The Farm Report

Category: Wendy

  • Well, hello, post-processing!

    Well, hello, post-processing!

    091408_02

    091408_03

    Today, we never even picked up a camera. We launched into Photoshop, and stayed there all day.

    There are these amazing genius people who can shoot photos straight out of their camera and, omigosh, they just upload them and they are amazing.

    I am not one of those people. Perhaps if I spent years in photography school learning all the ins and outs of the technical aspects of photography, I could do it. But let's face it, I might be 76 before I have a chance to do that.

    This is not to discount the photographer. Setting a scene, knowing your camera and its settings, and then knowing how to capture the right moment—these things are all critical. But good post-processing? Definitely another integral piece of the puzzle.

    Above is an old shot of Ellery as well a super-old shot of Shep, both newly processed. Still delicious.

    In other news, I'm still in Boston. I miss everyone terribly, but, um, at least I have power, which apparently none of you have.

  • Out of town…

    Out of town…

    091308_01

    Sorry I've been AWOL. I actually left town! By myself! For professional reasons! Hard to believe, but true.

    I'm off at a photography workshop, which focuses on primarily on how to capture children. (Hmmm…that doesn't sound good.) Most people here know waaaay more than I do, but I'm learning loads. Pretty pictures forthcoming after tomorrow's session where we learn all about post-precessing. You know, if my head doesn't explode.

  • Bird poop moths and t-shirts

    Bird poop moths and t-shirts

    071808_01

    First of all, I would like you all to note that I made good on my promise of no pictures of bugs. However, if I had posted one, it would have been totally rockin’ because we found a wood nymph moth, which is really quite amazing. Sometimes referred to as the “bird poop moth” it does, in fact, resemble a pile of bird droppings.

    Anyway, your loss.

    The rest of today was spent manning our booth at a t-shirt festival in the Big City. Things went exceptionally well. Extra hoorays go out to Chris and Dan, who hung out for the whole day to help the cause.

    Chris actually took some photos, while my camera stayed stuffed in my bag just kind of hoping I might use it. So when I asked Chris for a photo to post, he only sent me one, insisting I use it because my photo almost never makes it into the blog. So here you go. It’ll be another six months until you see another one of these.

  • Who cut the cheese?

    Who cut the cheese?

    062008_02

    I did!

    I stirred it, and warmed it, and separated it, and squeezed it, and pulled it, and formed into a ball. And then? I cut it! Into lots of little pieces and put it all over a pizza.

    I've never made cheese before, but seriously, it was SO EASY. I had no idea. Putting it on my "to do more often" list.

  • Quilting

    Quilting

    061408_01

    Tom signed up to take the kids for 2.5 days, and I signed up for a quilting workshop.

    I've always wanted to learn to quilt. A few years ago I hacked together a quilt for Tom for Christmas. Although it got pieced and backed, it never got truly quilted. And I was totally winging it.

    It was fantastic to hunker down for two solid days and learn how to do things the right way. Although I'm not much of a traditional quilt girl, knowing the basics is an excellent foundation to build on.

    Tonight I worked on this table runner. Called a "crazy quilt", it's a sort of quilt that you don't measure or plan. You just use the scraps you have left over. I'm excited to see how I finish this one and how it looks on the table.

    Other than the quilting itself, it's been amazing to just get away for a span of time and pour my focus into something that's all about me. Great dinner and conversation with Nancy H. is a big bonus.

  • Sex and the City

    Sex and the City

    060608_01

    Back in the days when I had no children, every now and then we would have a Sex and the City marathon. A bunch of girls would come over to our house in pajamas on a weekend morning, and we would watch episode after episode until it was ridiculously late. Tom would make us breakfast, and then coffee drinks, and then a late lunch. He was pretty much our man-servant, which was nothing less than spectacular. In between we'd snack on foods high in trans fats and salt. Gluttony and laziness ruled the day. It was fabulous.

    But now we all have children and responsibilities and the whole idea of having a Sunday full of sloth is, well, inconceivable. But when the movie came out, Libby organized a night out. The movie was exactly what it should of been—ridiculously unreal moments, gratuitous sex, and happy endings.

    And after? Indian fusion and mixed drinks. It was almost like we were in Manhattan.

  • Channeling my inner Martha Stewart

    Channeling my inner Martha Stewart

    032708_01

    032708_02

    032708_03

    032708_04

    A few weeks ago, I asked Neko what she wanted her birthday cake to be like. Last year it was the princess castle cake. This year she said she wanted a Little Einsteins rocket cake. Just as I started researching that, we entered the dinosaur phase. And then she moved on to wanting a dinosaur cake.

    Thank goodness for the internet, which helped me find these great instructions for how to create a dinosaur cake. She spent the last few days wavering between allosaurus and stegosaurus, but settled today on a blue stegosaurus. With a little modification and a big leap of faith, I jumped in, hoping it would turn out okay.

    Special thanks to Bonnie and Susie for cheering me on and to Bonnie for snapping some pix while in progress. On a side note, should you try one of these crazy endeavors, I cannot recommend enough Wilton Sparkling Sugars, which covered up all kinds of oops moments and gave this reptile a little extra zing.

    Now I just need to figure out how to do a Wiggles car for Shep’s birthday…

  • Wendy turns 36 without crying

    Wendy turns 36 without crying

    032608_01

    032608_02

    Having won the Most Amazing Dad Ever award yesterday, Tom decided today was about Most Amazing Husband Ever.

    In the morning I unwrapped presents to happily discover a new toaster oven. Not romantic, but desperately needed. Then I also received this Playmobil ice cream truck. This might not seem particularly impressive unless you knew that Playmobil does not make an ice cream truck. Tom found a website where someone detailed how to modify the DHL truck into an ice cream truck.

    But never one to settle for mediocrity, Tom utilized his circuit-bending knowledge to install a small recording/speaker system which allows the truck to play ice cream truck music at the touch of a button. Excellent!

    A bit later I headed off for my day with the kids. Story hour in the morning, and then off to tumbling in the afternoon. I was chasing Shep around class when I turned around and came face-to-face with Tom. I soon found myself in a car by myself, on the way to a massage. Later, off to dinner with Tom and R&D.

    Find an empty spot on the shelf. The trophy will be arriving shortly.

  • Not to be outdone by a four-year-old

    Not to be outdone by a four-year-old

    031908_01

    I picked up these at our mom’s night out.

  • Day of maintenance

    About every two months, Tom takes the kids for the day, and I go to the Big City to do a little self-care.

    Usually I make time to see a friend or two, but today was packed from start to finish. Ever since the braces went on, I’ve declared 2008 the Year of Maintenance. It’s obviously not going to be about glamour, so I might as well check some things off my list. By 2009? Watch out. I’m gonna be hott.

    In the last few months I made my way to the ophthalmologist, which is kind of like returning to the church after a long absence. You have to confess your indiscretions, like wearing two-week disposables for months on end and wearing glasses that sit at a 45 degree angle on my face. So eye care? Check.

    I started the day with a haircut, which diverted from my typical bob and moved into what I’m calling my Joan Jett phase. I feel a bit like I’m part of an 80s hair band, but I think I’m digging it.

    Then off to my primary care physician, who I hadn’t seen for a check-up since, well, a long time. I did little things like get a mole removed, request a referral for that full-body dermatology check-up, and whole bunch of other little crap I’d been putting off for ages. I left rather wide-eyed young doctor in my wake, but with plenty of stuff checked off my list.