Photos on a Friday

 I spent a few hours earlier this week uploading photos to our Shutterfly site - from Christmas 2012 through this month; yes, I was obviously running a bit behind.  As I was uploading, however, I got to take a few minutes to stare at some of my favorite faces.  There are so many more that I could add, but here are just a few that made me smile:



Photos on a Friday

I had a hard time keeping up this week with my photo project.  I keep trying to avoid using my iPhone but it turns out my DSLR does not fit so easily in my pocket.  Last night I organized and uploaded the photos I managed to grab and it turns out that my favorites were still the ones taken with my DSLR.  I am definitely grasping depth of field, exposure and shutter speed a tad better - but I don't know how to make my brain work as fast as I want it to...also, I severely lack a memory these days, making it all bit harder.



Day 22: Makes me me smile:  My kissable 5 year old

Day 25  Real: My marriage (my love of wine?)

 

Day 23:  Faux: fake little cries

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Photos on a Friday : Revisited

 



I have decided, to help further my "become more proficient at my camera" goal, to participate in Project Life 365.  Essentially, I am attempting to take at least one photo a day for 201 3.  The Project Life team provides daily prompts  to get my creative juices flowing and the rest is up to me. 

I was posting all my pictures on Facebook, but realized that could get old as I jam up other people's feeds.  Now I load them onto the 365project.org website so that I can keep them organized and am also trying to keep them on Instagram.  It seemed, however, like the perfect way to breathe a little life back into Photos on a Friday.  Each Friday I thought I'd pick a few of my favorite pictures from the week and share them.  Some weeks there may be only one that I like and some weeks there may be ten.  For this Friday I have six from the past week and half that make me smile...

 

My goal is to become a better photographer, which means picking my camera up, playing with it, and taking time to learn.  I am sure that the iPhone camera will still be used quite a bit (it's just so easy and convenient) but I am going to do my darnedest to to play with white black balance, ISO, aperture and shutterspeed - ie: my good camera.  Here goes nothing...or a whole lot of something.

 

Day 1:  Resolution - To become a better cook.  I really would like to become a better cook this year.  I think a good way to start is actually following the instructions in recipes.  So far I have made Chicken Pot Pie, Balsamic Cream Chicken and Mushrooms, Meatloaf and Turkey Chili all to  relatively glowing reviews.  Yay!

Day 5:  View - The last drink of his 35th year.  Andy and I headed out to celebrate his birthday.  By 11 o'clock we decided to have "just one more" that morphed into several more at a quiet bar downtown and a fabulous date.  I was exhausted the next day, but so thankful for a night out.

 

Day 6:  Still Life - Berries and Snow.  The trees on our back patio bloom in the spring, are leafy in the summer and have green berries in the fall that turn this beautiful yellow in the winter, giving us wonderful color in the bleak months.  I loved how they look with snow framing them.



Day 8:  Front Door - Missing Daddy.  Addie, in particular, really misses Andy when he travels.  The day he left for a four day trip I caught her looking out the windows by the front door.  When I asked her what she was looking at she replied I'm looking for Daddy's car.  My heart melted.  Of course it didn't hurt the shot that Brenna wants to be doing whatever her sister is doing.

Day 9:  In a drawer - Sewing dreams.  I hadn't gotten around to doing this picture until the evening.  Nothing had particularly grabbed my eye or inspired me.  When I headed up stairs to work on altering a dance costume for my neighbor I saw the mess that is my sewing area and loved the colors. 







Day 11:  Mini - Kindergartner waiting for the school bus.  When I saw the theme of mini I just assumed I'd grab a shot of Addie and Brenna.  Mini versions of their parents.  But as Miss Thang waited for the bus this morning I struck with how grown, but yet how little, she looked.   I grabbed my camera and snuck in a picture (yes, I stepped up on our ladder to make her look even smaller) of my oh-so little girl.

Photos on Friday

We got an iPad a week or two ago - and by we I mean Andy.  The iPad is his, it's his gift to himself for working his ass off on a daily basis.  Luckily for me, however, he's been a bit exhausted lately and therefore I get to play on the iPad at night.  I tried to update the blog from it last night, but failed completely at it.  I guess my laptop is still viable after all.

Wednesday night, after reading The Frog Prince to Addie at bedtime she snuggled in to sleep...accessorized.  I think I may have gotten a tiny glimpse into the teen years.

I mean, seriously, what four year old doesn't need a sleep mask?

Photos on Friday

 JOHNSON FAMILY CHRISTMAS

(Minus about 5 family members)

Brenna and Uncle Jeaf without his creepy face mask

Brenna doesn't seem so sure about Uncle Jeaf & Emmett

Hanging on Papa's lap

Meeting and loving cousin Emmett

Gram and Papa's visit

Photos on a Friday

Two special ladies seeing Santa...

Thankful on a Friday with a Photo

Early on a Friday morning I am thankful for:

My Thursday.  It was cold and rainy but relaxing and wonderful.  For Mother's Day Andy and Addie had the foresight to buy me a prenatal massage, which I cashed in on yesterday morning while Addie was at school.  So wonderful. 

After my massage I couldn't go straight home - because the cleaning ladies were there.  I actually spoke this sentence to my girlfriend, Kate:  "I just finished with a massage, but now I am going  shopping because the cleaning ladies are at my house."  And then I laughed out loud at how fabulously spoiled it sounded.  That really is no way a snapshot of my life, but it sure was fun to live it yesterday.  Then instead of heading straight to shopping I had an impromptu lunch with my handsome husband.  So lovely.

Finding a six foot long mirror at a ridiculously good price.  We took the down the three large pieces of "art" in our family to add them to our repainted basement and the enormous family room wall has looked rather naked over the past few weeks.  Now it has a huge mirror on it and today I am going to bargain hunt for a sconce or two.  So well priced.

My, Addie and Nicholas' trip to the pumpkin patch on Monday.  The weather was perfectly autumn - crisp blue skies, gentle wind, cold enough to need a light fleece.  They played and smiled and I sat and watched.  So sweet.

Being one week closer to meeting Baby.  My belly is constantly shape shifting and there is no denying that she is getting positioned to make her grand entrance.  I am up at 6 a.m. because she's been up since 4:30 - might as well keep her happy and enjoy a few moments of sweet silence, as I think I am going to be rather short on silence and solitude in the coming weeks.  So much anticipation.

My very clean house.  The bathrooms and kitchen alone make the price of a cleaning lady worth it.  I promise not to get used to this arrangement, it's only to get me through the last moments of pregnancy and first moments of mothering two, but I will enjoy it.  So sparkling clean.

A planned lunch date with Kate, the possibility of baking Funfetti with Addie, an XU evening of fun with the family tomorrow and an hour or so sitting in my chair with my cup of decaf this morning.  So relaxing.

Earlier this week I tried to do a self "portrait" of 35 week pregnant me but was unable to get any kind of decent angle using the timer.  Instead snapped a picture of me and my mini me that I am positive 10 years from now, when she's telling me she hates me and that I don't know anything, I'll look back on and remember that at one point in time she loved me more than chocolate.  Okay, as much as chocolate.