Unplugged and Updating

I feel like the posts have been lacking pics so here is some serious pic overload. I wouldve posted even more but blogger is being super slow so this is as far as I got before the Nyquil has started kicking in lol.

Outside Water Fun at my friend Laura's house

I dont think I ever posted these Easter pics

Kenny Chesney at Snowden Grove

And not to forget Bon Jovi

Every post needs some pictures hehe. And as for the title "unplugged" as of 4 pm today I deactivated my facebook account. With the exception of a few attempts to check it on my phone I am happy to report that I survived lol. I remember a life before facebook and thats what I am gonna try to get back to Im just kinda over the whole social media thing. Im even thinking about ending this blog or possibly going private we will see. I dunno how to explain it ( well I do but I would probably offend someone-I tend to do that a lot these days) basically I want to get back to REAL life. I will say I am a worry wart so instead of worrying about everybody elses business I am gonna worry about me and make myself HAPPY again! I have a wonderful hubby and a fabulous son who are a lot more worthy of my attention than things on the computer :) So if you need me you can email me/call me ( disclaimer-it may take me a couple days to get back to you people who know me well know im not that best at punctuality-sp?) Maybe I will get back on fbook maybe i wont who knows. I plan to start writing more fun happy picture posts. I want to get back in the habit of photographing my child to document his childhood. I love pictures and despite the few times Ive wanted to chunk my camera out a window lately I know I can get back to where I wanna be I just have to focus :)

Lazy Day shoot & mommarazzi (sp?) advice

*I also fooled around with the florabella actions in these pics still not that great at them but liking more of what i see

Juice break after playing with some race cars

Pillow Fight! And animal sounds

Outside? He wanted to go so bad

1 little Monkey jumping on the bed

Peek a Boo

I am so happy to say that I FINALLY pulled out my camera at home one afternoon and Will and I had a pillow fight/photoshoot. I have been so caught up in "business" lately that I havent even had time to photograph for pleasure. It was so much fun there was lots of natural light and lots of giggles. Will was all about some pillow fight and he knew exactly what to do. In fact I am pretty sure he was the one that started it I was more or less trying to just have fun and take pics. Any who the above pics are just a few examples of the fun we had around the house. I had to work that night so we didnt really make plans to get out of our pjs ( typical fridays in this household) A co worker did come over and I shot a few pics of her little one. Will was quite nosy! He didnt really know what to think. He was pretty sweet overall but he kept wanting to put blankets on her head BETTER work on that before we have another one lol.

Now onto the second half of my title. All you mommy-tographers out there I need some advice. I dont know if its the creative slump I have been in (photo wise) or what but I am having some issues with sharpness and clarity. My pics look so awesome on my little display screen on my camera and then I get them on my mac and they are blurred to the max. Im totally self taught and a lot of my pics are trial and error. during shoots I get it right 95% percent of the time. But with my busy toddler my % aint that great. What settings do you ladies use when shoot your kiddos( apeture iso etc) I need some good starting points. Also do you ever get pics that are just way yellow? Ive heard canons tend to be warmer while nikons tend to be cooler. I cant speak for nikon bc I dont own one but I do think this is true for canons. and lastly custom white balance? Has anyone experimented with this. I meant to today but time just got away from me and I didnt have a chance to get my camera out.

Ok so i know this post is gonna seem so crazy. Asking all these photo questions when i take pics for people all the time on the side. But I am straight up honest in telling everyone that I have no formal training i just love taking pics and sharing that with others. I didnt really feel that i had so many questions until i got my new computer. I dunno if its just that my last comp was sooo bad or that this mac is so good. It sure has a way of making you feel not so great at what you thought you were atleast half decent at. anyways I would love to hear what all my mommy friends have to say so leave some comments with your advice. I need clear crisp un yellow pics (unless i make them that way) of my boy!

Darn my editing skills

This is what I wrote the other night-

Ok so did I have in my mind that I would purchase these lovely florabella actions and all of sudden my editing crisis would be over and a match made in heaven (between me and editing) would follow????? Why yes I did but unfortunately this is not the case. It is actually quite the opposite. I am sad to say that I dont seem to be pleased with the actions I purchased tonight AT ALL. Now before I go complaining about the makers of these actions I would like to say that the number one problem is probably and more than likely OPERATOR ERROR. But geez they make it look so simple :( And it is not. I had this cray little notion that I would get so much done tonight and now I am realizing that this in not the case and I am now ready for bed ( to get up and try again tomm that is) If anyone can assist in this matter I would love to hear your thoughts. Other than that I will now go pout about the money I feel I just wasted :(

Today-I want to apologize bc i seem to have word vomit and often go about venting via my blog. and I totally did this the other night before i even tried to contact florabella about my problem. I just want to say that florabella contacted me immediately after I posted a question on their facebook page and are already in the works on helping me fix my editing problem. Like i said before I know its totally OPERATOR ERROR and not the poor actions or the action makers fault. And they even checked out my blog to see what kind of pics i do and saw my not nice post ( shame on me!) I think this says A LOT about a company who goes above and beyond to help you with your problem (even after you are a total butt on your blog) so I want to formally apologize to florabella for being a jerk and say thanks for helping me. I hope to post lots of my fabulous pics soon :)

I was going to erase the whole post but then realized that for those who already read it you would wonder why i did and for those who hadnt read it I wanted to show who the blame belongs to ( ME and NOT florabella)

Geez!

Ok so apparently my husband read the blog and said I made it sound like we are adopting a kid or something with my last post. That was not the direction the post was suppose to take but assuming others might be confused like him here goes- I was in and indirectly way stating that we are trying for #2 :) Unfortunately it has not happened as quickly as it did with Will ( as in first try-sorry TMI) so I am a little stressed/worried ( thats just me and how I am). I didnt want to come across as a total you know what complaining when its only been about 2 months. I know many out there have struggled a lot longer than that and are struggling still today! I know that everything will happen when it is suppose to and only the good Lord above knows when he will bless us with another child, its just that I am a worrier, and a nurse, and read A LOT of blogs that deal with lots of trials and tribulations so I have to remind myself to not let that get me going off the deep end. So with that being said my last post was just asking for some prayers as we embark on this next chapter and that I wont stress over the small stuff and just let it be what it will be. Thats all :)

Not cutting it!

ok so my once a week midnight blog posts are just not cutting it. I have so much I want to blog about and I simply cant find the time. I feel like I am already so behind, where to begin again???? and pics man I need some good pics on here! I am going to try to do better this week we will see how it goes.
But for starters I will start with this-changes are going to be happening soon. The way things are is just not cutting it. Ive got to find a happy medium between my life and work (nursing and photography) bc if I dont I think I might just have a melt down (see last weekends posts lol) I have been trying to figure out ways to de stress and unfortunately for the time being I think I am going to be taking a break from photography :( I dont want to cut it out completely because it is a passion of mine but I am going to significantly cut down my availability. Just last week I did 6 sessions and I still had 2 from previous weeks that I was editing meaning I am now editing 8 sessions, while taking care of a 2 yr old, doing more sessions and working 2 nights a week which really equals 4 days out of the editing loop (to count for sleep etc). I think it is easy to see how crazy things can become in just a matter of a few days. I wish I were in a position that I could cut down my nursing and increase my photography but thats just not an option these days (nursing pays a majority of the bills!) I have alot of sessions in the works along with a few wedding and a few friends have inquired about things on fbook so other than these things i will be politely declining for the time being. I do however have lots of recomendations for awesome photographers so if anyone needs advice on who to go to let me know.
There are other fun and exciting changes coming just not sure I want to talk about them yet. And no I am not preggers but it does have something to do with that (hmmmmmm) Maybe I will post about that in time but for now I will just ask for prayers as expanding our family is in the works?
As for whats been going on in our household so many things i dont know where to begin. I posted a little about Wills party. It was so much fun and all this week he has had such a blast playing with his toys. Now for all you moms out there. We recieved a totally awesome train table (circo brand) and now I am on the hunt for the best bang for your buck in the wooden train department ( we need a set to go on the table) I looked for the circo set at my local targets but they are not in store and im not a huge online shopper so I wanted to know if anyone has any suggestions? he keeps asking to play with it everyday so a train set is a must have asap!
As for his swing set it is the funniest thing. He will play on it when kids are over but when we are alone in the backyard he wants nothing to do with it. Has anyone else had this problem? its too funny seeing him say no and shake his head when I tell him to go play and slide. His gift from us was a power wheels Jeep. he rode the big hurricane one at my friends house but we opted for the smaller version bc of his size and he wont go near it. He actuall rode on it for all of 2 minutes today so maybe we are making progress. We transitioned him into his big boy room and I think he is enjoying it. I found a twin bed at a local antique store. Its perfect it just needs to be painted but for now (until I find time) it will do. Joeys mom actually purchased Wills matress and bedding. the bedding is a combo of two pottery barn vintage plane lines and they compliment each other so well. I really need to get some pics. I am still trying to figure out what furniture I want in there, currently there are two dressers in his rm but the area is so small that one needs to go I just have to figure out which will go.
Ok so I know this post is so random but it is my best effort to catch up so stay with me. BBQ fest was this weekend and it was lots of fun. I went with my bestie Rachel and her hubby. Good times were had by all :) I am looking forward to the weeks to follow, we have a busy schedule as follows next week Bon Jovi woo hoo!!!!! the following week Kenny Chesney the Italian fest. I cant wait to partake in all the festivities and then I will have lots to blog about :) But until then good night !

Mothers Day 2011

found this and it was too cute to not post.

Im not really in the mood to get all sappy but I wanted to take a minute to recognize a pretty awesome lady in my life, My Mom!

She is always behind the scenes, she doesnt like to boast (sp?)

She has always been there for me, at times things have been crazy for us both but it always seems to workout in the end. We may not see eachother everyday but the random special phone calls make up for it all. So many things weigh heavy on my heart when it comes to my mom. she allows me to put her behind everyone else bc afterall thats what moms do, at times I thank her for this and at others I wish she put her foot down like so many others do. Although it isnt right you never hear a peep. I hate that I have missed so many special days with her I know this is something I will never forgive myself for. when every minute of my days are micromanaged she doesnt always get a time slot. We've been close we've been distant. shes had troubles and so have I. Ive stressed over her and I know she has stressed over me. Despite differences the Love we have is unconditional and I know I dont say it enough but I LOVE MY MOM and I am so proud of the steps shes taken and the steps weve taken to get things back on track!

Happy Mothers Day

My Mothers Day started off great I woke up to a little 2 yr old yelling Momma from his room. I went and jumped in his bed and we laid back down for a few. Then it was time to get up and open all his presents or so he said. We made a pretty good dent in the pile so we went outside to play with our new loot. I fixed some coffee for me and the hubs. I got a new creamer White chocolate caramel latte.....Delicious!

I popped some cinnamon rolls in the oven and went out back to site in the chair and relax. We ate breakfast outside and relaxed for a few hours. the boys both played with their remote control cars. We decided to go to late church since it was so pretty outside and we dont get to many days to spemd together.

We went to church at 11:15. The sermon was good during church me and the hubs had a conversation that went little something like this-

me: you didnt even tell me happy mothers day

hubs: well your not my mother, that would be weird

me: I know I am not your mother but I am the mother to your child

hubs: oh ooookkkkk so your my baby momma, Happy Baby momma day sweetie

gotta love men right :)

We had to take two cars to his grandparents bc he had a softball game and I had to sleep for work so he told me to go on ahead and he would see me there. Well he showed up with some pretty roses and a musical card-if you know my hubby you know this is so not him . i joke with him that he was so much more romantic when we were dating, which he counter remarks with "i thought you were good with money and could cook to" He has a point. And although I love my flowers and card I think the true sign of his love for me was that he (without prompting) brought me home 3 redbulls before i had to leave for work.

*A tiny fact you may not know about me is that i am obsessed with red bull, as in a drink 2 every night i work one on the way into work and one in the 4 oclock hr)

So it may not sound like much but the redbull showed me he cared hehe.

I think these last 3 posts pretty much sum up the weekend. Hopefully I wont wait so long to post again. Hope all my mommy friends had a wonderful day.

Wills 2!

Me and my little Pilot


How Handsome is he?!?!?!

My Favorite Picture of the Party

Saturday was Wills 2nd Birthday Party and boy was it fun. To say the day started off crazy would be an understatement! I worked the night before leaving me with not so much sleep come saturday morning. And while the forcast called for sunny skies and 80 degree weather what we got was rain showers. I was a mess ( see post below about worrying). My mom came over to help me get ready inside while Joey and his bro in law worked outside. We managed to get everything just right but the rain wasnt letting up. I wondered where everyone would sit (seeing as there is NOT enough room indoors for party guests and most of all i was all bent out of shape at the fact that the boys spent all week slaving over a swingset that would fail to be used. Well if I would have read my Jesus Calling Daily Devotional (on time and not a day late) I would have gotten the much needed pep talk i was seeking ( I will try to post it when I get home dont have book with me). Any how there was finally a point where I just gave it all up. My "plans" for the day were obviously not what was intended to happen and teh good Lord above was letting me know it, and showing me just how much he is in control. So not that I was 100% cured but i tried to destress a little. Well wouldnt you know just as the guests started to arrive the sun came out and the party went off without a hitch.

It ended up being abeautiful day and the party was a blast, the kids loved the swingset and i tried to really sit back and enjoy the festivities. The cutting of the cake ws priceless. We pout Will in aviators and a bomber jacket and he left them on the whole time we sang to him. He wasnt much for smiling but the serious face suited him hehe. and then during presents he got so excited this year. He got lots of planes, trains, and automobiles which are his favorite things. I was sitting to his left and he kept tossing the tissue paper in my face it was to funny!

Im sure I am forgetting to write some of the details but overall it was Great! Im so glad so many special people got to share in such a special day for our little man!

Words to live by

I have always let things get to me, I overanalyze everything( just ask my husband). I have always worried to much about what other people think. I have always let others play a part in my choices. Time and time again I have been let down. And over and over again Ive learned that while you cant change some things you can change yourself. But I never change, I still worry, and wonder and wish it was different. Im hoping one day I will reach that point where I am no longer the " Hi my name is Cassie please use me as a door mat on an extra rainy day please wipe your feet here" kinda girl, and I turn into " this is me deal with it or go home"

I suppose thats it for this blah post, fun posts to follow promise :)

Where does the time go?

First of all it has been forever since I posted anything and I do apologize for that. things have been so crazy around the house. I feel like I have been going 90 to nothing since we got back from the beach :( I really do want to post more meanigful posts I just cant seem to find time. and its not looking any better in the near future!

I am however looking forward to today bc we are celebrating Wills 2nd Birthday! When did my little boy grow up! He actually turned 2 on April 20th but April is such a CRAZY month for our family I decided to just celebrate in May and its worked out in our favor bc we bypassed all the crazy storms.

so what is Will doing at 2 years old? Well he LOVES to talk ( a boy after his moms own heart) and I know I am partial bc hes my boy but he speaks really well.

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  He is using lots of little sentences and really seems to understand lots! He asks for water, juice, milk or choc milk when hes thirsty and he knows the difference between all of them. he repeats everything ( even the not so nice things lol) Just today he took my phone away from me and said " Momma thats my phone, my phone momma" really?!


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  He is also learning to test his boundaries. You can see the look in his eye when he does something wrong. He KNOWS its wrong and yet he still does it- and then looks to you to see if you are gonna call him out. I have heard from soo many parents that their biggest mistake was that they didnt follow through so we are really working on that!


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  time out seems to finally be effective, by NO means did we beat our child but i did not see anything wrong with a swat on the hand or leg but seeing as Will could care less that he was swatted I didnt see fit to cont with this form discipline. Now that he is understanding more I explain to him why he is in time out and he really seems to understand (as much as a 2 yr old will) and of course pulls out the waterworks to get his way. It may work for some but I am learning to be stearn bc i dont want a spoiled brat running around our house.


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  He knows a few shapes and colors although he refers to everything as purple who knows why. He also loves to make animal noises and he is too cute doing them, esp the snake bc he hisses and he wiggles his fingers towards me ( def need to capture this on video).


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  He still is the worlds worst eater but me and Joey are too so I am sure this does not help. He was in the 20% for wt when we went for his 2yr appt. maybe I can put some meat on his bones before his 3yr old one.


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  He loves being outside and he loves his buddy Jaxson. I dont know what we will do when they move. whenever we go outside he immediately walks down to his house and knocks on his door. I hope the new neighbors will understand ha!


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  Hes still a Daddys boy but he does love on his momma from time to time. I just love seeing the joy on his face when Daddy walks through the door. It will just warm your heart.

I know there are so many wonderful things I am forgetting to post about him at this stage but these are just a few that are fresh on my mind. he is the bestest little boy a momma could ask for even when hes screaming at me during nap time :)

I hope he enjoys his vintage plane party tomm. I made sure to not let myself get carried away this year but I did put some fun things together. Pics to come.