I finally added a Bio page to my photography blog. I didn't have any recent pictures of myself that I wanted to use, so I'd been procrastinating.
Then today my friend Lex wanted some photoshop training and I needed a bio photo, so we did a little trade-o-roo. We decided that I probably needed to be up in a tree, because, you know, it's just more "me" if I'm up in a tree.
Check it out here: http://www.brookrieman.com/blog/about-brook/
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Almost forgot!
The most used new word of all. "Nanoo". Apparently "Nanoo" means "give me that". It almost always comes in twos, as in "Nanoo, Nanoo" ala Mork and Mindy. She says this whenever she wants something, usually accompanied by pointing at the object in question. Someone suggested maybe she is saying "thank you, thank you" that could be. Time will tell. For now, we are loving our little martian, words or no words.
Growing by leaps and bounds
It's been too long since I've posted about the cute little things that Lily is up to.
She is at the age where she is copying everything we do. When she's in the bathroom, she wants to go straight to the drawer and pull out the deodorant. For some reason, she always wants to put it on her leg, though. That must be how Corey does it ;) She grabs my face powder, carefully takes out the puff and powders her nose. Today, she found the toenail clipper and proceeded to show me exactly how to use it. It is just so amazing to me that she picks up on all of these things. She still loves the phone, and any kind of ball (still by far her #1 favorite toy). In fact, I went to the local mom's group recently to meet other moms and Lily proceeded to find the only dad at the playground to hang out with. He and his daughter had a pink soccer ball and all Lily wanted to do was throw the ball to this dad. So much for me getting to meet the other moms!
Just in the last few days, her vocabulary has started growing. Up until now, she has been slow to talk. She babbles constantly, but with very few recognizable words (at least to us). Just in the last day or so, she has started saying "Chlo" (what I call Chloe, the dog), fishy, and a few other things.
We keep telling her that her Nanny from California is coming to visit and today, she surprised us with this one:
I know one day we will have to fight with her to take a bath, but for now, she still loves them.
Life with her just gets more fun by the day. Love her to pieces.
She is at the age where she is copying everything we do. When she's in the bathroom, she wants to go straight to the drawer and pull out the deodorant. For some reason, she always wants to put it on her leg, though. That must be how Corey does it ;) She grabs my face powder, carefully takes out the puff and powders her nose. Today, she found the toenail clipper and proceeded to show me exactly how to use it. It is just so amazing to me that she picks up on all of these things. She still loves the phone, and any kind of ball (still by far her #1 favorite toy). In fact, I went to the local mom's group recently to meet other moms and Lily proceeded to find the only dad at the playground to hang out with. He and his daughter had a pink soccer ball and all Lily wanted to do was throw the ball to this dad. So much for me getting to meet the other moms!
Just in the last few days, her vocabulary has started growing. Up until now, she has been slow to talk. She babbles constantly, but with very few recognizable words (at least to us). Just in the last day or so, she has started saying "Chlo" (what I call Chloe, the dog), fishy, and a few other things.
We keep telling her that her Nanny from California is coming to visit and today, she surprised us with this one:
I know one day we will have to fight with her to take a bath, but for now, she still loves them.
Life with her just gets more fun by the day. Love her to pieces.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Things
Things I need to do:
Edit pictures from 2 photo sessions.
Pick up the house, especially upstairs. It's starting to look like an episode of "Hoarders" up there.
Get thing in order for a yet-to-be-scheduled garage sale.
Finish painting the inside of the camper.
Scoop cat litter.
Water plants.
Pack for the kid's concert Lily and I are going to in half an hour.
What I'm doing instead:
Surfing the web.
Blogging random things that nobody really cares about.
Watching Lily push herself around the room on her stomach like a crab.
Edit pictures from 2 photo sessions.
Pick up the house, especially upstairs. It's starting to look like an episode of "Hoarders" up there.
Get thing in order for a yet-to-be-scheduled garage sale.
Finish painting the inside of the camper.
Scoop cat litter.
Water plants.
Pack for the kid's concert Lily and I are going to in half an hour.
What I'm doing instead:
Surfing the web.
Blogging random things that nobody really cares about.
Watching Lily push herself around the room on her stomach like a crab.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Butterflies!
This year we have been noticing an excessive amount of butterflies, especially tiger swallowtails. We were walking the trails behind our house this evening and it was better than any butterfly sanctuary I've ever paid to visit. There were thousands upon thousands of them!
Lily thought the butterflies were okay, but was even more interested in a walnut that her daddy found and gave her. She was intrigued by the smell of it. She kept sniffing it, and making me sniff it.
She carried it the entire way, throwing it every so often. Then we would have to search for it.
I tried to take some videos to capture the sheer volume of butterflies. They don't show up real well, but if you look close, you can see them flitting around.
Lily walked almost the entire way and her little red cheeks prove it. I was so proud of her.
This photo is blurry, but I love it anyway. Thanks for capturing it for me, Corey.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Come on down!
Music + Meat (or a veggie side of your choice)
The 2nd annual BBQ and Blues event is scheduled for September 11th from 2-8pm at McCormick's Creek State Park. We are anticipating an even bigger turnout this year, after last year's tremendous success. You can read my post detailing last year's event here and watch my niece getting down to the beat here.
If you are looking for some fun and good food that weekend, we'd love to see you there! Some of Lily's birthfamily (Nanny, Tiger and an auntie) will be visiting from California, making it extra special. We'd love to have our friends from near and far join us and meet the California wing of our family.
The event is free but food is extra. Admission to the park is $5 per car (in state), $7 per car (out of state). Bring a lawn chair or blanket but you probably won't need it because we expect you to spend all of your time getting down and dancing like nobody is watching. We can't wait!
The 2nd annual BBQ and Blues event is scheduled for September 11th from 2-8pm at McCormick's Creek State Park. We are anticipating an even bigger turnout this year, after last year's tremendous success. You can read my post detailing last year's event here and watch my niece getting down to the beat here.
If you are looking for some fun and good food that weekend, we'd love to see you there! Some of Lily's birthfamily (Nanny, Tiger and an auntie) will be visiting from California, making it extra special. We'd love to have our friends from near and far join us and meet the California wing of our family.
The event is free but food is extra. Admission to the park is $5 per car (in state), $7 per car (out of state). Bring a lawn chair or blanket but you probably won't need it because we expect you to spend all of your time getting down and dancing like nobody is watching. We can't wait!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
*PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT*
If you are the owner of a dog, PUT A TAG ON IT for crissake. It is irresponsible to let your dog roam around without identification. What if your dog runs off and ends up injured or worse? Don't you want the person trying to help it to be able to locate you? Don't forget to put your cell phone number on the tag, as well.
You may be wondering what triggered this rant. This morning, a sweet black dog was running loose in our yard. She was wearing a huge underground fence collar with NO identification. She ran through our wet deck stain over and over and almost got hit by a car right in front of my eyeballs. Lily and I knocked on 6 doors before locating someone who believed the dog lived on the next street over. Poor Lily hadn't even had breakfast and was screaming her head off, but the owner had to be found or this dog was going to be roadkill in a matter of minutes. I went to the house, still in my pajamas, mind you, where I was told the owners lived. I knocked on the door and heard people talking but no one would answer the door. I kept knocking and then left a note telling them that their dog was running loose, and where. I came home to find that she ran through the stain again. I corralled her into the kennel and put a sign out front. The owners showed up minutes later. They picked her up. No "thanks for letting us know" no, "sorry she ruined your deck stain" or "we appreciate you saving our dog's life". C'mon people. Common courtesy, here.
If this dog had been wearing a tag, I would not have wasted an hour trying to locate her owner to get her back where she belonged. What if she was hit and needed immediate vet care? Seriously people. Get a clue. Tag your dog, even if it never leaves your yard. Please, do it for me. And for Lily, who really wanted her breakfast.
You may be wondering what triggered this rant. This morning, a sweet black dog was running loose in our yard. She was wearing a huge underground fence collar with NO identification. She ran through our wet deck stain over and over and almost got hit by a car right in front of my eyeballs. Lily and I knocked on 6 doors before locating someone who believed the dog lived on the next street over. Poor Lily hadn't even had breakfast and was screaming her head off, but the owner had to be found or this dog was going to be roadkill in a matter of minutes. I went to the house, still in my pajamas, mind you, where I was told the owners lived. I knocked on the door and heard people talking but no one would answer the door. I kept knocking and then left a note telling them that their dog was running loose, and where. I came home to find that she ran through the stain again. I corralled her into the kennel and put a sign out front. The owners showed up minutes later. They picked her up. No "thanks for letting us know" no, "sorry she ruined your deck stain" or "we appreciate you saving our dog's life". C'mon people. Common courtesy, here.
If this dog had been wearing a tag, I would not have wasted an hour trying to locate her owner to get her back where she belonged. What if she was hit and needed immediate vet care? Seriously people. Get a clue. Tag your dog, even if it never leaves your yard. Please, do it for me. And for Lily, who really wanted her breakfast.
More weekend photos
As promised, here are more photos from the weekend.
My parents pretty deck. Doesn't it just look so relaxing?
Lily loves checking out the horse and donkeys when we visit. Or would they be donkies? Who knows..
With all their pretty landscaping, my parents spend a lot of time watering. Lily enjoyed that, too.
We visited a park with farm animals while we were there. She got to pet goats for the first time. She was scared at first, but grandma helped ease her into it.
She had fun wrestling with grandpa before bedtime.
And brushing his "locks"...
Thanks grandma and grandpa, for a fun weekend!
My parents pretty deck. Doesn't it just look so relaxing?
Lily loves checking out the horse and donkeys when we visit. Or would they be donkies? Who knows..
With all their pretty landscaping, my parents spend a lot of time watering. Lily enjoyed that, too.
We visited a park with farm animals while we were there. She got to pet goats for the first time. She was scared at first, but grandma helped ease her into it.
She had fun wrestling with grandpa before bedtime.
And brushing his "locks"...
Thanks grandma and grandpa, for a fun weekend!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Weekend with parents
Lily and I have been visiting my mom and dad in Champaign for the last 3 days. We went to the farmer's market on Saturday. Unfortunately, we got there kind of late so we didn't have too much time to look around but we did spy this breakfast skirt, which I loved. Didn't buy it - it was out of my price range, but cute none the less! Mom took this shot of me with it.
We ate at a booth there that specialized in "Vegetarian Cowboy Cuisine". I had a BBQ sandwich, which was pretty good but really spicy.
I love spending time at mom and dad's, seeing them of course, and their home is really cozy, too. They have decorated it really cute and they have 2 sets of glass doors in the living room, filling it with pretty light in the mornings. They have a beautiful porch on the back with lots of humming birds buzzing and pretty plants in flower pots. So relaxing. I'll post some pics of the pretty porch once I get mine downloaded.
We ate at a booth there that specialized in "Vegetarian Cowboy Cuisine". I had a BBQ sandwich, which was pretty good but really spicy.
I love spending time at mom and dad's, seeing them of course, and their home is really cozy, too. They have decorated it really cute and they have 2 sets of glass doors in the living room, filling it with pretty light in the mornings. They have a beautiful porch on the back with lots of humming birds buzzing and pretty plants in flower pots. So relaxing. I'll post some pics of the pretty porch once I get mine downloaded.
Friday, August 6, 2010
What morning looks like
It has been terribly hot this whole summer but the last few days have been the worst. On Wednesday, factoring the heat index, the "feels like" temperature was 116 degrees. Miserable. Not surprisingly, we've been chilling in the air conditioning most of the time. Lily and I have been spending time outside early in the morning to beat the heat as much as possible. Yesterday I brought along the camera for documentation purposes.
Still wearing jammies, ready to head out the door...
Making her way through the yard...
Giving the chickens a passing glance.
She's got other things on her mind...
Like raspberries...
Still covered in dew, she's picking and smashing them in her mouth as fast as her little hands can work.
After she's had her fill, she's on to another adventure...
Not much going on in the driveway, so she turns to her playhouse. Sometimes when the door open's she is not so happy to see you...
Other times she is very glad to see you.
Next, it's time to swing. She loves her swing and never wants to get out once she's in it. This is the look of "one more push, please mommy?"
Love this girl and summer mornings together.
Still wearing jammies, ready to head out the door...
Making her way through the yard...
Giving the chickens a passing glance.
She's got other things on her mind...
Like raspberries...
Still covered in dew, she's picking and smashing them in her mouth as fast as her little hands can work.
After she's had her fill, she's on to another adventure...
Not much going on in the driveway, so she turns to her playhouse. Sometimes when the door open's she is not so happy to see you...
Other times she is very glad to see you.
Next, it's time to swing. She loves her swing and never wants to get out once she's in it. This is the look of "one more push, please mommy?"
Love this girl and summer mornings together.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The "fixer-upper"
We are the proud new owners of a shitty-ass camper! Lets just say the price was right! We've been looking for one so that we could spend some weekends at the woods we bought last year. Due to the super tight budget, we can't afford any kind of luxury. This will do. A serious cleaning, quite a bit of duct tape, and we will be golden.
There is an adorable pop-up camper in a town near us that is painted light blue with grass and flowers. I absolutely love it. My mind is now buzzing with all kinds of ideas for a cute custom paint job for this one. I thought of making it black and painting it up like a huge camera. Corey instantly shot that one down. Any ideas? Please leave them in the comments. Here are some I found while searching for inspiration on Flickr: here, here and here. As for the inside decor, maybe something fun like this?
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