My Momma is Crazy!

I love my Mother-I really do-

but there are times that I think she is a little bit off her rocker!

Mom has always had a passion for sewing,  I don't think any big event in my life as a child ever included a store bought dress.  Graduations, proms, dances - 

all beautifully dressed in my Mother's wonderful creations.

Recently, she has been creating costumes for the local theatre groups.

Some shows are easy, some are not.

I have no idea the true number of hours she puts into the effort

but I'm pretty sure it is substantial.

I try to help when I can but I donated my sewing machines to her sweat shop -

plus I can barely sew a straight line with a ruler.

I generally get "elastic" duty.  I sew a little pocket for the elastic and thread it in.

That is about as far as I can be trusted when it comes to sewing!

The latest play she is costuming is The Producers.  

I helped make the jewelry for the Little old ladies and the girls in pearls.

I stitched some sausages onto a belt and sewed on some snaps.

Mom - she created about 300+ costume pieces - I feel like such a slacker!

Here are some shots from the first act of the final dress rehearsal.  

I wish I could have stayed for the second act!

Mom, you are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-L-Y talented and I am so proud to show off your work!

Love you!

The Girls with the Pearls - lovingly handsewn on!

I love the pigeons!

The dress really does look like the Chrysler Building!

Yes, it is a giant knitted g-string!

That is a lot of Little Old Ladies!

I can't wait to see the rest of the play!  

Break a leg!  I'm sure it will be wonderful!

jack - part two

I didn't get all of my editing done tonight ;-(

Mommy won't be able to stand it if I don't give her something

so here are a couple more of the adorable Jack!

Thanks for the wonderful rug!

I love this one!

Gotta love Cleveland!

Mommy - I promise to do my "homework" this weekend!

Noah * Alissa * Jack

Here is a sneak peek of one of the cutest guy's I've ever had a chance to meet...

He is going to be such a heart breaker when he grows up!

Isn't this a great looking family?!!

Cleveland Rocks!!

Jack loves his Mommy!

Daddy is pretty cool too!

We can't leave out the original babies - Merv and Bogey!

They love Jack too!

Sorry, Noah - for some reason the microwave kept hiding from the camera!  

How can you resist those baby blues?

That's all for now - thanks for stopping by!

Chillaxin!

Just chillin' out this morning trying to calm my nerves.

Why am I nervous?

I have an official photo shoot this afternoon and I am anxious.

I know it will turn out great...

I know I will get awesome shots....

I just want this to photo shooting gig to work out for me.

Wish me luck!

Fireworks 101

Fireworks!  I have tried a million times to capture them but have never been very successful.  This year, I had the right equipment, did my homework beforehand and was excited to try it all out.

The results? - Eh.  I'm not 100% impressed with the results.  

I am uber-picky so please bear with my ambivalent feelings about these shots.  I love the concept of the shots, but I am not happy with the clarity and sharpness. I blame that on the lens that I used not the technique.

So, if you still have a chance to shoot Fireworks, here are my tips:

1. A tripod is absolutely required.  If you don't have a tripod, find something to rest your camera on (the hood of the car, a rock,a cooler) but DO NOT hold the camera.  If you are a caffeine addict like me, the camera will shake when you attempt this!

2. You need to change the settings on your camera.  My camera has a function called "bulb".  This basically allows you to choose how long to keep the shutter open.  Push the shutter button and hold it until you are done.  Not all cameras have this function so the key is to choose the setting on your camera that keeps the shutter open as long as possible.

3. Timing is everything.  I was fortunate enough to be very close to the action and I could hear each shot before you could see it.  I would open the shutter just before the first burst and would leave it open until the firework started to fade.  The general rule of thumb - If you wait until you see the sparkle, you are probably going to be too late!

4. Be patient!  You won't get every shot.  It takes a few minutes to get the rhythm of the show down.  Some colors look great in the sky but don't show up well - like blue.  Some shapes don't translate well.  If it is windy, your results might be very different.  We were lucky to have a very still night last night.

5. The most important thing, unless you are getting paid to shoot the fireworks display, stop playing with your camera and enjoy the show!  Take it from me, I have completely 'missed' some displays because I was too concerned about getting the perfect shot and I didn't get to enjoy myself.  Remember, there is always next year!

Happy 4th of July!

May your day be sunny,

your BBQ yummy,

and your fireworks bright!

Have an awesome 4th everyone!