iPad Raffle Ends TODAY!

WOW y'all!  I just checked Holly's blog and the fundraiser is up to $2000!!! I'm completely blown away, and I can tell you that Holly is over the moon!  

For those of you who've pitched in, YOU ROCK!  And if you win that iPad... you're welcome! ;) hahaha

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, well I'll tell you!

My friend Holly set up a fundraiser to help Reese's Rainbow, The International Down Syndrome Orphan Ministry.  Your donation enters you in the raffle for a new iPad!  Who wants one of those but doesn't actually want to buy it? :::raises hand:::

And I was wrong, I thought every $5 donation was an entry... it's way mo betta than that!

$5 = 1 entry
$20 = 5 entries
$50 = 16 entries
$100 = 35 entries
$150 = 55 entries 

To enter, CLICK THIS LINK TO HER BLOG, select one of the CHIPIN boxes up top, and it walks you through PayPal :)

You must enter before 9:00PM central tonight!!

Winner will be announced TOMORROW, DECEMBER 1ST!

In other news:

Check back here tomorrow for a writing exercise that just might help you finish your novel! :)

Just ONE MORE DAY....

Well, I've set a new record.  An actual blog post with ZERO comments... and it was the one that presented a chance to win an iPad.  I'm shocked no one even had an opinion about the whole thing.  

Which makes me think... it just didn't get read with the hubbub of the holidays. So I'll repost and make it more to the point.

How'd you like a chance to win an iPad?

My good friend, Holly, has the biggest heart I've ever ever ever heard of.  She has an unparalleled passion for the unwanted children of the world who are continually overlooked due to circumstances they have no control over.   She's put together this raffle as a fundraiser for Reece's Rainbow, The International Down Syndrome Orphan Ministry. 

Every donation of $5 is an entry for the iPad raffle.

If you're interested in learning more and/or entering for the chance to win (helping the "least of these" in the meantime!), click this link to her blog, and there are boxes right up top--pick a category to designate your donation and click CHIPIN! (It accepts PayPal accounts!) 

Skip the fancy latte today and donate it instead.  

Who knows... you just might win a shiny new iPad!

RAFFLE ENDS TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 30!

Winner will be announced December 1, 2010!

Give a Little... Get an iPad!

Or at least the chance to win one!

Anyone notice how this time of year especially, causes come out of the woodwork in effort to benefit from our swollen hearts?  Many of them worthy, this is true, but how many of us really take the time to think about the "least of these"?

My good friend--like the we were in each other's weddings type of good friend--Holly, has the biggest heart I've ever ever ever heard of.  She has an unparalleled passion for the unwanted children of the world who are continually overlooked due to circumstances they have no control over.  

In effort to both raise awareness and funds for the ones she's most passionate about, she's organized a fundraiser and ALL proceeds go to Reece's Rainbow, The International Down Syndrome Orphan Ministry. 

Every donation of $5 is an entry for the iPad raffle.

If you're interested in learning more and/or entering for the chance to win (helping the "least of these" in the meantime!), click this link to her blog, and there are boxes right up top--pick a category to designate your donation and click CHIPIN! (It accepts PayPal accounts!) 

Skip the fancy latte today and donate to a special needs kid instead.  

Who knows... you just might win a shiny new iPad!

I'd love to see her fundraiser surpass expectations!

If any of my followers donate, let me know, because I will smile--really big.  I may even post a picture of said big smile next week...... :)

Winner will be announced December 1, 2010!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!

Harry Potter 7 Part 1 Will Go Down in History As....

The first movie I ever saw by myself!!

That's right!  I went to see it by myself! I couldn't wait for a week or two when hubs would finally agree to go see it with me, or for my mom to finish watching 4, 5, and 6 to be ready to see 7.  I had to go NOW!

I went Friday morning while all the kiddies were in school, so it was just me and a bunch of middle-aged house wives--and that one young mother who brought her crying infant with her in the back of the room.  Hello... time to suck it up and get a babysitter!  Don't subject all of us who paid $12 to hear the score in HD to your screaming tot.

I really enjoyed the movie... every bit of it!  It's always interesting to me to see what choices they will make converting the book (which is extremely detailed) into a visual.  People get cut out, the storyline gets tightened.... on the whole, I think they did very well, and I can't think of anything I was disappointed by.  It was intense, emotional, humorous right when we needed it to be...  I'm SO ready for part two, but I know I'll be devastated when it's all over. 

I buy a lot of movie scores to listen to while I write, and I sampled this one by Alexandre Desplat (who also did New Moon--very well too, I might add), but didn't think too much about it.  After I saw the movie though, I think I might ask for that one for Christmas.

Have you seen it yet?  What did you think? 

Please tell me I'm not the only one...

I'm really not into fashion, as anyone who knows me could tell you.  I cling to my T's and sneakers like there is no tomorrow.  Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to be sporting the latest from Anthropologie, but there are two reasons I don't.  

One: one outfit is more than I make on one photo session...

Two: their clothes are made for the Tinies

Since I'm still in week 1 of calorie counting (still going strong!!), I won't be an addition to the Tinies club just yet... maybe one day... next JUNE.

Now, I've always flipped through the makeup ads from Sephora and the like for color palette ideas for paintings and what not, but yesterday... I tore out a cologne sample.  Not because I liked the cologne (which I do)... but because of the model. 

I think my mouth hung open, and I may have drooled just a little bit.  I think it's the hair... I've always had a thing for hair like that...

 I thought, "I have to write a character based off of him."  I haven't decided if said character is going to be a model yet, but he will indeed have the hair.

Check it to wreck it: 

And because I'm so awesome, you can click on the picture and check out their website and watch the TV SPOT... he's totally in the commercial.

(I figure I can post this picture since I'm not claiming it to be mine, right?  It's practically an advertisement for them anyway. ;) 

So back to my point.... anyone else tear pages out of magazines and stalk the models on the internet, all in the name of character sketch research?!?!?!

     

Who's Counting?

Whoever says, "...but who's counting?" is usually the one that's doing counting, right?  

These days, I'm counting a lot of things...

CALORIES

This past Friday I started counting calories (again).  Seriously though, that extra 20 pounds I thought I had to lose is now magically 30.  Yeah... that blasted scale.  I'll tell you WHAT, if you don't want to know, don't get on it, but if you do, there is no greater motivator.  Simply working out has NOT been cutting it, so I'm back to counting everything that goes in my mouth, and I'm only drinking water--which isn't too hard, since it's pretty much all I drink anyway.  Since Friday, I've been between 1200-1500 a day (the goal is 1400, as it's too dangerous to go below 1200 a day, especially while working out).

I know what you're saying... how many health kicks can this girl go through in a year?!

At least one more ;)

PHOTO SESSIONS

Now that the job security blanket has been thrown out, I've been counting how many sessions I book--there is a certain number of sessions I need a month to make what I made at my former job.  

Am I there yet? 

Not even close.  

But I'm still counting.

EDITED PHOTOS

I count how many photos I edit per session, yes I do. 

BLOG COMMENTS

I like to see the number of comments that come through, not gonna lie. 

DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

40 days to go people.  Have I bought anything yet? 

No.

$ 

It's pretty important to have an idea of what's coming in... and making sure there is less going out.

Anyone know of good coupon resources? Because I'm considering being a coupon cutter....

DAYS UNTIL HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PT1

Oh yes, I am.  I'm planning to go Friday at some point.  I always say I want to wait for the big releases to die down a bit, but the trailer looks SO stinking exciting, I don't think I can wait.

What are you counting?

Sarcastic Saturday

I love scrubbing dried dog slobber off of the window ledges. And there's also a lovely patch of grime just below all the door handles in the house from them nudging their way through.  Let's not forget about the decor on the floor in the kitchen.  And not just around the water bowl... no no. They are practically still drinking as they walk away from their bowl out of the kitchen. So thoughtful of them to know how much I love getting my socks wet on a daily basis.

I actually watched a real news report on why dogs cause such a mess with their water compared to cats.  Apparently, cats stick their tongue in the water and pull up a column of liquid and close their mouth quickly to trap it. Dogs form a cup with their tongue and attempt to scoop it in, and well, we all know how that ends. They get more on the floor and the walls than in their mouths.

They make a mess, but what would we do without them???  And after all, we LOVE cleaning up after them.  Especially the presents they leave scattered in the yard right where you walk. Why on earth should they go along the fence or behind that patch of trees in the back corner? That would be nonsensical.

What Gets You in the Mood?

For Thanksgiving?!  Get your mind out of the gutter ;)

I'm on the hunt for movies that make you feel the coziness that Autumn is supposed to bring.  Houston doesn't see much of a fall scene, so I have to encourage the season along with lots of pumpkins, leaves, and orange lights, and it doesn't hurt to pop in a movie I love watching this time of year. 

In October, I try to watch The Nightmare before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Casper, and Meet Me in St. Louis. 

December gets LOTS of movies!  Meet Me in St. Louis (AGAIN!), It's a Wonderful Life, Borrowed Hearts, Miracle on 34th Street, The Holiday, Little Women, that cheesy movie where the woman gets pulled into her dryer to an alternate reality.... the list goes on and on!  And yes, I love those silly Lifetime Christmas movies... and the ABC Family ones.

But November usually gets You've Got Mail, and.... and.... and what???  Thanksgiving movies are seriously lacking!!  What do you watch this time of year?  What puts you in the turkey and cranberry mood?

What Day is it, and Sticking to a Schedule?

Do you ever have to actually ask someone what day it is?  Since the lay-off, I feel like this a LOT.  And it's not that I don't have things to do on specific days of the week (I have had SOME photo sessions, though not as many as I'd like), I just find that it's so much harder to keep the days straight now that I'm not trudging through my week just to get to Friday.

And there are so many things I want to make time for... yet some days slip right past and I have to think back to figure out if I actually got anything done at all.  I've thought a lot about implementing a schedule.  Plan out my whole day and try (for the most part) to follow through.  If I had the discipline for it, here's how I'd like to do it:

7:00am

Wake up

take care of the dogs

eat breakfast while catching up on emails and blogs

7:30

let breakfast settle while doing a Rosetta Stone lesson (Spanish or Italian)

8:15 or 8:30

Hip Hop Abs (I have this... yes, yes I do.  And it's AWESOME)

After 2 months, when the hip hop abs program has run once through, work in Turbo Jam also

9:00

Shower because by now I totally stink

Start editing those sessions, find new ways to market

11:00 or Noon

make and eat lunch (AWAY from Honeycrisp)

1:00

write for at least an hour to give the editing eyes a rest, and to make progress on the WIP

2:00ish

edit more, market more

5:00

STOP WORKING!

hang out with hubs, make dinner, eat

I'd also like to find a set day a week to play tennis (there are courts right by my house, and I played in high school, so I ASSUME I still know how..... ;)

We also aren't eating out too much these days.  But I found that I'm always cooking the same things.... and I have LOTS of cookbooks!  Guess I need to open one once in a while. 

So, how does my schedule sound?? Doable??? It doesn't seem too incredible structured or difficult to me, so theoretically I should be able to stick to it.  But I've yet to actually start....

Do you try to stick to some sort of schedule?  Any tricks to staying motivated?

Catching up, Blasts from the Past, and Newborns Everywhere!

It seems like every time I say I'm getting better about blogging and commenting on your blogs, I miss a whole week of it!  My head just hasn't been in the game this week.  I finally got Photoshop for my Mac in, and even though I know how photoshop works (for the most part), I still feel like I'm learning it all over again... new mouse, new keyboard... new operating system.  It's like I was driving standard, and now I'm driving a stick shift. hahaha. But... a much FASTER and PRETTIER car of course. 

---

I was anti-Facebook for a long time, as some of you know.  But when I started my photography biz, I signed up because it really is a great marketing tool.  Much more so than my photography blog... I only have 6 followers there, where as my FB page has 86 "Likes".  Not too terrible for a couple months, I'd say.  

And I've reconnected with some people from the past, and it's not only neat to see where they are in their lives, but some of them have inquired about photo sessions. :)

About a month ago I reconnected with someone I used to coach with back in my figure skating days, and she had her second baby the same day another friend of mine from the rink days did!  

I LOVE taking pictures of brand new little humans.  Even though they really really really don't like getting their picture taken for hours on end, they need to eat VERY OFTEN, and they pee and dump all over everything, I am just so honored to capture this moment in their lives. 

Here are a few of my favorites from the last two newborn sessions!

Miss E

Miss T

There's a Mac in my Life...

Well, last week I was in tears.  A virus ruined my computer, and the cost to correct the issue (or for them to TRY to figure out how to fix the issue) was so not worth it.  She's a five year old laptop, and I've had problems with her for a couple years already... it's time to put her down. 

This week, I write to you on a brand new iMac, a wonder of wonders I thought I was years from being able to experience.  The transition from Windows to Mac is a bit shaky, but I'm catching on, and I'm sure by the end of the week I'll have a much better handle on it (and hopefully I'll learn how to type on this ridiculous little keyboard).  As she is an Apple, I've named her after my favorite apple, Honeycrisp. :)

I hadn't realized just how much I had on my computer that was Windows specific!  But the lovely people at Adobe are sending me a new disc of Photoshop CS5 Extended for Mac, at only the cost of shipping (I verified this BEFORE the Mac purchase... that would have been a horrible surprise).  The lovely people at Rosetta Stone have helped me with my Spanish and Italian course license issues as well.  I also spent a chunk of time on the phone with the lovely people at Microsoft getting my MS Office for Mac situated.  I've felt dizzy quite frequently today.... not sure if it's because of the giant screen I get to look at all day now (which will be LOVELY for photo editing!!! I can't WAIT to get Photoshop back!), or just because I've been in hyper-info-dump-into-kristin's-brain mode.  It's probably a combo.

So, Mac users, what is one thing you love about your Mac?  Is there a particular shortcut or feature you learned and thought "So THAT'S how you do that!  If only I knew that SOONER!"? Please share your tips! I feel like I'm still fumbling around this thing. :)

Oh computer virus that caused me such misery but a short time ago... I thank thee.

For thou hath brought me to a new world of delicious Apples... a better world...

a virus-free world!