More Photo Fun

**Fellow bloggers, have you ever written a post, previewed it, got it all ready and then forgot to press Publish Post?  Because I would feel better if I wasn't alone since I wrote this all up yesterday...Oops!**

I didn't realize I hadn't updated my photo fun entries over here in a week!  Oops...
I am really enjoying this challenge as it's forcing me to think about my subject and how my camera can best capture it.  I rarely use auto and am working on becoming a photographer as opposed to a picture-taker, but have a LOOONNNNNGGGG way to go!

Here's my last 7 entries:
Day 10:  Animal
  We've had our cat Punkin for 8 years.  A few years back she ran into something and it cost her an eye.  But it hasn't slowed her down at all...she's still bringing us treats.  Who doesn't love part of a chewed up lizard, squirrel, rat, frog, etc on their welcome mat in the morning?  Notice in this picture she's not big on being "styled" by my photo assistant, Oren.

Day 11:  Silhouette
  I realize this is not a real silhouette with his profile darkened, but it was right before bed and I was tired....No excuses.  Chris says it looks like a mug shot.  :(

Day 12:  Sun Flare
  I had to read up on how to do this on purpose other than just shooting a tree with the sun in the shot...I found some really great info on a photographer's website, gotta love those willing to share their knoweldge.  Thank you, bloggers!  Had my camera battery not run out, I could have kept shooting, but for a first attempt, I was proud of this shot.

Day 13:  Reminds you of childhood
  This prompt was a little too vague for me...it was so easy it became difficult if you know what I mean.  I finally settled on a root beer float, or the makings for one since it was like 10 in the morning!  I set it up on a white tee shirt in front of my kitchen window.  I taped wax paper to the window to give that white background look without a light box!  Again, learned this tip somewhere on the web a while back!

Day 14:  Someone you love
Simple enough although Chris will hate it.  I tried to get one of him in his reading glasses...he said no.  Too bad 'cause he looks Super Smart & Sexy in them!

Day 15:  Action
  Can you see where we spend most of our summer??  Or what Emma's favorite bathing suit is this year??  Anyway, I thought about playing around with shutter speed and trying to blur this one, but I need some more practice with that...apparently I only get good results with that on accident.  ;)

Day 16:  Mason Jar
  And while I would have loved to photograph a line of mason jars filled with delicious (seedless) blackberry jam the lack of rain we had for like 2 months dried them all out and we got none this year.  So we'll be eating store bought jam till next summer...
  But I like this too.  It's my centerpiece decoration in the pool enclosure....

Birthday Celebration

I did promise that I'd share pictures from Emma's birthday party...so 2 weeks later, here goes...

After much thought and discussion, Emma went with a Rainbow Fairies theme.  She is a voracious reader and has read through this series of books from Scholastic many, many times.  These books include magic, girl fun, and adventure...right up a 7-year-old's alley.  And, no licensed character plates and decorations allowing me to be imaginative with my decorations sounds great to me!
 
We did go to the website to download pictures of each fairy for the invitations and cupcake toppers, but other than that, we just went colorful!  When Emma was turning 2 or 3, I used scrapbook paper and ribbon I had on hand to make this Happy Birthday banner.  I put it up when any of us are having a birthday.  While it's usually inside, we hung it out by the pool since the colors are so bright and cheery.

Thanks, Dad for holding that up for me!  ;)

Last year, Emma had a polka-dot theme, so we bought some cardboard cake rounds and painted them with different colors of acrylic paint.  I got them out again this year and had the guys hang them with some invisible sewing thread (aka thin fishing line) and tape all around the covered part of our screen enclosure.

The dots that look white or brown in these pictures are just turned in the breeze.  We only painted one side last year!  We also hung 3 Chinese lanterns for decoration too.

For a centerpiece, I laid out some rainbow fabric I've had forever and put out a cut glass bowl filled with gum balls and a rectangular vase filled with skittles and rainbow lollipops my sister picked up for me.  We cut some of our beautiful hydrangeas from the yard and put them out too.  I was going to tie the glasses together with some pretty ribbon but never quite got that far...oh well, they still looked great.

 We just served snacks and drinks since it was in the middle of the afternoon, so I got pint-sized drinks for the kids.  We got these cute little orange soda cans and junior sized Sprites and Cokes.  I threw them all in a big metal drink container.  We put it down on a low shelf so the kids could help themselves.

The kids and parents LOVED the small drinks!

 After having a few swimming parties, I've decided "easy to eat" is the way to go since the kids hate getting out to eat at all.  Trying to dry off, get a plate of cake and ice cream and find somewhere to sit is always a problem, so this year we went for cupcakes and individual ice creams from Bluebell.  When asked, Emma decided she wanted peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes.  Since not everyone is as big a fan of peanut butter as my girl, I made a batch of peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate icing (just use a butter cake mix and use peanut butter instead of butter, or make it from scratch same way) and a batch of chocolate cupcakes with white icing.  We covered the tops with sprinkles to give them a colorful look and then inserted the cake toppers we'd made based on the rainbow fairies.

To make these little toppers I downloaded a coloring sheet of each fairy from the web site and then copied the part of each sheet that featured only the fairy.  Then in my photo editing software I made a circle and placed  tiny circles all around the perimeter of it (this was the most tedious step).  Once the circle design was done, I just copied each fairy into the middle and made it fit and centered it.  Then I colored the circle ring to match and saved it.  I made one for each fairy.  Now the fairies were black and white, so I had Emma color them in when we were all done printing and cutting.  Then I also made some circles with Emma or a 7 on them for the back of each topper.  Once these were made, I opened each image in my Silhouette software and inserted them into a scallop shape and had the machine cut each out.  Then I just sandwiched a colored toothpick between a fairy and either an Emma or 7 and done.  It was almost harder to write this all out then just do it.  I can make a tutorial if anyone is ever interested...

My sister, being the sweet and kind girl that she is, made little fairy wands for each child to take home.  Of course, I told the boys that they could just call it a cookie on a stick if they were too "manly" for fairy wands!  You should have seen their faces light up when they saw them!  She posted the recipe and steps on her blog if you want to check it out.

I gave the kids their cookie wands as they left in their goodie bag.  How cute are these??  Target.  Yep, they've got a big section now with lots of goodie bag stuff.  I am the kind of Mom who despises goodie bags because I really do not need more candy and made-in-China rubber and plastic toys in my house.  But, how can you not give them out?  So our goodie bags are always small and thoughtful.  Each bag had 1 pack of skittles and starburst (so they could taste the rainbow...), some colorful bracelets, a noise maker (like the kind you blow at parties and the paper unrolls) and one or two other knick knacks.

Everyone had a really great time.  We had about 15 kids aged 4-10 swimming, laughing, jumping and hollering at our house and I can't think of a better way to ring in turning 7.  My sweet girl had a great time and all in all, it was a very Happy Birthday!

School's Out for Summer

   And finally, the day has come.  My baby is now a kindergartner (not sure how that happened) and my oldest is a second grader.  Well, they will be in August anyway.  But, for now, we are packing up the backpacks and lunch boxes and getting ready for some summer fun.  And in honor of summer vacation, Oren got a haircut.  He has been wanting a mohawk all year because some friends of his at school have one.  We told him he had to wait till summertime...so this afternoon:

 
  I'm on the fence about it.  It's not my favorite look for him, but he LOVES it and summer is all about taking it easy and enjoying life, so we'll see how long it lasts...

 I've got big plans for this summer, as in lots of fun, but most certainly taking it easy.  Emma and Oren came down with sinus infections this week...yes, had to miss a day of school the last week and get tardy slips another because they're so run down and having trouble getting going in the mornings.  I see a lot of days spent in the pool, a week at the beach (can't wait Mom!!), some rainy afternoon movie watching, trips to the coast for seafood, and lots of opportunities to eat yummy foods and play together as a family.

   I also see time to get my sewing on.  I've got so many projects floating around in my head I'm making a list of them all so I can prioritize what I really want to do first.  Well, I SHOULD empty out my WIP basket first and get those projects finished, but where's the fun in that?  So, while not prioritized yet, I see at least 1 dress, some skirts, possible a romper for both Emma and me, a beach blanket quilt, a new quilt for Oren's bed and MAYBE a few WIP finishes from the basket...  I should be busy if nothing else, just keeping up with my dreams of sewing ideas!

   And on a completely different note, here are my latests Photo Fun entries:
(don't forget to check out the flickr group for all of the fun from everyone!)

Day 5 was breakfast today...this is Chris' plate, I only had one egg, but had already cut into mine when he brought his out all ready for me to photograph!  He spoils us like that for breakfast on the weekends.

Day 6 was books.  I had lots of good ideas:  a stack of my favorite series like Harry Potter or the Outlander series.  Chris suggested the TOC in the bible with all of the books listed.  But in the end it was 10 p.m. and I hadn't taken anything yet, so I took a picture of the latest book I'd read.  I read it in one day.  It was the day the kids stayed home sick and I wasn't feeling so hot myself so I laid around and read a lot...  Great book by the way, better than the movie.  And yes, I love children's literature.

Day 7 was a High Angle Shot.  Embarrassingly enough I had to find out what this meant because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be at a high angle or what I was shooting.  Oren was just sure I should take a picture of the roof of the house, because it is certainly high.  When I told him I had to be at a high angle, he logically said that I should get on the roof of the house to take the picture then.  I was going to get out in the kids play fort and have them lay on a blanket in the yard like they were watching clouds and make this magical shot that was like the perfect idea of summer...but instead I took the kids to the doctor and when we finally got home it started raining...  So, here's my entry.  I was happy with it though.  Sometimes your second option isn't so bad either...

Day 8 was a sunset.  I like this one.  We have so many pine trees we can't see the sunset usually, so we walked down to the road and I took these.  This is pretty much straight out of the camera with a slight adjustment for the light in the foreground.  Its moments like this that make me stop and remember how much God loves us.  What a beautiful way to end each day.

Today's photo is fresh fruit.  For some reason, I felt uninspired...probably running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to finish up teacher gifts, etc...  So, here's my least favorite picture of the series.  I call it strawberries in a colander...  I thought it would be really cool to take a picture of watermelons still on the vine in the fields as it's watermelon season here and they're everywhere, but I didn't have time or desire to drive into anybody's field today to bust out my camera and take a picture of their fruits.  Oh well...

 So here's to summer...may we all enjoy each day and remember that it's only a season.  Make each day special in some way or another!  And let me know what you plan on doing this summer to make it special...

End of the school year gifts

Tomorrow is the last day of school for us and it's that time when we're showing our teachers again how much we appreciate all that they've done for my two favorite kids.

  Emma is absolutely in love with her teacher this year and says she wants to stay in first grade to stay with her.  We didn't know each other that well before this school year, but she has become a dear friend to me as well.  Chris decided she was "box-worthy."  In his spare time (haha, like a teacher and coach has much spare time), Chris loves woodworking and while he can build many things, he enjoys making boxes for people special to him or for special occasions.  Think of a box you might sit on your dresser to hold your valuables, but NOT a junk drawer.  He painstakingly plans out a box specific to the person he's building for taking into account their likes, dislikes, possible uses for said box and so on.  He decided on a large box for Mrs. P so that she could store jewelry or the like in it, but could one day pass it on to one of her sons or their wives.  They are Seminole Fans (we are most certainly not) so he went with a bloodwood and maple combination.  Bloodwood is a reddish wood and obviously maple is a light, creamy yellow color.  He then routed out a P and filled the hole with bloodwood shavings and epoxy mixed together.  I helped out by using my Silhouette to cut out the P he used as a template.  He had Emma write a message on the bottom of the box that he then sealed so her first grade handwriting will always be there.  Oren is always doing something down at the barn, so it was a full family affair to build this box for a wonderful woman.  I think it came out absolutely beautiful and Mrs. P did too!

This is the box.  The P is actually the same color as the outer box, but when the lid is closed it looks much darker.

Dinosaur not included...but Oren thought it was funny to throw it in there!  The inside has a removable tray.  The dino is standing in this tray.

This is the inside of the box without the removable tray.  Chris put flocking in the bottom to make it soft for whatever she'll keep in there.  He lined the inside of the box with the maple from the lid and added the dividers.

This is the removable tray.  Is he amazing or what?  Sorry, girls...he's all mine!  ;)

   Now Oren has 3 teachers since he's in Pre-K with a teacher and 2 aides.  And as much as we love them all, and we really do...3 boxes is a bit much.  But I wanted them to know they are appreciated too.  We got them gift cards to Cold Stone Creamery (which is in the big city about 45 minutes from here but what are you gonna do...).  Oren and I are about to make them some homemade bread and some bread dip mix like you get at Carrabbas.  But then I found this AWESOME website called Tagxedo.  Oh my goodness, if you have a thing for words as art then I have just effectively shot your whole day.  Go on, click over, but don't say I didn't warn you...It's like wordle but more awesome because you can continually play with the words, colors, layout, etc.  I made this little beauty for each of his teachers too and am going to frame it as part of their gift:

Well, actually not this exact one because I realized that door holder had been separated so it randomly said door and holder in separate places and that's a little wierd.  And, I don't know how to make it look exactly the same (or if that's even possible,) so it's a little different, but just as cool!

So tomorrow morning we'll pass out the gifts and spread the love because come 11:45...we're all free for the summer!

Domestic skills in a different realm

While I usually show my domestic greatness (haha, greatness!) with my sewing machine, this weekend, I'm using the kitchen.  A friend of mine has a large garden this year and had more corn than she had time to put up, so she offered some to us.  I figured I'd get enough for supper and a pint or two to put up.  Oh no, she had 2 buckets full when we got there and Oren and I filled another.  She also passed on a couple pounds worth of tomatoes, some eggplant, squash and cucumbers.  THANKS, Christie!!!

So we all shucked corn yesterday afternoon until Emma found a worm or two in them and she was done.  Screeching and hollering and in the house, done.  Wish I had a picture of that...  We had corn on the cob for supper last night and it was so delicious!  Then I put up the rest.  Chris used to love when his Mom would put up  whole ears so he could just get one out and eat it for a snack sometimes, so I froze 20 ears and cut the rest.  I ended up with 10 1/2 pints!  I'll take that any day.  Now in October or January we can still have that great fresh from the garden flavor.

This afternoon I took the tomatoes and stewed them down with some basil from my garden and am contemplating vegetable lasagna for supper...  but I could just sit down with some fried eggplant too, so we'll see.

I don't can and freeze like I should to take advantage of summer produce, but I like doing it.  I like knowing skills that have lasted families for generations are being preserved (haha, no pun intended) and where the food my family is eating was grown.  We've got blackberries ready to pick and I'll be making some jam in the next week or so.  Does anyone else love the sight of opening their freezer or pantry and seeing jars of homemade goodness rather than boxes of fruit snacks and frozen pizzas??

This is pumpkin, blackberry sorbet (a fancy way of saying mashed blackberries and sugar!!) and corn I've put up.  I'm running way low on blackberries.  Good thing they're ready to pick!

And here are my latest entries for the 30 Day Photo Fun Challenge.  I was a day late on the hands challenge because I was too busy being Mama.  Oren had pre-k graduation and Emma had her end-of-the-year party on Friday.  But I'm still happy with the result.  Today's challenge of clouds seemed easy enough till I realized it is hotter than blue blazes outside and dry as can be.  The sky is a light blue with only sad wispy little clouds.  I thought about waiting and hoping for rain or a good sunset, but didn't figure I should push my luck!  :)  Tomorrow's challenge is breakfast...what can I convince Chris to make???

Creative Photo Fun

One thing I like about link up parties is finding new blogs and activites on the web.  Mandy at SugarBee Craft Edition hosts a massive linkup every Tuesday.  While I haven't had anything worth linking up (or the time to even check out the parties) lately, one of the links she posted on facebook caught my eye this week.  Abby over at A Feathered Nest is hosting a 30 Day Photo Fun party in June.  She's made a list of items to photograph each day and you can upload them to the flickr gallery.  There's no prize or winner...the benefit is the creativity you use to capture each image and what you get from seeing others' images.  It's exactly what I needed.  A simple and effective way to get my mind creatively thinking again.

  You can join up whenever, so go check it out.  Here are my first 2 entries...
June 1--Self Portrait

June 2--Your Favorite Shoes

  I believe my mojo is coming back.  I've got the urge to sew, sew, and sew some more...now I've just got to move all the stuff I was storing in front of my machine so I can actually do said sewing.  

  Pictures of Emma's bday party coming soon...

Sometimes giving feels like getting...

My baby girl (who is no longer a baby at all) turned 7 today.  7!!!!!!  I can't believe it.  I mean, 7 years ago, Chris and I had no idea what we were doing except that our lives were forever changed.  7 years ago I had never had a fight with a smaller version of myself.  7 years ago I had never loved someone so much as I do my children.  7 years ago I had never cleaned up someone else's vomit and diarrhea without a second thought and laughed about it later.  I had never prayed so much for someone.  I had never dreamed of the future while wanting the present to stay still.  I had never spent hours reading books, watching movies or playing with toys I don't care about just to please a tiny person.  I had never known the joy of hearing "Mama."   Okay, you get the idea...

I have watched Emma grow into a kind and big-hearted girl who always considers others (except maybe her brother, but hey, nobody's perfect.)  So when she heard of Locks of Love, she knew she had to help.  I have heard all of the controversy over this organization (just google it if you haven't and you're interested), but in the end, my sweet girl only cares about helping other girls in need.  She doesn't understand or weigh the concerns about how many wigs this organization actually gives out.  She does know what it's like to be different.  She's had many people question her about her skin when she's broke out from head to toe in eczema.  She's had people look (and look away when she caught their eye) at her skin and how scratched up it was.  She's had numerous good-intentioned grown ups ask her if she'd scratched herself or offer advice when her skin was flared up.  She also understands that this is nothing compared to being really sick and having all of your hair fall out with no hope of it returning.

So today, on her 7th birthday, my girl made the decision to cut her hair for someone else.  She was thrilled to do it on her birthday.  To have this special day for her, and be able to share it with another child, it made her heart swell and her face light up.  She was incredibly nervous.  She loves her long hair and was scared to see it gone.  It's become a part of who she is and she was worried about who she'd be without it.

But from the moment we got to the shop, she NEVER stopped smiling.  She loved every minute of it--the attention, the new look, and the knowledge that she was making someone else's life better by sharing her own special life.

I am so proud of this girl.  She is beautiful, and that's not just a proud Mama talking.  She is beautiful because her heart is so large and she loves so very much.  If you asked Emma about her birthday and what was the best part, I don't think she'd mention the party or the cupcakes at school, or all of the presents (well at least, not first...).  I think she'd tell you that her favorite part was cutting her hair.  Because sometimes giving feels an awful lot like getting...