Simple Blessings.

•Rain drops

 •Candid school lesson with my little brothers

•Leftovers for lunch

•Flowers

• Pancakes

 •Yummy yarn

•A camera

Source: via Nela

•A simple reminder

 •A cheerful robin (Entering this one in Mina's photo challenge!)

.....Do you have any simple blessings to share?

Ode to photo shoots

Don't you just love photo shoots? Have you ever taken photos and they all just turn out exactly how you hoped they would? Yeah. Me neither. All the photo shoots I've tried have turned out to be adventures. Especially if they involve my sisters.

      Here we are. An inviting wood pile. Me, Abby and Maggie. I am wearing the dress I made last year. Abby and Maggie's dresses are very late Christmas gifts from me. They picked out their own fabric. They're more like early Easter dresses.

                   Oops. Well, there's my brother, overalls and all.  Always in action.

        I tried two different photo shoots.We decked out in sweaters and boots the first time.                 My sisters bared the cold for me.

                                     B&W

                                              Trusty camera gear.

                           The second photo shoot was much warmer, although windy.
                         We're holding dandelions if you can't tell.
                         The ants seemed very happy to reside in every dandelion we tried to pick up.

                                                     

                       "Run!"

 Awkward. We're in the middle of scurrying inside before the school bus comes by. We don't care to be seen by the outsiders. Not that we're scared or anything. Not very... ;-)

                                                            An inviting and exciting bench.

                                  We decided to take a little break on our loverly bench.

                                   And here we are with our turtle-y friend.

              

         And... a dog.
 Just how you should end a photo shoot don't you think?
I hope to have more of my sewing projects up soon. But I don't want to bore you, so that's all for now!  
Do you like photo shoots? Or are you the one forced into them?

Are you ready?

 Do you love prizes? Well, you better check out my sister's giveaway! She's celebrating 300 posts.
And I have to say that she's an amazing blogger. She's clever, funny, honest and sweet. She doesn't have a fan page, but she is pretty special. I am not just saying that 'cuz she's my sis either.
 You know what? You should totally go enter! Click here! Right there. Do it!

The ongoing goings on

 

 I got a gift card to Dunkin' Donuts and splurged on a cappuccino. It was good. =)


I've been busy with the regular, random happenings of life....
Working on school. Finished reading Twelfth Night by Shakespeare a couple weeks ago. I never thought Shakespeare's writings had happy endings!

Music... I've been listening to lots of bluegrass. Hand bell choir rehearsals. Violin lessons.  Playing an instrument is refreshing and satisfying! 

Jumbles of sewing. Right now I am trying to figure out (how to make a dress)+(for my baby sister)x(out of a peasant shirt pattern.) That's an equation. It should be fun though. (That's an iron btw.)

Photography. Oh yes. I'm always taking pictures.

Fun reading. I am in the middle of reading the book Start Here by the Harris brothers.(very motivating!) Finished It's (Not That) Complicated by the Botkin sisters. It's a great book. So much insight and wisdom. I am on the yearbook committee with our home school group. I've been learning a lot. It's a great experience.

 ...And so much more. God's been so good!

So what have you been up to? ..And do you drink coffee?

A heartsy kind of day...

 A day of celebration. The celebration of love.
May this be a day to dwell on family, friends and most importantly God's love. His grace and mercy toward us. Let us turn our hearts to our Creator, to remember the blood He shed for us. The pain He bore for us. We are white as snow because of our loving Savior.

 Entering this one in Shelley's giveaway.

 Inspiration for decor from here and here.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
   my heart rejoices in your salvation.
 I will sing the LORD’s praise,
   for he has been good to me. 

Psalm 13:5-6

Happy Valentine's Day!...

Heeding God's Word...

 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word. 
 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 
 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You. 
 Blessed are You, O Lord! 
Teach me Your statutes. 
 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth. 
 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches. 
I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways. 
I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
 Psalm 119: 9-16 

Say Hello To My Lil' Friend...

Had a candid photo shoot with a little friend of ours. Isn't she darling?!

Which one is your favorite?

S'mores...

 I love s'mores. Especially toasted on a campfire. But sometimes weather, mess, and hassle can not permit such a treat.
There are of course other alternatives. Here are a few very simple tips for s'mores.
-You can bake them in the oven or in a toaster oven.
-Chocolate chips can be used in place of chocolate bars.
-You must smoosh both sides of the graham cracker together to fully enjoy your s'more. ;-)
-They taste great when cooled, too. You can even keep them in an air tight container and eat at your leisure.

As you can see this sophisticated treat is quite unique. You can't go wrong with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers!

How do you like your s'mores?

Starting fresh each day

 

  Although spring begins in March, the past few days have been pleasantly warm. I was cleaning the outside of the front windows, reflecting on spring. (pun intended) When life grows and God's glorious creation blooms. A time when the term "spring cleaning" is heartily used.

 It makes me think of our own lives.We ourselves need to spring clean- soul and all. To clean the grime and dust from our hearts and refresh our souls with fresh air. Warm our souls with golden sun. But not only this... We should be daily cleaning through all seasons of life. Brushing off all manner of sin. Taking every thought captive. Breathing in each truth. Renewing our minds.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 

James 4: 7,8,10

"Smile!..Say Cheese!"...Please?

*Snap, Snap,Snap*
"Smile!" I say.
*Click, Click, Click*
"Just a few more," I say reassuringly.
"We're not gonna get any prettier," a lady joked.
 . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Can I take your picture?" I asked a few people once.
"Don't break your camera," the older man warned.

 Ah, yes. The beginner photographer. That's me.
I was walking around at a home school group taking photos (I'm part of the yearbook staff) when a lady walks up and asks,"Are you on the yearbook staff?" I proudly say yes, and glance at my prominent yearbook staff name tag.
"Could you take a few photos for my class?" She asks.
I get sweaty when someone asks me to take a photo. Almost every time. I look at all the people and my mind just goes blank. How do I pose all these people? 
"You go here..and..uh...you stand there...scoot that way a little bit...oh, sorry...move here."... And so on.

Taking photos has made me step out of my comfort zone more than a few times. Oh the difficulties of  grumpy kids, non-smiling people, and poses...
If you want to be a good photographer you must be good with kids, an artist (AR-teest), and a joker.
As Donald O'Connor sang in Singing In The Rain: "Make 'em laugh!".

You've heard it from an amateur. So.. will you? Smile? ...Please?