halloween was busy in our new neighborhood. We had at least 300 children knock on our door. Not exaggerating. I might be under what the actual number was. It was insane but fun! And a big change from last year when we only had about 15. haha!

[ My BoSs ] EEK!

2009-11-01T21:28:00.002-05:00

This morning, I took pictures of my boss this morning. If that's not something that will make you want to bite off all of your fingernails, I don't know what will! all in all, I am happy with them. I just hope she is, too. I'd hate to go to work tomorrow morning and find out I'm fired. LOL!!

Mr Runs-a-lot

2009-10-19T20:09:00.002-04:00

I literally ran 3 miles after this child. Bundle of energy he is! Cute as a bug, but it left me less than satisfied with the pictures. Hoping mom schedules another time to shoot when he might sit for a few seconds. Having time to focus would be nice. lol

I ♥ Faces Pink Week

2009-10-19T19:14:00.002-04:00

This week’s photo challenge theme is: "Pink Week"

Read more about the weekly themes here.

Our "Pink Week" button (above) links to the fundraising page that features Angie's Aunt Sharon. She is a breast cancer survivor (yay!!) and is extremely active with her local American Cancer Society organization. She is currently raising support for her next Relay For Life event. If you would like to support her with a donation (of any size!) we would be thrilled to help her in this endeavor.

Here is my entry for the week :)

Check out the great entries here:

ADorABle COupLE!

2009-10-11T15:28:00.004-04:00

I had the opportunity to photograph my beautiful co-worker (know there's no hyphen there, but I hate that it looks like COW. lol) and her handsome hubby this morning. I couldn't have been more nervous. They are gorgeous and were willing to do anything. Which makes doing this a whole lot easier. The sky was a challenge to say the least. But I think I got a few good shots!

))) oH sO bLuE (((

2009-09-28T19:56:00.002-04:00

I've become quite the shopaholic when it comes to miss Abby. She's at the age where there is SOOOOOOOooooooOOOo much I want to buy for her! I'm sure I'll be posting a few more outfits this week.... and I can't forget about her FABULOUS new coat!

I ♥ Faces bLuE!

2009-09-28T19:51:00.002-04:00

Wow, how long has it been since I've done this?? Sorry! I'm crazy busy lately!!
The theme is blue..... and miss Abby just got the CUTEST blue and grey dress that she was really excited to model. Throw in some funky blue boots, and she thinks she is a model! LOL!

Don't forget to check out all of the bLuE-nEsS this week here:

BOuNce

2009-09-26T12:15:00.003-04:00

We spent Sunday last weekend at our friends house. Good food. Good friends. Football. And a bounce house for the kids. okay, okay, you could catch a few adults bouncing their tails off in there, too! haha! I found it quite funny that Abby was scared of it at first. Would not go near it. But once we got her in there, we couldn't get her out!
What a great day it was. Here are a few snapshots. Not great photos, but great memories!

Little Miss No-Smiles

2009-08-30T16:36:00.002-04:00

Life doesn't always go the way you planned. Scratch that.... life RARELY goes the way you planned it! Jess and I took baby L out to take her 6 month pictures. She did not smile. Not one time! She was a bit cranky, but it was so cute. She didn't cry at all, she just had the cutest little whine. Despite her sullen mood, I did manage to get a few sweet pictures. We'll try again soon when baby L is in a more playful mood :) We got there when the sun was really bright, but we knew L was not going to last long, so we found some shade and snapped away.

I ♥ Faces "Nostalgia"

2009-08-25T21:36:00.003-04:00

This is a fun week at I ♥ Faces. I knew exactly what photo I wanted to use for this challenge.
I saw this Jacket last year and just had to have it for Abby. It reminded me of a super shiny jacket I had and loved back in the 80's. They were all the rage in school, and I just had to have one. Abby looks much cuter in hers than I did!

check out all the other great entries here:

A's 1st day. Oh what a day it was!

2009-08-23T15:18:00.002-04:00

Abby is our shy child. She's LOUD and sorry to say, a tad bit obnoxious when she's at home with her brothers. But if you take her out in public, she will not say a word to anyone. not one word. All she will do is blink at you. If you get a growl, consider yourself lucky. She goes to daycare during the day, so she's no stranger to mommy and daddy being gone during the day. So we were hoping that school wouldn't be too hard on the little princess.

Here she is before shool started. Eager to get in line.

In line waiting for the teacher to come out to get her and the other children.

and here is the little princess when the teacher came out.

She immediately started screaming when the teacher came out to get her. So she had to pick her up and carry her inside. But that's not all. A's crying started a very not-so-nice chain reaction of tears. By the time it all ended, about 15 children were screaming their heads off.
Nice, A. LOL

She apparently stopped a few minutes after school started when she noticed her friend, V in the class. Gave the teacher the cold shoulder for about 30 minutes. So my little booger got in about an hour and a half of learning. LOL Here's to hoping Monday is better!

I ♥ Faces BuBbLeS!

2009-08-17T18:11:00.002-04:00

I had the best intentions with this entry. We got out our bubble container. Poured in the bubbles, and headed outside. Not one bubble. Just drips. lol But I just LOVE this photo! Her face says it all!

Since our picture had no bubbles, I tried to really make it fun with my editing. :)
Don't forget to click the link below for all of the other FANTASTIC entries!!

Un-bubbly BuBbLeS!

2009-08-16T19:57:00.002-04:00

I took Abby out today for the I <3 faces picture shoot for the week. The theme is "Bubbles." Well, apparently our bubbles were dead. According to Abby. Made for some cute pics, though!

Sigh... she's too cute!

She was blowing so hard, I though her little cheeks might explode!

I love this one. She saw a dog running from it's owner. LOOK! A doggy!!

I wish I had lashes like this!

Focus landed on the wand, but I still like it.

Mom, these bubbles are dead!

5 little monkeys

2009-08-12T16:40:00.000-04:00

Nope, they're not jumping on the bed. :) I got a chance to get out and take a picture of my 5 gorgeous kiddoes in between spells of rain that is like elephants and rhinos falling from the sky! When it rains, here, it's not messing around!!

aren't they gorgeous?!

I ♥ Faces "silly face"

2009-08-11T20:44:00.002-04:00

Man, I wish there were more hours in the day to do these little extra fun things!

This time, I had to dig a photo out of my albums to be able to have one to post. But it fits the theme perfectly! I was trying so hard ot get a good picture of Owen laying down in the grass. But he said the sun was too bright, and ended up squishing his face up like this instead. "How does this look, mom?" perfect, Owen. LOL!

Don't forget to check out all of the other hilarious photos here:

I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday "Sweet Boy"

2009-08-08T10:33:00.003-04:00

It's that time again..... Fix it Friday. Except it's Saturday. LOL I love editing photos. I live for it. I think it's fun to watch a photo go from good to WOW!
This photo is no exception. It's a good photo from the beginning. Which is the best kind to edit. It doesn't need cropping. It's in focus. Not too grainy, and the subject and background are perfect!!! Doesn't need much. Just a little POP.

Here is the original:

and my edits using Photoshop CS3, some textures, and yummy actions by PW and TRA!

First, we'll go with the Color Pop. Just ran PW's Fresh & Colorful. Sharpened his eyes and that's it.

Next, we have a fun color with a texture. Masked the adorable little boy back in, and popped his eyes. Ran TRA's touch of light, touch of darkness.

Ran an action called Simply Brown on this one. Sorry, I don't remember where I got it. added a fun texture, masking him back in. This one is by far my favorite!

Click the logo to see more fabulous edits!!

Wanna..Winna...Lens?!

2009-08-05T22:28:00.002-04:00

My favorite blog is having a giveaway!

Click the logo above to win a :
A Tamron 18-270mm VC
The World’s First and Only 15X Zoom Lens!
(Value $629)

The perfect all-in-one lens, Tamron’s 15X zoom lens features VC, a proprietary anti-shake mechanism that gives you a 4-stop shutter speed advantage for blur-free hand-held shots. Shoot confidently from wide to ultra-tele with Canon and Nikon APS-C DSLRs.

GO GO GO!!!!

Speechless.

2009-08-02T21:11:00.002-04:00

It just doesn't get any better than this. :) (from my 6 year old son)

Pardon me while I wipe away a little tear....

I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday #22

2009-07-31T15:07:00.002-04:00

It's Friday and I'm off of work with my son here from Oregon (he lives with his father), and I"m super excited. I can't pry him away from his brothers and sister so I'm playing on the computer. What a great time to edit a beautiful picture!!

Before:

After:

I used Photoshop CS3. Ran Totally Rad's Touch of Light/Touch of Darkness. Lightened her face and dress, and darkened the grass behind her. Then I cloned out the pot and window behind her. Added a cool texture,set it at soft light at about 75% opacity. and with a layer mask, I erased her back in.
Sharpened for web, and Viola. :)

Click the logo below to see the other fab-o edits!!

I ♥ Faces at the Beach!

2009-07-28T20:38:00.002-04:00

OMG I have been ridiculously busy the last few weeks. I don't think I have entered many of the last few of the I ♥ Faces challenges! EEK! I miss it! This isn't a "new" picture, but it's one of my favorites.

Don't forget to click the button below to see the other FABULOUS entries!!

PleASE... PLEase.... PLEASE... please... pLeAsE!

2009-07-26T16:46:00.001-04:00

Pray for Stellan!!

Urban, BaBy!

2009-07-12T16:32:00.002-04:00

Travis and I went driving around with our cameras trying to find a cool place to take pictures of the kids. We went downtown and found some cool beat up old buildings. Perfect! We went too late in the afternoon, and the sun was really harsh, so we were pretty much stuck in one place, but Oh I loved it!!!!!!!!!

New lens. Sweet boys.

2009-07-07T22:21:00.002-04:00

I heart the UPS man lately. Today, he brought me an 85mm 1.8 lens. Thanks, Mister! :) I put that baby to good use before the sun went down. I grabbed two little wiggle worms from the playroom and headed outside for a bit.

I must say, this lens has great color and clarity sooc. Of course, I played a little, but the originals are gorgeous, too!

3.Three.

2009-07-05T21:40:00.002-04:00

3. The only three that like the camera. And some days, that's debatable. A bad weekend all around. Thank goodness for these little cuties. Put a smile on my face. That and some L glass to go on my 40D doesn't hurt, either. wink wink.

I ♥ Faces Fix it Friday “Most Beautiful Gift"

2009-07-03T12:47:00.002-04:00

Wow, this picture is adorable! Just real quick, since we have to run out the door:
(All edited using photoshop CS3)
Original:

color popped:

Vintage:

Black and white:

Simply brown: (LOVE this one)

Click the link for more fun!

.FuN.iN.tHe.SuN.

2009-06-30T22:25:00.002-04:00

My friend and co-worker invited me, the hubbs, and the monkeys to her house this weekend for some fun in her pool. The kids had a blast. Even though I swear they tried to drown themselves. lol Kevyn can't swim. Yet, has no fear. He walked straight into the deep end. Then came Owen. he did the same dang thing. Time for swim lessons, you think? Spending summers in Buffalo, and then in DC with no real pool in site made us lazy in getting the kids lessons.
Well.... annnyyyyyywayy...... here are a couple of pics from the fun.

Melinda's son is a nut (in a good way. Fun, energetic, spunky). He got pushed in the pool fully clothed by his sister, so he just went with it. LOL I wish I hadn't gotten the rail in the pic, but whatever. the kid doesn't sit still for long.

O-man. Love.

I got about 45 pictures of this: lol

Fast friends. Love the look on Kez's face.

her cutie pie doggy, Simon. Little grainy. But this was the only picture I got. Under a dark table. He thought my camera was Satan, so I snapped it quick!

I ♥ Faces "Let's Hear It For The Boys!"

2009-06-22T18:32:00.002-04:00

This week's theme had me very excited! One of my boys, Owen, is about as much of a "boy" as a boy can get. He's a ham, rough and tumble, big blue eyes, dimples, loves the ladies. He's fun, flirty, happy, moody, laid back, energetic, and funny. He walks around with food on his face and wears long sleeve shirts and pants in 90 degree weather. I love it. This picture captures all of it. And the pose was all him.

Don't forget to click the logo to see all of this week's fantastic pictures!!

The A and the O

2009-06-20T14:27:00.001-04:00

My two most willing subjects.

I ♥ Faces "Sepia"

2009-06-15T07:48:00.002-04:00

It's that time again!! This week's theme is Sepia. No color. No black and white. Just a sepia toned pic (any depth of tone). I found the perfect one, and after about an hour or so of tweaking and choosing which edit I like best, here is my entry:

Don't forget to click on the logo below to see all of the SUPER entries!!

I ♥ My new Camera!

2009-06-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

The color and clarity out of this camera is leaps and bounds above that of the XT. I don't have L or IS lenses, but with what I do have, this camera is fab-o!

Cropped and sharpened for web. That's it. I'm in love ♥ ♥ ♥!!!

40D. My.New.Love.

2009-06-13T20:31:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much dear hubby. I couldn't love my new baby more!!

He couldn't wait one more month for my birthday, so today he surprised me with a new camera! It takes fantastic pictures. I love it! My XT felt ancient. The pics were grainy. This is heaven!!

It was WAAAAAAY to bright for me to be playing outside with this, so the eyes are shadowy, but the color is amazing SOOC!

We'll start with Abby. I got a lot of posed pics. This one isn't "technically" good, but it's such a sweet face, that I love it more than the others.

A flower in my yard and some yummy texture.

Next, we have Owen. My sweet Owen. Loves the camera and the camera loves him. The perfect pair, they are. Right as he walked outside, face covered in enchilada sauce,a storm started rolling in. The clouds were a beautiful color of steel blue/grey. What a great backdrop! (I could have edited out the sauce on his face, but to me, that's just Owen.)

G.Radu.aTi.On!

2009-06-12T21:58:00.003-04:00

I'm officially the mother of a high school graduate. I don't know where the time went.
I don't care that the photos are orange/red. I don't care that they aren't in focus. Tonight was about capturing the graduation, not about trying to beat that awful flourescent lighting of the 95 degree unheated gym we were in. My lens kept fogging up and I was tired of fighting it. Love them none the less. :)

Congratulations to my not so little boy. (er, I mean man. LOL)

Does anyone......

2009-06-10T18:45:00.004-04:00

Want or need a photo played with? Now, I'm no miracle worker. I'm asking more about a photo that is at least in focus. Not a photo that is blurry and dark and needs 4 people cloned out ;)

If you have a photo you love but it just needs some tweaking for color, skin issues, or you just can't seem to make it come to life, I'd love to give it a whirl.

Leave me a linky here to your photo and I'll tweak away!

Some quick examples :)

A few disclaimers:

I cannot promise that your edit will be print-worthy. I will try my hardest, but it might not be possible.

If I get too many requests, I reserve the right to choose which ones to do and which ones I cannot.

Please keep in mind that I do this for fun, and in no way do I call myself a professional.

Remember that I am doing this for fun and for free, and as a favor. Mind your manners, please :) Bossy Betties, and demanding divas will be put in the doghouse.

Editing photos is one of the things I love to do. It's how I relax. I will put as much love into your photo as I do one of my own.

Cake pops

2009-06-07T14:43:00.002-04:00

Bakerella is a genius. I tried making these once before, using someone else's recipe, but they came out gross. I found her recipe on her website here:

and they are amazing. Fun. Yummy. Pretty. Here, drool with me:

Make some. You won't be sorry.

A.b.B.y.

2009-06-06T19:15:00.003-04:00

The little princess.

Lover of hugs.

High pitched.

The perfect mix of tough and girlie.

Smart.

Stubborn.

Wrapped around daddy's finger.

Well protected with 4 big brothers.

Mine.

Loved.

I ♥ Faces Birthday Week

2009-06-01T19:45:00.002-04:00

It's that time again. This week is Birthday. I thought this would be great considering it was Owen's birthday yesterday, but we just didn't get a good one that was "obviously a birthday celebration" photo. We got lots of great photos of him, but none that "fit" the theme. So I dug through my old photos, and came across this one. It's obvious that I "picked" a good one. HAAHAA! my little girl's first birthday.

Click the logo to see all of this week's fabulous entries!

The birthday boy and his sibs

2009-05-30T23:36:00.002-04:00

Today's shoot was quite interesting. Bear with me here. Lotsa photos. Fun time. :)

I'll start with one I love of the birthday boy. Sweet little O-man.

Right after that, I got this:

Yep, here comes the personality. Honestly, I love that one more just because that's HIM. That's what we get all the time!

and a little of this:

and this:

Silly me. But the fun ones are my favorites. I love the goofy ones more than the posed ones. I want to remember their funny and quirky personalities when I'm old and grey and they have their own little ones.

Moving on.

Here's sweet miss Abs:

Kez. My hardest to photograph. Eye contact isn't his forte. But Boy do I love that boy. His hair color is beautiful. It adds something fun to every picture my gorgeous guy takes.

Trying to take a photo of all of the kids together. Wow.

Yep. they're mine. all mine. LOL

So I'll settle for this. I just love it in black and white. Love it.

My sillies on Saturday

2009-05-30T16:02:00.002-04:00

The almost-birthday boy. One more day as a 5 year old. The 5 year old that asked "how long is it before I can get my driver's license?" Sigh. I'm in trouble with this one and his big blue eyes.

Miss giggles getting serious. All messy in her overalls and her hair unbrushed.

I was annoying Kez with my constant camera-in-his face while he was trying to tell me about his crayons.

I ♥ Faces "Silhouettes"

2009-05-25T19:35:00.002-04:00

It's that time again. I ♥ Faces week 20. Too much fun. I get a ridiculous joy out of doing this every week.

I had the honor of doing a photo shoot for some friends and their newborn son. They had some beautiful light shining in through their bedroom window. The window was shaded by these gorgeous sheer curtains. Perfect for a silhouette. So I stuck Daddy and baby "B" in front of the window and hit that button. And this is what I ended up with. What a wonderful moment.

Be sure to click the logo below to see all of the fantastic entries this week. I can't wait to see them all!

O-man's. New. Do.

2009-05-23T16:19:00.002-04:00

The little guy will be 6 years old in a few short days. Not so much a little guy any more, I suppose. He's getting to be so big. It's been time for a change for a while now. We've been trying to think of the appropriate cut. I was reading one of my favorite blogs, and her little guy got a haircut that I just knew was for him! Today, we went for it. Boy am I glad we did. It changed his face so much. He looks completele different. Awesome. Handsome. I can see his little face. His dimples. His big blue eyes. Love it.

Before:

After:

I ♥ Faces Fix-It #14 - “Ponytail Princess”

2009-05-22T20:35:00.003-04:00

It's time for Fix-It Friday #14 at I ♥ Faces.

This cutie-pie photo was submitted by Katarina from Rambunctious Joy. Thank you so much for letting us borrow your photo this week Katarina!

By now, everyone knows how much I love I ♥ Faces and editing photos! After working 10+ hours every Friday, this is so much fun to come home to!

Here is the original:

and here are my plays using CS3, some actions, some textures, and such :)

This first one, I duped the layer, turned that one into a soft light layer, 25% opacity. Edited the color and softened her skin. Sharpened the eyes, and added a layer of texture to cover those bare walls.

Pretty much the same with this one. Not sure I like the pink texture, but thought I'd post it anyway :)

This one is my favorite. It reminds me of a photo you'd find of your grandmother in an old photo album. I just love this action by PW! It's called Heartland, and it's amazing. I also used her "Boost" to bring up the blacks a bit. Just sharpened and flattened. Love it.

Squishy

2009-05-19T18:14:00.002-04:00

Meet my son Squishy. Isn't he cute?

He said it was too bright. Then said "here, how's this?"

So I snapped the pic. Boy am I glad I did. HAHA!

I ♥ Faces Blurb Photo Book Contest

2009-05-18T20:25:00.002-04:00

This is a very special contest week! I am submitting what I think to be my best photo to have it be added to the brand-new I ♥ Faces Blurb photo book! Wish me luck

I just did my first "pro" shoot, so I guess that means I'm entering the pro category. :)

This one is my favorite. By far. I love the color. I LOVE her eyes. And most importantly, I love the pose. Because she did it herself. That's just her personality.

be sure to click on the logo here to check out all of the FABULOUS photos entered!

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

Baby "B"

2009-05-17T17:55:00.002-04:00

Today was my first newborn shoot. Well, it was just taking pics for a friend's baby for free... but still. I was nervous as heck. He's at a hard to shoot age. Almost 5 weeks. He was squirmy and wiggly, and not ultra sleepy. Made life a little harder than taking pics of a 1 week old that will let you bend them and pose them, and will still stay asleep.
But all in all, I'm happy with what I got. and the thing that counts the most is that the parents love them. :)
Here's a few of BabyB.

I ♥ Faces Fix it Friday

2009-05-15T19:56:00.002-04:00

It's that time of the week again.... I ♥ Faces fix it Friday! I'm an addict. Is there a support group??? :)

This week's picture is beautiful. Peaceful. Serene. and I heart it. So I played. here's the original:

and my edits using all PW actions, my own plays, and CS3!

Hate.

2009-05-13T18:27:00.002-04:00

Hate.

It's a strong word. One that makes me think of the pits of Hell. Lucifer himself. A word I thought no one would ever use when they spoke of me.

Until now.

My inlaws hate me. Literally.

They would rather have nothing to do with their son and their grandchildren than to have anything to do with me.

He was written out of their will. Purged from their lives.

Your Mother and I have known for years that we could not go to
our final resting place, wherever that might be, knowing that your
wife would get her hands on anything that belonged to either of
us.

I don't know what to say. I have never done a thing to them. Nothing.

I am hated.

Where do I go with that?

I'm sad.

Not even for myself. But for my children who will never know their grandparents. And for my husband who no longer has parents who want anything to do with him.

and I am angry. Because I did nothing wrong.

I ♥ Faces Laughter!

2009-05-12T19:04:00.004-04:00

This week's theme is Laughter! I can't wait to browse through all of the entries for this week!

and OMG can I say I'm just a tad bit nervous knowing Ree is going to look at my photo!! EEK!! I loooooooove her! :) I used one of her fabulous B&W actions on this with a bit of texture added in afterwards.

Click the logo above to see all of the great entries.

Here is mine:

Owen is a bundle of laughter 24/7. Such a happy kid!!

Simple on Saturday

2009-05-09T20:11:00.002-04:00

Just some real quick shots outside as the sun was coming down today....

MCP Actions!

2009-05-06T18:30:00.002-04:00

I have a few actions from MCP, and they are amazing!!! Well, they are having a little giveaway! Go here and check it out!

& don't forget to go here

to take a peek at all of the fantastic actions they have!
Subscribe to their blog feed so you don't miss out on anything!

I ♥ Faces.... Hats

2009-05-04T20:09:00.002-04:00

I knew the instant I saw the theme which photo I would use. And it's her birthday today. :)

Check out the other great entries HERE.

The Princess is 4!

2009-05-04T19:55:00.002-04:00

4 years ago today, I was laying in a hospital bed holding my little girl (whom I kept calling a boy since I had 4 of those already, and that whole girly thing was new to me. LOL).
The Princess is 4 today. Wow. Where did the last 4 years go? So fast. Too fast.

Just some snapshots today, since it's been pouring rain out all day. We'll get some great birthday shots this weekend :)

Here's the little chickie as a newborn, at 18 months or so, and now. Wow is all I can say.

and the snaps from present time today. Spoiled much?

W.E.I.R.D.

2009-05-03T20:01:00.002-04:00

Fix it Friday May 1st

2009-05-01T20:32:00.002-04:00

I love playing around with photos. This one I found to be quite challenging. The brighter I went, the more I blew the grass. So I had to play with layers, burning, dodging, multiplying. Took me a while. Still not 100% happy with these two edits, but I did my best :)

Original:

My two edits:

Crazy Eights

2009-04-29T22:52:00.002-04:00

I saw this on a blog and decided I wanted to start the tagging. How lame am I? LOL!

Here are the rules of the game:
-Mention the person that tagged you.
-Complete the following lists of 8's.
-Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends.
-Go tell them you tagged them!

Eight Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1) The weekend
2) The day I can stop paying for daycare
3.) Gray's Anatomy tomorrow night
4.) whenever I can make it out to Cali again
5.) Taking pics of Jenn's baby boy
6.) Being able to afford a new camera
7.) the day my truck is paid off
8.) Taking Abby to the salon on her birthday

Eight Things I Did Yesterday:
1.) Showered
2.) stopped at the Branch for some printouts
3.) Listened to a 2 hour lecture on BSA for training. zzzzzzzzzz
4.) made Terriyaki chicken (yum) and rice (not yum. lol)
5.) put the kids to bed
6.) worked on my vegas puzzle
7.) checked my email
8 ) watched dancing with the stars

Eight Things I Wish I Could Do:
1.) sing
2.) make life easier for my mom
3.) cure cancer
4.) take better pictures
5.) see my father again
6.) stop coughing
7.) like my reflection in the mirror
8.) wear a size 6

Eight Shows I watch:
1.) Dancing with the stars
2.) Biggest Loser
3.) Grey's Anatomy
4.) Private Practice
5.) General Hospital
6.) The Ultimate Fighter
7.) The Big Bang Theory
8.) Make me a Supermodel

So I tag~
Carebear
Girl
Vanessa
drewmark19
Tracy
LifewithKaishon
Angie
Nic

I ♥ Faces Reflection

2009-04-28T22:12:00.002-04:00

Just a real quick entry for me this time. Last minute throw together for me today. LOL

Click here to see the FABULOUS entries!!

To be considered as a winner for this week's challenge, your photo needs to have a reflection of a face in it (Kids - a child's face; Adults - an adult's face.) Be creative ~ the reflection can be in a mirror, glass, water....or any other way you can think of to show a reflection of the beautiful face you photograph!

(Please note: we are not looking for a reflective, thoughtful look on someone's face for this theme. We will be saving that theme for a later time. This week is all about having a reflection of a face in your photo.)

Here's mine :) Thinking of Vegas. I miss it. I miss my best friend. :(

Sunday Sunday Sunday.....

2009-04-26T18:34:00.002-04:00

It's been a week of yuckies at our house. I had bronchitis, Owen threw up, Abby was coughing up a lung. I needed some serious rest this weekend, but alas, I had to work on Saturday. It's a short day, but seriously boring. So I think I'll do something fun. I'm going to post some random things that make me happy to look at, wish for, read, blah blah blah :)

My favorite photography blog. I'm jealous of her talent, to be honest. She's amazingly talented, super sweet, and has a great eye for color!!
Vanessa

Everyone needs one of these in their yard!

I want:

I met this photographer a few weeks ago at my credit union. I want to pick his brain. Not to mention I would love to tag along on his next photo shoot. He owns our local movie theater and offered my son a job. Too cool!
Michael Tackett

How cool are these!?!

um, wow

Holy Coolness!

I ♥ Faces Self Portrait

2009-04-20T13:36:00.002-04:00

It's self portrait week at I ♥ Faces. I think I got a little intense for mine, but it's been one heck of a week.

I'm not one to get sick. If I do, it's only a little, and only for a day. So when it hit me this time, I was completely unprepared. 5 days, 6 prescription bottles, and one hospital visit later, I'm on the mend. This one is just me. All me. No makeup, no hairdos, no fancy shoes. Me in the raw.

Check out all of the other entries here:

I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday

2009-04-18T18:26:00.002-04:00

Okay, despite the fact that I have bronchitis and am on 6 different meds for it, I still wanted to participate in the fun!

Click here to see the fun fixes! : I ♥ Faces

Here's the original:

and my fast fixes today using cs3. I just used a few different PW actions this time.
This first one is just a duplicated layer using multiply on 75%:

This one is PW's Fresh and Colorful:

PW's black and white:

I ♥ Faces Week 14 - "Easter/Spring"

2009-04-13T22:20:00.001-04:00

Once again, it's I ♥ Faces time! This week is a great one, Spring! (or Easter, lol) This one brought me back to a picture I took of my daughter a while back. It is by far one of my favorite pictures. Made me sniffle a bit looking at it! Click here to see all of the other beautiful entries!!

I ♥ Faces Friends

2009-04-06T18:20:00.002-04:00

This week at I ♥ Faces , the theme is Friends! I just love this picture of Abby with her friend "K". Be sure to go check out all of the other cool entries!

and here is my adult entry. J and D. OMG this one cracks me up!!

Lil' Miss Sassy

2009-04-05T16:42:00.003-04:00

Took the little diva outside for a few shots. She was so much fun. Cracking me up!

I ♥ Faces Fix-It #9 - “Senior Spirit”

2009-04-04T13:47:00.002-04:00

What a great photo to play with this week. A beautiful subject. Interesting background. It was fun to play with!
Click here to see all of the fun fixes!

Original:

Brightened and color popped:

Same as above with some color burning:

Black and white with a hint of chocolate:

I ♥ Faces iCanvas Giveaway!!

2009-04-02T18:55:00.001-04:00

iCanvas is giving one lucky person a 12 x 18 gallery wrapped canvas worth $75!!!

Head on over to I ♥ Faces to enter!!

Editing 101 :)

2009-04-01T18:49:00.002-04:00

I get lots of questions on what I use to edit, how I get the eyes so clear, how my pictures are so sharp, etc etc. So I'm going to give you a little before and after and explain what I did. K?

alrighty, here we go :)

First I started with a basic snapshot. this was taken indoors with natural light only. It's a bit underexposed, so let's play with it.

Now we have a few things to fix here. It needs a bit of a color pop.

You can barely see her pretty brown eyes. they could sure use a bit of a brightening don't you think

Sheesh, her face is dirty, isn't it?

Hmm, you can see I have Tivo on the tv, don't you? lol

Alrighty, here's my edited photo:

(and what I did: I brightened up the picture a bit.
used my smudge and clone tool to fix that pretty little dirty face.
I dodged the eyes just a little bit. Just enough to pop the color. Don't go overboard, or she'll look like a freak.
I colored and blurred the background so you aren't distracted by the TV.
Then I sharpened. Just a tad. Only enough to bring out the details in the subject. )

Voila!

Here's my finished project.

Pretty huh?

Teehee!!

april fools!!!

:)

I ♥ Faces Week 12.... Pouting!

2009-03-29T22:12:00.005-04:00

This is my entry for I ♥ Faces week 12! :) What a great theme!!! I can't wait to see them all!

Click here to see all of the entries! I knew just the child to pick for this theme. My little Owen. he is bubbling with smiles and laughter about 99% of the time. But if he gets upset, he goes into full blown bottom lip pouty faces that crack me up! Too cute!

I'm also entering my kitty, Izzy, in the pet category. She has more personality than any animal I have ever met. And beautiful to boot!

Stellan

2009-03-29T19:04:00.005-04:00

I am begging every reader, every lurker, anyone who comes across my blog. Please, pray for this little guy.

If you aren't religious, then cross your fingers. Or think happy thoughts for him. Or hope for him. Wish for him. I don't give a crap, just do something. please!!

This is one thing about life that makes me question so many things. Why a baby? An innocent little baby?

Please, Lord, heal him!

It’s Week #8 of Fix-It Fridays at I ♥ Faces!

2009-03-28T16:25:00.002-04:00

Still by far one of my favorite things to do during the week. I didn't feel well after an exhausting 11 hour day at work yesterday, so I'm a day late. But Playing anyway. LOL Click here to see all of the fixes!

Original:

And my edits using Photoshop CS3.

Brightened, and popped the color using a "soft light" layer, and upping the saturation.

Slight brighten, and a fun texture:

Black and white with a light texture:

Just for fun:

Parden me while I sob a little.......

2009-03-24T20:52:00.002-04:00

I'm doing this today, because I think in 17 days, I'll be too shaken up to do it. My first born is turning 18 on the 9th of April. 18!!! OMG! Yes, Nick's birthday is after Ty's..... I'll have his post done on his birthday, I promise.
It's Nick's birthday that has me wanting to run away and hide. My first born. My baby. Is no longer a baby. Excuse the 1990's bad film scanned onto my computer as we go on a little photo spree here.

1 day old. Look at all that hair! He was so small. 0-3 month clothes were too big.

First steps!

1st Christmas (with Grandma)

2yrs

3

8

17, almost 18

OMG WHERE DID THE TIME GO??

I ♥ Faces No Flash

2009-03-23T18:30:00.002-04:00

Is it Monday already??? lol
This week's theme at I ♥ Faces is No Flash. Don't forget to check out all of the other fabulous entries here:

I took this one in my livingroom using my open front door and a huge window as my light. No flash :) One of my favorite photos of my daughter. It's taken using my husband's baby blanket as the backdrop. he got that blanket at his birth when his parents were stationed in Bolivia!

Where oh where???

2009-03-22T22:57:00.002-04:00

does the time go??? Holy crap, I feel like the last two years have just flown by and I missed it. I was talking to my best friend tonight. We talked about her nephew turning 3 in July. Um, didn't he just turn one?? We talked about my 17 year old turning 18 in O.M.G. 18 freaking days! He's joining the military. OMG I think I'm going to have a heart attack. High school memories are becoming a blur. I feel stuck between two worlds. the past and the future. Yes, I know, obviously, the middle of that is the present. But I feel sometimes like I focus on one or the other, and forget to really live in the now. I want so badly to hold on to what used to be. And I worry so much about what WILL be. That I miss so much going on right in front of my face.

So here's to paying attention. To enjoying more of the little things. I savor every hug and snuggle from my little ones. Because, before I know it, they'll be fleeing the nest, too.

Okay, off to go have a panic attack. EEK!

Fix It Friday Dimples!

2009-03-20T19:36:00.002-04:00

Oh my goodness, this little guy is stinking cute!! I loved editing this photo!

Hope on over to I ♥ Faces to check out all of the fun edits :)

Here's the original:

and my edits using cs3:

color pop

desaturation

soft

black and white a'la pioneer woman's 'heartland'

acid

For my little girl, I want:

2009-03-17T19:19:00.005-04:00

Click on the images for the linkies :)

now if I only had $$$$$$$$$............. lol

I ♥ Faces "Green"

2009-03-15T21:46:00.002-04:00

I'm putting this one up tonight in hopes to get it up early in the morning. I literally work from 8:30am to 8:30pm tomorrow. YIKES!

This week at I ♥ Faces, the them is GREEN, and I thought this picture would be perfect. Check out all of the other entries at I ♥ Faces!

I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday "Cutie-Pie"

2009-03-13T20:27:00.002-04:00

What an adorable photo to play with!! Check out all of the other plays here.

Here's the original:

My two edits using CS3:

Here, I brightened using curves, popped the color, used Vanessa's eye pop (see my last post), and sharpened.

PW's "Heartland", plus I darkened up the blacks.

Eye Pop a'la Vanessa!

2009-03-11T19:27:00.002-04:00

Check this out! There's a blog I read quite often. Daily most of the time! She takes the most awesome pictures, and her color and eyes always look amazing. Today, I noticed she had a little blurb on how she gets those eyes looking their best. So check out what Vanessa's eye pop trick is!
Here's what it did for my beautiful son's eyes! and I must say this pop is fantastic, because in person, O's eyes look much more like the edit!

Before: (sooc)

After: (with a bit of a brightening, also)

I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday #5

2009-03-10T21:12:00.002-04:00

Okay, I was pouting that I missed this on Friday. Seriously, all night Friday, I was pouting. no internet. No way to play on Fix it Friday. But the pic was still there today, and Mr Linky is still there. So I'm gonna be rebelious and do it anyway! HAHA!!! :)

Here's the gorgeous original:

and My edits using Photoshop CS3.

Just brightened up, fixed the shineys on the face, and added a fun texture!

a little acid burn:

Warm and vintage:

I ♥ Faces Week 9 Theme - “Creative Crop”

2009-03-10T20:05:00.002-04:00

Oh my goodness, talk about last minute for me! We just got internet back about 10 minutes ago! I hate being without my puter!! and I SOOOO did NOT want to miss the fun this week at I ♥ Faces!!! Click here to see this week's fantastic entries!!

Here's mine for the week. Maybe not all that creative, but I think the square crop should be used a LOT more often :)

I ♥ Faces Week 8 Messy!

2009-03-02T07:50:00.002-05:00

It's that time again! My favorite blog, I ♥ Faces is having a contest for the best Messy photo!! Click on the logo, or the link above to see all the hilarious entries!!

Here's mine. My daughter.... who says she DID NOT get into the chocolate. Dressed herself. not too shabby, eh? LOL!

Moving day in 3 days!

2009-02-28T20:19:00.002-05:00

Moving day is coming up! I just love how this photo turned out after I edited it. I used CS3, and used a plugin called Virtual Photographer.

http://www.optikvervelabs.com/

I used the Anvil setting under the black and white tabs, and tweaked it a bit. Cool, huh? Looks stormy and ominous.

Negative to Positive

2009-02-28T15:15:00.002-05:00

So I've been feeling like a Debbie-downer lately. When I promised myself I would be more positive. Look on the bright side of things. So I'll present you with a few negatives in my life and tell you how I will try to look at them :)

1. Our new house is surrounded by ones still in construction. We won't sleep in for months!
Positive: My day won't be wasted by me sleeping. more time with those monkey's I call children that scream at the top of their lungs all day. YAY!

2. In front of our new house is a Port-a-potty.
Positive: If our toilet gets clogged... that'll be nice and convenient!

3. The kids voices are so loud, screechy and echo in the house.
Positive: I can still hear :)

4. I was the drive-thru teller at the Credit Union on Friday. Some woman called me stupid.
Positive: I can count, and she can't. ;)

5. The grocery store here doesn't carry Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream.
Positive: my butt and thighs aren't 2 sizes too big because of it.

6. The Marine Corps moved our Move-in date 3 times!
Positive: We could be moving in the rain if they didn't move it the 3rd time!

7. Hubby plays video games all weekend.
Positive: Hubby isn't at Hooters all weekend.

8. My best friend lives 3000 miles away.
Positive: hmmm....... I'll get back to you on that one :(

Just a few things. I'm sure there's more.