peanut butter the enemy....

yesterday was my hubby's birthday

~

our celebrations are usually simple, yet fun. a dinner out, cookies by design instead of a cake with candles and a few gifts with lots of laughs.

so last night the kids joined us at our favorite tapas restaurant after they were finished with work and school. we were about halfway through our evening, when all of sudden, our son looked at me and said i don't feel good. something is wrong. something i ate had peanuts.

~

you see, our son has had a peanut allergy all his life. we confirmed this with testing way back when he was 5 and in kindergarten and they made peanut butter covered pinecones with bird seed to hang outside. our son had made one {even after he had protested not to} rubbed his eye in the process and by the time i got to school, his eye looked like something out of an alien movie. a quick emergency room visit {i don't really remember what they did} and we were back home and he was fine. follow up testing said he was deathly allergic to peanuts {something you don't want to hear} and dust mites and various trees.

~

so for the past 15 years, i have read the back of every package of anything he has ever eaten, while he himself has been able to sniff out "peanut anything" from miles away. can you believe as a child he hated the smell of peanut butter and had never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his tiny 5 years prior to the allergy discovery. i think it was his own body's natural way to protect him.

~

well last night i screwed up. the chicken skewers i have eaten regularly at our favorite restaurant are described as "chicken satay with a peanut glaze" and because our son doesn't normally join us there, i overlooked this, until he looked at me with those eyes, that are still the same eyes i remember looking at me when he was 2 {and many other numerous ages} when i rushed him to the emergency room for a severe asthma attack when he couldn't breathe. i grabbed the menu, saw the hateful word peanut and the two of us ran out of the restaurant leaving the hubby and my daughter behind.

~

we were only 3 minutes from urgent care and with my son's pleading and telling me i had a really good excuse, i ran three red lights. 

they saw him immediately and fortunately it wasn't an anaphylactic reaction

{which thank god he has never had} 

and they were able to treat his swollen lip and mouth with good old benedryl and they also gave him something for his nausea. 

i think it was his body's natural reaction to want to "get rid" of what he had eaten.

before they would let me go back with him, i sat in the kids waiting room and documented the time

gangsta

our epi-pen prescriptions have been renewed {one for the house, one for his car}

and after we were all home, he was as good as new. 

good enough actually, to pull an all nighter and write an 8 page paper that is due today.

you see, he's kind of a procrastinator. 

well, he's also a slob and wears his jeans too low and looks like a gangsta with his ball cap on, but it's funny how all of that really doesn't matter after an emergency.

so i'll give me a week 

before i remind him to pull his pants up and clean his room

*

i think i'll stay with my theory....

books are always better 

~

i posted awhile back that i was reading and loving "the descendants" and it never disappointed. 

not even once.

today we went and saw the movie, 

and it was good,

 but i didn't love it the way i loved the book. 

~

now granted, i'm not a book or movie critic and nobody asked for my opinion, but if you were my best friend sitting with me in the family room, while the fire roared 

{not really since it's gas, but it would be on} 

and we were drinking my favorite toffee almond supreme tea, 

i'd look in your eyes, take your hand and say "read the book first."

~

i love george clooney and he did a fine job and maybe he'll get an oscar nomination, but his teenage daughter in the movie, as well as the book, is an amazing character. i only wish the movie audience had gotten to know her the way i did. from the book.

~

maybe a book is always better because our own imagination comes into play. 

we get to imagine, from words alone, what the characters look like. 

what their voices sound like. how they walk. where they live.

we get to imagine how they feel and can feel what they say.

~

if you saw the movie this weekend and loved it, i'm not saying you shouldn't have. it was good.

and if you have plans to see it when it comes to your town in a week or so, go see it.

but at anytime, if you have the chance to read the book, just do it.

*

happy thanksgiving.....

"if the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you,"

that would suffice."

~meister eckhart~

because it's worth it.....

i know you need to laugh and smile today. so here's my gift to you.

which means you have to watch this and you can't give it back

it's a gift. remember.

*

thanks to susannah conway for introducing me to marcel 

ps. i have a sick sense of humor. i hope you do, too

my daughter's right....

after LR 3

last night my daughter told me i was being a blog slacker. 

she's right. i have been slacking a bit. so sorry.

~

instead of blogging

i've been playing with LR3 and i have to tell you something. 

i'm in love and i'm pretty sure the feelings are mutual.

sooc

after LR 3

sooc

if you're even a little bit like i was 

{too often banging your head against the wall while using photoshop}

give lightroom a try

~

i don't believe for one second that you'll be disappointed. 

instead, i think you'll be wondering what took you so long. 

~

chances are

if you hate your photos and fall in love with other people's photos

they've been edited

~

so

if you've been thinking, "i really need to edit my photos"

start with LR3. don't start with photoshop.

believe me

i'm saving you days, maybe weeks of headaches.

~

you're welcome

*

the lights should have been on....

last night

the overhead lights were off, forcing the ebony sky, sitting on top of the black parking lot to become threatening to a girl who's made it a practice to never be alone in the dark, at night.

i heard him walking, but i didn't see him. 

suddenly i heard an awful noise and knew he had fallen. quickly i turned around and ran towards him. he was on the ground, just starting to get up. i asked him if i could help. he sternly said "no, i'm fine" but i still grabbed the computer bag hanging from his neck, so as to lift the weight of it off of him. a man behind me asked if he could help. he was also told "no" and then we heard "i'm used to falling. that's why my computer is in this hard case." 

my heart ached as i continued to the doors of the school. you see, the man who had fallen is in my class. he's physically handicapped and drags his foot when he walks.

 the man who had also asked if he could help, was right behind me as we approached the building and he said, "do you really think he's okay or do you think alcohol is involved" and inside, i wanted to haul off and hit him. here is this proud, handicapped man, who didn't want our help and now someone who has no idea who he is, was speculating. 

i set him straight.

i was all settled in my seat, coat off, computer on when john came into the room. since i sit by the door he had to walk right by my chair and as he did, we locked eyes. i reached out and touched his arm and in a whisper said, "are you sure you're okay." he smiled and mouthed "thank you."

*

moral of the story.....don't judge
*
ps...i asked about the lights and something was wrong with the timer. fortunately they were all on when we left our classes at 9pm.

visually stunning.....

no

not my photo

{even though this old house is really cool}

but

the video 

below

~

honestly

it pretty much blew me away

and

all i kept thinking was how i would have loved to have been there with my camera

do you see what i see.....

how do i say 

'thank you so very, very much' 

in a way that will fill and warm your hearts 

the way you did mine

the words you left for me in my previous post

not only lifted me up

they also pushed me forward 

i now have a new found strength and attitude and all of you are responsible for that

thank you

thank you 

thank you

yesterday called for a walk. outside.

~

the dried reeds at my adored pond, have fallen all over each other and lay in a tangled mess, forming a rickety platform that now encourages me closer to the water's edge. 

 ~

it's so quiet at the pond. those with wings have gone south. 

the turtles. where are the turtles. 

the missing muskrats. do they all hibernate.

living breathing animals 

have been replaced with naturally made wooden replicas 

just waiting to be found by a girl in her hiking boots 

not afraid to get too close

~

what do you see. a fish. a shark. a ground hog.

all i know is that whatever it is. 

it was looking at me.

*

it's okay to be yourself.....

my friend diana reminds me to dream big. so i do.

~

my big dream for next year is to teach. 

i want to teach a photography workshop.

in person. 

surrounded by all of you. hopefully by the beach.

~

just today i read this post

and

if i teach next year

this is what i'd love for all of you to know before you arrive

because

i want you all to be yourself. 

everyday. everywhere.

*

i hope you're all having an amazing weekend so far

11.11.11

are you superstitious. i am.

~

i've never walked under an open ladder 

but

i have broken my mother's back by stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk

{not literally...but all the same, sorry mom}

~

a black cat crossing my path

honestly bothers me

~

i have thrown salt over my shoulder

but

i don't really know that one so i don't remember why i did it

~

the number 13 i actually like

unless it falls on a friday

~

if i find a penny and it's heads up 

i pick it up

~

and

even though it's not a superstition

i do believe in spirits

~

so 

it's only right

that i believe today

11.11.11

means something

~

i've heard people talking about the fact that the number 11

forms a tunnel 

{or some have referred to it as doorway} 

and 

having 3 of them together means 

greatness in regards to starting a new career or a relationship

~

all i know for sure

is that i have to go to the mall today

and

since i honestly hate shopping in the mall

all i can hope for is that

11.11.11

gives me the extra strength i need to survive that place

*

empty hands....

~50mm 1.4 ISO 400~

actually

my hands are rarely empty

and

right now they are filled with this book

~

have you seen the movie previews for it. it stars george clooney.

enough said

~

anyhow

it's based on the book and debuts next weekend and before i sit in the movie theatre with my popcorn to see it, i will have read every single page. so far it's fantastic.

and

based on what i've heard

thumbs up, five stars and all that other good stuff as far as the movie goes.

~

you know the theory though. a movie is NEVER as good as the book and of all the theories i've heard in my lifetime, this one is actually true.

but

come on it's george

and

the movie will be playing at our sundance theatre

so it's a win win situation as far as i'm concerned.

~

and

the best of part of george and the fact that i can talk about him the way i do....

well, he actually resembles my hubby. he does. really. honest.

i'm not joking. actually the hubby is more george with a bit of pierce brosnan mixed in

but

hey, that's more detail then you came here for

*

ps...for anyone out there who has seen or met my hubby.....back me up for those possible naysayers. here he is just in case you really need to see how lucky i am.

adding my own graffiti.....

isn't this the best wall ever.

obviously it lives in a safe little community where the teenagers don't own smart phones to text their friends announcing the blank canvas they've found, with a request of "and dude, bring a few extra cans of spray paint."

~

okay. that's just silly talk. every teen i know has a smartphone. but maybe these teens choose to go home right after school and concentrate on homework. oops. silly talk again.

~

anyhow

i decided i'd be the rebellious and "badass" teen for the day

and

added my own graffiti

{please click badass for a funny video}

*

thanks eva for the badass video

why the love......

i don't know why i have it or where it comes from

but 

my heart loves the broken down and beaten. 

the fragile and not quite right. the different and slightly damaged.

and

it's not always buildings

but

today it is

*

what is a quince.....

this old church doesn't really sit in a field, but from my perspective when i shot it, it does.

isn't it funny how perspective works. i know without a doubt, that if i had taken this photo from any other place or any other angle, it would have been a very ordinary photo. 

while i was out driving last week, i came upon these magnificent things growing in the backyard of a business in sauk city. yep, a business with a backyard and technically i wasn't really trespassing,  although i did have a lady watching me from her car, acting like she wasn't. 

anyhow. what are they?

edited

some of my readers told me they were quince and i googled it and they were right

who knew

{obviously they did}

all i know, is that they are not apples and they were not growing from an apple tree.

~

am i the only one who loves "where in the world is matt lauer" and will be glued to the television this week watching him every morning, or do you love this segment of the today show, too?

~

and

just one more thing.

many of you asked me about lightroom {LR} and yes, you can download a free 30 day trial of it. i highly suggest that you watch many of the videos that go with it though, or you will be lost. you can find those on youtube and they will totally be worth your time. 

also, the 400 page book for LR 3 is fantastic.

*

happy monday everyone

it's sunny and warm and beautiful here today. but they said a chance of snow flurries wednesday.

now that's just not nice is it.

maybe it's true...

maybe you're never too old to learn a new trick

~

i'm learning lightroom and loving it

or

maybe it's loving me

~

you see

i never had a love relationship with photoshop

nope

no love or lust 

with mr. pse 

no matter how i looked at him

instead it's always been a rather cold relationship filled with holes and too many questions

that's just never felt quite right 

but

with light room 

the feeling is

warm and understanding

~

now granted

i'm only at the beginning

but it's a beginning that's making sense

~

so here's my advice to you on this gorgeous sun filled  friday

"learn something new...it's so good for your love life and your heart."

*

the happiest of weekends to each and everyone of you

still.....

the leaves are fighting it. falling off with a grudge.

last night they got a dusting of snow. i think i heard cussing. from them. not me.

the wind this morning has her sucker punching gloves on.

still

it's fall

and

we love it

and

we know we'd be lost without it

*

oh baby baby....

i had a baby shoot yesterday. lucky me. 

these photos are just a sneak peek of a few that i played with last night

while watching parenthood.

there's something about this little angel, who just turned a month old, that reminds me of a little old lady, so most of the photos have an aged or layered look to them. it just felt right adding a bit of something.

are babies heads the most perfect thing ever?

in the middle of our time together, where i could have kept shooting, she was all snuggled up and sound asleep and i didn't begin to have the heart to start moving her again for more poses and waking her up.

i have my limits you know

*

her point of view last night.....

come on sophie. we do this every year. remember, it's halloween. 

your human sister lets the kids take some candy from the bowl, i take their photo

and you stand there and look slightly annoyed.

~

oh yeah.

it's that holiday. the one dad hates and the one that eats up minutes of my nap time.

fine. go ahead.

give the kids their candy already. let's get this over with as fast as we can.

here are some of my favorite little goblins that visited me last night

{not that sophie really cares}