Photo Challenge Reminder

Just your friendly reminder...

Don't forget to send me your submissions 

for this week's photo challenge. 

{sugarft217@gmail.com} 

Week 2: Ugly makes it Pretty

I've already received a few and 
I think you'll like 'em :)

Next weeks assignment..."Up Close"

-e

Current Happenings From the Other Half

At this very moment I am watching the University of Kentucky Wildcats play the South Carolina Gamecocks, what a name. Kentucky is playing as the #1 team in the land for the first time since 2003. Its a pretty close game at the half, UK up only by three. I think I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a win for the Wildcats.

Well I didn't get to send in a picture for the blogs photo challange.  I had an idea of what I would put but just never got around to do it.  So I'll take the liberty and post my picture now.  No I didn't actually take the picture but, this is my current idea of Freedom. 

Above you see a picture of Senator Elect Scott Brown from Massachusetts.  The man himself is not my thought of freedom.  It was the fact that a moderate Republican won a senate seat in the most liberal state in the country.  It was the fact that his vote in the Senate will bring the current health care proposal to a halt.  It's the fact that, at least in his campain, he stood for the people of his state and not on the legacy of the most liberal Senator we've had for the past 40+ years.  Maybe just maybe those who represent us will start to focus on the economy and the 18% actual unemployment rate.  I really hope that both Republicans and Democrats will see this as a sign that we need to get back to the center on issues.  I hope they will start to listen to the people who elected them instead of following their own agendas and the agendas of the big companies and non profits who give them million of dollars. 

Ok ok I'll off my political soap box.  So Erin only has a week and a half left in Madisonville.  I'm really excited about that.  I can't wait for her to get back and be home.  I really miss her and hate just being here alone all the time.  She might not believe it but I really like her being around.

Late time I mentioned that we find out where Erin will be doing her residency in a couple months.  Even though I'm excited to finally know where we will be for the next for years, if we do not stay in Louisville, it will be a busy busy couple of month once Erin graduates.  I've already started a list of projects I need to finish.  You know those projects that you started a few months or maybe a few years ago.  I've got to get this place in at least decent condition so we can sell it.  So we have an exciting few months coming up and i'm looking forward to it. 

This week's post was just some odds and ends.  I might actually participate in the photo challange this week.  I would just have to take a picture of myself for that one.  And just incase anyone cares I would have lost my bet on the UK game.  First loss of the season.

freedom... {photo challenge: week 1}

Are you guys ready to see what photos were sent in for the challenge? I can't wait to show you. I think they are great, all of them. All different ideas, different view points, so individual.  Thank you to all of you that participated. Are you just joining us? Not sure what we're talking about? Check it out! 
Next time I expect you to join in the fun :) 
 Now the photos you've been waiting for.... 

 *Photo Credit: Hope Rabe

This was taken during the MCTC 9/11 In Rememberance Prayer Around the Flag Pole.  To me it represents freedom in several ways...the freedom for people of different races to join hands (not so in MLK's day) & come together on a common ground; the freedom of our country and the men & women that sacrificed their lives during 9/11 and on a daily basis for my family; freedom of religion (though it's not shown in the picture, we were holding prayer around the flag pole); freedom to be an American, and the freedom to learn (campus setting), so many men, women, & children in other countries aren't afforded the freedom to seek an education the way we are! 

*Photo Credit: e.m.t.

This photo is of a piece of the berlin wall. i'm not sure why but i was drawn to these words, next to such strong symbols of love & peace. i would have love'd to meet the people that put their {hearts} on this wall, and know how they felt when the wall came down.  how many walls do we have left to tear down?

 

*Photo Credit: Patti M

Freedom outside my door

*Photo Credit: Tara M 

*Photo Credit: Cindy M

*Photo Credit: Jason T

Aren't these images great?!! I think they all did an amazing job. I absolutely love all the different representations of freedom. That last one CRACKS me up!! I hope we have even more people participate next week. Remember, there are no rules to follow. You take the challenge and make it yours. You can use your camera, your cell phone, you can take the picture, you can be in the picture, you can edit the picture....whatever! Just get creative and start shooting :)

Your upcoming challenges...

Week 2: Ugly makes it pretty
 due to my email next Sunday {sugarft217@gmail.com}

Week 3:  Up Close

**Don't forget to let these photographers 
know how much you enjoyed their work. 
Click on the comments link below!**

Don't forget!

The deadline for this week's photo challenge is this Sunday.

Your assignments...

Week 1: Freedom

Week 2: "ugly makes it pretty"

These challenges are completely open.  You can interpret them however you want.  There are no wrong answers/pictures!  I can't wait to see what you all have found.  Don't forget to send them to my email {sugarft217@gmail.com}

Photo Challenge!

Are you ready to bring it on? He He!  I'm really excited about this new blog project.  I've recently had people asking me questions about photography, what i use, how i use it, how i get some of the shots that i do.  This absolutely blows my mind, because to be honest for the most part i have no idea what i'm doing! To me photography is a release, a stress reliever. It's a way for me to take the obvious and the not so obvious and make it beautiful. It doesn't have to be precise, the lighting doesn't always have to be "right" the picture doesn't need to be perfectly focused.  The images i create are captured and i can capture moments however i want. On any day of the week i could do a session with the exact same subject and the outcomes would be completely different. When i look through my lens i find what i see as beautiful and i save it. It becomes my very own art project. The great thing is that I get to share it with all of you. Some people may not like my "style" but that's ok.  When you find a photographer to capture the essence of you, or an idea of you, or your families "feel" you need to look for someone that you're drawn to. That's how it is for me, i'm drawn to images/angles/lights that i see through my lens.  For the next few months I want to see what YOU see.  Maybe i'm missing things, maybe you are.  I want you to see that you can find beauty in the everyday.  Let's get out of our "box" and look at the world with new eyes and open minds.


The Challenge: Each week I'm going to post an idea, a starting point. Your job is to grab your camera and "see" what you find, what you think represents or embodies that idea.  It can be abstract, literal, whatever! Just make it YOU. What you see, what you've captured. You will email me your one picture for that week and I'll post them all at once. This is {as all things blog} a safe zone. No negative criticism allowed. So get as creative as you want, or not! It's up to you :) Take a look at the things around you and then look with a new eye. I know most people don't have their camera surgically attached to your hands so cell phone pictures welcome, so "amateurs" you have no excuse! I'll post your photos with your photo credit of course. Here are your first two...so you can get a head start for next week too!

Week 1: inspired by MLK day..... "Freedom"  ---due to my email by Sunday the 24th.

Week 2: "Ugly makes it pretty"

If you have ideas for our assignments then email those to me as well. I can't wait to see what we create! Get out there and start looking :)

You'll probably need this.... sugarft217@gmail.com

Have you heard it?

I've never heard the whole thing and today is the perfect opportunity. It's a bit long but if you can't get past "I have a dream, that one day..." then you should probably watch it. Have we moved forward? How have we changed? Am i holding us back or moving forward? Just some things to ponder. Happy Martin Luther King Day, to all you federal workers, enjoy your day off :)

On a side note I googled "what is tomorrow's holiday?" I know right?! I was just curious to see exactly what would show up. Here's what the first entry was...

"Feb 17, 2008 ... it is ' i am always right ' day it makes stupid people feel good about themselves, actually, it's president's day, but i like the first one better ..." 


ahahahahaaa....pretty hilarious because that's my birthday! I love it.

*happy thoughts*

*flowers from the gardens we visited at Mt.Vernon*

• Finding new & inspiring blogs to read like this one
• Getting things like this stuck in my head!
• Time alone. This never happens and at first i thought it would be awful, time with just me? in this tiny apartment, all day. But i honestly can not remember the last time i was really alone, with nothing but a little time to do whatever i want. It's kinda nice to breathe.
• I just finished looking at this and it makes me want to do a session of a couple really bad.  Do you know anyone newly engaged/"oldly" in love that needs pictures taken?
• The phrase i just heard on Rosanne...."she's so uptight you couldn't drag a needle out of her butt with a tractor!" hahaha
• The prospect of a friend delivering her baby in just a few short days! Come on baby Tucker!
• Beautiful music
  
• Learning how to do new things on the blog. I just merged the Designs by Erin blog to this one so it will soon be deleted. Three blogs is just too much.  I'm contemplating deleting the 365picture blog, what do you think? I'm going to merge it to this one and continue to post the pictures here.
• Having a goal of getting our wedding album printed before this summer.
• Holding the scalpel in surgery
• Sharing my love of photography with people who are just as addicted as i am :)
• Finally getting my loan money in the bank
• Trash television...Jersey Shores....Bad Girls Club...Teen Mom
• Being able to talk to two third year students down here in madisonville about their interest in Ob/gyn. I will not let the surgeons steal them! 
• Project Runway started last night.... I couldn't put this under trash tv because "trashy" and "tim gunn" never go together. haha! You can follow Tim's blog for the show here.  I'm sad that I missed the first episode but i'm sure it'll be on again and again and again, check it out on Lifetime this year.
• Sharing more
• Google. Thank goodness for Google, you answer all my questions, you do the work for me when I'm just to lazy.
• Getting to wear cute scrub caps and SCRUBS. Oh how i've missed those.
  
• Keeping up with the 2010 blog
• Baby Kai coming through surgery with flying colors! He did great and is recovering at UC-childrens. He's had to be sedated because he's so alert and strong he keeps trying to pull out his trach tube. Yesss....keep on keepin' on little man :)
  
• My hubby starting to write on the blog! I've been asking him forever and then i dropped it for the longest time. I'm glad he finally took the plunge, aren't you guys? He did a great job and i think maybe, just maybe...he'll be back. 
  
• Happy Saturday everyone!
  

INTRODUCING

No my name is not Him.  Yes I am Erin's guest writer.  And who am I?  I'm sure everybody guessed it, Matthew.  Yes her husband Matthew.  I'm sorry if that is a huge let down for you.  Nothing real special with me being the guest but I'll give it a go.  So why am I here?  It's actually pretty simple.  Erin said she wanted a guest writer for the new year and asked me if I would like to do it.  So here I am. 

My first real post will most definately have to be about my recent trip to the wonderful world of Madisonville, KY.  I should say my most recent trip to Madisonville, KY.  Just over a year ago I was in the same place.  Anyway back to the original story.  Sunday Erin and I arrived in Madisonville for the start of her one month Surgery rotation.  As Erin posted earlier we arrived to an amazing one bedroom apartment.  It was actually clean and not it bad shape.  The discouraging part would definately have to be the wooden softball bat in the corner of the room.  After a few trips to Walmart, cause we kept forgeting the list of things Erin needed, and a yummy meal at Cracker Barrel, we finally got her settled in.  Erin will be spending the next four weeks there.  I will be visiting on the weekends.  The trip there isn't too bad, but the drive back stinks cause you gain an hour because the time zones.  Oh well, hopefully the month will go by fast.  And we will get back to what we call normal. 

At the end of this month in Madisonville Erin will have about four months until she graduates from Med School.  I'm not the slightest bit excited about that at all.  All that being said I'm very proud of Erin and I look forward to being her guest writer on the blog throughtout the year.  Better make sure I proof read this before I post. I hope everybody enjoyed my first post and until next time be safe.

Today's news

Oh rocky top you'll always be....the scum of the S-E-C!  hehe.  If this wasn't already news enough! :) haha! Next to TN i can think of a few other things/places that a UK fan is required to despise and well among those......the florida gators. That being said if you didn't know, you will now--

UK is now 17-0 undefeated for the season!

Last night we beat those University of Florida Gators 89-77!!

Chew on that all you gator haters :P

We're Winning games and getting awards...Coach Cal was named Dick Vitale's mid season coach of the year and John Wall was named his player of the year.  I think I probably got into last night's game a little more than i should have. read: talking to the tv, seriously.  I can't help it, maybe a certain someone is rubbing off on me :)

The other reason I wanted to post this lovely news about Kiffin leaving and heading to USC was to make a point. {I'm not the only one that needs to PROOF READ!} haha! It's ok Beth Rucker, whoever you are....the blog is a safe place....no grammar/spelling/punctuation critiques allowed here.

Other than the awesome sports update i also have a little suprise for all of you readers... so get ready folks because the next post will be by my very first guest writer. I'll let him (yes him!) introduce himself......

my digs...

Welcome back to Madisonville!

I thought i'd give you all a short...and i do mean short tour of my apartment that I'll be living in for the next month.  The hubs helped me move in yesterday and we realized that we are VERY fortunate to have lived in condos/houses since we've been married. I really don't know if you would have ever survived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. Here's why...

1.  Erin has a lot of crap.  Even though there were multiple comments about how much stuff I packed {because i am incapable of packing light} there still wasn't much in the place.

2.  We occasionally like to avoid each other, which as you will see is NOT possible in this place.

3.  Life without a dishwasher does not seem fun. I don't even care how lazy that makes me sound.

4.  There is not enough closet space to go around.

5.  When you cook something in the oven and turn the heater/fan {as in for the whole apt.} then the smoke alarm goes off. Doesn't it hubby?

6.   It's hard to sleep at night with the security lights from the street streaming through the bedroom window.

7.  A certain hubby does NOT have an inside voice at all.

8.  Bathroom space is at a premium and apparently my shower was designed for midgets.

Well, 8 doesn't seem like too many reasons but I still think we'd drive each other CRAZY. Props to all you kiddos out there that have braved the apartment world. You all are rock stars...or maybe you just have a lot more patience and a little less crap than i do?!

Any who on to the tour....

Here's the foyer/living room, complete with security system {bat found in the corner upon arrival}, magnavox tv with remote {which is a zenith and does not work the tv}

A few short steps away is the kitchen. Note: no dishwasher :(

But...I did end up with a microwave which makes me very happy.

Back to the living room....you guys like that couch and matching chair? I packed blankets just to cover them. I like laying on my own stuff. See the tiny little box over there under the window? Yessir that's the heat/ac for the whole place. Which by the way when we turned it on fan tonight, made the entire apartment smell like pot. Yup. Nasty.

Say hi to the boss there already in his post for the time being :)

Next up the bedroom. I tried to make my bed look decent at least for one picture. I had to steal that lamp from the family room. What you can't see is a mirrored dresser and an even smaller armoire no taller than that headboard for all my clothes. To the right is the window which lit up the room my first night like it was mid-day. It now has a black curtain hanging up over it all ghetto rigged, but it works great! I am not sleeping on the couch another night, i was wayyy to sleep today. Now is a good time to also point out the office grade berber carpet which is oh so soft on the feet :) haha! Glad I packed my slippers.

Last but not least....a few of the bathroom and my closet. I found it quite comical this morning when i was straightening my hair and realized i could only see in the mirror from the top of my nose up! Hahaha! I guess i don't really need to see the bottom half of my hair or my face when i'm getting ready.

So the Apt isn't the ritz carlton but it's still pretty nice. I think if it was just me I'd be find for a while....let's say a month :) but, i really like the company. Hmm....I could just have people over? nope. i only have two spoons, two knives, two forks, had to buy some pot holders, but no dish rags to wash my dishes. Should have packed more stuff! It's definitely cleaner than last year's set up. I haven't seen a scorpion or mouse trap one! I do have cable and internet {obviously} so that's a plus, as well as a huge pantry which seems bare. It's big enough for me to hang up my coats and store my boots/scarfs/gloves.

Best wrap it up, hopefully my tour didn't bore you.

More on madisonville in the near future....

happy tuesday :)

{guess my tour wasn't as "short" as expected haha!}

fyi: my new address

80 North Street Apt 10

Madisonville, KY 42431

FYI: current happenings

Kai @ home with his big sister!

*picture courtesy of kai's mom* 

Many of you have stopped by and have read about baby Kai.  He was able to go home in December but then after one week contracted RSV, a respiratory virus.  He had to be admitted again to UC-children's hospital. He has been there for almost a month now and has had a rough time, including a staph infection in his lungs and multiple resuscitations.  He has been through the ringer.  On this hospital visit they found he has a heart defect which has to be repaired. Tomorrow he will go into surgery where they will repair his pulmonary vessels. This is a big surgery for such a little dude so he and his family are going to need lots of prayers from everyone!  Kai has improved so much over the past few weeks, so much that he was extubated and no longer needed his breathing tube so now its on to surgery and he has to be strong so please pray pray pray! His mama Erica could also use your prayers. If anyone reading this has ever been or known a NICU mom, you know how hard it is and how taxing it can be on your body, you mind, and your spirit. She's held up amazingly and is by far one of the strongest gals i know! When i say strong i mean it. We had dinner last weekend and ran into her mom at the restaurant. Her mom spoke to me and just wasn't her normal talkative, bubbly self. I felt like something was wrong. When i talked to Erica the next day, she told me she had to take her mom to the hospital after we left dinner, and that she had a stroke. This family just keeps taking the hits and standing strong, but they still need you to pray...a lot! They really mean a lot to me so I'm trusting you'll take care of them :) Thank You in advance, i know you'll say a quick one even if you don't know them.

love,

    -erin

When life gives you snow?!

...make snowcream milkshakes :P  

yum yum yum!

That's what we did.  I've never tried this before and had a friend post how to make them on facebook, so i figured what the heck let's give it a try.  Have you ever made this before? It's pretty easy.

1  send hubby outside to get snow {tooo cold for me...brrr}
2  add milk and snow to the blender

3  add sugar to taste

4  add chocolate syrup, {cocoa powder, vanilla extract}, or strawberry syrup

5  mix it up, pour it in a cup

6  enjoy! 

It was tasty. Not quite as good as a frosty but close. We had to add some ice cubes to thicken it up a little. There's still snow out there so go grab ya some. In fact there's probably people reading this, who hardly ever get snow so go make some snowcream while you can :)

{btw} does anyone have an actual recipe for snowcream?

Our contest winners....

I was finally able to get together with the H Family for their mini session while I was home for the holidays. Boy was it freeeeezzzinggg outside when we were finally able to get a session in but, we made the best of it and had a great time. I think the snow made for some beautiful shots. The real stars of the show though were their three kiddos. The kids made this session so much fun and I think we can all agree they are gorgeous! The oldest miss E is going to get into modeling and I'm pretty sure the camera loves her.  The last two images are probably two of my favorite pictures.  I can't wait to get together with these guys again in the spring :)

*this picture feels timeless to me. who doesn't remember trying to catch snowflakes on their tongue?*

What gives?

Come on people where are the comments? Am i out here in cyber limbo talking to myself??
I need some feed back....some suggestions....anything. I'm in a rut y'all and need to fix this blog asap.
The new look is growing on me but i'm still a little...ehh...so so.

Sooooo in case your a reader and dont know how this whole comment thing works.....

Step1: at the bottom of this post, click on "comment"
Step2: leave your comment in the box
Step3: (insert your name) at the end of your comment
Step4: click on Anonymous at the bottom of the comment window
Step5: Submit, then you'll have to type some random letters so the computer knows you are a person and not someone trying to send me spam.

There I boiled it down to 5 steps. Easy enough? :) No signing up for anything.
but....but...but...what do i say???
Anything! I love to hear from you no matter what you say, or who you are!
Get your suggestions in. What do you want the blog to look like? What do you want to see on here...pictures? videos? more writing? you name it! .......no seriously, get to namin'

have a great tuesday!
:o)

(hilarious sign we saw in Gatlinburg on our way home)

picture credit: tara mulcahy

I need your help!

Ok here's your first mission of the year.... (maybe a few)

1  i need a new look for the blog. i'm trying this out for now but i dont know how i feel about it.

2  so let me know what you think....good? bad? ugly? go back to the old way we like it better? you tell me.

3  any color suggestions?

4  i want to write about, post about things that will interest everyone so what do you like to see? more pictures? less pictures? more videos? guest writers? <---this one is gonna happen for SURE! so who do you want to hear from? or would YOU like to be a guest writer??? Tell me and we will make it happen :)

5  this is random.....GO BENGALS! WHOO DEY!!!.... is the game seriously not on until 8?? ugh.

6  i expect to hear from everyone, even if you've never met me but you're a reader leave your comments below!!

7  that's all i got for now...........e

8 oh wait i just remembered!  

ahhhhhhhhh......C...A...T...S....CATS!!....CATS!!....CATS!!! 

UK WILDCATS chewed up those Louisville Cards last night!!!

15-0!

Christmas 2009-part III

Christmas Eve!
****
miss LK in her beautiful Christmas dress

Nine months preggo and looking AmAzInG,
and now baby Amelia is here and we can't
wait to meet her!

The Mulcahy Clan :)

Shouldn't this be their Christmas card next year?
I think so. hehe

I am still amazed at how big this lil' one has gotten.
It was great to see these guys, they usually have to
come later in the night. Lots of fun hanging out this year :)

Ty...lookin' good in that Christmas flannel!
You have officially joined the big boy club,
you get the same present as them!

Apparently the gift of the year was the fancy pants kitchen apron.
I'm kinda glad it's made a come back with a little twist.
Now....where to get myself one?!

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a Mulcahy stare!
I wonder who said something to set them off? I'm going to
say it was Chris hahahaha!

This is sooooo NOT Christmas!
Bwhahahahahaaa, BUT....it is HILARIOUS!
(and inappropriate lol)
The men were mad half their Woodford was gone.

miss lulu :)
....please stop growing up.

They really look alike in this picture.
K-looks like her daddy head on.

Tara and the newest addition to the family.
That's right our Christmas eve was just littered with babies this year!

Braden couldn't get enough of miss SK. I think
he had a baby crush :)

It's always difficult every year, to get a good picture of this bunch.
They like to goof off and TALK, the entire time.
You guys did pretty well this year!

Such a long long night but lots of fun,
and good time spent with family.
I wish we had a HUGE house so we could invite everyone over
and have one big Christmas party!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday!
Did anyone set any new years resolutions? Our family
headed to Gatlinburg for the New Year and had a great time.
Wait 'til you see what transpired over 3 days!
coming soon....
e