Take a picture, it will last longer

I was REALLY excited this morning to attend Heather Barta's "Life at Play" photography workshop geared specifically at moms interested in photographing their children. I've had my "nice camera" for a couple years now (wow! More than that even, now that I look!) and I've pretty much only used the manual settings and never been able to figure out lighting/flash use very well. a

The Cupcake doesn't hold still for long (or at all) these days, and while she is cute as a button in "real" life, she's not terribly photogenic, and I keep catching her at moments like this:

(no, we didn't feed her lemons. Pretty sure that pucker is all about teething - bringing on the molars).

Much to the grandparents' dismay, I've been struggling and not really taking a lot of photos or getting good shots lately, so this came up as a great time.

I didn't learn anything groundbreaking, but I learned exactly the basics I needed to dramatically improve my photos - the basic shutter/aperature/ISO triangle and how to change said settings on my camera (a few things that were NOT in the manual!). We had a short "lesson", fiddled with our cameras, and then got to practice on Heather:

And then she brought in some of her clients for us to practice what we had learned on:

We descended like paparazzi :)

Perhaps the biggest "tip" I got was the advice to buy a new lens - the "kit" lens most of us had only went down to a 3.5 aperature, which meant we needed a very high ISO to counter for the dreary day, or indoors in general. Even then, I felt like my pics were a little flat, or the high ISO risked being grainy. Heather let us try her preferred 50mm/1.4 aperature and the difference was AMAZING:

it felt a little weird because you don't have zoom, you have to mover yourself instead. But the difference in photos was instantaneously apparent. Since one of my major problems has been lighting, the larger aperature helps immensely - letting more light in without trying to manipulate the flash is easier and more flattering. I was convinced. I hit National Camera on my way home and came home with a similar lens - 35mm 1.8 aperature, which allows me a slightly bigger field. I raced home and couldn't wait for The Cupcake to wake up from her nap so I could try it out:

AND I LOVE IT!

SUCH A DIFFERENCE!

I FINALLY FEEL LIKE I'M USING MY CAMERA!

I still caught a few pretty terrible/hilarious faces, such as this shriveled gnome during dinner time:

But even then, it's well lit and a way better photo overall! (She was actually laughing, but I guess it's an ugly laugh. I about had tears when I saw it, from laughing so hard myself!) That's banana all over her nose.

I'm definitely looking forward to getting some egg gathering shots tomorrow if the weather agrees (and if I can chase TC quickly enough). Grandmas, I'm working on sending you both some photos! I promise now! And while it may be bold, I'm also ready to cross off the other half of #12 on the bucket list - Learn to take great photos and get a “real”
camera. I'm sure I'll continue to improve, but I think I've taken a GIANT leap forward and I'm feeling pretty good about it so far!

Now if only I wasn't already 13 months behind on scrapbooks...

:)

Spring Cleaning - in theory...

Despite all my talk about recent acquisitions, I'm actually looking forward to streamlining in the near future. I think our early spring is wreaking havoc on my urge to organize, but I just can't get that to the top of my priority list with everything else going on, so things go in stacks and piles for a bit longer. With The Cupcake now fully mobile, those stacks and piles have to be strategically placed on the mantle, behind the locked door to the attic, or sprawled across the dining room table, which is a constant battle.

I've made a few minor steps forward, getting this armoire (ridiculously cheap and on sale at Sears, where they even loaded it in my car). It went together fairly easily, with the exception of the tracks for the drawer which I put on wrong a few times, and one of the screws for the handles is missing, but after some trial and error we decided to leave them off for the time being - kid proofing doesn't always mean locking! It's more of a deterrent, I'm sure she *could* get the drawer open without them, but she doesn't try so all is well. She does occasionally walk over and jiggle the giant plastic child proof lock on the doors, just to see if it happens to be open, and when I take it off to get something out she goes into ninja mode and is at my side before I can blink. It feels really stable and looks much more expensive, but since we really only need it to protect stuff for a few years, it is just right. I keep my camera and chargers in there, paperwork for coaching, and other things that I need to access regularly but not immediately. My mom's computer lives on top, along with a stack of bibs for the day and usually some mail. I still need to get a better system down, as I tend to swoop up piles of paper and "lose" important mail in the process, but it's a start.

The attic (formerly "craft room") is the worst, it's been a dumping ground since Xmas 2011. I've spent a handful of evenings up there in the past year and a half, but not enough to do more than move a few piles around and make a path. I did clear out a TON of stuff at the JBF sale - nearly all of TC's baby clothes and all of my maternity stuff sold, which was GREAT and made justifying my purchases MUCH easier! The next step is a yard sale, which I usually do pretty well with but which are also a crapload of work. I donated my tent to MNLove, so I'll have to figure out new logistics, tag everything, haul it down, spread it across the lawn, and simultaneously entertain The Cupcake. Hmm.

At the same time, there is always the danger of getting rid of too much - what if I send something out the door for a measly quarter, and find out I need it again down the road? I'll kick myself, especially since I plan to remain poor at best for the next great while. Oh, the great dilemmas I face daily!

Also, remember when I posted all that jibberish about how I was taking control of my closet, and I'd set out these great rules? Yeah, I failed at that pretty darned quick. I believe my very next purchase was a dry-clean only dress (super cute, and I wore it several times, but come on, what was I thinking? It's $15 a wear! That is NOT my lifestyle.), followed by 2 pair of pants that desperately need hems taken up. I had a few JC Penny gift cards, and somehow talked myself into the wrong things. They really are good rules, if only my legs were 3" longer and I could wear dress pants and khakis off the rack! And I bought some cute shirts I thought fit just fine when I tried them on, but my bra straps always end up hanging out, so I'm thinking I should just throw in the towel on them...add them to the piles. Also, I need to remember I spend half my day bending over and running after TC, so my necklines need to act appropriately.

I'm also currently getting excited about finishing a few projects we started in the basement only to sideline myself with more monetary worries. We took out our bar this winter, realizing that it was cute but totally non-practical. We used it for Halloween parties in our old lives, but otherwise who would sit at a bar and stare at the wall? It had turned into a dumping ground, and the room was wasted. We decided to turn it into a playroom and the hubby & my dad set to work doing what I thought would be a simple uninstall...only to find the bar had been built piece by piece in it's location, and was NOT coming out in any other way. I had hoped to be able to sell it to finance some of the mini renovation, but it was totally destroyed. Last weekend I finally went and picked out a new cabinet to put in it's place (we're reinstalling the sink, and staging the whole thing as a bar again, but flat against the wall, more like a serving buffet than a bar you sit around). As feared, there was no carpet underneath what we removed, so we have a giant gaping hole right now, next to a section of stick on faux parquet, and I have to decide whether to replace the flooring for the whole basement now and enjoy it, throw a rug over it and wait till Norm dies and we decrease our chance of ruining new carpet, or just wait till we're going to move. Either way, something has to be done, it's just a matter of when and how much we are willing to put into it. So far I'm not sure. And so it all sits.

Anyone else have spring fever?

A few more of my mega bargains...

I mentioned I went overboard at the JBF sale, so justifying my purchases helps me feel better about my moments of impulse overload. So I'm doing it again today. Here are a few more of my amazing deals I'm quite proud of:


A few of the things I google I can't really believe the prices on, but I'll let you decide. For example, I got this little Elmo Mailbox Shape Sorter for $2




On Amazon its listed at $24.99-$65!!! Um, no. Something weird there, probably because it's not made anymore. I'd guess it was in the $20 range new?

And this Fisher Price Story & Learning Chair, one of the reviews said they paid $40, but it is now listed at a bizarre $199! It's a little fancier than my version, I don't think we have the crayons, but it's close:



I paid $10. The sticker on the chair seat is really faded and doesn't look new, but everything works, and it's cute and has been entertaining so far. Mostly my little monkey wants to STAND on it, which is a battle, but it was well worth $10. Saved $30-190 I guess :)

Since you (or The Cupcake) never can have enough Elmo, I also got one of these:

Again, Amazon is weird, showing it as $35-99, but no matter - I paid 4.00 :)

And the final toy item I picked up - I had the marble version of this when I was little, and it's awesome, so when I saw this version for smaller kids (bigger ball size so they don't choke) I was immediately drawn to it. It was marked at $15, so I waivered and waffled for a long time, but finally picked it up and I did get a good deal:
Castle Marble Works from Discovery Toys, WITH ALL 3 ORIGINAL CHIME BALLS, $40 new. Saved $25. This is one I'm saving for a rainy day (though Grammy REALLY wants to play with it) so I haven't even showed TC yet.

So far I'm restraining myself, but the Coon Rapids Sale is in it's last day today, with most items (anything without a star on the label) going for 1/2 price. I'm doing pretty well on selling too, with about half of what I brought in gone already in the regular price sale days, and I set almost EVERYTHING else to go half off today!

Bountiful Bargains (and some Bragging)

I'm a huge fan of the JBF consignment sales. It took a while, the first one I participated in was lackluster, but the Coon Rapids/Maple Grove sale has a HUGE following and I am hooked. Probably tooooooo hooked, as I went a bit overboard on clothes especially, but I couldn't resist the wonderful deals!

For example,
Nice big set of Fisher Price Peek-A-Boo Blocks, circus theme. I paid $5. Came home and wiped them down with disinfecting wipes, and they were good as new. The Cupcake is in LOVE with them, as she is very into examining tiny details lately. Compare to the current "alphabet" themed set, on Fisher-Price's website for $27



$22 savings!

2nd score: Fisher Price Elmo's World Guitar, complete with batteries (they require everything at the sale to have batteries and work, so you can try it all out).



We don't watch much TV, but I think this kid came out of the womb knowing and loving Elmo (and Dorothy). I paid $6, it's on Amazon right now for $37.99 and there's not even a scratch on it. Kid is in love. The sounds are mildly annoying for long periods of time, but when you hit the whammy bar Elmo says "WHAMMMMMMMMY!" and it cracks me up every time.

Saved $36 + batteries

I'm in love with Hanna Andersson, a Swedish kids brand that is way too expensive for me, but TC has gotten a few gifts from her Grandmother that got me hooked, and luckily lately I've been able to snag a few things at amazing deals, for example I got this quilted MERMAID jacket:



PLUS the matching capri pants AND a matching mermaid onesie for $15. Compare this to new to jackets from HA currently priced in the $48 range, Capri pants are $28, and printed onesies $22, a similar new outfit would be $98.

Whoa. $83 savings. And SO FREAKING ADORABLE, you knew I couldn't pass up that jacket...

If you're keeping track, that's $167 worth of goodies for $26, and everything looks nearly new. I AM A CHAMPION SHOPPER!

This is just a fraction of my booty (a very small fraction). I admit I went overboard, but so far the toys are all BIG hits (and I'm only breaking them out slowly, might keep a few in the wings for crabby days), and I have an entire summer wardrobe ready for TC's current (18mo) size and 24 months. It's mostly great brands I covet but could/would never fork out the money for new (Children's place stretchy pants are AMAZING, but I'm not paying $15-30 for kid pants, I don't even spend that for MY pants!).


The Coon Rapids JBF Sale is still on today & tomorrow, with lots of good deals (go buy the rest of my stuff!). Grandparents get 25% off most items today, and everyone gets 1/2 off most stuff tomorrow. Details here. I'm also consigning, and that's a great way to stretch your dollars too - I've *almost* made enough in selling her old stuff to pay for the new stuff.

Looking forward to...

After the last post, I pretty much immediately signed up for the "Run for your life Zombie 5K." The zombie shifts were almost all sold out already, so we'll be getting up ridiculously early to trek out to the middle of nowhere for our zombie transformations, but hey - nobody said zombie apocalypse would be convenient. My friends are considering doing a theme for our undead outfits, but haven't settled on one yet. I love costume planning. :)



A few other things I'm looking forward to -

The "Just Between Friends" kid consignment sales start their spring run next week and there are a bunch of them around my area, so I'm excited for good deals. Just in time too, our early warm up + The Cupcake's hulk-like growth means I'm pretty sick of putting her in the same 3 pairs of pink pants and the small selection of currently fitting shirts that don't seem to match any of them. I'm trying to prep some stuff to sell as well, but it is SO MUCH WORK! If I can make enough back to cover what I sell, it will be worth it.




Summer trips! I'll be traveling for work a big ole' week WITHOUT TC, should be an adventure for all of us. I'm not going anywhere terribly exciting (Indianapolis) but I am still excited for the experience. And potentially sleeping through the night a few times :)

Summer activities! TC LOVES to be outside, and she'll sit in her stroller for hours if you keep her moving. Recently I splurged on one of these:

Kid LOVES it! She's particularly obsessed with the little cell phone toy strapped to the handlebars (teaching them to talk and drive already?!?!) and threw the FUNNIEST fit when I tried to take her off it the first time (it won't be funny the 50th time, but seriously, how is it not hilarious when a kid goes all soupy jell-o on you so you can't pick them up and even put them back on the toy they are mad you took them off of? And it's not like they learn that, it must be inborn. Babies are so ridiculous!)I love the sun shade, and while it's not as easy to push as the stroller (and not as much storage), it feels less weird to have her in that on the sidewalk or driveway where we turn circles for hours.

It still ends with ZOMBIES!

I'm skipping the excuses and apologies because really? Nobody cares. I'm the only one who feels bad about not posting, and I'm over it. This is life now. Kids knock you down a few levels on Maslow's hierarchy, but maybe they're also the key to climbing. Oooh, deep, especially for someone who is half zombie.

The Cupcake is a toddler! Maybe not in age, but she definitely toddles. And runs. And climbs. And tries to jump off tall objects. It's been a challenge to try and get a photo the past few months as they're all a big blur. She acquiesced to a quick snap in her otter hat and fuzzy pink jacket the other day, gotta love those big blue eyes. She's very into books at the moment (YAY!) and we splurged on a big ebay lot of them this past week, and at the same time found a big stash of board books in the basement we were saving until she was old enough, so mega score. And just in time, as "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" might have been shoved down the garbage disposal if I didn't get some relief soon. Other favorite toys are that strange Kewpie doll in her hands (yes, that was mine as a child - though I have no memories of it), and the big awesome slide/tunnel/crawling structure that was TC's birthday gift (and sort of mine too). The other love of of our lives right now is this CD by Jewel, which is completely addicting and not nearly as annoying as all the other songs that we are surrounded by daily (the stuff her bouncer played almost drove me to an ice pick in the ear). Seriously, this disc is awesome, thank you so much Auntie Lorla :)

In other news: I have an epic cold, which TC had a week before me and I now have new appreciation for why the poor bugger was so unhappy. I'm on my 7th box of Puffs Plus (Grammy is on her 12th...) and still somehow making snot. Egads.

Oh, is that not what you wanted to hear? Because with how much I talk about poop every day now, snot barely registers on the ooky scale. It's glamor all the time. TC started sleeping through the night at a year, then 2 weeks later she stopped. It seemed to maybe coincide with our switch from formula to whole milk, so we went back to formula, then she was sick, and now she is better and has slept through the night 3 days in a row. Basically, we have no idea, we're just delirious and zombi-fied most of the time, so we're thankful when we get a good night and too confused to question when it's a rough one.

And speaking of zombie-fied:
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE: 5K OBSTACLE COURSE ZOMBIE RACE!

Um, YES. Please. I have to think the only time I'd ever really run is if I were being chased by zombies, and even then chances are good I'd just give up and go brainless pretty quickly anyways. So not only is this an awesome race for athletically minded individuals, I think I may have to sign up as a zombie (shuffling zombie, not chasing zombie - you have options!) since I always seem to miss the "Zombie Prom" type events and have sadly never been turned into the living dead, despite my love of costumes and events. Sadly no ankle biting zombies allowed, but I'm looking into babysitting options already. Nothing says romance like a zombie date with the husband.

Coming soon (well, maybe):

-many musings on the future! (hint - more questions than answers!)
-exciting news and world events (at least for me it's exciting)
-must learn to watermark my photos now that Pinterest is co-opting them even more than google images

Checking In...

So when you fall through the ice in a Minnesota winter, your body tries to survive by shutting down function to the extremities in order to keep the core going. Bodies are smart that way.

That's pretty much my new mom strategy too. Apologies to "extremities" that have been put on ice for a while - i.e. cleaning, socializing, brushing my hair...

I've also taking a bit of a sabbatical from blogging I guess, it wasn't intentional but it's working out just fine. I just had a few too many balls in the air, and it's amazing how much easier juggling is when you kick a few of those balls under the couch and forget about them.)

So, YES, I am alive!

Yes, I will blog again - eventually! I even have a few projects I really should put up before I forget them.

And if you are visiting from [MN]Love's newsletter, welcome, thank you, and you'll find my "Marriage is..." pic and post here.

And this is The Cupcake at 10 months + change, using her FOUR new teeth to test out a pickle:



Ta ta for now...