LOTS of smiles (& pix) on Saturday

Saturday was the first field trip for my camera class. We had to meet at Sellwood Park at 7am. I had been asking Makena to go with me for weeks, and she agreed...although when it came to getting up at 6am on a Saturday I think she was wondering why. After my third attempt to wake her up, she says "I'm trying Mom..." in a sweet, tired voice. (I bribed her with hot chocolate from Coffee Rush.)

Needless to say, it was still dark at 7am and also very foggy. We all went off on our own to take pictures at the park. Here are a few of my picture...

At around 8am we all headed over to Marcee's Coffee Shop to get warm, get coffee (or more hot chocolate) and get food. We then drove about a mile to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Park. Again, we all went around taking pictures. Makena and I were the last ones there at 11:30 - everyone else left around 10:30. I guess we were just having too much fun to leave!

I ended up taking over 700 photos and Makena had over 200 on the point & shoot. (I will add her photos to a different post.) You can see all of our pictures on my Picasa page (Amber's Photos at right or picasaweb.google.com/amberzpix) - I did get them down to about 450 pictures if you are interested in viewing them. I took several of the same shot as I was playing with shutter speed & aperture, so if you watch the photos in a slideshow you can sometimes see the difference in the background, focus or water. After loading them onto the computer, I also played with some colors as you can see in some black/white photos as well as saturation (different colors).

Makena was so helpful all day - helping with my tripod and pointing out some great shots! We were cold (very cold) but had a great time. Thanks for spending the day with me Pook!

I took a nap when we got home, but all Makena wanted to do was play on the Wii. : ) She beat me (several times) at a driving game. I am really bad at the Wii games - can't wait until my Fit comes in!

Why I smiled on Friday

For Makena's birthday, my sister had purchased tickets to a play of Makena's choice. She chose to see Alice in Wonderland - it was at Northwest Children's Theater . My sister, Makena and my grandmother and I had a yummy dinner at the theater and then saw the play. It was a musical, jazzy-type version of Alice in Wonderland - very good and entertaining! I had a great night - thanks girls!

Makena, Jamie and I have been to other plays at the Northwest Children's Theater and have enjoyed each of them. Fairly inexpensive and entertaining for the entire family.

A few things going on...

Wii - Day 1

So the Wii (of course) has become a huge hit at our house. Makena spent $100 on two games (yep...only 2) but still had some gift cards saved from her Birthday and Christmas. She and Jamie were playing for hours on Monday - a lot of trash talkin' and laughing in the living room! Makena has played more than Jamie, so she beat him almost every time...she enjoyed that!

boxing

Moxie just wants someone to play with her

Assignment #3

Here are some pictures from my camera class. Our 3rd assignment was to take pictures of different subjects - but to take one zoomed out and one zoomed in, or one horizontal and one vertical, looking for angles and objects, etc. Of course, no shooting on Auto-focus or using flash...and record all camera settings as well as subject info. I went to a bird nesting area one day and then Jamie, Moxie and I went downtown another day. (It was very cold out both days...but I still had fun.)

When Jamie goes shopping...

I'm sure you all know by now what happens when Jamie goes shopping without me...

We've been talking about getting the Wii for over a year now...well, Makena and I have asking and Jamie says "No - we have other things we can do." He really just didn't want to get hooked on it and have me nagging (even more) about things that don't get done around the house! Well...he played it while he was visiting his family in Maryland last weekend and that's all it took! Of course he had to find some extra goodies too - you know Jamie! The Wii Fit (the ONE thing I wanted) somehow didn't make it's way home but Jamie said as soon as a store gets it in we'll get it.

Oh, by the way, I totally SUCK at the drums! We played Guitar Hero World Tour (I guess that adds in drums & a mic instead of just having the guitar) for a while and I got tired of being 'booo'd by the game. Bon Jovi didn't even want me in his band! : ( So, we still have the Christmas lights on the house...but we are getting better at Guitar Hero!

Ravens VS Steelers

Jamie was able to go to a couple football games this season. His last trip took him to the AFC Championship game - Ravens VS Steelers. Sadly, his Ravens lost, but he said it was a great game! (He also said that he was freezing his a** off at Heinz Field!)

He's not quite the photographer that I am, but he did get some pictures for me. : )

Jamie & his brother Bruce

Why I smiled...

Here are a few of "Why I smiled today" from the last couple of days.

Kylah and TeaLee came to spend the night with us on Friday. A lot of giggling in my house!

On Saturday, I took them to the park to help me with my camera homework. It was sunny out, but very windy so the girls didn't want to stay too long. I did get a couple good shots of some "shadows" - that was our weekly assignment.

an unhappy 12yr old

a happy 5yr old

they stood like this while I took 6 different shots - sometimes smiling, sometimes not : )

Makena and I went to a park by the library so that I could get some additional "shadow" shots. Makena was taking some pictures too, and some video with her phone. Again, another beautiful day but a bit windy. We also went and had lunch at Chang's Mongolian Grill - one of Makena's very favorite places to eat. (I'm not sure why tho, all she gets is noodles, pineapple and a small bit of chicken.)

On Monday evening I smiled because Jamie missed his flight home from DC. He missed it pretty much because he just wasn't paying attention to the time. (If you know Jamie, this is not unusual!) He, of course, blames it on the airline person not letting him board late. In his defense, apparently there were 5 other people that she wouldn't let on the plane either and they showed up after he did. He did get on a different plane, but rather than a straight flight home he had to go through Denver. Well...big storms in Denver of course...so he was a few hours late. Lucky for me, the other Jaime had already volunteered to pick him up from the airport!

Then, yesterday, I saw a red Yugo while I was driving home. Yep...a Yugo! (Put a big smile on my face...or maybe it was sympathy for the driver.) I drove a Yugo for a while - not something I proudly admit. It was an orange, 4-door that never wanted to go in reverse. The tape deck ate every tape I ever put in it, and something green grew on the passenger floorboard. My mom even bought me a license plate cover that said "You Go Girl" - my momma is so funny sometimes! I ended up selling it to an undercover narcotics agent in Portland - he thought it would be a perfect car to attract drug dealers with. hmmm....okay... : )

Inauguration Day!

Inauguration Day!! It's finally here, and...WOW!!! I have hope that we can be a proud country again.

HOPE
–noun
1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
2. a particular instance of this feeling
3. a person or thing in which expectations are centered
-verb
4. to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence
5. to believe, desire, or trust

That pretty much sums it up for me!

Did you know?

Did you know that you can recycle small metal items (bottle caps, wine screw-caps, nails & other metal items 2 inches or less) in your curbside cart?? I have been doing this, BUT I've been doing it wrong!! I place these items in my cart and believe that they are off to be recycled...the truth:

According to Metro (recycling), small metal items should be "crimped" inside of larger metal items before they are placed in roll carts. If the caps are not crimped inside a larger item, they will most likely be screened out with other too-small items once they reach recycling centers. The first task is to find an aluminum can. (Not a soup can; most of those are steel.) If an aluminum cap is crimped inside a steel can, the aluminum will not be recovered nor recycled. It'll be as if you never crimped at all.

The best "crimping" method that I've found is to collect these small items and then roll them up in some used (clean) aluminum foil. (You do know that aluminum foil can be recycled right?) So, in addition to the recycling bin and composting bin under our sink, there will now be a bin to collect these small metal items. And when my "collection" gets big enough, I'll "crimp" it in some used aluminum foil and place it in my curbside recycling bin. Wheww...so the system is not perfect and we all have more to learn, but it's an easy thing to do to help save our planet!

Do something

During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Initiated by Congress in 1994, King Day of Service builds on that that legacy by transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service grounded in his teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The aim is to make people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned.

With thousands of projects planned across the country, the 2009 King Day of Service on January 19 promises to be the biggest and best ever! And, it's the day before the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. The President-elect will participate in community service on King Day and is asking Americans to serve on the holiday and make an ongoing commitment to service. If you’ve never done community service before, don’t be afraid…there are tons of things you can do…even some from your own home, to give back. Contact your local hospital, rescue squad, fire department, animal shelter, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or community center for ideas.

The best part is, your children can participate with you! Be sure to get them involved so they can continue to participate in community service as they grow up.

President Elect

I found this on Kathy's website and thought it was pretty cool. It's morphing portraits of our 43 Presidents and President Elect Obama. http://www.flixxy.com/presidents-morphing.htm

This brings me to something I was going to blog about - President Elect Obama. As I was driving last night, I noticed a bumper sticker that said Impeach Obama. I immediately became irritated and drove up along the side of the vehicle. The driver was and older man smoking, with the windows up, in his beat-up truck. (I tend to be a 'slight bit' judgemental and immediately became more irritated.) Firstly, can you impeach the President who isn't even officially the President yet?? And, how could the driver be so closed minded - to not even give President Elect Obama a chance to be the President of the United States. He's already made up his mind that Obama is not going to be the change I am hoping for. Very sad...

Moving on...along side the Impeach Obama bumper sticker was a sticker that said "Say No to Drugs, abortion & Obama".

1. Drugs - If he can't even "Say No" to smoking, how's the drug thing coming?
2. Abortion - he's a man, so my (personal) opinion is that he shouldn't get that choice.
3. Obama - how is this even in the same category as drugs and abortion?? (And, see above)

Then even more...there was also a Veteran bumper sticker on his truck. I am TOTALLY for supporting our troops, but I was again thinking how close minded this man could be regarding how things could change for the better when Obama officially becomes President.

And, mostly I was hoping that the driver has been just as disgusted with our current President as he seems to be with the President Elect. I know that I have been extremely disappointed with the way the country has been run and am very much looking forward to the change!

Stepping down now...

My Girl Scouts!!

I just received the 1st Trimester Honor Roll list for the middle school, and ALL 5 of my Girl Scouts are on the list!! I'm very proud of the work that they do in school and in Scouting - along with their many outside activities!

GREAT JOB GIRLS!! (Jessica, Makena, Hayley, Hailee & Mira)

Greenraising.com

I registered the Relay For Life of Hillsboro in an online fundraiser with Greenraising.com. Puchase your Earth-Frienly items at Greenraising.com (http://www.greenraising.com/?AFID=1012) and the Relay For Life of Hillsboro will receive a 40% donation on all purchases from January 12th through January 26th. (And continue to receive 25% on any purchases after January 26th.)

During the month of January, Greenraising.com is offering a 10% off coupon! Just use the coupon code NEWS0109 at check out to receive 10% off any order of $50 or more. (This does not include already discounted items in the New Year Bargains; where the savings are already 10% off.)

Greenraising.com offers a wide variety of interesting and unusual eco-friendly and fair-trade items that will help you to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I already have a bunch of items in my "Wish List"!

Why I smiled...

She was so cheerful and colorful when I caughter her coming down the stairs! Love you Pook!

Do you think about plastic?

There are many ways you can skip the plastic at the grocery store if you take the time to think about it. The arguments against plastic are many: it is made from a non-renewable resource, the production process creates pollution, it can leach chemicals into your food, it never truly biodegrades and there's a big, ugly mass of it sitting in middle of the ocean.

Glass- it's easily recyclable!

• Peanut Butter- Maranatha and Arrowhead Mills are both brands that come in glass.
• Mayo, salsa and other condiments- Most conventional brands come in plastic jars but some, like Spectrum and Newman's Own come in glass jars.
• Juice - Knudson and Santa Cruz Organics use glass instead of plastic.
• Pasta Sauce - It's especially important to buy tomato products in glass. The natural acid in tomatoes makes leaching from plastic jars a big problem.
• Oils - Olive oil is commonly sold in glass, while most other oils are usually sold in plastic. Spectrum uses glass for all cooking oils.

Paper or Cardboard - Paper made with recycled content is best of course!

• Meats- Buy straight from the meat counter wrapped in butcher paper and you'll skip the styrofoam tray and the plastic wrap.
• Pasta- Pick the cardboard box instead of that crinkly plastic bag.
• Milk - Paper milk cartons are recyclable in many areas.
• Bread - Fresh bread from the bakery usually comes in a paper bag - and there's no comparison to the plastic wrapped version.
• Better yet - make your own, homemade version of many of these foods and skip the packaging altogether!

And always be sure to carry your own reusable shopping bag, or ask for paper!! Can you think of any other food items that traditionally involve plastic packaging - and a plastic-free alternative?