i've gone iMac

so- thanks to many of you, FB friends, family, the Australian salesguy at BestBuy- i am now the owner of a brand new iMac.

yes- that's right. me- the PC girl. i've been loyal to PC's since the dawn of computers...actually- that's a lie- because i know for a fact that my family owned one of these back in the day:



dear God. that thing was amazing. there was this flying apple game & he ate letters- anyone remember that?! gah!

anyway- after the VERY early years- we went Dell, HP, Gateway- etc etc etc, and we never looked back.

- would we get pissed when our loyal PC would randomly shut down? yes
- would we kick the loudly humming towers of our many Dell's, to shut it up? yes
- would we think twice about eating or drinking on top of the keyboards of our HP's? no

but they were cheap- and they worked. and i honestly have no hard feelings- even AFTER the whole Windows Vista thing. good God- someone really dropped the ball on that one. but STILL! my Gateway laptop has served me well these past 3 years or so- and i still intend to use it (once i figure out this whole wireless thing)

however, it was time to move on to something that could handle my needs. so after much deliberation (i think i walked away, and back, away, and back...from the Apple table like 15 times) i went iMac.

i went iMac instead of MacBook Pro because the iMac is bigger & better & i don't need it to be mobile. i get a TB of space, the screen is huge, i can calibrate it, etc etc. plus, we already have a laptop if needed- my Gateway.
and since the chances of me lugging around a MacBook are slim to none (considering that i would have to be lugging that along with a soon to be toddler & an infant) yeah- no need. so iMac it was.

so this is what now graces the desk in our living room:




...well, here's a more accurate picture:




the sleek aesthetics of the iMac looks a tad bit out of place against the wooden walls of our home- but i think everyone will learn to get along.

i love the lack of wires. i mean- it's like 99% wireless. incredible! even the hubs is impressed- and this is a man who still types with 2 fingers.

we did have to do quite a bit of rearranging in order to make a spot for it- but i actually really like the new setup. until we eventually add on- it works.

so now i just have to figure this thing out. i really liked simply importing my photos into a folder on my PC & calling it a day (thank you AutoPlay)- but i'm pretty much forced to use iPhoto from what i gather. so i get annoyed that i can't SEE the actual picture i want to upload to Flickr (i'm probably doing it wrong- but yeah) practice makes perfect.

i'll now need to download LightRoom & figure out how to import into that as well. i'll also need to bring over a few photos from the laptop, so i bought a flash drive. thankfully- most of the pics in my laptop were edited & uploaded to Flickr- so no need to bring them all over. i'll just go from a here-on-out motto.

like i said- once i get a wireless connection setup, i can still use the laptop. but for now, i'll simply use both.

so there you have it people. i have a Mac.

oh- and because of said new iMac- the BabyLegs giveaway will start up NEXT monday (07/05) because i was too tired to figure out how to upload the pics i wanted. my apologies!

picture post

so i've played around with my template & i think i like it.

i wanted
1. simple
2. bigger pictures

in the future i'll need to re-size my pics FIRST before uploading to flickr. because right now my large pics = 1024x680 and my medium pics = 500x332

large is too big & medium is too small- i want something in the middle. i tried simply changing the size on the link- but then the pictures get pixalated & weird.

so i'm assuming re-sizing first will do the trick- am i right? any other easier ideas? i really don't want to re-size first but i'll do what i have to i suppose.

well for today the pics will be medium size- because i don't have the energy to re-size!

here's a crapload of pics of alex & myself (@ 16 weeks) & the weiners. she was teething & snotty & a tad bit sick- but all in all, a good sport.

i took a bunch for her 9 months shoot yesterday- but those'll have to be posted next week:

























and there- pretty girl!

and lastly- any advice on a new computer/laptop?

i'm a PC girl & i currently have an HP Laptop (i think)- nothing special, just whatever. it's 3 years old and is currently being asked to do way more than it can handle (ie: pictures, LightRoom, CS4- etc etc)

i'm getting SO annoyed with the constant random shutdowns- but i know it's my own fault.

so! i need a new computer. i know Macs are awesome for photos- but i've never owned a Mac & i love PC's- but i'm willing to go with a Mac if it's the best bang for my buck.

i'd love to stick with a laptop- but is there a laptop that can handle all that i need to do (photo editing wise)? or am i going to have to bite the bullet & by a desktop (which i don't mind all that much)

i have to make a decision soon because my LightRoom trial runs out on 06/30 & i don't want to buy it & put it on my laptop to then wind up with a new computer & have to buy it again- you know?

so any suggestions/advice- etc etc? i'd love to hear! gracias!
and have a great weekend everyone!

Moody Mamas giveaway winner

the winner of the Moody Mamas Giveaway is:

Comment #22! Congrats That Mama Gretchen!
please contact me within 48 hours!

to everyone else- thanks for playing & congrats on your pregnancies!

Monday = BabyLegs Giveaway! everyone loves BL's so make sure to top by!

a few things

- my kid is 9 months old today!
- she greeted me sitting up in her crib this morning (first time)
- she has her 9 month appt tomorrow
- she crawls like a hunchback- it's awkward, but effective
- she eats anything & everything
- she loves to yell & scream & copy you doing the same
- she's pretty awesome in every way
- if you have a kid the same age, you probably want said kid to be bff's with my kid- just sayin

so there you are- total update on my child. if all goes as planned (ie: i'm not lazy tonight) i'll post pics on the morrow.

now- in my news. i'm pretty lucky when it comes to pregnancy. my nausea is very minimal, i don't swell, i think i look pretty cute & all in all- it's a good ride.

but i do suffer from 2 things:
1. heartburn
2. sciatic pain

#1 is pretty self explainatory- but some people have trouble with understanding #2- so i've drawn you a picture that should thoroughly express my dislike for sciatic pain:

does that make sense? it should- it's practically science.

BlogHer 10' Ticket for sale

i have a BlogHer 10' Full Conference Pass ticket for sale.

i bought the ticket with every intention on going. then work was like- "hey, were sending you to Vegas that week- cool?"

yes- very cool.

so now i need to get rid of it. it cost me $300.45 and i'd love to get $300 for it. however, i understand that that may not be possible.

so i'm willing to take $300 or BO. if you're interested then you can shoot me an email @ totally.bird@gmail.com

again- it's a Full Conference Pass and those have been sold out for months. this ticket entitles you to everything the conference has to offer. score!

happy 1st day of summer

it's summer. finally. now we can go from complaining about -15° weather to 95° weather.

now, in honor of this already 72° at 7:30am day, i'm going to talk about my most favorite summer beverage ever:
the Mojito.

just looking at that picture makes my mouth water. ever since my first sip of this magical drink- i've been hooked. it's gotten to the point of an obsession.

if we're at a bar, my first question "do you serve mojiotos?" out to eat, "...mojitos?" children's birthday parties, "...um, mojitos?" you catch my drift. when sumer hits- it's mojito mode for me.

so- imagine me last summer- very pregnant & unable to indulge. also imagine my sadistic husband who took every opportunity to order a mojito while we were out, knowing full well that i was dying inside. he is pure evil!

well so what- i knew i'd be un-pregnant in a few months & then i'd have a baby so i wouldn't even think about mojitos & then by next summer- YAY! mojito time!!! right, right?!?!

fast forward to now. yes- i am once again "in the family way" so i could see the wheels in the hubs head turning- oiled in the sweet knowledge that he has a sure method of torture for the entire summer. he was practically salivating with the thought (i'm saying 50% for mojitos & %50 for my pain & suffering)

well i'm not going to stand for it. NO! i woke up on saturday & said to myself, "SELF! YOU WILL HAVE MOJITOS THIS SUMMER! HOOOOOORAY!" so, with my infant daughter & 4 month old fetus in tow- i headed off to find the most perfect limes- the most minty mint & some kind of substitute for top shelf rum.

mission accomplished. now i simply had to wait for an excuse to make an entire pitcher of virgin mojitos....but of course! father's day dinner at the in-laws! hooray! my mother in law doesn't drink, i can't drink & my brother in law's girlfriend is also "with child"- score.

while i waited for sunday to arrive- i decided to make something else- Mojito Cupcakes. um, i should stop now- because they were so good i wanted to cry. i promise to post the recipe & pics on my food blog (which i know i've been neglecting). i may or may not have eaten 3. but whatever.

sunday morning dawned hot & muggy. perfect mojito weather. after letting my husband bask in the glow of father's day gifts & paid for by me breakfast, it was off to the in-laws where my virgin mojito plan would be put into action. we arrived & while he was distracted by "man stuff" (dunno what that is really, him & his dad seem to be pretty into it) i got to work.

chopping, slicing, picking, muddling, crushing, juicing- hard work! my mother in law wandered in & said "ooooh! it smells good in here!" i wish i could say this is hard for my mother in law to say because she's some sort of cold hearted wench that hates me & wants to see me unhappy in everything, because that would add lots of awesome to my mojito story, but i simply can't because my mother in law is possibly the sweetest thing in the whole world. she's like puppies, ice cream & sunshine all rolled into one hot, fluffy & tasty ball. actually- that makes her sound kind of gross- but you know what i mean. ANYWAY- i digress.

after about 20 minutes (i made a huge ass pitcher btw)- my work was done. the kitchen smelled like summer & in front of my was a large pitcher of ice cold virgin mojito. it was bubbly & green. i wanted to stick the straw right into it & keep it for myself. but that's selfish- and i'm very giving.

so i got out 4 glasses- scooped some mojito yum into each one (mojito yum = muddled up lime, mint & ice) and filled them to the tippy top. i popped a straw in each one & carrier them out. my father in law (who doesn't look at things before they go into his mouth) gave me the desired reaction. his eyes got big & he said "man oh man. this stuff is good!" this caused the hubs head to snap up like "...what is this?" he spied the glass- then he spied me drinking the contents of said glass- and i could see his plans for summer torture come crashing down. honestly- he looked a little hurt. like, "why would you do this to me?"

sweet victory. but he was a good sport. he drank his virgin mojito & stated that it was swell. then my brother in law & his girlfriend arrived & they also gave the thumbs up. i wound up making another pitcher & besides an after dinner coffee- that was all we drank. no one even touched the rum my husband had brought. sucker.

so there you have it. virgin mojitos are good. this is coming from a die hard non-virgin mojito fan. i don't think anything can make up for the missing kick of top shelf rum- but it's ok. at least you know you can drink 4 glasses & not have to pay for it in the morning.

so here's my easy peasy recipe for Virgin Mojitos. i say easy peasy because traditional mojitos use simple syrup, club soda, rum, limes & mint. but i can't have rum, and i didn't want to make simple syrup & i couldn't find a 2 liter bottle of club soda. so i compromised. and it worked.

Virgin Mojitos (this makes a very large pitcher)

1. 2 liter bottle of 7up
2. 4-5 limes
3. fresh mint (1 large bunch is enough for 2 pitchers)
4. 1 tblsp sugar

slice the limes & then cut those slices in half. pick off about 1 cup worth of mint leaves. toss the limes, mint & sugar into the pitcher & start muddling. this means smashing the limes & mint together- get the lime juices flowing & the oils running from that mint. muddle, muddle, muddle! i use a muddling stick i got off a bottle of Bacardi- but you can use whatever you have on hand.

add the ice- i used a good 4 cups or so- and mix. i used a spoon to mix the ice & muddled mess together ( you don't want all the good stuff on the bottom). then add the 7up- just pour it in. then let it sit for 5 minutes or so. i know it's hard- but you can do it. get out some glasses & using a slotted spoon- spoon some of the muddled mess (ice & all) into each glass. then put the top on the pitcher & fill up each glass.

pop a straw into each one & enjoy! (the straw is a MUST because otherwise you wind up with mint pieces in your teeth. not as fun as it sounds)

if you're not down with 7up- you can use Ginger Ale, Sprite- whatever. i liked 7up the best for this. and if you want to be more "original" then go ahead & use club soda. however you WILL need a sweetener so you'll have to use a ton of sugar (and have gritty mojitos) or you can make a simple syrup (this is equal parts water & sugar boiled together & cooled. pretty simple- but not as simple as a bottle of 7up!)

and there you have it. i hope everyone had a wonderful weekend & here's to a good (and hopefully quick) workweek!

wedding pictures (sneak peek)

so here is a sneak peek of the wedding i shot a few weeks ago.
i'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination. i simply like taking pics & wanted to do my bff's little bro a favor.

i showed the bride & she loved them. so that made me happy- but i still judge because i can't help it.

what do you think. be honest. also- which edits do you like best? (ie: B&W, color, vintage- etc etc)

i'll post the rest soon- editing is a bitch.

there you go. there are A LOT more. i took over 300 pics. i'm doing all sorts of different edits & giving them my favorites (even if that means 2 different edits of the same picture)

yay! ok so be honest- if you didn't have to pay me would you ask me to shoot anything for you ::wink wink::

i don't think i did too bad. some limb chopping & other things that i'm working on- but all in all- ont vomit inducing!

alex in her pool

so a couple weekends ago we got alex her first little pool.

in anticipation for what was most likely to be a monumentous occasion, i slathered her in sunscreen & bug spray & squeezed her into her bathing suit.

...only to get outside & realize that even after sitting in the sun for 2 hours. the pool water was still at a hypothermic level. like, insanely cold.

so i boiled some water & poured it in. FINALLY- success. water that would not endanger my child's life with it's fridgid temperature.

i got the camera ready & put the hubs on "get baby in the pool duty": (all pics are SOOC- so no fun editing peeps)

we started with the slide:



ok- we're cool with the slide. now- water time:



initial reaction: "get me the eff out of this pool!":


but then she started to warm up to the idea:



"...wait, i can splash you say?":


"well i'll be!":

splish splash



"ZOMG I LOVE MY POOOOOOL!!!11"

and there you have it folks. alex's first time in her pool.

unfortunately about 3 minutes later she realized that she could pull herself halfway over the side of said pool & eat the dirt & grass. hmm, ok.

so after distracting her, she got on her tummy in the pool and pushed herself around- fun! until she swalled some water, choked on it & threw up in the pool.

then pool time was over. but it was fun while it lasted.