Sunday, January 20, 2008 We've moved!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we've moved the blog. Our new addres is:

http://photocraftbook.wordpress.com/

Come visit and see what changes we've made!

Posted by TatrD :: 8:42 PM :: 0 comments

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Monday, January 14, 2008 Anyone Still Out There?

Looks like Val and I took a couple months off. Not intentionally, mind you, but it appears we got busy and/or lazy or, if I were being completely honest, a combination of both over the holidays (you know, the holidays starting with Halloween). So, for those few of you who are still checking in on us - here's a little treat for holding out hope for us this long!

One of the reasons I haven't been blogging is Hubby and I remodeled our kitchen. It's taken a couple months to get everything done and we still aren't completely finished. We have to paint one little part above the cabinets and get one last set of doors back from the cabinet maker (which should all be done in the next two weeks). After that, I'll post pictures. For those that have seen my kitchen - you will be amazed at the transformation! Amazing.

Another reason I haven't blogged is I've been sick (although this just occured in the last two weeks). I started coughing and being real tired the weekend before New Years and it turns out I had pneumonia. I've never had a major illness in my entire life so this was really a shock to me. I've never smoked, had asthma or any other breathing problems so I was really surprised that I got it. I actually ended up spending three days in the hospital (which I really don't recommend). Other than 1 night 18 years ago to birth my child, I've never spent a night in the hospital. It was really horrible. I hope I never have to spend another night there.

The photography business has been a little slow but steady. I've actually had a job every month. I'm getting more experience and am making a little money but i have enjoyed every second. I want to shoot more weddings and they certainly pay more money but, at this point, I really enjoy shooting children. They are fascinating and their pictures are so pure. They are quickly becoming my favorite subject. Tonight I actually booked another job photographing a two year old in a couple weeks. I'm excited!

I'll will try to post more tomorrow - I'm taking things slowly as the doctor says it can be 4 to 6 weeks before I'm back to normal so we'll see how I feel. Also, there may be a new twist coming to the blog soon so be sure to check back often!

Thanks again for those of you who've been faithful all this time - we appreciate it!!!

Jennifer

Posted by TatrD :: 11:34 PM :: 2 comments

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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Wow - have we been very bad bloggers lately, or what? I can go into an extremely long list of things that have been keeping me super busy but you guys probably don't really care about any of that so, how about we just chat, okay?


Sabrina Bryant was kicked off Dancing with the Stars last night. I had never heard of her before she was on the show but she was one of the best, if not THE best. Everyone was shocked when she was eliminated, including myself. The poor thing looked like she was going to cry - I felt so badly for her. It was really a shame. I know they have a lot of fans, and personally I like both of them as well, but the bottom two really should have been Jane Seymour and Marie Osmond. They're very lovely people - Marie is so nice and funny and Jane is so classy and elegant but they aren't the best dancers and their time has come to leave the show. After that, I think Jennie Garth needs to go home. That would leave Mel, Helio and Cameron. At this point, I'm pulling for Cameron - what a cutie!!! I tried posting a pic of him but it's not working for some reason so you can check out his cutie-ness here:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=bio#t=star&d=23285
Those blue eyes and light hair - wow - reminds me of my husband!

The Amazing Race premieres this weekend. It wasn't supposed to come back until Janaury but they cancelled another show and decided to bring it back early. It's one of my favorites so I can't wait!

Halloween (and VALEEN'S BIRTHDAY) is today. I like Halloween - it's just a fun time for the kids. I dressed up as a witch today. My sister bought me an elegant green witch hat with black feathers and stuff on it. I have a cape too and I got green striped socks that are the same color as my hat. I've gone into Shoney's, Target and the bank and have gotten some funny looks but it's put me in a very good mood for the day so I really can't complain. Did any of you dress up for Halloween? What?

Hubby and I are remodeling our kitchen so we've had to scrap our annual fall trip to the beach. I'm bummed but the week of vacation I had set aside I'm now splitting up between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I get to take the whole week of Thanksgiving off which I've never done before. We're going to my mom's house the weekend before for our family dinner so I really have very few plans for that week. It should be nice to lounge around the house, scrapbook, shoot some pictures, read, and watch tv for a week. I should be well rested when I return. I'm using the rest of my vacation between Christmas and New Year. I should be off from December 20 till January 2nd. I love being off that long and just hanging out with the family.

My daughter is going to Cancun Mexico with her boyfriend and his parents from Jan. 2 through the 7th. They're paying her way and all she needs is spending money (it was a gift for her boyfriend's bithday from his parents). I'm not too worried because all 4 of them are staying in the same hotel suite and my daughter is sharing a bed with his mom so I don't think they're going to be doing a whole lot of anything they aren't supposed to. However, the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18 and the cost of all the drinks is included in the resort. Since I try to live in reality and know that my daughter is leaving for college next fall and it's inevitable that she's going to have a drink or two while she's there (that's all I can handle thinking of at this point) I've told her she can have no more than 2 on any day. It's legal and I know she's going to be responsible (especially given that she's with his parents the whole time) and I trust her. I don't like it and really hope she thinks it's nasty though :)

We did all the paperwork for my BABY to go to college next fall. It's kind of surreal. I'm so excited for her and I know she's going to have a blast but at the same time it will be weird that she won't live with me anymore. 19 years she's been with me pretty much every day and all of a sudden she'll be gone. Most of me is looking forward to it though. I've been responsible every day for another person for 19 years and, I have to be honest, it's going to be nice to have some independence. I think God makes teenagers so busy and have so many friends and busy social lives to make it easier on the parents for when they leave. A friend of mine told me recently that the guidance counselor at her son's school told her the last 6 - 9 months their senior children live with them they won't like each other very much. We've not felt any of that in our house and I'm very grateful.

Well, I actually have several things on which I could continue to ramble but I think I'll save it for another day. Bye!

Posted by TatrD :: 3:24 PM :: 2 comments

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 I Could Eat Gravy Like Soup

Super busy with work and life so not much time to post but I promised I was going to try and do better so here it is. Enjoy!

I love gravy - I really do. My absolute favorite is when my mom makes turkey gravy at Thanksgiving. I'll even make extra mashed potatoes so there's enough to make sure to have a utensil on which to place the delicious gravy. I'll eat them for 3 days straight, every meal, until all the gravy is gone.

When I make gravy I usually use one of those little gravy mix packets but then I add some cream of mushroom soup to mine so it makes lots of gravy. I really could eat it like soup. I've never actually done it but I've definitely thought about it. No wonder I'm so fat.

I've decided that I'm going to make a concerted effort to act more like a lady. No more cursing (at least I'm going to try really really hard not to). I don't want to sound like a potty mouth. I'm going to make an effort to look pretty for my husband when I see him. If he's been out working all day on a Saturday and I've lounged on the couch all day in my PJs and watched tv, I'm going to try to make sure I've showered and look nice for him when he comes home. I'm also going to try not to belch (or at least do it silently). I know cursing and belching are making me sound like I currently act like some kind of truck driver or something but I really don't. I just want to act more ladylike.

Recently I've started sleeping on my eyelids. It sounds funny but I get on the very tiny edge of the pillow and lay on my stomach and, apparently, my eyelid rests on the pillow. I never realized this before but I'm getting a pimple on my eyelid (who gets pimples on their eyelids anyway???) and it kept hurting last night when I was trying to get comfortable until I realized what I was doing. I'm really very strange at times, I guess.

Posted by TatrD :: 11:44 AM :: 2 comments

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Monday, October 08, 2007 I Have a New Obsession!

Sorry about the weeklong break from posting. I've been doing really well lately but got busy last week. I can't promised this week will be much better but I'll try.

Anyway, back to my new obsessions - The Food Network!!! This is especially surprising to those of you who really know me as you will know that I simply don't cook. When I married 10 years ago my new husband said he doesn't feel like cooking after working all day and he doesn't expect me to do that either. So, we've always eaten out - A LOT! There are weeks when I won't dirty a single dish in my house. Yes, I'm being serious. So the revelation that I can't get enough of cooking shows is understandably surprising to some of you.

I think it all started a couple months ago when I was home sick for 2 days. For some strange reason all I did was lay in bed and watch cooking shows. Most of the time when I'm sick the mere thought of food is abhorent so it was strange from the get go. But I've been hooked on them ever since. I adore The Food Network - it's my favorite. And for those of you that have an HD tv - there's two channels! The regular one and an HD one that shows different shows so if I don't like what's on 1, I can turn the channel and check out the other. Not to mention the stuff "On Demand" - wowie!!!

My absolute favorite is Paula Deen. She makes me laugh out loud during her show. She has two shows, "Paula's Home Cooking" which is shot in her home in Savanah, Georgia (and for those of you who thought we Tennesseean's were country - you ain't seen nuthin' yet!), and another called "Paula's Party" where she's a little wild and very flirty. This is a woman who's in her late 50's/early 60's with two grown sons. She'll feed male audience members and kiss them and flirt with them - she's too funny!!! Her trademarks are her affinity for butter and that she can fry anything. This weekend I watched a show where she literally fried lasagna. I know, it sounds disgusting but it looked really good! Basically, you make a regular lasagna and refridgerate it over night so it sets up firmly. Cut it into square serving sizes (appx 3 per row across) and cover in flour. Dredge through an egg wash and cover in bread crumbs. Drop it into a deep fryer for a couple minutes until golden brown and serve hot. It makes the cheese all melty and gooey. I can't wait to try this!!! I don't have a deep fryer though (which is probably a very good thing)!




I also like this show called "Guy's Big Bites" and another show he does called "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". Guy is too funny. He's got all these tattoos, wears a lot of jewelry, and has spikey blond hair. He makes some wild things - ribs, onion rings, etc. He always makes a cocktail during his show too. In his "Diners" show, he visits all these little hole-in-the-wall places and I don't think there's anything he won't eat. He'll try it all - no matter how gross it looks.
Of course, I like Rachel Ray too but she's in danger of being over-exposed. She's everywhere. I like that her meals are so fast but she makes a lot of salads (which I really have no use for).
Since my new addiction, I've started a wish list of all this kitchen stuff I need (okay, I want). Now, we just need to finish remodeling our kitchen (which appears will cost about 3k to finish so it may be a long while before it's actually done - I want quartz counter tops which ain't cheap - I'll probably come to my senses and reaturn to reality soon but in the meantime, I'm slobbering over them).

Posted by TatrD :: 10:38 AM :: 6 comments

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Monday, October 01, 2007 SO TIRED!

Well, we've been working on the kitchen all weekend. I'm so tired. And, OF COURSE, we were working outside so I have 16 new mosquito bites to contend with. I hate the tiny little buggers!!! I'm seriously considering getting a couple bat houses since a single bat can eat over 600 mosquitoes an hour. But who says just because I put up a house a bat will move in? I guess I can buy a bat too but something about that makes me nervous. Not sure why but it does. I just get this image of a "bat mill" akine to puppy mills and I'd rather not get involved in something like that.

Sorry, I got WAY off track there for a second. I blame it on all the itching. So, we've got the cabinets about half-way painted. After that, we still have to install the floor, figure out what we're going to do for countertops and a backsplash, paint the walls, get all new appliances, have the counter cut down so we can turn the dishwasher to actually face the kitchen and make the counter an island. I'll post before and after pictures as soon as we have after pictures!

UGH - there's still so much to do!!! But, I'm not going to worry about it past this week. Why? I'm going to a scrapbook retreat weekend in two weeks at my mom's house. I can't wait! These are so much fun. We'll be able to spend Friday afternoon and evening, all day Saturday and half a day Sunday scrapbooking!!! For those of you that don't scrapbook, I know this seems like a miserable weekend but those of you that scrapbook will understand how wonderful this will be! I'll (hopefully) have loads of new scrapbook pictures to share in about two weeks so wish me luck!

So, what did you do this weekend?

Posted by TatrD :: 11:50 AM :: 1 comments

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Friday, September 28, 2007 Another New Post!!!

I've been an exceptionally good blogger this week if I do say so myself! We'll have to see how long I can keep it up though.

Yesterday at lunch Hubby decided it was finally time for us to remodel the kitchen. About 5 years ago he decided this as well and started painting. He finished one cabinet and decided it would be better that we hire someone to do that. It never got any farther than that and I've lived with one white cabinet with no doors ever since.

We decided we were embarassed to have people over to the house until we fix it so we started painting again today. This time, we agreed that we weren't going to paint the inside of the cabinets though so things are progressing a whole lot faster. By 7:00 this evening we had all the doors and hardware off the cabinets, the cabinets rough and fine sanded and a coat of primer on everything! i have to give credit to Hunny though - he finished a lot of this while I was at work today. I'm so excited about the progess thus far. We are going to do the first (and hopefully only) coat of paint tomorrow and will do the second coat on Sunday (if we have to). Keep your fingers crossed that only one coat will get it though. The primer is white and we're painting the cabinets white so this should work in our favor at least.

We are going to cut one of the cabinets down in order to turn the dishwasher so it will create an island. We're also going to lay a new floor. We plan on doing all the work ourselves. We haven't decided on what we're going to use for countertops and backsplash yet. I'd love to get some kind of natural stone but I'm cheap so who knows what we'll find. Keep your fingers crossed!

Anyone with any suggestions on things they've seen? We don't want to do granite as it's too expensive but we're game for other things. Nothing that requires a lot of upkeep like concrete or butcher block (both of which I understand have to be sealed annually). Any other ideas?

Posted by TatrD :: 9:43 PM :: 2 comments

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