Dear "Homeless" Man,

I see you standing on that same corner every weekend. The first time I saw you, you had a gas can sitting by your feet and you had nice clothes on. The next week I saw you, your clothes were a little tattered and you had lost your job. This weekend you had an 18 month old baby who needs formula and diapers and you look like you really are homeless. I felt bad for not giving you money the first time I saw you. It would not be fun to be stuck without gas but I guess that's the curse of debit cards. The next week when I saw you I was confused because I thought you were from out of town...yet here you were again. I really hope you didn't lose your job and that you don't have a hungry baby at home. Maybe I'm a cold hearted person but I don't feel good about giving people money who are obviously taking advantage, which I realize you are.

I really hope you can find a job and earn some money for gas and diapers. There's a Wendy's, Taco Bell, Wal-Mart and Arby's all within walking distance of your corner and I'm sure you can get a job at one of those places.

I'm sorry your circumstances have brought you to the corner to beg for money but you have a different story every week and I don't feel good about giving you money.

Good Luck,
me

* I realize not everyone who stands on the corner begging is lying but i also know that some are and i find it hard to give away money when i don't know. maybe that's not Christ like and i shouldn't judge them or their circumstances but i would rather give them a hot meal and bring them someplace that can help them get a job and have a place to stay. of course i'm not going to let some stranger in my car but you get the idea. i would rather give them help then cash for who knows what. i've heard very different views on this matter and i guess i'm trying to figure out what i think about it.

anyways random but that's ok. i'm off to bed early to get rid of this headache.

New project

i have this idea. it is an idea that will take some time and patience but i am determined to do it. it's probably pretty lame to other people but i'm ok with that. i'm going to photograph the ABC's. find random objects that look like letters and make the whole alphabet with them. i'm pretty excited about it. i got the idea from facebook actually. there's an application where you can "write" your name with different objects. i think it would be cool to be able to make words and frame them.

also i was thinking about doing a photo-a-day for the month of October and post it on my poor neglected photography blog. oh i guess that means i should probably take a picture right now and upload it. haha i don't think things through sometimes. oh well. no pictures for this post i guess you'll have to go here and see what random thing i come up with to take a picture of tonight!!

Bucket List

a few weeks/a month or so ago michelle was over at my house and i was making fruit salad. i cut a baby watermelon in half and she asked if she could have a spoon and eat right the watermelon. i was like ok....she got really excited and said this is on my bucket list but my mom would never let me waste half a watermelon....well that was special but i decided to make up my own bucket list.
here are a few things in no particular order i would like to do before i kick the bucket.

ok i would either like to be on survivor or amazing race, or at least go to a survivor reunion show. i should probably get on this one b/c i don't know how much longer the show would last. if i had it my way it would never end!


SKYDIVE!!!!! seriously i would love to go. i might need to be pushed off the plane but after that i think it would be fun...or maybe a simulator would be better...?



swim with the sharks. slash hang out in a cage with sharks around me. or maybe if it was one of those cool places where the sharks don't attack and you can actually swim with them. that would be cool too. this might be where my obsession with shark week comes from.

go on a safari in africa. i chose this picture b/c i would have to invest in some amazing lens' like they are using. i could go for national geographic or just by myself.

i want to build my own house in the middle of a big field with nobody else around. it will be awesome. i guess i'll have to start saving for that. maybe in about 30 years :).

meet johnny depp :)! ummm i guess there's no explanation needed for that one.

travel around the world. greece would be a good starting point.

maybe part of that traveling could be done on a cruise ship.

anyways those are just a few things i wouldn't mind doing in my life. there is lots more where that came from but these are the most exciting.

Baby Bear Hat

Saturday night while watching 17 again with michelle and shelley i started this baby hat for a lady i work with who is having a baby next month (run on sentence much?). i only got like 8 rows done though i wasn't really motivated. well sunday i knitted a little longer and got the hat and one ear done and today after work i finished it up.

it's a bear hat....or just a brown blob with green things on top....it should fit a newborn head just perfectly hopefully.

this weekend i also used sam and shelley as my test subjects for "facepainting" shelley is the guy from kiss and sam is just a weirdo. a little random.

also emily this is for you since i never gave you that picture of reagans first haircut! even though it was a little it still matters! also i hope you are feeling better emily!!!! let me know if you need anything.

this was like a mishmash post, lots of random pics i found on my camera. at least i got one project done and i updated woohoooooo. ok off to start a new project? maybe. or i'll just go to sleep. ya right. hopefully that one random cow will stop mooing tonight.

So much to do and not enough time...

i have so many pictures to
go through and edit and i just don't know when i'm going to do it all! ahhhhh. i need to almost take a few days off from other jobs just to have time to do it.

i have a big primary activity where i did little 5-10 min. mini sessions that need to be edited

i have probably 2 family's who need editing

a family reunion type thing to edit

a wedding

a new baby

and a 1 yr. old's pics.
phew. and i still have to start carving out a time for my classes from which i've only had time to do two lessons... :( eeeek. i need to make that the priority. so if you want me to take pictures for you i'd be happy to do it just know i'm a little behind at the moment and it might take some time to actually get the pictures and i know that's the hardest part, waiting after they're taken.

ok now i have to go take shelley into town for a little bit then get ready for work.
p.s. those pics above are from a wedding and a baby obviously. kristen and holland are pretending to duel like in harry potter. and the baby is flipping off the camera...i just thought it was funny.

Old Navy

I have many obsessions I'll admit...like the last post and the post before that and so on. Old Navy is one of those. I don't know why or how it started but I'm thinking I can blame Michelle. before she moved back I occasionally went to ON but since she's been home, i think i've gone in that dang store about 12 times...about half of the time i don't buy anything but still 12 TIMES! i'm not shopping's biggest fan unless it's kitchen supplies, groceries, lens', amazon.com...or target but i suppose that has changed?

Well this post is to let you know about a little thing i found a few weeks ago that lets me shop at ON w/o feeling SO guilty. it's called, Old Navy Weekly. every thursday at an undisclosed time in the evening they update this page. it is full of hidden coupons. some as good as $75 off $100 but i think they changed it to $65off $100 recently. last week i finally was there when they updated and got a $45 off of $100!!! woohoo! if you want to get a high value coupon you have to be right there when they update otherwise they will all be gone but you can still get other deals.

that's where this site comes in handy...it's this ladies blog but on the left hand side she has a chat room where you can go on thursdays around 4ish and they will ring a bell to let you know when ONW is updating. people also post where the high value coupons are so you have a better chance of getting one. only 200 people can be in the chat room at once so keep trying if you get booted out.

GOOD LUCK!!

this i think was $20 on sale super comfy though.


this sweater was the item of the week and was on sale for $12...with my coupon i got 3 for about $6 each! they have lots of colors/patterns



this dress was $30....the only thing i got that wasn't on sale. :(. although it certainly doesn't look like that on me:).
i also got their perfect cardigan for $20 originally $30. i could have gone for better sales in the clearance section but...didn't.
my coupon was for $45 off of $100 so i got $165 worth of clothes for $65.

My Name is Amanda...

...and I am a craft-a-holic. (or my dad would probably say a crap-a-holic). I have issues. mostly involving paper, yarn, fabric, eyelets, etc...
allow me to explain:

paper tower...not even close to all the paper in this room. there is more under the desks but I chose not to photograph it.

one of the embellishment/stamp bookcases....ONE of them. this room used to be a 2nd kitchen but we ripped out some appliances to make room for all our junk...stuff. those brown cupboards to the right have more craft stuff and my darkroom equipment.

another embellishment/stamp/random things bookcase, there is another side to this but it mostly has books and movies.

this you can't really tell from the photo but it's stacked as high as a bookcase and that thing on the left is from Mervyns store when they closed. and those bins have most of the yarn/fabric. we only have 8 of those filled....

here is the stamp ink center as well as random tools and another accessory holder....we DON'T have a problem...

paint/ribbon/glue center. WAY more ribbon where that came from. i have to have some dignity left.

here's the visitor's table where people can work if they come over but I seem to have commandeered it since my table is currently like the rest of my life and a HUGE MESS. what can I say I "love" chaos.

here is the movie/ipod/more ribbon/foam stamp window sill. you have to be entertained while you work.

and last but not least, i promise i DO use some of this crap...i mean stuff.

My name is Amanda, and I need HELP.

Dirty Pictures

If you've ever had me take picturs for you, I've most likely processed them with the Boutwells Totally Rad Actions. I LOVE THEM! seriously they have paid for themselves by now. Well, the point of this is to let you know they have a new Dirty Pictures texture plug-in. I love textures and only have a few but they are having a contest to give a set away. Here are some pictures I've used their actions on:
The Cattle Point Wedding in Friday Harbor

My Brothers band.

this picture has a texture added to it, I think Dirty Diana...? just so ya'll know what I'm going on about. haha. I guess I could have just posted a link to my lame photography blog that I never post on anymore. Anyways if you have photoshop CS2 or higher you should consider buying their actions and now dirty pictures textures!!

I LOVE THEM!!

Did I Ever Tell you...

That I love photography? because I do. I just started school for it so hopefully I'll learn something and learn to take good pictures! My first camera was a Canon film camera back when I was 14 I believe. I took a darkroom class when I was 16 and LOVED it. I have all the stuff for my own darkroom but unfortunately the only room that works is my bathroom so I have been neglecting it for a few years. ANYWAYS. I'm trying to decide a name for my hobby. My photography blog is called, I Shoot People with Canons...a little morbid maybe. So I don't know what to call it.

this was a mock certificate I made for someone and didn't know what to call it so Aphotography it was.....dumb. If you have any suggestions for names that would be appreciated. I think I'm going to make business-esque cards since I'm always asked for them so I need a name! It's up to you I'm too brain dead lately to think of anything. Also I'm FALLING APART! I feel like a vacation to Greece is in order.

Future Home

If I ever (when I) get rich, I am going to build my own house and it will have a loft with a cool red ladder going up to it. None of the walls will be white. I will have thick white molding in every room. There will be clusters of pictures in different colors/size frames everywhere. Shelves with vintage knickknack-ey type things. The backyard will have wildflowers everywhere and a stream with a bridge. Anyways it will be a very eclectic house but I will love it. Here are some things that will in said house:

cool shelf for all the cool china i will have.

awesome shower curtain that is only $100 (cough cough)
end tables that aren't perfect and polished

cool yellow rug that reminds me of the sun.

lots of pillows in different shapes/colors/textures
dramatic curtains with cool patterns.

THIS EXACT couch. plus a few wingback chairs in a contrasting color
this bed frame that looks like you're in a forrest.

this bedspread...maybe not with that frame but I guess I can have two beds.

cool dishes/china. i like green cups.
funky tablecloths with tassels.
lots and lots of frames that are different like this mixed with solid black/white frames.
and last but not least it will have a very distressed brick wall that it partially torn down with an aqua color coming through a little bit, with these mirrors on it.

please don't judge my (might be weird to others) taste. I just can't help liking some strange things sometimes. i also am planning a room that is wasabi green and pumpkin orange. I know you're so jealous. The front door will be either green, mustard yellow or red, depending on the outside color. I will have solar power and a bomb shelter in the backyard, think "Pleasantville". Hopefully this house will have a path to the ocean or be up in a mountain. That is all.

p.s. please ignore the weirdo spacing, I copied the pics from anthropologie and pottery barn and i don't think it liked that. also i really won't be offended if you are jealous of my future house.