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The past week has been busy, which is why I haven't posted any new photos since last Wednesday.
My mom flew 950 miles for a four-day, long weekend visit which was wonderful, then Seth was gone several days for work, and most recently we found out that the closing on our home in Kansas, which was supposed to be tomorrow, will not be happening as scheduled. Lots of stress and frustration with that!

...and all of it combined has taken me out of the photo-taking mood...
I think it's time for a quick trip to the botanical gardens!

She's an American Girl

This is Rowan's favorite skirt and she's riding her favorite bike.
{it's also her only bike, but she calls it her favorite...works for me!}

If you haven't already, head on over to Ashley Sisk's for the free action, Debonair {which works in both Photoshop & Elements} based off my Vintage Polaroid Set!

You won't be sorry.




   

Miscellaneous Monday #2

I have a feeling this week is going to be almost as busy as last and I deeply apologize in advance for not returning comments.
Rowan's toe has healed, but she now has strep throat. And an awful rash, which we initially thought was a reaction to penicillin, to go with it.
Oye.

Here are just a couple of shots from last week...

Scavenger Hunt - Good Things Around the House

1. Music to My Ears
We have had no rain for such a long time that the cracks in the dirt around our house are looking like scary, deep caverns.
{a few more inches wide and the kids and I could go spelunking}
This morning, however, we woke up to a much needed rain.



2. Hat
I love this hat.
I got it at Target for $10, which was full price but worth the splurge.
{ps. Target has the best clearance sales.}



3. Clear
Clean dishes mean my counter tops are clear.
And that is a good thing.
{spoken in my best Martha voice}



4. Out of this World
For this prompt I chose Candyland.
{I don't know about you, but my street certainly isn't lined with gumdrops}



5. Sprinkles
Sprinkles of rain on the screen door.
...ahhhh...

Scavenger Hunt - Thanks

A super big thanks to Ashley for using not one, but all of my suggestions for Scavenger Hunt Sunday last week!!! That girl has been pimping my blog and Etsy shop with links all over the place!

A big, big thanks for that Ashley...you're a doll! :)
...she's so cute and pretty that she really could have her own doll...just maybe not this face. ;)

1. Pop of Color
In this shot Grandpa was teaching the kids the fine art of playing with fireworks! ;) 

2. Crossing Thresholds
Taking this shot totally creeped me out!!!
I kept having that "Watcher in the Woods" meets "Black Swan" feeling...like the back of one of my heads would turn around and stare at me.
(enter shuttering noise here)

The alternative shot to this was of our bedroom door at night, which looked like something out of "Ghostbusters".
Our house is not normally this creepy. I promise.

3. X-Ray
This is actually a photo I took a little while back, but I gave it a new look, which I LOVE.

4. Toy
I was having a hard time narrowing down which toy to take a picture of for this prompt.
But my husband came to the rescue when he brought home all of his little toy soldiers.
My son and I set them up - and this shot was one to mainly get my focus, but I loved it even though my focus isn't spot on....when is it ever, eh?!

This shot really struck a chord with me and I thought it a fitting one for the 4th of July.
I often feel that this is how I - and many other Americans without a direct tie to the armed services - see our military...as faceless pawns with whom our government plays soldier. But there are faces: some are very worn and empty from trauma, too many are cold from death, and others are scarred from battles.
The cost of our freedom is amazingly high and I thank all the brave men and women who pay that price for us!

5. Hidden
Do you see him??

Vroom! Vroom!

Whew...at last the Hot Wheels series is done!
I originally did this series to put in my son's bedroom - I'll pick up the prints tomorrow and then at some point will actually get them framed - but I loved this collection enough that I put it in my Etsy shop, too.




In the next week I'll be doing another fruit series - I'm thinking kiwi, grapefruit and raspberries, plus any other fruits that jump out at me at the grocery store, this Saturday there's a hot air balloon festival near us and my mom and sister are coming for a visit so we will make an incredibly awesome night of it!! Plus, on Monday I'll be doing a mini photo shoot for my husband's cousin's 1 year old. He is adorable and happy every time we see him, so I'm bound to get some great shots!

I hope y'all are having a great week!!

Biplane

This is a toy plane my son got for Christmas.



I was cleaning the master bedroom one day and noticed this plane sitting on my nightstand.



The reflection and lighting was pretty enough for me to grab my camera.







I love how the light softens the lines of the plane.






And when you get up close, you realize just how much detail and thought has been put into this toy.





And that makes me appreciate the simple things of life just a little more.

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.

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. :)

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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.

Semi

This is one of my son's Hot Wheels - this particular one is a pretty cool semi that hauls the other cars!

See Ya Later, Alligator

This is a little alligator keychain. Sometimes when we (meaning my kids and I) go to the JoAnn's (a craft store for those not familiar), I'll let them pick something off the $1 shelf if they have been well behaved and I have an extra 40% off coupon. This was one of those things...and it's surprisingly well made for being $1...er, $0.60.

I have a sneaking suspicion that during the winter months, there will be a lot of macro shots of toys.
You've been warned.

You'll Want to Sit Down for This One...

...not because it's overly spectacular, but because it's a little long.

This colorful bokeh makes me smile! :)

I think this spot is a bokeh paradise, because below is a shot I got of the exact same tree this past Spring.
(Apparently, my focusing abilities have improved! Score!)

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This one is from last week's Simply Photography assignment.




Here it is SOOC:



But I had to edit it!




I like both, but for different reasons.
Which do you like best?

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Technically speaking, this shot isn't very good. But life rarely stops for me and my camera.
And I'd rather enjoy it than capture it perfectly - and these two make me wildly happy each and every day!
...as well as wildly crazy with frustration ;) ...

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The theme this week at Trendy Treehouse is babies! 

But since my babies are not really babies anymore, I dug out some cute snapshots of them from when they were both right at 7 months.

I can't post one baby and not the other!