Laura's Random Photos

Trains & Tutus

2010-12-26T08:05:00.000-08:00

My best friend (who has three boys) and I (who have three girls) have started our own place on the web called "Trains & Tutus." Feel free to check us out ~ www.trainsandtutus.com.

Exciting News!

2010-09-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

I have a new website! http://www.lauraodom.com
It will be replacing this personal blog and is divided into different sections according to topic.
Check it out, and let me know what you think! I will be working out kinks in the next week or so.

Poem

2010-09-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

This poem used to hang in my mother's kitchen in an embroidery wall hanging.
It was brought back to my memory today...

"Cleaning and scrubbing
Can wait 'til tomorrow.
For babies grow up,
We've learned, to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs.
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby
And babies don't keep!"

Grocery Shopping.

2010-09-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, my best friend and her husband have been vlogging (you can check them out HERE) and she seems to think that my life should be vlogged as well. There are two huge flaws with this, however,:

1. I do NOT like the way I look on camera. That's why I'm always behind it. Plus, there's no photoshopping away double chins in a video. I don't know if I can live with that.

2. Despite what my well-intentioned "bestie" may believe, my life is just not all that interesting.

Case in point. Here is a video documentary of my unloading the groceries...

Now, we do have some yummy stuff coming up this week on the menu...

Tonight - Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches

Tomorrow - Crockpot Mexican Chicken tacos, corn on the cob

Thursday - Chili Mac

Friday - Sausage, Zuchinni & Yellow Squash casserole

(yummy recipe from my new fav Amish cookbook)

Saturday lunch - Frito Pie wraps

Saturday dinner - Beans & Cornbread

A book meme

2010-09-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Favorite childhood book?
The Troll Music, Mr. Pine's Purple House, Pickles the Firecat, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

What are you reading right now?
Stop Being Sweet Notebook

What books do you have on request at the library?
None

Bad book habit?

Buying books instead of checking them out

What do you currently have checked out at the library?
None (See Above)

Do you have an e-reader?
I use IBooks on my iPhone.

Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
One at a time

Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

Not that I've noticed

Least favorite book you read recently?
?

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks

Can you read on the bus?
I don't ride the bus, but probably could read if I had to. I read on the subway on our trip.

Favorite place to read?
In bed on a rainy day

What is your policy on book lending?
Even though I do hope books are returned, I typically only lend them if I'm okay with never getting them back.

Do you ever dog-ear books?
Not fiction books. I have dog-eared recipe books.

Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only textbooks

Not even with text books?
see above

What is your favorite language to read in?
English

What makes you love a book?
Enjoyability, complexity with good resolution

What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If it made an impact on me

Have you ever read a self-help book?
yes

Favorite cookbook?

Currently one I picked up in Amish Country

Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Bible

Favorite reading snack?

Depends on my mood

If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Latin

Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Hmm... Intimidating like hard to get into or content? Not sure.

Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
same

Favorite Poet?
Alfred Lord Tennyson

How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
none

How often have you returned book to the library unread?
very infrequently. If I do check a book out, I read it.

Favorite fictional character?
Anne Shirley

Favorite fictional villain?
Unknown

Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Easy reads - popular fiction

The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I am always reading something...

Name a book that you could/would not finish.

Founding Mothers

What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
The kids

Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Anne of Green Gables

Most disappointing film adaptation?
Gone with the Wind ~ left so much out!

The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Probably over $200

How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Not usually

What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
I don't do this very often. If it's just SUPER hard to get into, I guess I might.

Do you like to keep your books organized?
of course

Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I used to hoard them, but recently I've gotten into giving them away

Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
no

Name a book that made you angry.
Angry? I remember not liking "I know this much is true" but not being able to quit reading it.

A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Twilight Series

A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Can't think of one at the moment

Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Anything by Nicolas Sparks

RED

2010-09-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Some RED things that caught my attention online...

Yellow

2010-09-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

A selection of random yellow images I found on the web...

Blogging from the new laptop...

2010-09-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

So, we went on vacation in July/August & when I came back, my laptop had died. I took it in and it was the "logic board", which basically meant it would cost $700 to replace. On a 2 year old laptop. I think not. But, being me, I drug my feet on purchasing a new one mainly because I hated to spend the money on it. But with three people working at the studio all trying to use one desktop, I had to give in eventually, and earlier this week, I became the owner of another MacBook Pro. Supposedly I should be able to get my "stuff" off the other hard drive still, but that hasn't happened yet. All in due time, I guess.

However, after spending the past two days installing programs and hunting for license keys, I am beginning to enjoy having a functioning computer again. For one, I was finally able to download and play with the pictures from my vacation. Yay! I did some quick tweaking in photoshop/bridge, then loaded them into iphoto, made a cool keepsake book, and even ordered it. Can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll have to give a report when it does.

So, I still don't have access to my old hard drive yet, so I'm not sure where I left off on my Project 365 or when I'll be able to retrieve the pictures. For now, I'll just share some favs from my trip:

Randomness

2010-06-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

So, I am behind again on posting my pictures from Project 365. I do post them into a folder on Facebook with a little more regularity, and I think most of you who read this have befriended me, so I'm hoping you're seeing them there. (Except maybe Jessica, who's an on-again, off-again facebooker). =) I figure at least I'm TAKING the daily pictures. I never promised to post them one at a time.

I have a friend whose blog I read (Fantastically Fit by 41) and she recently posted about how she has overcome a sugar addiction and about how wonderful she feels. I started researching sugar addiction, articles such as THIS, and decided it was time to make better choices. I made the plunge and cut all caffeine, sugar, and artificial sweeteners from my diet. It's been 12 days with no caffeine and 10 without sugar (I had to restart the sugar thing on day three because I made an exception for our anniversary dinner). The first week was MISERABLE, but I am finally feeling better, and am looking forward to the day when I don't salivate when I drive by a Sonic. I wonder how long that will take.

The girls have taken up "gardening." They each chose a type of plant to start in these little greenhouses, and they sprouted and we've now moved them to pots on the back porch. Look out world! Hopefully, they won't share their momma's black thumb and they'll actually stay alive long enough to produce what they're supposed to!

I had a whole list of things I had planned to blog about (it's been forever), but my husband just came into the room and turned on "The Wedding Singer" and I can no longer concentrate.

That is all.

Day 171-174

2010-06-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Day 171

Day 172

Day 173

Day 174

Days 161-170

2010-06-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Day 161

Day 162

Day 163

Day 164

Day 165

Day 166

Day 167

Day 168

Day 169

Day 170

Days 151-160

2010-06-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Day 151

Day 152

Day 153

Day 154

Day 155

Day 156

Day 157

Day 158

Day 159

Day 160

Day 141-150

2010-06-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Day 141

Day 142

Day 143

Day 144

Day 145

Day 146

Day 147

Day 148

Day 149

Day 150

Day 137-140

2010-06-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Day 137

Day 138

Day 139

Day 140

Slacker in Posting, but not in shooting... (Days 117-136)

2010-05-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Day 117

Day 118

Day 119 - Relay for Life

Day 120 - tuckered

Day 121 - 1st day of Texas School

Day 122 - Double Rainbow

Day 123

Day 124

Day 125

Day 126

Day 127

Day 128

Day 129

Day 130

Day 131

Day 132

Day 133

Day 134

Day 135

Day 136

Day 116

2010-04-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

Day 115

2010-04-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

90 Day Challenge

2010-04-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago this Wednesday, I took the challenge to read the Bible in 90 days. My best friend is doing this with a class at her church, and told me about it. We actually started on Day 1 together, so it makes it that much better - it helps to be accountable! We are using the schedule laid out here: http://www.haventoday.org/bookmark.pdf.

So, Daily Bible reading has long been something I've struggled with. It always seems like it's been hard to fit in to my crazy life with a full time job and three young children. But, it's been something I've been doing a lot of thinking about lately. My goal in life is to be a successful mother in the sense that my children will grow up to be loving, respectful, God-fearing Christians. How do I do that without providing them with the correct example? So, this challenge came at the perfect time. I'm now on day 12 and it's going well. I haven't felt overwhelmed, the reading hasn't been hard (with the exception of one late night reading of Leviticus), and it's exciting to see my progress and know that I will be able to accomplish something so huge in such a short amount of time. I have given up a little bit of computer and tv time, but honestly, I haven't missed it.

So, my encouragement to you is to MAKE time to be a good example to your children and in the meantime, feed yourself. It doesn't mean you have to do the 90-day challenge, although it would be great! But set time aside frequently for study and prayer. It's amazing how much it will affect your overall attitude and keep you on your toes.

Day 114

2010-04-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the laundry in the background... at least it's clean! :)

Next month, Kevin and I are attending a traditional Indian send-off ceremony for the wedding of one of his friends from work. His fiancee brought me these saris from India. I had to get the blouses fitted, and just got them back today. Which do you think I should wear? I'm still debating.

Day 113

2010-04-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD"

Psalm 127:3a

Day 112

2010-04-24T17:26:00.001-07:00

Day 111

2010-04-24T17:25:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Lila!

Day 110

2010-04-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

Day 109

2010-04-24T17:24:00.001-07:00

Day 108

2010-04-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

Inside joke.

Day 107

2010-04-18T19:54:00.001-07:00

Meme from Mim...

2010-04-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Posted by my friend Mim on her blog, RSVP.

1. When do you feel happiest?

When things are orderly, and when I am enjoying good fellowship.
2. How do you take care of yourself?
I take Monday's off. I get my grocery shopping done for the week, regroup following the weekend, and have a weekly long-distance Bible study with my best friend over the phone. It's a way to help me focus and get a good start to my week.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?
Typically internally, but every now and then get a push from others.
4. What do you do for fun?
Love playing Beatles Rock Band with the family. Also enjoy reading, and browsing random things on the computer. I enjoy scrapbooking, but haven't worked on my albums in a long time. Of course, I love photography. I guess that's pretty much a given considering my line of work. I do love my job most days. :)

5. What intimidates you?
Rude people & conflict.
6. What is something you're proud of?
My children.
7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________.
will be caught up on laundry. Okay, well, maybe. But I'll definitely never enjoy doing it. :)
8. Favorite vacation spot.

Not sure. Our default is San Antonio, because we love going there... but I love traveling and exploring new places.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).8. We had a good day.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know_____________.
I'm organized at heart, but then I had three children...
*****
How about you? Won't you play along? Leave me a link in the comments section.

Day 106

2010-04-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Day 105

2010-04-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

I love to photograph this little girl! She's a regular at the studio.

She gets so excited to come to see "Miss Laura". I LOVE that!!

Day 104

2010-04-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

Chatting with the neighbors.

Day 103

2010-04-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Day 102

2010-04-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

“Render therefore to Caesar

the things that are Caesar’s,

and to God the things

that are God’s.”

Matthew 15:21

Hard to do with a happy heart when it comes to self-employment tax. Sigh.

Day 102

2010-04-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Poor Lila fell down in the yard face first. She's a tough cookie.

Day 101

2010-04-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Final Score:

Kevin - 238

Laura - 239

Sweet Victory!

Day 100

2010-04-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Yay! Day 100... had to mark the milestone with a picture of my three girlies. I think the above picture is my favorite, but I liked this one too:

Day 99

2010-04-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell, it was a busy week at the studio. Had to rely on client images for my project 365. :) Today I am going to enjoy a day off with my family. Hope to have a great image to share this evening.

Day 98

2010-04-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

Day 97

2010-04-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

Lila Quote

2010-04-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you know, I'm a big Beatles fan. Lila is too & the other day she asked me if we could listen to the Beatles when we were in the car together. We were listening to the song "Norwegian Wood" when she blurted out: "She must have been Chinese." Huh? "She must have been Chinese because she didn't have any furniture."

The lyrics to the song we had just heard:

"She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere.
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.
I sat on the rug, biding my time..."

Wow. They do listen.

Day 96

2010-04-06T20:33:00.001-07:00

Poor Saxon just wanted to come out and play with the big kids.

Day 95

2010-04-05T16:45:00.001-07:00

Weekend Trip

2010-04-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of our long weekend & took a quick trip to San Antonio with the girls. It was also Lila's weekend to take home the class pet, Buster, so here he is with Lila in front of the Alamo:

The girls enjoyed counting how many ducks they could find on the riverwalk. I think we stopped counting after 100, but I don't know how many of those could be considered to be from an accurate head count!

Because I have a wonderful husband who will take me through the countryside on a whim looking for wildflowers, we did find a few. Here, the cow is looking directly at Kevin, because Kevin decided to pull over and MOO at him!

Buster even collected some wildflowers:

My beauties:

And one last wildflower shot. Texas is so beautiful!

Day 94

2010-04-04T20:12:00.002-07:00

Day 93

2010-04-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Day 92

2010-04-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Day 91

2010-04-01T19:19:00.001-07:00

Day 90

2010-03-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Day 89

2010-03-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

Day 88: Strawberry Pickin'

2010-03-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Day 87

2010-03-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Each morning, we have a rainbow in our living room floor, thanks to etched glass in our front door. For this image, I put down a piece of paper to "catch" the rainbow, then I cropped in close and increased the saturation. Cool, huh?

Day 86: Lila's new glasses

2010-03-27T20:21:00.001-07:00

Day 85

2010-03-27T12:22:00.001-07:00

Day 84

2010-03-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Day 83

2010-03-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well, obviously, it's bunny week at the studio - one of my two busiest weeks of the year. It's these kind of weeks when it's a good thing I take pictures at work, or it might be hard for me to keep up with my 365... Bedtime comes early tonight.

Day 82

2010-03-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Day 81

2010-03-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

Day 80

2010-03-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Day 79

2010-03-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Day 78

2010-03-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful Spring Break. I can't believe it's already over. Monday, Kevin and I took the girls to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Tuesday they went down to the Grandparents who spoiled them soundly. Wednesday, I took them to get mani/pedis, we ate at the Tea Room, and had triple eye appointments, where Lila and Mallory both need new glasses... Clara's good for now. Wednesday night Mallory had a friend spend the night after church, so they played most of the day on Thursday. Today we were planning to go pick strawberries, but the patch was closed, so we went with a friend to the Natural Science museum and Aquarium in Clute/Lake Jackson. We also started an online (free!) chore chart at www.myjobchart.com which is going quite well. Mallory is ALL over it... the other two still understand I'm making them work, but I think they'll come around. :) It's a very cool system set on points & rewards. Tomorrow is the start of what is one of the longest weeks in my year... Bunny Portraits. Our bunnies are SOOOO precious this year. It's going to be fun!

Day 77

2010-03-19T07:14:00.001-07:00

Day 76

2010-03-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Day 75

2010-03-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

Day 74

2010-03-15T19:07:00.001-07:00

Day 73

2010-03-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Day 72

2010-03-14T20:09:00.001-07:00

Day 71

2010-03-14T20:08:00.001-07:00

Day 70

2010-03-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

Day 69

2010-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Day 68

2010-03-09T18:48:00.001-08:00

Day 67

2010-03-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

Day 66

2010-03-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

Day 65 - Random Pineapple I saw at the beach

2010-03-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

Day 64

2010-03-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Clara! She has had over a full month of "staying on green" at school every day. Which should just be a given, but she had REALLY been struggling with it. Last month, her teacher and I sat down with her and had a "Come to Jesus Meeting" where we just laid it all out and explained that this was unacceptable and things needed to change. Her teacher said that from that day forward she was like a completely different child. Earlier in the week, we noticed her page was almost full of green smiley faces, and we told her that if she filled the whole thing, we would celebrate! What did she ask for? Stickers and Ice Cream. Gotta love it!!

Day 63

2010-03-04T16:38:00.001-08:00

Day 62

2010-03-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

LOVE the tear...

Day 61

2010-03-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

Day 60

2010-03-01T19:04:00.001-08:00

Random Trivia Questions

2010-02-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

Opening…

Do you get regular massages? No

Do you have an answering machine? Yes, but we rarely listen to messages

What cuss word do you use the most? crap

Are you underweight or overweight? over

Can you see your veins? I suppose.

Favorite…

Soap? Dove

Fruit? Pineapple

Kind of red meat? Beef. Esp, Rib Eye. Yum.

Fish? negative.

Candy bar? Twix

Have You Ever…

Eaten a whole bag of potato chips? sure

Eaten lobster? no

Climbed a mountain? no

Been skydiving? no, but my MOM has!! :)

Been water skiing? no. Apparently I'm pretty much a non-adventurer

Do You…

Wish you could change something about your life? of course

Like your nose? it's okay, but frequently sore, which I do not like.

Like salt and vinegar chips? yes

Eat salsa? Absolutely.

Own a boat? Nope

This/That…

Bath/Shower? shower

Markers/Crayons? crayons

Pens/Pencils? pencils

Jelly/Cream Cheese? cream cheese

Bagel/Toast? bagel

Finish…

My greatest weakness is... lack of self-control

I wish I was… less quick to anger

The oddest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth is… a roach. Don't ask. YUCK.

Firsts…

Credit card you had? Probably a VISA that was associated with my bank account. it wasn't until after I was married.

Loan you got was for? Our first car

Paycheck was for how much? I have no idea... but not a lot!

Time you had stitches? Probably my kidney surgery in 2007? I can't think of any I had before that.

Time you went to the hospital for something? in 2000 ~ to have my 1st baby girl. :)

Lasts…

List everything you ate in the last 24 hours? I plead the 5th. I believe ice cream was involved.

Last thing you used a credit card for? lunch

What was your job previous to the one you have now? high school teacher

Last thing you celebrated? just a random fancy night at home with the family

Last time you were at a sports bar? No clue.

Day 59

2010-02-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

My official daily image is above... but I took several today when we went on a family walk, so I have a few additional ones to share. It was so nice to finally have a beautiful day!

Day 58

2010-02-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

Today I taught a basic photography class at the studio. Fun, fun.

Day 57

2010-02-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

Day 56

2010-02-25T09:16:00.002-08:00

Day 55

2010-02-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

Day 54

2010-02-23T18:10:00.001-08:00

Day 53

2010-02-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

Modeling their new duds for "Go Western" Day.

Day 52

2010-02-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

Took this yesterday but didn't get around to posting it... self-portrait taken with iphone Photo Booth Application.

Mallory's Photo Shoot

2010-02-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth, Zum & Abigail:

Felicity, Ruthie & Emily with Zum:

All her AG dolls with Zum:

Felicity:

Zum:

Mallory & Lila's Zums:

Day 51

2010-02-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

Day 50

2010-02-19T20:31:00.001-08:00

Day 49

2010-02-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

So, I know I've shared a studio pictures two days in a row, but how can I not use something this cute as my photo of the day when it came out of my camera?

Day 48

2010-02-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

Day 47

2010-02-16T20:00:00.001-08:00

She really thought she needed ice cream... but mommy didn't agree.

Day 46

2010-02-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

Technology can be so wonderful at times. I have been blessed this year by a Bible study I am doing long-distance with my best friend, who lives over 600 miles away. (Yes, I looked it up). Even though it would be ideal to be able to hang out in person, it's still a good feeling to be able to study together, pray together, and to share our lives with one another via modern technology. Today I even learned to use headphones with a built in speaker, and I didn't even have to hold the phone! :)

Day 45

2010-02-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

My husband surprised me for Valentines day with a gift that he PLANNED IN ADVANCE. For any of you who know me ~ this is huge! I was so impressed. Thank you Dear!

In honor of Valentines Day I thought I'd make a random list of things I love (in no particular order):

Sweet little girl cuddles in the morning.
The sweet smell of newborns
Singing in harmony
Listening to the Beatles
The aroma of coffee
Diet Dr. Pepper
Sonic Ice (covered with DDP)
Children getting along
Making playlists on my ipod

Slobbery Baby Kisses

A clean house (hey - a woman can dream!)
Long conversations with friends
Taking pictures
Caramel
Learning new things
My husband (duh!)
Traveling
Bubble baths
Pedicures
Warm sunny days
The sound of children playing outside
The quiet that fills the house after the children are asleep
A fire in the fireplace
Diet Dr Pepper from Sonic (oh - did I mention that one already?)
James Avery jewelry
Beautiful sunsets
Cozy pjs.
Cuddling during movies
Mexican food
A capella music
Funky bags/totes
The special way my grandma made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
My black boots
Children meeting Santa
"Healthy" Babies with lots of dimples and rolls
THE sleep book
Sunday afternoon naps
Hearing my children read
Spending time with my mother
Cooking
The color combination of Pink & Brown
One-on-one time with my girls
Tutus
Watching old musicals
Movie popcorn drenched in butter
Giggles & Grins
Hearing the words "I love you"

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Day 44

2010-02-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Day 43

2010-02-12T19:58:00.001-08:00

Day 42

2010-02-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

Not posed. One of those rare moments when all three of my children are actually doing something together and getting along. Ahhh....

Day 41

2010-02-10T18:03:00.001-08:00

Day 40

2010-02-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Such sweetness in the studio today, I couldn't help but share.

Day 39

2010-02-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

Not the same without my best friend...