interview

i have an interview today. i am so nervous - i think because i really would like to have this position/opportunity. it's fitting in every way for where i am at in my life as a mom, wife, and professional. hope it goes well - my fingers are crossed.

what a filled weekend. it was fun, but we were in and outta the house most of the time. yesterday i spend most of the day catching up around here. it is definitley looking like christmas around here.

today nicholas is officially an 11 year old boy! wow - it's really hard to believe. it really does go by so fast. i am so proud of him and so proud to be his mom. it's so hard raising children - one of the toughest things but it is also very rewarding. everytime i look at him my heart swells with pride. so happy birthday nicholas. i love you son!

editting my photos

learning to edit in pse. it's a work in progress. wish i knew how to use actions in pse.

here are two that i worked on. i worked on two more but after reviewing it, i think it needs a little more editting.

i love the deep green in this photo of nicholas.

i gotta work on getting that look with this photo of noah.

a conversation with noah

i decorated our tree yesterday and i'll be doing more today. hopefully it'll be finished today . . . i don't like having our garage in such a disarray.

while noah was napping yesterday i took a nap too. nice. not normal for me, but i needed it. when he woke up i heard him calling for me, when i went to go check on him and asked if he was done napping he said this to me, "i just laying here telling myself a story." i smiled and asked, "you told yourself a story? what was your story about?" his reply, "once a time there was a wil boy named . . . " i ask him, "what was the little boys name in your story?" he said with the most adorable smile on his face, "noah john charfauros mommy!" and he said it so matter-of-fact! i love him to pieces. he may drive me crazy but he is one cute kid! i am so blessed.


this photo was taken a week or so ago. i was testing out my tripod and noah and i got to be silly in front of the camera.

awesome idea!

just wanted to share this awesome center piece idea . . . and even better - it's practical because the candy won't go to waste!

december, gifts, and photography

i can't believe it's dec. 1 already! gosh time sure does fly by. last night jay brought all the xmas decor down from storage and he put up the tree. it's sitting in our living room without any love! it's got the lights and noah was squealing with delight. this is so much fun for him! today we're going to work on putting up the decorations on the tree and around the house. i'm excited, i always love to pull out my ornaments . . . especially the ones that jay and i made a few years back.

we're scaling back this christmas with the amount of gifts we are giving our two boys. truthfully this year has been a little rough when it comes to the "extra's" in our day to day life. and at first i was sad, but my kids are fortunate to be celebrating this beautiful holiday season surrounded by the love of family. what they receive as gifts, they should and will be grateful for. this has been a topic jay and i have discussed and explored in the past; you see we spent our childhood christmas's differently. my childhood was filled with gifts galore; my mom has always been that way! we always had "one big gift" (be it size/expense) and then serveral small things to open up! because truthfully, don't we all love to unwrap a special surprise. my mom did that, and she still does . . . and it's still as special as ever. jay's childhood was different; they received one gift from their parents and it was special to him too! he was grateful to have a gift and for that he has grown up a humble, grateful man. and so between the two of us we have come to a compromise. three gifts max. one from mom & dad, one from brother, and one from santa. and yes i do santa here in our home. you see i believe that santa brings a little magic to a child's world . . . and they should have that magic. afterall they're children; they have their whole lives ahead of them to live in this great big "serious world." but they also know that this holdiday is celebrated because of the birth of Jesus.

we will also be celebrating the christmas holiday here at our house. my kids are so excited about it. and i am too, especially after i decided to scale back on my menu too. we're going traditional this year . . .well except for red rice and mom's spinach :0) gotta have those two. everything else will be traditional.

i'm toying with the idea with starting up my own photography business. hmmm. . . .i really dislike saying business. it sounds so formal, so impersonal. i am an amateur at best and i have so much to learn still. especially in the editing dept. but i have such a passion for photos, for taking them, looking at them, and experiencing the dynamic of relationships between people that bring out love & life! it's a thought for 2010 . . . and of course i'd be competitive in my fees because i'd be learning along the way.

with that said, here are some photos i took of nicholas & noah last week. they were pretty cooperative - because usually they are not! i'm a mama with a passion for pictures and capturing the moment and my kids don't like to be in front of the camera :0( sad huh.

work & preschool . . .

i've been thinking about going back to work, about putting noah in pre-school. the thought of it makes me sad, but right now i think it's best for our family that i work. i'm only willing to work part-time and for the school district. i want to have the same schedule as nicholas and i will not work while nicholas is home alone during the summer. so right now i'm looking into working part-time and i keep telling myself that it'll be good for noah too.

lemons & lemonade

when life gives you lemons . . . make lemonade. have you heard that saying? and boy we've been having a rough month and i'm trying real hard to make lemonade out of the lemons we have been getting. but it's rough. it really is.

just what i needed to hear . . .

it's interesting to me, well no interesting really isn't the correct word. it's amazing how God speaks to me. the other day i was contemplating going back to work. it has and will continue to be a huge financial sacrifice for me to stay at home. but most often a two income household is necessary in today's world. jay and i were discussing it and the mere thought made me depressed and uneasy. because of course the first thought was of noah; who will take care of him and love him all day long the way that i do - the way his two year old heart deserves. absolutely no one can do it better than me and to give him less than that makes me feel as if i'm cheating my son out. and so after discussing it with jay he told me "let's hang in there a little longer. i know it's tough and i get frustrated too alot of times, but it's for the good of our children." he then preceded to tell me "i support you 100% in staying home with noah while he is this young and in due time things will get better for us." and it was what i really needed to hear. but at the same time i couldn't help but feel like by me not working, our family sacrifices so much.

then yesterday i'm at nicholas' school teaching an art lesson (one of the perks of being a stay at home mom!). his teacher pulls me to the side and wants to talk to me about nicholas. he tells me, "nicholas has such potential to be a great leader. he is well liked by his peers; the girls all think he cute and the boys all compete with his athletic ability. he's very respectful in class and works hard in his studies." then he said something to me that made my eyes widen, "as a teacher, i can always tell which students have stay at home moms, your job is the hardest in the world but it's worth it and it shows." and then i thought to myself that's just what i needed to hear. i need to know, well more like be reassured that what i'm doing is the right thing. it's hard, the financial sacrifices, the whole child-rearing experience is so challenging and difficult at times. but hearing what nicholas' teacher said to me makes me feel a little accomplished in my journey to raising a fine young man.

and so now it is in my prayers for God to help steer my wants and desires away from material things right now. to remain focused and disciplined in our finances so that i can continue to stay home a little longer to raise my boys. at least until noah is old enough for pre-school - which is one more year.

i wanted to share how God spoke to me. i believe in the goodness of God that resonates from the people that journey into our lives.

bleh, bleh, bleh

that is just how i'm feeling today. i woke up this morning and felt yucky, not in a "i'm gettting sick or coming down with something" kind of way. but the way in which you feel ugly, fat, bored, irritated, like no one appreciates anything around you, and the list goes on. i have laundry to finish up and house chores that need tending to, but i feel so unmotivated. and to make matters worse . . . i ate three pieces of the kids halloween candy that i promised myself i wouldn't. ewwww, yuck. today is not a good day.

i know everyone has these days, it just sucks. it really does because those around me don't deserve this side of me. :(