My Favorite April Picture

I'm so excited about this new-to-me site.  Click it up a notch is such an amazing resource.  If you have been wanting to learn how to take better pictures this is the place to go. 

And guess what?  Courtney is hosting an April photography contest!

I decided to take a risk and put one of my pictures out there.  The photos entered in the contest so far are beautiful!

I picked this one because I love how the smoke from the fire softens things up.  I love the warm afternoon sun.  I love the color of the chair with the purple flower in my daughter's hair.  I love that I took it in manual.  Oh, and I love my daughter!

So what do you think?  Seriously, tell me the truth!

Knitted lace and if I had time to sew...

So I missed the Yarn Along yesterday but I still wanted to post.  I know not a lot of people come to visit the blog without me linking up to something but I still want to keep things up.  It is so hard to know if people are really out there and if people really care about what I'm writing.  The blogger stats are very unreliable.  AND when it comes right down to it, I'm not writing to gain a public following.  I'm writing because I like to write.  I like to share pictures and I like to share the things I love.  I have a blog because it's fun!

So lets have some fun, shall we?

Knitted lace and Paddle~to~the~Sea.

I call that fun.

(Ok, ok, I never said I was cool, nerdy fun is still fun you know!)

Here is a close up.  

The lace sorta looks cable-ly to me.  I still haven't tried cables but it's on my list!

Taking pictures in manual mode is also fun.

This isn't the prettiest of shots but I would have never gotten this on auto mode.  I am such a newbie at this I still have the f stop at 5.6 all the time.  I have a few books and resources and I'm getting better.  I'm itching to be able to learn how to fix pictures (I'm actually shocked to find out that most of the awesome pictures I see on the internet are "doctored" in photoshop.  Picasa has a few tools and I lighten and darken and change the color temperature on some of the pictures but know that MOST of the pictures on my blog are "Straight out of the camera"  I just learned that people call that SOOC.

All right.  That was nerdy too wasn't it.  Maybe the title of this post should be "All the Nerdy Things I Do"  Would it shock you if I said I LOVE Lord of the Rings and X-Files?

AND

If I had time to sew I would love to make this, and this, and this.  ALL the things those ladies make are Ah-maze-ing!

So, on the drawing board (or blogger dashboard) are a few posts.  One about photography, one with a picture to enter this, one about the Arboretum, and hopefully one "writing exercise" post.  As I said in my intro post, "I blog in my head".  Too bad it doesn't just flow right out into the computer!

Risen

He is risen indeed!

34. Good Friday was dark and gloomy.  Fitting.

35. Worship was AMAZING

36. After we put our Jesus doll in the tomb Bethany cried because He was dead and we couldn't take Him out.

37. Saturday was also gloomy

38. We celebrated David's birthday with coloring eggs and eating German chocolate cake.  (when Bethany took a bite of it she exclaimed, "Mmm.  Daddy's birthday cake is GOOD."

39. Sunday Morning was SUNNY.  As the sun rose the fog lifted and it was a beautiful day!

40. Sunday worship was also amazing.  And I got to sing!

41. We spent the afternoon with some amazing people.  The Lord provides His family when you are far away from your family.

42. When my children found out we were the only ones coming they cheered for joy that they got said amazing people all to themselves.

43. Jelly bean hunt.  Ready, Set...

Go!

44. We had our first fire AND roasted peeps.

Kinda yucky looking but a very good way to eat peeps.

45.  My baby is not a baby anymore.

I found that I used the word amazing quite a few times.   God's care IS amazing.
Elizabeth Elliot's words, "You are loved with an everlasting love.  And underneath are the everlasting arms."

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real.

Pretty

This bench is the one I've wanted for a few years now.  We snagged one of the last ones at ikea before they were gone for good.  This looks SO much better than the gray futon shoved in this space.

Happy

She is SO happy we finally gave in and got her a pet.

Funny

No caption needed here...

Real

This is the way the table looks most of the time.  Well, actually there is usually more school books on it so I'd say this looks pretty good.

Yarn Along :: Yay!

Yay ~ because it is yarn along day over at Small Things.  It is so fun to see other people's knitting and to be able to talk about my own.  I know that the ladies over there understand what it feels like to keep passing my knitting project as I walk across the room AND NOT BE ABLE TO KNIT IT!  Whew! It's so hard to wait until later to do it!

Yay ~ because I saw a girl wearing a sweater just like the one I'm knitting at church last week.  I really liked how it looked and I hope mine will be just as "cool".

Yay ~ because I am almost past the boring part (simple stockinette) and onto the lace.  

Yay ~ for yarn overs and knit two togethers and sliping stitches and passing them over!  Stuff like that always looks better then my stockinette.  I just can't get it to look even and neat.

So here is what I have done so far:

After last time's indecision, I decided to knit the sport yarn on the size 9's in the small size (which is a 36-40 bust size).  It still is on the loose side.  I was kinda going for a tighter look but I am crossing my fingers in hopes it will not end up too big.

For what I am reading right now.... ummm.... let's say that I'm giving my brain a break?  Does that sound good?  I really haven't been reading much.  

BUT last year I bought for the family (ok, really for me) this book.  And you know what?  I can't for the life of me think of where it is!

Yay ~ all you yarn along-ers out there.  It has been fun to visit you and hope you enjoyed visiting me!

Filling my Heart

Today is "Multitudes on Mondays" over at Ann Voskamp's blog.  Today's post is particularly inspiring because really what good does it do for my children if I am thanking God and not sharing that with them.  Can you guess what we are going to start do tomorrow?

  

For too long I deep down secretly grumbled and complained that my life was too hard, I was too lonely, too tired, deprived of things I really loved.  I was starting to not believe that:

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." Psalm 16:6

That verse once was very dear to me.  Maybe because I thought that everything was going my way.

But life isn't about things going my way.  God's way really is BEST!  It may not be the easiest or the most comfortable or the most glamorous but it is my Heavenly Father's way.  

In it I am not alone.  He is right there with me.  He strengthens me, helps me (How Firm a Foundation).  I really am upheld by his loving hand.  The waters have never overflowed, the flames have never hurt me, and I have never been deserted.  And I know that even if all hell should endeavor to shake me, (and boy I have never even been close to that) "in [His] presence there is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11)

So I am choosing to be Thankful.  Gratefulness really changes your perspective.  It helps you to see the truth.  I makes you among other things:  Sober.

The song "My heart is filled with Thankfulness" has been going through my head lately.  Especially these lines:

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who reigns above
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace
Whose every thought is love.

Every thought He has towards me IS love.  Thank you!

 

 

24.  New stairs and new paint! (I will share pictures soon)

25.  Spring has finally come!  Things really do grow in MN.

26. Crocus.  The feeling of Easter swept over me when I saw them.

27.  The Arboretum.

28. This girl.

29.  Those flowers that pop up in my yard every year.

30.  This growing boy.

31.  Medicine and how it heals.  (Don't worry, we also consumed LOTS of yogurt)

32.  Being able to go to ballet and the cheer I received when I walked in the door.  Thanks ladies!

And since I am having a hard time ending this post with a picture of Amoxicillin here is one more and another picture...

33.  I am rescued.

Ten on Ten :: An April Sunday

So lately I just haven't felt like taking pictures.  I haven't wanted to lug around a heavy camera on my neck.  I was feeling a little tired of viewing things through a little square on a black box. I was taking a break.

I missed a lot of beautiful moments... our first spring walk, the last Classical Conversations day, a winning egg protector, some fun times at the water park, really cool trains.  I'll just have to remember them in my mind.

But, I also got to be in the beautiful moment.  I was fully there and I enjoyed myself.

I wasn't sure how I was going to break out of not bringing my camera along until I realized this.



  I have wanted to participate in this photography project for a few months now and this month I didn't miss it!  To join in all you need to do is take ten pictures (one every hour) on the tenth of the month.

So here it goes (these pictures may not be that beautiful but they are my life):

8:00am.  Breakfast cutie

9:00am.  Cleaning the bathroom and getting ready for church.

10:00am.  Going in.  Doughnut time. 

11:00am.  Church shoes.  (Trying not to be too distracting during worship time.)

12:00pm.  Husband at his job.

1:00pm.  Oops, I forgot.  Too busy getting lunch on the table.
  2:00pm.  Company lunch mess.  Guest mess is always the best kind of mess.

3:00pm.  The rhubarb is growing!  I'm dreaming about dessert!

4:00pm.  Playing at small group.  (My girls are super tired)

5:00pm.  Small group.

6:00pm.  Waiting in the car for dinner.

So there you have it.  This was really hard.  Today was dark and gray.  Humid and and then cold.  It didn't feel very natural to have my camera and to take pictures on the hour.  But I think that I will try again next month.

See you soon!

This Moment :: My Boys

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

~SouleMama