Weekly Header Challenge -- Repeating Pattern

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

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

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Repeating Pattern

Chosen by Kathy.

One of the great themes in photography is featured this week, by Kathy of our little Headbangers group.  Each week we change out our header, according to the theme chosen by one of our little group.  I don't know that I got this week's theme entirely correct, but I'll share what I've chosen nonetheless.  Here's my header image:

Whole wheat spaghetti.

There's a straight and a circular pattern in the ways it's arranged in the bowl, awaiting the boiling water to be turned into a yummy dinner.  Here are the rest of my repeated patterns.

Stairs at the Naperville Riverwalk, the day before a huge blizzard.

Red sidewalk brick at the Riverwalk.

A long row of bicycle wheels.

This last one is humorous...

I gave Danny a back scratch one day while we were sitting in front of the fire on a cold winter day.  After I saw what I had done to his shirt, of course I had to take a picture.  He really enjoyed the back scratch, so he didn't mind me taking a picture of his messed up shirt.

Now, I think it's time to hope for a repeating pattern of warmer days!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Treasures on a Winter Walk

On another one of my winter walks--while Fernando was in therapy--I was excited to capture more of the Lord's beauty in this season of cold and stark.  His beauty is all around; sometimes I just have to deliberately stop, take a breath, and look around.  Ellie helped me capture yet more proof of His love in the beauty we saw around us.  Come walk with me!  (All Scriptures are taken from the NASB.)

You will make known to me the path of life.

Psalm 16:11a

They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.

Psalm 36:8

He changes a wilderness into a pool of water

And a dry land into springs of water.

Psalm 107:35

You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;

You greatly enrich it;

The stream of God is full of water.

Psalm 65:9a

Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen,

where My people are living,

so that no swarms of insects will be there,

in order that you may know that I, the LORD,

am in the midst of the land.

Exodus 8:22

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

Before the LORD, for He is coming,

For He is coming to judge the earth.

Psalm 96:12b-13a

His shoots will sprout,

And his beauty will be like the olive tree

And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.

Hosea 14:6

He is before all things,

and in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17

Behold, A king will reign righteously

And princes will rule justly.

Each will be like a refuge from the wind

And a shelter from the storm,

Like streams of water in a dry country,

Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.

Isaiah 32:1-2

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

Psalm 46:4

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

What is man that You take thought of him,

And the son of man that You care for him?

Psalm 8:3-4

Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge.

Psalm 19:2

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Psalm 19:1

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;

The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

Psalm 19:7-9

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Beauty in Winter

Just as God allows our planet to experience spring, summer, winter, and autumn, He allows different seasons in our lives.  I love how much of the spiritual realm can be seen or mirrored in our physical realm.  With the various seasons of life, whether it is a life stage or a trial, there is beauty to be seen.

This winter season has been a very mild one in our Chicagoland region.  Over the New Year, temperatures were hovering in the 50s!  This winter, my home life has become somewhat hectic, with managing my young men's college schedules, one homeschool high school, and Fernando's therapy sessions.  Even amidst the busy-ness of life, the Lord has granted me snippets of time in which I can simply breathe, and be, and calm my mind in Him.

My resolution to find His beauty in all circumstances began with a wonderful snippet of time while Fernando was in physical therapy one afternoon.  All it took was a  five-minute drive away from Fernando's therapists' office.  This section of park is just down the street from my parents' home, too.

Bare trees reflect the complexity of the Lord's creation.  And even though it's (relatively) cold outside, winter skies can be some of the bluest.  Also, although most of what we see is a shade of brown, the shining sun can turn make it bright and golden.

Even in winter, amidst the brown and sometimes gloomy, I can find muted shades of color--almost a promise from the Lord that spring will come again.

Blue is my favorite color.  :)

O LORD, how many are Your works!

In wisdom You have made them all;

The earth is full of Your possessions.

Psalm 104:24 NASB

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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365 Project -- #358-365

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

throughout the previous week, and choose my seven favorites.

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

December 24 - December 31


Last week was...well, it was the last week of the 365 Project!  I've stuck with it all year, though I didn't start until mid-January.  It has been a very good year for my photography; I've learned so much and never thought I'd be where I am.  Plus, there are lots of new things in store this year!

Without any fanfare, here are my last images of 2011...

I love blue, but it's so hard to find winter decor in blue.  Don't ask me why--snowflakes and snow lend themselves to blue and silver so beautifully.  I found a tablecloth (not pictured) and matching cloth napkins at a post-Christmas sale at Target one year, and they fit my blue theme perfectly.  :)

[358] Place setting

Jacob and Thomas received broomball sticks for Christmas.  Now they're desperately praying for cold weather so the skating rink will freeze.

 [359] Christmas sports

I caught this candid of Jacob with his grandma on Christmas afternoon.  Sweet.

[360] Christmas sweetness

As we were preparing for dinner, the doorbell rang and we were serenaded by this lovely family.  Helen is a dear friend, and they all are a huge blessing in our lives.  Although she's a widow, she and her family have been so bountifully generous in love and hospitality toward our family.  We're blessed to know them!

[361] Carolers

An ornament on our tree.

[362] Christmas heart

One day while Fernando was in therapy, I took advantage of the 40-degree temperatures and wandered over to my parents' neck of the woods to explore a new extension to the Naperville Riverwalk.  This area is known as Willoway Commons; it is pretty even in winter with no snow.

[363] Willoway Commons

The below is just about SOOC.  Everything was brown!  But I think it's beautiful nonetheless.

[364] Winter river

I strolled over to the bridge to capture this shot looking north up the DuPage River.  I love the reflection in the water.

[365] Scene from a bridge

So...  Happy New Year, all!  Thank you for welcoming me to your 365 Project blogs, and thank you for visiting mine!  I'm not sure what type of 365 Project I'll undertake this year, but I'll be making the decision very soon.  Please don't be a stranger!  All of God's love and blessings to you this year!!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Family Shoot at the Riverwalk

The Riverwalk is a beautiful site for a photo session.  There are so many paths and secluded areas to explore--not to mention bridges, stone walls, and other interesting architecture.  When you add autumn into the mix, you get a perfect location for a photo shoot.  Well, you do have to look out for all the visitors, especially on a warm autumn day!  Enjoy my favorite images of this family that it has been a true delight getting to know.

I've added a variety of editing, including an "aged" look, black and white, and burned edges (seen in the above image).  Any way I edit, this is a beautiful family!

I love the innocence captured in the shot above.  She is such a doll!  And, the below image is one of my favorites from this photo session.  It was the very end of the shoot, and we were hanging out at the rock quarry.  Everyone was talking and joking around, and Katie was sitting on the bench, laughing as her dad made faces at her (I got some good shots of that, too!).  I stood on the bench and aimed down at her while she was still looking at her dad.  Then, I asked her to look up.  And there it was.  The shot I wanted, and the late daylight hour made the light perfect.  In post-edit, I washed out the image a bit, then softened it to highlight Katie's eyes.  Beautiful!

 
Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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