Short film debut: SOCKS

My 12-year old daughter, Zoey, & I have been working on a short film for the past 2 months. On & off between school & Fiddler on the Roof rehearsals & cello practice & homework & appointments & life...
We were actually on one of our monthly date nights & decided to make a side trip to Target since Zoey was in desperate need of some socks. (Who gets themselves in a position of desperately needing socks? Apparently my kid does.) When I take my girls on date night, I try to think of creative things to do that go along with the theme of their personality. Zoey has recently gotten a YouTube account & loves making silly videos. So I thought we'd add to her collection on this particular date.

Someday, when I grow up, I want to have an expensive video editing program & maybe some other fun toys for making films. Until then, I'm using what I have. Which is very basic & rather sad. 

I'm learning so much as I stumble around making videos. (And having so much fun doing it!) I love piecing together all the clips & recording the narrative & finding the perfect music & then seeing how it all comes together. I love it all. I'm pretty sure I'm wearing out Google, constantly searching "How do I do this?" & "How do I do that?" 

I think it's funny that we turned a simple errand into a movie. We are rather proud of the results. I'm sure a year from now this will appear like a Kindergartner made it. But isn't that what is so cool about learning & growing? When you have a physical reminder of how far you've come, it's rather encouraging & exciting. 

I've been reading Zoey all your comments from Facebook & other social media sites where the video is posted. This specific video link is from Zoey's YouTube account. So, be sure & comment. You'll make a preteen girl super happy. She checks the view count, like, all the time.

We hope this film will make you smile.
Our aim is to put a little happy in your day.
(You could grab some popcorn if you want, but by the time it's done popping, the movie will be half over.)
Enjoy!

Bug City

The girls & I caught a praying mantis & a hornet.

I apologize in advance for my extremely annoying high-pitched cackle laugh--one of the many of my repertoire of chuckles, giggles, guffaws & snickers.

And then there's the finale. Just watch. You'll see. (I guess I panicked & forgot we were "filming".)

*no bugs were harmed in the making of this video.*

♥

HAPPY FALL!!!!!

I realize I am writing this on the first Fall evening. Oh, that sounds so lovely....Fall's first eve. How romantic.....

The girls & I made pumpkin bread today, following a recipe that my blog buddy Lisa, over at Polka Dot Creations left me. Thanks Lisa!! My house smells so yummy now. I wounded myself in the oven while baking, but it's all for a good cause. The girls & I made many "mini" loaves to pass out to family & neighbors.

Oh, & I've left a really dorky video greeting to everyone.....Take a looksie!

Here's some pics from our baking this afternoon....

And, while waiting for the yummies to bake, I made myself a cup of my new favorite tea, so I thought I'd share with you. It's "Bengal Spice" from Celestial Seasonings. It's a delicious flavor, perfect for fall with ingredients like cinnaomn, roasted chicory, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, cloves & nutmeg!!!

Obviously there was no "YOWZA! It's the Sunday Featured Artist..." segment today. What's new, huh? I'll get with it eventually...

OK, I'm off to take a "crunchy leaf walk" with my girls & pass out some loves. I mean, loaves.

VIDEO?

Oh. My. Gosh. How long has this feature been on here? You mean, not only can I go crazy with pictures, but now I can go insane with this video thingie? Oh peoples, you are gonna see a different side of Nikki now! I'm so excited! OK, for my very first video it's Zoey at the last day of swim class a week ago. You are about to be bored for the next 22 seconds, like when your friend flips through a giant family photo album with you & you yawn with excitement. Humor me & we'll call this a test run, to see if it works & all. (But look at the boy behind her trying to "hurry" her up the ladder. He's so eager to jump off the board too, that you even see his little legs scurrying to the end of the plank waiting for her to swim out of the way so he can jump. What a punk! (just kidding!...kinda) Just know that 2 weeks earlier--in the shallow end--she was running out of the pool, scared of the water, with her swim instructor chasing after her!




Think of the possibilities! I could do crafty tutorials!! What about a "how-to" on making poisonous apple-acorn-berry stew? Silly dance videos? This is gonna be fun!

And I was tagged by Christine @ Bella Colle AND by Kara @ Innocent Charms. I'm great at being tagged, but not so great at being the taggER. It usually falls dead when it gets to me. Sorry, but it's true. I'll still play! (And please still love me after you see my list.) OK, I have to name 6 WEIRD THINGS ABOUT MYSELF...

1. I am fascinated by mannequin heads & I think they are very cool.

2. I once pretended to be Cinderella & called my daughter (Zoey) on the telephone to encourage her to pee-pee on the potty when she was being toilet trained.
3. When I was younger I remember trying to scare myself. I'd look in the mirror & try to make a scary enough face that it would frighten even me. It never worked.

4. When I was younger, I thought it would be fun to be an actress in the movies, just so I could kiss boys.

5. When I get someone calling me & it's a "wrong number", I pretend to be the person they were calling for & see how long I can get them to play along!

6. I can't roll my tongue. Or wiggle my ears. Or make armpit farts.

More posts to come later today!!