tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33047661823801349092024-03-14T09:47:37.172-07:00Dana of OzDana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-48563035823358912182016-10-02T22:04:00.001-07:002016-10-02T22:05:34.366-07:00Winans Family PicturesMy friend Leslie recently looked to start an interior design business because , well, she's brilliant at it. When I found this out, I asked if she would b willing to help me decorate a front room in our new house and she agreed. On one condition - that I take family pictures and headshots for her. That seemed like a more than generous deal to me!<br />
<br />
She did a wonderful job on our front room and now we don't ever want to leave. It's perfect. I've asked her to do our master bedroom now!<br />
<br />
Last week, I got the opportunity to do the family photo shoot for them. It's not easy getting pictures of two little girls. Getting them to both look at the camera at the same time was near to impossible. We got a few great pictures though so hopefully they'll have something they'll be able to use for the Christmas cards.<br />
<br />
Now I just need to figure out how to do pictures of Adam, Gigi and I so I don't have to pay a photographer!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXa8xOrTBmwrk3oWX4ILQ5oPnTwJ3OIKfZhqWLdXjqGNsjZS_7Xfw2zA1wjzcn9GZIFyLnKiV9TqNWLPam4b7Ql_mWf5J_43CfFaynm1gcSoSBxyrlCSopFW2IFIaWr6klAPza5NzpMl-E/s1600/DSC_1581+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXa8xOrTBmwrk3oWX4ILQ5oPnTwJ3OIKfZhqWLdXjqGNsjZS_7Xfw2zA1wjzcn9GZIFyLnKiV9TqNWLPam4b7Ql_mWf5J_43CfFaynm1gcSoSBxyrlCSopFW2IFIaWr6klAPza5NzpMl-E/s320/DSC_1581+copy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglU3WbCdE5iMXEapbqysJeM_m8u_Mcg79BCtNV8JMrKjnZ5EOwo4W96RtNU9p3bcggLufj9yPoA5DGkOPPHdu_nZz8v0vlgFqo-ZVneHk_nho-DIRAxlzohAeLYQbIOruzS0GnckCkn1qP/s1600/DSC_1619+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglU3WbCdE5iMXEapbqysJeM_m8u_Mcg79BCtNV8JMrKjnZ5EOwo4W96RtNU9p3bcggLufj9yPoA5DGkOPPHdu_nZz8v0vlgFqo-ZVneHk_nho-DIRAxlzohAeLYQbIOruzS0GnckCkn1qP/s320/DSC_1619+Copy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEAJSR-Wt_bsF_sFibybMZ-6QF_wtsIbO78BrNNlyoAC3kNQAMiaTswptKl4II9PYnJT5YfejaRf7SnsvYRPtvCt43kVeCMarTQZiqblQoMksTz3GwlBiQGzYwBOF7dBjNupY9j5klu2v/s1600/DSC_1882+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEAJSR-Wt_bsF_sFibybMZ-6QF_wtsIbO78BrNNlyoAC3kNQAMiaTswptKl4II9PYnJT5YfejaRf7SnsvYRPtvCt43kVeCMarTQZiqblQoMksTz3GwlBiQGzYwBOF7dBjNupY9j5klu2v/s320/DSC_1882+copy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGvGxjy2Tc1j3rO4OyNl8JuGvtFMs8LatTX7KMzOKl_YUPQNWaKIWKhfKUMqQsjLxRc-aIMidwjkcb6-OqGL9N98bfyTSoUcBCQwV9oUaByUP8ScjE4nwZNlqmsLmSWTdfgQGPv_DQFTp/s1600/DSC_1945+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGvGxjy2Tc1j3rO4OyNl8JuGvtFMs8LatTX7KMzOKl_YUPQNWaKIWKhfKUMqQsjLxRc-aIMidwjkcb6-OqGL9N98bfyTSoUcBCQwV9oUaByUP8ScjE4nwZNlqmsLmSWTdfgQGPv_DQFTp/s320/DSC_1945+copy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEita9m4fCya6344lG3mM2pfWoqLzqAMKIxY8ClpISRUcho3YDJ8M9cPjxwptWtHdWZmHEQtC_mszL4OEQuFkC9VzZbgw0lLxDGb_HgvN1L17Bd1RBtP1bREoxQwJVt81_TMeeJE9ADrhAMU/s1600/DSC_2116+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEita9m4fCya6344lG3mM2pfWoqLzqAMKIxY8ClpISRUcho3YDJ8M9cPjxwptWtHdWZmHEQtC_mszL4OEQuFkC9VzZbgw0lLxDGb_HgvN1L17Bd1RBtP1bREoxQwJVt81_TMeeJE9ADrhAMU/s320/DSC_2116+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2Riparian Preserve Trail, Gilbert, AZ 85234, USA33.3611756 -111.7351304999999733.354544600000004 -111.74521549999997 33.3678066 -111.72504549999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-33840599550929992152015-11-01T21:35:00.000-07:002015-11-01T21:35:16.200-07:00Trick or TreatI have always loved Halloween. I have fond memories as a kid of getting dressed up and going trick or treating. It's one night I'm excited to experience with Gigi.<br />
<br />
For her first Halloween, I knew what she would be as soon as I found out I was pregnant. When my sister Jean was little, my mom dressed her up as a pumpkin. I always remember how stinking cute I thought she was. What do you think? Wasn't she a cutie?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyg1jOzpPvp0QDGBFldRyLQOE5XbQ4DGMz-5TSesVhGtqIRE6Zrb-0sU14ZlTcgN8KfCtqRPpUH-XAQS8Eb-tESY1RJUI90WgMahe6OXao0Lype8uKoflMLoVQdcc5RwQBQ7v3EbSI748/s1600/IMG_4674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyg1jOzpPvp0QDGBFldRyLQOE5XbQ4DGMz-5TSesVhGtqIRE6Zrb-0sU14ZlTcgN8KfCtqRPpUH-XAQS8Eb-tESY1RJUI90WgMahe6OXao0Lype8uKoflMLoVQdcc5RwQBQ7v3EbSI748/s320/IMG_4674.JPG" width="252" /></a></div>
<br />
So, I knew that little Gigi would be a pumpkin. I found a good costume from Pottery Barn Kids and I bought it when they were running a 20% off sale and on top of that, I had a 15% off coupon! Score!<br />
<br />
Adam and I debated on what we should be to coordinate with her outfit and decided on being scarecrows. She handled everything really well. Especially considering we had makeup on all night - she didn't even seem to notice.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pH79xwcTf84M2XZ68pWRJ-brAQ1ot1FLsBKb92s5NAvjkF57_vKhAWD3I6xeu5uBOR1uXL151KHBa4XeFig1nVEcQZ018YK2_8LQJzZDX0gMkk6ecm5EO1WsQfUIBGBcrHMkhJJbPe96/s1600/WD_5520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pH79xwcTf84M2XZ68pWRJ-brAQ1ot1FLsBKb92s5NAvjkF57_vKhAWD3I6xeu5uBOR1uXL151KHBa4XeFig1nVEcQZ018YK2_8LQJzZDX0gMkk6ecm5EO1WsQfUIBGBcrHMkhJJbPe96/s320/WD_5520.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFhz4rD-Eq7fSu74OB6-f7u2koGvD7bKRGQcr5FKUER3U5qbJlYT2d5rcm859aNWVwrL9y8bB6KJGI518LuKXJeyVgSBy27FB6OJHf19Uaz9B3WqbvowVlpB0YMqsDvU2NH0oiwo288Sk/s1600/WD_E901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFhz4rD-Eq7fSu74OB6-f7u2koGvD7bKRGQcr5FKUER3U5qbJlYT2d5rcm859aNWVwrL9y8bB6KJGI518LuKXJeyVgSBy27FB6OJHf19Uaz9B3WqbvowVlpB0YMqsDvU2NH0oiwo288Sk/s320/WD_E901.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We spent the afternoon at a birthday party for our friend Gabby. There were about 8 toddler aged kids running around in costumes all afternoon. Now I know what I have to look forward to. We then went trick or treating with all the kids. Gigi made it about 20 minutes and then was done with it. I think she enjoyed the night and I'm already thinking about what she'll be next year.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR40-N0m599aXQRcK0e3LBFTdAX1e-ELP6rCQ3cfzwR5ZYuR101H7X7ltwlSiITewiYyJPXSLl3V0JyeRIZL4OHSTXKuN3sOxC3cGiU2g-dSykzfJtnI9yGI-PHth_P6Wrq6sG_tIwo0op/s1600/WD_5433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR40-N0m599aXQRcK0e3LBFTdAX1e-ELP6rCQ3cfzwR5ZYuR101H7X7ltwlSiITewiYyJPXSLl3V0JyeRIZL4OHSTXKuN3sOxC3cGiU2g-dSykzfJtnI9yGI-PHth_P6Wrq6sG_tIwo0op/s320/WD_5433.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ0JJzTsV3pa-mG9ahWrzM0UO29JR0RgH2OWpDejLtJOrO8-QR-kbnzokWTfCCClH5EaK9hqBaeqVvuTPirpY2J1T6u4KxExAFa-boyeXjrR1zeHF4Z9ceF0V1Pbec3BDsQePhNplFS_X/s1600/11012460_10207748905422868_5452596733838855703_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ0JJzTsV3pa-mG9ahWrzM0UO29JR0RgH2OWpDejLtJOrO8-QR-kbnzokWTfCCClH5EaK9hqBaeqVvuTPirpY2J1T6u4KxExAFa-boyeXjrR1zeHF4Z9ceF0V1Pbec3BDsQePhNplFS_X/s320/11012460_10207748905422868_5452596733838855703_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-73471656351421492092015-10-25T09:01:00.000-07:002015-10-25T09:01:12.171-07:00Pumpkin PatchingThere's a pumpkin patch in Phoenix that I've always heard about but never went to. Luckily, this year, Adam's company put together a family day at the Schneff Farms Pumpkin Patch so we got to take Gigi.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it was over 90 degrees yesterday so we weren't able to bundle up and pretend like it was fall. We had to change Gigi out of the outfit I had originally picked for her because it was far too warm. I love Phoenix and the warm weather but there is a point when I'd like it to get down into the 70s for awhile. It'd be nice to be able to wear a long sleeved shirt.<br />
<br />
We did the obligitory pumpkin patch pictures with Gigi. Unfortunately, she had no smiles for us and she was enthralled with the hay so we didn't get any really great pictures.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsf3tr1K94jHxy7kz0rpcwW0eMtsYoiEsgEYBFOd9zdb8kFZk4AaRatnUVUnoMASooiDR154GoQZMKbBxBYHFSOCgcCv5mwXRJYylcPaFWK8SmCFfgEtOdTZ2EWlPmdoRTPQzeqBPSDfL/s1600/DSC_1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsf3tr1K94jHxy7kz0rpcwW0eMtsYoiEsgEYBFOd9zdb8kFZk4AaRatnUVUnoMASooiDR154GoQZMKbBxBYHFSOCgcCv5mwXRJYylcPaFWK8SmCFfgEtOdTZ2EWlPmdoRTPQzeqBPSDfL/s320/DSC_1243.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hay, hay, hay - looks so yummy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb3bvzthS1oMfyfMfUn7l0V6egz-vF7YnCQHb_i89fz56KsKhCxhmc2Y_zMW2KZozBASuNCR_ChwyPpQzPXS_Fca5c5b6z-dMsuUjUP0opRlvGP9ZwG3mxa8yawfeugF5_8tvZtamSbGt/s1600/DSC_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb3bvzthS1oMfyfMfUn7l0V6egz-vF7YnCQHb_i89fz56KsKhCxhmc2Y_zMW2KZozBASuNCR_ChwyPpQzPXS_Fca5c5b6z-dMsuUjUP0opRlvGP9ZwG3mxa8yawfeugF5_8tvZtamSbGt/s320/DSC_1250.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take the picture so I can get back to the hay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The pumpkin farm had a ton of other stuff to do and will be a great place to take Gigi when she gets a little bit older. There were a number of family friendly rides, a petting zoo, putt putt, hayrides (though they were Zombie hayrides), and a corn maze. All of this was only $17. I can't wait for her to get a little bigger - it'll be a ton of fun.<br />
<br />
We took a stab at the corn maze but it's very large and we got a little lost so we eventually turned back and tried to find our way out. It would be super spooky at night though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gJHC6F3Wcl8GlFzxmSQHyKzssSUW5mWFxrQl9VNAd6btsv9P-llQ93XNJ66DogoQFgjZ217X0-zAyFQrzLnza4yF0aeA06NQ7_4bbNHcovdgLiefEkHb1-L2G4gbGyCwrtPl8Qr63nzG/s1600/DSC_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gJHC6F3Wcl8GlFzxmSQHyKzssSUW5mWFxrQl9VNAd6btsv9P-llQ93XNJ66DogoQFgjZ217X0-zAyFQrzLnza4yF0aeA06NQ7_4bbNHcovdgLiefEkHb1-L2G4gbGyCwrtPl8Qr63nzG/s320/DSC_1281.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
Once the sun went down, Adam's company had arranged for a private bon fire were we get to cook our own hot dogs and do some S'mores. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4zTlAAIfF8E6vl-pNAwcPUVtOc1qXUHohntOMjip-8vGdQyRPChjMN0SOFsSZIR9-YC207vilSSpBv1vlOyI_qUNyArW7rDHidpsg6qoqib5QlOos60R-ULBpjOdCXWZwAZ7TphSpYMV/s1600/IMG_4449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4zTlAAIfF8E6vl-pNAwcPUVtOc1qXUHohntOMjip-8vGdQyRPChjMN0SOFsSZIR9-YC207vilSSpBv1vlOyI_qUNyArW7rDHidpsg6qoqib5QlOos60R-ULBpjOdCXWZwAZ7TphSpYMV/s320/IMG_4449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Little Gigi normally goes to bed around 7:30 and every other time we've tried to stay out past her bedtime, she has a serious meltdown. We decided to risk it last night since the farm was only 25 min from the house. We came prepared with a bottle (I'm not super comfortable breastfeeding in public) and we had the carrier for if she fell asleep. She ended up doing really well. She took a quick cat nap at about 6:00 and then she was able to hang out with us until we left at about 8:30. She fell asleep in the car and then quickly fell back to sleep when we got home. Win!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58HSZJQBqdocx8Rnk6ewGHw2wrGTAOs509zbfcHh4EVDr9qSXlZH4pjjvdhOvlCFhnAZASTVO0rQ9jK27gyuJaXUN3_PlnYtsX7P768G8xhX5BSyORZpXUGAsFqth15PTcnjsofObKmsM/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58HSZJQBqdocx8Rnk6ewGHw2wrGTAOs509zbfcHh4EVDr9qSXlZH4pjjvdhOvlCFhnAZASTVO0rQ9jK27gyuJaXUN3_PlnYtsX7P768G8xhX5BSyORZpXUGAsFqth15PTcnjsofObKmsM/s320/IMG_4446.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-32586202579632219472015-10-07T15:59:00.000-07:002015-10-07T15:59:21.375-07:00Projects Update...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So writing the post on my playroom projects got me moving a bit. I thought I'd give an update.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Magnetic Chalkboard</b> - Alrighty, this one is done! I bought the drip pan at Wal-Mart for $11.99, chalkboard spray paint from Lowes (not sure of the price - the hubs bought it), and Velcro strips from target for $6.99. All up, this project probably cost in the $25 range. Gigi won't be able to use it for awhile but it'll be a fun addition for when she's ready. The only thing I don't like is that the drip pan has some writing imprinted on it and you can still see it after putting on the paint. For the price, I can't complain but it's a bit annoying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm now looking for the plastic magnetic letters but can't find them at Wal-Mart or Target. I'll probably just have to order them from Amazon like everything else.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNk46SHz0rtQ-Jgj5qYI2H6bVXd86UEVoR-Kg2enxI0Rv5a6i3XLK6JrreXbtMEK71z9LXkrzdpw-2CWKJU9i7dU7iOx5zCOGe-iDq-7uQS3OlGXhTB4wPft3lpOK-McHasRIulNl9NM_L/s1600/IMG_4335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNk46SHz0rtQ-Jgj5qYI2H6bVXd86UEVoR-Kg2enxI0Rv5a6i3XLK6JrreXbtMEK71z9LXkrzdpw-2CWKJU9i7dU7iOx5zCOGe-iDq-7uQS3OlGXhTB4wPft3lpOK-McHasRIulNl9NM_L/s320/IMG_4335.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Texture Board</b> - This one is mostly done. I have one more ring I want to do but thanks to my sister, Jillian, I was able to get the rings attached to the cork board without using any tacks. She suggested velco strips and I had a few tucked away so I gave it a go. I take the rights down and let Gigi feel them so she can see different textures. I can also change out the fabric as I want to.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZyUtk5HUZgYjLLQ7mnlv4cgxlffu8kzpcLzd1w_ktpuHSszxmuGERFLqLjqiUMQLAMauhFIqNItKD7R-hDo_gYj1Q4d3M9iofy0OiTJPIPWDPcbKk1r3uy30vO24msXSSFYC4_8bnrUE/s1600/IMG_4324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZyUtk5HUZgYjLLQ7mnlv4cgxlffu8kzpcLzd1w_ktpuHSszxmuGERFLqLjqiUMQLAMauhFIqNItKD7R-hDo_gYj1Q4d3M9iofy0OiTJPIPWDPcbKk1r3uy30vO24msXSSFYC4_8bnrUE/s320/IMG_4324.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Alphabet Wall</b> - I finished up the letters I bought as a test run and I really liked them so I've bought all the other letters I need (they were 40% off at Hobby Lobby!). I plan on starting the rest of the letters this week. I'm hoping to have them done in the next couple of weeks.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3S63ohvaTPXlOPU879B5pzvjBLTk_IYfkUS5CgR3kjEVFp60Y8v4pnQt6XHTopo2ljwC8cZ3PR3kCP6DWuKeKZWqg1T0O_-4SgM6NCGqudEnx001BaTyKkAK-wEaLx8E1XuBvR-XPsjG/s1600/IMG_4336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3S63ohvaTPXlOPU879B5pzvjBLTk_IYfkUS5CgR3kjEVFp60Y8v4pnQt6XHTopo2ljwC8cZ3PR3kCP6DWuKeKZWqg1T0O_-4SgM6NCGqudEnx001BaTyKkAK-wEaLx8E1XuBvR-XPsjG/s320/IMG_4336.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I still haven't done the book shelves. They're currently hidden away in her closet and I forget about them. I should take them out and then maybe I'll get them done. I've a new project to the list - a growth ruler for the wall! She's already 27" tall and I don't want to miss anymore so I've got to get this one done quick!</span>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-62827491165022937002015-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:002015-09-30T10:00:00.951-07:00Projects, Projects, Projects<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you're a SAHM, you need to find something to do besides laundry, dishes, dirty diapers, and story time. For me, I'm taking on getting the playroom sorted as that's where we spend the vast majority of our time during the day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We have a bookcase full of toys and books. I bought a mat for the floor so that she won't bonk her head when she rolls over. I have a chair for me to sit in and we got a tv to play PBS Kids or something more adult for me when I'm getting bored.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But during her naps, I'd like to try and find something else to do. I've found four projects on pinterest that I want to try out. I am, however, not being very proactive in getting them done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Texture Wall</b> - I found this on pinterest and thought it would be fun. We've already been to Joann's and picked out a few fabrics for the wall. I had no idea how expensive fabric was and especially since I don't want large swatches of fabric. Anywho - I have these all done, I just have to find a way to attach them to Gigi's cork board without using tacks (I don't want them to fall off onto the floor).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSprRC9gH_nggcDA6uf2ly5-KjrMTrLLRPOoYjhgr2-TbPB0YZ4uZoin7d7DgMR13J7OQm4EZkBhO6PkyAKLlN9mRElOOgVnvrMf2TlTLXAwQ2nFY-6MOhT6lpg62662F0N_fp-832Bmx/s1600/Texture+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSprRC9gH_nggcDA6uf2ly5-KjrMTrLLRPOoYjhgr2-TbPB0YZ4uZoin7d7DgMR13J7OQm4EZkBhO6PkyAKLlN9mRElOOgVnvrMf2TlTLXAwQ2nFY-6MOhT6lpg62662F0N_fp-832Bmx/s320/Texture+wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Book Shelves for Gigi's Room</b> - In the old house, we had some small book shelves up in Gigi's room but with the new house, she has a whole playroom with large Ikea book shelf. I thought it would be fun to still have some books in her room so I found this pinterest idea for book shelves using Ikea spice racks. I have the spice racks - I just need to paint them white. I should just get this done - it would be super easy.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7DBVtpkOPE7Wp7Psp-IyY5ygHpnmiG2C4zQpAO2M3erys9GBikf1hqlPT-oQ3QMbvQLmAz7ZeeBfJ60SmBJLlMCX7b-XSTUAG_kN9Pxj7qZV8aqGsh7KzJyP9l_6Jjos_8yCS8cLYSbG/s1600/spice+racks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7DBVtpkOPE7Wp7Psp-IyY5ygHpnmiG2C4zQpAO2M3erys9GBikf1hqlPT-oQ3QMbvQLmAz7ZeeBfJ60SmBJLlMCX7b-XSTUAG_kN9Pxj7qZV8aqGsh7KzJyP9l_6Jjos_8yCS8cLYSbG/s320/spice+racks.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Magnetic Chalkboard </b>- This one will be fun as she gets older and should be super easy. I have the drip pan and chalkboard paint. Again, I should just get it done. Note - mine will not be as fancy as the one in the picture.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFeKsz03VM2jR-U_qNySHr1BZpCXGqtRYtbVUNYLbdR4YDB8JzkCt66CUHU3W7g7xjYgwY45MOm1x7syUngplBVya43vtgfcU50nr2dF-sQq7w2nLbjWcdFMGMD73JBnLVHHMfFJMFMvo/s1600/magnetic+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFeKsz03VM2jR-U_qNySHr1BZpCXGqtRYtbVUNYLbdR4YDB8JzkCt66CUHU3W7g7xjYgwY45MOm1x7syUngplBVya43vtgfcU50nr2dF-sQq7w2nLbjWcdFMGMD73JBnLVHHMfFJMFMvo/s320/magnetic+board.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Alphabet wall</b> - I've really wanted to do this one since I found out that I was pregnant, but it will be the most time consuming and expensive project to do. I've bought the scrapbook paper and three letters (her initials) to see just how time consuming this will be. Who knew that these 8" paper mache letters would cost $2.99 each!?! I'm going to try the letters I have this week and make a decision on if I want to finish the project or not.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWw18B2gHbuMyM17bKvM8RsNMqAfsOoWZNoEg3ySAYpx3ixTY0tGudIJy2tgtMZAF3LUENpkQIhKPxU14qf751eatBCYc-Hg2C-Btznn68f3VHWOx6gJEoZNjKZuU9Jd1oVqFhhKN98cQ1/s1600/Letter+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWw18B2gHbuMyM17bKvM8RsNMqAfsOoWZNoEg3ySAYpx3ixTY0tGudIJy2tgtMZAF3LUENpkQIhKPxU14qf751eatBCYc-Hg2C-Btznn68f3VHWOx6gJEoZNjKZuU9Jd1oVqFhhKN98cQ1/s320/Letter+wall.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-56598788567901745922015-09-27T15:56:00.000-07:002015-09-27T15:57:24.442-07:00When life takes over....<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Man, when life takes over, updating the blog is the first thing to go. This year, my life has changed pretty drastically. Primarily with the addition of this little peanut - </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0zPh0NycSotn8rP9kDK87_jlkS8uwpTQwVFUarHuFZVdZU0h_Q9JPJ4Jdhe5WQxRESIkENrJA8jCYJ-VPftFR3ch89prHW75OksJjXHekmmqwq9vMoG6H7B95zBRbcjQ4XxDse261eCv/s1600/File+Sep+27%252C+3+51+59+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0zPh0NycSotn8rP9kDK87_jlkS8uwpTQwVFUarHuFZVdZU0h_Q9JPJ4Jdhe5WQxRESIkENrJA8jCYJ-VPftFR3ch89prHW75OksJjXHekmmqwq9vMoG6H7B95zBRbcjQ4XxDse261eCv/s320/File+Sep+27%252C+3+51+59+PM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Gigi enjoying the new playroom chair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baby Gigi joined us in March this year. Talk about a life changer. Before baby, I was traveling every week for work getting upgraded to first class. Now I'm a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom for those of you not in the know).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This peanut has changed the way I think about work and life. Now, I'm not sure I want to go back to work (though the adult interaction would be fantastic) and I'm also learning to appreciate the little things alot more often.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For instance - showers and getting dressed. I never fully appreciated them until Gigi came along. As much as I love this peanut, up until about a week and a half ago, her naps were all 45 minutes or less. Try taking a shower, getting dressed, blowing drying your hair, and putting on make up in 45 min or less - while also trying to get a load of laundry going, washes the dishes, maybe taking a nap (because she was up three times the night before), or just having quiet time to watch tv. I've taken to only washing my hair every other day (don't judge) because blow drying just takes way too long and I can't do it in front of her (she's scared of the blow dryer). I now understand why moms completely chop off their hair.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But then, one day about a week and a half ago, I took her to story time at the library with a friend. When we got home, she took a TWO HOUR NAP!! I didn't know what to do with myself. I was washed and dressed, laundry going, and dishes done within 45 minutes. What do I do with myself now?? I thought it was a fluke but thankfully, it hasn't been. She's now consistently taking 1.5 hour naps twice a day. I had read on other blogs that six months was the turning point, but I didn't believe them. I had resigned myself to four 45 minute naps everyday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So what am I doing with all my time that I have to myself now? Well, pinterest has given me alot of ideas that I'm going to try out. I have at least three projects for Gigi's playroom that I need to finish up...good content for the next blog entry...stay tuned...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwAR9h-t5jqxivRx-D_tPyMnXaubwhjZAu9vMPKXSJLQfEqoXzhGMRz-TIwIsa71L9L0iv1vDyGcPNG--ciHw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-29776323275638266352013-12-28T02:32:00.001-07:002014-02-24T19:05:15.161-07:00Playing Dress UpA few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to help with pictures of her daughter. She had been on Pinterest and saw photos of a little girl in her mothers wedding dress and wanted to give it a go.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We decided we wanted to try creating the pictures with a dreamy soft feeling so we decided to use her mother-in-law's house which has a larger window in the front room which gets quite a bit of light. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Leslie is naturally very creative and when I arrived, she had a number of props and jewelry to use in the shoot. That is super helpful for a photographer. If I were to ever decide to do this professionally, I would need to get her help to get the studio setup with really cute props and backgrounds. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Liv was super excited to get to play dress up in her mom's dress that day. She's a bit of a goofball, but we were able to get some really great shots. Below are some of my favorite. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thank you Leslie, Don, and Liv for letting me help make some memories! I can't wait to do it again with Ella!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qDQB782VayosqwkTmwLYnl6n2FHXj2yq2JzEW0hLJQN5B6gn2o5ILyVENfEON28iDG2cJE8Z7r5Na38DgmwtI1975qkIuFFNnianpcfnXUEhHSj5MRIMZtdmqaki-WuKANRI54_KQ0FR/s640/blogger-image--107739175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qDQB782VayosqwkTmwLYnl6n2FHXj2yq2JzEW0hLJQN5B6gn2o5ILyVENfEON28iDG2cJE8Z7r5Na38DgmwtI1975qkIuFFNnianpcfnXUEhHSj5MRIMZtdmqaki-WuKANRI54_KQ0FR/s400/blogger-image--107739175.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI_iXfL_pyP3KalXtBfGANPcp4PCpbvadgt4sg6W9lHRHJH_h7qC9iAFs2-LcD6WyjgTm6RVXHSUZUuoGZz0bMK8QkCcv3LV5hp7Fc83yVkgB6s-LEJTRri6n1vPIsKnieQOVVIUnP5SY/s640/blogger-image--1342182433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI_iXfL_pyP3KalXtBfGANPcp4PCpbvadgt4sg6W9lHRHJH_h7qC9iAFs2-LcD6WyjgTm6RVXHSUZUuoGZz0bMK8QkCcv3LV5hp7Fc83yVkgB6s-LEJTRri6n1vPIsKnieQOVVIUnP5SY/s400/blogger-image--1342182433.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxrXFFxmlNytzC8cJyPKngneUgOPeZXBlFI_1pH9IlKiu6rg1b4PAYmEgDpSJuXF1im48EBj-9ZnRKMQ4akbw2vPiAzDJqVaRy2RtS2FfbTeAEEiJBBSxWYbqwL7qqlNDUL7lAr5_6Iqq/s640/blogger-image-2103747353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxrXFFxmlNytzC8cJyPKngneUgOPeZXBlFI_1pH9IlKiu6rg1b4PAYmEgDpSJuXF1im48EBj-9ZnRKMQ4akbw2vPiAzDJqVaRy2RtS2FfbTeAEEiJBBSxWYbqwL7qqlNDUL7lAr5_6Iqq/s400/blogger-image-2103747353.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF2m6GY5qKusoIip7QvsHc-pU24ThoEMldHG2eXApoaxgfYZ9cY0Nz2GUBFcqHqMkw3YnZQH9TsmHtHmgCaK8WmbcUoNLOr5UGewZtzE1fN7rvO0VdJjC9yG9b-fyI8PA6mA_akBFT30h/s640/blogger-image-2131301689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF2m6GY5qKusoIip7QvsHc-pU24ThoEMldHG2eXApoaxgfYZ9cY0Nz2GUBFcqHqMkw3YnZQH9TsmHtHmgCaK8WmbcUoNLOr5UGewZtzE1fN7rvO0VdJjC9yG9b-fyI8PA6mA_akBFT30h/s640/blogger-image-2131301689.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FlRxS1Zyh5TklKg2La3c_wMu_O-z1HzgJaiHxhAoxKA4VGf3Ll3AxNDvMX7yehNDkmb0pqqvTrK94zdUVyc5vtLWzacA0CAO2FqrVxWaxbYb5YhhsWlhN0r55W2Zspci_kz5wQQ8nXjM/s640/blogger-image-223912630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FlRxS1Zyh5TklKg2La3c_wMu_O-z1HzgJaiHxhAoxKA4VGf3Ll3AxNDvMX7yehNDkmb0pqqvTrK94zdUVyc5vtLWzacA0CAO2FqrVxWaxbYb5YhhsWlhN0r55W2Zspci_kz5wQQ8nXjM/s640/blogger-image-223912630.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViAz_y-bU674EvA2Lzxio-g2KcupvXR6h_6ry3aUYjEPKj9uJrxt6YAq5LElMR96u__pqkIgqhA7d-FPYhMWfenF7dXdrmOm_IoB8yzRytF7sxNLKeeUG72vN6RwhTac1RnvmksufAK-D/s640/blogger-image-1067054790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViAz_y-bU674EvA2Lzxio-g2KcupvXR6h_6ry3aUYjEPKj9uJrxt6YAq5LElMR96u__pqkIgqhA7d-FPYhMWfenF7dXdrmOm_IoB8yzRytF7sxNLKeeUG72vN6RwhTac1RnvmksufAK-D/s640/blogger-image-1067054790.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-64190697083043157592013-12-10T13:06:00.000-07:002013-12-10T13:06:45.164-07:00What I love about Phoenix<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are so many things I love about Phoenix - the beautiful scenery, the red-orange Sonoran sunsets, the cost of living - the weather!! But tonight, I want to talk about one of my favorite things that most people don't realize about Phoenix - there are some really great restaurants. Below are a few of my favorite restaurants:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cornish Pasty - this started out as a small hole in the wall restaurant but they've since opened a larger location about a mile from the house (lucky me!) and now they're opening in Las Vegas as well!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chelsea's Kitchen - beautiful atmosphere in the Camelback corridor of Phoenix. They've recently opened a location in Terminal 4 at the airport - it makes me want to get to the airport a whole lot earlier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cibo - a downtown Phoenix staple. Great for lunch (I highly suggest the Pulled pork sandwich) but they also do a nice pizza for dinner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grazie - My favorite pizza place in Phoenix (actually Old Town Scottsdale) and there are a ton of very good pizza places in the Phoenix area so this is saying alot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chino Bandito - Chinese Mexican fusion. Need I say more?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">City Hall - Yummy, yummy steak and the lobster mash potatoes have actually lobster chucks that they add in right at your table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are just a few of my favorites - you should visit Phoenix to experience all of the great food options!</span>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-9565520159063828702013-11-25T12:20:00.000-07:002013-11-25T12:20:55.428-07:00Hubby Lifting: Part 3<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're continuing to work through our honey-do list. One of the major items on the list is the fireplace in the living room. I've never been a big fan of it but I've never been sure what to do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're in the process do redoing a lot of the house and specifically the living room. So I decided to tackle the fireplace. I decided I wanted more light in the living room so I decided we were going to paint the fireplace white! I was nervous about this decision. I don't want to impact the value of the home but I couldn't stand to look at the ugly brick anymore. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I talked Adam into starting the project on a Saturday afternoon thinking it would just take a couple of hours. I was wrong. We did the first coat on Saturday but then we had to finish it up on Sunday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am very happy with the fireplace now. It really brightens up the room and it makes it look much more modern. Now I just need my new furniture to get here, decide on a new rug and paint the walls!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/10918927065/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignnone" height="667" id="blogsy-1384747752727.376" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5550/10918927065_fab7de9413_c.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Fireplace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/10918980786/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignnone" height="667" id="blogsy-1384747752727.3389" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/10918980786_5c9cfcac0f_c.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updated Fireplace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;">
<a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Posted with Blogsy" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>
Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-56041835984263874432013-11-19T19:12:00.002-07:002013-11-19T19:30:24.395-07:00Little Girl Brooks Turns 2!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favorite little girls turned 2 years old this month! It seems just like yesterday that we were doing her </span><a href="http://danaofoz.blogspot.com/2012/09/little-girl-brooks.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">1 year old pictures</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Gabby has been going through a phase lately where she doesn't want to have her picture taken. If you pull out a camera, she makes a face at you and covers her face with her hands. She really does not like having her picture taken. So Kim and I were fully prepared for a break down and were trying to find ways to keep her entertained. Thankfully though, Gabby was a trooper! Not only did she smile for the camera, she was posing for me. I'd call out to her and she'd look over her shoulder at me and give me a look. She could be a little model if she wanted to be!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Below are some of my favorites from the session!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPK-XpOpQOHew5ULGUEfucGqtDN1Gz81_kWEOmPoGtSArWdKdg1HQRLv_GtNKx49P0EYDPrmYpBgg8heGhpczz3BlDF3LOhzpdmS-hDqdtfSSqHC1OafSSgl_yAp0GdFWw2idKLFwO7gUi/s1600/DSC_0582+copy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPK-XpOpQOHew5ULGUEfucGqtDN1Gz81_kWEOmPoGtSArWdKdg1HQRLv_GtNKx49P0EYDPrmYpBgg8heGhpczz3BlDF3LOhzpdmS-hDqdtfSSqHC1OafSSgl_yAp0GdFWw2idKLFwO7gUi/s400/DSC_0582+copy+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NeB8ftG_jyvI1NhMBlLt3yzeK8_SLVlOvNKXwWWU-81PrY21W6s-3CNPI4e9-OuxtD50jxG9GiPdvCcdm-yBFT3xskgRA35K2rHhcPy6ZEwATOKIsqfqHWc58PxXIW5McABuB5vuASzi/s1600/DSC_0670+copy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NeB8ftG_jyvI1NhMBlLt3yzeK8_SLVlOvNKXwWWU-81PrY21W6s-3CNPI4e9-OuxtD50jxG9GiPdvCcdm-yBFT3xskgRA35K2rHhcPy6ZEwATOKIsqfqHWc58PxXIW5McABuB5vuASzi/s400/DSC_0670+copy+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4VLMj7eggaT3JVexxv_xDCJXfKbVumQ_VBI4KFFq5xu-DtrUV_r9Dcand0oDK2FKuw2so2q1x28VE-P4Kmzz_YL3GfgaeJBx_rDRf2V-25F1X8wejIhxi2xg1aFz1PeZVSPdj5wCttk5/s1600/DSC_0726+copy+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4VLMj7eggaT3JVexxv_xDCJXfKbVumQ_VBI4KFFq5xu-DtrUV_r9Dcand0oDK2FKuw2so2q1x28VE-P4Kmzz_YL3GfgaeJBx_rDRf2V-25F1X8wejIhxi2xg1aFz1PeZVSPdj5wCttk5/s400/DSC_0726+copy+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Mo34RkvcHy9nzIUfYzldL-cLyJDbQrPe7rn1YdFPGB2XaDtaOBgnz7abINWqyMHZ0PzrMPmR7g-XLREhQ3cpHcfr-JOW1SiYDAEo_kN7czPwX9ydpxm8hBlTuK7vpbobyj4b_5XDaU2P/s1600/DSC_0740_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Mo34RkvcHy9nzIUfYzldL-cLyJDbQrPe7rn1YdFPGB2XaDtaOBgnz7abINWqyMHZ0PzrMPmR7g-XLREhQ3cpHcfr-JOW1SiYDAEo_kN7czPwX9ydpxm8hBlTuK7vpbobyj4b_5XDaU2P/s400/DSC_0740_edited-1.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu21C2qNhXRabylkyNyLHzks9nWdEcUR48w27LgqpUGjE9xg_BGJ5WiwZtL0yl1N_wFZfy344RzR2PhVW8MdkECBHeg3AZcfgxuPCPcpRJydUBCUm78hzerSOduzqXb89jufNfgmsqeJY/s1600/DSC_0797_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu21C2qNhXRabylkyNyLHzks9nWdEcUR48w27LgqpUGjE9xg_BGJ5WiwZtL0yl1N_wFZfy344RzR2PhVW8MdkECBHeg3AZcfgxuPCPcpRJydUBCUm78hzerSOduzqXb89jufNfgmsqeJY/s400/DSC_0797_edited-2.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-78007100478322872952013-11-19T13:30:00.000-07:002013-11-19T13:30:08.302-07:00Flying Lessons<b>Note: I found this in my drafts from months ago. I'm traveling to LA now, which isn't quite as bad but this is still applicable. </b><br />
<br />
The title of this post may be a bit misleading. I'm not learning to fly but I've found that flying every week across the country on a US airline is teaching me lessons in patience, kindness, and gratitude.<br />
<br />
On Sundays, I take a 2:45pm flight from Phoenix which gets me into Harrisburg at around midnight. This week, when landing in Charlotte, NC for my connection, the flight was diverted to Knoxville, TN and then promptly cancelled. Two weeks ago, on the Friday I was supposed to have off from work and supposed to be driving to Las Vegas, my flight out of Harrisburg was so late that I was originally told that I wouldn't get to Las Vegas until Saturday afternoon. Six weeks ago, I spent the night in Chicago b/c my plane sat on the tarmack for over an hour and I missed my connection. Not to mention the number of times my flight has been delayed and I don't get home until midnight Phoenix time and have to be up at 6am to work on east coast time.<br />
<br />
Traveling in the US isn't easy. And in each of those instances, I was more than angry and a little sad - it meant less time in my home with my husband. But I think I'm getting better about it. In each of these instances, I watched other passengers yell and mistreat the ground crew of the airlines. The delay or cancellation is not the ground crew's fault. They're trying to do the best they can. And I've learned, kindness in these situations really will get you farther. There's a gentleman that works for American Airlines in Harrisburg who knows me. And each week when I fly with them and my flight is late or delayed, he sorts me out first. I like to think it's because I'm friendly and I don't blame him.<br />
<br />
I've also learned that patience is immensely important in these situations. Getting it fixed isn't going to happen quickly and if don't have patience, you're just gonna be angry and forget to be kind to those people trying to help you get home.<br />
<br />
But I've also learned to be grateful for the opportunities I have. I work for a good company who thinks highly enough of me to want to fly me out to a project every week. I've amassed an obscene amount of frequent flyer miles and I'll be able to use them to visit my family and friends in Australia or Colorado. There are alot of people who don't get these chances.<br />
<br />
Saying all this though, I would love to have more time at home. Maybe one of these days I'll be ready to move on from my company but that isn't just yet. In the meantime, I'll just amass lots of status points with US Airways and Hilton and Avis!Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-49981444059937010832013-11-17T20:56:00.001-07:002013-11-17T20:56:17.142-07:00Hubby Lifting: Part 2<p>With Adam not being able to work, it's become like I have a live-in handyman. We have a list of things that need to be fixed and he's slowly working through them. It's fantastic!<span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p>One of the items was to paint the cabinets in the laundry room. I don't know if they were original to the house or not but they were very old looking. The laundry room doesn't have any windows so it's very dark. It's In desperate need of some brightness. </p>
<p> So I told the hubs what colors I wanted and then left it to him. One week while I was in Harrisburg (yes, I know I'm late posting this!), he sorted out the laundry room for me. It looks so much better now!</p>
<p>PS what you can't see is that he also painted the walls a very happy yellow. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/10918752445/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/10918752445_751db7064d.jpg" id="blogsy-1384746978516.412" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/10918887684/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/10918887684_ef0f21d498.jpg" id="blogsy-1384746978472.6511" class="alignnone" width="500" height="374" alt=""></a></div>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-49480422026817152082013-03-13T18:25:00.001-07:002013-03-13T18:25:09.209-07:00Traveling Pet PeevesSince my return from Australia, I've been traveling across country each week for work. Because of this I've become intimately familiar with how to get through security quickly. <br />
<br />
I've also discovered I have no patience for people that don't travel regularly. The Denver airport has multiple lines in security - one for families, one for casual travelers, and one for experienced travelers. I think that is the best idea ever. It's so frustrating when you do security every week and you're stuck behind a family with four kids who have packed a million bottles of water. <br />
<br />
So below are my pet peeves. If you don't travel much, maybe this will help the next time you go to the airport. In the meantime, I need to watch In The Air again to get George clooney's suggestion on how to get through security quickly. <br />
<br />
1. Listen to the TSA at security. Take off your shoes and belt. They will make you go back through the X-ray machine. Don't have any fluids - unopened or not. You also no longer have to take out your iPad or hold your ticket through the scanner. So don't fuss if you forget. <br />
<br />
2. On the other side of the scanner, there is no need to redress at the X-ray machine. Take your shoes and belt to the benches they've provided. This will open things up much quicker for the people behind you. Also, take your suitcase off the belt immediately. Again, it moves things along faster for the people behind you. <br />
<br />
3. Don't bunch up around the ticket counter during boarding. If you're not first class, you're not boarding immediately. You're there - they won't leave without you. <br />
<br />
4. At the luggage carousel, there is absolutely no reason to stand in front of another person that has been standing there waiting. There's lots of room and your bag isn't going anywhere. Respect people's personal space. <br />
<br />
There. I've vented. Now I just need to get approved for TSA Pre so I won't have to deal with people at security. Keep your fingers crossed that the US government thinks I'm a safe traveler!!Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-81525732333542795412013-01-20T23:00:00.001-07:002013-01-20T23:00:16.994-07:00Welcome to the family Charli-Anne Watts<p>We have fantastic news! We've decided to expand our family!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8400338153/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8513/8400338153_c584c6985e.jpg" id="blogsy-1358748019397.4448" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<p>Her name is Charli-Anne and we couldn't be happier! We found her through Halo Rescue which is a not for profit shelter which does not euthanize.</p>
<div><p>She's a beautiful grey and white long-haired tuxedo. When we found her, she was very docile and sweet. She's 6yrs old and she was given up by another family so we knew she was litter box trained and we wouldn't have to deal with kitten craziness.</p><p>When we got her home, she was immediately curious and exploring the house. We had taken her from the shelter in the middle of dinner time so we decided to feed her. She ate an entire can of food! That's a lot of food for a 7 lb cat! She loves her food and she's teeny tiny so we're trying to fatten her up. She loves her food and will eat whatever we give her. In fact, we have to fight her off from our dinner!</p><p>She's already settled into the house and has made herself at home. She snuggled us last night and has claimed a spot on the couch. </p><p>We're so excited to have her in the family!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8401426798/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8401426798_d665124fcc_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1358748019369.2302" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="753"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8401427022/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8401427022_566c5012b6.jpg" id="blogsy-1358748019372.3716" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8401427266/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8401427266_fbbfb4030a.jpg" id="blogsy-1358748019415.754" class="alignnone" width="500" height="332" alt=""></a></div>
</div><p> </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-58332784390345044472012-12-30T13:30:00.000-07:002012-12-30T13:30:01.283-07:00Bacon & Beer Chili For Christmas Eve each year, my family has chili for dinner. This year I was put in charge of the dinner. I found a really yummy recipe but wouldn't you know it, my camera was dead so I couldn't capture the pictures on the initial try of the recipe. <br/><br/>With the weather being a bit on the chilly side this week, I decided to try and make it again. It turned out much better the second time around. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8319694747/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8319694747_8112057dae.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738006.5952" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Ingredients include: ground beef (or turkey), bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, beer, garlic, beer, and worchestire sauce, and pinto beans. <br/><br/> Chop up the bacon and cook. Once crisp, add in the onion and garlic.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8320756080/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8320756080_cbc8ae81c4.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738036.6887" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8319695149/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8075/8319695149_ee06bbb951.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738009.9553" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Once the onions are transparent, add in the ground beef and brown up. Once browned up, add the spices to test.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8319695397/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8319695397_665b83372b.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738034.3381" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8319695689/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8212/8319695689_168c45e9d4.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752737997.7063" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
At this point, I transfer the contents to a pot and add all the wet ingredients.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8320756812/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8491/8320756812_1defc91502.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738056.5857" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Let simmer and then enjoy!<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8320757112/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8214/8320757112_7cb416e183.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738032.507" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Here's the original <a href="http://www.everylittlethingblog.com/2012/03/cooking-with-beer-smoky-bacon-beer/">recipe</a><a href="http://www.everylittlethingblog.com/2012/03/cooking-with-beer-smoky-bacon-beer/" target="_self" title="Chili"></a>.<br/><br/>While I was doing this, my husband was attempting to remove a popcorn ceiling in the garage.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8319719995/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8356/8319719995_d271ce8fb8_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1356752738060.1926" class="alignnone" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></div>
Yes, that's a litter box.<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-20994553082048425652012-12-28T13:30:00.000-07:002012-12-28T13:30:00.409-07:00Hubby Lifting: Part 1 Now that I'm a married woman, Adam and I has delegated out duties between the two of us. I'm in charge of all decorating and Adam is in charge of the electronics and heavy lifting (aka Hubby Lifting). Where the two meet (like a media center), we have to work together to agree.<br/><br/>While Adam is waiting for the US Government to allow him to legally work, I've provided him with a list of honey-do items. I've got to keep him busy!<br/><br/>One of those items was to hang the didgeridoo that I got for my birthday from the Watts family. Adam tasked me with figuring out how to hang a didgeridoo. After much trolling of the web, I found two options - a purpose made hanger that cost a lot of money and gets sent from Switzerland (really-weird!) or as suggested on a DIY site, use a towel holder. I opted for the towel holder. So off we went to Lowe's. I couldn't really find anything I liked but then Adam found pull-backs for curtains and we thought "why not?"<br/><br/>After some discussion, we finally decided where to hang it and now we have a beautiful didgeridoo to remind me of my time in Australia. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8308659227/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8079/8308659227_45aaec514b_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1356496438019.266" class="alignnone" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a> </div>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-41985855980208778112012-12-25T21:20:00.001-07:002012-12-25T21:20:13.032-07:00Christmas This year we were supposed to spend Christmas in Australia but the US Immigration had other ideas.<br/><br/>To help Adam feel a bit more at home we try to incorporate some Australian traditions. We have champagne while we open the presents. We bought him some shrimp (not quite the same as prawns and Morton Bay bugs, but it'll do). We also buy bon-bons to open before dinner.<br/><br/>But this year my mom out did herself - she bought Adam a beach cricket set. Of course we couldn't just let it sit unused but we don't have a beach so the snow will have to do. Adam has spent the evening teaching the family all about cricket. This included hands on learning and the lessons were caught on camera. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8309674500/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8309674500_6b47ff43fe.jpg" id="blogsy-1356495611142.863" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8308623377/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8308623377_4b85d5eee2.jpg" id="blogsy-1356495611079.837" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danaofoz/8309675678/" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8309675678_0bd0eb9510.jpg" id="blogsy-1356495611061.0525" class="alignnone" width="500" height="500" alt=""></a></div>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-87803197780972832662012-09-14T08:44:00.000-07:002012-09-14T08:45:03.984-07:00Little Girl BrooksLast year I did a blog about the Brooks family with some of the pregnant pictures I took of Mommy Brooks. This year, I was lucky enough to be able to take some pictures of their beautiful and smart daughter before her 1 year birthday.<br />
<br />
I met Gabby over Christmas last year for the first time. She was two months old and a very easy baby to like. I then got to meet her again in April when I came home for a visit. She was older and more interactive but still very easy to like (except for when she threw up on me!). Now that I'm home, I get to see her nearly every weekend and she continues to be very easy to be around.<br />
<br />
Momma Brooks asked me to do these pictures and I had never really done pictures of a 1 yr old so I was had no idea what to expect. We setup an area in a park using some of the fall decorations that are going to be used for Gabby's birthday. We must have looked crazy - fall decorations when it was still 90 degrees outside??<br />
<br />
Anyhow, Gabby was a pleasure to work with. Mama and Dad Brooks kept her entertained so I could focus on the pictures and I think they came out fantastic with the color combination! What do you think?<br />
<br />
Maybe we'll keep this a tradition - new pictures of Gabby every year!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTA2hg8n-UzYtA2IWzpLhvfDbrwQIn6qnVl-s3GYMVppupd90VvpUU5mF1tHcerbkCU7Mekm9OdxysUDfEpV0CIfBQhkYTBxzyFJA-LrQD4fv4FeNV1JenpK0PXfpVcnjt6MT87WD7pz2/s1600/Blog+it+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTA2hg8n-UzYtA2IWzpLhvfDbrwQIn6qnVl-s3GYMVppupd90VvpUU5mF1tHcerbkCU7Mekm9OdxysUDfEpV0CIfBQhkYTBxzyFJA-LrQD4fv4FeNV1JenpK0PXfpVcnjt6MT87WD7pz2/s320/Blog+it+-+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASPtjaBh5imqksxmeK0m7gxeG7kGjaAP2AoNouVaIApJQ1leicAOvIiXP0oapI6opYWU2Aw65MDWZ8wDf1Y9xY8iGVUM8bFI_NBTR_FLoVXQg0pM8LwOApv7bqMBxoq7A0cEG8SOpCL6i/s1600/Blog+it+-+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASPtjaBh5imqksxmeK0m7gxeG7kGjaAP2AoNouVaIApJQ1leicAOvIiXP0oapI6opYWU2Aw65MDWZ8wDf1Y9xY8iGVUM8bFI_NBTR_FLoVXQg0pM8LwOApv7bqMBxoq7A0cEG8SOpCL6i/s320/Blog+it+-+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com2Chandler, AZ, USA33.3061605 -111.841250233.199996999999996 -111.9991787 33.412324 -111.68332170000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-10467948276070462252012-09-08T23:26:00.000-07:002012-09-08T23:26:21.818-07:00Right Side Up<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, it's done! I'm back in the United States for good. That's right - back on home soil. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been fantastic being home. I'm in love with nesting at the moment. I've turned into a serious homebody. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm travelling to PA every week for work so I just get a few days at home each week. When I'm home, all I want to do is be home. I'm a completely different girl than who I was in Oz. No more late nights with the boys drinking lots of beers. Now, its the couch and the TV for me - and I'm ok with that!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First order of business was to redecorate the bedroom. I had been wanting to do that before I left but felt it best to wait. I had a beautiful golden brown bedroom set but I was ready for something new. Something lighter and more versatile.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Old Bedroom:</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX_VOjJxWhkX-qY_lsEIXAFZ25bgqYzt7r0t0jq617prsiV2bQh_bF_ppVDVT62fezx19KlDOPMsfXTIwDYAdDV2Q2Xg2ze4XCnWzQhGaRXE8m0DNOgfW52dAQ7hrARVltcTBFi7CD7dl/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX_VOjJxWhkX-qY_lsEIXAFZ25bgqYzt7r0t0jq617prsiV2bQh_bF_ppVDVT62fezx19KlDOPMsfXTIwDYAdDV2Q2Xg2ze4XCnWzQhGaRXE8m0DNOgfW52dAQ7hrARVltcTBFi7CD7dl/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Old Bedroom</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />New Bedroom:</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmq-o9eL4hJxirldXtvIhS1PXTNmiYZec-bZvIaPeX9f5Wm4kVeT-gh0PTIebkNBqs7wjeIXfBuZHSBeHCuBjGlYr4Yn2p3rwmW8PMzxSgIpbI-mMuhaqa0kgA8bC4KtSBTY08nEzNt-E/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmq-o9eL4hJxirldXtvIhS1PXTNmiYZec-bZvIaPeX9f5Wm4kVeT-gh0PTIebkNBqs7wjeIXfBuZHSBeHCuBjGlYr4Yn2p3rwmW8PMzxSgIpbI-mMuhaqa0kgA8bC4KtSBTY08nEzNt-E/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New Bedroom</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not done yet - I need to find some artwork for the walls, put up the new curtains, and new lamps for the bedside tables.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So excited to be home!!</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-60051195734591531002012-06-02T21:03:00.001-07:002012-06-02T21:03:33.426-07:00The city that never sleeps The week before Christmas, HA and I decided to go to New York. It was a fantastic trip and we'd like to go back. We did all the normal touristy stuff - the Empire State building, a show on broadway, and the Rockettes.<br/><br/>We had brilliant food. You could spend a whole vacation just eating all day and never doing anything else. We had two really beautiful dinners while we were there but one in particular was fantastic. Adam took me to The Palace for dinner. The food was beyond good and the atmosphere had a very trendy vibe. We needed up making friends with the bartender and having drinks with him that night. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUrI__QwtAY130d6xBtyyTZWFjWmi3CtPnkyQ5jk8kBJmKT7_HXQpgpCxwIGRbNyxn6JsA22FHEaKPrN59ch_orx-8tWDkovAyk9QZBA-Tc2L_-5VTUd-wGgihJ9Af9uam-nkLfoXhRrw/s851/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_51.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUrI__QwtAY130d6xBtyyTZWFjWmi3CtPnkyQ5jk8kBJmKT7_HXQpgpCxwIGRbNyxn6JsA22FHEaKPrN59ch_orx-8tWDkovAyk9QZBA-Tc2L_-5VTUd-wGgihJ9Af9uam-nkLfoXhRrw/s500/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_51.jpg" id="blogsy-1338696119511.9165" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div>These were my favorite Christmas decorations in the city.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAIicrrGmwgMLtHIjAkxGpzwNokvO8m0egKWoLSl5dqOGv2HiIY89nHxR3P_lv7-FggpM1_MCPtmJXWSr5g612ie73Bq8zLZ9L9jn8POvbYnouCTAbJ1Ni3bwECD7LgTtCSlDHSNCMMor/s1065/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_51.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAIicrrGmwgMLtHIjAkxGpzwNokvO8m0egKWoLSl5dqOGv2HiIY89nHxR3P_lv7-FggpM1_MCPtmJXWSr5g612ie73Bq8zLZ9L9jn8POvbYnouCTAbJ1Ni3bwECD7LgTtCSlDHSNCMMor/s500/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_51.jpg" id="blogsy-1338696119494.2612" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;">We found these on the Brooklyn Bridge and thought they were very cool. I couldn't help myself in photographing them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rUusMC-UUN2KFPG4e6LoAYoNiboznkqBdg0VNO-kFUQY4pQHdnFQJ0MlFqiOagN4UFJ3sVgkINSkU-f4H_lcAbDry_hlpDrIetBU9uX8aLWUJpCdoAoco7jzGRaagf5cyZr22VbE2-pE/s1276/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_50.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rUusMC-UUN2KFPG4e6LoAYoNiboznkqBdg0VNO-kFUQY4pQHdnFQJ0MlFqiOagN4UFJ3sVgkINSkU-f4H_lcAbDry_hlpDrIetBU9uX8aLWUJpCdoAoco7jzGRaagf5cyZr22VbE2-pE/s500/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_50.jpg" id="blogsy-1338696119492.942" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;">I took this picture from the top of the Rockafeller Center right before Adam asked me a very important question....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivbSmKg0E7U6fK3Lv6snF8fbvnmxX5OdlEVJDXkGSRiEcVYtydzbZ5dKpsskpmGMoKr75IrdTOMFi1j1cVYeKIJxDg8ALhlYRQ78OjEWeA12jcZVorik3zuHdoFLhgVAaTO2ubJrzGPPF/s1920/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_34.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivbSmKg0E7U6fK3Lv6snF8fbvnmxX5OdlEVJDXkGSRiEcVYtydzbZ5dKpsskpmGMoKr75IrdTOMFi1j1cVYeKIJxDg8ALhlYRQ78OjEWeA12jcZVorik3zuHdoFLhgVAaTO2ubJrzGPPF/s500/2012_%2525206_%2525203_13_34.jpg" id="blogsy-1338696119523.5947" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><br></div> Of course I said yes! He did a fantastic job designing the ring (yes, he designed it himself). Now we just need to finish all the wedding planning!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-43648820600897631662012-05-15T15:30:00.000-07:002012-07-31T13:25:41.496-07:00Screen Printing for Dummies<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* This post has been sitting in draft for almost a year. I thought I should post it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HA has always had this idea of making tshirts. After our project earlier this year of making the picture for <a href="http://danaofoz.blogspot.com/2011/01/gravity.html">Gravity</a>, we thought they would make a great tshirt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DM, in his thoughtfulness, brought back HA a t-shirt making kit on one of his trips back to the US.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the boys set aside a weekend to make tshirts. The first step was to find the tshirts. It's hard to find good quality, inexpensive tshirts in Australia but the boys found them. The next step was to decide on what went on the tshirt. HA had one particular quote he wanted on it so that was the first tshirt. Then we have a friend that was leaving Canberra to move to Brisbane, so they decided to make a tshirt for him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had no idea screen printing was such a time consuming job.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq152FU1rf8UGtGOiBzElr7-gfhzZ_wqgHnRW3JrPO1SVfoW7lZ81HGUJY3iUsEtHeF2g8O36RoNZV1l8RTJuByP0F_qZ9rpVbzyIuklzEYMCp6kpej9XKs5dDVanh6g3Pq-Ae1UG6jn_/s1600/DSC_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq152FU1rf8UGtGOiBzElr7-gfhzZ_wqgHnRW3JrPO1SVfoW7lZ81HGUJY3iUsEtHeF2g8O36RoNZV1l8RTJuByP0F_qZ9rpVbzyIuklzEYMCp6kpej9XKs5dDVanh6g3Pq-Ae1UG6jn_/s320/DSC_0296.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ingredients</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKNyvt9Ka5d51AdWDvoKdWsDukVelwV0glVX0GtsOZ4QzoIfei7MfKic8Rf2vYzx3855-bs9KMFxWqQKnquX4ThLcmSFk5-EmNL-qhM33n59wC6j_AlmcQr4YdTmPzeV2cXj4HZaz3kmz/s1600/DSC_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKNyvt9Ka5d51AdWDvoKdWsDukVelwV0glVX0GtsOZ4QzoIfei7MfKic8Rf2vYzx3855-bs9KMFxWqQKnquX4ThLcmSFk5-EmNL-qhM33n59wC6j_AlmcQr4YdTmPzeV2cXj4HZaz3kmz/s320/DSC_0384.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The saying is printed onto a wire screen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcif700P4Ykjr3HzieskEpv3qOy2jTXkBcK3p1q7laVn9J_Gny_Uq06gVygUvSsJdXSv1sHe5YGEWYqRX70JYbKg0rnhSivVDmnFj98rq4pcln0FKndPGz5u44zD3lsJ5e01eewBfvW06/s1600/DSC_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcif700P4Ykjr3HzieskEpv3qOy2jTXkBcK3p1q7laVn9J_Gny_Uq06gVygUvSsJdXSv1sHe5YGEWYqRX70JYbKg0rnhSivVDmnFj98rq4pcln0FKndPGz5u44zD3lsJ5e01eewBfvW06/s320/DSC_0389.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The screen is placed on top of the tshirt and the paint is run over it. This part was a three person job.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIsCmA1g3E1Koiw_x2eCeM9fRz1VAqQC0q64ZSXUCUFYSWnXHyoR1Mkk4CD069cWbM7in3uXh8Qpo-1pIoELYxnEDdW6IZ552pEWK5jS-MUhlV39SyY6DmjRy1sgoS4AHE3pcRnJ2tMEjp/s1600/DSC_0391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIsCmA1g3E1Koiw_x2eCeM9fRz1VAqQC0q64ZSXUCUFYSWnXHyoR1Mkk4CD069cWbM7in3uXh8Qpo-1pIoELYxnEDdW6IZ552pEWK5jS-MUhlV39SyY6DmjRy1sgoS4AHE3pcRnJ2tMEjp/s320/DSC_0391.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final product. We had to redo DM's b/c the paint was too thin. But we thought it would be funny to switch out the tshirts late into the night so that people wouldn't be sure if the shirt was fuzzy or if their vision was fuzzy.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBhFMNRYEEqWIZHgM8GtxsNpOWvXRNZyhcp5cKoNZoeY-OVqVPIuuu0PJaoHXWU90kpalGL9_a6wtjM797-bB73-B5Ghyphenhyphengalbg7POFdAlHswnnrLnY3lD0zcyA3MnqS4Yh_GLb3Av-Jvi/s1600/271905_10150293169036397_653541396_9600945_652092_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBhFMNRYEEqWIZHgM8GtxsNpOWvXRNZyhcp5cKoNZoeY-OVqVPIuuu0PJaoHXWU90kpalGL9_a6wtjM797-bB73-B5Ghyphenhyphengalbg7POFdAlHswnnrLnY3lD0zcyA3MnqS4Yh_GLb3Av-Jvi/s320/271905_10150293169036397_653541396_9600945_652092_o.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final product that the boys wore out in Sydney!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-52699713845209918752012-05-12T04:48:00.000-07:002012-05-12T04:48:45.920-07:00The Red Center<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've always had a bucket list of things I'd like to do before I leave Australia. One of those things is visiting Uluru or better known as "The Rock". My friend DM is also moving back to the US in May and he also had this trip on his bucket list...so, we decided to do a quick weekend. Everyone I know that's visited Uluru have said that you don't need more than two days there - so we decided to do the trip in a long weekend.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got to Uluru at around noon on Saturday and drove directly to the resort. There is only one resort in Uluru so there aren't alot of choices. It is literally in the middle of nowhere.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There wasn't much to do at the resort so we headed out to the rock. When it came right down to it, we were not prepared. None of us had sunscreen. I was wearing flip flops. And we had no water. Completely unprepared.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was worth it though. The Rock is beautiful and much bigger than you'd expect. But, I'd like to confirm, you really don't need more than a day in Uluru. We went out to the Helga's and hiked around a bit. Then we drove to The Rock and hiked just a little bit and drove around the entire thing in about an hour. We choose not to climb to the top b/c it's not respectful to the natives.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpZKjv6ibNPnDu6zk-zEIutpoRn_K8rcEdb4Z5HL5ZmQKH9mu9TojQsOjljIdNfBVLKHUeAGMSgwoRo8nzOSQb86b32sO_RV-SH70vAO_ERvsd6ZGRaOwZU7MrL31itDy6r2r94AawPnS/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpZKjv6ibNPnDu6zk-zEIutpoRn_K8rcEdb4Z5HL5ZmQKH9mu9TojQsOjljIdNfBVLKHUeAGMSgwoRo8nzOSQb86b32sO_RV-SH70vAO_ERvsd6ZGRaOwZU7MrL31itDy6r2r94AawPnS/s320/DSC_0118.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Helga's - There was way more vegetation than I expected.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59kCuHJ3HWC2tluBPLbOqVmdUVOoluQ1LxXgIppQXRFHwkPla_7VEZ6snsMkprfiMsQsdM834LnP6t7Vz8seI6BiCoPFAAoBAzU_aCX-W-KhyphenhyphenKHaDsj9hMvMr5ck48gN2_FLnJoVy-tYP/s1600/DSC_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59kCuHJ3HWC2tluBPLbOqVmdUVOoluQ1LxXgIppQXRFHwkPla_7VEZ6snsMkprfiMsQsdM834LnP6t7Vz8seI6BiCoPFAAoBAzU_aCX-W-KhyphenhyphenKHaDsj9hMvMr5ck48gN2_FLnJoVy-tYP/s320/DSC_0130.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hiking the Helga's</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVjo9qJYA2bKO8NX1TZPOddxLXnDB6DbEp9KzAh1oqjQVEXPTmD52HdNvDDR_sRmsuH7Ny334RVFh72ONH5dzN6SN1AuCrkC-VhKIn_BAiDIFQOgneCiW4ex1ffcd6OsXi-MGMvYBYdZ2/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVjo9qJYA2bKO8NX1TZPOddxLXnDB6DbEp9KzAh1oqjQVEXPTmD52HdNvDDR_sRmsuH7Ny334RVFh72ONH5dzN6SN1AuCrkC-VhKIn_BAiDIFQOgneCiW4ex1ffcd6OsXi-MGMvYBYdZ2/s320/DSC_0138.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I imagine Mars to look like</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOItjAbuwMz9ut_Ikrus6WozegfcVRARoYOeeSYmGlaEk2qKNgm-9VQVBcO7ZTcDdc76M2JQaJo0I6P4ynS3FYjxNUfwPvmBVc2ZqH_ctclpplI6QX1xiG3epVoTiqrh3hTyIXKTydxjR/s1600/DSC_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOItjAbuwMz9ut_Ikrus6WozegfcVRARoYOeeSYmGlaEk2qKNgm-9VQVBcO7ZTcDdc76M2JQaJo0I6P4ynS3FYjxNUfwPvmBVc2ZqH_ctclpplI6QX1xiG3epVoTiqrh3hTyIXKTydxjR/s320/DSC_0147.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Always alot of love between HA and DM</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv5itbdDA9f5S6scT0oqkFKwhDjx-e3p7bz-DOfmPMb-YpdoT-vaS08-9LpNo6P3vCSerGeZ191sQ6EH7qIN7C-qbnH2w1cGExMR3tghetqD5PPZUAPGTDK5jVt1axa8ME-7WT_1hjPOg/s1600/DSC_0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv5itbdDA9f5S6scT0oqkFKwhDjx-e3p7bz-DOfmPMb-YpdoT-vaS08-9LpNo6P3vCSerGeZ191sQ6EH7qIN7C-qbnH2w1cGExMR3tghetqD5PPZUAPGTDK5jVt1axa8ME-7WT_1hjPOg/s320/DSC_0151.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfTHRpwdoPCBx-kxbaMmbZIE53EochCMUiFf1GqYwsV-QM4-JA_KWz5xo0jF58N5-EAOrV233ZwHMSTgNECdUJgWn6srPay3HuOQsFX3vzrd1a2qqfdBRogTbCki0RpjTC9XrxvdY2Kps/s1600/DSC_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfTHRpwdoPCBx-kxbaMmbZIE53EochCMUiFf1GqYwsV-QM4-JA_KWz5xo0jF58N5-EAOrV233ZwHMSTgNECdUJgWn6srPay3HuOQsFX3vzrd1a2qqfdBRogTbCki0RpjTC9XrxvdY2Kps/s320/DSC_0176.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What the boys did while I took pictures</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cVklRQOoiUVR4KrjYh8BX32Ec4EruZFLCjxQ-wqGmN328rET3-VaWEkyV73E2e758pN9ucSzE1kPmQIeR3vXAFi8XAJA9RWSIMkjVgflvz-fruTopMEoREh56a7XvM7l4wfrHBmdup0m/s1600/DSC_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cVklRQOoiUVR4KrjYh8BX32Ec4EruZFLCjxQ-wqGmN328rET3-VaWEkyV73E2e758pN9ucSzE1kPmQIeR3vXAFi8XAJA9RWSIMkjVgflvz-fruTopMEoREh56a7XvM7l4wfrHBmdup0m/s320/DSC_0230.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunset</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok4VZmA8jPjpi58Je5w_UtGLodCPW44ikOQJLeZTQOk18hp8DVlbkG8WHSLTEDW8LBKKTtEXSAzL7W_LKRGk5zwfeSsYumvokxqdKpkV7ITZjk-13h4yxrz13u9Lblrb2qZcIaPki155n/s1600/DSC_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok4VZmA8jPjpi58Je5w_UtGLodCPW44ikOQJLeZTQOk18hp8DVlbkG8WHSLTEDW8LBKKTtEXSAzL7W_LKRGk5zwfeSsYumvokxqdKpkV7ITZjk-13h4yxrz13u9Lblrb2qZcIaPki155n/s320/DSC_0240.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We ended up having dinner at the resort and having a few beers but there wasn't much else to do so we were in bed fairly early. The next day, we decided we didn't need to see the rock at sun rise so we started our road trip to Alice Springs. It was quite a long drive.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmLdkjY0YEXQuAdnnFDNbJe9PYfvVq-bkSlQv_LFB1BaJAtwzPMuRoiwsIpll_p9hADnhTp6t9PtbtcbOKiAeQw7QhwxRMDBgPYOftbxJYfYxhO5G8BdDn0XyOnQlOfksLw-8SltuEMvM/s1600/DSC_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmLdkjY0YEXQuAdnnFDNbJe9PYfvVq-bkSlQv_LFB1BaJAtwzPMuRoiwsIpll_p9hADnhTp6t9PtbtcbOKiAeQw7QhwxRMDBgPYOftbxJYfYxhO5G8BdDn0XyOnQlOfksLw-8SltuEMvM/s320/DSC_0256.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Came across this tire tree on the way to Alice Springs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We failed to realize that we weren't getting to Alice Springs until late afternoon on a Sunday. This meant that nothing was open. So, we made the best of it and found a pub and drank beer all afternoon and then had dinner at a pub. I don't really have anything to post about Alice. I wouldn't suggest visiting.</span></div>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0Uluru NT 0872, Australia-25.3525939 131.0343615-25.3812929 130.9948795 -25.3238949 131.07384349999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-90466420887019557802012-01-08T23:06:00.000-07:002012-01-08T23:06:14.822-07:00Safety first...comfort second<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was reminded today about the real role of a steward/stewardess on an air flight. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning, on my 6:30 am flight from Canberra to Brisbane, a passenger had a heart attack. Almost immediately after take off, the gentlemen approached the stewardesses and told them he wasn't feeling well. They sat him in the first seat so he could catch his breathe and then escorted him to the toilet when he looked ill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The passenger passed out in the toilet and the stewardesses discreetly and calmly enlisted the help of two passengers to pull him out of the restroom and lay him on the floor. For the next 30+ minutes, until we could land, the stewardesses took turns performing CPR to help try and keep him alive. The pilot very quickly diverted to Sydney where they cleared the runway for us and had an ambulance waiting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am in awe of how well the ladies of DJ1207 handled the situation. They were calm and never hesitated to do what they thought needed to be done. I'm not sure I could have handled myself so well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I don't believe the gentleman survived but I can't be sure. My thoughts are with him and his family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next time you're on a plane, please remember that the stewardess and stewards of the flight are there primarily for your safety. In any situations while in the air, they will be your champions and your rescuers. Give them the consideration and respect that comes with that role.</span>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-6023409212081780352011-11-28T22:33:00.001-07:002011-11-28T22:51:31.780-07:00Paper or Plastic?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ACT (Australian Capital Territory) government recently passed a law banning plastic bags b/c they believe they are detrimental to the environment. It's fantastic that Australia is trying to look out for the environment. They do this in many other ways as well - like asking everyone to limit their showers to 2 minutes and encouraging people not to use their dryers.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But back to the plastic bags. So what does this mean to me? Well, it means no more spontaneous trips to the grocery store without a very large purse. Gone are the days when I think to myself, "Oh, I need milk...oh, I should pick up some bread too...oh and maybe some ice cream." Cause now when I do that, it means that I have three choices: 1) buy the legal, biodegradable plastic bag for $0.20 each, 2) buy the reusable plastic bag for $1.00 each, or 3) carry it all in my purse. My purse is already heavy enough so that option is out. I already own a million reusable bags, I don't need another one. So, I guess I'm paying the $0.20 each for a couple of bags. That adds up with enough spontaneous trips to the grocery store. Adam and I now leave about 4 of the reusable bags in his car so that we never get stuck without them.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But this got me thinking - are plastic bags <i>really</i> that bad for the environment?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've read around on the internet and it seems like there's a split decision.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's generally agreed that while it's easier to recycle paper bags, the energy and cost to the environment is too high.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The energy and cost to make a plastic bag is quite low and they're very inexpensive. But apparently, even though they're recyclable, people don't generally put them in the recycling bin. Instead, they reuse them for other purposes and then throw them in the trash bin, thereby clogging up the landfills.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reusable bags on the other hand, again don't take alot of energy to make and, obviously, they're reusable. The one thing that I did find interesting is that there's a concern around bacteria growth with the reusable bags. For instance, lets say you put ground beef in your reusable bag and it hasn't been put into a separate plastic bag because those are illegal, and the blood from the beef gets all over your reusable bag....there's a fantastic opportunity for bacteria growth and germs.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hmmm...i think I need to go clean out my reusable bags. What do you think..paper or plastic?</span>Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304766182380134909.post-65413141825955698542011-10-09T15:00:00.000-07:002011-10-09T15:00:00.587-07:00Baby Brooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_CHtu8N7-Jt26GOU3CpbrNNkLYrTz_eZf039VN9PV8wC-oszMpEEmQXUCewKt8iahAOXYFqdPmsNTY6F03p1_2yuPgiX_dvsriQ8jxEYV2eIGe9xJA8o67L8Ckp855rPoGDvv2hsgtD4/s1600/DSC_1022+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_CHtu8N7-Jt26GOU3CpbrNNkLYrTz_eZf039VN9PV8wC-oszMpEEmQXUCewKt8iahAOXYFqdPmsNTY6F03p1_2yuPgiX_dvsriQ8jxEYV2eIGe9xJA8o67L8Ckp855rPoGDvv2hsgtD4/s320/DSC_1022+copy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the second half of my trip home, I spent about five days in Phoenix. I went to check on the house, to get some warmth (Canberra has been freezing), and to attend my friend Kim's baby shower. Kim found out she was having a baby back at the beginning of the year and she has been so excited. I think she was even more excited when she found out it was going to be a girl (look out <a href="http://danaofoz.blogspot.com/2011/10/hello-cooper-tew.html">Cooper Tew</a>!). She's going to be a fantastic mom and Blaine...well, Blaine is going to be in for an interested ride with two Brooks women in the house.</span><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been slowly building my portfolio of portrait photography (you know, in case I ever decide to quit my high-paying corporate job that flys me all over the world). I've done an <a href="http://danaofoz.blogspot.com/2011/03/engagement-session.html">engagement</a>, a <a href="http://danaofoz.blogspot.com/2011/04/project-52-week-7-catch-up.html">family</a>, a baby, and now, thanks to Kim, I've had the chance to do maternity pictures.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was around 114 F in Phoenix the day we decided to do pictures and I couldn't talk Dad Brooks into heading out to the park for pictures. It was just far too hot. So we settled on their backyard so we could go inside to cool off every now and then. As it turns out, we got a fantastic sunset and fantastic light. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoy the pictures! I think the pictures came out pretty well. Thank you Kim and Blaine for letting me capture this precious time for you!</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhGlsaYPOj3FLB7CzB_yh3ix81TWATT96OcesZqoQf02Y_opMzyRckTgDvEQOB9foziD_hQNptNPr5u1u0vs1zuP2FVO11fllrFrXDQ_RAizz-4_U4KyqWgW28jGCzQm6ZAi52XJtP1xY/s1600/kim_blog_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhGlsaYPOj3FLB7CzB_yh3ix81TWATT96OcesZqoQf02Y_opMzyRckTgDvEQOB9foziD_hQNptNPr5u1u0vs1zuP2FVO11fllrFrXDQ_RAizz-4_U4KyqWgW28jGCzQm6ZAi52XJtP1xY/s320/kim_blog_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Dana of Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973341842068268617noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.074037333.024432600000004 -112.7057513 33.8723216 -111.4423233