Weekly Header Challenge -- Recent Images

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 ~ Recent Images

Chosen by all of us.

I frequently take pictures as the weather warms, so this week's theme is an easy one for me!  Let's begin with my double rainbow, which I actually anticipated (usually I'm clueless).  Storms had headed off to the east on this particular evening, and I guessed that with the late evening sun, there would be a rainbow.  I was pleasantly surprised that there were two, and the most complete I'd ever seen.  Living in the suburbs means that rainbows will be cut off by houses, buildings and trees.  But this one was pretty amazing.

I discovered a new recipe:  skillet cake.  Made right in my cast iron skillet, this is a super moist cake with a not-too-sweet frosting.  I've actually made it three times since my first attempt!

Our state homeschool conference was held last week, and I coordinate the struggling learners portion of it.  I invited Melinda Boring (great last name, huh?), who is anything but, to come speak to parents who are homeschooling their struggling learners and special needs kids.  Here is her most popular workshop, packed to the gills and overflowing into the hallway.

Meanwhile, back at home, Danny was dog-sitting for the director of the health clinic at which he volunteers.  Meet Daisy, a sweet and slightly goofy (and fat!) yellow lab.

My garden is coming along nicely; here are the green beans I planted, albeit later than I wanted.

We had 1/4" hail a few days ago, and I snapped this shot from the patio doorway.

I'll leave you with something sweet--not like my chocolate cake, though!  Naturally sweet strawberries, coming in like gangbusters in my overflowing strawberry patch.  We've picked three gallons so far, and short of eating them all, I may make strawberry preserves.

Happy week to you all, and see you soon!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 Week 23 -- June 3-9

Project 2012 -- Week 23

June 3 - June 9

How to Link Up With Us

1.  Click here to read the Project 2012 Guidelines, and to get the code to place in your blog.
2.  Fill out the little form below (insert the URL of your blog post, not the main URL of your blog).
3.  Please visit others' links and leave comments; you will receive visits and comments in return!

My Week 23 Photos

As I stated last week, I wanted to make sure I used Ellie a few times before our state homeschool conference began on Wednesday evening; otherwise, I would have no pictures to show you!  And it turned out to be true--I took just one photo of my speaker at the ICHE state homeschool conference.  (I can't believe it's over; it seemed to loom ahead of me, and now poof!  It's over.)

After watering my front yard gardens, I brought Ellie out for a few pictures.  Of course, it's so fun to experiment with depth of field with lilies.   They have such depth!  :)

[155] Asiatic lily (f13)

 [156] Asiatic lily (f4.5)

Here's a somewhat side view of the flower, at f13.  Even though the stamen/anthers/pistil aren't in focus, I think it's my favorite shot.  I love the water droplets.

[157] Asiatic lily

I was happily surprised to see my first purple coneflower flower begin to emerge!  This variety is called powwow wild berry, and it is such a deep, rich purple color.  It's my favorite (but I say that for almost all the flowers in my garden, for one reason or another!)

 [158] Emerging purple coneflower

 [159] The blooming begins

Indoors, Fernando and the guys finished painting our main bathroom.  Then, he hung some towel hooks that I bought--well, let's not share when I bought them.  But they're hung now, and the guys have places for their towels.  We just have the border to hang in this room, and maybe I'll replace the shower curtain (it has yellowed over the years), and then this room will be pretty much complete.

 [160] Hooks in the bathroom

Below is the one picture I took at the ICHE state homeschool convention.  I brought Melinda Boring, from Heads Up Now!, in to speak for most of the workshop slots.  My friend and ICHE assistant Adrianne spoke for one workshop, and Fernando and I spoke for another workshop.  Melinda was a great speaker, really engaging her audience and imparting solid, practical advice and ideas.  Plus, with a name like Boring, she had to be fun!  And we had a lot of fun together over the week/weekend.

[161] ICHE state homeschool conference

I'm thoroughly exhausted from working since Wednesday afternoon, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  It's such a wonderful feeling to feel goodly tired and knowing that I brought encouragement and hope to families homeschooling (or thinking about homeschooling) their special needs children.  If you're interested, check out the blog I created for homeschooling and special needs!

And now, I rest.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 6 2/5-2/11

Project 2012

Week 6 -- February 5-February 11

1.  Take pictures
2.  Share at least one--and up to seven!
(Click on the graphic above if you're interested in joining us!)

Late, late, late.  I'm late with everything!!  I flew to Georgia to spend several days with my sister, and to shoot a two-day Mother/Daughter Encouragement weekend which her family puts on through SECHDF which they founded.  I shoot candid images all throughout the two-day event; I also shot portrait images of mothers with their daughter(s).  All of the images I'm sharing from Week 6 are from this event.  I ended up choosing several black and white images, which I like for various reasons.


My favorite photos

Miss J put together all the crafts for several different craft times.  The ladies and girls all enjoyed themselves, so I think Miss J did a great job!  She also helped decorate the dining area for our meals.

[36] Conference preparation

A typical craft time image, where the ladies/girls created prayer journals or recipe books.  I edited the below for black and white, and also kept a color copy.  The lighting in the room was, um, not the best, so I used grain in the images to accentuate the buzz of activity captured in the image.

[37] Conference craft time

When I shoot candid images at events, I love to use my 70-300mm to capture unstaged moments.  Another challenge I like to take on is shooting during meals--I've been on the receiving end of being shot with my fork full of food half inside my mouth, so I know that "eating images" are not appreciated.  If I don't want my food-filled mouth in a picture, I refuse to capture others in the same pose.  'Nuff said.  :)  I captured the below, which worked nicely in black and white.

 [38] Lunchtime profile

Detail on the cake made by Chef Gregory, owner of Perception of Elegance and the caterer of the event.

[39] Mother/Daughter cake

I love the below shot for several reasons.  First, the black and white helps me to focus on the light, as opposed to the various colors that would have been present in the shot.  Second, I love how the side light from the sunny window reflects on her hair.  Finally, I love the fact that I saw so many young ladies and even young girls doing needlework!  If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that needlework is something I never learned how to do.  :)

[40] Crocheting

Now a few color photos to round out my week.  I love the jars of water lined up ever so nicely on the table.  I don't know who did it, but if it had been I, I would've lined them up in the exact way--one very tidy row, with the logos all facing front.  Such organization!

[41] Refreshment

During one of the speaker workshops, I was on my way to do some food photography.  I spied this young lady at my business table while she was watching my slide show from last year's mother/daughter weekend.  It tickled me, so I took her picture.

[42] Slide show

Thanks for bearing with me being so late with my photos, and for neglecting you!  I'm finally getting back into the swing of things, and hope to have my blogging routine well in hand again.  It's now already time to get the next week's images up!

See you soon!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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365 Project -- #155-161

What a weird weather week last week!  I don't have "weather" photos to show you, but we were close to 99 degrees for a few days, then we cooled off to the low 60s!  Strange, but typical for Chicago weather.  Here are my images from last week...

Wrapping up our state homeschool convention, I snapped this image of my friend Lori who assisted at Diana Waring's speaker table, just a few tables down from my speaker, Matthew McNatt's, table.

[155] June 4 -- At a speaker table

I love getting candid images when I attend an event; this image was one of the few I took, because I did more than attend!  I do have an official title--ICHE Coordinator for Special & Struggling Learners.  But at the convention, I take care of my speakers, attend all their workshops, see to their needs, man their tables if need be, and run around taking care of all the little things that pop up unexpectedly.  If time permits, I also visit the Oasis--a separate area where new homeschoolers can stop by to ask questions of veteran homeschoolers.  Many times, there are parents who have lots of questions regarding their special/struggling children, and it's such a blessing to be able to listen to their stories, answer questions, and offer encouragement.  And to pray with them!

Whoa.  I digressed there!  Back to the week's images...  It's so nice to come home from working so hard to a flower garden that takes care of itself!  The beard tongue below has become one of my favorites in my sun garden.  It is just one plant, but new blooms emerge in purple, then brighten to pink and become lighter as they "age."  There are usually three or four colors among my beard tongue plants, and they're so pretty together!

[156] June 5 -- Beard tongue

On a flower kick, I trotted off to the back yard to capture some daisies in bloom.  Boy, was it HOT that day!

[157] June 6 -- Back yard daisies

There's a little airport across the street from our house (and behind the Meijer grocery store).  I think it's funny that it's called Clow International Airport, but supposedly planes can make it to Canada, so it is an international airport.  They put on an air show each June, and I caught this T-2 Texan flying overhead, with its wheels folded in as it flew around.

[158] June 7 -- T-2 Texan in air show

As I watered my plants, this friendly robin kept coming by to look for goodies in the ground.  He seemed totally unafraid of me, getting to within five or six feet of where I was watering.  Of course, I ran inside, grabbed my camera, and continued watering (and weeding!) with my Ellie around my neck to capture this happy bird.

[159] June 8 -- Friendly robin

The radish harvest has begun!  The image below is my third radish harvest, and I have picked another bunch since then.  They are "hot," too, but taste awesome dipped in my homemade creamy garlic salad dressing.

[160] June 9 -- Radishes from my garden

Then, the better part of last week was spent making preparations for Danny's graduation celebration this past Sunday.  Danny and I had fun going through my scrapbooks, laughing over little-boy pictures--especially the six-month-old with fat cheeks, sitting in a high chair with sweet potatoes all over his face.  :)

[161] June 10 -- Graduation preparations

This week, I'm relaxing!  Well, until Friday, anyway, when Danny has all four wisdom teeth removed.  I need some down time after several weeks of GOING.  I'll let you know how much I actually "relaxed" next week when I check in!

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #148-154

Exhaustion.  That is an apt word today.  Last week was a blur, with a photo shoot on Memorial Day, preparing for our state homeschool convention on Tuesday, then attending our convention speaker banquet Wednesday, followed by three days of convention activities.  I absolutely love overseeing my portion of the convention--I get to meet amazing speakers, talk to and encourage new (and veteran!) homeschoolers, and connect with people I haven't seen in a while.  Here are the images from my week.

Senior photo shoot, downtown Chicago at UIC (the University of Illinois in Chicago).  This young man hopes to transfer here after earning his Associate's degree from his local community college.  He is on his way to medical school!

[148] May 28 -- Senior portrait at Hull House

I like the below shot because it gives the feeling of walking into sunshine, and a bright future.

[149] May 29 -- Toward a bright future

Not all the portraits will be chosen for prints.  The one below probably won't make the 8x10 list.  Goofing off for the camera every now and then relieves stress.  It's hard to focus on what the photographer tells you to do--smiling, leaning against a wall, or looking this way and that.  Goofy faces take care of all that.  :)

[150] May 30 -- A senior portrait--NOT

In preparation for all of the workshops I coordinate at our state convention, I printed out new "countdown" numbers to wave at the speakers as time runs out in their workshops.  The convention runs like clockwork, and there is not a lot of variance for running over one's time!  So I try to make sure my speakers stay within the time limits.

[151] May 31 -- Numbers

My first workshop!  Matthew McNatt spoke to parents homeschooling their special needs students.  He was very encouraging, and a fascinating person to get to know.  I'm so glad I invited him to speak at our convention!

[152] June 1 -- My conference speaker

My #3 son Danny was able to attend a workshop where the students dissected a sheep's brain.  Me--YUCK.  Danny--COOL.  And, if you wondered--YES, this is the same young man from the senior portraits above.  :)

[153] June 2 -- Picking your brain

That's it through last Friday.  Next week I'll wrap up the last day of the convention, and add some new photos.  Who knows what I'll post!  I'm definitely not relaxing this week--preparations for yet another event are on the calendar!  I sure hope you all have a super week as summer begins to warm things up.


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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Mothers and Daughters

Since I don't have any daughters, I usually shy away from attending mother/daughter events.  I have gone to some and had a great time of fellowship with other moms and daughters.  But I'd much rather attend such events as a volunteer.  And this is what I had the joy of doing with this particular event!

Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) hosts several events throughout the year; their January event is usually one for moms.  This year, they decided to host a one-day mother/daughter conference.  What a blessing that I knew the conference planners!  And that they asked me to not only photograph the event, but also to take mother/daughter snapshot portraits (coming soon in another post)!  Of course, it was an easy "yes" to give of my time for this event.

Enjoy a few of my favorite images from this delightful, inspiring event.

All the kitchen helpers wore pink aprons.  :)

Living life; capturing life.

Christine

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