Quick post.....

before I hit the bed! It's been a long week with Lillian being sick, even though you can hardly tell that she's sick!! It doesn't really get tough until right before her bed time. Hopefully the little germs will leave her little body soon! We headed over to Pat's today for a little get together. Lindsay got her this adorable little broom set that she just loved and was usually sweeping everything but the floor. In this shot below she was sweeping when she all of the sudden walked into the light and stared at the setting sun.....


And this is Lilly and Kylie sharing a big hug....

We're going to Huck Finn's tomorrow which is this huge warehouse in Albany that has everything under the sun, including carpets which is what we're going there for. I want an area rug for underneath Lillian's table and chairs and play kitchen since the tile in the kitchen can get a bit cold. Hopefully we'll be able to find something. Not sure what we'll do on Monday and Tuesday with Dan, but we always figure something out!!!

My little one....

has her very first real cold :( Lillian is a little under the weather today and has been coughing and sneezing. She's trying to make sense of it all and you can tell she really doesn't understand what's going on when she starts to cough......poor thing! So while she naps I've been catching up on the laundry and cleaning all of the odds and ends from Christmas. Anyways, lots to do.......so here's a couple of pics from yesterday.....

Had to share....

just a couple of shots of Betsy and Justin.......and of course Betsy's bump! I'm supposed to wait to post these until she see's them, but I just had to share a couple. I'm still editing , but will do most of it tomorrow. The lighting wasn't the greatest, but I did what I could with what I had since I wasn't in the mood to set up the lighting I received for Christmas.....especially since it didn't come with ANY instructions!!! Anyways, I'll post about Christmas in Syracuse tomorrow, time for bed for now!!

As good as it gets......

So this is as close to a smile as we got on Friday!!! I had a feeling that she wasn't in the mood to sit on some strangers lap, but I knew I'd be upset if I didn't at least try! I've got a couple more pics that I'll share tomorrow of her crying. At least she'll have something to laugh at when she's older! We had a good time at the company Christmas party......lots of people and me asking lots of questions since we went into the manufacturing part of the building which I've never been into before. They had a HUGE fireworks display and it was just so nice to know that Dan works for a company that cares so much about their employees.

Anyways, got lots of things to do but thought that I would share a quick pic!

My little snow bunny

Isn't she the cutest!!! I thought that since we finally got enough snow to cover up all of the grass that it was time to play in it! So after dinner tonight we headed outside and Lillian played in the snow for the very first time! She absolutely loved it! I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points, but it was just so much fun seeing her reaction to it. I realized that I HAD to capture this moment, so I went inside and grabbed my camera, flash, Lightsphere and umbrella......had to protect the camera of course!!! She made her first snow angel with a little help of course and she loved running her hands through it.

Tomorrow Lillian gets to see Santa too for the first time! I was a little afraid of bringing her last year since she was a preemie, but now that she's a big girl, it's finally time!! I'll bring my camera of course to capture it......can't wait to see her reaction to it! Dan's work is having their Christmas party tomorrow and there's supposed to be a big fireworks display so that should be fun too!! Anyways, hope that everyone has a wonderful Friday. I "may" post another freebie.....not sure when so be sure to come back!

Have you seen this.....

Seriously ladies.....head on over to Tara's store and check out all of her great stuff!!!

Please meet.....

My new car!!! Last night when I was talking to Dan I realized that I needed to give her a name. My grandfather named his cars, so I thought why not! So this is Dorothy. Dorothy was my grandma's name, although my grandpa called her Anastatia. I was trying to decide between the two of them, but thought that Dorothy fit better. I think that my grandma would get a kick out me naming my car after her, after all, grandpa did name some of his cars Betsy (my sisters' name!) Now all she needs is some little ruby red slippers dangling from the mirror and she'll be all set!

Me and Lilly took her for a drive today. First we dropped of Dan's lunch since I forgot to make one and then we headed to the bookstore in Manchester. I picked up some potty training books for Lillian and I picked up a knitting book with hat patterns in it. I thought it'd be nice to have some cute hats on hand for some shoots.....plus I'd like to learn some other stitches so this will be perfect!

Since I'm so happy.....

about getting my new car, I thought that I would spread the love by sharing an unreleased kit that I made for the next 48 hours. I will take down the link on Friday at 10 am (est) so be sure to get it while you can.....

Sorry you missed the links!

This is what happens.....

When you turn your head around for a few moments!!! I seriously almost lost my breakfast I was laughing so hard!!! Yesterday when we went to her doctors appointment, Dr. Orton said that I shouldn't watch her like a hawk when we give her new foods because it tends to send a warning signal like "hey why are they watching me!" So although Lillian has had yogurt before, she's never had the brightly colored yogurt. So I turned my head and cleaned off the kitchen island and this is what I found a few moments later. She was having an absolute blast and since she was already dirty, I let her have some more fun. At least I know to take all of her clothes off from now on!!

In other news we picked up the car tonight and I absolutely LOVE it!!! It's so nice and it's just so nice to have the car that I always wanted. I think that even if I had all of the money in the world, I'd want this car! Me and Lilly are going to go for a drive tomorrow and test it out some more in the daylight and get used to all of the little buttons and what not!

YAY!!!!

I'm getting a new car!!!!! I've got lots of stuff to do, but I'm so excited!!! When I woke up this morning I thought it was all a dream! We're getting a silver Subaru Outback with all the bells and whistles, which is basically everything that was broken in the Impala. It's such a sharp looking car, or wagon I guess I should say! I'd never be able to get a minivan......not my style.....and I also didn't want an SUV. So for me this was the best choice. And with all-wheel drive, it'll come in really handy in the winter! We're picking it up later today, so I'll take some pics if it's still light outside. If not, me and Lilly will go for a drive tomorrow.....gotta break it in after all!

Anyways, if you're a digi scrapper, be sure to come back tomorrow morning. I'll be posting a super duper big treat for everyone to share my happiness!!!

My big girl

It's so hard to believe that Lillian is 18 months.....where did the time go?!! She had her checkup today and everything went wonderful! She weighs 24 pounds and is 33 1/2 inches tall.....average weight but in the 90% for height!!! She also had her last immunization for awhile and her next checkup isn't until she's 2. I must admit that I was a little afraid about going today because I didn't want to hear what I've been fearing since her last check-up.......that she's behind developmentally. Dr. Orton put my heart and mind at ease by letting me know that Lillian is offically caught up since she was a preemie!! She's doing everything right on time and she was REALLY happy with how well she's doing. Our new things that we're going to start working on is potty training......specifically putting Lillian on the potty when she begins to grunt......she always grunts when she poops!!! And we're also going to continue to read to her daily and teach her new words. I'm just so happy that she's doing so well!!!

In other news, send happy car vibes our way!!! The dealer got a new vehicle on their lot this past weekend while we were gone......a silver Outback......what I always wanted!!! Dan is getting out of work early and we'll head on over........the suspense of it all is killing me!!!

So......

I'm about to go to bed, but thought that I would point you in the direction to my new photography website......

www.carrieannphotography.com

I still have lots of work to do, but for just buying my domain and purchasing the template today, I think that it's coming along okay!! Guess this means it's really gonna happen!!

Big Day!

Well we started the day off with taking some more Christmas pics so I can make my cards and send them out before the day actually gets here! I thought that I'd make her happy first by getting her into her costume....


I'm using the paper background today.....although it took quite a beating from Lillian! So then I put her in her Christmas outfit....


This was at the end of it all (don't want to waste the surprise for the Christmas cards!) She didn't smile, but I was able to get some good shots. I'm done torturing her though by getting her all dressed up and putting the headband on her!

So you may be wondering about the title of this post. Today was a big day because I picked up my domain name at godaddy.com!!!! I'll probably get the template tomorrow or early next week and start getting my info and gallery up! My very own website......YAY!!!!

So you know how when you met the person that you're in love with and you knew it was right......this is the way that I feel about photography. I'll be the first to admit, my mind tends to drift. I went to college for nursing, changed to forensic chemistry, considered elementary ed and then dropped out. I then went to work in the business world landing a run of the mill job at RSA (remarketing services of america.....I think it's named something different now if I recall!) Then we moved out to Massachusetts......or as Dan likes to call it......Assachusettes. Well I didn't get a job there, probably should have, but I didn't. So I thought that I'd give Medical Transcription a try. Another bust. And then, I got pregnant and my career path didn't matter anymore.....at least to me it didn't. Then when I got my SLR in May, everything changed. I found my creative outlet. All of those things that I was chasing before, denied me of my creativity. So photography for me has endless opportunities. I can be creative, enjoy what I'm doing, while at the same time, contribute to my family (which I know Dan will love.) It's gonna take some work, but I think it's worth the fight!

Well....

Apparently Lilly wasn't in the mood to take Christmas pics this year! I spent quite awhile setting up and ironing the backdrop and she was clearly more interested in walking all over the place in her pretty little dress. Not that I blame her or anything.....sitting still and smiling can get rather boring after a couple of minutes. Sadly I didn't get any shots of her smiling. I think that tomorrow I'll use the paper backdrop and we'll give it a try again! It was great practice though which I really needed!!

Another busy day!

Today I worked on cleaning out the 3rd room and cleaning out some of the shelves and moving around my stamping supplies. I'm not getting rid of them, but I'm certainly not adding any to my collection! I'm going to finish up tomorrow morning and finish up cleaning all of the odds and ends out of the kitchen so I can set up the backdrop and take some Christmas pics of Lilly. I was planning on doing it today, but I got sidetracked when I thought about making up a new "logo" for my business. Just basic for now, but I like the way it turned out....


And then I've also got the new watermark for the pics.....

Lilly decided she wanted to check out the snow outside today and I caught her like this and thought that I would grab the camera really quick before I pulled her down! And what's up the weather dudes?! We were supposed to get like 10 inches of snow here and I don't think that we even have an inch. Oh well! The snow will come and Dan will get a chance to test out his new skis and bindings......and we'll be at the lodge making snowmen and taking pics!

Tell Dan.....

the reasons why I need a new car and you can get this alpha for free....

My time with the Impala is hopefully drawing to a close and the Subaru dealer has a 2007 Outback with my name written all over it!!! I think he's about 85% convinced, but I thought that he could use a little help. I have two main reasons at this point for saying goodbye to my car..........1) I don't have keyless entry and with a toddler in tow, getting into the car can be a real pain in my you know what 2) I just hit 90,000 miles and I know from working at RSA that I need to get rid of it before it hits 100,000. So........tell Dan why I need a new car! Leave a comment below and be sure to include your email address so I have a way to email you a link to download. You MUST include this info to get the link. And please do not share once you receive it. This will only be available until Wednesday at 6 pm (est) so comment while you can!!!

We're back....

and happy to be home! It was a long week in Syracuse, filled with colds, a long to do list, a toddler that liked to get into EVERYTHING and a baby shower! I still have to edit the pics from the shower, but thought that I would share some pics from the long week of Lillian....

I now have my backdrop, reflector, and bench so other than the lighting I'm just about set to go on the equipment side of starting my business. I'm sending in the paperwork to the State of Vermont to register my business name today and then next week I'm going to head out to some of the town offices to get some more info. It's just the legal side of things that I need to work on over the next month or so......I want to make sure that everything is in order before I start accepting clients. But if you're located in my area, keep me in mind if you're in need of some photos next year!!! Anyways, lots of unpacking and such today.....hope everyone has a great week!!

Schtuff.....

Well my wacom pen came today so I was able to edit this pic that I took of Dan and Lilly the other day. So like I mentioned before, I settled on Carrie Ann Photography, but I was trying to think of a catch phrase to go along with it so here's what I have...Today was a busy one with an early morning trip to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for turkey day.....lets just say that it was nuts in there! It wouldn't have been so bad if I had been able to find the french's onions sooner!!! I made some fudge for our Thanksgiving at home and did the laundry.......again!!! Tomorrow I'm going to cook one of the turkey's (I got an extra one so Dan would have left overs while I'm gone) and the yams. I guess it will kinda be a practice one for Thursday! I was able to do some scrapping last week and here are some of my layouts that I used some of Lauren's fab new stuff at Sweet Shoppe......

Just some pics!

And just in case you're wondering Dan.....I need to edit that pic of you and Lilly!!

Long week ahead....

and I've got A LOT to do!!! Tomorrow I've got to work on the laundry and start sorting things out and getting things ready for the trip back home this weekend. I've also have to make a test run for Betsy's shower centerpieces so hopefully they'll turn out okay.....otherwise it's gonna cost me some money!!! Then on Tuesday we're going to go get everything that we need for Thanksgiving dinner which should be fun!! I think that for the most part, it just going to be all of the small details tied into Betsy's shower that are going to keep me busy the rest of the week. My new Wacom pen should be coming on Tuesday, but I won't get much use out of it until I return from Syracuse (my poor CT!!!) In other news.....I just ordered this from Overstock.com.....


100% leather for an absolute steal and for $1 to ship how can you go wrong!!!! And just in case you're wondering, this is for the photography portraits......I so can't wait! Can't you just picture a little newborn all curled up on it with a fuzzy blanket underneath them, or a family, or a young couple.....basically whatever needs to be photographed!!! I think that I've pretty much settled on Carrie Ann Photography. Still using my name, but not dealing with the issues of mispronouncing my last name!! I've got lots to do once I get back from Syracuse and I mean LOTS!!! Anyways, I'll try and post a couple of pics of Lilly tomorrow......she's way too cute!!!

So I have my new flash and my Lightsphere and I've been playing with them this past week. Still have tons to learn, but so far so good! I'm going to be ordering my backdrops and stand this week so I'll have that. And then for Christmas I'm going to ask for a softbox and other goodies for the lighting side of things and I should be all set to go. I've still been doing lots of research for the business side of things and I'll probably head out to the county clerk either later this week or next week to get some more info and assistance. And at night I've been reading some books that I ordered from Amazon. And since they have lots of pictures in them it certainly goes by a lot faster!!!

Just a couple....

Of pics from this weekend. We really didn't do too much, which I guess is okay.....I just always feel the need to do something! Saturday I worked on some of the stuff for Betsy's shower and today, me and Lilly headed over to the park near Grandma's house for some shots. I would have liked to have gotten next to the water, but it was too high so there was no place to walk. Nothing major planned this week. Lilly ate my pen for my Wacom, so all designing has been put on hold until the new one comes. Not much else to talk about plus I'm tired from a loooooooong week!! Hope that everyone's week is a wonderful one!

In training....

I always ask Lilly if she'll stay as small as she is for the rest of her life.......as long as she starts using the potty......she always shakes her head no! She had the no thing down pat, still need to work on saying yes. She's been sitting on her potty for the past few months so at least she's got that part down. And just in case you're wondering, yes that is an old potty trainer! It was my dad's and then me and Betsy used it. Now that I'm looking at this pic, I think I'm going to get a bowl to go under it and start putting her on it......it's worth a try at least!

I've been working on my business plan for the photography business. Right now I'm brainstorming on a name since I don't like hearing my last name butchered! I thought for certain that once I got married, I wouldn't have to hear my last name mispronounced anymore......I mean, Bombria......bomb-rhea!!! I hear Boombria, Bombriard (where the d comes from I'll never know) and several others. So for me, coming up with a name for my business will help me from correcting everyone everytime they say my name!! Once I come up with the name, I need to buy the domain. There are sooooo many things I need to do, the least of which is buy a new computer! I was looking at the MacBook, but with only 13 inches, that's smaller than the Dell I have now and I'd rather go bigger for photo editing. I don't know what to do, but I'll figure it out....I've got some time to think about it anyways since I'm in no rush!!

Anyways, not really sure what's going on this weekend or if we have any plans. It's supposed to be nice but cold out so I'd at least like to get outside for a bit! I'll have a freebie coming up soon.....some more stuff from the collab kits at MDM.....sometime next week.

Well.....

it's been a busy week so far!!! This past weekend started with going through and finishing loads and loads and loads of laundry. It got a little backed up with the whole flea fiasco and there were some clothes that were clean in the baskets that weren't folded so I freshened those all up and am finally done with everything. Sunday we went for a drive to the Vermont Country Store.....I just love that place!! Monday I finished up my cleaning and then yesterday we ran a few errands around. We picked up a couple of re-usable grocery bags yesterday. I brought them home first to see how well I liked them since I've been shopping all over the internet for some the past week and I think that we'll go with these......and at only $1 each they're a real bargain. I just hate coming home with all of those bags and how much of a waste it is. So now we're a somewhat eco-friendly house with the cloth diapers and grocery bags!!!

My new flash is coming today and I'm so excited about it! I've been doing some research on studio lighting and found that the SB-800 gives out just about as much as the Alien Bee B800 light. So at this point, I figured I'm best off using my flash and getting a softbox. I'm going to get my backdrops and stand from ebay this week so hopefully within the next couple of weeks I'll be able to practice with Lilly using natural light. Can you tell how much I want this?!!! From what I've seen of the local photographers around here that do portraits, they're either using cheesy backdrops or the standard shots. I guess that's just not me. I want to be able to capture real moments in life. I want to be able to capture a baby when they're happy and when they're sad. I want to be able to capture a family with the little ones running around and bringing joy and laughter to their parents faces. If I'm able to do this professionally, I think that I'll have finally found the one thing that I was meant to do career wise. It'll allow me to not only make money, but also have a creative outlet which is something that I'm always craving.

Anyways, me and Lilly are going to go pick up some more grocery bags and maybe head over to Aldi's for a couple of things. Maybe we'll take a couple of shots if the grass isn't too wet!!!

Well....

It's 8 am and we've been up since about 6:30 this morning. Lilly got up last night at midnight so she came downstairs with me to sleep. It was a long night, for me at least......she is such a bed hog!! So today I'm going to be getting my stuff in the store at Divine Digital and doing my least favorite chore, the laundry. I really, really, really hate the laundry. I always say that I'm going to do it more than once a week, but that never ends up happening. Last night, as I laid awake looking at the ceiling, I decided that I need to make some sort of chore schedule.

In other news, My Digital Muse is officially closed. I was in denial last night before I brought Lilly down as I was looking at the website. I deleted it from my favorites this morning, sad......but time to move on! I'll be having a grand opening sale at Divine once everything gets in the store.....including a couple new items. I'm going to start working on a new item today, and hopefully it won't stink!

Oh and today I'll be making a big purchase camera wise......


It's the Nikon SB-800 Speedlight!!! I was thinking of getting the SB-600, but I thought that I would rather grow into a flash than out of one. It's a bit more than I was planning on spending, but I had a good final week at MDM so that's where everything will be going!! I'm also going to get a Lightspere and an extra rechargeable battery......I noticed that my 50mm eats up a ton of energy!! The next thing I hope to get is some studio lighting so if anyone has any recommendations let me know!!!

Anyways, I thought that I would share some of the pieces that I made for some of the collab kits at MDM! This week I'll share my stuff from the Think Pink Breast Cancer Charity Kit....

You can download it here.....and be sure to let me know what you think below!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Have you seen this cute chick?!!! We decided to surprise Grandma at work today and headed over to her house for lunch. Afterwards, I of course had to take some pics. I was surprised to see that she wore the hat all day long without ripping it off her head which is what she was doing at home!!