iheartfaces "Pink" Week!

What girl doesn't love pink?? I know I do! This picture of my oldest daughter was made at Haywood Community College. Isn't she beautiful?!?!

We use the color pink to represent hope and courage in the battle against breast cancer. This month, make sure you do your self breast exam, get a mammogram, and tell someone you love to do the same!

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~Maori Proverb

iheartfaces Completely Candid Challenge

This week the challenge at iheartfaces is "Completely Candid". I LOVE this picture of my father in law reading to Cora.

From Drop Box

A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart. ~Author Unknown

i<3Faces "Contemplative" Challenge

This week's theme at i<3Faces is "contemplative". The entries for this one are especially amazing! It is interesting to see the faces and imagine what they are thinking! Here is my entry:

From Drop Box

In this picture, Cora is seriously contemplating a dirt pile she was working in. I love how serious she looks and how her eyelashes brush her cheeks.

i<3Faces Jewelry Giveaway

This is exciting!! Over at I<3Faces they are having a jewelry give-away. Today was the first time I had seen the jewelry at The Vintage Pearl, and it is absolutely beautiful!! Check out the contest here http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/2009/09/vintage-pearl-jewelry-giveaway.html

My first real attempt at editing...

I downloaded Picasa (a FREE photo editing program from Google) a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't really played with it much. Lately, I've been looking at a lot of photography blogs, and I've seen that I really need to learn to edit my photography. So I played with it a bit today. I would love to have your opinions on what I could do better or differently!

Here is the before:



Here is the after:

i <3 Faces "Before and After"

This week's i<3faces photography challenge is "Before and After". I got my DSLR, a Nikon d40, last fall, and I've learned a lot since then. I've learned to turn off the flash whenever possible, to get in close to my subjects, and to pay attention to backgrounds! Another really important thing I've learned not to do is "pose" my girls; sometimes the best photos are the ones that I make when they aren't looking at the camera! I am still not really doing any editing, but maybe that will come next.

Before:




After:

Nostalgia

This week's theme is "nostalgia".   I took this photo at a church picnic this summer. This beautiful woman is one of dearest friend's grandmother.  Miss Georgia just turned 90.  She is such a remarkable woman, and I feel very blessed to know her!!

Thematic photography Assignment

I missed a week, but I'm back this week.  :)  This week's assignment is "Abandoned".  When I read about the theme, I knew that I had my subject.  This abandoned little garden cherub always makes me sad.  I was going to post it in black and white, but there is something really wrenching about those piercing blue eyes.

Another photography challenge!

Thank you, Heather, for showing me another photography challenge.  This one comes from www.iheartfaces.com  This week's contest is Feet!  Here is a cute one I made of Emma's sweet feet last fall!

Thematic Photography

I am trying something new!  I am going to start doing the assignments posted here on Thematic Photography.  Lately I haven't been inspired in my photography, and I think this is just what I need!!

This week's assignment is ODD!  I don't think you can get any more odd than a goat on a bench.  LOL!

Workboxes!

We are using a modified workbox system from www.workboxsystem.com.  We haven't actually bought the clear boxes and carts yet because I wanted to make sure that the system would work for us.  Instead we had everybody we know collecting cereal boxes for us, and we decorated those.  They have worked ok for short term, but I can tell we need to get something sturdier.  We only have six weeks of school left, so for next year, we will be upgrading to carts and clear boxes like Sue Patrick recommends.  Using this system has really blessed our homeschool.  We are adding more fun to our days instead of just "getting it done".  The girls are taking the initiative to get their work done, so they can play games and do more arts and crafts.  I cannot recommend it enough!!

A few of Emma's workboxes

And some of Anna's workboxes

This is Anna's cat Oliver.  He loves to lie on the school stuff.  :)

Davey Week 6!

Davey is so cute!!   He has long back legs, and today you can just barely see his front leg buds.  Our entire family has enjoyed watching him change so much!!

Do you ever feel like a worm?  I do!  Some days I really get down because I'm not skinny or beautiful or rich.  My children are not perfect angels.  I haven't baked a pie in a very long time.   Some nights I don't even cook dinner, and, more often than I should,  I go through McDonald's drive-thru.   I am often plagued by anxiety and I have nightmares and fears.  My house is often a mess, and I never fold socks.  That's right--I have a huge basket that is the "sock basket".  If you are looking for a pair of socks, you have to dig through the sock basket (that's one reason I love summer-flip flop weather!!).   

But I digress.  Anyway, I am a mess.  I know it, and those that love me know it, and they love me anyway.  But, the best news is that God isn't finished with me yet!  He has a plan for me and for you!!   I am already a new creature in the Lord, but one day I will be perfect.  That's what His plan is.  Just like our painted lady chrysalises that are becoming new creatures.  They might look like they are just hanging around, but a miracle is taking place!!  God isn't finished with them yet!   So in the meantime, I am going to keep praying, keep loving, and keep looking for the Lord.  I am going to live in that peace that surpasses all understanding.  

Here are four these little miracles:

Caterpillars, and Chrysalises, and Butterflies, oh my!

Emma is learning about Butterflies this week in school!  We have been reading about different kinds of butterflies and the life cycle of butterflies.  Today Emma made a life cycle chart for school.  

Here she is working very hard writing the names of the different stages!

This is her finished life cycle chart!  She did such a great job!

And here are our very own Painted Lady caterpillars.  We get them every year from www.insectlore.com.  It is one of the highlights of our year and great spring kick-off project!

Davey has legs!

I can't get a good picture of Davey because he keeps swimming away from the camera.  But he has back legs!!  Emma discovered them yesterday morning.  They are so cute!  I will try and get some pics soon!

Davey Week 2!

Davey is growing!  We put him in his new aquarium today, and he is staying busy.  We are really enjoying watching him grow, eat, and breathe.   The girls are thrilled and can't wait until we have a new little frog!

Tadpole...take 2!

I didn't post when it happened, but the day after the first Davey arrived, he died.  :(

But, yesterday, we received Davey Jr.  And he is a junior!  He is half the size of the first tadpole.  He is a cutie!  I will post every week to let you know how he is growing!

The tadpole arrives!

We've been waiting!  The tadpole arrived today for our aquatic habitat.  His name is Davey (named by Anna after David Archuleta).  We are super excited and can't wait to watch metamorphosis!  I will update weekly so you can watch his change with us.  If you want your own tadpole check out www.growafrog.com

Davey

The Little Things...

~Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.  Author Unknown~

What a blessing it is to see my daughters together.  They love, they fight, they laugh, they cry.  All within 5 minutes.  And in this picture I caught them trying to listen in to a conversation they weren't supposed to be hearing.  So they conspire together too.  But seriously, I am in awe of their relationship.  It is a beautiful thing!  

~Resolutions~

It's that time of year again.  Time for resolutions.  Here are mine for the year:

1.  Be thankful.  Always.  For everything!  

2.  Learn more about photography and my new camera.  I just bought a field guide specifically about my camera, so I have a good start!

3.  Go on more dates with my sweetie.  We only went on one date in all of 2008, and that was for our 10th anniversary.  We will spend more time together--just the two of us.  

4.  Enjoy more nature study with the girls.  I will be honest, I am not a big time nature girl.  I would rather curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.  But they love nature, and I am thankful for the beautiful world God has given us.  So we will explore it more. 

5.  Read good books!  I read a lot anyway, but this year I am going to read only good books.  If I read a few chapters, and hate it, I will not feel guilty about putting it aside and picking up something else.  I am also going to read some of the classics that I skipped in high school. 

Wow!  That should keep me busy.  

Any my word for 2009 is ENJOY!  I will enjoy my husband, my children, my home, my life.  I will always take the time to smile, laugh, and have fun!  I will embrace one of my favorite quotes from Emily Dickinson:  To live is so starling it leaves little time for anything else.