Meet Me on Monday

Questions:

1.  What is your favorite food?
2.  What color scheme is your bedroom?
3.  Do you carry a donor card?
4.  In your opinion, is the glass half empty or half full?
5.  Vanilla or Chocolate?

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My Answers!

1.  What is your favorite food?

Spaghetti. Hands down. My mom, growing up, always asked what we wanted to eat on our birthday so she can cook it for us yet she never had to ask me because it was ALWAYS spaghetti. Even if we had it a few days before, she will cook it again, just for me.

2. What color scheme is your bedroom?

I dont really have a color scheme as that is one room I'm still figuring out how to decorate. I do have beige sheets and a green/tan comforter so going with a tan/green theme I guess. 
(Note photo is not mine but I wouldn't mind having a room look like that)

3. Do you carry a donor card?
No but when I got my DL (Drivers License) I stated them I wanted to be a donor. Never got a donor card or anything. At that time though, I think they just had it in the computer. Who know!?!?!?

4. In your opinion, is the glass half empty or half full?
In my opinion it depends on the situation! LOL

5. Vanilla or chocolate?
I would say Vanilla. I have always loved Vanilla (ice cream that is) but lately I have had the urge to eat Chocolate...therefore I just buy the ice cream that is half and half!

Meet Me On Monday

Questions:

1.  What feature of the opposite sex do you notice first?
2.  Do you talk to yourself?
3.  What is your current relationship status?
4.  Do you have a garden?
5.  What is your favorite licorice flavor?
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My Answers!

1.  What feature of the opposite sex do you notice first?
If I am close enough to them, I notice their eyes. Especially the men with dark hair and blue eyes. But most the time I notice what they look like...or what they are wearing. 

2. Do you talk to yourself?
No, that is crazy! LOL...actually I always say "I guess I am talking to the walls yet they don't talk back" because none of my boys in my house (hubby included) listen to me. 

3. What is your current relationship status?
Married! 

4. Do you have a garden?
NO WAY! I have no green thumb therefore I also have flowers. 

5. What is your favorite licorice flavor?
The Cherry kind. 

300 Fan Giveaway!!!! Over $100 in Prizes

I am hosting a giveaway on my fan page on Facebook and letting you all know about it as well because, be honest, who doesn't want to try to win free stuff!?!?! You can go to Photography By Teresa's Blog to comment/leave your entry or you can comment here and I will put you in with the comments there to have a chance at winning.

This giveaway is not associated with or sponsored by Facebook. Liking any of the below Facebook pages does not constitute immediate entry into this giveaway. The off site (blog) entry must be completed to enter. 

This "journey" I have taken as a photographer has been, at times, frustrating yet rewarding! I have been very grateful to meet so many wonderful people; clients, vendors and other photographers. You all have been so support and shown me on Facebook that you like me. So, therefore, I am ready to YOU how much I appreciate it by putting together this awesome giveaway just in time to reach 300 fans! 300 may not seem like many to some of you but for me that is a goal I have tried so hard for the last month to reach and I am excited to have reached that big number.

This prize package has over $100 worth of goodies! Thanks to all my generous sponsors, everything in this awesome prize package may be perfect for you, but it may also be perfect to use as gifts for people you love.

If you are ready, I will introduce to you the great (and talented) sponsors!

Mai Prop Creations ~Newborn Bear Hat, Diaper Cover, Ball Tail Combo
Facebook Page

Mai Prop Creations sells beautifully, hand crocheted props for newborns/children of all ages. She sells them to photographers and/or parents! Mai Prop Creations has generously donated a teddy bear hat along with a diaper cover worth $25. This is a newborn sized hat/diaper cover.

Heather Maries Bows ~Independence Day InfantTutu
Facebook Page

Heather Maries Bows creates much more than just bows. She also creates hair bow holders, decorative hair clips, crocheted blankets, fleece tie blankets as well as tutus. These make for great photography props if not just to have your little one dress up around the house. Heather Maries Bows has donated this beautifully made 4th of July tutu (worth $25) just in time for the glorious holiday. The tutu is 14-20 inches wide in the waist and 8 1/2 inches long. Great for infants!

SewInspired ~Zebra Print Checkbook Cover
Facebook Page
Etsy Shop

SewInspired has some beautifully sewn products such as Cosmetic cases, coasters, purses/tote bags, Ipod cases as well as check book covers. She is pretty new to the industry and looking for this business to help profit her way through school. She has generously donated this zebra print check book cover with your choice of Red, Blue or Pink ribbon worth $8. This would be a great gift for yourself, your mother, your aunt, your grandmother, or any woman in your life! It is also great because with this cover, you are sure to never lose your checkbook in your purse or car ever again!

Signs by LC ~Tibetan Silver Wings Earrings
Facebook Page
Etsy Shop

Signs by LC custom makes signs, leather items, dresses, aprons, as well as necklaces from guitar picks, dominoes and scrabble tiles. She also makes earrings with many different charms. I am a huge fan of Signs by LC as I have a couple pairs of her earrings and I get a lot of great comments and compliments on them. She is very easy to work with as well if you would like anything custom made with photos of loved ones, favorite bands, etc and no 2 pieces will ever be the same. Signs by LC's earrings/charms are made of Tibetan silver and are great quality! I have already bought several from her! I had the privilege of choosing which earrings would go into this giveaway and I chose the Small Wings Earrings because I, for one, am in love with these as they are beautifully crafted and because I also have a pair and get lots of compliments on them.

Eternally Hooked (Crocheted Hats, Photo Props and More!) ~$10 Gift Card
Facebook Page
Etsy Shop

Eternally Hooked has handcrafted hats, beanies, newborn photo props and much much more. Everything is made to order so if you do not see anything you like in her shop, let her know and she will make it right up for you. Therefore, she will not leave you disappointed. Eternally Hooked is offering up a $10 gift card towards anything in her shop! You won't want to miss out on this chance as she has some darling products!

Sugar Baby Crochet ~Crocheted Headband
Facebook Page

Sugar Baby Crochet crochets custom made headbands, hats as well as blankets. She is still pretty new to the Facebook world but has some great products. She has donated a headband worth about $8. Sugar Baby Crochet made this headband just for this giveaway so the winner will be very lucky to receive this. It is beautifully crafted with gorgeous colors.

A tutu for any little princess ~Red Crochet Headband with Red/Zebra Flower
Facebook Page
Etsy Shop

A Tutu For Any Little Princess sells much more than tutus! Because every princess deserves a tutu, A Tutu For Any Little Princess custom makes any and all tutus as well as fairy wings and headbands. They have all sorts of headbands ranging from the skinny newborn headbands to the crocheted headbands and all come with or without a flower clip of your choice. A Tutu For Any Little Princess is offering up this beautiful Red Crochet Headband with a Red/Zebra Print Flower Clip. The clip is removable so you can put whatever flower you want on your headband if you already have more flower clips or you could purchase more from her. I, as a photographer, have already ordered about 4 or so of these headbands and clips and I like the range and style of them. Typically these are on auction on her Facebook or she has them for sale at $5. They are greatly priced but you could have this for free!

SaraLili Creations ~Hot Pink Bow/Blk &Blue Hair Clips
Facebook Page

Saralili Creations is super brand new to the Facebook world. Saralili Creations started out making hair bows for her cousins and thought it great to start up shop. I am so glad she decided to be a sponsor in this giveaway and I hope she has great success in the future with her shop! Saralili Creations has so sweetly offered to giveaway a hairbow as well as some small bow clips. These are worth around $12 together and are super-dee-duper cute (yes, I just pulled a "Barney")

Mingling with Beads ~Patriotic Ring
Facebook Page
Etsy Shop

Mingling with Beads makes a wide variety of jewelry for all different price ranges. She is generously donating this patriotic ring in honor of the 4ht of July coming up! Mingling with Beads jewelry is mostly wire-worked and very rare which makes it so unique and beautiful. She also makes jewelry for men as well as children. Also, if you do not see anything that is your liking, contact her and she will be more than happy to custom make something for you. This ring is adjustable in size but can be made to fit larger and is worth close to $8.

So, I bet you are now wondering how you could possibly win all these fabulous gifts?!?!

Mandatory Entry:
Please go through the list and "like" all the following Facebook pages with your personal page:
1. Photography By Teresa
2. Mai Prop Creations
3. Heather Maries Bows
4. SewInspired
5. Signs by LC
6. Eternally Hooked (Crocheted Hats, Photo Props and More!)
7. Sugar Baby Crochet
8. A Tutu For Any Little Princess
9. Saralili Creations
10. Mingling with Beads

Please "heart" the following Etsy shops
1. SewInspired
2. Signs by LC
3. Eternally Hooked (Crocheted Hats, Photo Props and More!)
4. A Tutu For Any Little Princess
5. Mingling With Beads

After you have become a fan of all these wonderful vendors, leave a comment with the following information (all in just one comment please!):
1. A statement confirming your likes!
2. Your name as seen on Facebook
3. Your Etsy username
4. Your email address.

Now you are entered for a chance to win all these great prizes!!! But wait, do you want to know how you can earn more than one chance at winning?!?! Include your email address in a separate comment with each entry. (Each of these count as 2 separate comments!)
1. Tweet about this giveaway along with the link to your tweet in the comment (only once please)!
2.  Post about this giveaway on your Facebook and leave a link to your status update in the comment!

Now you have 3 chances to win these great prizes!

This giveaway will end June 27, 2011 at midnight. (edited because there are a few July 4th products in the giveaway and the vendors/sponsors need time to ship before that fun date)


The winner will be selected at random on the following day. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email/facebook status regarding the win or another winner will be selected.

That's all there is to it. Have fun and good luck and thank you all for being a fan of Photography By Teresa!

Summer To-Do's With Small Children

My child isn't a toddler anymore but to me he will always be my baby.
I found Counting On Me via Pinterest and found her 101 Things To Do With Your Toddler.

I was interested to see if there anything in that 101 Things To Do list, to do with my soon to be 5 yr old this summer instead of letting him veg in front of the TV playing video games.

1. Color 
2. Blow Bubbles
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
4. Peek-a-Boo (ya may be a bit old for peek a boo) 
5. Play Chase
6. Do Finger-plays
7. Sing a song
8. Collect rocks in a basket (he loved collecting rocks)
9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
11. Go for a Walk
12. Make a Car out of a Box
13. Read a book
14. Go to the park
15. Finger-paint
16. Play with Play-Dough
17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
18. Play the shell and pea game (what exactly is the shell and pea game?!?!)
19. Dance to music
20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
26. Put on a puppet show
27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
28. Make a Horseshoe game
29. Make a Shape Puzzle
30. Play paper basketball
31. Run through a Sprinkler
32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
34. Play with a kazoo
35. Wash windows together
36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
37. Brush each other's teeth
38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
46. Frost Cookies
47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
50. Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
54. Make and try on paper hats
55. Give a piggy-back ride
56. Play "Horsey"
57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
61. Play games with frozen juice lids
62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
66. Glue shapes onto paper
67. Make sock puppets
68. Make paper puppets
69. Fill an old purse with toys
70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
71. Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
73. Act out a story from a book
74. Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
77. Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
82. Do the Hokey Pokey
83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
85. Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
92. Make a domino chain
93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
96. Make a nature collage
97. Mirror each other
98. Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
101. TAKE A NAP!

Meet Me on Monday

Questions:

1.  What is your favorite yogurt flavor?
2.  Ankle or knee socks? and on the same theme, white socks or coloured??
3.  How is the weather right now?
4.  Are you a fast typer?
5.  Red or White Wine?
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My Answers!

1.  What is your favorite yogurt flavor?
I prefer any yogurt that doesn't have chunks of fruit in them. Ha! I actually like Cherry the best. 

2. Ankle or knee socks? and on the same theme, white or colored???
WHEN I wear socks, I prefer them white and at the ankle yet I have mostly regular sized socks as I wear boots a lot. 

3. How is the weather right now?
According to the weather online, it is barely under 90* and sunny

4. Are you a fast typer?
I tend to think I am and I tend to think I take after my mother on that part. I used to giggle when I would hear her type an email as all you hear was the clicking of the keys on the keyboard and I was in awe of how fast she could type. Took a typing test just before posting this so I could for sure know how fast I typed. Here is the result. 

5. Red or white wine?
I prefer neither but I have mainly drank Red Wines since I have been able to drink. I would like to explore more wines with a much sweeter taste. 

Sunburn, Kidney Stones, Popped and How 'Bout Them Mavs?!?!?!

So, I have neglected my blog for a whole week it seems. There is a good explanation this time for that.
I had several photos to edit from a couple sessions at first. Then I thought it might be good to spend some quality time with the kiddos so I took them to the pool and to the park for some fun.

Excited to be at the pool...can't ya tell

Hiding from mommy...and being silly

Playing some Basketball with step son

After all that, I was quite sunburned...only on the front side. It actually wasn't bad until 2 days afterwards. But that is where my week really got moving along.
I ended up taking hubby to the hospital around midnight on Friday due to some back pains. I kept telling it was possibly kidney stones again and he denied it and got a little bit huffy about it so I took him to the ER. We were there for 4 hours (like I had expected) and turns out they were able to find a stone BARELY out of the kidney 3mm in size. They also found 2 more in his left kidney and 1 in his right that we are unsure of when they will make their presence known. He seemed to be feeling fine the next day or so as he was able to visit me and the boys at the pool while playing Angry Birds on his phone

It wasn't until that same night that I realized....while laying in bed...that I pop my ankles, toes and fingers a lot more than I do any other time of the day. I am not sure why. My fingers and toes tend to hurt more then and I can feel them needing to be popped, especially during a storm. I guess I need to "crack" that habit (pun intended).
And last but not least, how about them Mavs??? Champions of 2011 NBA! I am not a bit fan of Baskeball but I watched the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter last night and witness a glorious win for Dallas.

I will TRY my best to blog at least one post a day to keep everyone on their toes!

Meet Me on Monday

No you aren't delusional, this one is only 4 questions this time around. Maybe Java will change it back to 5 the next week. We shall see.

Questions:

1.  What is was the last piece of candy that you ate?
2.  Do you "read" in the bathroom?
3.  I can't stand when someone _________?
4.  Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
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My Answers!

1.  What is the last piece of candy that you ate?
I would have to say the last piece of candy I ate was a Twix bar my hubby brought home one night from the gas station. I actually still haven't finished it as it had 4 bars in a package. I only ate one or two I believe. 

2. Do you "read" in the bathroom?
I actually LOL'd at this question. I do not. Well, okay I lied. I sometimes do but that is if I am waiting for my straightener to heat up or I am doing my make up and I read emails or Facebook statuses but I do not read on the toilet! I don't even read in the tub because somehow or another the book always gets wet. 

3. I can't stand when someone ____________?
Oh my goodness, I could make a list but if I have a choice for only one option it would have to be that I cannot stand it when someone stands in the middle of the aisle at the grocery store nah that isn't it. I can't stand it when someone doesn't turn on their blinker to signal they are turning yet they slam on their brakes in the middle of the road. That isn't it either. Oooooh I got it. I can't stand it when someone is on their cell phone in a small space and feels the need to yell over the other end. It's like they think the other person on the other line can't hear them. I do not care to hear your phone conversation! Really! 

4. Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
We get paid every 2 weeks and typically we will grocery shop at the beginning of every month but will go every now and then and get bread or milk or the whatever it is we need if we need it. 

Link up below

Things I've Been Meaning To Do {June Edition}

I'm A Lazy Mom does a post every first Monday of the month discussing exactly how lazy we are and showing the world what we have been meaning to do.

Unfortunately, my brain was NOT thinking today and I did some of the things I have been meaning to do.

For example, I trimmed my lil man's hair the day (or couple days) before Easter and he stood on a towel in our bathroom and that towel was there up until this afternoon. So, that is taken care.

I MEANT to get toothpaste at the store today and forgot so thank goodness this is just a blog and not a face to face ordeal! Ha!

I have MEANT to catch up on my 52 Weeks of Me! blog posts as well as start up a Wordless Wednesday type posts.

I also have been MEANING to take some time for myself and trim my nails, paint them as well as just relax. Then again, I have been spending a lot of time with Vincent (okay, and Catherine) via Netflix (Beauty and the Beast reference).

I don't have photos this time around as, again, I don't have a lot I have been meaning to do. Maybe next month I will be a bit more lazy! Ha!

Join up and go to I'm A Lazy Mom "Things I've Been Meaning To Do post and link up!

Summer Came Early

Those thermometers are reading 100* already here in the DFW area. Oh boy. So what do you do when the temps run that high?

Run through sprinklers and slip n slides of course! Even fully clothed (like I did yesterday)