I Heart Faces Entry...

Here is my first entry for the " I Heart Faces" weekly photo challenge!! This week’s photo challenge theme is: “Hands-On Fun.”

I took this picture of Ava last year & picked it for Project 365. I love little hands & little feet & just wanted to snap a picture of her doing her thing!  Ava, I love you so much & have enjoyed each little stage of your life so far & feel so blessed that I get to be your mama!  You bring so much joy to my life & those around you.  You are spunky, fun, adventerous & engaging.  I love you my Ava girl!!  xoxo...mama, no matter what!

Belly, Bugs, Bautista!

Hi Peeps!  I'm still taking a bunch of pictures & here are some of my favorites lately...Ava playing in the fountain at night time...check out that belly sticking out!

 Kyra started Pre-School last week...she's doing great & fitting right in.
We are so proud of you Kyra girl!  =)

I loved these birds just hanging out...reminds me of music sheets...

I love taking pictures of bugs with the macro lens...this is a cool & very tiny, very green bug!  I think it's an aphid or something...not easy to get in focus...any slight movement of the camera causes it to blur.

With all the recent rain, I've had a few opportunities to capture some fun shots...I thought these rain drops looked amazing on this fuzzy looking plant!

Ava set up her Matchbox cars on the TV tray...I loved how they looked all lined up!

My new Sakura & Pilot pens arrived from Jetpens.com.  I am totally loving how the Sakura Glaze & Souffle pens write & FEEL!  They are embossing pens & don't require any special powder or heating tools...sweeeeeet!  Can you see how they give a raised appearance in the picture below?

Here's a recent Etsy order that shipped to the east coast...hope you love your new wallet Rachel!

Visited the CHA SuperShow in Anaheim this past weekend with Kyra...parking was a challenge but we managed our way inside.  Don't you just love this cool looking building?!  I stuck my camera out the car window for this quick shot!

enjoyed some of the make & takes...

got my "Collage Unleashed" book autographed (and doodled) by Mixed Media artist Traci Bautista.  I am taking her online workshop, "Creative SOUL" right now and am really enjoying it.  We get our lessons once a week & then have a live chat once a week as well.  Her style is fun, playful, free & quick...pretty dope if you ask me! 

Here is a shot of me, Kyra & Traci...Kyra insisted on being in the middle!

It was so cool meeting you Traci!  Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us & make us feel so special. 

Here are some freshly planted flowers...which is why they are so dirty!  I'm lovin these colors though...

Here is another little green bug making his way on the new flowers...

At the park for a little fun while big sister is at school...

 then off to the library...but first we have a little snack on the steps.  =)

This sculpture in front of the library is pretty amazing...I just had to capture it...

What are you taking pictures of these days???  What inspires you or catches your eye? 

Link Love & Texture Hunt!

I love taking pictures and last year I took on Project 365 & ended up with a TON of amazing pictures at the end of the year.  I got more familiar with my camera & tried a lot of new techniques, angles & actions.  One of my new favorite photography blogs is MCP Actions.  Another great resource for FREE actions is here on Pioneer Woman Photography.  My girlfriend Kristin is an amazing photographer & I am her biggest fan...you can soak up all her inspiration pics here on her blog.  Add them to your reader & learn how to add the wow factor to your pictures!  =)

You can join Project 365 with me right here & share your pictures with the group!

Today's "nature walk" with the girls today was more of a texture & inspiration hunt.  Check out the glass patio table...

  This is the community BBQ...waaaay up close!  I am practicing using my macro lens...love it!

This is me looking up at the gazebo...I really love how it turned out in black & white...all those lines & angles...very spiderweb-ish!

I love to take pictures of bugs too...especially with my macro lens.  It's somewhat difficult to zoom in close enough, but not too much as to make everything just blurry.  Any slight movement in this mode will cause the picture to come out blurry...this was the best one I got. 

 A cool looking mossy tree...

Typically, I do some quick & dirty editing in Picasa (free from Google) & then spice them up in Photoshop with some of my favorite actions...it's easy, fun & highly addictive if you're in to it!  Now bust out your camera & start shooting!

Dog Gone Cute!

New fabric...washed, pressed & folded! Now I'm ready to go!

Today was a bit of a lazy day...we are not feeling 100%, but as far as colds go, this is a breeze! So I am thankful for the quick turn around time for this bug...silly to say, but true! I was hoping to cut up some of my new fabric & sew today...didn't happen since I took a nap with Kyra in her bed...it's a converted crib! Man, I was tired!

Jordan came over again (and will be back tomorrow) while his mommy is in Canada. He had a hard time being dropped off this morning, which is unusual at my house! He typically is in great spirits & can't wait to play with the girls. He is missing his mama! No worries though...my girls got him playing in no time!

We took another nature walk...without my camera this time. Those darn batteries were dead again! Oh-well...I'm hoping the few shots I did manage to take in the morning turned out good. I am still taking pictures everyday & editing when I get a chance.

Yesterday, my softball game did NOT get cancelled, despite the rain in the early morning. I wanted to get some good shots of the sunset (I'm loving the sky, cloud, sun pics lately) while I was at the park...but it was a little too late for any good quality pictures. I spotted this cute little guy in the crowd & asked to take a couple shots. His name is Brody & his owner tells me he does NOT like his cute little sweater even though he is so dog gone cute with it on! He's my pick for Sunday's P365 pic of the day. What a face!

Pics, Pics...and more Pics!

We’ve been on a park craze this past week, going almost every day! It sure has been a lot of fun and good exercise since I walk there (and lately I’ve been having Kyra walk too). One of our highlights was playing ball with the girls before my softball game on Sunday. We packed up the waffle balls & bats, loaded up some sandwiches & snacks & headed for the park!

Ava likes to pick up the cones & stack them up, despite my efforts to keep them in place! She’s here in this pic, trying to hit the ball off the tee.

Daddy & Kyra are having a blast in the background!

Kyra is a natural athlete & really enjoys hitting the ball. I just love how this pic turned out with the sun peeking through, her swinging pigtail braids & the twist of her shoes on the grass. Plus as a bonus, Ava made it in the shot! This was my pick for the Project 365 pic of the day last Sunday.

After a while, Ava kinda lost interest in the ball, and wanted to try on my shades. She loves to try on hats of all sorts, eyeglasses, shoes or any other accessories! She’s getting so big and is now putting 2 words together.

I have seen a couple tutorials on how to make your own dress form using duct tape & wanted to try it out. So I picked up some purple duct tape from Jo-Anns the last time I was there & asked my hubby to tape me up!

Believe it or not…there IS a method to this madness! You start with an old t-shirt & cut up the side seams. I sewed another 12” to the bottom (like a skirt) using another old t-shirt. Then you start taping the spine up & down in rows, then the waist. Then you tape from the back to the front in a v-shaped taper. It goes on and on…

Here are a few pics I just had to have my hubby take of me!

I felt like a samurai warrior or something in this deal! HI-YAH!!!!!

And here it is after we cut it off me & re-taped the back…now just to stuff it!

I was so excited when both of the packages I was waiting for arrived on Wednesday! The first was a big box filled with fabric!!!! Thanks so much to materialshoppegirl.etsy.com for awesome customer service & quick shipping. I am in heaven here with all this beautiful fabric! Take a peek at all this goodness!

Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry, Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner and more!

My business cards came in as well. I got 100 free from my favorite place, OvernightPrints.com . They have awesome quality, quick turnaround & good prices. I use them for all my postcards, business cards, birth announcements & nice invitations. They have a nice (and free) UV coating which adds strength & thickness to them…not to mention a nice glossy look. I added the rounded corners for just $2 more…keeps them from getting bent & messy looking.

I designed these myself!

Wednesday was more exciting than I had hoped. Ava took a header off our little slide on to the concrete driveway! I almost caught her, but she fell forward off the slide, hit her head on the ground & flipped all the way around into my arms. Luckily, she didn’t have much of a bump (we had a hard time finding it until it showed itself) and not even a scratch! You can hardly see her red mark on her forehead by her hairline. This was taken a couple hours after impact!

I was trying to get some pics of the girls on the slide (before the incident) & managed to get this one of Kyra, telling me, “no pictures!” It reminds me of a celebrity with a case of paparazzi paranoia! I chose it for my P365 pic.

It was certainly an exhausting day, and even Kyra was wiped out! Here I snapped this shot of her in her bed with several books strewn about! There are three on her left, at least one under her pillow & the mini Horton book on the floor next to her! My little bookworm…I LOVE YOU!

Thursday brought our little friend, Jordan! We had fun reading stories, dancing, playing ball & exploring the “river” in the backyard. Here they are, all lined up on the couch watching Dora & Diego! Talk about a captive audience!

Out of nowhere, Kyra wasn’t feeling well & had a little fever. I should have known something was wrong when she didn’t eat any graham crackers! She’s feeling better but now Ava has a runny nose…sheesh!

Here she is in my P365 pic of the day for Thursday with Arthur, getting some good face time. She’s talking to him about the cool Barbie fishing pole she carried around at Target the day before. She wants it and she wants to go fishing! This reminded me of my experiences fishing with my dad & sister at El Dorado park. I couldn’t stand to see the fish flopping around & gasping for air! It was so sad! I liked hanging out & being outside in the (somewhat) fresh air. Good times nonetheless.

Today I got a great little shot of Kyra getting her hug on Ava. She told me she just wanted to give her a hug. Ava wasn’t so thrilled, but that’s okay. I appreciate what a loving sister Kyra is & she certainly is affectionate as well! This is my P365 pic for today…“holding on.”

Another walk…more stops to smell the flowers & check out the bugs. We had a nice conversation with a crow…he squawked, we squawked, etcetera, etc.! It was actually really cool but I had no idea what he was saying. The girls got a kick out of it and enjoyed the back and forth bantering.

I have been talking to my girls about everything and anything…counting at every opportunity, pointing out colors & talking about the differences between things. It’s a conscience effort to teach all the time. I am putting an emphasis on reading, arts & crafts, physical fun & sign language. I actually enjoy all of those things! I’m hoping hubby will pick up the slack in the math department. Kyra is coming along with her writing skills & can sound out many words. I haven’t done any aggressive reading programs with her; just instilling a love for books is the main thing. Thankfully, it is paying off with both of my girls. Ava can often be seen curling up with a couple books by herself! She is extremely vocal & is saying new words everyday.

I know that I am very blessed to be able to stay at home with my girls.
It’s worth more than any amount of money that anyone could pay me for the time I have with them now.

Fight Club

2009.03.14 fight club, originally uploaded by Nonerz.

That's my P365 pic above...we went to see some cool amateur fights in La Mirada tonight. They turned the lights down during the fights, so all my pics were lousy! I did what I could and actually liked how it turned out.

It was an intimate venue...way cool & close to the action! I'll be going again for sure. Congrats to Justin on your first fight! I can't wait to see you in the cage...

Anyhow, Ava is doing great...no problems with her eyes although she does still have some tearing. We'll know better if the surgery was succesful in the next few days and her follow up appointment is next Thursday.

Tomorrow I have 2 softball games. I'm ready to get out some of my crazy energy that was built up from watching all those fights! I'm thinkin that I'm gonna crush the ball tomorrow!!!! Woo-hoo! Let's hope my defense improves from last week.

I just ordered some fabric from this cool shop: materialgirlshoppe.etsy.com. 11.5 yards of beautiful fabric!!!!!! All in fat quarters so I can have lots to play with. Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Valori Wells, Anna Maria Horner & Joel Dewberry!!! I am using my babysitting money to buy all this goodness & I can't wait to start some new projects (as always)!

Post-op

Ava had outpatient surgery this morning to fix her teary eyes! They had to probe her tear ducts on both eyes to stretch/enlarge them to allow proper drainage. It's a quick & simple procedure, but since they put her under anesthesia, it still had risks...minimal, but risks nonetheless.

We were up at 5 AM, out the door at 5:30 & at the hospital just after 6 AM! Ava was pretty good considering she was hungry, tired & in a strange place with lots of strange people poking around at her. I was able to go in with her to the operating room while they administered the gas...she did soooooo good, didn't scream, fuss or anything with the mask. She was very cooperative...then she was asleep! They scooped her out of my arms and layed her gently on the table. I gave her kisses and off I went, back to the waiting room for 10 whole minutes until they were done!

She's doing great & was able to resume life as normal by the time we got home...before lunchtime! Here is my P365 pic of the day...since the nurse in the recovery room offered to take a picture with the three of us. They were laughing because I brought my camera & was taking pics of Ava's little foot with the IV & monitor! I don't want to forget this day...she'll never be this exact size again!

I started my first quilt (other than my monstrous Hawaiian quilt) this past weekend and am so pumped because I finished piecing my quilt top! It's a disappearing 9 patch, but I only used 5 prints instead of 9. Here's all my lovely pieces ready to be sewn...I love all those pins & how cool they look all stacked up.



I did the chain thingy...where you sew the blocks back to back so they are all attached. Sew cool!!! (I know, I'm corny). My hubby had to stand waaaay back for me and I still didn't get them all in the pic.



Here's the top all put together. I'm working on a few ideas using freemotion stitching...maybe some decorative stitching (I'm loving that leaf stitch and it's oh-sew-easy)! I'm also thinking about the back...gotta make it special!



I am excited to keep sewing & make stuff I like. I'm gearing up to sell my stuff at Grace School's Spring Fling Carnival in Huntington Beach in May...and ideas for me on what I should make? I'd love to hear what you have to say or any tips you have for a fellow crafter! =)