Spring Break Edit

I'm a terrible Mommy! I completely forgot to upload my favorite photos of my little man. He had his own "unique" way of playing pool and air hockey that I just thought was so cute! And this photo of him with his Papaw is priceless! It's tiredness in true Alex form, complete with scowl and finger in the belly button.

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Spring Break 2007

Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera? I'm still snapping like crazy. I could probably document my life (well, the lives of the people IN my life) with photos by the hour! Who needs a diary? Well, actually, I love the words too. Maybe that's why I love scrapbooking so much? The art of the everyday - photos and journaling all in one!

I finally got to see (and hold!) my brand-new nephew again. I had a little impromptu photo shoot and took a TON of photos of him! I'm hoping to convince my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law to let me be their "professional" (HUGE exaggeration there!) photographer. These are some of my favorites:



Then we were off to Gatlinburg for a short Spring Break vacation. 3 glorious days and nights in the fresh mountain air. We decided not to go into the city this time so that we could spend all our time together in the luxury cabin, or out hiking among nature's finest creations. Of the hundreds of photos I took, I managed to get quite a few good ones.

Smokies Throughout the Day: Afternoon, Morning, and Evening


Smokey Mountain Waterfalls


Mountaineer Morgan


Hiking Helen


Jaunting Jessica


It was a wonderful trip, with perfect weather. Totally refreshing!

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Learning About RAW

I'm not a professional photographer, and I don't pretend to be. All I want are wonderful photos of my family. But I am a perfectionist! I want those photos to be the best that I can possibly get them! Shooting in RAW has several advantages, and now that I have acquired a large memory card, I have space for these files on my new camera! But I've never worked with RAW before, and I'm not sure I completely understand the concept. Fortunately, I am a fast learner! So I've been scouring the web, and practicing! I've shot more than 400 photos in 4 days! I don't think this RAW thing is going to be as hard as I thought. I still have lots of technicalities to learn, but I think my photos are already better! Take a look:

Luckily, Alex has been a better model lately. Good thing for me, since he's the only one home with me during the day! Turns out a little bribing helps...





Morgan has no problem stopping to pose when I point the camera at her! Jessie is starting to get a little tired of it, though! I think Helen just runs and hides. I can never find her when I have it in my hands! Even DH is being a good sport ;)



I don't think I will run out of photos to scrap for awhile! Scrapping with good photos is so much more fun!

Puppy Dog Tails



See credits here.

Test Drive



I did this layout because I'm hosting the Sweet Inspiration Challenge at Sweet Shoppe Designs this week. So go play along! Details can be found here.

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Playing Catch-Up

I have been a bad, bad, blogger! February was so busy and full of excitement that I just didn't have the time. I spent a weekend in Nashville at the Needlework Market helping out a designer that I do some model stitching for, Cross Eyed Kat, and that was so much fun! I finally got to meet a lot of online gals!

We spent Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans for an impromtu trip that my brother schemed up. I have been to New Orleans, but never to Mardi Gras, so that was an experience! I loved all the parades, and taking pictures of the sights. We stayed with a friend of my brother's, whose family was soooo nice! His parents made us breakfast every morning, and we got some very nice spare bedrooms. It was like staying at a bed & breakfast! I just wish we could have stayed longer. Two days is not enough to take in that city!

In other news, some of you may have seen my PopWeekly challenge layout at Sweet Shoppe Desings that hinted on a large purchase:



Well, my splurge arrived yesterday!



I am so in love with this camera! It uses the same lenses that My film Canon (EOS3) uses, and shares all its accessories. The pictures this thing takes may even be better! I have had this thing in my hands since it arrived, and have been having a blast! I haven't even had time to learn how to mess with the white balance or anything, and I am so happy with the shots I have been getting! Be warned: there are going to be lots of photos going up here in the next few days (or weeks)! Here are some of my favorites so far (note: These are on the LOWEST quality setting since I don't have a memory card big enough for the high resolution photos yet, and they are completely UNEDITED! Yet I am still thrilled!):

Alex started off so good letting me take his photo:





But it didn't last long:



He won't even let me point it at him anymore! LOL Luckily, I have other more willing subjects:





And I just love this candid one of Jessie and Alex!



We're going to the Smokey Mountains next week for a short Spring Break vacation, and I can't wait to take this baby with me!!

Ok, now for some scrapping updates! I am totally LOVING my SugarBabe gig! I feel like my scrapping is evolving everyday, and I'm having a blast with all the layouts I get to do! I also get to be a guest designer for Dani Mogstad this month!! Here are a few layouts I've done with her kits so far. Check my DST gallery for credits.





If you like to work with templates, Teresa Ferguson is having a special call for a template CT! Apply, gals! Teresa is such a joy to work with!



I just have to end this with my most recent layout. I was quite pleased with how it turned out, even though Alex will never forgive me!



If you've made it all the way to the end of this post, I applaude you!! Thanks for bearing with me, and I will do better at staying updated!

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