Scavenger Hunt - Back at Last!

It has been a looong time since I've participated in Scavenger Hunt Sunday!
...it's nice to be back at it...




Macro/Close-Up
I wanted to get a kind of Casablanca feel with this shot
...but I've never seen the movie, so I'm really just guessing here...
{I also used this image as an example in my Hi, ISO post...just in case you missed it.}

Found Texture 

Home
My home consists not of brick and mortar or framing and drywall, but of these two plus my husband.
Wherever they are is my home!

Cover
Perhaps this is a stretch but peels are kind of a cover, right?!

The Tree
This is another image you may have already seen on the blog.
I used it earlier in the week for my Scripture & a Snapshot post but decided to use it for this as well because that bokeh is way too scrumptious to share only once!

More Classics

Do you have an Etsy shop?
Would you like me to promote it here?
I still have a few more spots open for my week of giveaways in mid-September. If you'd like to sponsor a giveaway please send me an email! {katiellloyd@yahoo.com}

*****

Here are a few more shots from my walk around The Auto Collection...

Details of Nature

The kids and I are in Iowa right now visiting my family. We'll be heading to the Iowa State Fair soon and I can hardly wait!

Giant tenderloins, lemonade, jalapenos poppers, the big slide and carnival photography are all on the menu.  And, depending on how those carnival shots turn out, the evening's entertainment may very likely be the best part of the day...I'll be attending the Casting Crowns concert!!!

I will undoubtedly have tons of shots to share when we get back, but while I'm gone I'll be sharing some shots from Deanna Rose Farmstead...

A Family Portrait Shoot

Over the weekend I had a portrait session with my brother-in-law's family.
Aren't they good looking?!




I took their engagement photos last year and they are so natural in front of the camera that it makes getting beautiful shots a breeze!




"My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they're goin, where they've been."
-Forrest Gump






But I bet you didn't guess from their shoes that they're also expecting!!!






I love that they are so willing to do "fun" shots!




And show genuine moments in front of the camera.

As well as let their inner cheerleader out once in a while. ;)

 

A Wordless Tuesday

{PS. Don't forget to visit Nancy at A Rural Journal & Jeska at Living Our Love Song for a chance to win a $30 shop credit to my Etsy store!}

 

Scavenger Hunt - Last Trip to Deanna Rose

Thursday we finally had a break from the all too familiar heat advisory!!

At high of 85...it was glorious!
So on a whim the kids and I headed out to the farmstead.
With vacations and school coming up quick, it may very well be our last trip of the season.

1. Two
Two pretty white gladiolas. We had a light rain in the morning and some of the drops were still hanging around.

2. Whatever
In the same garden as the gladiolas were some veggies.
Here's a beautiful red cabbage:

3. Sweet
This kid was hilarious and full of spunk! He would run back and forth to whomever he thought had more food in hand. And then he'd stick his tiny cute head right through the fence.
...just look at that smile...

4. Space
This is where the sheep live.
They were huddled under a tree, obviously not utilizing their large amount of space.
{or maybe they had already used it....ahem.}

5. Bright
Here's another shot from the garden. There were tons of these Black Eyed Susans.
{and this shot is sooc!}

{PS - Want to win a $30 credit to my Etsy shop? Visit Nancy at A Rural Journal! Want another chance to win a $30 credit? Visit Jeska at Living Our Love Song!}

Flowers & Shells

I have no clue what this plant is.
Thanks to some smart ladies out there this has been identified as a portulaca, or moss rose.
It has not grown since we've lived here {until now that is} and I certainly did not plant it.
But it is popping up here and there throughout our little flower bed.
{I use the term 'flower bed' loosely...it's mostly dirt and mulch}
And I couldn't be happier! I love when nature plants pretty flowers for me...and ones that multiply at that!

 




We did plant this. It's a bloom on our bell pepper plant.
I imagine we'll get to eat this baby in...oh, October.






I've been wanting to do a minimalist-style sea shell shot {say that three times fast} but nothing I do is working how I want.
So these shells and sand have been sitting on our kitchen counter for about 2 weeks.
...within easy reach of Rowan.
She's been playing with the sand and shells on and off and yesterday I noticed this pretty little beach scene she threw together!

  

At War with Elements

Oye.
Y'all would not believe the morning I've had.
{well, maybe you would.}
PSE 8 and I went to war last night and this morning.
It started out with a simple problem of not seeing what I should see in my effects window, despite installing my new action properly.
Long story short, Elements pretty much jumped out of my computer, came to life and was somehow skilled in ultimate fighting.
{'cause that analogy makes sense, right?!}
But thanks to this guy, I was able to stop the program from crashing as well as fix a few other annoying things.
Now I'm able to see and use all of my wonderful actions that I'd forgotten about!
:)

{awesome tip of the day: do not use subfolders within your photo effects folder. seriously. quit it.}


Anywho, after all that I needed a super simple edit. And here it is...

Before:

After:

As you can see in the sooc shot, my white balance is all sorts of outta whack.
Thankfully, I shoot in RAW mode and don't have to worry about that as it's easily fixable in post processing.

Given the dark frame of the door against the white bathroom fixtures, I knew I wanted this to be converted into black and white. So I ran Nelly Nero's "Ain't Life a Peach" action on it and whalaa!
{I can't remember which set this action is in, so you'll have to dig to find it I'm afraid.}


 

My Little Girl

Last night after Rowan's bath she came downstairs carrying her pajamas.
{good thing our blinds were shut}

But she didn't want any help getting dressed.

This look {below} captures her mischievous nature perfectly.
{don't let that hint of innocence fool you...she's recently learned to blame everything on her big brother}



Of course, she's also rather silly.
{but don't tell her that. she'll get mad and scream at you that she's not.}



I know being her mother makes me ridiculously biased, but seriously, this sweet little face will melt your heart.



{ok, enough mush}

I bet 10 minutes had passed by the time she actually attempted getting dressed.
{probably because she stopped after every move for a picture}



...but then...
she got stuck.



and decided she'd wear her shirt like this...

{she's so silly...er, um...not at all silly.}