Maid for Hire

Brian had me look on his favorite website today NOAA.Gov to check out today's forecast. High of -2. UGH. Gross! So needless to say, I did not venture out in the cold. I think God will forgive me for not taking my 2 year old in subzero weather. I spent my day on my quest to have every room in the house "deep cleaned" by Christmas Eve. So when family came over, it'd all be done. Good theory, right?
Thursday evening I took the linens off the bed and washed them. I went through my closet and removed all traces of summer clothing (that doesn't fit me at this point anyways, but that's for another day...one where I will bitch that food and I...we're way too buddy/buddy these days) to put downstairs. I dusted everything, including baseboards and crown moulding and the ceiling fan. I also cleaned out my ever-growing collection of fashion magazines. Obviously I don't read them. I am obsessed with fashion. But to actually sport the looks I crave? Meh, I'd rather wear jeans and a hoodie. I'm a summer clothes kind of girl. Anyways, I gave my sister all of my magazines except my Parents, Women's Health, and Us Weekly. Oh and I spared her the Good Housekeeping's too. On my day off, Friday, I scrubbed the shower down, the toilet, the sink, etc. (In the bathroom, duh). I also did Piper's room. Dusted, organized, etc. Today I finished putting up decorations in the living room. Organized the gifts under the tree (I like them to look nice). And dusted everything. So - all that's left is cleaning out the refridgerator, kitchen cabinets, scrubbing the stove, microwave, and vacuuming/steaming the floors in the whole house.

Our Christmas tree this year is adorable, if I do say so myself. It's just the right size and everyone that sees it thinks its fake. So we did a good job. Piper and Brian decorated it. Anyways, this post is pretty pointless and really boring and dull. Sorry. Merry Christmas if I don't see you all before! Love love, Niki

All things Merry Merry

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged here. Let me be the first to say that the first week of December kicked my ass. My grandmother passed away on the 2nd. I will miss her so much. She was my buddy. We had a lot of fun memories together, drank a lot of grape juice at New Years together and did a lot of Fox Trotting. Miss you gram!

But then, and this circle of life thing amazes me (Piper's Great Great Uncle passed away days after we found out we were pregnant), Heather had her baby!! I spent early Saturday morning at the hospital welcoming Atticus Xavier Wakeman into the world. Heather's a stud. She made me look bad, that's all I'm going to say.

Then, on Sunday, I started to feel sick. So did Piper. We were laid up all day Sunday. YUCK! And Monday wasn't much better!!!!!!

So, thank you and goodbye to being sick. I hate it! Chapped lips, stuffy nose, GROSS!!!!

With that note - update on Piper? Well, she's getting cuter by the day and her vocabulary continues to amaze us. Yesterday she started saying "All Day" ...as in "I love you All Day" "I love your necklace all day" "I want to play with Maya All Day."

We're doing good on the potty training. Pacifier weaning was a bear yesterday. I gave in when she told me she neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeded it.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I'm no good...

...at keeping up with this blog. Sheesh. If I spent half as much time writing as I do reading other people's blogs I'd have one hell of a blog. I just...eh...am lazy? I don't know. :)

Anyways. I'm not lazy, I just have a bad habit of burning the candle at both ends and keeping up with my personal blog is last on my priority list. You know, right down there with sleeping more than 4 hours a night. If I were a dinosaur - I'd be Multitaskasaurus Rex.

**all laptop users please read**all laptop users please read**all laptop users please read**all laptop users please read**all laptop users please read**all laptop users please read**all laptop users please read**
First and foremost, on my travels across the blog-o-sphere tonight I came across something HORRIFYING. Actually - it all started with updating my twitter...and I follow Gary Fong's twitter...which led me to Gary Fongs latest blog post....which led me to Jessica Hughes Blog. Check out her blog. Read what happened to her. Please be advised that it contains graphic images. They're gross and disgusting - but totally making me realize I need to TURN OFF my computer so it does not CATCH ON FIRE. Aaaaand, they're bad but, no eyeballs or guts are hanging out. I'm a weenie - and I handled them without passing out. Some things need to be seen to get the point across. So anyways - go there. NOW. I'll wait....

Ok so - sometimes, during my travels to other people's (read: mainly other photographer's) blogs I feel worse than I did when I began. I feel like an total newbie as far as photography goes. I've never (knock on wood) had a client complain. In fact, every client I've had has been thrilled with the result. But I look at blogs like Bobbi & Mike, Jessica Hughes, David Jay, and yeah - I realize they're all awesome...and that's the problem - I hate being mediocre at ANYTHING. I hate knowing there are things out there I don't know HOW to do. I mean, I guess it's my fault for never following all 8,000 interests of mine in college wholeheartedly - but money ran out - I had to pick SOMETHING! I mean - just look at the variety of jobs I've had...and I loved them all! I love engineering and everything about it (except that I have no window). I love photography. I love reading. So why can't I just pick one damn thing and rock it? I don't know. I want to be good at everything. Especially being a mom. So - that makes me realize I can't do it all. Be it all. But dammit - I'm going to try my hardest so in 5 years, I rock the wedding photography world. We will see I guess. I'm going to take more classes soon and more workshops. Considering I've been to one class in my whole life on photography - everything else is self taught OR a la Monica Z in our impromptu holy-crap-how-do-I-do-this sessions...I think I'm doing alright. But, then, I also want to rock out at my 9-5. Oh - who knows where I'll be in 5 years. Maybe we'll be bums on the beach in the Bahamas. Yes please.

Long story short - I hate that I'm limited by not having a studio. So I'm breaking down and buying some studio equipment. Next up - win the lottery so I can build said studio.

Ok - I'm way behind on editing, because I can't stop reading other people's business...and because I've just turned a quick in-and-out blog post into a long winded ramblingness of nothing. I have to be at work in 7 hours and 45 minutes. So - I better get cracking on that to-do list I wrote at 7 am, huh?

Where's that bag of Oreos?

~*Niki

Oh and p.s. if anyone wants to see my current working conditions...check out this. What's this? Where am I supposed to sleep? Oh yes. That little blue corner on the right side of the bed. Sah-weet. Piper's bed is available. I might check into that.

A few things...

{1} Dancing with the stars is ridiculous. It'd be entertaining to watch if these "Stars" were decent like they were back in the day. I'd just rather watch two nights of professional ballroom dancing a week than two nights of half a couple of professional ballroom dancing. I think that the men professionals are at a severe disadvantage with their partners. The men "stars" don't have to do as many leaps, turns, splits, flying, etc as the women "stars." At least Susan Lucci finally got voted off. Brooke Burke, bless her Hooter-loving heart...she's gorgeous. But. She. Can't. Dance. Hell, I'd like a chance to jitterbug on TV. Maybe in 10 years it will be "Dancing with the Mommies." If Lance Bass doesn't win, I will forever NOT watch it. Not because I'm a Lance Bass fan, but because he's the only one I think is talented. (And he's dancing with my favorite So You Think You Can Dance Alum, Lacey Schwimmer)

{2} I hate to jynx us - but I do believe Piper is 75% potty trained. Twenty minutes ago I would have given it a 50%, but she just went poo on her own in the potty. In her potty. So that means I have to clean it up. Ew. Mommy has a gagging problem.

{3} I hate snow. I hate ice. I hate driving in snow. I hate idiots who can't drive in snow, but drive in it anyways. I hate when cities don't budget for enough salt so they don't salt the roads ahead of time until the snow is 2" thick and I slide through the intersection and then say a prayer thanking GOD there wasn't anyone else coming. At. every. intersection.

{4} I went shopping Friday. I bought this dress. I look pretty hot in it. If I had a tan. And wasn't as fat. But still. It's pretty badass. I don't have anywhere to wear it, however.

{5} I am not, repeat, NOT staying up for 30 hours straight Thanksgiving evening->Black Friday again. I think that after Thanksgiving, I'm going to go to bed. My Christmas shopping will all be done online. No sale is worth waiting in line for 1 hour, while wearing pajamas, at 2a.m.

That is all.

I.Cant.Breathe.

This lady just kicked my ass.


Cathe Friedrich



I just discovered this channel we've had for years. FitTV. It's free. And I can go in my barn and workout. I just did Cardio Blast, which was an hour of HELL. It was 8 cycles of 1 minute intervals of EXTREMELY HARD Cardio, Legs, Abs, and Arms. Lunges, pilates, gaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

But it felt great!

I've Become THAT Mother

I read this last night. I related. And realized. Piper is doomed. I'm totally wayyyy too overprotective. Perhaps my anxiety issues come into play. Maybe it's because I'm so in love with my little girl, and I know how crazy I was as a child. And I know how bad broken bones hurt...I don't know. But this makes.complete.sense.

Pardon the potty language.

The Negative Effects of Child Fear Mongering

And the 2023 IHSAA State Breastroke Champion is...

Piper Frank!

Piper swam for the first time (ok, so it was an un-official swim) this weekend. Yes, she had a pool noodle. But she didn't have any other flotation device. She also did not have mommy or daddy holding on. In fact, I hear she yelled at her daddy for trying to help.

When Piper wants to do something herself (which is everything) - she yells SELF! SELF! SELF!

Unfortunately, I wasn't there to witness this event. I had a wedding to shoot.

Sometimes I get all freaked out - that Piper will remember I work a lot. That one day, she'll come to me and say "Mommy, why do you work so much?" With Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle" playing softly in the background. But, I realize she's not the only child with two working parents. And I realize that no matter what I do, what style of parenting I apply, or how often I am around - that she will be screwed up in one way or the other. All kids are. All adults are. Show me one person who doesn't have issues. There you go. I rest my case.

I'm there every evening to tuck her in, or at least give her a good nights kiss. Brian and I make sure that we all sit down to dinner together every night. Well, at least he and I sit down to dinner. Piper has her own ideas most nights. I'm not going to sit on her to make her eat, I'm not going to beat her. I can yell at her and give her time outs but if she doesn't want to eat, she doesn't want to eat. I'm not going to make her life miserable about it. Someday, she will discover how to relax and sit still. Unfortunately, I'm not a very good role model in that department. Some parents say "I don't know where she gets it. I don't know who's kid she is." I think there's no question in this case. :)