Weirdo.

When I was a little girl, it used to make me feel really bad when my mom would pack something in my lunch that I didn't like and I would end up throwing it away.

The way I looked at it, that poor piece of food - say, a bologna sandwich - had waited its entire life for one thing...to be eaten.

And here I was, the unappreciative little girl, throwing it away because it "grossed me out."

As I would walk away from the trash can, I would think, "That poor sandwich is so sad. It will never live to see its dreams come to fruition."

No, really. I was that much of a psycho.

Tonight, I made Thad macaroni and cheese for dinner, and the noodles were shaped like characters from Toy Story.

He didn't even want to try it because he didn't want to "hurt Buzz Lightyear."

No, really.

That happened.

My kid - I believe - may just be as crazy as me.

Valentine's Day outtakes.

Alright, alright. 

I found my motivation.

I got off of my ass, and I took pictures of the monkey for his Valentine's Day cards.

The posing might seem odd, but trust me. It's going to work.

I did, however, want to share the outtakes. He is so funny. He gets all excited about taking pictures.

He cooperates with me getting dressed. He talks about sending the photos to his friends and grandma.

And then when I actually need him to sit on the floor and smile?

I get this:

"Mommy, I don't WANT my picture taken."

Tom thought we should make this the official Valentine's Day photo, with a caption on the card that read, "Be my Valentine...or else." Lol.

"I just want this to be OVER! Why can't I have a chocolate yet?"

And, of course, the super cheesy grin. Lol.

Overall, despite my annoyance, I actually did wind up with a perfect picture. I'll post that later, with the details (I don't want to spoil it for those of you who are getting one in the mail!)

Oh, and I leave you with this last one. If you never believed that my child was a Cabbage Patch doll in a former life, here is your proof:

Valentine's Day.

I simply cannot find the motivation to get my ass in gear and do a Valentine's Day photo this year with Thad.

So I think I might use an old photo...

...what do you think?

Front:

Back:

Would it look better in red?

Roses.

Tonight on my way home from school, I bought myself some flowers.

I think a girl is entitled to treat herself to something pretty every now and then, right?

And, of course, I felt like getting some flower photos. 

Hehe.

It was too dark tonight, and I had to use my flash. I hate using my flash when I take flower photos. So, I'll do some more again tomorrow. 

I may even put the roses in the snow and see what I can come up with.

Buddy Bear.

So the class "pet" in Thad's preschool class is apparently Buddy Bear.

The kids love him.

And, they love it even more when they get a chance to take him home.

This week was Thad's chance. He was so, so excited. 

There was only one requirement - take a photo of your child and Buddy Bear doing something together so your child can share it with the rest of the class. Then you were supposed to journal their time together in the class notebook.

Um...I forgot.

Completely.

Until today. At 1pm.

Buddy Bear goes back tomorrow in the morning.

Oops.

At this point, Thad was already gone with Miss Holly and her girls for the day.

So, I had to get creative.

 His journal entry reads:

Buddy Bear and I were very busy while he stayed at my house. We played with trucks, took a bath, watched my favorite movie, and even camped out in my Thomas the Train tent. I really wanted to take him to play basketball with me, but mommy was afraid he'd get lost. So, Buddy Bear stayed home and played in the snow instead.

Lol.

How a mother - who prides herself on being a professional photographer - forgot to take a picture of her child with Buddy Bear, I will never know.

Hopefully this will suffice.

Pioneer Woman.

I have been following the Pioneer Woman for years. Years. 

Like, I started reading "From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" as she was writing it. I would literally check the site each day for a new chapter.

Plus, well, I suck at cooking. And she doesn't. So I like to use her site for that as well.

The photography portion of her site has really taken off in the last 6 months/year, and now she holds contests. There are no specifics for how photos are chosen - she is the only judge. I've seen cell phone pictures selected. Professional photographers selected.

Back in December, my bokeh Christmas tree photo was selected for Group 6. I was flattered.

Being flattered doesn't stem from being selected for a Group. It stems from the fact that Ree Drummond is, by far, the most creative woman I have ever seen walk this planet.

She is a phenomenal writer.

A fantastic photographer.

And she's pretty damn funny, too.

Oh, and she uses at least one whole stick of butter in each of her recipes.

Anyways, today I checked her site to see the most recent Group posting for her new contest, "Flowers."

There, I saw that I had, once again, been selected.

Now I am not only flattered, but I am on cloud nine.

I love it when those besides my loved ones and the people close to me recognize my work.

It feels awesome. And it feels like I am finally starting to succeed.

If you have a chance, I would love it if you would pop on over to her site and comment about my photo.

I don't think it helps....but just in case....

Click here to view Pioneer Woman's Group 1

Thanks. :)

Hell officially froze over.

Whenever people ask me, "Katie, what's it like to live in Michigan?" I always reply, "It's like a cold version of hell."

And it's true.

I hate living in this place. And today? Well, hell froze over.

The temperature this morning when we went out to start the car to go sledding was -20 degrees.

(That's a minus sign in front of that number, for those of you who aren't wearing your glasses).

So, sledding was definitely no longer an option.

Bummer. 

I was really hoping for some pictures.

But, we figured since we were all already dressed and ready to go, we might as well hit up Target.

So, we did.

And I took pictures.

Thad could see the steam rising up off the roof top, and he was so certain that it was a fire. He kept yelling at me to turn around and look at it. Lol.

Look at how sweet my little man is in his new hat and gloves.