I've got Answers, Part 3

I am a slacker & finally have answers to Part 3. The final set of answers!
Thank you for your patience, I have a lot going on (busy, busy, busy!)

But, I finally have time to answer another round of questions from my Got Questions? post.

Here are the answers to Part 1 & Part 2

Question #1:
I would love to know how you make all your paper designs/invites?
I love the numbers picture you did. Would you mind sharing how it was created?

I make all my invites, cupcake toppers & the important dates print in Photoshop. I use Photoshop CS3. For invites, I just use scrapbooking backgrounds (or make my own) and add clip art & play around with fonts until I like what I make.
For the important dates print, I just have a solid background color & add the numbers/dates and make sure they are all lined up!

Question #2:
What position did you play in soccer?

I played forward the majority of the time. But, I also played outside midfield from time to time if my coach needed me there. I never played defense, I was all about scoring goals!

Question #3
We are going to paint the trim around our slider white like yours(it is currently just oak).Do you have any type of window covering on your French Doors... curtains or shades of some type? Thanks for taking the time to answer all of these questions!! if you don't have any window coverings on your sliding door - doesn't that bug you? I am way too freakish to sit in my family room/kitchen at night without having my shutters closed, etc.

We don't have any curtains or window coverings on our French Doors. I love being able to see out the doors and have it light & bright in our Family Room/Kitchen. It doesn't bug me having no window coverings on it, I think it would bug me if we did! And, we back up to open space & there isn't a home behind ours, so I am not worried about any neighbors being able to see into the back of our house. We have plantation shutters on all our windows, which I love!


Question #4
I think you’ve said that you use Photoshop-my question is how did you learn to edit and would you be able to do a post on some of the basics in editing-Mel style? I know you have your plate full, but I thought I’d ask anyway. If not, could you provide some helpful tips for those of us who are intimidated by Photoshop?

Yes, I use photoshop to edit my pics. Although, I don't edit all my photos that I post here on my blog, most of them are SOOC (straight off the camera) I shoot in manual so I try and get my photos to look good on the camera, not in photoshop. Occasionally, some of the photos I post on here, I do slight color corrections or brighten them. When I shoot photos for other people, I do edit each and every single one of them, evening out skin tones, sharpening the photos, color balance, etc. I do have some actions that I use to edit, but I don't use those much anymore.
This gives me an idea to post a photoshop tutorial one of these days & the exact steps I use to edit photos! Stay tuned.
I am self taught on Photoshop, I just played around with it & read about stuff online. So, my advice would be to open it up, and practice!!!! Play around with different functions. Or, take a class on Photoshop. It really is fun to use!

Question #5
How do you create the designs for your invitations? I have zero creativity and can’t imagine how you do that? How do you fit pictures into the designs and print all that? Do you have a special printing program or printer? Just curious because I have no idea how people do that!!!

This answer is similar to answer #1. I just come up with ideas in my head for invites, etc and play around in photoshop until it looks the way I envisioned. When I first start thinking of an invite, it goes through several drafts/changes/fixes before I decide I like it. I mostly agonize and fixate on the fonts. I am a font snob..I can literally spend HOURS choosing a font. I print my invites/cards/etc through WHCC, Overnight prints or Costco.

Question #6
OK, so my 12 year old just asked for help with his homework:
2(3x)=2x+16
x=?
Yeah! A math problem! Fun! Although, you asked this in November, so I am a little late on homework help. Ha! This is solving equations, which is what I teach my 7th grade Pre Algebra students.
First step is on the left side, you multiply 2 and 3x which equals 6x.
So, your equation is now:
6x=2x+16
Our goal is to solve for x. In order to do that, we need to have all the numbers with x on one side, so we are going to subtract 2x from each side of the equation.
(The golden rule of math is what you do to one side, you must do to the other side)
So, once you subtract 2x from both sides, your equation will now be:
4x = 16
Now, we need to get x by itself, so we are going to divide each side by 4.
x =4
And, don't forget to check your work using the original equation.
You want the left side of the equation to equal the right side of the equation.
Wherever you see the x, substitute it with the 4.
2(3x)=2x+16
2(3*4) = 2(4) +16
2(12) = 8 + 16
24 = 24
Yeah! We got it right, x = 4.

Question #7
1. Would you say going on the Disney cruise with two kids or going to Disney world with two kids was more relaxing? My husband and I are debating on which would be better. (Our girls are 7 and 3)
&
2. What camera would you recommend for beginners. I Just want a good camera to take pictures of my girls...not too expensive but not too cheap either?

I would say hands down, the Disney Cruise is more relaxing!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, it was so fun.
And, your kids will love it also. They do have kids clubs you can check your kids into, but we didn't use them during the day, we wanted to hang out with our girls at the pool, beach, etc. We had them go to the kids club at dinner time (dinner takes a long time on the cruise & our dinner time was 8 pm, so we fed our girls room service at 6 and them put them in Kids Club while the adults had dinner. We did this 2 out of 4 nights.)
Disney World was also fun, but not relaxing....especially in June with heat & crowds. If you are looking for relaxing, the cruise is the way to go. We went for 4 days, I could have stayed longer. *Sigh* I want to go back.
You can read more about our Disney Cruise & Disney World Trip here, here and here.

The 2nd part of the question was about cameras.
If you are interested in getting a DSLR, I would get an Entry level DSLR either a Canon Rebel or Nikon D5100 ( I think that is what the Nikon one is called)
My first DSLR was a Canon Rebel. It is a great camera. As I got more familar with the camera & not shooting in auto, I upgraded lenses. Once I was shooting in all manual (about 2 years after I got it) I upgraded the camera to the Canon 50D.
I am a Canon girl, but Nikon is great also.
I would go to a camera shop (or Best Buy or Costco) and actually hold the Canon and Nikon in your hands. Whichever one is more comfortable in your hands & feels better is what I would go with. Be prepared to spend over $500 for an entry level DSLR with a kit lens.

Question #8
You've shared that your girls don't sleep well at night. My first 2 kids have always slept super well, my 3rd baby...not so much. Any tips on how you function with a wacky sleep schedule? Thanks!

How do I function with wacky sleepers? 2 words:
Coffee (in the morning) and
(at night)
(For me, not them!)
Honestly, having kids who don't sleep very well is hard. They have gotten better, but at least one of them wakes up in the middle of the night....still. Luckily for me, I am a very, very heavy sleeper & don't hear them at night. Unluckily for Kevin, he is a light sleeper, so he is the one who gets up with them in the middle night & deals with them. (Thanks, Kevin!)

Question #9
Do you work out and if so, when do you find the time and what are your favorite workouts? I'm a teacher too, and I've been struggling this school year to find the time and motivation to workout.

Yeah....I haven't worked out in over 6 years (beforeI was pregnant with Kate)
So, to answer your question, I haven't found the time to do it (especially teaching & being a mom) So, I don't have the time or motivation either. (And, so far, I have been lucky with good metabolism) I guess that doesn't really help you with your question, but maybe one of my readers has some advice for you (and me!) One of these years, I would like to get back on a workout routine. If I did, it would be running. I USED to run all the time. I love (loved?) running. So, if I were to workout it, it would be by running. I am not a gym person. Kevin & I belonged to a gym our first few years of marriage & I think I went a total of 10 times in 3 years. Gym membership FAIL. Ha!

Question #10
How did Kevin propose???
Kevin proposed 10 years ago(!!!) on February 15, 2002.
You can read all about it HERE.

Phew. It only took me a few months to answer the questions!
But, I had fun answering them!
Hope you are having a great Wednesday & Happy Pi Day!

I've Got Answers, Part 2

I finally have time to answer another round of questions from my Got Questions? post.

Here are the answers to Part 1.
Now....On to Part 2!
1. What would you do if you could have one "dream" day: a) by yourself b) with your husband c) with your family

Love this question! Okay, if I had a dream day all to myself, I would sleep in. Then, it would be time to head out for the day. (While I was gone, there would be a house cleaner at my house deep-cleaning my ENTIRE house! A girl can dream, right?) I would go to my favorite coffee shop & get a vanilla latte & cinnamon roll. I would then go get a manicure & pedicure. Then, I would head over to the Farmer's Market. And, I would go walk around the little shops in our downtown area that I never go in. Then, I would go pick up a sandwhich at my favorite lunch place. They have the best turkey, cranberry, avocado sandwich on freshly baked honey wheat bread! It is SO good. And, of course, I would get a Diet Coke & fresh chocolate chip cookie to go with it. I would get my lunch to go & go eat it on the big grassy area in front of the library & while reading a book. After lunch, I would go shopping at my favorite outdoor mall about 10 minutes from our house. After shopping for a few hours, it would be time for my 1 hour massage. Then, it would be time for dinner. I would get my dinner to go at Cheesecake Factory. I would get the avacado egg rolls, bang bang chicken & shrimp & a piece a Snickers cheesecake to-go. I would eat my dinner at home while drinking a glass of wine while staying up late watching chick-flicks in my spotless & sparkling clean house. :)

Now, if I had a dream day with Kevin, I know exactly what I would want to do. We would sleep in (because the girls would be at a sleepover at Grandma's house) Then we would go to breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot for omelets & coffee. After breakfast we would head to the Napa Valley for the day to go wine tasting at some of our favorite wineries. We would get lunch at Dean & Duluca and have a picnic at one of the wineries. After our day in Napa, we would head into San Francisco for dinner & a musical. After the show, we would go to the Buena Vista for Irish Coffee's. It would be a great day!

If we had a dream day as a family, we would surprise the girls & catch a 7am flight to So Cal & go to Disneyland for the day and then fly back that night. Our girls would be perfectly behaved on both flights & at Disneyland :) Our girls had so much fun at Disney World this summer. They talk about it all the time & want to go back. Going to Disneyland for the day would be such a fun thing to do with them. Maybe one day...!

2. I just wonder how you work and still have time to have great parties and everything else you do. Also you are always posting pictures of all the yummy food that you make...what are some go to quick dinners that you make?

I am a night owl. I do almost 100% of my party planning & party prep at night when the girls are in bed. I can easily stay up until 2am getting stuff done. So, whenever we have parties, etc. most of my time prepping for it is at night. I make all my labels, cupcake toppers, etc at night. And, the night before the party is when I prep all the food. Same goes with cleaning my house, editing photos, etsy orders & blogging.....I do all that at night! I just work better at night!
In terms of quick dinners that I make for our family, several of them I have posted here:
Taco Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Easiest Dinner Ever
Homemade Mac & Cheese
I also make meals that last more than 1 night so that we have leftovers. Chicken Enchiladas, Lasagna, Chicken Spaghetti, Chicken Tortilla Casserole, Fajitas, etc. We like Mexican & Pasta, so a majority of our meals come from that genre. I also LOVE the Pioneer Woman, so I make a lot of her recipes! The crock pot is also used once a week, check out this post for tons of recipes from blog readers when I had my Crock-tober link up!

3.
Are you and hubby both from CA? Did you grow up there?
If you could live in any other state what would it be?
Yes, we both grew up in California...born & raised! It is such a wonderful place to live & we are so lucky that both sides of our entire families live in California also. We never have to travel for holidays! If we could live in any other state, it would be ....COLORADO!
That is a no-brainer!
I went to the University of Colorado and living there for 4 years in college was a dream.
It is sunny in Colorado over 300 days a year. And, there are seasons. Oh, how I loved having seasons. I loved it when it snowed. SO much fun.
It is such a beautiful state (& we have a TON of friends who still live there)
Before we had kids, Kevin and I would talk about moving to Colorado (the price of living is so much cheaper than California) But, since having kids, moving there is out of the question. We have both sets of grandparents just minutes from us. You can't beat that.

4. What is the one holiday activity/tradition you do with your children that I must try?

In terms of a favorite holiday or tradition, I LOVE ALL holidays, so narrowing it down to one tradition is very hard for me to do! Like Kelle Hampton says, "I wave my Holiday Freak Flag at every holiday!"
I think of every holiday as a chance to celebrate and create tradition.
Basically, I use any holiday as an excuse to create something with my girls or throw a party.
I can't just pick one that you must do, but I will highlight some of my favorites!
My favorite traditions include my girls (of course!), spending time with friends & family and doing something that blesses someone else.
For St. Patricks Day last year, there was a lepruchan that came to our house & the girls had to go on a treasure hunt. That was SO fun.
For Easter, we make Empty Tomb cookies & read about the Resurrection.
On 4th of July, we spend the day with friends & family at parties & the parade and have the annual Sausage Fest and Jimmy's Homemade Ice Cream.
On Halloween this year, we had friends over for dinner before we went Trick or Treating and then all went Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. New Tradition? I think so!
My favorite tradition this year was Thanksgiving, when we made Pumpkin Bread for every family on our court and the girls and I passed them out on Thanksgiving. So fun.
And of course, there is Christmas...so many fun traditions. My favorites are Cutting Down our Christmas Tree, Wrapping a book for each day of Advent, Handing out Blessing Bags to the homeless & Candle the Elf.

5. I'm 16 and in high school. I'm interested in growing my faith, my parents don't go to church and don't have a religion base to teach me off of. Where do you suggest I start? Thanks!

What a great question! That is so awesome you want to grow your faith. Do any of your friends go to church? I would say get involved with a youth group at a church in your town, or see if there is a Young Life group in your town. Going to youth group when I was in high school was one of the #1 things for me that helped me grow my faith. I loved going to the weekly meetings & hearing the talks from our youth pastor. I was also in a Small Group with 6 other girls in my youth group & we met weekly to do a Bible Study. And, of course one of the most fun things about youth groups is going on the trips. Winter Retreats, Summer Camp & going to Mexico over Spring Break to build houses & help in the orphanages helped shape me in high school.
You might need to check out a few to see which one works for you. I know when I was in college (in Colorado) I checked out a few different churches/college groups on campus my freshman year before I found one that worked for me!
If none of your friends go to youth group, you could also see if there is a Christian Club on your high school campus. That would be another place to get involved & meet other Christians. It is so important to become a part of the Christian community to help you grow your faith, keep you accountable & have people praying for you & with you. Good luck! I will be praying for you!

6. I am curious how you find time to do all of your creative things and work, keep a home running, etc. What time budgeting tips do you have?

Well, I don't know if I am the best one to give advice on this one because like I mentioned earlier, I am a total night owl & stay up WAY too late most days. So, all the creative stuff happens from the hours 9pm-midnight! (But, I will mention that I have been SO good about going to bed earlier in 2012!) In terms of keeping my home running, well that is still a work in progress! First of all, Kevin is VERY, VERY helpful!!!! Every Sunday, I try to have the entire house cleaned & prepped for the week. Because I am a working mom, I like to have Monday start off on the right step with a clean & organized house. So, Sundays are when we do most of the cleaning. I meal plan for the week every Sunday so that I know what is for dinner that week. I like to prep Monday night's dinner on Sunday night so that when I get home from work on Monday, I can just pop it into the oven (or plug in the crockpot) Starting the week right, helps me stay organized for the rest of the week.
As far as other time budgeting tips, I am also trying to figure out a new system for our family so that Sunday's after church can be more relaxing & not so focused on cleaning.
My friend Erin has a great system that I am trying to implement this year!
This is a picture of her daily schedule:
And, she has a thing called Top 6 & every night she writes down a list of the Top 6 things she needs to do that day (ex: 1. make dentist appointments 2. pick up clothes at cleaners 3. return library books 4. pay mortgage 5. email Karen photos 6. charge camera batteries)

I think her system is awesome & I am working on it! And, I think it will help also help with my laundry situation (which, by the way, thank you for all your tips/comments on that post!)

7.
Do you take pictures for others, for payment? What program do you use to edit photos?
Do you offer prints or just give the CD?

Yes, I take pictures for payment on the side! I have been doing that for about 3 years. I use Photoshop CS3 to edit photos. I give clients the CD and I also offer printing from my professional lab if they want nice prints.

8.
What is your schedule/organization tips/secret to doing it ALL? simply don't know how you find time to teach (as a former teacher....HARD work!), raise a family, cook, do fun activities, blog etc. would LOVE to know what works and how you can accomplish things but appear to still be enjoying the moment!
How DO you do it all?!? :)

I DON'T DO IT ALL! Let me make that clear! :)
I have always been a high energy person. Some people have even referred to me as a spaz :)
I just try and channel my energy onto what I am doing at the moment.
I have learned to set boundaries....since having kids, I don't bring ANY of my school work home. I do all my grading at school & prep for the next day before I leave. That way, when I get home, I don't have to think about school :)
In terms of enjoying the moment, I am a glass is half full type person & try and have fun each day. Yes, there are days when the girls don't listen & I loose my patience with them, but for the most part my mantra is, Keep Calm & Carry On :)
I also try to include the girls in our activities, like baking & cooking. And, if I am working on a crafty project, I do it at the table with them while they are coloring or doing a craft.

9.
In your opinion, what is the best college in all the world?
The University of Colorado!!!! GO BUFFS!!!
Do you have more hours in your day than the rest of us?
I wish!!!! Then I wouldn't have to stay up so late :)
What is your favorite Bible Study of all time?
This is a good one...I have 2 favorites. 10 years ago, I did a Precepts study on Exodus and it was the first Old Testament Bible Study I had done. I had just graduated from college & moved back to California. I was the youngest one in the study, but that study impacted me in a HUGE way. It was SO hard & a lot of work, but I learned so much. And, it was the first time I realized that the Old Testament can & does apply to our lives in the 21 Century! God has a master plan for each of us and has since the beginning of time.
Another favorite Bible Study we just did with our Small Group this Fall was The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns. It was a great book & study. I challenge you to read it!

Are there words you don't like? (I don't like "tenderloin" or "chunk" or "moist" or...)
I actually don't have any words I don't like. But I have friends who don't like the word moist or ointment, so I make sure I say it to them all the time. ha!

Did you ever have boy names picked out?
We have had 2 boy names picked out since we were married!
If we had 2 boys (instead of 2 girls) they would have been named Luke James & Grant Thomas.

Surely you still work out. What's your routine?
Ummmm....I haven't worked out in 6 years, since I became pregnant with Kate in the Spring of 2006. I am one of those lucky people who has fast metabolism. Sorry. Don't hate.

10.
I love how thrifty you are! How do you find great deals and not spend so much on decorating...whether it be for the holidays or just everyday?

The reason I am thrifty is because I basically ONLY shop at TARGET!!!
I love that place. And, Target has sales ALL THE TIME, so I have scored some really good deals there. Most of my house is decorated with things from Target. Of course, I would love to shop more at Anthro or Pottery Barn, but the reality is...I have young kids and I can' justify buying expensive things that my girls will ruin! And, I don't want to stress about them ruining stuff, so I shop at Target. Same goes for their clothing. Gap Kids & Nordstrom have adorable clothing, but I just can't justify spending a lot of $ on clothes that my girls will grow out of in a few months or ruin because they play so hard in their clothes!
Most of the really good deals I get on clothes are on clearance. I get it AFTER the season & buy a size bigger for my girls to wear the NEXT year. I have done this several times for holidays. It works great! I do the same with decorations, I buy them when they are 50-70% off...after that holiday!

So, there you have it! Part 2!
I will answer Part 3 in the next few weeks!
If you have more questions, you can ask them!

Happy Friday the 13th!
I am counting down the hours until Friday Night Pizza Night and when the girls are in bed so Kevin & I can watch Friday Night Lights! (Almost done with Season 2!)

I've got Answers, Part 1

I am loving all your questions that you guys asked on my Got Questions? post!
I didn't think I would get that many questions.
You guys are nosey...but that is okay, I am nosey, too :)

I am going to do the answers in a few parts, so here is Part 1!
(Sorry it has taken me so long to answer, I was busy this weekend with 3 photo shoots. I am a photo editing machine right now!)

I am going to answer the questions in the order they were received.
I got some repeat questions, so I will group those together!
Question #1:
We recently decided to start a veggie garden. Can you let me know what worked and did not work for you. Also any other tips?

This was the first year that we have planted a garden. Both our parents had gardens growing up & we knew we wanted one. So, last spring, Kevin built me 3 garden boxes. They are 4 feet by 8 feet & 1 foot deep. Pictures of what I planted are here. We also ordered dirt from a local nursery, they had a special veggie garden mix & I will definitely order it again next Spring when we plant our garden. We planted our veggies in early May & this past weekend we ripped out the garden, so it lasted about 6 months. I don't plant a winter garden, but want to next year.
As far as gardening tips, I would say to get good dirt and make sure your garden is placed in an area that gets lots of sun. Also, make sure you space out your plants. I was a little "over excited" about our garden & planted too much stuff! Once things started growing, it got really crowded in my garden boxes. My pumpkin & watermelon vines took over garden box#1.
Our biggest garden successes this year were our tomatoes (I planted 5 Early Girl plants, 2 cherry tomato plants & 2 yellow pear tomato plants) I had SO many tomatoes, it was great! Next year, I won't be planting any peppers. None of mine grew this year, I had 6 different varieties of peppers & got nothing. I guess peppers are fickle & hard to grow.
When I planted the garden, I literally went to the local nursery & just bought tons of plants, they were only $1, so I figured to give it a shot. Some of my favorite things we grew (besides the tomatoes) were watermelon, green onions, pumpkins, celery & pickling cucumbers. I am a rookie gardener & I am learning as I go! Good luck & have fun!

Question #2
Where is your favorite place to go on vacation? With kids or without kids?

My favorite place to go on vacation with kids would have to be Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is my happy place (besides Target). We love going to Lake Tahoe as a family & go several times a year. This summer we went on our first "Real Family Vacation". Kevin's parents took all of us on the Disney Dream Cruise & that by far, was THE BEST vacation we have been on as a family.
(See my Disney posts here & here).
Someone else asked what was more relaxing, the Cruise or Disney World? The answer to that is the Disney Cruise!!!! I literally cried when we got off the boat. I wanted to stay on it longer. It was amazing.
My favorite place to go on vacation without kids is HAWAII.
I love, love, love Hawaii.
I first went to Hawaii (Oahu) with my parents & sisters when I was in college. Then, Kevin & I went to Maui on our Honeymoon and we went to Kauai in 2005 which was our "Babymoon" aka the last vacation we went on before we had kids. I can't wait to go back to Hawaii! Don't know when that is going to happen, but until then, I will be dreaming of Lava Flows & Hula Pie. Yum!

Question #3
What are your favorite blogs? Where do you buy Kate and Claire's clothes? What are your favorite recipes to make for your family?

My favorite blogs (I have too many to list, but here are 5 favorites!)
Joy's Hope
Whatever
Enjoying the Small Things
Mom*Tog
Pioneer Woman

Where do I get the girls clothes?
TARGET! I would say that 95% of their clothes & shoes are from Target.
They have a couple of things from Old Navy & Carters, but Target is the place I go for their clothes. I refuse to pay a lot for their clothing because they are so hard on it & they are so picky. One week they like something, the next week they don't. So, Target it is. And, for the past several years, Target has adorable clothes for little girls!

Favorite Recipes?
Most of my favorite recipes are ones that I have posted here on my blog.
My favorite appetizer is - Blue Cheese Crack
Main Course is - Easiest Dinner Ever and Chicken Tortilla Soup
Favorite Breakfast is - Monkey Bread

Question #4
What's your most favorite things to do with your kids?

In the summer, my favorite thing to do with them is to swim. They love being in our pool and I love it also! My other favorite thing to do with my girls (especially in the Fall/Winter) is to bake. I love to cook & bake. I bake treats 1-2 times a week & both girls love helping me. I am glad that at a young age they are (hopefully) learning to love being in the kitchen.
Another favorite thing that I love to do with them is to take them on 1 on 1 dates so that they have individual time with me (or Kevin). We don't do this nearly enough, but I LOVE it when we get those moments.

Question #5
Are you going to have any more kids?

That is a great question. I am pretty sure we are done. But, we haven't done anything 100% to finalize that. Such a hard decision to make that final. We both come from families with 3 kids and liked that....but me & pregnancy are not friends...I get really, really, really sick and barf 2-3 times a day from 6 weeks until 22 weeks. I don't know if I can do that again!

Question #6
Where did you get that great turquoise necklace in the above pic?
I'd love to know where you got that beautiful outfit you have on in the picture above!

That is the outfit I wore to Blog Sugar.
(I gave my friend Jess my camera & had her take my picture with my cotton candy!)
I got the turquoise necklace in Spring 2010 in the Brass Plum section at Nordstrom.
I LOVE that necklace. And, it was only $12. I wear it a lot!
I got my shirt at Anthropologie. It is one of 3 things I have from Anthro. I love it & got it because I had an Anthro store credit!

Question #7
Do you have the 35mm 1.8 or 1.4 for your camera?
What is your favorite zoom lens?
My 50mm 1.8 just isn't wide enough for the tight indoor shots. Any recommendations? Our lighting isn't always the best. Oh, and I only do this as a hobby, so is there an "off" brand of lenses that you prefer?
What kind of camera & lenses do you have?

I have the Canon 35 mm 2.0 lens. I love it!! I use that & my 5omm 1.4 95% of the time.
I don't have a favorite zoom lens....for the past year I have only used fixed lenses (50 mm 1.4 and 35 mm 2.0) When we go on vacation or to an event, I do bring my 28-135 lens so that I can zoom, etc. But, I don't love that lens. It is okay. I am just loving the fixed lenses right now!
I don't have any suggestions for off brand lenses. All my lenses are Canon, I haven't personally used an off brand before. But, I have friends who use Tamron (off brand) and they love them!
I am one of those brand loyal people & will always buy Canon :)

I have the Canon 50D camera. I got it 2 years ago. Love it....thinking about upgrading to the 5D, but need to save money for that first! Before the 50D, I had the Canon Rebel xti. That was a great camera also.
Here are all the lenses that I have:
Canon 18-55mm
Canon 75-300mm
Canon 28-135mm
Canon 55-200 mm
Canon 35 mm 2.0
Canon 50 mm 1.4

But honestly, I use the 50 mm & 35 mm almost 100% of the time!

Question #8
What design program do you use for your cupcake toppers?
I would love to know how you make all your paper design?
Do you make them all yourself or use templates?
How do you edit your pictures and what do you use?

The answers to all of the above questions is that I use Photoshop CS3.
For my cupcake toppers, labels & invites, I don't use templates, I just create my own in photoshop.
I edit my photos in Photoshop also. I don't edit all photos, just some of them. Most of the editing I do is enhancing the brightness & adjusting colors.

Question #9
How much did Claire's birthday party cost? (money AND hours spent making stuff)

This is a great question....I honestly have no idea. Ha!
Let me first say that we don't give our girls birthday presents....their party IS their present.
(My thoughts on this are that they won't remember what we got them for their "blank" birthday, but they will remember the experience of the party. Well, at least I hope so)
My other "justification" for throwing them big parties is that it doesn't come out of our family bank account. Kevin is not a fan of the big parties. He would rather just do a small family party and call it a day. But me? I love, love, love, love planning parties and executing them.
The money I make from photography & my Etsy shop is my "discretionary" money and I use that account for party stuff.

Back to the question...I had been planning this party in my head since January of last year.
So, when I would see something that I could use for the party, I would buy it.
But, I will try and break down some of the cost for you!
The pony rental was $125
The hats ($1.50 each) & bandannas ($.60 each) I got at Oriental Trading Company.
Hay Bales were Rented for $2 each
All the table cloths were actually twin bed sheets from my girls rooms!
The wagon wheel was a clearance item from Big Lots & was $7
I got flowers at the Farmers Market for $10
The frame was a clearence item at Michaels that was $8 & I spray painted it with pink spray paint that I already had.
I got the pie tins from a bulk restaurant supply store, and they were only $.10 each
The cowgirl boots were $10 each on clearance at Target.
The girls cowgirl hats were from Fair this summer & they were $10 each.
I got vintage fabric on etsy for the cookie jars for $12 (and still have tons left over)
The food/drinks were a bulk of the cost (I probably spent about $200 on food/drinks) but family members (my mom, sisters & mother in law bought and made some of the food/drinks for the party, so that helped cut down my cost)

And, my friend Heather made the pony cookies for me and let me borrow TONS of her stuff that she had from her sister in law's wedding (burlap, drink containers, mason jars, baskets, containers, bunting, chalkboards, corn hole game, photo props. That was a HUGE cost savings!) She also made the Larson Ranch sign & Claire's County Store sign for free because she is a good friend! :)

Some of the supplies I already had in my craft supplies, like the twine, pom poms, clothes pins, ribbons, sticks for cupcake toppers & Smores Pops & cardstock.
I made all the printables for the party (cupcake toppers, food labels & signs) so that didn't cost anything.
How much time did I spend on the party? A LOT of HOURS.
But, I love it!
I did most of the party planning in the summer when I was off school & I would do all the crafting for it at night when the girls were in bed.

Question #10
I would love to know any photography tips and/or blogging tips you have from your own experience.

Photography tips would be...Get off auto & start shooting in AV or Manual!
Practice, Practice, Practice!!!! Play around with your settings. Don't be scared to shoot in manual...it will change your life :)
In terms of blogging tips, I would say... Be yourself!
Blog about what you love. Visit other blogs. Comment on other blogs. Respond to people's comments to your blogs (I need to get better at this!!!!!)

So, there is Part 1 of the answers....I will do Part 2 and Part 3 later!

Got Questions?

Happy 11.11.11!!!

Such a fun date!
As a math teacher & a numbers freak, I love it when there are fun dates!
And yes, I am posting this at 11:11 am because I am a math geek :)
Because it is a cool date & I have the day off school, I thought I would put up a
"Got Questions" post. I love it when other bloggers do this & you get to know more stuff about them!

I occasionally get questions in comments or via email (usually about my camera or home decor), so I thought this would be a good opportunity to answer any questions at once.

So, if you have a question for me, leave it in the comments & I will do a post next week with answers.
You can ask me anything... Photography, Food, Faith, Family, Random, whatever!
Ready, Set, Go!