Pumpkins with a Little Punkin'

You'll see the minute you look at this little guy just what I mean!  He is a Q.T. with unbelievable range of expression in a not-quite-one year old body.

At school they told us that when you are photographing a child that you should plan for one minute of focus-time for every year that the child is old.  Based on those statistics I was looking at seconds!  Instead I got two solid hours of playtime amongst the pumpkins with this little one (and his parent's of course). 

One of the hardest things in the world for my Type-A personality is not being able to plan exactly how a photo session will flow.  At the same time, the thing that I end up cherishing the most is that I can let the action take place and capture it frame-by-frame.  I find that the smiles that shine the brightest on a little ones face are always prompted by the simplest of things... a song sung by a mom or dad, a chance to play in the leaves, or perhaps just the freedom to "army-crawl" across the lawn without constraint!  It was a pleasure to capture just a few of these moments.

PS - Thanks to the Zaruba's for making the afternoon SO MUCH FUN!  And a special birthday wish for the little guy who, as of Thursday, is the ripe old age of ONE!

Does your blog need a facelift?

Hey you happy bloggers. Do you have blogger.com account? Have you looked over the list of default templates so many times only to feel like you can't find the one that fits your personality best? Perhaps you are simply looking for something that integrates well with your website design? I actually had some luck today finding a simple template that integrated easily into my current blogger account.

It looks like there are several websites that cater to blogger layout designs. This one has hundreds and was super easy to switch out. In case you are interested...

http://btemplates.com

Keep in mind that you may have to tweek the html to get exactly what you want. Maybe add a gadget or two. I spent about 30 minutes and now have something simple and clean. Maybe you'll find a style that suites your needs.

Meet Milli...

So there are a few things in life that constantly bring me laughter. One of them is THIS little one. She came to me from the shelter, looks exactly like her somewhat more substantial brother, and is the smartest most ornery cat I know. Guess I can't blame her, she was named for a unit of the metric scale by her nerdy math owner. She has her own agenda, cleans herself incessantly, and plays fetch like a dog.

Not long after bringing her home she started doing funny things like lining up toys on my bed. When I would wake up, there she was... ready to play! She has evolved from toys to socks. Yes, socks. She has a radar for socks that rivals the dryer's ability to lose them. In fact, if she could open the dryer I am certain that she would steal them from there as well.

Perhaps my favorite Milli moment came after a weekend of cleaning on my part. I had washed, dried, folded, and put away every item of clothing in the house. EVERY item. When I woke up the next morning expecting a sock-free bed, I got it. However, in their place nicely arranged was every receipt in the house. Guess they were the only "little white substitute" she could find. It reminded me of a line of validated parking tickets... each certified with a special Milli tooth punch. That, or she was confessing to her closet shopping addiction.

Since returning to Texas she has found some really interesting ways to get my attention. The sock habit is still intact but she now spends the bulk of her time searching for ways to spend time with me. Since the computer is where you will find me most often, you'll find her as well.... carefully balanced on the back of my chair.

Now worries, I'll let you know when she learns to color correct prints. Maybe you'll want to hire her for the back of your chair!

Observations from an Overstuffed Chair...

I had the a rare opportunity today to sit.... sit in a bookstore and peruse every section of my mind that needed insight. Okay, so not everything, but I was certainly there a while. From creativity boosters to diet from fashion to business I explored it all, sitting in an oversized chair with a large cup of ice (with tea). Every once and a while I would look up to see who was meandering the aisles. Mom's with little ones, students, retirees, the unemployed, the independently wealthy, the vacationers, and the self-employed are my guesses. The photography techniques section was heavily frequented. I almost wanted to hand out a survey to those who pulled books off the shelf... hobby or career? :) No worries, I refrained.

I managed to learn a few things today. Perhaps I'll leave you with an interesting passage I came across was in a book entitled "The Encore Effect". It talks about the differences between performing well and performing remarkably... you know, that top five percent? Here is some food for thought. Take one area of your life that you'd like to perform well in and rate your commitment based on this list of "I's". Photogs, which "eye" are you?

I.nterested
I.nformed
I.nvolved
I.mmersed
I.nvested
I.nnovative

Now how are you going to get to the next level?

Within walking distance...

So I've made my way back to Texas. It's amazing how being gone for a year can really throw you for a loop! Am I who I was when I left... no. Can life be exactly as it was in Massachusett's... no. So where do I start?

Well, I decided to take a walk. See the neighborhood with new eyes. Here's a few things I found "within walking distance"...