NOT ME MONDAY...

okay...I am NOT going to try this again:

1. I did not experience a less than productive week last week because of my inability to focus. Headaches and cool weather would never interfere with my ability to work or focus. And I did NOT have headache today. I do NOT think it is time that I see my ENT doctor. I am sure I am not having major sinus headaches again! After all wasn't that surgery 7 years ago suppose to fix everything forever?


2. I did not spend even more time on facebook last week. I would never get addicted to something silly. And my husband did not spend the last week criticizing me about my facebook discovery because his curiosity would never be interested in something like that.


3. I did not have problems sleeping last week. I have never had problems going to sleep. NO, NOT ME! I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.


4. I did not get up one night last week (after I fell asleep quickly...no not me) and after a few minutes of facebook and blogging spend quite a while reading MckMAMA'S blog. I did not stay up until 3:00 a.m. reading said blog...NO NOT ME! And the next day, I did not have another headache all day either!


5. I did not photograph several new mini sessions this weekend and one today. I did not photograph them with my L-O-V-E letters..."what's love got to do with it"...okay, I couldn't resist that one! I did NOT remember at the last minute (Friday night) that I still had not picked up my letters for said promotion. My not-so-sweet husband did NOT go to K-mart at 7:00a.m. Saturday morning to get my letters before my session to discover that they open at 8:00 rather than 7:00. (okay, a wife can make mistake sometimes...huh?)


6. I did NOT send Natalie three packages last week! NO NOT ME! I am not the kind of Mimi who would shower her little sweetheart with gifts for no apparent reason.


7. I did NOT start my day off at 5:30 this morning. I always believe you should sleep until daylight...it only makes sense. I would never get up that early to go work out with my husband. After all we don't really need to work out...we haven't gained that much weight this fall/winter! NO NOT US! I would never feel insecure over something as vain as weight!


8. I did NOT receive another Gymboree package in the mail today. Natalie won't need any new clothes this spring...surely what she wore last summer will fit this spring. I really did NOT have to spend my GYMBOREE BUCKS last week. Since they never expire!


9. I am NOT letting some clothes get cool in the dryer while I finish this. I would never do that!


10. And last, but not least, I DID NOT find my husband a profile photo (of me and him) for his new facebook page! I would not show him how to find some of his old friends from high school...NO NOT ME! AFTER ALL HE THINKS FACEBOOK IS RIDICULOUS! HE WOULD NEVER BE INTERESTED IN IT!

Okay, I did again. Now let's see if I can link McMamma blog...if I can't I think you get the point. After all, when I started the post she had over 300 links, I am sure no one would miss mine! NO NOTS in this paragraph.

~~ja~~

CALM DOWN...

This little comic strip was too perfect for me.

So I thought I would share it with you too.

Now I don't get my feathers ruffled that easy, but when I do the last thing I want to hear is "Calm Down". And I am sure my family is the only ones who have ever seen my "feathers" actually "ruffled". I am pretty good at maintaining my composure when necessary. I have even made the remark several times that someone telling me to calm down might as well be saying "don't calm down" or "scream louder because I am not hearing you" because that's what it feels like to me.

So when my friend, Tanya, sent me one of those forwarding emails with many different Maxine comics, I had to keep this one! OH SO TRUE!

~~ja~~

Way Back WHENSday

Cari is about 5 or 6 months and Cameron is 4 yrs.

I don't have nearly as many images of the two of them at these ages together as I wished I had...he was busy being a "wild" little man and I was busy being trying to learn to balance being a mommy to a little one, run a home daycare and of course, keep up with, a very busy 4 year old. But this has always been one of my favs of the two of them together: He was so cutie and my doesn't she look chunky!

WOW! WHAT A DIFFERENT [about 12 yrs later]...

Presently this is my wall portrait (20 x24) of my two babies. These were photographed just weeks (maybe days) before we learned that we would soon become grandparents. So by the time I ordered this image, I knew...I knew this would be the last portrait of my two children like this (now I have four)! So this will probably always stay on the wall!

Isn't it fun to look way back when...

~~ja~~

INAUGURATION 2009

No photos here either. But I just wanted to vent a bit and I think this where I should do it. Like many moms these days, my middle name is multi-task.

• I hate to drive (alone) unless my phone battery is charged. It is the perfect time to catch up on small talk with family and friends.
• I do laundry while watching TV...the commercials is when I go from wash room and back, folding, hanging, etc. while watching the program
• I keep up with world events listening to the morning shows while I work over here on my computer (something I will miss if I ever get my studio completed)..

So you get the idea. Yesterday world news went on all day and I must admit I was intrigued with the inauguration. I didn't vote for our new president and I have my doubts about him, but I can't help but give him the benefit of the doubt and of course, pray for him, his wife and especially his daughters (that's who my heart aches for). I will tell you there is no way would I want to be a part of history enough to be there in that crowd...that cold I DON'T THINKS SO! But on a lighter note...you gotta love Mechelle. Did she not look gorgeous! I loved her dress/coat set. Her evening gown was beautiful too...though being the photographer that I am and knowing the technical stuff that I do (though far from an expert), I think the white wasn't as pretty on stage with all the lighting. I just saw glimpse of it while they are analyzing it on the morning show and I see pretty views of it...all the details seemed so blown out in most of the footage that I saw last night. [Blown out is a photography slang term that usually means over-exposed thus the details are blown out and it tend to reflect a white glow rather than texture and details...okay, that's my photography lesson for the day. lol]

I will be curious to see what Casey [she usually puts my thoughts into words on things of this matter] has to say about the inauguration...as you can see I am not too political, but I do think (or hope) that Obama really does give the country hope and change...maybe we do need change. I wish him and his family the best. As Heidi put it on facebook (I am paraphrasing)---I am going to miss Bush, he always seemed so sincere. And I totally agree. He may have made a lot of mistakes, but I do think he sincerely tries to follow our God and really wanted to best for our country. I am going to miss him too!

Man, I didn't think or intend for this to go on like this. I really just wanted to vent to say that I didn't get going good yesterday until late. The MORNING SHOW NEWS went on all day long with the inauguration. It was hard to tune out. I am glad that I witnessed as much as I did through the eyes of the media, but today I plan to turn the TV off because I am sure it will go on and on again today as the "experts" analyze the events of yesterday! I need to be at work today...so that's what I will...do you hear me trying to convince myself?

Our LITTLE Girl...

OUR LITTLE GIRL IS DEFINITELY NOT A LITTLE GIRL ANY LONGER. TODAY, THE DAY OUR 44TH PRESIDENT WAS INAUGURATED, ON A WINDY, COOL, 37 DEGREE MORNING, OUR DAUGHTER, CARI, BECAME A LICENSED DRIVER!

I have more info on this along with 1/2 dozen other things that I really want to blog about, but for now I have work to do for some clients and the washer is beeping! I didn't want to this morning to go by w/o posting this!

~~ja~~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! The rest of this post is actually on NATALIE'S WORLD since it gets more traffic than this one!

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS! ALMOST A MONTH LATE!

Okay, I know it's been a while. Yes, I am still here and still alive. The holidays always wipe me out in so many ways! I get so physically and mentally exhausted from the months preceding them, but this year I think it was from the whole year...Last January...recovering from the previous holiday season to getting ready to leave for our cruise to a wedding to another cruise to dealing with life w/o Natalie...well as I had known it the first 3 years of her life then to another fall...being sick several times, then major computer problems, new promotions and then Christmas! Man, I am tired just going through those mentally!

So I have decided that the first month after the holidays--aka January, is not MY officical first month of the new year...it is MY RECOVERY MONTH! I have decided that February is my "official" new year month. I do have FIVE RESOLUTION:

1. START SOME KIND OF EXCISE PROGRAM FOR MYSELF
2. TRY, TRY TO EAT BETTER [just maybe between 1 & 2 i can lose weight again]
3. DO A BETTER JOB BLOGGING
4. FIND SOME BUSINESS SOLUTIONS IN 2009 [if I can't find something else to do]
5. TO BE A MORE CONSISTANT PARENT
6. ABOVE ALL: BECOME A MORE FAITHFUL CHILD OF GOD

SO HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM THE AINSWORTH FAMILY