a dirty little secret

ok, so I have a confession... I have a {thing} for reusable shopping bags.  I buy them ALL the time.  If there is a cute one at the checkout aisle... yep, I buy it, every time!

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but... that's not my secret.  when asked paper or plastic??  I answer plastic! {gasp}  I ALWAYS forget my lovely little bags, and ALWAYS remember how badly I want to use them when I am checking out and asked the classic {paper or plastic} question.

so, now that I am coming clean... I am going to make a conscious effort to remember my green bags and stop saying plastic at the checkout!

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now isn't that pretty??

linking up with gussy and her fabulous inspiration-workshop
you should too, mm'kay??

a sofball game... and bubbles

a lovely evening it was, for a little fun, cheering on daddy and his softball team.  even though it proved to be a hot one {all 91 degrees} we found ourselves having a ball... {get it? yep it was bad}  we were in great company with fellow teammates and the greatest of cheering sections and even presley had her very own companion as well...

we packed up the wagon, a picnic, and my fave... dill pickle sunflower seeds. {I can't seem to watch the ole' ball game without em' mm'kay} and of course my beloved canon.

presley jane was entertained with bubbles... the girl just loves them.  and of course I am entertained with watching her have fun and be a kid!

a lovely summer evening if I do say so myself!

Lesson 3: 12 weeks to better photos

is it all ready Monday again?? whew! that week went fast!  I have noticed that I am carrying my camera around with me a little bit more and am taking more and more pictures the more comfortable I get.  I have been shooting in M, and while challenging at times, I think I can see a difference in my pictures!!  what about you! 

so this week is all about light.  and I am super excited to have my friend tiffeny, a amazingly talented wedding photographer here to help us with today's lesson.

here is the content link, go check it out, and meet back here in a few! ready, break!! {again, thanks for the fab two peas in a bucket for sharing this awesome course}

Alrighty, my friends.. meet.tiffeny!

so, tell us a little about yourself?
About me – uh . . . I cannot spell – I am mother of three, wife to one and an only child – (booo for me)!!  I am a self-proclaimed geek.  I HATE to clean and I like to make messes – and start lots of projects that sometimes I never find the time to finish, but you probably want to know about why I am relevant to giving you advice in the photography realm.  Because it makes me sound fancy, I will start with - I have a degree in photography.  Yes – there is an actual degree in an accredited college for photography – but after reading the twelve weeks to better photos lessons I kinda feel like I got ripped off!  The lessons are really awesome.  I wish I would have known about them back in my “Elementary Photography” Days! So... I started taking pictures in 4-H and I am going to leave it at that, because I would rather talk more about the subject than me – because I am not that cool and light is – or it can be hot – but anyway . . .


what's your favorite shoot? 
 I like to shoot weddings.  I love weddings – I love brides – I love happy couples – I love people in love – I love to make images of people in love – and my most FAVORITE is to create images of people that think they are not “photogenic” and show them how wonderfully beautiful they are in my light! 

 any advice to us newbies who are just using a dslr for the first time and just want to take better pictures of our kids? families? for our blogs?

Advise for newbie’s – I think I will let you in on the biggest secret my favorite college professor told me . . . wait for it . . . shoot, shoot, shoot, and then shoot some more.  The real awesomeness of taking pictures is in light, so you wont be able to completely learn it in one lesson – especially with white balance included.  Back when I was learning the fundamentals of photography (and dinosaurs roamed the Earth),  white balance wasn’t a big issue – which would be a totally different lesson – the point is with digital images it is harder to get color correct images because you have to factor in white balance.  In film days a lab technician did all that fun stuff for you.
give us your take on the lesson: the color of light?

Shooting lots and lots of images will teach you so much, which is one way digital has an advantage over film – you can see instantly what different light or white balance has on your image.   My best suggestion would be to shoot lots.  Good photographers know light and how to use it in different ways to capture the feeling they want the image to portray.  If you learn how to read light versus what the green square tells you – you can create some really awesome images.  Green square has a great purpose but you need to know how to use it.  I believe it is super, ubber important to know the rules before you break them.  Even Helen Keller could happen onto a good image if she poked the button enough times!  The real secret to making better images is knowing how to look at light and use it to your advantage.

thanks, tiffeny for the great advice!!  so on that note, I think I will grab my camera and SHOOT.  take lots and lots of pictures.  I have some really fun little outings coming up and am thinking I may just stumble upon many photo ops!  but for today, I am sorry to say, that I offer you pictures of blue mason jars.  yes, I did my light experiment for today's lesson with blue mason jars.  but let me say, on a side note, I am stoked about these jars.  I have been looking for blue ones and I have something really awesome planned for them. so to me, blue mason jars can be exciting.

ok here is my take!!!

{all of these I shot on AV with f/stop at 3.5 and ISO at 1600... only difference is the light setting...}

subtle differences.. I think you would be able to tell a little bit better if your subject was a person, although mine does not sit still long enough, so it's blue mason jars.  play with the light setting on your camera when your indoors this week.  it's kind of fun!!

next week, flash: friend or foe? 

until next time lovelies...

what's on my heart... presley jane

she's getting big... growing so fast.

she can count to 10 {kind of}

knows her ears, eyes, mouth, nose, hair, fingers, toes, knees, and my favorite, belly button

she speaks in sentences

lover of milk

she loves to take a shower

loves to play in mommie's make up

she loves shoes

loves Dora!

she finally is getting longer hair and I can even put it in a pony-tail

loves to give kisses!

she is bossy

lover of the outdoors, and would always prefer to be outside

she just learned to cast {with help} her dora fishing pole
lover of the water and the swimming pool
she loves her daddee and mommy...

and we love you too baby!

{just stop growing so fast}

what's on your heart

my right now... kitchen.

linking up with the lovely gussy for week 2 of the inspiration workshop

this week's prompt:  kitchen

this topic comes at the right time for me...  my husband and I used to think a big house full of nice "stuff" was what would make us happy.  well, after having our daughter, we are finding that the important "stuff" is shifting a bit in our minds.  what used to be a priority, {a new couch, big screen TVs, a new king sized bed} is no longer.  instead, we are finding that a college savings, swim lessons, dance class,  and diapers are actually way more important, and actually make us happier.  a once well-kept house with nice stuff is now a lot a little bit messy and full of baby dolls and riding toys, and we are happy with that. 

with that being said, we are kicking around the idea of selling our house and moving into a older, less pricey home.  as we look around at the local real-estate, instead of thinking of this as a downgrade, I am trying to look at the full potential of each place.  "I just want a small home that's big on charm that we can make our own(!)"

this week's inspiration workshop allowed me to do some {soul} searching and justified even more that having a different house can still make for a happy home, and with all of the extra money to put where it really counts. and right now that includes giving our daughter the ability to have every opportunity she may want to have and to pay off our debt.  2 big goals, tough, yes! impossible, no!

in my search for {kitchen's}, I could not find just one picture that captured all I would want.  instead I found that searching for the {accessories} was how the charm  was incorporated.  that is how you transform a small, everyday space to your own!

so, here is my right now kitchen!!!

{source 1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13  }

I {heart} this aqua + orange color combo, especially for a kitchen, so bright and happy!!  with inspiration like this, I can take any ordinary kitchen, {big or small, old or new} and add the handmade charm that I am looking for!!

now, onto putting my house on the market... wish me luck!