Momma Loves a Bargain!

I’ll totally admit it, it’s not something I’m ashamed of.  I’m a tried and true thrift store shopper.  It’s rare that I buy something “new” for myself.  I’m hard on my day to day clothes, so the idea of spending $20 for a t-shirt that won’t give me any extra wear over the $3 one I can get at the Sally Ann?  Well…  it just doesn’t make much sense to me.

Today was a thrift store day.    My mom sent me a text just after nine to ask if the girl and I wanted to head out to Warman (a town with a most awesome thrift store only about fifteen minutes outside of Saskatoon).  And as usual when Mom sends out a message of this sort, the answer was MOST DEFINITELY.

Well, in addition to the two new pairs of board shorts and plaid button up shirt for Damon, and the G3 My Little Ponies and shirt for Lily-Ann, we spotted my latest and greatest find:  an antique kitchen table with three matching chairs.  It didn’t have a price tag on it, so Mom inquired with one of the ladies…  only to find out that it wasn’t for sale, that they were going to put it up for auction.  I think it was REALLY obvious how disappointed I was, as shortly afterwards they pulled someone out from the back room who inspected it closely and said that they would be willing to sell it to me for $30.

Yeah!  That’s right!  Thirty bucks for an antique table with drop-leaf and three matching chairs.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, and I’m sure to mention it again…  but here it is today – just for good measure:  We live in a small house.  Roughly 620 square feet for three people, seven dogs, a cat, a turtle, and a parrot.  That’s not a lot of space.  So we don’t have a table.  This table?  With the leaf hidden below?  It’s the perfect size.  And it has THREE chairs…  I mean, it was CLEARLY meant for us. 

It’s scratched, it’s stained, it’s well worn…  but all that just adds character.  This is a beautiful, old, solid wood set.  And I think it’s got just loads of potential.  Damon thinks it’s ugly, but based on how much I love it, gave me the go ahead for the purchase – and even helped me load it into my Dad’s van after he got off work.  I can’t wait to get started fixing it up.  It really is going to be perfect for us.  And seriously!  $30 for four pieces?  Yeah…  darn good thrift store day.

My pretty little “three bears” antique table and chairs! LOVE IT!

The Mayfair Community School Family Tree

Early in the school year, the staff at Mayfair Community School invited students and their families to come in and have their picture taken by a fauxtographer at no charge.  Normally, we wouldn’t have been interested.  However, this particular set of photos was going to be used for a special project – and we definitely wanted the girl to be able to be involved.

Since I have such a HUGE aversion (and rightly so) to posed studio portraiture, we dressed in a corny theme.  I figure if we’re going to have it done, let’s poke a little fun at the whole process while we do it.  So we each put on our Blue Jays jerseys – and headed off to the girl’s school.

It was everything I hate about studio shots by folks who really don’t know what they’re doing as far as composition goes (which is about what I expected).  Sit here.  Lean this way.  Turn your head towards the camera.  No, not that much.  Tilt your face to the right.  Put your arm here.  Now hold it….  There you have it!  The world’s worst family photo!  BUT!  It’s for such a cool project, so I suck it up, smile, and say nothing – until I blog all about it, and then I can rip on the entire process and mock the whole thing – ’cause that’s just how I roll.  heh heh

So, what was so cool that I felt the need to force us to endure such torture?  Well, it was the Mayfair Family Tree:

I couldn’t fit it all into the frame on my little iPhone…  but I think it gives you a good idea of what we’re looking at.    And it’s pretty darn cool!  Even better?  They put our family photo near the bottom, where the kid can actually reach it to show people.

Very much worth the humiliation of a terrible family photo, don’t cha think?

A Photography Preview for Reche & Family

When I first received the booking form filled out by Reche, I knew hers was going to be a fun shoot.  You see, the two of us have a past connection.  Her brother and I were very good friends back when we were still teenagers and young adults.  It seems like a lifetime ago now, but good friends never really stop being friends – even when they lose touch.  So getting to see Reche, meet her family, and work with them all really was a treat. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… the best family sessions, are those when the kids are allowed to just be themselves.  Let them play, let them show off their personalities.  Sure, it’s nice when everyone is looking the same direction, but those captures that really show how a family is together, that shows those connections?  It really is SOOO much better.

Thanks for the chance to work with your family, and reconnect with you Reche.  It really was a treat!

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Last Night in Regina

It’s our last night in Regina.  We’ll be heading home to Saskatoon tomorrow in the early afternoon.  So pretty quick we’ll start packing up our room, to make our morning a little easier.  I’m more than a little tired, I’m a little scattered just now.  My brain is simply too full – as usual the night before the trip home.    It’s all par for the course I suppose.  So, to save me from having to bumble through a blog post, as always when words fail, here are a few pictures of Alice and I in the ring this morning – when she won Best Puppy and Winners for another point (that’s three total towards her championship).

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Thanks to Judge Heather Langfeld for the point! 

The Kaminski Family – a photography preview

As I was working through some of my enhancements, I realized that it’s been a while since I’d posted a preview here.  I’m terrible for that.  LOL  I go in streaks where I’ll share photos on a regular basis, and then nothing for a good long while.  I’ll try to be more regular about it, but feel free to remind me if you haven’t seen anything for a while.  I am shooting, I just don’t always think to share on the blog.

I enjoyed working with the Kaminski’s.  Any chance to work with a family that includes four leggers as well as two leggers is always a good time.  No, working with animals isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge I really enjoy.  I know dogs, I love dogs…  and I’m perfectly content to wait for them to give me exactly what I need.  Hmmm…  clearly I’m too tired to be writing this blog post as I’ve completely lost my train of thought.  It’s just one of those days – and I have a feeling it will be one of those weeks.  Gotta love getting ready (physically and mentally) for an out of town dog show.

Ah!  Speaking of which!

I’ll be in Regina this weekend.  And I may have time to fit in ONE more photo shoot.  So if you’d like to grab that slot, drop me a line by filling out the booking form at TD Photography (http://photography.tobi-dawne.com/) as soon as possible, and I’ll do my best to work it out.  As I’ll be in Regina already, there will be no additional travel expenses to cover.  Just the regular session fee.  But better be quick!  Like I said, I’ll only have time for ONE additional shoot.

Okay, onto the preview:

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HCKOC Dog Show – Mark your Calendars!

Mark your calendars!  This weekend is one of two dog shows held annually in Saskatoon.  This one happens to be the Hub City Kennel and Obedience Club show, and will be taking place at the Exhibition grounds in Hall E.  And, quite unusual for us, this is our first show of 2012.

This weekend marks the show debut of Alice, one of the pups from my first ever Chihuahua litter.  I’m super excited to be taking a puppy I’ve bred into the ring for the first time ever.  I have high hopes for this little one.  She really is an outstanding pup with a temperament to die for!

If you’re free this weekend, you should come on out.  The show will go from 9 AM until roughly 3 PM each day (except Sunday, which usually shuts down a little earlier so everyone who has to travel can start on their way home).  I highly recommend coming as early as possible though, as shows tend to thin out later in the day.  As people finish up with their dogs for the day, they usually head out rather than sticking around the show site.  So coming in the morning or very early afternoon means you’re more likely to encounter a wider variety of dogs.

Our approximate ring times on each day are as follows:

• 9:00 on Friday (in ring two)
• 12:15 on Saturday (in ring one)
• during the lunch break on Saturday (kid kid will be taking Alice in for Juniors)
• 9:00 on Sunday (in ring two)
• during the lunch break on Sunday (for puppy sweeps)

If there’s a particular breed you are interested in seeing, I recommend downloading the official schedule at http://canuckdogs.com/upload/DogShowDocs/2b117948-900c-11e1-bf94-46ab87a4a13a.pdf  It contains a listing of breeds that will be in attendance each day, along with the numbers of each breed and the break down of males, females, and specials.

To figure out an approximate show time for each breed you’re interested in seeing, take the number of dogs in the ring prior to the breed you are interested in watching, and multiply by 2.5.  It takes the judge roughly two and a half minutes to judge each dog.  So, if you want to watch the Irish Setters on Friday you’d multiply the 20 dogs in the ring prior to them by 2.5, giving you 50 minutes.  That group starts at 1:00, so you can estimate that they’d be in at roughly 1:50 on Friday.

So yay!  Dog show season!!!  One of my favourite times of year. 

A2Z – Victims

I had intended to write about something slightly different tonight…  but instead I’m delving off track a little.  I’m just feeling too hurt to write about anything else.  So, it is what it is.

A few months ago I wrote about how our bikes had all been stolen.  And how it broke my heart that someone would do something like that.  I could go into details now, but instead I’ll just refer you back to that first blog post:  http://td365.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/some-people-do-rotten-things/

Well, today is my mom’s 52nd birthday, and we spent the evening at my parent’s place helping to celebrate her special day.  We arrived home to discover that someone has now stolen our bike trailer (which also contained all of our helmets).

Seriously.  Because it wasn’t enough that someone already stole all of our bikes – which insurance won’t completely cover (it will only cover a portion of Damon’s and about half of mine).  So now someone felt the need to take the bike trailer that I use to pull my daughter.

We’ve lived in this house for almost nine years…  and these are really the only incidents we’ve ever had.  I suppose I should be grateful for that, but instead it just leaves me feeling like crap.  We love our little house in our lower income neighbourhood.  We feel at home here.  I know these thefts likely weren’t personal, but they sure feel that way.  We can’t afford to replace these things.  And it just breaks my heart that someone would take them from us.  Stealing something I share with my daughter…  It’s just wrong.  She’s now scared that someone is going to steal her new swingset (that we bought her for her fourth birthday).    So not cool.

So yeah…  I’m bitching and moaning…  but our bikes really were how we got around 3/4 of the year, and we AREN’T going to be able to afford to replace them with anything even close to what we had, and now the trailer and helmets are gone too???  So not cool, and that’s another few hundred dollars that we don’t have available to replace something that held so much value for us.  I really am upset over this.  It’s just not cool.  Not in any way shape or form.  It hurts.

A2Z – Queens and the Glorious Art Form that is Drag

 

There is perhaps, no art form as secretly admired and misunderstood as the art that is drag.  And a glorious art form it is.  For those not familiar with the why’s, it is about celebrating all that is Woman.  It’s not about men becoming women, it is about glorifying all those things men (and women) admire in us (and ourselves).  So one might think the art of a drag king is about celebrating men… but nope.  Kings are about supporting Queens – it’s how some might say life SHOULD be.

One of my favourite movies, if for nothing else than the grand spectacle of it all, is Connie and Carla.  And yes, it’s one flick EVERYONE should watch at least once (but preferably at least once a month).  Many of the Queens in the cast are actually Drag Queens, cast in the roles to do as only they know how to do.  I recommend attending as many drag shows as one possibly can…  but if you are too nervous, or live in an area too remote or podunk, then Connie and Carla becomes even more of a necessity.  Don’t stream it, borrow it, or rent it…  BUY IT!

There really is no art I more admire than the art of drag, and here in Saskatoon we really are blessed with some amazing talent.  With the incredible Crystal Clear, Charity Luncheon, and China White here, what more could we possibly ask for?  And they really are only the tip of the iceberg – a beautiful, jaw-dropping, hilarious, absolutely fabulous iceberg.

The history of Drag in Saskatchewan is a long and proud one.  Yes, we may be a stick in the mud, Prairie Province…  sometimes poked fun of with that exact same stick for being all too podunk…  but we have a wonderfully rich drag history.  In fact, it goes all the way back to the 1920′s and the Empire Theatre’s vaudeville revues and continues today with the Imperial Court of the Golden Wheat Sheaf – Saskatchewan’s royal drag court, which is just one small part of the royal court of Canada.

For more on the history of Drag in Saskatchewan you can’t find a better resource than the Neil Richards collection at the U of S…  a small taste of which can be found online at http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/allfrockedup/en_intro.shtml

I, for one, am thankful for the incredibly hard work of our many dedicated Queens.  They have paved the way for us in so many ways, and continue to do so with grace, confidence, kindness, and laughter.  Thank you!  For all you do!

The beautiful future of drag in our province... and me.

 

A2Z – Community

 

One of the very best things you can do for yourself is to build community.  Having a “family by choice” will provide you with the supports we all need and don’t always get after coming out to our family by blood.  Even in those instances where your family is fabulous and supportive, it always helps to have a community of people who really understand what you are going through and who have either been there, or are currently right with you.

The internet is an amazing resource when it comes to finding a sense of community.  These days, even individuals with severe, life-limiting anxiety disorders can still find others and build camaraderie.  We can find a global community, always ready and waiting thanks to things like email lists, online forums, and FB groups.  But I do encourage you to also seek out local individuals, because there are times when we all need to reach out and actually FEEL another person whom we can trust and know will be there for us.

Here in Saskatoon I can’t recommend the ACC any more highly than I already do.  They run a number of excellent programs for individuals of almost every age range in almost every situation.  You can find them online at http://avenuecommunitycenter.ca/.  PFLAG is also another amazing resource, and there are branches all over North America.  Check them out at http://www.pflagcanada.ca/ and http://pflag.org/.  For those of you in high school, talk to your guidance counselor to find out if there is a GSA you can join.  And for more information on resources in your neck of the woods, check out http://www.gaystraightalliance.org/ which includes a directory that is world wide.

There is no reason to feel you have to go it alone.  You aren’t alone.  Far from it!  No matter how you identify, even if you aren’t sure how exactly you fit into the whole spectrum, you can be sure there are others out there just like you.  And now you’ve got some tools to help you find them.

Wanted: “pretty” bathroom in Saskatoon

I’m looking for a pretty bathroom.  And no, it’s not some weird fetishistic behaviour.  It’s for a photo shoot…  one that’s very important to me.  One that I desperately need your help to complete.

There is a particular shot I have in mind for my Power of SHe project…  and a rather vital shot at that, quite important to my vision of the exhibition this project is to become.  I require this pretty, serene space to capture that calm quiet feminine feeling.  It is essential to the project.

So, if you live in Saskatoon and you have a pretty, delicate, lovely, feminine powder room, please consider allowing me use of the space for just a little while.  I’ll do my best to be in and out as quickly as possible, and with as little disruption to your life as possible.  I promise to be respectful, and will treat your space with the utmost care.  Nothing will be damaged or ruined, and I’ll leave everything just as I found it.  I will do my best to honor any requests by the home owner, and will be very thankful and appreciative.

The counter, in particular, is of special importance.  White.  It must be white.  White with delicate pastel accents.  Perhaps pink, lavender, blue, green, or yellow.  Maybe an accent of lace here or there.  Flowers.  Delicate and lovely.  The ultimate girlie powder room.

Here are a couple of reference photos I’ve found online (each photograph is set to link to the original location of the image).  None of the following images are mine, all were found through a simple Bing image search, all are shared simply to help you (my reader) create a mental image of the type of space I am searching for for this project.

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I am desperate to find this perfect, pretty space.  And like I said, the counter space, around the sink is the most important element.  And it’s the over-all feel of the space that really matters….  please, if you have a bathroom that might just work – even if you think there’s only a small possibility that it might be what I’m looking for – please drop me a line.  It could be exactly the space I need.

photographer at tobi-dawne dot com