Determination

This little woodpecker kept trying to get to the remaining piece of suet but just couldn't reach it.  When all else failed, he squeezed himself into the wire holder and sat on top of the suet eating his heart out.  That's determination.  It's something I wish I had more of.  I'm working on it ;)



If at first you don't succeed...

try

and try again

They say there's a sucker born...

You know the old saying "there's a sucker born every minute"?  Well, the other day I was that sucker.  I've always been the type of person who loves to try new products.  I also happen to be the type of person who watches an infomercial and is sold by the end of the half hour.  I mean, come on - who wouldn't love the Slap Chop, a dog Snuggie or a $300 Cricut machine? (you should see what that thing can do!)  I really don't consider myself to be a gullible person, just optimistic that things might just be as good as the company claims :)  You'll never know unless you try it, right?

So, I had gone shopping with my Mom and we were browsing around looking at the air fresheners.  Well, the lovely folks at Febreze must have seen me coming and done a happy dance lol.  I spotted the Febreze Flameless Luminaries and decided that I had to try one.  They run on batteries and simulate a flickering flame inside a scented lantern.   I liked the idea that I can leave it unattended and not worry about my cat knocking it over.

Now comes the sucker part.   I read the packaging in the store looking to see how long the scent will last but it didn't say (of course).  Not until I got it home and read the scented shade package inside did I see that it only lasts for a week.  The replacements are around $5.00 per pack, so it looks like I just found myself a costly little hobby lol.   I have to say though that I set it up and it does smell really nice.  Whether or not the scent will even last a week remains to be seen.   If nothing else, it makes a nice decoration.  But, I can definitely find something better to spend 20 bucks a month on...like Yankee Candles ;)

Before

After

p.s. - this is something that I DO recommend:

It's a soy candle and it smells soooo good!  I haven't even burned it yet and I can smell it as soon as I walk into our office area.

Coming soon!

So, it looks like I finally have a reason to create a portfolio website.  I have one portrait session under my belt and with the wedding on Saturday, I will need a nice place to display my work.  I finally took the leap and signed up for a web designing tool so I can create my website.   I've spent today trying to come up with design ideas and was blank.  I started sketching something a while ago and now I seem to have gotten the creative juices flowing, so I at least have a starting point for the new design :)

My plan is to have a separate blog and website.  This way I can still blog about whatever I'd like while having a portfolio of my work that is strictly professional.  I haven't decided where I will host my blog yet; it will either remain here on Blogspot or I may move it to Wordpress.  It is staying right here for the moment, but I will definitely make sure I post the new link if/when it moves so you will (hopefully) be able to stay with me ;)

I'm off to start creating!

What I've been up to

May has been a very productive month so far and it seems like everything is really starting to come together.  I finally decided on a business name for when that time comes.  Instead of using my own name, I went decided on A Bella Sorriso Photography.  I created a Page for it on Facebook, which you can check out here if you'd like.  I also designed my logo and ordered business cards.  They came in the mail today and I love them!  Now all I have to do is work on my website so I can post my portfolio online and I'll be all set :)

I also got together with a friend of mine on Saturday to take some family photos.  Michelle & I worked together at the bank until last year and it was really nice to see her again and meet her kids.  Her little boy is 2 months old and man, is he adorable!  Her daughter is another cutie.  She's 6 years old and has such an outgoing personality!  She seemed to love having her picture taken and had me laughing the whole time with her poses.  I finished editing all of the photos last night and wanted to share some.  Here's a sample of the photos from our shoot:

These geese were at the park with their little babies when we arrived.  They were so adorable I couldn't resist taking some photos :)

Birthday Wishes

Today is my Dad's birthday.  The photo above of my Dad and I was taken in 1984 when I was three years old.  I've had this picture tacked up on my bulletin board for years now and I can't explain why, but it has always been one of my favorites.  We celebrated his birthday yesterday with a nice dinner and his favorite - Boston Cream Pie.  He could just about wait for us to sing happy birthday before digging into his cake lol.  He has been working a lot lately and we've been pretty busy during the past few weeks.  He had a nice, relaxing day of doing nothing, which I think he enjoyed :)

Dad's birthday 'cake'

Ace of cakes?

Project 365 - Day 8

Ace of Cakes I am not lol.  I spent most of today working on this cake for a family members birthday tomorrow.  He's a huge Harley Davidson fan so I tried to replicate the Harley theme and logo.  I would never make a dime if I did this for a living.  I am too much of a perfectionist and it takes way longer than it should because I'm so picky :)

Here's a better view of the cake:

A quick post

Hi!  I just wanted to put up a quick post since I haven't had a post yet this year :)  I've had a busy weekend so I haven't had the chance to post about my sewing project yet, but I will tomorrow (promise!)  I also re-designed my Mom's blog for her and of course once I saw her with a new layout, I had to go and make one for mine too. lol  I spent a long time yesterday and today working on both blogs and staring at html codes and right about now I think my eyes might permanently be crossed! lol  I better go give them a rest :)  I hope everyone had a great weekend and I will be back tomorrow!

BAM!

This is Emeril, my Green Cheek conure. He is almost 6 years old and has been such a great part of our family! We got him for my Dad in 2003 for his birthday and he was named after his favorite chef - Emeril Lagasse. I decided to feature Emeril today because my Dad and I are actually on our way to a book signing for chef Emeril! I am going to pick up a copy of his new book for my Dad for Christmas and I am hoping that we can get a chance to meet Emeril and maybe even get a photo with him. My dad won't admit it, but I know he is excited. He has been watching him since the beginning and loves to quote Emeril's cooking tips all the time lol. I am going to try to take some photos of our day today and I will be sure to post them here!