It's Official!!!

Here is the ad for the benefit crop




{Thanks Karen for your wonderful help and expertise with this!!}

I am taking it to the printer right now to get copies done and distributed. I am getting excited...a whole day of scrapping...A WHOLE DAY!!!!It'll be amazing...and for a great cause. I hope that we have a great turn out. The sponsorships have been wonderful and I have already gotten several requests for registration information. I am really looking forward to having some serious fun!!

It does snow in Alabama!!

or at least it did last night at the Santa's Village at Constitution Village.

We took the boys to Santa's Village as a treat since they were well behaved yesterday. We had never gone before, but it is sure to become a holiday tradition for us now that we have been there. We had a great time.

We checked out Blizten and Comet....



and decorated cookies....





and of course we saw the big guy...




We had a really good time with the kids. Still hasn't broken me out of my funk...but it was a good time. We were glad that we god there when we did too....the line was ten times longer when we got out from seeing Santa as it was when we went in!! Thank goodness hubby has off until the 2nd and we could be there right when it opened at 5.

After Santa we took the boys to the Waffle King (their favorite place to eat) and found out they will be open on Christmas day. YAY!! Merry Christmas to me!! We can go out and eat and there won't be any dishes to wash or Hams to be cooked. What a lucky break. Two years ago we found out that the only chinese place open on Christmas day is the one on the movie "A Christmas Story". Last year we found out that it is still expensive even if you make your own lunchmeat and hors d'vours (sp?). So it was great to find a place that is open on Christmas day. Waffles for everyone!!

I'm in a funk.....

I just can't get in the christmas mood. I think I've been oversaturated on the whole christmas thing already. I'm just ready to take everything down and get it over with. Hopefully the spirit will hit me and I'll get out of this foul mood....soon....

here are some pics I took of the decorations though...











I was also in a secret santa on 2Ps...My secret santa was Brandi who spoiled me rotten with a ton of Rob & Bob line from Provocraft!! She also sent me Runts ... which are my all time favorite candy...Thanks Brandi!!

Here's a pic of my stash...

okay...

more playing with the camera.... I think I have the aperature down for making the "star" pattern with the lights...looks pretty cool if you click on the photo to make it larger......

And so the time is once again upon us....

for Festivus!!!





We did get the tree up...well at least with some lights on it...and hubby made fun of me cause I shot 80 pics...of just the tree. In my own defense I was playing with the manual settings to see what I could get. I still have yet to play with the ISO...but this is a good one to start with...



yes it's a little dark...this one is a bit lighter...

I'll have to play more with the settings tonight ... maybe we can even get some decorations on it...if the TTs cooperate!!

Christmas comes early....

Or at least it did for me! Last night hubby was listening to me ramble on and on about having to go and get more film for the camera since TT#1 has a Christmas pageant on Thursday next week. Since I'm out of film - that is a problem. So as I sit on the floor after dinner and play with my boys while the hubby cleans up in the kitchen, TT#1 comes in with a box. I look at the box then look at my hubby and ask him "why am I getting this early?" he in turn tells me to just open the box. I open it and immediately start squealing. This is what is in the box ~~~~~~~~










are ya ready?



















it's really good~~~


















TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let me say that one more time

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now I am on a camera high. I just have to figure out how to use this thing now. Last night we were playing with the burst setting and the different aperatures. I really need to sit down and read so I can learn everything that the camera can do. I am just so excited.

It came with a kit lens (18-55) but I still have my film SLR lens (18-80) . Hubby also got me a 1GB card which should hold a lot of pics. I still have my camera bag from my film SLR so it fits in there perfectly. It came with some software but I haven't made it that far to install it. It has some photo editing software and printing software which should come in really handy.

I honestly started crying last night after the TTs went to bed. I just couldn't believe it. I own this camera. It's out of character for hubby to buy something so expensive that isn't a "household" item and the camera is a frivolous item. It really means a lot to me that he wanted me to have it. I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with all the whining I do about the cameras that I have.

No matter what the reason he did it - I love my hubby. I love my new camera and I hope that it helps me become a better photographer.

Well I've rambled enough now...off to shoot some pics!!