Day 15- My Shoes

It's official, I've lost my drive!!!.. and I blame it all on the weather!! It's snowy, it's windy, it's cold, it's miserable!! I've had enough!! I'll take warm weather and long days now!! (Then maybe my camera will get some love again)

Today's challenge was *shoes*!! These are the most comfortable (& colorful) shoes I own. I set my camera to Av and my aperture to 3.5. Thats all I have to say about that. :)

Next challenge: What I ate

Day 14- Flowers

I've always thought you could tell a lot about a woman by knowing her favorite flower.
I have never been a rose kind of gal. Not that I don't think they are beautiful. I imagine women who love roses are probably traditional... sophisticated... romantic. The rose is lovely & classic. But, my husband knows not to bring them home to me.
The way to my heart is to stop on the side of the road and pick a handful of wildflowers. It doesn't get much sweeter than that.

To be one w/ the world, to bathe in the sun and dance in the wind... how I envy the wildflower.

 

 

Pictures courtesy of www.pinterest.com

 

And here is my photo. I set my camera to manual and adjusted the aperture low (it still turned out over exposed). This is a part of our jade that Ryan put in water and it bloomed!! I used www.picnik.com for the effect. Still feeling like I have a lot to learn.
Next challenge... Day 15- My Shoes!

Day 13... From a distance

Those of you who have been following me probably already know I tend to elaborate on everything. This has become sort of a diary for me... an outlet for my thoughts... a way for me to reflect on things past and present. It's not just about the photos I take. I find the only way I can keep up w/ this blog is to give it substance and make it significant to me. So, with that said, everything I post on here will have a story behind it.

First I'll start by showing you my picture

Words cannot describe what these three mean to me. Nor would any words I choose give their personalities justice, as they are the most fascinating young men I have ever known. I know, I'm a bit bias but, I can't help thinking God gave me the three most wonderful little boys... designed especially for me.

CJ (Christopher), my first born... my sidekick... the second greatest teacher I've known in this life. He has taught me more in the 9 years he's been on this earth than all the things I learned in the years before him. He constantly forces me to stop and evaluate myself. He holds me accountable, misses nothing. He has an exceptional memory and a wonderfully forgiving nature. He is funny, creative, compassionate. He has a way w/ the elderly and handicap. An old soul. He is confident & trusting with everyone he meets... quick to tell a story (usually a tall tale) or to make someone laugh. I am so proud of the young man he is turning out to be.  

Jonas. He is a whole other story.. a spitting image of his father. He is fearless, competitive, independent, stubborn, demanding!! He loves physical activity... climbing rocks, mountains, walls. He's always willing to improvise... "snowboarding" on a pack of diapers or down my legs or anything else he can find to balance on. He once took shampoo bottles and pretended to 'rock climb' the bathroom walls. He hates to lose. Anytime we play a board game or cards he will taunt everyone and if he doesn't win he becomes inconsolable. But, I will say I've never known a 3 yr. old who could play a game of Jenga like Jonas. Steady and capable.. it's the most fascinating thing!!

Last but not least, my sweet baby James! What a treat. From day one, he was laid back and easy going. He rarely ever cried. All around, a sweet baby. Until he turned one!! After he learned how to walk, little Jimmy started finding trouble everywhere he turned. I had to have my eye on him at all times or I'd find him climbing anything & everything. He'd fall, hit his head, bust his lip, scrape his knees and then do it again. Very much like his brother in that regard, fearless and determined (except, unfortunately, his balance isn't nearly as good as Jonas'). He has also become the most jealous hearted child I've ever known. Like a typical male, he always wants what he cant have. The very second his brothers have my attention his temper flares. He hits and screams and cries until he gets his way, then once he has it he doesn't want it anymore. He is a force to be reckoned with... like the calm before the storm... moody, intriguing, and full of life. I have no doubt he will be the one who breaks the most hearts one day... little charmer, he is.

As I said before, words can't even begin to give justice to these three little men... they are the light of my life... the adventures of my youth... the promise of my future. I am forever grateful to be their mother.

My next challenge... Day 14... Flowers! It's JANUARY...... I guess it will be a challenge indeed.

Day 10- Something I Made

This is a little bit embarrassing!! I'd like to consider myself creative. I always seem to have ideas.. I love to paint, design, take photos... I'm constantly searching for an outlet for my creative energy. The problem is.... I don't have any real significant talent. My pictures are okay. My paintings are about as good as something a talented 4th grader would do... and my sewing skills are no exception. I have never taken a class.. never even put my foot on a pedal until this year when my grandmother sent me a brand new Singer Sewing Machine!! I was so excited to learn. I followed that instruction manual to a T and learned all the basics on how to operate my machine. But, one thing that manual failed to tell me was how hard it would be to actually sew (especially when you've yet to acquire any tools or patterns)! The first thing I made was a camera strap for my new camera. I was so proud!.. except when I showed my mother she was sure to point out that my stitch was crooked. How I adore her honesty.. I can always count on her to correct my grammar or let me know if my thighs are getting fat!! :)
The second thing I made was an apron for my dear friend, for her birthday!! She is always so thoughtful.. and so crafty. She often sends us little gift boxes for Christmas or for my birthday. This year, I thought it would be fun to do the same, so I slaved over this apron... although, I'm sure if you studied it hard enough you'd see how terribly amateur it is. The good friend she is though, she was nothing but appreciative.
The last photo here is a totebag I made for my grandma using sewable fabric photo paper. My stiches may be crooked but she carries that thing around like it's a life line. Love you G. :)


As far as the photography aspect of this post... I've been shooting in manual. I try to stay on that setting most of the time so I can really get to know it. I still don't have a great understanding. But, I am excited for the next challenge... something tells me it's going to be a lot of fun. Day 11- Something Fun

Day 9.- Faceless Self Portrait

I am feeling very uninspired!! Maybe because this particular challenge required me to get out the 200 yr. old tripod and photograph myself. On top of that, I have to keep my face out of the photo and only reveal whats left. Not fun. But, this is suppose to be a challenge (have I said that before?).. so, from now on, I promise to put forth more effort. As for today, I was just feeling lazy. When I first got to Faceless Self Portrait, I thought it would be nice to have the photo reflect my personality. I was thinking I could hide behind a book or bake some cookies with my boys. But, that seemed like too much trouble. So, when I put the baby down for his nap, I made a cup of tea, set my camera on the dining room table, pressed the timer button and stood by the window to take in the view. This is the result. Now, moving on... Day 10. Something I Made.

Day 5- Someone I love..

For those of you who don't already know, I did not take this photo. I repeat, this is not my (amazing) work. My lovely friend Suzanna Bates with www.bohemianperspective.com came out to the house a couple of months ago and took this beautiful picture for us. So, you might be wondering what this has to do with my 30 day photo challenge. Well, a couple of things.. First, I found that, last week, when CJ and Ryan were on their hunting trip, I had a ton of time on my hands. I didn't have to drive the 30 miles into town for school or sit at the ball field for 3 hours for soccer practice (that's what happens when school lets out at 4:10 and practice doesn't start til 5:30 and the coach is always a little late so it runs over the one hour and it would be a huge waste of gas and time to 'run' home in between it all). But, the point is... I had time to waste. I updated my blog.. started my first few 'challenges'.. read an entire novel.. finished my morning coffee for the first time in months.. played, facebooked, pinterest'ed.. and I found the time to learn about my camera. But, the guys are home now so, I am back in the routine of things and my camera is back in it's bag, feeling neglected. I was excited for this challenge though b/c I knew who I would choose. I wanted this one to be about Ryan. But, turns out, he's not easy to photograph. When he gets home from work we are busy. We aren't left with much time for ourselves and what time we do get, I can't spoil by having the camera in his face. Soo, I choose to use this photo for my challenge because of the reasons I just told you and also because it is an inspiration to me. I would love if, one day, I was half as talented as she is!! So, thats my goal.. to take photographs that tell a story and capture the love between two people. Which is funny because, I remember this day so well and when Suzy was taking this photo she said to us "try to express your natural feelings for one another" (or something to that extent). Ryan and I laughed & I said to him "My natural feeling is that you drive me crazy!" He truly does (drive me crazy)! We are polar opposites. Our relationship is either magical or it's draining, nothing in between. He's not an easy person to be married to. He's opinionated, stubborn, egotistical, controlling. He brings out the worst in me.... (and the best). He is the most complex, unpredictable person I have ever met. But, he is someone I love..... dearly. He is thoughtful, steady, consistent, honest. He is a wonderful father. He puts his family first, above all. He has taught me so much about myself and, because of his hard work, given me the opportunity to be the best mother I can be (which is a gift that means more to me than he will ever know). His love is unconditional. He is the only person in my life who has never let me down. He is my safe place, my partner, my friend. But, most importantly, he never forgets to think of me when he goes to the grocery store. As cheap frugal as he is (which is why he does most of the grocery shopping in the first place) he still always buys me a new box of tea he thinks I might like or the good coffee instead of the cheap..... stuff that's on sale. Now that, my friends, is love. :) 
Tomorrow's Challenge... childhood memory.

Day 1- Self Portrait

Okay, so this photo may not be very convincing! But, this challenge was hard!! I did, however, learn a lot!! Like, for instance, self portraits are not easy to take!! I did everything the articles told me to do... I sat by a window, I adjusted my ISO settings, I tried to use a solid background, I even dug out our 200 yr. old tripod and what did I end up with??... a bunch of super awkward looking photos! So, this morning, after I dropped Jonas off at Pre-school, James and I went to the local coffee shop. As I was sitting there sipping my White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte`... (YUM), it occurred to me that maybe I was trying too hard. Maybe it was really simple... maybe a self portrait doesn't have to be posed or planned out or awkward. So, with that, I took out my camera, adjusted the setting to (Av) (because it's my favorite setting), set the timer and there you have it. It's not quite right.. but, its better than the deer in headlights look I was perfecting in my recent attempts. So, while I'm still not there yet, I am learning my camera and that is what this challenge is all about!! Now for Challenge #2. What I Wore...