my kind of getaway

comfort food

i love ginger. it is my comfort food. rice and ginger. my favorite!

last month, we were all under the weather. i made my comfort food. it's really a comfort marinade. here's what is in it.

soy sauce

ginger

apricot jam (or fresh squeezed orange juice)

mint leaves (can be added while cooking or after)

i use this on pork, chicken and salmon. pop it into your oven and it is so savory it's unbelievable! you can't go wrong with such a simple recipe!

try it this weekend!

this is my five year old

i don't remember looking like that at 5. i once scanned my kindergarten school photo but i can't locate it right now. but i didn't look like that. yes, we were playing around with some makeup because sophia got to go over to her friend's house and she felt left out. sarah wouldn't take off her makeup when she went to bed! 

changes

sophia's best friend, jasper, has moved away. they have been best friends ever since we moved into the townhome. that was almost 3 years ago. everyday they played street hockey, rollerbladed through the complex, rode their bikes, went swimming, watched movies and hockey games together. it's hard to find a best friend and now they live one hour and one ferry apart. thank goodness for the internet! i hope these two keep the special friendship they have for many years. 

okay, i have to type this into my blog. it's been really hot this last week and then today it rained. now i have ants in my house.

we had this happen a couple weeks ago when we had really hot weather. it's not because our house is dirty, but these ants like the cool house i guess. before they were in the dining room. now they're in my office. i have ants on my desk and keyboard. a nuisance but no harm i hope!

yes, my baby is learning to use the potty. she can tell me she has to go poo poo and usually it's a couple seconds too late by the time i get her pants and diaper off. but she's getting good at it. she's growing up!

i love the colour in sophia's room. don't you?

where have i been?

where do i start? well, i've been working my day job, working my photography and working my night job (mother to my family). 

i did two shoots last weekend and after i backed-up the images, my computer crashed. everything is safe but we have to build a new computer. it takes at least 4 days for the guy to build it. what a headache! so my husband's friend let me use his store's computer to PS my work and i decided to buy a MAC from him. this computer is soooooo quiet, i have to turn on some music so my ears don't ring. 

oh, oh, oh, and my mom came back from HK bringing along my 24-70 f2.8L lens. well worth the price! i did the two photo shoots with it and it worked wonderfully! tight spaces, not a lot of available natural light, didn't faze me, my lens and camera! but my business overhead right now is over the roof!

(it's well worth it too cuz, at least now i have a two running versions of PS just in case one crashes, i'll have the other.)

on the family side, hannah is starting to ask for the toilet for her poopies! she's 20 months old and knows to tell us when she wants to go. not always but often. sophia and sarah went to the dentist last week and discovered they had small cavities. now, flossing has been put in force. me, i discovered that my previous dentist who extracted my tooth almost almost 3 years ago had left the root tip in there (which also had a broken root canal file in it) yes, i had a root canal gone bad. arghhhhh! now i have to go see an oral surgeon. i don't have time for this!

but, here are some of my favorite photos from the shoots. 

all stuffed up

i thought i was having my annual allergy attack. so i took antihistamines. i thought the antihistamines weren't working. so i used my nasal spray. yes, i O.D-ed on antihistamines. i felt really sick and went to bed early. couldn't stop my nose from running. then in the middle of the night, i knew i was sick. it didn't dawn on me that i could be sick but in fact, sophia has been lying on the couch for two days. hannah has had a runny nose all last week.

so here i am sick. all stuffed up. can't breathe outta my nose!

but here are some pictures of the girls before they were sick.... we have a new playset from costco. it's still not done but the swings and the slide are! and here's natural poser sarah in her "skinny jeans". you can see the turquoise blue that is in sophia's room. i love it. it's a great backdrop for photos! see daredevil hannah? she loves to climb everything!

waiting for their baby

this long awaited photo shoot for parents-to-be Doris and Patrick finally got done! we have been having the worst weather here in vancouver: rain, wind and temperatures just hovering above 11 degrees. with a bit of luck, we were able to get a break with overcast skies and a nice photoshoot at English Bay. i hope you have a smooth delivery D & P!

random photos

i have tons of photos on my computer.... just reminiscing...
 

 swimmerette on her head!

 

Sarah and Hannah's first photo together

 

A recent photo of them

 

 

8 months pregnant and finally getting married! that was it, no wedding dress, no photographer! this is why i would love to do weddings, to make up for my wedding!

my first model

this is erin. doesn't she look like Nicole Kidman in the photo? she is a model with Essential Models in Maple Ridge. i got the chance to photograph her around the tri-cities last week. you can see more photos of this shoot at my website www.nomayne.com

i had no idea how to photograph a model but she made it so easy. it was a cold morning. i brought some props and clothes for her. i had an antique chair in my van. she used the van as a change room. we were lucky to get a little bit of sun for the shots with the blue dress. it was fun! i would like to work with her again once i get my hands on a wedding dress??? and maybe my friend Fumie to do some makeup for her. i'd like to do a fashion bride shoot.

i'm in UrbanBaby!

my ad inside UrbanBaby magazine just hit the streets today! i haven't picked up a copy yet but tomorrow i'm going to safeway to check out the newsstands! i'm so excited and nervous. i'm not expecting a ton of bookings but it's such a good feeling... i'm proud of my own work.

this is shelby

this is the chair Shelby sold me last week.

i had a fun time shooting this session. the weather was a bit chilly for the end of May but she was game for whatever i had in mind. I love the pictures and i hope she likes them too!

gotta rest up for my next shoot tomorrow morning!