Hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas, enjoying the time with family and friends and creating great new memories!

Since our cards are going out VERY late this year, here’s a little sneaky peeky for everyone so you can feel the love.

  As you can tell by the bottom right picture of Karissa, this photo shoot was NOT one of their more enjoyable times of the day. At least i got three shots in to complete the phrase! Kaylen is dressed here in the aforementioned angry elf outfit that ben tried to hide. Well, ok I actually found it in the laundry basket…but still. He knows.

So life is still in that weird holiday time limbo. We have lots of family coming into town still this week, which is a total blast! But i just feel like I can’t see EVERYONE enough! Plus, you know, real life just doesn’t slow down for the holidays! I still have some work to do, still have photo clients wanting to get some sessions booked, still have MASSIVE spring session planning to do, building a new website and overhauling our pricing programs…its all good stuff but I just do’nt have the energy most days to keep up with my life!

Then your thoughts kind of automatically turn at this year towards "THE CHANGES". Not resolutions, as we are being told that resolutions are too easy to break, rather, just view them as positive changes you are going to instill in your life. Luckily for me, I don’t actually hate myself when I break resolutions OR do not institute change. I try it just the same. there are actually a few things i would like to start working on, working towards, goals to put in place, etc. But you know, life will still go on if I end up breaking my resolve one week into the new year. (Maybe this is part of why the changes never stick….hmmm. Thoughts to ponder…)

OH! Other news.

I did it. I got my hair lightened and put pink in it. I was ready for a change. And while this new look is JUST this side of trailer ghetto, I like it. It was a good change. I wish the pink was a little more bold, but, then again, I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard. (for what I don’t know, I just know I recognize it in other people. That "trying too hard" look.)

Ok so the lighting on this pic is REALLY orange…but if you look at the bottom of the curls, you’ll see the pink streaks. Its just one whole layer of hair that got turned bright pink, right in the middle of my head. Its totally punk.

My mom wanted to know when I thought I might grow up. I told her i hoped never. Seriously. who wants to GROW UP?

Well, we are about to start round two of after christmas sale shopping so I guess I should hit save and publish.

Merry Christmas to everyone and we’ll be back in two and two.

Peace-

T

Ok so my photo-a-day challenge isn’t working out so hot.

I think I am TAKING the right photos, I am just horrible at actually unloading them to the laptop and uploading them here. Let’s see what I do have done though, shall we?  Here is K1 with some lights, a lighted wreath from Ikea. This was my first attempt at doing all my own post processing (no actions or presets)…tougher than it looks!

  (One of them is the angry elf…can you tell which one??? Yes,this is cruel but i promis you , its also just toooooo precious when you see them in real life in their little elf outfits!!!) We have a slew of adorable pictures from this session. I haven’t had a chance to process these so this one is SOOC. (straight out of camera, ben, since I know you will puzzle over it for hours! love you honey!!!)

And now that I think about it…kaylen’s elf outfit is missing since you took it off of her that afternoon…

The lights in a jar… Another non-processed one. I think with a little boost to exposure and some curves processing the effect i was hoping for here will show through. eventually. i hope. I have no idea why she is n.e.k.k.i.d.  Some days i just get what I pay for with this one.

There I am – in that bulb ornament! This was another experiment in manual which I have not had time to process properly.  I guess its a good thing we have been so busy with "real" work from clients but…

Hopefully I have time to get all my own christmas pics edited the same day!

My Favorite Recipe. Ok not my favoritest ever of all time. But its a great recipe. Cherry Cookies. its one of the few things i can actually bake from scratch. Everything else comes from a box or a wrapped tube of dough. the girls were IN AWE that we could actually "make our own dough"!!! Kealey kept trying to get the dough out of the fridge when I said we were going to make cookies. They helped make this batch of them and were pretty proud of themselves. Dangit now I am hungry for them again..

Ok that’s all I have for today. I think I am only about 5 or 6 behind now! tomorrow’s photo should be fun – one of you or someone in your family holding a plain white sign with their feelings on it about the holidays.

How is shopping going? I think i am MOSTLY done, which shocks me. I usually am still frantically grabbing random crap off the shelves on the 23rd and begging for wrapping help from Benj on the 24th. I have a few more things to pick up, mostly stocking stuffers, and a few of the pre-requisite clothes gifts for the girls. And Ben’s presents…

and if you are still looking for that perfect gift for me – here is my kaboodle. (nevermind the name. it was a nite of absolute slap-happiness with wyowoman/Kdawg/googie and this is all i could come up with.) Not a comprehensive list by ANY means, but it should be a good start for all of you my faithful blog readers!!! If you also fall prey to the goodness of kaboodling, add me as a friend so I can see your wish lists!

(Ok i am totally kidding…)

I am in a weird crafty/funky/lazy mood today. Wishin i had a foam cone so I could make one of those uber cute button trees that are all the rage right now. I need to do some serious grocery shopping. we are almost out of coke. this is a near emergency in our house.

OH MY LORD>

Raise your hand if you knew that McDonald’s now serves SWEET TEA in their drive thru??? i thought i had died and gone to diabetic heaven this morning when I went to order my oh-so-healthy breakfast of a bacon/egg/cheese biscuit with large coke when i see this glorious pronouncment of SWEET TEA for only ONE DOLLA!!! I must say, for mcD’s quality, it is pretty good. It will not replace my love of McD’s coke, but on a good two-fisted day, it will work out nicely. now if they could just keep that available through their next 44oz for 89 cents promotion, I will be a happy girl.

Ok I am going to go stare meaninglessly at the pantry for 20 minutes trying to decide what to do about dinner.

Ciao! and as Dora would say..

"We had such a great adventure! thanks for playing with us today!"

t-crest out.

My brother, Josh Read, started a business back in August of 2006 called Ainsworth Studio.com. He does graphic design and website design. He is extremely talented, so talented in fact that I wish I could afford him to design and build my website, but, I digress. A recent website design he did has been getting a lot of recognition over the past week and I want to support him. You, my faithful readers, please join me in voting for his design at these four places:

CSS Drive
CSS Mania
The Daily Slurp – 2nd row, 3rd column
CSS Creme

Also, don’t forget to visit his website: Ainsworth Studio.com

Yeah SOMEDAY i might be on track with my own photo challenges!

Here is day 2 – the candles. I really had to actually go FIND candles to take pictures of! I usually just turn on the tart burner, so this one actually was a challenge!

This was taken in manual, light at about 100 (i think?), f1.8 with my 50mm, natural light through the window to the left.

For Day 3 Here is my Christmas tree. This picture looked a lot better in my mind than in actual execution…

I took this into the mirror I have hanging on the wall across from the tree, on a quiet nite while it was snowing outside. It just really made me feel "christmasy". I haven’t done anything to this photo, this is SOOC, but I think if I tweaked the exposure, which is at some ridiculous number like 3, this one might actually turn into a cool picture!

Since I’m on a roll and am uber behind – here is day 4 too!

Not necessarily my favorite ornament, but one I got a good shot of…

This is kind of the "theme" of our tree – teal and silver. And the usual menagerie of  child-produced ornaments from Sunday School and Pre-school. I have to take more ornament pictures. My favorite is the leg lamp from the "Christmas Story" movie.

Oh my gosh you have to click that link. Its not to my ornament. Its to the GAUDIEST lawn blow up thing I have ever seen! Its the leg lamp in a blower globe on top of the FRA-GEE-LAY box. WHYYYYY must some people ruin their yards with these things?!?!! but it is pretty frackin hilarious.

Anyways.

So now I am only two days behind on the Christmas photo challenge.

Ok – RAK time. We had family movie nite a few Saturdays ago, and wanted to watch "Meet the Robinsons". Ben went in to get it, and came out with the Blu-Ray disc version. I expressed that I thought those didn’t work in our DVD player, but my concerns were summarily dismissed. "It says High Def on it. That’s what we have."

True enough.

But it still isn’t a Blu-Ray player. To tell you the truth I do’nt even know what a Blu-Ray player is. (I am ashamed to admit this. I might be kicked out of techno-geeks anonymous for not knowing this).

but if YOU know what a Blu-Ray player is, and you do not yet own the ADORABLE Disney Movie "Meet the Robinsons" – I have a Christmas gift for you! First person to comment here that ISN’T named Ben, Josh, or Becca (who have this strange obsession with playing the first to comment game on my blog) – then this movie is yours!

Hope you are having a great day and enjoying preparations for Christmas! 19 days left!!!

Hearts, Hugs, and Happy Horsesh*t-

Terra

And I am already behind on my own challenge!

Here is my photo from yesterday

The color got completely screwed up in the transfer to the blog so sorry for that. But i was just happy to actually have my little tin advent calendar countdown thingy hung up this year! the girls do’nt quite get the concept of counting backwards. they keep thinking christmas is tomorrow since that’s the 25th…???? Apparently they have my math skillzz, or complete lack thereof.

Here’s another few advent calendar shots

The starbucks advent calendar. I only did half of it last year. Hopefully this year I get to actually finish the little chocolate treats inside. Next year maybe i’ll decorate the backside with some cuter papers/embellies and put fun little trinkets inside for the girls. This year, the chocolates ALL MINE!

Karissa was so surprised that there was actual CANDY behind the little doors that she wanted to open up all of them! Note to self: hide advent calendars on top of fridge.

Working on kealey’s "I’m the star of the week" poster for the kindergarten bulletin board at school. nice that we got TWO DAYS NOTICE for this!!! You want me to sum up in TWO DAYS all that is special about my darling offspring in a 26 x 32 inch piece of cardstock???? Impossible!

But we’re doing our best. We’ll finish it up in the morning.

I am craving stirfry, bruschetta (thanks kristin), and spaghetti sauce. So i should go to bed now i think before i actually start making all of the above at 10:30 at nite.

If you are playing along with the challenge – link me up to your photos!!! I want to see what you’re doing with it!