mamalama

Loggins - Crosby not Kenny

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Let me just say that I've been a fan of Kenny Loggins' music since my hippie mom used to play guitar and sing "House at Pooh Corner" for my brother and I at bed time in the 70s. I've seen him live {5th row, baby, and it was AWESOME!} and buy his music the second it comes out. Got an email from his organization today about his son, Crosby. Wow. Check him out. He's an amazing musician. Yeah... he looks and sounds a bit like his daddy, but that only goes so far. He's good. I'll be heading over to iTunes later to buy this album! {album... teehee. Yeah. I'm old. Like it's still vinyl..}

Top Chef night

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:03:00 +0000

How sad and pathetic I am... my secret shame... I love Top Chef. dh is home on Wednesday nights, and he pretends to be appalled and makes comments like, "I can actually see your IQ dropping during this show." But then, he watches, seemingly paying no attention while visiting his Maverick message boards.

The thing is, I would be a chef if it weren't for the whole "get your ass out of my kitchen" thing I have going on... I really don't want help in the kitchen. Just go sit in the living room with your beverage and leave me alone. I will chat with you later, or from across the room. Your choice. I get this from my mother. It's a wonder I even learned to cook at all {thanks Grandma J and Aunt B, for allowing me into the kitchen!}

But now this comes out. WTF? Who is out there taking shots at chefs? And he just kept cooking! What a guy. Guess they're saying he was hit by a "falling bullet" from a near-by golf course. Did people forget those pesky physics laws? Do they think that bullets, when fired into the air, just keep going up? I wonder how many people have died due to these falling bullets.

I have not touched my camera in days. It's just wrong. I need to go shoot something. {with the camera. No falling or otherwise bullets for me, thanks}

Speaking of shoots... {we weren't but now we are} we have some teeny, tiny little bits of green coming up in the yard. Bulbs, baby. dh and the girly girls planted tons of bulbs last fall, and it may be that the deer did not consume them all. Hooray. Nothing better than green after the winter.

~ mamalama ~ hiding from the Knights who say NI.

Blog Slacker

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:12:00 +0000

Yup. That's me. Blog slacker. I've been reading this amazing, years long blog of a Chicago woman who calls herself Mimi Smartypants. I am regularly snorting beverages through my nose. I am inspired to begin blogging again - real entries... and to redo the graphics. Boring.

love how she {mimi smartypants} signs off... I may need to steal it...

mamalama... deciding whether to stay or go

Philly Flower Show

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:48:00 +0000

It's that time of year again. Hooray! I just love to see all the colors and smell spring in the air. They make it easy to forget that you're in a convention center! This year's theme is New Orleans. The exhibits are peppered with instruments and Jazz themes. Highly recommend you go see it if you have the chance.

"Vogue" Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:54:00 +0000

This weather is driving me nuts. I want some warmer weather so I can take the kids out and do new photos. Dragged C out in the cold and the snow, bribing her with 'the coat' {a family heirloom}. She is such a model...

Peed myself laughing

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:37:00 +0000

I just have to share. I came across this blog via my fav. Catherine Newman's writing. A post called
And the Awards Go To... Oh my. I was laughing so hard the tears were running down my face. Bad parenting at it's finest.

Shall we get into how my dear {nearly 5 yr old} was playing a game on Noggin online the other day and from no where I hear, "oh, it's those damned eggs!" I ask her what she said, and she repeats it! I'm trying SO hard to not laugh. She defends herself "well, they are damned eggs".

Which is worse... that she said it, or that I could not control myself and ended up doubled over in laughter... She is my kid.

Apparently, at the lovely young age of 3-ish, I had an intense fear/loathing of dogs. {still not crazy about the, except for my dear moose-butt labs} The neighbor's dog came over and jumped on me. My mother told me to push it away with my knee. Didn't work. So, out of my sweet toddler mouth came "Damned fucking dog." So I know. I am prepared. I try very hard not to swear in front of the kids - NEVER the f-bomb {or as C calls it 'the mother of them all' from Christmas Story}. Guess damn or dammit is big for me. Ah well. I felt better when I found out that the sweet, similarly-aged daughter of the dance teacher called someone a "dumb ass" the other day.

Slackin' off...

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:25:00 +0000

Another busy busy month. The girls had their dance recital, and we were juggling extra practices with 3-night a week b-ball and now Girl Scouts {it's cookie time, you know}. Ahhhhhh. But b-ball is done now. Tues. should have been their last game, but the weather turned and they got kicked out of school early and of course, all extra activities were cancelled. We started off today with just a delay, but after I kicked poor C's butt out the door to go to the bus, we got the automated call... "Hi. This is so and so from S School Dist. with and update. School is now canceled." Great. Couldn't have decided that 10 minutes ago, right? Before I sent the poor kid out into the icy rain... So off to the truck I dash and catch her at the top of the hill. We slide back home {4wd only does so much} and while I'm totally annoyed with the school, I'm super glad I got her and we're home safe.

Tomorrow is Valentine's day, and she'll be unbelievably pissed if she doesn't have school. We made a batch of yummy cookies for her to take to school. She's got a really small class this year - only 16 - so a nice, big cookie for each in addition to some Kisses in bags. I should take a picture. This is what the cookies look like. Made a test batch the other night. SHHHH. Don't tell the kids they're oatmeal with some awesome King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour in them.

Busy, busy busy

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:49:00 +0000

The girls' dance show is coming up, and boy are we ever busy. Practices several nights a week, Girl Scouts has finally started up again, and CJ made the basketball team, so we've been doing that too! Too much, but soon it will all slow down again. I hope!

These poor kids have been working so hard... and they've finally won a game. Yippee! They've had some close ones, but this time, they pulled it off! They were so happy. Their last game was against a bunch of ruthless, tall, 4th graders. I'm not cut out to be a sports mom. I wanted to go out on the court and throttle the little brats for stealing the ball over and over. [I kept my mouth shut and my butt in my seat... but boy did I ever want to...] Maybe I'll get better at that, too.

Christmas Cards finally finished

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:32:00 +0000

L is just so darned proud of herself... she can write her name - her whole name - so this year she signed ALL the Christmas cards that went out. Sigh... no more babies in this house - the girls are both big girls.

And C... holy hannah... she sunk her first basket during a game tonight!! WOOHOO. She's one of only 3 girls on the team, and the boys rarely let the girls have the ball during a game. She got her hands on it and took the shot. SWISH. I think she may still be grinning. That's m'girl! Even the folks around us (who were parents of players from the other team) cheered for her. Considering she'd never played before this season, and they've had very few practices... the team is really improving. We only lost by 2 tonight. It was a really good game. The way it started, it seemed as though we were going to have our asses handed to us (again) but they warmed up and came through.

Gift he's not going to have to wait for!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:12:00 +0000

This one's not going to be under the tree... Next paycheck, next Borders coupon, this baby's coming home and going right into his hands.

Read excerpt here: Murdered by Mumia.

Maureen Faulkner, the widow of the police officer infamously murdered in Philadelphia in 1981 by then-journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, writes about her anguish, grief and her attempts to bring closure to her husband’s murder more than 25 years later. The book is called "Murdered By Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain and Injustice."

-- From msnbc.com

Justice for Daniel Faulkner

Yippee... Nora Roberts

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 01:06:00 +0000

Oh... how I love Ms. Roberts' work. Her newest book (the first in her newest trilogy, Sign of Seven) Blood Brothers was wonderful. Again... I tried to read it slowly. Fat chance. I picked it up last night and finished it about an hour ago. I simply cannot sip and savor. Crap. Now I have to wait until May for the next installment. Sigh. So long, but it will be so worth it!

Pick it up. It's worth the trip out to the store - or order it online... don't just take my word... read an excerpt posted on the lovely Ms. Nora's website!

Off to choose which of her older trilogies I'd like to delve back into now that dearest hubby is back to work...

Back to work

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:14:00 +0000

Well, DH is cleared to go back to work this weekend. Yippee. I adore the man, but boy... for his sanity - go back to work! He's starting to pace like a caged lion. He likes his job. He's good at his job. He makes a difference. He helps people. It's a good thing.

C had her first b-ball game tonight. They lost 40 to 6. The other team had clearly played together before, unlike C's team who'd only had one practice before the game. Their uniforms hadn't even come in yet! Crazy. And what's up with no women's basketball sneaks in stores?? I had to go by her current shoe size and order from Lady Footlocker online. Now we have to wait. and wait and wait. They shipped, but who knows... coming by mule? tap tap tap... and then hope they fit. She's in adult sizes, what can I say.

Bindi is cracking us up at every turn... Who can resist this...

European Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:01:00 +0000

Yes. I am on this subject again. The house is still not cleaned and we're having a crowd here for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Shocking. Ha ha. It's 40 degrees here right now. It's not 40 degrees out in Spain. It's 68 degrees in Ibiza, Spain. That means short sleeves and no coats. I wonder if I could get dh to consider planning one of our winter holidays in Ibiza. I'm not too hopeful. At least, not now. It's still too close on the heels of summer. Wait until February, when he hasn't been able to work on his cars, and we're up to our ears in snow. He'll be a lot more receptive to planning a vacation on an island somewhere warm. Good thing there are so many sites out there that offer last minute travel arrangements without breaking the bank!

Besides... I've been watching these shows on some obscure TV station (thanks to the dish) on photography and photographers. It's really inspiring me to get out and shoot. Seems like there's not a whole lot around here that's interesting to shoot. I feel like I need to get away and shoot something new. Dublin would be amazing. Then we could take Cait to see some dancers in pubs. Hmmm. Wonder if I could get him to agree to THAT? I'll find the right place and the right deal and he won't be able to resist.

I'm Not Going and You Can't Make Me!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:11:00 +0000

My 20th High School reunion is coming up at the end of the month. Snort. I'm not going. You can't make me. I didn't like the people then... why would I want to pay to go see them now? Ok, so I'm 'local' - only about 45 minutes from the scene of the crime... but still...

They've been planning it for a while. They've set up websites. They took contact info. Hmm. Might be fun to show off this great hubby and laugh over my last name.* I was considering it. Even registered at that darned classmates site. But then... the emails started. Apparently, the person who was supposed to be collecting the contact info never shared it with the person sending out the invitations. Thus began the mass-email, reply-all email fight. He said/she said... it was all so very... well... high school. Decision made. Not goin'. You'd think they would have grown up in the past 20 years.

So here's to 1987. When Def Leppard was "heavy metal". (Check out the video Hysteria. It has 'special' meaning to me - the outdoor scenes were filmed on the way to and at the resort I worked at summers (86-89). If you check out seconds 51 through 55... you can see the lake where I was a lifeguard. Teehee.) Girls had big bangs and skinny jeans... Not me... spiked hair and Chucks. Acid washed jeans. Depeche Mode, the Cure... Ah... the crappy old days. Life is nice now. (tho I wouldn't pass up a good pair of Chucks! High tops, thanks)

*My worst teacher was Mrs. M. Ick. Math. She was nasty and always had lipstick on her teeth. When I met dh in college and discovered that he shared the same last name, I would not go out with him until I made sure that there was no relation. Even then I knew we were meant for each other, and that there was no way in hell I wanted to run into that beast at a family reunion. Phew. No relation. Would've been sad to miss out on the love of my life over a stupid math teacher.

Landscape Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:19:00 +0000

I love rock walls. We have tons of these in the northeast, and dh is building several as part of our landscape. We have lots of rocks! Tons of rocks... we're right in the middle of what used to be coal company land. The rocks, however plentiful, are just plain rocks. I found this site that sells artificial rocks that have address plaques in them. They look pretty good on the site. The photos they have of their products from the Artificial Rocks Factory look very realistic.

I know how heavy rocks can be- at least those that I've had to move via wheelbarrow just to get one small patch of grass... There are plenty of times when I wish that they were TV rocks - the kind you can just pick up and move! These artificial rocks are mostly between 50 and 60 pounds. We had a rock in the yard in our old house... that beast was heavy! We moved it once, and that was it!! We found it in the house when we remodeled. It appeared to have been a large hearth stone. When we ripped the kitchen apart (and found the floor rotted and in need of replacement) the stone ended up in the basement. Not our doing. It just kind of ended up there. We had to pull it out with a winch and a car! It was a great rock, but man... I would have much rather had a 50lb rock to move!

Oh... and what a great idea. Photo props. These would be great to use for taking 'natural' shots in the studio. They have tree stumps. I'd love to create a woody 'fairy' set, and a tree stump would be perfect for that. I have wood all over the place in the yard, but that would get a bit messy, I think.

I may have to tell my brother about this site. He'd like a big rock for his front yard, but doesn't want to pay for a huge bolder to be brought in. This might be the perfect solution.

this has been a sponsored post

All melted

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:50:00 +0000

Well, I'm glad I took pictures of the lovely snow yesterday morning... 'cause it's all gone. back to the lovely brown leaves on the ground. Actually, the tree outside the dining room window (where I'm currently hangin' out with the laptop) still has leaves on it. Such is the way of things in November. Come January if we get snow, it's here to stay.

rant I am currently in the midst of a hissy fit over the news of that poor girl that was driven to suicide by the parent of one of her former friends via a fake MySpace account. Unbelievable. I asked dh the cop - because I just can't believe that there are no criminal repercussions, but he said that they should file a civil suit because there are different criteria for proving "guilt". That an adult created a fake account with the sole purpose of targeting a child should have consequences! How is this any different than an adult that goes into a chat room to target kids? IMHO, that woman should be prosecuted and have her life just as ruined as that of the family that she set out to deliberately destroy. /rant

Hopefully, I will be going to shoot photos of some new babies today - human and Yorkie! A dear friend just had her 5th baby the first week of November, and her Yorkie had 2 pups last week! If I do end shooting them, I'll post shots!

More living space

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:19:00 +0000

B was just complaining the other day about how we have all this land and this great wrap-around porch and no one ever comes to visit in the summer when we can use and enjoy it... The back porch is small, and it's taken a back seat to finishing (ok, starting) the garage for the Mavericks. We want to do what my father has done, and maybe even a step further.

Dad has a great 3 season porch. They spend most of their time on that porch from spring to nearly winter! If he'd just figure out a way to do glass panels to replace his screens, he'd have a 4 season room. Conservatories make me drool when I see them in magazines. I have all these wonderful plants and I need a better place to put them. Poor spidey is just not happy where he is right now. While it's nice to have the gas grill out on the back porch, I'd rather have someplace with lots of windows, some comfy furniture and hooks for the plants! I saw this one online. I just love the way this conservatory looks. Guess it's better know as a sun porch around here. Same thing! Bring a little of the outdoors in all year round. Dad's is the best place to curl up and read (or in his case... nap). No TV out there!!! The cats would love it, too. More windows. More sunbeams. More birds to watch and stalk. Guess I'd better get my request in B to build one when he finishes the garage.

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:10:00 +0000

My favorite holiday is upon us again. Of all the holidays, I think I like Thanksgiving the best... yes, even better than Christmas. I love the cooking and the family, and that it's fall... but we might get snow. I love getting up early to get the bird ready for the oven... to make the stuffing... having stayed up late the night before baking pies. Apple, pumpkin and B's specialty from his Pine Knob Inn days - the Inn Keeper. (A pie crust, filled with a white cake batter, with melted chocolate drissled over the top of the raw batter, then topped with slivered almonds. The cake bakes inside the pie crust, and the chocolate makes its way through to form a fudgy bottom... yummmm) Or maybe even his Sawdust... lots of graham crackers, eggs and coconut. Delicious.

And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the traditional playing of Alice's Restaurant. Several playings. I usually get the first in early when I'm all alone prepping the bird.

This year we may be hosting a friend of my Mom's husband. He's supposed to be coming home from Iraq, and his family is on the other coast and he won't be able to get home in time for the holiday. I hope he is able to come. What an honor that would be for us to be able to share our holiday with him.

Well, on to the least favorite part... gotta go clean. Blech.

Cop Gear for Chirstmas

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:50:00 +0000

Last year dh got gift cards to police supply stores for Christmas (my dear, smart ass brother also included a gift card to Krispy Kreme... haha, very funny... B doesn't like Krispy Kreme... he's a double D man) Anyway... I may do that same thing again this year. He's looking at getting a new gun, and if he does, he might need a new galco holster to go with it. Maybe one of these cool undershirts. I got him his gloves when he started this job. Gotta love Kevlar gloves! He's very fussy about gloves when he goes in to any situation. Guess it's the EMT as well as the Cop training. So much gear to think about. It takes him forever to get dressed for work. He's itchy to get back to it, even though he's enjoying the time with the family. It's not just a job for him. I think being a police officer is a calling. Do I worry? Sure, but it's who he is...

this has been a sponsored post

First Snow of the Season

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:40:00 +0000

First snow - yippee. It's so pretty. The girls are thrilled. (Both the two and the four legged ones!) L has already been out to play, and back in demanding hot cocoa! What else. Can't play in the snow without hot cocoa after... and no fair skimping on the marshmallows!!

New Garage... well the floor anyway

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:56:00 +0000

Hubby has completely lost track of time being out of work for this gall bladder thing... He sat at his computer the other night looking at the weather forecasts and got all excited that the weather might hold for a concrete pour next Thursday. Hmmm. "Honey, check the date on that..." He just hadn't realized that Thanksgiving was coming up so quickly.

He's dying to pour this concrete garage floor so he has a place to work on his cars. I just know he and his brother will have matching garage floors. My brother in law treated his floor with that special paint, and even did the flecks in the paint. It looks great and he loves it! He's really particular about his garage. You could eat off his garage floor. That paint he used makes it easy to keep it clean. Of course, he doesn't do as much work in his garage as B will be doing. B plans on putting his Mavericks in there and actually working on them! I wonder what color he'll choose - there are actually different colors of garage floor paint and the paint chips that you sprinkle! Pretty cool.

Well, I guess if the weather holds and he gets the last rocks into the framed area, he'll pour... otherwise he's in big trouble!

Bindi the Jungle Kitty

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:05:00 +0000

If I could have gotten a shot of her stalking us through the leaves of the spider plant when it was still on the dining room table (after being brought in from its summer home on the back porch) I would have... she learned fast, though, that she was not supposed to be playing in the plant and ran when ever I got the camera. She is now in LOVE with the window bird feeder, as are the rest of us. We've had a sudden onslaught of female goldfinches. Bindi loves to sit on the windowsill and watch. I'm sure she just knows that if that darned glass wasn't there, she'd be snacking on bird... and a mourning dove to boot. She's just so cute!

And now... it's snowing.

Digital Cameras

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:03:00 +0000

I admit it. If you were to open my fridge, you'd find a roll of b&w film on the door. I still have the old Pentax K1000 that made me love photography. Of course, there have been a string of 'lovers' after that dear, old camera... the Fuji FinePix from work, the Sony Cybershot... and now, my beloved Nikon. I got suckered into it May of 2006. I was going to upgrade the Sony to another Sony - one with the anti-vibration technology. I wanted to be able to really capture the stepdancers... The camera shop didn't have it in stock. I was actually walking away from the counter, the $500 burning a hole in my pocket. (Inheritance from my dear Grandmother, who left it with the stipulation to "have fun"). Something took me back to ask what else they had in my price range... I mean... I'd researched the DSLRs but didn't think I could afford one. She brought out the Nikon D50. Love at first sight. Once that baby was in my hands, I knew I was done for! I ended up spending nearly $300 over... but wow. I took it home, charged it up and cracked the manual. Easy to use! Oh, it was JOY! Took it to the festival the next day. (did I mention that I tend to be a bit impulsive... nothing like deciding the day before the festival where you kid is dancing that you need a new camera!)

This is what I got - first day out!
So now, I do all of the pictures for the dancers, and I'm selling photos... woohoo. Last year I did a hard-cover book of photos as a gift for my Dad and R. This year, I'm considering digital picture frames as gifts. I'll be able to email updates throughout the year instead of printing one book at the end of each year. I'll have to think about it, but that's how I'm leaning. Guess I'd better decide soon!!

I don't even have the D50 any more... I've been sucked in so far that I now have the D80, and I'm drooling over the D300. Gotta get some portrait clients to help support my habit!!

It's always something!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:53:00 +0000

Well, I've been playing nurse for two weeks. Darned hubby had a gall bladder attack and ended up in the hospital for a week getting it removed. What an ordeal (for all of us!!) Happily, he was able to have the bellybutton surgery, so he has one "big" (haha - 2.5") scar under his belly button, and 3 tiny ones on his right side. Stitches underneath, then super glue to hold it together! The glue has worn off, and he's healing well. If he wasn't a cop, he'd be back to work, but he can't chance having to get into a scuffle with a kid... so he'll be home driving me insane for the next 2 weeks. I'm glad.

Halloween Kitten

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:25:00 +0000

Autumn posed perfectly for this shot! She's turning into a little nut. She rolled this pumpkin all over the kitchen floor like it was a toy. We've started calling her Bindi the Jungle Kitty. She hides and stalks our feet (and the other cats) and just plays all the time. When she wants to be held, she comes and sits on our feet... mostly on B's feet... she likes him best. Can't wait for the vet to see her again. She's going to be so pleased with her progress!