Family: Fun and Fellowship

I'd like you to meet a really special family.  Dad is a well-spoken man who loves a good joke--he can give as well as he can take--but who also has a heart to encourage others.  Mom is a Type-A personality, always wanting to do, and a kindred sister in Christ.  Their boys are a mixture of both their personalities, which makes their home an incredibly fun and busy place to spend an afternoon or evening.  Fun is a great word to describe what happens when we get together, but fellowship is an even better word to describe how the Lord is glorified through this amazing family.

Enjoy Marc and Tressey and their boys.  Oh, and say:  tree - see.  There, you got it.  :)

Sometimes I made the boys crack up.  It was a riot when they did, and made for some interesting photos.  :)

 Their typical pose for the camera

And one of my favorites:

Finally, this is what happens when I bring my whole family to a photo shoot.

Yep.  Fun and fellowship.

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #239-245

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

Last week was nice and varied, photographically speaking.  I try to take Ellie with me when I can (and when it's appropriate) so I can document everyday life.  Aaand...here's the next snippet of everyday life!

I've hinted to my husband that it would be nice to go to a farmers market on a Saturday, just for fun.  Our local market is Thursday afternoons (yuck for several reasons), and I wanted to see a "real" market, with lots of booths and vendors of all sorts, and have a date all at the same time.  Fernando took me to the Wheaton French Market, and I got my wish, plus lots of people and a dizzying array of products offered.  Yes, we spent money.  But not a lot.  :)

[239] August 27 -- Farmers Market

I had the privilege of shooting Tressey and her family just a little bit ago (post to appear soon), and I had the extra-special privilege of shooting Tressey's surprise birthday party last week.  Her husband hit a grand-slam with this party, hosted at a roller rink!  (That's roller skating, and yes--I had a pair on!)

[240] August 28 -- Surprise!

[241] August 29 -- Hand in hand

Yeah, it was a night of just hangin' around with nothin' to do except take pictures...

[242] August 30 -- Hangin' around

Ingredients lined up on the counter makes it so much easier to make things.  This evening it was Caesar salad dressing.  Yum.

[243] August 31 -- Making salad dressing

One of my sewing projects with which I occupy my time while waiting for Danny to get out of college class.  (I accompany him since he still has his learner's permit, long story...)

[244] September 1 -- Sewing project

My friend Lori was picking veggies in her "rented" garden space in my back yard, and she spotted this guy.  He was HUGE, hence the all-caps.  He would turn his head and look right at us; amazing!

[245] September 2 -- Pepper plant surprise

And so went my week.  I hope to be on the ball enough to get more posts up; I have a few from portrait sessions and events to get up.  I sure hope you have a blessed week after Labor Day!


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #232-238

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

Last week's highlights include summer storms, a spelling mistake, and an emotional homecoming/send-off parade.  Here we go...

The week started off with another typical Chicago August downpour.

[232] August 20 -- Morning downpour

I perfected a pesto recipe.

[233] August 21 -- Homemade pesto with pepper

Another spectacular morning storm--incoming.

[234] August 22 -- Another summer storm

Can you spot the spelling mistake?  Seriously--it's a college campus.

 [235] August 23 -- Misspelled

I finish up this week's post with just three images (there are over 100) of a Marine's homecoming and sendoff parade/party.  Doug was home for barely a week when he was the recipient of a very special parade sponsored by Operation Welcome You Home.   It was also considered a send-off event, since he is leaving in just a few days to go back to Afghanistan.

His sister stood with him as he was surprised by the parade.

 [236] August 24 -- Big brother Marine

One of the many gifts of support he received.

[237] August 25 -- Because of the Brave

His mom was so excited to have him home!

[238] August 26 -- Marine and mom

What a great note to end the week on.  :)




Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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When You're Not Sure

Little guys and gals are so fascinating.  Sometimes it takes a lot of work to gain their trust.  I personally love that challenge.  I love to work with both little one and mom, figuring out what it will take to ensure my little guy or gal is comfortable with me when he or she is just not sure about that lady with the camera.

This particular "pre-session session" had little Kevin running around the driveway, grinning mischievously at me or hiding behind his mom.  I'll keep working on it so we can have our photo session soon.

I warn you--he is a charmer.  Can't you tell by the very first picture?  Enjoy little Kevin.

I can't wait to have a real session with this guy, and his four brothers (yes, four more!).  They are definitely going to be a challenge--and a blast--to capture.


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #225-231

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

Last week was a week for both indoor and outdoor photography.  I have been shooting in manual mode almost all of the time, with my fallback setting of Aperture Value mode if I'm getting task-saturated.  It has been a challenge, but a good challenge, and I have enjoyed every minute.  My week...

...started with an indoor celebration:

[225] August 13 -- Yellow rose

 [226] August 14 -- 50th anniversary cake

The groom's cake--yes, this is a cake:

[227] August 15 -- Stetson groom's cake

...then my week went outdoors a bit:

I took my family on a photo shoot; here's what happened at the end:

[228] August 16 -- Fun and fellowship

...then back indoors...

I spent a hot day indoors, but the results were great:

[229] August 17 -- Tomato and basil

...and ended up both indoors (cooking) and outdoors (eating)...

Inspired by farmer's market vendors, I decided to make dinner--home make, as much as possible.  Bacon from my farmer, organic lettuce (OK, from the store), tomatoes from my garden, homemade mayo, homemade whole-wheat tortillas, homemade pesto.  We ate at our patio table in the back yard.  Simple.  Summer.  Heaven.

[230] August 18 -- BLT and tomatoes with pesto

[231] August 19 -- Simple. Summer. Meal.

May the Lord bless you and your camera adventures this week!

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #218-224

This is the time in my week when I have the opportunity to look back

at the images I've captured the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

I've always wondered about this plant that sprouts up against my garden fence each summer.  I've seen the red berries each year, but this time I noticed the pretty purple flowers.  Lori happened to be over, gardening with me, at the time I took this shot, and she told me it was nightshade--very poisonous!  I was surprised, and plans are in the works to rid my fence of this beautifully deadly plant.

[218] August 6 -- Nightshade

This guy was in my garden as well, resting on some old newspaper that had blown around.

[219] August 7 -- A well-read grasshopper

No explanation needed...

[220] August 8 -- Mid-air jump

The hydrangea in my front porch garden didn't do very well this year.  I hope it rallies and blooms better next spring.  Here is a dying blossom.

[221] August 9 -- Fleeting hydrangea

This little flag was stuck in my front porch garden at some point this spring/summer, and there it stayed.

[222] August 10 -- Garden flag

The below took up most of my Thursday.  But it makes me happy.

[223] August 11 -- Canning day

From a photo shoot last week.  This couple (and their two sons) are an amazing, beautiful family.  And not just on the outside.  It was a privilege to photograph them.  :)

[224] August 12 -- Beautiful couple, inside and out

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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A Little Rain...

A little rain never hurt anyone.

It can be beautiful, like today.

This afternoon, a typical sticky summer day gave way to a typical Midwest afternoon thunderstorm.  It was a comfortable thunderstorm, without threat of hail or tornadoes, or ominous clouds--those "weird" dark or green blobs, or solid lines of black descending upon us.  I sat in my rocking chair on my front porch and listened to the rain for a while, marveling at the little patches of blue even while the rain poured down.

Once the rain let up, I ventured out onto the lawn to see what treasures were left behind.

And my personal favorite, below.  One little coreopsis bloom, with clinging diamond droplets of rain amid its threadlike leaves.

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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