Anniversary Flowers

Last Friday was Seth and my 5th anniversary!

He was out of town, but had a beautiful bouquet of daisies delivered to the house!

And just in case you're counting - yes, that makes two bouquets of flowers inside of two months!
Which is a bit abnormal for him...but I am loving his newfound sense of romanticism!

Midweek Catch Up

The past week has been wonderful!
If you're wondering why I've not been posting daily anymore, it's because I've finally put my priorities in proper order!

I've spent so much more time with my kids - we've played games and wrestled, had mini Wii tournaments, painted, read loads of books, and enjoyed the here-and-now moments.

I said things like:
"I'm on my way!" instead of "I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Yes, you can paint!" instead of "Not today, it's too messy."
"Sure, we'll make jigglers right now!" instead of "Maybe tomorrow."

I'm slowly learning to appreciate all the precious moments God has given us together, rather than taking it all for granted.


Teach us to number our days,
   that we may gain a heart of wisdom.


Psalm 90:12



With all that said, I did make some time for photography and editing, though, because I love it and it also keeps me sane and relaxed!




I recently saw something like this on a Blackberry commercial and wanted to try it. This isn't really close to what I had in mind, but my kids saw all these shoes set out and thought it was dress up time! They were pretty excited, so I went with it.

   




A spilled jar of kosher salt.
Not much to say about that.

This is my son's biplane that he got for Christmas.
I have more shots of it coming up on Friday.

Winter Trees

One morning, I was trying some sun photography.
But what I had in mind was just not happening.



Instead, a happy accident occurred.








Although I shot in vibrant color mode, these shots came out more black & white.





I assure you it was morning and the above image is the sun.
I think there's something to be said for ignoring rules and meters and what is "technically" correct.

A Step Back in Time

...when fans were made in the USA and doorknobs were made of glass...

This and the following shot were taken at my in-laws' house.

They completely restored their really old home (built in the late 1800s or early 1900s) and they collect antiques here and there. So their home is riddled with charm and stories and history.

I love this picture.

Love. It.

Food-a-licious

Anyone who regularly visits The Bonnie 5 will know where I swiped this idea. 

(Yes, I watch a lot of Dora. Why do you ask?)

When my Dad's side of the family came to visit they brought a pineapple.
(your guess is as good as mine)

We didn't get around to eating it, though.
So once I had some time, the pineapple and I had a mini shoot...along with my newly built light box.

(big thanks to Bekkah at Through the Lens for sharing that link!)

Ok, this one has zero to do with food. I can't even think of a far-out stretch to relate it to food.
This is an oil lamp at my in-law's house. I just thought it looked cool.

Tomatoes and Grilled Cheese

These are the last of our tomatoes.
Waaaay back in October-ish we picked all the big green tomatoes off our gianormous tomato plant, which looked more like six plants. We set them on our counter and waited. There were well over 50 tomatoes, and they have slowly but surely turned that beautiful tomato red. I've been peeling, dicing and freezing them. And they are super wonderful in chili! This was the final batch.

I'm pretty happy to have all that counter space back!

I know a lot of you love tomato soup and grilled cheese, so I took a shot of my lunch one day to go with the tomatoes!

I like my grilled cheese with a little more umph than the standard version. I used home baked italian-herb bread with thick slices of sharp cheddar cheese. Mmm, mmm good!

Oldies but Goodies

Last week I told you that my hard drive is full...as in busting at the seams full. 

A lot of you suggested that I get an external hard drive, which I did! Thanks for all the suggestions. 

I was hoping to have it by now, but a few days ago I received an email telling me my item was on backorder!! Ack! 

I guess I'll also be getting a lesson in patience...

While I'm waiting for my new 'toy' to get here, I've been going through my old photos. There were some that I had completely forgotten about! Isn't it funny what sticks in your mind and what doesn't?

I've also been working on my Etsy shop. 

I've listed a bunch of new prints, finally made a banner, and freshened up my avatar. 

This is one of those forgotten shots from early this year. 

I really like the colors and abundance of bokeh, so I decided to list it in my shop.

I titled it Effervescence of Winter - quite fitting, I think!

The theme this week for Sheri's photo challenge is sight.
Although it may be a long-stretch, I'm using this photo because without my contacts or glasses, this is about the quality of my sight! My vision is terrible. And although seeing everything in bokeh is kind of pretty, it's not very practical. :)

~~~~~

This shot was also taken toward the beginning of the year. 

My son has oodles of Hot Wheels and they're all so colorful!!

This is yet another new listing in the shop: Car Show in Miniature.

~~~~~

And here's one more from the beginning of this year.
My husband had gone to a food show for work and came home with a bouquet of gerbera daisies...just in time for our anniversary!

The title for this shot isn't near as clever as the above two: Daisy in Sepia.

Wednesday Potpourri

Last Wednesday we left to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family.
We drove through fog for the entire 4 hour trip.
While it didn't make for excellent driving, it did make for some neat shots and scenery!

This little guy lives in the oak tree in our backyard.
He and his family often come up to our deck to sun themselves.
...and occasionally bury nuts in our patio cushions.







Seth and I had a rare treat while in Iowa: a date!
No kids, no car seats, no pressure to be home at a certain time - it was bliss!
On the way there, I looked out my window to see the above. I thought it was beautiful and wanted to share!

We saw the new Harry Potter movie on our date. It was great!

This one is from the archives. 
When I saw that this week's theme/prompt was tire, I immediately thought of this shot. 

One recent evening while bagging the remaining leaves in our front yard, I looked up to see this small plane flying overhead. Thankfully I've become one of those crazy people who carries my camera with me everywhere. Even to bag leaves. I especially love that you can see the propeller!