that time of year

last year i volunteered to help run a major fundraiser for an organization i'm involved with. wendy and i did it together and we both swore up, down and sideways that we wouldn't do it again this year. i guess wendy is smarter than i am because i volunteered to run it (alone) this year. and truthfully, it hasn't been a big deal. i knew the routine, knew what to do and things are running much smoother (for me) than last year. i was even thinking the other day that i might volunteer to do it next year, too.

but today? today it all hit me. it's not just the fundraiser, which starts friday and runs through christmas eve, but the fact that this is my busiest time of year with photo sessions. i have twice as many clients as last year and their orders are much larger this year (a very nice problem to have!). today i have to be at the mall with all the supplies (all of which haven't even arrived yet) AND order photos AND proof three client sessions - each of which takes a few hours.

today i'm questioning my sanity and wishing i had not taken on the fundraiser. i know it will be fine and that everything will work itself out. it always does - one way or another. but today - right now - my stomach is in knots, i'm short tempered with the kids and i'm wondering how i'm going to get 48 hours worth of work done in 24 hours.

oy.

thanksgiving photos

i posted some photos from thanksgiving over on my photography blog.

more photos (and posts) to come soon.

i promise :)

national holiday

when kate was done with dinner tonight, she walked over to me, gave me a hug and said 'happy almost jewish day, mommy.' we're going to the mikvah tomorrow where i'll become jewish and kate is beyond happy about it.

almost jewish day? maybe it *should* be a national holiday.

i'm it

wendy tagged me to write about certain topics in blocks of 8. here we go:

8 passions in my life
jeff
kate
jack
photography
traveling
reading
good sushi
home design

8 things to do before I die
lose those stubborn 15 pounds
take a cruise on the QE2
fly first class to another country
own my own natural light photography studio
create a philanthropic foundation with jeff
retire to manhattan
learn to stop feeling guilty
travel to a third world country with jeff and the kids


8 things I often say
maggie! in your crate!
you're my favorite girl in the whole world
you're my favorite boy in the whole world
stop snoring
jack, do you have a poop in your pull up?
put your jackets and shoes on. now!
i love you
sorry i didn't call you back

8 Books I read recently
i was born on a blue wednesday
lost: in search of six of six million
lost and found
a long way from home
henri cartier-bresson: the man, the image and the world
?
?
?

8 songs that mean something to me
by your side
infinite eyes (keb 'mo version)
blackbird (kenny rankin version)
live like you were dying
right here waiting for you (i know. gag.)
?
?
?


8 Qualities I look for in a friend
mildly sarcastic
doesn't mind cussing
laughs a lot
down to earth
honest
if a parent, someone who isn't afraid to discipline their kids
is happy with their life the way it is
cares about improving the world around them

ugh. uggs.

i know i'm about, oh, 8 years behind on this trend but i just got my first pair of uggs and i'm in love.

in.
love.

i needed a pair of shoes to wear outside in the mornings to let maggie out. in our old house, we had an invisible fence so i would just open the door and let her out. we don't have one in the new house (mostly because we have no yard in which to fence her in). so every morning jeff or i have to walk outside in the alley and walk maggie into the field behind our house and wait while she does her business.

i've been wearing my slippers most mornings but then i end up tracking dirt back into the house. so i went looking for a pair of light, cozy boot type shoes to wear in the mornings.

enter uggs.

i tried them on reluctantly. but as soon as i put them on, i knew i had to have them. had to have five pairs. in every style and color available (i only bought one pair, in the chocolate brown).

i still think they are butt ugly and i won't wear them anywhere but the field behind our house. but they make walking the dog so much more enjoyable in the morning. i'm eyeing a pair of snow boots, too...