Monday Photo Contest -- Vote early; Vote often

My newest Lucy Ricardo scheme to make money during this stretch of unemployment is to have Libby Doodle Doo win a national photo contest and bank her winnings into a college savings account.

The contest allows me to submit up to 6 photos (photos must be taken by a non-professional) and the deadline is June 24th. So I've been taking snapshots of her for the last week and plan to continue to take them throughout the month in hopes of getting 6 great ones that I can submit on the 24th.

The joy of a digital camera is that I can take 100 photos at one sitting before she gets cranky. The downside is that I have hundreds of photos to sift through in order to find some good ones. And in addition, I have so much mommy bias that I have a hard time selecting ones that others would also find enchanting (because -- of course -- I love 'em all).

That's where you come in.

Each Monday I will post the  18 "cream of the crop" pix's from the previous week's photo shoots. Your job is to pick the six shots that you think are best. Then on Monday June 22nd, I'll post the 18 winners from the previous 3 weeks and you'll help me pick the 6 that I should submit to the contest.

The criteria that the judges are using to pick the semi-finalists (and therefore I'm suggesting the ones we should use here too) include:

33% Appearance of the child
33% How well the photo captures the personality of the child
33% Quality of photo (this one will be tough since I'm not that great at photography)

Here are this week's photos

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

I'm going to put a poll on the sidebar to allow you to vote.  Voting will be open until next Monday.  

Also, if anyone can give me advice on how to take better pictures -- outside vs. in, time of day, what color she should wear, hairstyles, etc -- please let me know.  I need all the help I can get.

(BTW -- here are the results of another "Lucy Ricardo" money-making scheme.  Little Zo Peep was selected to appear in her first TV commercial 2 weeks ago.  That's $200 to go into her college fund.  I hope to get a copy of the ad and post it here for all to see -- if she doesn't end up on the cutting room floor).

The Lucy Ricardo School of Unemployment

Welcome to the Lucy Ricardo School of Unemployment.  You remember Lucy Ricardo don't you?  She was the lead character in I Love Lucy -- a classic 50's sitcom that I used to watch in black and white re-runs as a kid.

Lucy was always coming up with some ditsy scheme for making money or becoming famous.  Usually the scheme turned into a disaster and much slapstick & merriment ensued.  

Since becoming unemployed I feel like Lucy Ricardo sometimes as I brainstorm different ways to generate income to keep my family afloat.  Sure I'm doing strategic things too -- looking for consulting gigs, expanding my search to include teaching jobs at universities, but lately it's the crazy pursuits that are keeping me busy.  Here are some of the wacky/off-beat money-making projects I've done since losing my job last summer:

You Ought to Be in Pictures -- Part 1 -- Last September I read an article about how our city is seeing an increase in movie and television productions due to some attractive tax incentives.  I thought that I could jump on this gravy train.  So I contacted the local film office and submitted the Hen House to their location library.  I had to submit a photo portfolio of the house from all angles -- both inside and out.  The locations librarian sent me a note thanking me and commenting that it looked like a great house.  Now, I just need a Location Scout to come to the film office and say, "I'm looking for an Arts and Craft bungalow with nice gardens and a sweet homespun feel."  And voila --  The Hen House can be a star  -- while its inhabitants make some greenbacks.

You Ought to Be in Pictures -- Part 2 -- Later in the Fall,  someone told me about a casting call for extras for a movie.  That opportunity had already passed, but I took the time to submit Libby Doodle Doo and Little Zo Peep to the most respected casting agent in the region.  

I'll be honest, I did this with some trepidation.  I want the girls to have childhoods -- not careers.  But I rationalized that if they were only being extras in movies/TV, that we wouldn't have to come into contact with  that crazy stage mom world.       Quickly I started to think that this entire undertaking was a scam, to boot.

For their applications  I had to submit two photos of each girl and give their basics vital statistics --- age, hair color, height, weight, sizes, etc.  As I was submitting the online application, I kept getting pop up windows urging me to take my data entry to the next level -- for a modest monthly fee.  No thanks.  I'll just do the free Basic application.  

After I completed the online sign-up,  I started getting emails every week telling me how my daughters' profiles were not optimized and not search-able by national casting agents until I signed up for the Premium Service.  Talk about bait and switch.   I was about to pull both girls' profiles when I got my first call to have Little Zo Peep come for an audition for an ice cream commercial.  So maybe this is legit afterall.

The audition required Zo Peep to speak on camera. They want her to speak!!  Yikes!! If you've ever looked at my YouTube videos in which Miss Peep talks (Referral Day, 3 Little Christmas Trees), you know that she has a tiny little voice that I think only Horton the Elephant can hear (and maybe me because my ear is used to it).

Zo Peep did a great job at the audition -- not too nervous.  She spoke the lines like a champ -- honestly I was quite surprise how expressive -- yet natural-- she sounded.  Problem is -- no one could hear her but me.  The panel asked her to repeat the lines as loudly as she could -- and the second time she reached a volume that was barely audible.  Hey, it was an experience.

Just last week I got a call for both girls to audition for a TV ad for a hospital -- no speaking lines required.  YEAHHH!  When we went into the audition room the agency person commented on how beautiful the girls were.  One of the casting agents said they looked like angels from heaven (wasn't that nice).  Zo Peep answered their questions politely and without a hint of nervousness.  The Doodle was uncomfortable with the bright lights and the row of people sitting at the table and -atypical for her -- shy.  She did muster a really cute and really loud "Bye, Bye." at the end.  

We'll find out if they got a part this week or next.  If they do get any work, I'm planning to put the income into their college funds -- I haven't made any contributions to that since last summer.  Once I get a job, I'm planning to have them retire from acting.

Contest. Sure I Can Enter A Contest  -- The week before last I found out about a video contest sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and YouTube.  The purpose of the Big Bubblin Star contest was to create a short video of a parent and happy baby  interacting during a bubble bath.  Grand Prize is $10,000.  Wouldn't that be a nice addition to the college fund?  When I found out about the contest there were only 5 days left to submit the video.

So I got cracking.  For my submission, I rewrote the lyrics to some famous old time songs that are in the Public Domain (Take Me Out to the Ballgame, I’m Just Wild About Harry and Toot, Toot Tootsie Goodbye) and created lyrics having to do with bubble bath time. Then I put my video camera on a tripod, plopped Libby Doodle Doo into the kitchen sink filled with bubbles and hit RECORD.

To avoid any other copyright problems (a big no-no in the contest) – I sang these songs a cappella.   Trust me, this is not a pretty sight or a delight to the ears.    What I lack in vocal talent, I try to make up through volume and enthusiasm.  Here's the video:

I find out tomorrow if we made it to one of the top 9 semi-finalist.  The next phase of the contest is a public voting component.  If we make it that far, I'll be begging all of you and your friends and their friends to go and vote for us.

Lucy Ricardo would be so proud of me.

UPDATE -- My video did NOT make one of the top 9.  Maybe I wasn't telegenic enough, maybe Libby Doodle Doo didn't seem happy throughout (she did get a little PxxxxD when I tried to put bubbles on her chin and in her hair).  Whatever the reason -- sometimes you hit a home run; sometimes you strike out.  Lucy Ricardo always tried again and so will I.

Easter Fashion

As I return to the blogging world, I'm going to post a few stories of things that have happened during my 6 month hiatus.  Here is one that just happened in the last few weeks.  -Mama Hen
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I could write a sonnet

About your Easter bonnet

And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter parade

-Irving Berlin

I loved Easter as a kid. Not only was it a holiday filled with colored eggs and candy, but it also was the one-day each year when I would get a brand new outfit to wear to church. I was the third of six children and money was always tight.   I spent most of my life in hand-me-downs, so getting that new dress, those new shoes – sometimes even a spring coat, hat, gloves and purse – was so special.

I wanted to maintain that tradition for my girls, too.

So a couple months ago I was stressing over the fact that – with no job in sight – I wouldn’t be able to afford Easter dresses for Libby Doodle Doo and Little Zo Peep – certainly nothing like the co-ordinating silk shantung confections that they wore last year. Such a purchase seemed so frivolous these days.  

And then – as I was going through a bin of size 2T Spring/Summer clothes put away when Zo Peep outgrew them -- I made an amazing discovery.  I found not One, not Two but SIX fancy dresses that had never been worn by the Peep and still had their tags on.  

Now I can’t tell you why I bought so many dresses for Zo Peep way back then. Maybe I was insane, maybe prescient -- perhaps somewhere deep inside I knew that I would need a new dress for the Peep's little sister someday.  Who knows?

I had the Doodle try on the 6 possible Easter dresses and found 2 that fit her perfectly.  I picked a cotton floral one with a touch of eyelet and a bit of tulle underneath to give the dress some extra pouf.  The fabric is really retro and reminded me of curtains (or maybe it was a table cloth) in my grandma's kitchen when I was a toddler myself.

Once I had the Doodle’s Easter dress resolved, I brainstormed about what to do for Zo Peep. And then I remembered that when Zo Peep was 3 1/2,  I stumbled upon a "Going Out of Business" sale at a high end girls' clothing shop.  With prices from 75 to 90% off, I decided to buy her First Holy Communion Dress -- a dress she would not wear for another 4 years.   I had no idea what size the Peep would be in 2nd grade, so I bought THREE dresses that day -- size 6, 6x and 7.  I figured I would find good use for the dresses I ultimately did not use.

Fast forward to early April, 2009.   

I found the garment bag with the Communion dresses (I had also bought a Communion veil and gloves -- more things that I had forgotten about).  The size 6 dress fit Zo Peep beautifully.  It was ivory silk sheath  with just a hint of green and lilac at the bodice and hem -- totally appropriate for Easter.

So with dresses -- purchased in 2006 and 2004 --  my girls were able to wear their New Easter outfits this year.

They both looked charming.

 

Catching Up

Hi everyone.

Here it is April 15th.  My gosh the months are rushing by like cars on a freeway. 

The bad news is that I'm still unemployed.  I never imagined that finding a job would have been so difficult, but as a living, breathing statistic of our weak US economy -- I can attest that it's really, really rough out there.

 

And I'm not going to pretend that I haven't had some rough times since losing my job but -- even in my darkest moments -- my girls have helped me (and continue to help me) get through this time.  We celebrated holidays, marked milestones (lost teeth, expanding vocabulary),  and enjoyed the "ordinariness" of every day.   

For the last month or so,  I've been working with a colleague who lost her job at the same time I did.  We are going to try to get some consulting work.  I don't know if our efforts will turn into a permanent gig  or just keep me afloat till a more traditional job comes along.  I know that just working on this project has helped me shake the cobwebs from my brain and the lead from my step.  

Net, net I'm in a better place and have decided to return to occasional blogging.  I'm sure my postings won't be daily, but I think they will be regular.  I hope you'll join me on my journey.

Let me get you caught up with Little Zo Peep and Libby Doodle Doo.  The girls are both doing very well -- healthy and happy.  Yesterday while driving to a meeting with my colleague,  I heard Bill Withers "Lovely Day" on the radio.  As I listened to the lyrics, I thought that how the words captured how grateful I am to my children for helping me get through this rough patch and for bringing purpose, sunshine and focus into my life.

This morning I gathered together a bunch of photos from the last 6 months and created a montage of my girls.  I've included a couple of the Apple Orchard shots from October, but most of the pics are more recent.  This gallery shows Zo Peep and the Doodle being silly, grumpy, loving &  ornery -- but in every photo I feel their energy and spirit that is helping me focus my own optimism and resolve.   

I WILL be OK.  I CAN see light at the end of the tunnel.

Enjoy the video montage.

. . . Due to Technical Difficulties

A quick note to let everyone know that all is ok with us -- but that my computer is on the fritz.  I've been borrowing other folks computers for the last 2 weeks to check my email every day or so, but not enough to write and publish postings.  

I think I've found the source of my computer problems -- I believe I've used up too much of my hard drive space with videos, pictures and movies.  I bought a large external hard drive yesterday and am going to try to clean that stuff out of my computer to see if I can get the machine working again.  Once I clear out enough hard drive space, I may have to reinstall my operating system again -- which may require another visit to the Genius Bar at the Apple store.

I just love technology.  I hope to be up and running again sometime next week.

On the mend -- sort of

Pneumonia!!!!  Who'd have thunk that the recovery would be so SLOOOOOWWWW.

I'm getting better and stronger every day, but I 'm surprised that I'm still not back to my old self yet.  I did have a chest x-ray last Friday that came back clean  -- so no more infection in my lungs.  I completed my second course of anti-biotics on Tuesday.  So all signs points to recovery.

But still. . . 

The space between my ears still feels spongy and thick.  I'm still light-headed and dizzy if I move too fast.   I erupt into little coughing jags with little provocation.  My voice is still raspy and low and gets worse as the day goes on.  And on Wednesday I woke up and couldn't swallow at all.  

Thankfully the girls are doing much better.  They still have 3 days of anti-bioitics to take but I see significant improvement.  Libby Doodle Doo seems like her old self again -- ornery, happy, with no signs of sickness.  Little Zo Peep seems more energetic and is no longer complaining of a sore throat -- but she has been coughing a lot for the last couple days.  If she doesn't improve in the next day or so, I'm taking her back to the pediatrician.

I've been going into my office all week and doing transition stuff -- cleaning out my files, packing up my personal belongings, putting together information for the person taking over my businesses.

Tomorrow is my last day.  I have a meeting with HR in the morning and then a benefits meeting with all the other folks who are leaving.  Between those meetings I'll complete a binder to hand over to my successor and say my good-byes to folks.

I'm guessing it will be a strange day.  I've been working at this company for 19 years -- practically my entire career.  People I've worked with -- currently and in the past -- have been really supportive and I have several folks who are scouring the job market and trying to help me in my search.  

I know in my head that I'll end up OK.  I'm just not looking forward to the journey I'll need to take to get to that final destination -- resumes, interviews, etc.  

Oh well, on to the next chapter.

The REAL Part of my Surreal Monday

As I mashed the potatoes and as the filet grilled outside, Little Zo Peep and Libby Doodle Doo did what all kids everywhere do with leftover brownie batter.

They licked the bowl clean.

Zo Peep wore her Chef hat and apron:

While Libby Doodle Doo experienced the joy of brownie batter for the first time.

Unemployed

As I expected, I was let go this morning.  In many ways it was a relief just knowing -- I've been on such pins and needles for so long.

I got some basic details about the package I'll receive -- more info will come later.  They sent me home for the day and asked me to return tomorrow to start transitioning.

I've spent the day catching up on some items I didn't complete this weekend -- laundry, errands, grocery shopping.  I'm still weak from the pneumonia and trying not to push too hard.

I bought some nice filets to throw on the grill and a package of brownie mix to create the girls favorite dessert.  I'm going to pick the girls up early and ask Chef Little Zo Peep to help me make a gourmet dinner.

 A very surreal day.