While I was sleeping...

Apparently, life has been zooming along and instead of blogging about it, I have been sleeping through it.


I closed my eyes to sleep and my kids grew up and became parents. Well, two of them.

I closed my eyes and my youth zoomed by. Now only those folks who can rightly be called senior citizens can consider me young.

I closed my eyes and the world went right on without me. And for once, I'm not stressed about it!

I'm scrapping more and I love it! I have several projects that I'm working on in one stage or another.

These are just a few of the more recent layouts. I'm starting to enjoy scrapping more. I quit worrying about being published. I quit worrying about being on some design team or another and just started enjoying myself. I scraplift when I want to. I use old techniques when I want to. I try new stuff when I want to. And I enjoy the heck out of it!! Now, maybe someday, I'll want to try for a design team or be published. Who knows. For now, I'm just going to have fun and learn.

The photography thing is also a lot of fun. But I've discovered a problem: I don't seem to want to charge people to take their pictures. I think the problem is this: when I'm just a friend, taking your picture for fun, that's all it is. But add money to the mix and suddenly I'm all anxious that it won't be good enough. My equipment is not enough, my talent is not enough, my whatever is just not enough. grrrrrrrrrrr!!! I'm going to take some time off in the next month or so and just take some pictures. I have a nephew who is a HAM who might just model for me so I can practice. I might have to bribe him with pizza, but I am his favorite aunt so maybe not! And I think I can get one of my sister's in law to model for me so I can practice boudoir shots, but her I might have to bribe with liquor.

A funny thing...I love the feeling of taking a picture of someone and helping them to see their own beauty. There's just nothing like it. My best friend doesn't say "I don't look good in pictures" very often anymore. If you look at pictures of her taken in the last year, her smiles are genuine and you can see the confidence in her eyes. I like to think I helped her find that. But I can't get those pics of myself like that! I'm going to have to get creative for that. Mike is usually pretty good about helping snap the shutter, but I have to get it all set up and only one shot out of a hundred are what I'm looking for. And while I would love a boudoir shot of myself, getting one is no easy feat. But it might just be worth the effort!

Long time no blog!

I'm that gal who starts a journal, writes feverishly for about 10 days then forgets it. Then a few months later, starts the process all over. I like the feel and the smell of a new journal, I guess!

Not a whole lot new going on here. Work, sleep, work, sleep, work, shop, sleep. That's about how it goes. *sigh* I pray for the day when I can cut back or not work at all. I about have Mike convinced that life was better for him when I was not working and instead stayed at home MAKING a home. I'll just keep praying.

Easter was VERY nice. We had a nice dinner with Mike's family after church (with mostly MY family). The grandkids got the hang of easter egg hunting. Well, mostly. Chris was very upset when anyone tried to help him put anything in his basket. He wanted to put it on his head. Lynn did a great job picking up ALL the eggs.

I am finally at peace with my church situation. Either I'm going to teach my own material that I've put together, or I'm not going to teach at all. I would also like to get away from doing the music at all. I don't want to lead singing anymore. I don't hardly want to sing at all. It makes me kinda sad that I don't want to do anymore something that I have so loved all my life.

But, as I said, I'm at peace with my decision. I don't feel like my church is going to implode if I'm not there teaching the adult class. I will miss it. But either I'm going to grow or I'm going to put my energies somewhere else. I've felt for quite a while that I can't do both jobs. It's ironic that my pastor is trying to pass the worship leading stuff (well, it's more song leading) on to me so he can just be in the choir. Because he doesn't feel like he can do both jobs (worship leading and preaching) on Sunday mornings. But I can do two jobs: teaching Sunday School and leading worship.

Tagged!

Well, I just left Drea's blog, so here are 7 random things about me:

1. I would really like to go back to being a stay at home mom. I love working and earning "my own way" for the most part, but I miss having a "home." We don't really have one of those now.

2. As much as I love spending time with my grandkids, I like that they don't live with me (anymore!) so I can have me time!

3. I would like to be a high school biology teacher. If I ever go back to school, I don't think I'll get my master's and be a therapist, I'll go into teaching and be a science teacher!

4. I love being able to scrap again (back to #2 with no grandkids underfoot!). I spent too much $$ at the LSS this weekend and I'm dying to try some new stuff.

5. I am obsessed with the evangelical gender debate. I watch several blogs and read all the articles whenever I find them. Despite the fact that I attend a church where I am allowed to do whatever I'm gifted to do. It makes me sad that in some churches, the voices of women are not heard.

6. My son's coming for a visit next week!! And Mike is taking a vacation day which we may - or may not - spend with him and his girlfriend.

7. and finally....I got to spend some time this weekend with a very good friend of mine who has lost a BUNCH of weight. She looks so great. The next time she comes, we've decided to play "photographer." We're going to set up the lights and tripods and practice taking pictures and making each other look great. That's my last random thought. One thing that gives me more satisfaction than anything else is making someone feel beautiful. So many of us just can't see it that we need a little help. I like being that "help."

And I guess I won't tag anyone because I'm pretty sure Drea is the only person who reads this blog!

I feel like I should feel guilty

Last weekend, Nick spent the night with a friend, overslept and missed the bus for his wrestling tournament. He was upset and I was upset for him. HOWEVER...

since we were up early and had nothing else planned for the day, Mike suggested we go to Wichita, go to the camera store and check out flash units.

I thought about friends I hadn't hung out with in a while.

I thought about seeing my sister whom I haven't seen since she moved back to my area.

I thought about the housework that needed doing.

Despite all that, I gave Mike a resounding "Yes!!"

We had a great day. We shopped. We ate. We held hands. We laughed together. Things we hadn't done in a very long time. It was so nice! We don't get to spend much time together these days. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

new blog

Well, I finally decided to do a new blog dedicated to my photography instead of just waiting until David (oldest, genius, son) can design a website for me.

It's at http://tlmimages.blogspot.com

It's a work in progress, but it gives folks a chance to see some of my work. Now I just need to do more "work" and post more images!! :)

Lynn likes to play in the bathtub...this time, grandma got some nice shots of her beautiful eyes!

Some new portraits

Sometimes, I'm satisfied with the way my work turns out. In this case, I'm happy with how her hair and make up came out. I think I'd rather do them myself for someone rather than just show up and work with what they've done. Especially my own teenage daughters!!

Here are a couple new shots of Nina. Hard to believe she's almost 18.