Project 365 - Day 66

"I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love, If you want me again, look for me under your boot-soles." -Walt Whitman

I shot my first images with my new camera. I got my first SLR camera, a Nikon D3000. I've been taking pictures, playing, and learning all day. It's so exciting!

I took my muddy boots off on the porch before I went inside. It was still pretty early in the morning and the way the light hit the boot, it just look really nice, lol. It's kind of random, but I've been all about random pictures today trying out the camera. I really like how it turned out.

I can't wait until I can get my sister to let me do some portraits! That reminds me and one of my friends asked me to do her and her fiance's engagement photos! :D

I'll let you know how that goes!

Until tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 65

"Do not worry; eat three square meals a day; say your praters; be courteous to your creditors; keep your digestion good; exercise; go slow and easy. Maybe there are other things your special case requires to make you happy, but my friend, these I reckon will give you a good lift." -Abraham Lincoln

Project 365 - Day 64

"Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds the sun is shining; Thy fate is common fate of all, Into each life rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Maybe it's the rain. It has been raining for almost two days straight. Maybe it's because it's almost time for mother nature's monthly visit and I always get a little melancholy.

I've been a little down today.

I have no reason to be really. The day was fine. Things went well. Nothing bad happened. No one got sick. No natural disasters or tragedies.
I had a lot of idle time today. Eli was at school, then off to Tonya's. Donald was working day shift because he had in-service. I was alone mostly today and had a lot of time to sit and think about things. I am usually so busy these days that I don't have time for that. I listened to a lot of music today. And I kinda wanted to cry whenever a sad song, or a too-happy song came on. Seems I'm on the brink of tears today.
I'm sure this will pass like the rain. I'll have my little moment, my little shower, and then it will blow on over. Then the sun will start shining again.

Project 365 - Day 63

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar." -Trina Paulus

fix it friday #72

This week's photo for fix-it-friday was very touching. It's by Julie Rivera (http://julierivera.blogspot.com/) and its a moment captured just before he husband's deployment. This one day will be a priceless photo to the little one in the picture.

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My edit:

A big thank you to all the armed forces. For all you do and have done. I, for one, am eternally grateful for your sacrifice.

Project 365 - Day 62

"It takes a bee to get the honey out." -Arthur Guiterman

Oh my gosh, ya'll.

Bees. Have. Tongues.

The proof is right there. See it?! Is it only me who thinks this is totally weird? And I the only one who didn't know that bees have tongues??? I'm just bewildered.


That is all.

Project 365 - Day 61

"You have to find a pet that's compatible with your lifestyle. If you're gone a lot, maybe a cat or fish is a better choice. No matter what you pick, a pet is a big responsibility." Lucy Mathers


Meet Gizmo. The newest addition to our family and Eli's pet fish. Yes, he named him his self.

This whole fish thing stemmed from an episode of Franklin he watched over the weekend when Franklin got a pet fish. So, naturally, Eli had to have one too. I wish Gizmo the fish a long happy life, but I don't foresee. Not with Eli trying to hold him and over feed him every time I turn my back.

Good luck, Gizmo.


Until tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 60

Know that you are worth it
And that you really are strong
A he doesn't define you
So don't wait from him to come along

Make your way with confidence
Know that you aren't alone
Except your defeats with the grace of maturity
Not the grief you've known

Learn that you really can endure
And that you really do have worth
You are a sun-kissed flower
He has yet to unearth

It does not do well to dwell
On which you cannot control
You can hold a hand
But you cannot chain a soul

-Jennifer Lowery

Project 365 - Day 59

"Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person , the more necessary do tact and courtesy become." -Oliver Wendell Holmes

I am grateful for various creatures letting me intrude briefly into their lives to photograph them. But at any given moment things could get nasty. Just like today photographing these wasps. They were patient for a second, but then they gave me a warning to get away. I decided it was a good idea to leave them be. So this is just a little something for today that's been on my mind lately, and certainly applies to a few people I know.

Learn to pick your battles. Being honest is usually a good, general quality. Needing to say how YOU feel isn't always. Show a little tact and a little more restraint. You can say what you think and not convert everyone in the room and still be ok. Your job shouldn't be to make everyone your clone. There is honor, sometimes, in shutting the hell up. Even when you are "right." Try to remember next time you are being "honest" that tact and empathy could be more important.

Until tomorrow....

"Smirk" - week 38 - photo challenge

For this week's challenge, I tried to think out of the box a little bit. I have billions (okay, well maybe not that many, but close!) of photos of my son that could fix in this category, but I decided to go with this photo that I snapped of my aunt. She had no idea I was photographing her, so this was completely spontaneous, which makes me love it even more. I just feel like she is saying," Ha! If only you knew what I know now!" I love her, and I hope she doesn't hurt me too bad for putting her face on the internet! Hi, Aunt B! Enjoy! And head over to iheartfaces.com to see more smirks!

Project 365 - Day 58

"Earth's liquid jewelry, wrought of air." - Philip James Bailey

Project 365 - Day 57

"My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune." -Graycie Harmon

Project 365 - Day 56

"Four ducks on a pond, A grass-bank beyond, A blue sky of spring, White clouds on the wing; What a little thing To remember for years To remember with tears!" -William Allingham

Took a little "field trip" to the duck pond (I know, that one is a goose!) with eli's class today. He loved it and I got a few cute photos!


Until tomorrow..

Fix it Friday #71

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My Edits:

Hope you enjoyed it. Head on over to iheartfaces.com to see more cool entries.

Project 365 - Day 55

"The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world."

Project 365 - Day 54

"It's fun to do a comedy and hook people in and then hoodwink them into watching a serious movie,...I like to lead in with the comedy and then hit them over the head with drama." -Reese Witherspoon

I'd call me and my husband movie enthusiasts. It's something we do together. We watch movies. We use to go out to movies a few times a week probably, but since I'm in school and he's at work when I'm home and we live so far from a theater, those days are gone. But we will rent and buy movies to watch quite frequently. I have a pretty broad taste in movies, just like I do in music. I, of course, love romances. I also love fantasies and musicals. Donald's all time favorite genre is comedy. That's all we'd watch if it was up to him. But I make him suffer through chick flicks. Here is a tiny part of our movie collection that was sitting on the shelf.

until tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 53

"We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin." -André Berthiaume

Took this photo on a walk with Donald. I've decided to try and walk everyday and do more when I can. I want to lose the weight I gained when I was pregnant with Eli. He's four now and there's not really a good excuse for me still to be carrying around 40 extra pounds. I'm self conscious about my body and I can hardly stand to look at myself in the mirror with no clothes on. So, I'm not saying it's gonna happen overnight, but I am going to slowly but surely lose these pounds. I'd like to be back down to at least 130. Wish me luck. I will need prayers sent my way!

Until tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 52

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." -Kahlil Gibran

Project 365 - Day 51

“Cousins are many. Best friends are few. What a rare delight to find both in you.” -Unknown

Today's photo is of my little cousin, Nickolas. He and Eli are the very close in age. They're best friends. I'm glad that they have each other. It reminds me of when I was their age with all my cousins that are my age. We have a big family, but a close one, too. We grew up together and still today my cousins are some of my best friends. First came Kevin in July, then Ryan in September, Fallon in November, and me and Jessica in February. When Uncle Hullon and Julie got married when we were around 11 or 12 I think, Katie joined our ranks and became the baby of the group. All 6 of us were back and forth at each others houses for sleep overs and such. We grew up riding dirt roads on dog boxes with the wind in our hair, an orange vest on our chest, and a smile on our face! We all went to school together, even though Fallon went to a different school. Even though we are all grown up now, I'd still call us close. Life has taken us to different places and we're in different situations, but we're all good people and we love each other. I really cherish the times when we are all back together again, sitting, talking, and laughing just like when we were kids.

I love you all and you're still my best friends today.

fix it friday #70

Original image:

My edits:

I had a lot of fun editing this week's fix-it-friday! head on over to iheartfaces.com to see more beautiful entries!

Project 365 - Day 50

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." -Ashley Smith

Project 365 - Day 49

"Eyes of gentianellas azure, Staring, winking at the skies." -Elizabeth Barrett Browning

My son has beautiful eyes. I'm not only saying that because he is my son (I think), they are big and expressive and blue. Eyes have so much to say. <3

Project 365 - Day 48

"The camera makes you forget you're there. It's not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much." -Annie Leibovitz

I finally picked out my new camera today! I've been going back and forth about what camera I was going to buy. I think I finally just decided to stick with Sony. I love my Sony. I've had it for 4 years. I've did my research on the Sony SLRs and I've been satisfied with all that I've found. I'm excited! :)

That being said, there is something I need to work on. I have a million and one pictures of my two best boys together. I barely have any of me and these two together. I need to focus on taking more pictures with me in them too. Is Eli going to look back at all the pictures and say, "where's mom?!" I don't want that to happen so even though I don't like how any picture with me in it looks, I'll have to deal with it. Look for some in the future!

until tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 47

"Life is a frail moth flying
Caught in the web of years that pass." -Sara Teasdale


Everyone please give a warm welcome to the Blinded Sphinx Moth! *applause* He was humongous! He just chilled there by the door all day. I think he liked all the attention. :)

Until tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 46

"Buzz." - pictured flying insect

Project 365 - Day 45

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever." -Horace Mann

Thursday I got to see the sun rise on my left and watch it set on my right. It's so majestic, so spectacular. It makes me feel so honored to witness the miracle of a new day and one that's done. You can think back about all you did between the two golden hours. All mistakes you made, times you smiled, all the lives you touched. Puts time into a better perspective. You can think about all you got accomplished.. or didn't.

I don't know. Seems like I am kinda just rambling about it. It just made me feel good to be able to witness it. Makes me happy that I woke up that morning. It's a miracle that happens everyday, we just forget to appreciate it. I wanted to kick myself for not having my camera either time. I told Fallon that I wish we could print pictures from our brains, lol.

Until tomorrow...

fix it friday #69

Really beautiful photo for this week. head over to iheartfaces.com for more gorgeous edits!

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Project 365 - Day 44

“How could I have known how much it meant for her to see a patch of blue sky, to observe the flying seagulls, or how important that chestnut tree was to her, when she had never shown an interest in nature before. But once she felt like a caged bird, how she longed for it. Even just the thought of the open air gave her comfort, but she kept all these feelings to herself.” -Otto Frank

Project 365 - Day 43

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of the sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes." -E.E. Cummings