A Big Thank You to All of You!

I have decided to take a leap and put some of my most popular photos up for sale in my Artfire store!! I am very excited about this and if it wasn't for all you wonderful readers/friends, my wonderful friends on Facebook and my wonderful family, I wouldn't have made this leap. I really enjoy taking photos but never really thought about putting them up for sale but with all the encouragement of friends like you and family I am going for it. I also have some other projects I am currently working on and should be putting them up to show off in the next few days.

These are just a few of the pictures I have had made up and are currently in my store. The river one is a metallic print and let me tell you this picture does not do the actual picture any justice!! The rest of the photos are all matte prints and all the pictures are 5x7 prints. If you have any questions please feel free to email me here or on Artfire.

Click HERE to view my store

Thank you to each and everyone of you for the wonderful encouragement you have given me with my photos and for making and teaching me to be a better photographer. I learn every week with the photo challenges I am involved in and gain encouragement from all the wonderful comments everyone takes the time to leave me. I thank you all very much!!!!

:(

Do you remember your favorite blanket, teddy bear or something that you held close to you when you were young? Now do you remember when you had to give it up because you were a "big girl/boy"? Well....this is how I feel about giving up my smokes :(
To be honest I haven't been doing to well. I have cut back greatly but haven't "kicked" the habit completely. I have been having 2 or 3 cigarettes a day. It has worked well because it is just enough to take the edge off. The part that is making this the hardest is my husband is still smoking. Every so often he will forget and light up in the house and it totally screws me up. It isn't all his fault tho...it just takes so much will power and I just don't have it right now...not with Christmas coming and getting ready for it. I know, I know, just another excuse not to totally stop and to be honest maybe it is but it is just so hard!! My hubby says that since he has the week during Christmas and New Years off it will be a good time for him to quit too....we'll see. I believe it will be easier for him then me, but I am the one who has no choice but to quit. Last Monday I finally asked the doctor for a chest Xray because my chest hurt so bad and I thought at one point I was having a heart attack but come to find out when your lungs are inflamed they can spasm and make your chest hurt. The good news is that the chest xray showed nothing out of the norm and the doctor is thinking that I either have a nasty virus that just doesn't want to leave me or I am in the beginning stages of a chronic lung disease...great!!!! They put me on antibiotics AGAIN and also 2 types of inhalers which seems to be working. This is not fun and pretty scary too. To think that I am only 33 and starting a lung disease already is really scary.
Now to why I haven't just stopped? I have no idea!!!! I wish I could answer that. I know it is bad. I know every time I smoke a cigarette it is making my lungs worse and I am slowly killing myself....still no answer. I have read that stopping smoking is harder then quitting street drugs....if that is true I am not sure. I know what you are thinking, if your not a smoker, "dumbass". Come on admit it you think that I am stupid and should have gotten rid of all of the smokes when the dr told me what was going on...and you are totally right!!! If you are a smoker or an ex smoker then you probably totally understand what I am saying. This is the hardest thing that I have done and I am praying for the strength to stop completely. I just wish I knew if there was a trick or something. This time around I have figured out it is not so much the nicotine that keeps me coming back, it is the habit. The habit is the worst to break. I try not to talk on the phone much because there is something about smoking and being on the phone...don't ask. The morning smoke isn't bad for me. I can get up and go a little bit without having that morning cigarette (unlike my hubby). The after you eat smoke is getting easier. Now after dinner I just go straight to washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen before I really want that after dinner smoke. I now have a bottle of water I carry with me all the time so when I want that smoke I just keep taking small sips. There is a down side to the bottle tho....way too much time spent in the bathroom..Hahaha! But it does take that edge away for a little bit and it gives my hands and mouth something to do...that is the key I believe, keeping things busy. I can't chew gum as it always gives me a headache so I have stuff to suck on which works only for a little bit, but it does help.
I am hoping that I can figure this out soon and be smoke free by the new year! For all of those people out there that have quit smoking cold turkey...I am on my hands and knees bowing to you for your strength and commitment and asking for your help on how to just give it up! I am open for suggestions of any kind. For all you non smokers out there I am willing to hear the nasty comments you may wish to say....as long as they are not so mean you make me want to smoke...hahaha!!
Hope you all are doing great out there and are ready for the holidays. I am on my way slowly but I am one of those people that wait til last minute anyways...guess I like the stress.
Have a wonderful and blessed day :)

Today is Day 1

I have quit smoking today....for the 3rd time!!! I have tried to do it before but I really have to do it now. Doctors orders and also my body is saying enough is enough!

Hello everyone! I know I have been gone for quite sometime now and to be honest I didn't know if I was ever going to come back to writing. I started blogging for my stores on Etsy and Artfire. I had eventually grown to not like blogging for the fact of I was bored talking about selling. I enjoyed it more when I would talk about what I liked and loved but then I said "who cares how you feel about certain things" I know some of you do....if my old blogging buddies are still out there. So I have decided to do this for myself. I need to vent the frustration of stopping smoking and I thought what a better place then here due to the fact of there are millions of you out there that have overcome some sort of an addiction. I hope you all will be able to give me some hints, ideas and encouragement to do this so then I may be able to help the next person in line to quit smoking or whatever their addiction may be.

I have been having some medical issues and to be honest I am getting really nervous now. I am the type of person that doesn't like to talk about very personal things. My thoughts are that somewhere out there someone has it worse then you. I didn't want people to think that I was whining or anything. I have decided to try writing about my issues going on and about quitting smoking. I thought that it may help me to just put my thoughts and feelings down and if anyone wants to read or if anyone can offer some advice I would love it so. I have heard that quitting street drugs is easier then quitting smoking...don't know if that is totally true or not but I can say it is the hardest thing I have had to do. I haven't figured out how to constantly find things for my fingers to do or my mouth for that fact. I have lost some weight (45 lbs to be exact..in 2 yrs) and I am soooo scared I am going to put it back on and I can't do that since I am already pre diabetic or I should say was pre diabetic:) If I have to put some of that back on I am good with that but I have seen and read horror stories on how much weight people put on due to stopping smoking and I am not good with that!

Right now I need to take this one day at a time and see what happens. Right now I have a patch on and I have a cut down straw to hold in my fingers or in my mouth. I have also heard to put a little bit of cotton in one end of the straw so if you decide to suck on it is gives you a little resistance like a cigarette does (think I may have to try that). It is still early here and I haven't been up long enough to really start craving. I was never the one to get up and the first thing I had to do is light up. I was always about to hold off on that and also after eating I could do the same. I will probably have to post something later when I am cranky and really could use a smoke.

On another note. I thought I would show you a few pictures that I have been taking with my Christmas toy from last yr and a pictures of how big the boys have gotten :) I really would love to hear from you guys and let me know how you all are doing. I have popped in from time to time but I never really commented to much on the blogs but I always was wondering how everyone was.

Happy 4th Birthday!

To my son Thomas. I can't believe that it has been 4 yrs already.

I put together a little slide show of some of my favorite pictures since the moment he was born till now. I hope you enjoy a little trip down memory lane :)

Sorry couldn't get the slide show to work but I got it working now!

More of the White Stuff

Yep, we had another round of snow last night and today. We got about 12" maybe a little more, but this is the first big storm of the winter. We had a lot of snow this winter but it came little by little. It seemed like it snowed everyday there for a while. This storm was a good one for the amount but not for the quality. Not good snow for making a snowman or snowballs. I had one very upset little boy who wanted to make a snowman so badly. But we all still got out there and enjoyed it and I mean everyone!Reese LOVES the snow. Sasha doesn't like to be cold or wet for that fact, so she gets a little upset with her brother when he wants to play. She is usually a good sport and goes along with it for a little bit. She is 14 but still has a lot of pep! You also have to imagine that this poor little dog couldn't walk in the snow..she had to hop!
Thomas was so upset that we couldn't make a snowman or make snowballs so he went with the next best thing....throw snow at everyone. Daddy got smart and started going after him with shovels full. Thomas didn't mind at all.

After Mark got home from work, we all headed out to watch the 2 "big boys" clean all the snow off everything. You did catch "watch" right...LOL. They do such a good job all by themselves! I did have something set up with our neighbor that was supposed to come back and plow the driveway before Mark got home...he never showed. Nice neighbor :/

It really doesn't help that the dogs have a touch of spring fever and have so much built up energy from being inside all winter. It was fun to watch them get some energy out. Sasha kept up...at least Reese made her think she did!

Now who wouldn't love this face!

He is the sweetest and most loving dog! Yes, he is one of those dogs that thinks he is human. Can you tell? Ok, we let him think that way too...LOL.

Picture Tag

I have been tagged by Jen!

I have to list the 6th photo from the 6th folder in my archives.

This was not easy since all my pictures are on 3 flash drives!! Yes I am a picture taking fanatic!

So I went with the first full flash drive and this is a cute but embarrassing picture.

So......

This photo was taken on our 1st trip to my uncles farm. I had not been there in over 13 yrs (divorce...he's my moms sisters ex husband) So anyway. We got back in contact after all those yrs and he wanted to see me and my family. He says I was the daughter he never had, He had 3 boys! I truly loved this man and he taught me everything about farming and what it meant to get up and go to work every morning. He has been dairy farming all of his life.

Thomas was only 19 months old and had no fear of the cows! The funny part is, by the time we left there he had his own cow that we named Hershey. I'll have to show her at a later time and you will understand why we can up with that name.

Besides me and Thomas, that is my husband Mark in the hat and my Uncle Gary.

I would like to point out that I was a bit chubby, ok thats an understatment, but now I can proudly say I am 35 lbs lighter today then when this was taken!!! YAAAA!

I can't believe I put my fat ass on here at all, an I am the one behind the camera all the time, but like Jen said in her post that she couldn't cheat...well neither could I.

Please make sure you all stop by Jens blog at www.10oneworld.blogspot.com to enter a great giveaway from Silvermooncrafts! Jen always has giveaways so check back often!

I now get to tag 6 others and I tag....

http://idreamofjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://jennifershell.blogspot.com/

http://thechubbyartist.blogspot.com/

http://kaleidaeclectics.blogspot.com/

http://juicy--pop.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresinmyworld.blogspot.com/

Good Bye Olympus C-740

This may sound stupid but it is time to retire my Olympus camera that I have had for almost 5 yrs. She has been such a great camera but I need to now spend more time with my new camera, a Canon Rebel. I need to figure out how to use this new camera and since December I still have no clue. My husband got me this for Christmas and I am loving it (please don't tell the Olympus). The Olympus has been so wonderful to me. She has taken pictures of my youngest son Thomas since he was born and has captured so many very important and wonderful memories for me and my family. I have never had any problems with her and she took wonderful pictures for a 3.2 mega pixel! She has thousands of picture under her belt, so I wanted to post a few of my favorite pictures that were taken with my Olympus C-740. She will not be forgotten and she won't be put away for ever but she will not be brought out as much anymore. I know that there always comes a time to upgrade, but to be honest, I am pretty upset about this. She will always be on back up but I wanted to retire her with dignity!

Thomas meeting a cow on his great uncles farm for the first time. Can you tell he is a boy with no fear? He didn't shy away from the girls at all...they didn't know what to think of him. I was always running and standing behind a cow in the barn yard since he had no fear and would walk right behind them! I think he would have walked under them if they would have let them. I have spent so much time on that farm growing up that when my uncle met Thomas for the first time and saw how he was with the cows, my uncle looked at me and simply said "just like his mother" That says it all.

Thomas at 5 months.

I love this picture! I have it hanging on my wall and I still haven't changed it yet with his picture from preschool. I don't have the heart and I already have too many pictures hanging in my house.

Thomas and his Dziadziu (grandfather in Polish) on our annual family vacation to Cape Cod. My family, my parents, my sister and her family and my brother (comes up from Virgina)spend a week in Cape Cod. We all get together and rent a house for the week and the kids love it.

Mark playing baseball in Cooperstown NY at Dreams Park '07.

Mark made the East Haven All Stars and got to go to Cooperstown to play a week worth of baseball. It was so wonderful to see the kids so happy. There were teams from all over the country playing. That week Hawaii made it! They got knocked out early in the tournament but they had a blast.

Thank you to this wonderful camera for all the memories she has preserved for me!

I will miss her!

Now on to my new toy!!!!!! (shhhh don't tell)