march 365+1.

I can't believe March is over. Seriously, where is this year going? It will be September in just six months (I've got good math skills...;) ) and I will be sending my little boy off to kindergarten. Sniffle sniffle...

March gave us some crazy weather, including some snow, cold temps and our wettest March to date (well, in Portland - where they keep track of those things.) Something like 7.76 inches had fallen by 3pm today. That's many inches too much for my liking. But March gave us a nice last day. It is was sunny for a good portion of the day. I can still see some blue sky in one direction out our living room windows and grey in the other direction. 

I finally forgot a day of my 366 project, thus only 30 photos. Well, I really didn't forget but it was a long day and I just didn't want to take a picture just to take a picture. I do try to put a little thought behind my photo each day....just a tiny bit. Here's too a sunny, warm April!! (Gotta think positive here!)

52 linked: planning.

I'm not a planner. I used to be, but I'm not anymore. I had to plan out my day to day activities when I was in college and when I worked outside the home. My time was limited and if I didn't plan-out my days things would inevitably be forgotten. Even though I felt like I had very little free-time back then, my life felt less chaotic due to the fact that I mapped-out my time and activities. But now that my life does not necessitate me keeping everything straight, I don't plan. And since I don't plan, my life feels a little crazy. I forget things all the time, and I feel frazzled most of the time. So basically what I'm saying is: I need to get back to planning. (Any and all planning advice for the SAHM is welcome!) And since I'm not about planning things out anymore, I did not plan for this post very well. So you get a cute photo of Sammy from a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure she was planning how she could best mess with Max and his toys. ;) Happy Friday, friends.

52 Linked 2012 A new theme every week.

A few other friends are joining-in on the adventure.

Please stop by and see their interpretations of our word of the week.

Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Heather, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Kristin, Heather, Amy, Liza, and Veronica.

slice of life: his space.

He's got an office, friends. He's five and he has an office. In our family room. He's got a little corner by the windows that is full of his things - pens, pencils, stapler, DVDs, CDs, little cut-out paper butterflies, a dry erase board, Lego clock, T-ball trophy, glue, scissors...I could go on and on. Lots of stuff. It's a bit too much visual clutter for me, but I'm learning to be okay with it. Who cares if my family room is messy. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? No. I keep reminding myself of this. It's his fun, happy place to play. That's all that matters.

doggie disneyland.

Sunday we went to the dog park aka Doggie Disneyland. Eric and Max actually took Sammy on Saturday, but I chose to stay home and have some alone time. But Sunday we all piled in the car, made a Starbucks run (it was Sunday, so I was okay to have my latte) and headed to Doggie Disneyland. Sammy had a blast. She ran and played and got stinky. All blissful events in a dog's world, especially the stinky part. And Max followed her all around, so it was really a great two-for-one deal for us - wear out the dog and the boy. ;) The dog park is situated right in the path of some large power lines. You know, the giant structures that look like big men that hold those big power lines. One after another the men are lined-up for as far as the eye can see. While there was cute doggie-ness all around me, I chose to look up this day and shoot these lines instead.

(The collage is not what I wanted it to be...I am not a fan of Picasa. But with Picnik going bye-bye in April, I have to find something new for collages. If anyone can give me some pointers on Picasa I'd appreciate it! No idea how to move the photo around within the collage or size it down...or do anything really. And if anyone knows how I get rid of that faint border around my photos in blogger - I will be forever grateful. No clue how to get rid of it and it kinda drives me crazy. Maybe it's my blogger template?)

52 linked: spring

When I first started my draft of this post it was Wednesday morning and it was snowing. And yesterday we woke-up to about three inches of snow. It's nearing the end of March, friends. It's spring. Well, it's supposed to be spring. Spring in the PNW is hit or miss. We get a few good, sunny, warm days among the cloudy, rainy, grey days. We have had snow one day a week for the past four weeks now. It's not much, and it usually turns to rain by about noon, but still...

Spring is "springing" even among the rain and snow and cold. She's making her presence known. And I'm really happy about that. I have to say that spring has moved up the ranks in my list of favorite seasons. After months of rain and wind and cold and dark, dreary days, I welcome the little green buds and flowers and sunshine and a little bit of warmth with open arms

{Photos taken with my D700. I'm not sure anyone else can tell a difference between

the 700 and my 70s, but I sure can. ;) }

52 Linked 2012 A new theme every week.

A few other friends are joining-in on the adventure.

Please stop by and see their interpretations of our word of the week.

Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Heather, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Kristin, Heather, Amy, Liza, and Veronica.

random monday (a day late.)

I'm back with a random Monday post (ok, I know it's Tuesday, but just go with it...). I know you missed them ;) I pretty much stopped my random Monday posts when Maggie died. Many of you know I usually had my Maggie Monday posts every week. I'm considering doing a Sammy Sunday series, but we'll see.
So, on to my randomness:
1. Total mommy moment - Getting the call from preschool to come pick-up Max early because he tripped and bumped his nose. Then getting to preschool, seeing him sitting quietly with the preschool director in her office, and then watching him cry the minute he sees me. And then trying to hold it together while I comfort him. He is ok, but will likely have has a black eye. Boo.
2. Proud moment - I was on a total high Sunday after I completed my first 5k where I actually ran the entire race. I've done the Portland Shamrock run four times now and a few other 5ks, and this was the first time I didn't have to walk part of it. So happy. (Photo above is post-Shamrock race.) My husband suggested it had something to do with my cool, new running kicks.
3. His moment - After a slow, sore start to my Monday I was fully prepared to go get a latte (which I gave up for Lent). I said to myself, "I really need a latte today." And then I said to myself, "No, what I really need is Him."
4. Funny moment - My legs were really sore yesterday, but not nearly as sore as my jaw because I chewed gum while I was running yesterday. Note to self - don't chew gum during a race again.
5. Delicious moment - I had the most wonderful latte Sunday after my run. (I'm the "fast Monday through Saturday, feast on Sundays" Lent observer.) A delicious decaf, triple grande (I never get a grande), vanilla latte with whipped cream.
6. Awkward moment - sitting through the lonngg line to get out of the parking garage after my run, and when I got to the front to pay they didn't take Discover and I didn't have cash. Then I became that girl who holds up the lonngg line while the parking attendant writes up a ticket so I can send in my payment. At least the parking garage attendant was nice. I told him, "They're all hating me right about now." And he said, "Yeah, so what." He didn't chastise me, or tell me I was holding up the line and the drivers behind me would be mad. He just said, "So what." I need to learn to say "So what" more often. I spend far too much time worrying what people think of me.
7. Feed the soul moment - Listening to our Bible study leader give a great talk about forgiveness on Sunday. If I could paraphrase it and do it any justice I would. But I can't.
8. Unbelievable moment (though it shouldn't have been) - I heard two Adele songs back to back on the same radio station. I kid you not, friends - Rumor Has It followed by Someone Like You. I love Adele, but she is over-played (as is Bruno Mars...does anybody else turn the station when his songs come on? Or it just me?)
9. Unbelievably happy moment - My dad gave me his Nikon D700 this weekend. Well, a permanent loan. If I ever don't want it (that'd be crazy, right?) he wants it back. He knows I love photography, he believes in his heart of hearts that I am really good, and he knows I am feeling the limitations of my D70s. (He has three Nikons, and he can't use them all at the same time, right? :-) ) Let me say, I was in love with the 700 after I took just a couple of photos. It actually takes photos of what my eyes see, how my eyes see it. The white balance isn't wonky, and it's so much faster and sharper than the D70s. I'm in love. And I am beyond thankful of my dad's gift. Not just of his camera, but more importantly of his support and belief in my talents. Thanks, dad.
10. Crazy weather moment - We woke-up to snow Monday morning. It wasn't sticking much, but still so disappointing. We've had snow one day of the week for the past three weeks. I'm ready for spring and summer.
11. Family moment - Celebrating my mom's birthday on Thursday. I made one of her favorite meals - mac and cheese - and I even made a cake with yummy chocolate butter cream frosting. SO good. It was a fun evening with my family.
12. Fattening moment - I made cupcakes last night because I had left-over yummy frosting. Can't let that frosting go to waste. Even if it all goes to my waist.

Hope you all have a super week, friends. Mine will be spent trying to keep the peace between Max and Sammy, and trying to maintain my sanity while my husband is working in Seattle. All prayers are welcome. He's going to be up there most of the week for the next, well, who knows how long...We will miss him.
a

52 linked: underneath

When I saw what the theme was for this week I knew exactly who I was taking a photo of - Miss Sammy girl under our bed. She loves to lay under the bed - our bed, Max's bed - doesn't matter as long as she's under one of them. When Max heads to bed she comes upstairs with us and scurries into his room and under his bed. Almost like a cat. It must feel like a safe place for her under there. It's quite a change from Maggie who always wanted to be on the bed. She would occasionally creep under the bed if she was scared, but it didn't happen often. So there you have it - Little Miss Sammy underneath our bed, trying to relax while I take more photos of her cuteness.

52 Linked 2012 A new theme every week.

A few other friends are joining-in on the adventure.

Please stop by and see their interpretations of our word of the week.

Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Heather, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Kristin, Heather, Amy, Liza, and Veronica.

new life.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

It really was one of those days. After waking up to two inches of snow on Tuesday, we hit a balmy 64 degrees last Friday. It was lovely. Nice and warm in the sun, but a bit chilly in the shade. I captured a few of the pretty new leaves on our hydrangea bush. Those little leaves were so happy just soaking up the sun. Spring is on her way, friends. He is breathing life into everything around us. And after some dark and dreary months, He is breathing some new life into me. And that makes me happy.

slice of life: me and my shadow.

Me and my shadow boy on the driveway, on a sunny, warm day

Missing that sunshine today.

back then: before i knew what i was doing.

November 25, 2007

My dad gave me my Nikon the Christmas before I had Max. I had no idea how to use it and really wasn't that interested in learning how to use it in any other mode but automatic. Actually, I had no idea you could shoot manually. I took a lot of photos of Max that first year. I just wish I could go back, knowing what I know now about how to use my camera, and retake those photos. These edits are a testament to the fact that there is only so much editing software can do. If a photo isn't that great right out of the camera there's not much you can do to "fix it" in Elements or Photoshop. One must master the camera they own, picking it up every single day and snapping away. Learning how to adjust settings for a variety of different lighting situations. Still working on that one, and on all of it, really. But I think I've come a long way.

July 22, 2007

(And of course now that I've loaded these to Flickr, I see that I took these with my Cannon point and shoot. Well, I would still have to say - I wish I had known what I was doing. And I wish I had taken these with my Nikon. But the best camera is always the one you have with you.)

Now that I feel like I have a little bit better understanding of Elements, I've been digging through old photos and finding my favorites to edit. These are just two of the many, many photos.  I'll be posting more in the months to come.

my latest addiction.

Friday afternoon I sat down to read through my friends' Linked blog posts. I grab some water and a bag of my latest addiction (which I'm eating right now...): Mini Cookies from The Fortune Cookie Factory in San Fransisco. I found them at Cost Plus and I'm oh-so-tempted to buy an entire box of these babies. Yes, I love them that much.

So since I had my camera sitting there next to me, I decided to take pictures of my latest carb love. The beauty of these cookies is that there is no paper to dig out before popping them in my mouth. Sure the fortunes are fun, but I prefer the ease with which these can be consumed.

See that one in the middle? It's bigger and thinner than the others. Those are my favorite - the really thin ones. Don't get me wrong, I'll eat them all. But I first dig through the bag for the large, thin cookies.

If you find them you've got to try a bag. You'll be addicted.
I'm off to buy a few more bags (or maybe an entire box) of these bad boys today.

52 linked: vegetables

This was a tough post for me given that I am not a fan of food photography. Unless it's a cupcake or fruit, most food loses all appeal to me when photographed. I'm not even a fan of food photography in cooking magazines. (Of course, that said I will probably love all of my linked friends' veggie photos.) Without further ado - the veggies I chopped-up Wednesday night for fajitas. They were very yummy.

I've always been curious - if you had to choose between fruit or veggies for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Veggies all the way for me. It's always been veggies. With a side of ranch, of course. What about you?...

52 Linked 2012 A new theme every week.

A few other friends are joining-in on the adventure.

Please stop by and see their interpretations of our word of the week.

Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Heather, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Kristin, Heather, Amy, Liza, and Veronica.

car bokeh.

For your Thursday viewing pleasure I present - car bokeh. Can you guess which car is mine?

Now go on to those more interesting blog post...;-) Happy Thursday, friends.

Supposed to be 64 here today. I'll take that!

nicknames.

Yes, she's already been given a lot of nicknames...
Sammy Shazammy
Shazammy Sammy
Samalamadingdong
The Samanator
Samertons
Silly Sammy
Lazy Sammy
Sams
Sam
We give nick-names to the ones we love, right?
She is so very loved.
(And she is sure to wind-up with many more nicknames.)

the light: his room.

Back in January I told you all about my goal of working on finding the light. And I'm happy to say that I've been working on it when the sun comes out, and illuminates places in our home. Like Max's room. It faces east and glows with light in the morning (on the days when the sun actually shines around here.)

Are these edits perfect? Probably not. Some might say they are too bright and overexposed-looking. When I look at the color photo all I see is the chromatic aberration on the edges of the rocking chair and nightstand (thus the black and white edit.) But even though I look at these and question my editing, I still love them. It's his room as a five year old. A moment frozen in time. It's blue, full of stuffed animals, his Lego calendar, "wind" (white noise) machine, cute little animal drawer pulls, a brightly colored quilt that his great-aunt so lovingly made for him. I initially was drawn to his room when I went to pick out some clothes for him, and then I noticed the light. But as I sat there in his blue, little boy room I realized I was doing more than trying to capture the light. I was trying to capture the essence of this moment in his life. His cute little room. It won't always look so cute. Some day there will be piles of clothes on the floor, and the light blue walls will be painted over, and the cute animal drawer pulls will be replaced by something less child-like. The stuffed animals will be stored or given away. The quilt will take-up residence in my bedroom as my daily reminder of the days when he was little. And this room will become his retreat; a place where he will work on becoming the man he will someday be.

But the Light?...It will always be there, shining brightly. And I hope he always notices that Light.

today

No link today. I was completely stumped by the word, Spirit, and not feeling an ounce of creativity this week. Sorry. Maybe I'll make it next Friday.
Happy Friday, friends. Enjoy your weekend!

But stop and take a look at how my friends interpreted spirit:

Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Heather, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Kristin, Heather, Amy, Liza, Veronica and Jean 

february 365+1

I made it through another month of my 365+1 project! What I like is that you can clearly tell when it was Valentine's Day and when we got our dog, Sammy. That last photo was added to complete the collage. I actually put the photos in order again. This may be increasingly difficult as the year progresses. It'll also be difficult keeping track of what day it is of the 366 days. HA! You can check out my January photos here.