Friday, May 29, 2009

Happy Birthday to me


Today is my birthday. Chuck took the day off to give me a day off from mommy duty, then he took me to lunch at our favorite hometown place, except it's a few towns away, the Weathervane. I had some peaceful shopping time to myself. I've been eyeing a necklace by trollbeads since it is so similar to the theme in my blog. It was my birthday present! Lately, I've been into fairies. I've always liked fairies, but moreso after Jacquelyn asked if she could put some coins under her pillow to call on a fairy. This was about 1 year ago at bedtime. So she proceeded to put some coins under her pillow and she mysteriously began a friendship with a fairy named Primrose. She visited that very night and left behind a note to Jackie thanking her for calling on her. She wrote to Jackie saying she would pass on the coins to children in need since fairy folk had no need for money. Jackie was so thrilled to have found a fairy friend all on her own. The very following night, Zac also wanted a fairy friend, so they both put more coins under their pillow. The next morning was like Christmas morning. The kids woke up so excited that they had another visit from the fairies. This time Primrose came with a fellow fairy named Scarlet, who introduced herself as Zac's special fairy friend. They both left a note explaining that their mommy fairies will allow them to come visit on the night of a brightly lit full moon so a path will shine the way to our house. And that is the beginning of our monthly fairy visits. The kids eagerly look at the calender for the full moon and are excited to call on their friends to ask curious questions about fairy life. Each time, the fairies reply in letters, sometimes a modest little gift or book about fairies. Jac and Zac have kept every letter in a special box. Now that Zac is reading beyond kindergarten capabilities, I've found him with the box of letters re-reading them to himself. So you can say I too believe in fairies. They have brought magic, fantasy and joy to our household.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

This is the first digital scrapbook layout I've done in almost a year! I had such technical difficulties transitioning from windows XP to vista with a program I use for digital scrapbooking that I feel far behind. I'm finally up and running again! The layout is a final presentation for the portrait photography class I took online. I took these photos with use of a remote.

Friday, May 22, 2009

So I'm taking this portraiture photography class. Jacquelyn sure is a trooper, allowing me to play and practice. She is easily coaxed to pose and model for my efforts to improve. To make it a little more fun for her, I splurged on some props for a fun shoot and to play dress up. There will be more pettiskirts pics to come! Zac is a little more camera shy and not as willing to cooperate. He asked me why I like to take pictures so much. I told him I like to practice photography just as much as he likes to practice his golf. I think he understood. I've got some ideas for a nice boy-themed photoshoot so stay tuned!

Practicing portraiture








I'm taking a portraiture photography class online. The instructor is Candice Stringham and she has a fabulous class and I'm learning lots! I love learning photography and just want to get better. I'm a little frustrated that my photography equipment is getting outdated and it's capabilities are limiting me. My biggest gripe is I don't get super sharp crisp images. So, first on my wish list is a canon zoom lens, some quality glass! But for now, I'll just sharpen my skills. Here are some samples of window lighting with a use of a reflector. I'm pleased with the results. Aren't they beautiful? (I know the kids are, but the shots are pretty good too)


Friday, May 1, 2009

happiness is.....

this very moment. I'm sitting here after dinner on a spring evening with the windows open and listening to my kids play in the back yard at dusk. They are lost in play....having a ball. They are free of commitments and schedules and obligations. That's what I want their early childhood to be about. They are learning how to entertain themselves with no help at all, just using their imaginations and backyard. It makes me happy. I am happy that they are making up their own game. They have some storyline going about driving a train to the soccer field. I've given them a 15 minute heads up to come in for bath and bedtime, and I get a reply...."Mom, can we have 18 minutes?" Ok, 18 minutes.