Header Challenge -- Welcome Home

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew 

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Feel free to click on the other participants' blogs

to see what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Welcome Home

Wow--my first week into this weekly challenge and I got to pick the theme for this week!  I chose based on hoping Fernando would come home from the hospital (he was in all last week for a back/spine issue), and he did come home on my birthday.  :)

But the idea also floated around in my head about taking a photograph that would portray the emotion of Welcome Home.  What things/scenes reflect this to me?  That's what I was thinking about all week, and the reason I chose my header.  Here's the full image:

No, this is not the entrance to my home.  But it is an entrance I've gone through many times over the years; it's a friend's home and we've been guests there on many occasions.  On this particular day (Labor Day, in fact), a whole bunch of us were there celebrating the holiday together.  I happened to pause on the sidewalk to simply take in this scene, and it spoke "Welcome home!" to me.  It's warm and inviting; just flip the little latch and come on up the steps to the porch.  Ring the bell and warm, friendly people will invite me in!

Here's another "entrance" that, to me, hollers out "Welcome!"  It's Bryan's new Wisconsin farm, and he's busy at work getting it ready for pasture-raised lamb, chicken, and eggs.

My own home feels welcoming when it's neat and tidy, things are picked up, and everything is in order.  During winter, a fire in the fireplace helps, too!  Here's a welcoming living room at a dear friend's home:

My mind also wandered back to a very special photo shoot for a family whose son was coming home from a stint in Iraq.  A special group called Welcome Them Home arranged for a parade right on up to the family's home, as a surprise to their soldier son and to honor his service for our country.  Here are just a few photographs to tell the story of his very special welcome home.

Red, white, and blue.

Parade of motorcycles.

Soldier and little sister.

Receiving a hug from every vet.

Soldier and mom.

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 52 -- Cabin Fever

I'm linking up with Darcy for Project 52.

Click her Project 52 button above to see what it's all about!

This week's challenge:  Cabin Fever


My photo:

My thoughts:

After family devotions on Wednesday night, my husband started ordering our guys to "clean up this mess!"  He was flabbergasted when I stopped him.  After all, I'm the organized, neat, and tidy one in the family.  Unbeknownst to him, I already had this photo in my mind.


The setup:

Although I envisioned both Thomas (my 15yo, above) and his brother Danny (18 and loves to make the goofiest faces imaginable for the camera) in my image, Thomas would work in a pinch.  Danny was too busy that morning writing a short essay in Spanish.  I cajoled Thomas into sitting down on the floor in the middle of the mess, and I stood on the computer desk chair to snap the image.  The above is the first picture I took, and I chose it because it didn't get any better than that.  I had wanted him to make a pull-your-hair-out-while-screaming face, but he was not in a good mood (see the picture below).  Of course, not being in a good mood was good for the theme!

Note--nothing else in the photo was staged; the clutter (mostly three guys' school stuff) appears as it actually lay from the night before.  Half an hour after I took the shots, my living room was back to its beautiful, tidy self.


Camera settings:

• ISO 1600
• Manual mode
• 17-85mm lens at 17mm
• Aperture at f4
• 1/50 second shutter speed

Because the photo was just what I envisioned, post-edit was simple and quick.  This week's image was all about composition--what I was actually going to shoot--not changing the image significantly with editing.  In Lightroom3, I increased the contrast, brightened the image a tiny bit, and added some grain, which I think works well with both high ISO and lots of busy-ness in an image.

 Toldja he wasn't in a good mood!

Don't worry; he's partially "faking" the above.  He soon became his sweet self (breakfast helped).  I mean--how many 15-year-olds give their moms random hugs throughout the day?  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Let It Snow!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

This post is just for you, in case you need a little down time during your weekend while you celebrate Christ's birth.  Sit back with your tea (or coffee), and enjoy the warmth of my home for the next few minutes...

I love snow.  And I love snowflakes.  They mirror the amazing complexity of creativity of the Lord.  No two are alike!  Imagine--each time it snows, millions of flakes fall.  I cannot grasp the concept that the Lord crafted each one.  Then I think--how much more His creativity with us, and with me!!

Though I do love snow and snowflakes, I tend to always be cold all winter.  Sometimes, it's good to bring the outdoors inside, and the Christmas season is my time to do that:  a tree, boughs on the fireplace mantel...  Lovely!

And snowflakes!  In the early years of my marriage, I purchased a set of plastic glitter snowflakes for our family Christmas tree.  Over the years, other snowflakes have been added to the mix.  Eventually, it became official--each year, I purchase one or two unique snowflake ornaments for our tree.  These are some of my many snowflakes.

Snowflake on my mantel spruce--crafted by my mom

I love blue, too--in my opinion, the glitter looks like snowflakes!

One of my original snowflakes--plastic can be pretty!

New this year--wooden snowflake with pom-pom center

Another new snowflake!  (a gift from my sweet flute student)

A crocheted snowflake from my friend Norma

A stocking decorated with snowflakes!

I also collect glass icicles, though I have just a small handful.  Eventually, our tree will be covered with icicles and snowflakes, and I will enjoy them from my cozy spot on the couch.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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365 Project -- #50-56

I really felt like I was just plodding along with my photography this past week.  Rain all day Sunday, dreary clouded week...  Getting ready for my trip to Atlanta was my bright spot of hopeful dreams--warm, sunny, 70s, aaahhhhh.

By way of explanation, since I'm in Atlanta this weekend, I put this post together early, and have just auto-published it.  Since I won't be back until next week, and I wanted to be sure to get this week's images up on time, I took a few extra images from Tuesday and Wednesday and I used them for Thursday and Friday.  (Thank you for being merciful.)  I am still sticking to the rules, and have been--and will be--taking photos every day.

My week started out with food, and ended up--again--in my back yard with my macro lens.  In fact, all of these images were taken with my macro lens (except Danny's chemistry experiment).  I just love that lens!  It brings out a fascinating, hidden world.

One more note--Since I'm away, I won't be able to visit your blogs right away.  Please leave comments (I covet them!!), and I promise to visit you once I'm home.

[50] February 19 -- Belgian waffles with apples and syrup

[51] February 20 -- Sorting the beans

[52] February 21 -- Chemistry experiment

[53] February 22 -- Winter garden life

[54] February 23 -- Dormant onion

[55] February 24 -- Sage in winter

[56] February 25 -- Winter fence line

I hope you've had a much better week of finding things to shoot than I had.  And a shout-out to all you southern folks--please post flowers, and birds, and grass, and sun!!

Living life; capturing life.

Christine

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Indeed My Heritage

Now Proclaim!!

Angels, from the realms of gory, Wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye who sang creation's story, Now proclaim Messiah's birth!

Shepherds, in the fields abiding, Watching o'er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing, Yonder shines the infant light!

Sages, leave your contemplations, Brighter visions beam afar,

Seek the great Desire of nations, Ye have seen His natal star!

Saints before the altar bending, Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord, descending, In His temple shall appear:

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ the newborn King.

May He abide in your heart in peace and hope.  Merry Christmas!!

Living life.
Capturing life.
Christine

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