The day of four

175:365



Watching Burn Notice with Robert.  It's paused cause his mom called.  We started watching the show on Netflix about a month ago after seeing enough promos for it over the years that we thought looked interesting.  We are about halfway through the 4th season and loving it.  It's funny, witty, full of action and a little suspense.



Carus's day 4 - "puppy hugs"

Third day

Sissy isn't feeling good :(  175:365  7 days, day 3

She curled up on the couch next to me while I was watching a show with Robert and let me pet her hair. Yoda wanted on my lap, where her head was, so he was "forced" to cuddle with her and get loves.



Peak-a-boo

Hiding behind my newly made by Robert backdrop frame.

Day 2

Carus's day 1 photo



Her hair blowing in the wind on the drive to a friends house for a sleepover.

Carus is taking all her photos this round and uploading to her very own Flickr account.  See her photos here.


174:365  Watching TV with my puggy.


"Trying a hair mask for the first time"

The other day, while Carus was surfing YouTube watching music videos, she stumbled upon hair mask videos and asked me to help her do one.  So I did.  We combined a bunch of things we liked from several recipes and came up with this one.  Her hair is really soft and shiny.

Recipe ingredients:
1/2 avocado
1 banana
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp whipping cream or buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp honey

Rinsed with baking soda with water and then rinsed with vinegar and water.

Summer 7 Days!

7 Days has returned for the summer run.  If you haven't heard before, 7 Days is a Flickr group that, four times a year (spring, summer, fall, winter), takes self-portraits for seven days straight.  It's a lot of fun.

This is the week I've been looking forward to for months, especially the past few weeks where things have just been crazy and busy and nerve-racking.  I've been looking forward to it, not just because of 7 Days, but this week is also LeakyCon, which is in Portland this year.  Because of LeakyCon, I'll get to meet a couple online friends (fellow 7-Dayers).  I am working three days this week and then going on vacation until the second week of July.  And last, but surely not least, it's my birthday week.  I've never had a huge deal made of my birthday, but in my head the celebration is enormous.

But wait! They are having LeakyCon in Portland on my birthday week.  Can't get any bigger than that, can you?



(173/365) 7 Days, day 1  Reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Today, Adam had a few friends over for a gamer party and sleepover.  He and his friends play a game called Dragon Age that is along the same lines of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) and video games.  The group started out at 7 and ended up at 4 (including Adam).  We went to the grocery store this morning to get some food for the party - veggies, watermelon, some soda, chips and salsa - and ordered some pizzas.  We know teenage boys can pack away the food and we wanted to be prepared.

We were.

To keep the boys from being annoyed by Carus the little sister, we sent her off to her friend's house for a sleepover.

Because of the sleepover, I got the kids and Robert to clean my house this week while I worked.  So yeah, this is totally a win. :)

(Carus is planning in participating in 7 Days, but as she's at her friends house tonight sharing it will have to wait until tomorrow.)

Dance recital

Carus's dance recital was this evening.


Pre show


Makeup touch ups.


Side stage, waiting to go on.



I helped backstage so I got a great view, and also got to see a bunch of things I wouldn't have been able to see from the audience.  The kids were all nerves and started out really quiet, which was a change from Wednesday's rehearsal where they were all balls of energy.



As groups started coming back from their performances, the excitement of a successful performance exploded.  It increased the nerves of those who hadn't performed yet, but also encouraged them in that their concerns that their dances wouldn't go wrong.



They did great!



There were a few "mistakes" but I reassured them (Carus) that the audience wouldn't have noticed.  Robert, Adam, and Barb (who were sitting in the audience) backed me up.



I video taped the rehearsal - and that has been uploaded to YouTube.  Again, I apologize for my really crappy videography skills.

The theme for the recital was Entertainment Tonight.  All of the dances had to do with TV shows.  Carus's class was The OC.



They danced to California.











All of the performers, class helpers (who were also performers), and teachers on stage.  (Carus is all the way in the back behind many, many rows.

Hair

(171/365)

Hair twist with a hair stick.  I really like when my hair is cooperating with what I want it to do.  This turned out to be the only photo I got Thursday, so it gets to be my photo of the day.  It's recently colored and is always so soft and cooperative and bright when freshly colored. (It's a little bit lighter than this photo suggests.)

I've recently gone back to coloring my hair red - I love the color, not so much the having to color often to prevent roots and keep the color bright. This is the color I use, two boxes at a time; though my hair is getting quite long and I might need to graduate to three boxes soon or cut my hair (nooooo)

Also 7 days starts tomorrow (Saturday, June 22)

Dance rehearsal

Carus's dress rehearsal was Wednesday.  They did well with only minor "mistakes" that were due to nerves but because the dress rehearsal was in front of a live audience, they have experience of performing now (many for the first time, like Carus) and their performance should be much better.


(170/365)

Lining up for the curtsy in the finale.

Rainy day(s)

Because it's Oregon, and it's spring, we have been getting a lot of rain lately.


(168/365) 

I was stopped at a stoplight and was in awe of the sky and clouds, which were more beautiful than my phone could capture, when the light turned green.  I put the phone away before I started driving again and uploaded it after I got home, much later.

It's "real" rain, with the rain smell (what causes that smell).  Oregon doesn't get that fresh rain smell often because of how often it rains here, so it's nice when we do.  This week we even had thunder and lightning, also not usual for northwest Oregon.  We also have had a few tornado watches (we're currently in one now), with a couple touching down; though nowhere near as bad as those in tornado alley get them.

I don't mind these late spring rains.  They have an end to them and are followed by sunshine and some GORGEOUS clouds and skies.

We've had nearly 4 inches of rain (per my probably rather inaccurate rain gauge) in as many days, and many more days of rain storms to follow until we reach the "drought" of summer.  I wish I could share the rain with other parts of the country and world.  It would be nice if it worked that way everywhere - sharing the sun and rain as needed.


(169/365)
During the thunder and lightning storms there were many downpours.  It rained, hard; and passed quickly.

I had such fun taking pictures of the rain splashing that I got enough photos for a little gif. (Remember my tree cutting down gif?)

Garden update

(167/365 6-16-13)


Marigolds.  I wish they would keep the *&!##@ bluebird out of my garden, he's keeps pulling up my seedlings.

I've been having lots of rage against birds this week.  Have I mentioned that they start SCREECHING at 4:30 in the morning and we can no longer enjoy a cool breeze coming in at night through the open window because they're jerks?  No? Oh, well they do.  And the stupid doves answer the screeching of the unknown birds by cooing.

GARDEN!

Cucumber starts (they'll be happier in a few weeks when it warms up more)


Carrot.  I don't have many of them, I'll keep trying though.


Itty bitty tomato plant.  I have 9 now.


Sunflower seedlings.  And new straw being spread.


Radishes and their flowers.


Pole green beans.


LARGE garlic bulbs.  It's the size of a large onion.  I'm so excited to harvest it and see how big it really is (and hopefully how good it is) - just need it to dry up a bit.


Garlic patch


Radish and it's flowers


Potato tower

End of last week

(164/365)

Japanese maple leaves after a rain


(165/365)

Carus's dance is finishing up for the year, it follows the school year - September to June and her recital is tomorrow, Friday.  This spin is from the in class dress rehearsal last Friday.


(166/365)

I wasn't intending on taking a photo of just my hummingbird feeder.  I was trying to get the beautiful rust-colored hummingbird that was visiting, but noooooo he didn't want his picture taken.  &#$@!# jerk.

I've also been trying to photograph the more-daring hummingbird at the dance studio, but every time I bring my camera he doesn't show up.

Hummingbirds are jerks.

Hey look, I have a blog.

Did you know that radishes can have flowers?  

(157/365)

I didn't.  

We had a hot week (80s) and quite a few of my remaining radishes went to flower... or bolted... whatever that's called.  

Lookie. Radish flowers.

Instead of pulling them, like I probably should, I'm letting them go.  I don't need the space (yet) and I'm curious. 

I'll call it doing science. 

(158/365)

Dogwood tree flowers.  Because of these flowers, particularly the pink versions, dogwoods are my favorite trees.  They're pretty in the fall too.

(159/365)

Fuzzy flowers.  They are going to go in the front flower bed if I ever get around to planting them.  And instead of those cacti that look fuzzy but are sharp and pointing and hurt when you pet them, this flower is actually soft.  

(160/365)

My first client's images all ready to be delivered with my new business cards.  I was so happy they liked them. (Instagram photo taken at like 11:58 pm when I realized I hadn't gotten a photo yet)

(161/365)

Last day of school.  Picture taken after school because Carus reminded me at bedtime Sunday night that she wanted to bring cookies for last day of school festivities and I ran out to get those cookies in the morning while they were getting ready and got back in time to get them on the bus and nothing else.  Yes, Adam wore his suit to school.  He likes to dress up and it was an excuse to wear it.  This picture was also right before taking him to his first school dance.  The school has done other dances, this one was just the first he was interested in.  Compare them to their first day of school pictures.  Carus still wants to be an artist, and Adam still isn't sure.  It's been suggested he become a teacher or an engineer.  He says maybe and then moves on.  Adam made the honor roll this year.  Carus would have as well (her grades are better than his) but her school doesn't do honor roll (weird?).  

(162/365)

African daisy in my yard.  Much prettier in person - I'm not great photographing flowers.

(163/365)

We went to the library and to Forest Grove's Farmers Market this evening.  They didn't have much for produce yet (just some berries).  We had dinner at Pizza Schmizza which has some interesting art on the walls.  I had my camera along because I needed a picture for the day and thought I'd find something interesting "downtown".

So ha, I'm caught up again.

And I'm caught up with my photography business work (i.e. editing pictures and preparing them for clients) and work work is caught up too. I'm feeling pretty cocky right about now. (knock on wood)

And now a shameless plug:

If you haven't already, and are on Facebook, give my page a like - www.facebook.com/portraitsbybecca and also share with your friends and family.  The more love I get on Facebook, the more I'm seen and potential clients become actual clients.