Fuzzy Friend

fuzzy friend
Originally uploaded by Sparkys Girl

Sorry, this is a non-low-carb post.

I just wanted to share with you a shot I took yesterday. My daughter is forever making friends with creepy crawlies. Thankfully her latest buddy didn't gross me out.

I took another of the whole body:



My photography schooling is progressing very well and I'm almost half way through. I hope to be done by the end of this year, time permitting.

A little bit of everything (which contains a whole lot of nuthin')

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was nice. We had a birthday get-together at my parents house on Saturday. (Hubby and myself have birthdays two weeks apart, so we took care of it all at once.) My mom did her best to make sure everything was sugar free so I was able to at least sample everything. She smoked a brisket for several hours... and wow was it good!

Yep, I get older this Sunday. It's funny how aging doesn't intimidate me as much as it used to. I guess I've finally realized I can't do anything about it, so why let it bother me. It's just gonna happen.


School will be starting for my kiddos soon. For most stay-at-home parents that means free time. That will not be the case for me this year. I'll actually be even busier. We have decided to home school this year. This isn't anything new to me. I'm home schooled my kids before. I enjoyed the 2 years off we had when they attended the private school, but the expense is more than we can handle this year. I'm telling you all this to explain that my blogging may very well be cut back a good bit until we get our schedule figured out. I also have my photo school to fit in, which I'll admit has been somewhat neglected as of late. So we'll have to see how it goes. In the meantime I ask that you hang with me as I figure it out. It's all about balance.

My weight loss has been at a stand still. Today I'm going to be much more careful with my food choices. I think a couple of choices in the last few days have kicked me out of ketosis. I'll keep you posted.

Gotta run! Have a great one!

Shameless Plug For My Mom...

My Mom is taking the same photography course that I am. Her disadvantage is that she doesn't have the kind of time I have to work on it. She's been a little disappointed in her results so far and I want to encourage her to keep trying! She's entered her photos into the same contest I have and I wanted to give you a chance to vote on her photos as well. Here are the links:





My Mom's photos

Main Street: Get your kicks on Route 66

Faces In The Crowd: Summer Fun on the lawn

Pets and Wildlife: Saving a Hummingbird

Thanks so much for those who take the time to help us out!


I also want to remind you, if you haven't voted on my photos, there are only 47 days left. As of this morning my photos were in 17th, 13th, and 20th places in there related categories. I'm really happy about that.. but with over a month to go, I could easily be bumped out of the running. Keep spreading the word! Thanks again!

I NEED YOU!!!

To vote for me, that is! My photos have been accepted into the contest I was telling you about. Here's how it works:

I entered 3 of my photos in an international contest our photography school is having. The top 100 pictures from each category will be chosen to continue on to the finals. Then the winners will be chosen from those 100 by a panel of judges. If I place any of my photos I can win a Nikon camera, my photo will be displayed with the other winners in New York at a special exhibit. The grand prize is a trip to New York for some amazing photo shoots! I'd love to win the camera as that would help me in acquiring the equipment I need for freelance work and my studio.

Here's how you can help! Below I will list links to my photos. All you have to do is go to these links and vote for me. Then you can pass these links on to your friends and ask them to vote as well! As I said, the 100 pictures in each category with the most votes will be sent on to the final round.

There are 55 days left and counting in the voting process, so we need to spread the word fast!

Main Street category: Title - Long Ago...
http://contests.fotki.com/nyip/mainstreet/205850457.html

Faces In The Crowd category: Title - Cooling Down
http://contests.fotki.com/nyip/facesinthecrowd/vote/205851448.html

Pets & Wildlife category: Title - Watching & Waiting
http://contests.fotki.com/nyip/petsandwildlife/vote/205849635.html


Your support on this means the world to me!

Thanks a million!!!

My Photography

I know I'm still schooling and have a lot to learn. But I have to say I'm very happy with the results I've gotten so far. I made a small photo gallery of just the flower shots I have taken so I could share them. The reason it has taken me so long to share these is because I've wanted to make sure all my legal bases were covered. Each photo is embedded with my information, as well as containing a visible watermark. This should be enough to cover my rear if anyone tries to steal my work. (Sure of myself.. ain't I? LOL )

So here you have it, my first gallery. I'll be posting links to other galleries as I get them uploaded.

Flower Gallery

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these!

Water is whooshing away...

Thankfully I have already dropped 2.5 of the 4 lbs of water I'm retaining. I knew I'd have a good whoosh today since I spent a lot of time running to the bathroom. If that doesn't count as exercise, it should! :0)

I'll be getting on the treadmill soon and plan to sweat for about 45 minutes. Then take a hot shower that lasts as long as my tank will allow.

My photo courses are progressing nicely. I've learned so much and can't wait to start my photo projects, which I send in at the end of each unit. If they turn out well I may share them here.. maybe. We'll see.

I hear dishes calling so I'd better get them done. Have a great one!

Doing better today

Well, the ice and snow is pounding us and we are supposed to have around 6 inches by the end of the day. My kids spent about 45 minutes at school before their teacher called me and said that they were closing for the day. Hope this clears off before my dentist appt. tomorrow - I really want to get it over with.

Here is a pic of the Yucca plant that sits just outside our front walk. I took it just a few minutes ago, but with the way it's coming down out there, it should be all white within the next hour or so.

I'm feeling somewhat better today and didn't have to dive into the bottle of Pamprin yesterday. I am still a little achy so it looks like today I'll be on a steady diet of Advil. Yesterday, as predicted, I overate. Today, food doesn't appeal to me at all, so we'll see what happens. I stayed the same on the scale even though I feel bloated. I'm hoping when the water disappears it will take some poundage with it. I'd love to have a nice big whoosh when this is all over!

Worked on my courses for a short time yesterday. Since I wasn't feeling well it made it hard to concentrate so I finally gave up. There is so much to learn that sometimes it's overwhelming. I'm taking my time though. I want to make sure I really understand each unit before I progress to next one.

Stay warm, dry and safe today!

Update: The snow is still coming down! And my appetite changed from nill to eat every thing in sight mode. *sigh* The best thing for me to do would be to get out of the house.. and I'm iced in. I must pray for strength!