Current Web Readings

A Mother's Hope
A must read for any mom who struggles with a child in their homeschooling.

I Heart Faces - Autumn Beauty

(be sure to click the above button to see all the entries and visit this awesome blog where you can enter too AND learn something about taking better pictures!)

So there is a neat story behind this photo. I had said I wanted the kids to be oldest to youngest, and pointed along the side of the stairs (assuming that they would all be standing). I looked down to change the settings on my camera, and heard my oldest daughter telling everyone where to be. When I looked up, I saw this and loved it SO MUCH, that I had not the heart to tell her that is not what I meant. This turned out being my favorite shot.

Even neater, when we got home, and she saw the picture, she said "Oh I am sorry. JJ should have been up and in more." WOW!! She realized that ALL ON HER OWN!!! I am so proud of her. Of course to me, the fact he is NOT where it would look like the typical shots makes it even that more special. JJ was being all boy and being in and playing with the leaves - caring less about photography. :D

Clicking on the picture will take you to it on Flickr, so you can see it bigger if you wish.

So there it is, my first ever entry into iheartfaces. I hope you like it!!!

P.S... I will be taking a blogging break for a little bit. I will be leaving for NY on Friday for my Aunt's memorial service. Brian will be here alone with the kids. I am sure he would appreciate your prayers. I will be getting my house in order for him while I am gone. Then when I get back, Thanksgiving, and the week after, Brian has off from work (so I will most likely be enjoying time together with my family, taking advantage of my husband's time off). See you second week in December.

And PLEASE remember to VOTE FOR ME in the PenScrappers contest!

I made a layout for a contest and would love it if you would go and vote for me. PLEASE share with your friends. You can vote for other layouts you like too. This contest is based on VOTES (i.e. more on popularity than on technique or skill) so the more people who vote for me the better. THANKS!!! To vote, click on the image above. Next to the layout (which has the pictures from the princess photo shoot I did - THANK YOU REBECCA!!! I never would have had good pictures for this kit if it had not been for you!) is a VOTE tag/button. Click on that! THANKS!!! And again, feel free to pass on the link asking your friends to vote too!! THANKS!! :D

Current Web Readings

Felt Play House
You could take this even further and make it so they can design their own house and change it around. Or maybe grow different things in their garden at different times. :)

Macho Manly Man POcket Hand Warmers
This is such a cute post. Not only does it have a great tutorial, but a great story behind it!! Why not make some of these for the mail/garbage men (not saying mail men are garbage men, though a lot of what they bring us goes in the garbage, but you know what I mean!). Don't forget to add to the note about keeping these in your pocket to keep there hands warm in their pockets!! :D

Using Old Jeans Up
Martha Stewart does it RIGHT!! GREAT ideas, but I am especially partial to the quilt at the bottom of the page - PERFECT for a boys room!! :D

The above was a link found on this post about ways to use up old jeans. This post is GREAT!! :D

Shutter Cal
This is a GREAT way to organize a photo a day. Then you can print it out (the price is actually pretty good) and get it in a shoebox! The shoe box is designed to hold twelve months of 30/31 photos! WONDERFUL gift idea for the grandparents!

Flickr
This post is a GREAT intro into how and WHY you should use Flickr if you take pictures. It is from Digital Photography School. I just wish I had the time to connect more through groups there. I just don't have the time.

Foto Friday - Leaves

(a quick reminder to please vote for me I really need the votes to win! THANKS!!!)

I had so much FUN doing these pictures. THANK YOU REBECCA!!! If you have not already read the story behind these photos, I encourage you to do that. It really is worth the time, at least I think it is. :D

(edited to add: OK... after seeing every one else's photos, and they are of just leaves, I feel really bad. I think I messed up on the assignment. But how could I NOT take these shots of my kids?!?! I am sorry Rebecca and other fellow FF followers. Rebecca - feel free to remove my link if you do not think I completed the challenge as stated. I will not be offended at all! :D )

So we headed to the last place I had been where I saw lots of leaves and there was a most beautiful bridge there. I told the kids about throwing in a leaves and watching them race under the bridge (there was a beautiful running river flowing under the bridge), and of course they went NUTS throwing LEAVES over the bridge. Not just one or two for a race ... but literally...



Here is one of JJ on the bridge. I love the shot, but hate the exposure! No matter how much I played with it, I could NOT get his face brighter!



Here is another one of JJ on the bridge. I love this one too!!!



I was TRYING to get a sun flare on this one, but but it did not work. Any thoughts on how to do something like this in the future??



Here is JJ on the stairs playing with the leaves while I was trying to set up a shoot (see a couple shots below), and all he cared about was playing in the leaves. SO CUTE!!!



Here is the shot I was setting up. AA was AWESOME in helping with this shot. I had said what I wanted, but she interpreted it differently, telling each of her siblings where to sit. I loved it so much that I was not about to say a word about what my vision was.

Leaves and Vets

As I was taking pictures for the next foto friday challenge (leaves), this old man on a bike walks up to us and asks me for a favor. He asked me if I knew today was Veteran's Day. "Yes Sir." I replied. He told me of how he was a veteran - he had fought in the Vietnam war. He asked if I would please take a picture of him with my kids. How could I refuse?! I thanked him for his service to our country and gladly brought my children over to pose for a picture with this unsung hero.

As I was explaining to my children about what today was and meant, the old man started crying. It near broke my daughter's hearts to see him crying. We all then posed for the picture. "EVERYBODY SAY THANK YOU!" "Thank you!"



After the picture was taken, he asked one of my girl's to hold his hat and "watch this." He then proceeded to do not one, not two but FIVE forward head-over-heals flips! I could not believe how agile this man was!



What an honor to take his picture. What a privilege to have my girls so close to him and meet him. And I will be printing these out and framing them as a gift to him. Bringing them by on Thursday as we will be on that side of town again tomorrow.



Thank you to ALL the veterans who have helped to make this country free.

Please Vote For Me!!!!

I made a layout for a contest and would love it if you would go and vote for me. PLEASE share with your friends. You can vote for other layouts you like too. This contest is based on VOTES (i.e. more on popularity than on technique or skill) so the more people who vote for me the better.

THANKS!!! To vote, click on the image above. Next to the layout (which has the pictures from the princess photo shoot I did - THANK YOU REBECCA!!! I never would have had good pictures for this kit if it had not been for you!) is a VOTE tag/button. Click on that!

THANKS!!! And again, feel free to pass on the link asking your friends to vote too!! THANKS!! :D

What JJ Was Doing....

My uncle loved the pictures of the girls being princess and asked what the prince was doing.

Well, actually the KNIGHT was busy saving the princesses from the dragon!

Current Web Readings

Single Serving Pie In A Jar
OH MY WORD!! These are SO CUTE!! What a great way to use up those little canning jars that you think you will always get around to using, but never do. ;) I gained ten pounds just looking around on this blog. YUMMO!!!

We Need All The Help We Can Get
LOVE this idea for cold frames.

Low Cost DIY Build Your Own Greenhouses

Weston Price Book

Math
Free math book from the 1800's! WAY COOL!!!

An Easel ...
Check out the easel frame (and the AWESOME pictures in it)!! It makes me totally want to declutter the whole house so I can paint and put up an easel frame like that! :D

Foto Friday - Dress Up

The challenge was dress up. I must admit that I am SO THANKFUL to Rebecca for this challenge. I had the BEST time. I had the girls go downstairs and grab things from our dress up room. And they had so much fun. The grabbed an outfit and came upstairs for a photo shoot! I had some roses that were near dead. So we grabbed the petals to throw on each other (well the girls throw on each other) for fun. :D

Someone asked me if I had a studio and used professional lighting. No, I wish. The white sheet is just a cheap white flannel sheet from Goodwill (I think). We used PVC pipes to rig up a sort of stand to hold the sheet. The lighting is natural lighting from our bedroom window. You can see the shadow and the light from the window on the floor and on MM in the "behind the scenes" shot. :D HTH!

Here is one of AA that I just LOVE!

She looks so elegant So grown up! My goodness where does the time go?!?!

Here is one of EE when the petals were thrown at her. I love the look on her face! Unfortunately, none of the petals made it in the shot. MM was throwing and did not know quite where to aim.

And here are a few of MM. She is the most photogenic of all four of my children. So almost every photo of her came out.

And of course, one of the behind the scenes. Do forgive the messy background! And as always, feel free to leave constructive criticism! :D

Another Layout - Homeschooling

I just LOVE homeschooling! This layout is from pictures taken during one of the best homeschool days ever! We were at a local park and there was a river nearby. The kids did observation drawings, MM caught a ladybug, and JJ was all boy running around and playing in dirt. It was a GREAT day! Be sure to click the image for close up and credits.

Current Web Readings

This is a GREAT new blog I discovered through another blog. LOL!! :D Every week they have a different themed contest (this coming week is balloons). Every Friday they have a photo fix up challenge (if you do not have Photoshop you can use GIMP - it is a free program that does a LOT of the stuff Photoshop does). Every week they have an inspiration post which either gives you great tips on taking better pictures OR gives you photo editing tips. DEFINITELY worth checking out.

Jar Of Fun
I LOVE this idea!! This idea could be done per season too (change the ideas for the season like a winter one could be make pinecone turkeys, create paper snowflakes, bake cookies for the neighbors). This blog has other great ideas so be sure to check it out.

To The Outskirts
I discovered this blog through her beautiful pictures shared on the Fun For Nothin Flickr group.

Imagine Childhood
Beautiful beautiful blog. I discovered this blog through the blog above.

Homeamde Cloth Napkins
Not just your ordinary ones, but 20 made from a $4 Goodwill twin flat sheet!! YIPPEE!!!

Free Curriculum List
For every subject. This is very well thought out and organized list of links to free curriculum (like Ambleside Online). Well worth your time to check out. You can homeschool for free!

Ebook PDF listing
GREAT collection for free pdf ebooks to help with homeschooling! :D

Bus Songs
There is ajust about every fun kids song you can imagine here! Music and lyrics. AWESOME!!

Another Layout - MM in Service

When I was taking pictures for Foto Friday: Motion, MM was being so sweet and thoughtful and selfless that I just HAD to scrap the moment so I would not forget it!! Click on the images to see them bigger and for credits! :D