Weekly Header Challenge - Thank You

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 ~ Thank You

I wish I had one single image to portray this theme of thanksgiving!  I think this is the highest number of images I've posted for these weekly challenges, but I narrowed it down as much as I could.  I started thinking about what to be thankful for, in a year filled with Fernando's job layoff and back surgery, my own back problems, no money to spend on Christmas, and many other "bad" things that have happened.

I decided that this sunrise is a good way to show that hope does not disappoint, and that as surely as the sun rises, we are in His care.  A quote about thanksgiving in all circumstances:

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NASB

Thank You for hope!

Thank You for my country.

Thank You for family who loves me enough to play my favorite game with me!

Thank You for autism, because You are glorified in our weaknesses.

Thank You for little and fun reminders that You care.

Thank You for a hubby who helps me build kitchen drawer organizers!

Thank You for signs of spring.

Thank You for leading and guiding my sons in their lives.

Thank You for long life for my parents for us to enjoy them!

Thank You for awesome teenagers.

Thank You for all the wonderful beginnings we celebrated this year!

Thank you for guys who help me in my garden.

Thank You for daisies in my yard.

Thank You for strong, godly sons.

Thank You for sunsets right in my own suburban back yard!

Thank You for garden strawberries that help make this possible.  ;)

Thank You for flower gardens.

Thank You for peaceful spots near home.

Thank You for technology!

Thank You for garden harvest.

Thank You for hard workers at home.

Thank You for Jacob's tree in autumn.

Thank You for my bench in my little corner of back yard.

There is so much more to be thankful for, but this sampling helps me realize I have ever so much to be thankful for!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge - Memories

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 ~ Memories

When I first saw the theme for this week, my mind took a trip down...  Oh, well, you know.  :)

I immediately thought of Christmas last year, which had an added element of special-ness to it.  See, last June my parents celebrated their silver anniversary, but due to selling their house so quickly in May, they had to spend an extended summer up at their Lake Bonaparte summer house while their new house back home was being built.

Because they stayed through September, we never really had a chance to celebrate their anniversary with the entire family--even though there are only 11 of us altogether!  We just were never able to get everybody together at the same time.

Here's a picture of my dad and mom that I took for their 2011 Christmas cards:

So the months went by, and we finally decided to wait until Christmas to present our "labor of love" to them.  It was a memory book of their lives, before marriage, then celebrating all the years they've been together since.  It was filled with old pictures (many digitally scanned by my younger brother) and other digital images sent in by family and friends, with words of encouragement and blessing sprinkled throughout.  It truly was a memory book for them!

Here is the photo documentary, from them opening the gift, to our little extended family gathered around, enjoying leafing through the pages of time.

Yeah, my dad's pretty goofy.

I love my parents, and I love the memories they've given me over the years.  It was a blessing to give back to them.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 39

Project 2012 -- Week 39

September 23-29

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time for looking back over the past week, choosing my seven favorites images, and sharing them here with you.  If you have a project you're working on, please leave a comment so I can visit your blog and see what you're up to!

After our beautiful trip, I got sick.  Very sick.  I was down for almost two full weeks, with possibly the flu, and a cold, and something bacterial--tonsillitis or strep even though the tests were negative--because those antibiotics worked like a charm, once I decided (in desperation) to try them.  I feel so much better, and I'm so glad--I just booked a family photo shoot for this weekend!

This first picture seems random, and it is.  I wanted to capture the sparkle and glitz of the gifts Fernando and I gave each other while we were away.

[267] His and hers

The rest of the week's images feature moving day.  Or, moving days, since we spent two days both moving my parents' stuff out of our house and helping then get set up in their new house.

[268] Loading the truck

[269] Their new home

Hmm.  Seen on the side of one of the packing boxes.

[270] Spelling issues

I emptied only three or four boxes of kitchen stuff.  But since each plate, each cup, each bowl, was individually wrapped, it made for a lot of paper, which I gleefully tossed over the breakfast area half-wall.  When my mom needed to get into her bedroom...

[271] Wading through the paper

Joseph diligently folded it all and neatly stacked it for his grandpa to recycle.

[272] The mountain--folded!

We found this interesting thing with wheels, and had no idea what it was.  We finally agreed on a tandem walker, and had my parents try it out.  They couldn't decide on which way to go, though.  :)

[273] What is it??

Three stars for you if you can guess what that thing is for!  And really for real, in actuality, truly, honest, no lie--I will be posting travel images very, very soon.  Promise.  See you soon!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Photog Class -- The Subject

I recently put together a simple presentation for our local 4-H class, and I'm going to share much of that here on my blog.  As I share things I've learned, I'll post the links in the tab above marked Photog Class.  Feel free to click and go to that page, and read, at your own pace, about what I've learned about digital photography.

The first thing I'd like to share is The Big Three, or, three key elements to taking a better photo.  These can be very simple, but can also become more complicated the more we plumb their depths.  I'll try to keep things simple and straightforward.  Here they are:

1. The Subject
2. The Composition
3. The Light

I think all three are essential to a great photo--what you're shooting, how you shoot it, and how you're lighting the shot.  For now, I'm focusing on #1:  The Subject.

This is not complicated.  Your subject is what you're shooting.  What are you aiming your viewfinder at?  A person?  An animal?  A scene?  A thing?

Miss M

Sunny

Downtown Naperville

Daisy

All of the above are subjects, whether a person, an animal, a scene, or an individual thing.  Let me share a few words of encouragement regarding the subject you choose:

Choose a subject you're interested in.  I know this sounds elementary, but really.  In this age of digital photography, we tend to shoot everything.  Sometimes it's almost compulsive:  Just aim the camera and shoot.  There's no expense involved, unless you use throw-away batteries.  :)

To answer your question, yes, I am interested in the above trailer tire.  My brother's trailer has been sitting in our back yard for several years now, and every time I wander around with my camera, I have this desire to take this picture.  I'm not sure if it's because of the rust, or the contrast between the white/rust and the green, or what.  You won't see this picture in any of my family photo albums, but I seem to have a yearly picture of this old tire.  There is an interest on my part.  So I take the picture.  And I like the picture.  :)

The thing is, if you are interested in the subject, your interest will automatically create a better photo.  Even if it's blurry, a photo can be meaningful to you if it is something you have an interest in.  Remember, unless you're a professional photographer, you're not trying to create a photo to sell to someone else; you're creating a photo for you.  These are your keepsakes, your treasures, your memories.  Whether you save them just for yourself, or share them on Facebook or with family, they are ultimately for you.  Snap away, if you're interested.  But, please--go through all those photos and save only the ones that are meaningful.  Delete the rest.  :)

Now go ahead and shoot the things you love!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 18 -- 4/29-5/5

Project 2012 -- Week 18

April 29 - May 5

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 18 Photos

I took a ton of photos this past week!  I had such a hard time choosing my favorites.  I decided to share a sample of what we did all week long.

First of all, the guys worked in my garden, laying down newspaper and covering it with grass.  We're trying to get all the grassy pathways covered up so no one has to weed-whack the garden area.  It's no fun, according to my young men, and I totally agree with them.

[119] Garden workers

We scared Mr. and Mrs. Mallard out of our pool when we went out back, and I caught them waiting on the neighbor's roof.

 [120] Ducks on the roof

Lots of rain last week meant lots of neat after-the-rain photos!  Below are two of my favorites.

[121] Coral bells after the rain

[122] Almost time to bloom

Danny was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society (for two-year colleges) one evening last week, and my parents attended the ceremony with us.  :)

[123] Honor student

Danny drove me to The Growing Place, a nursery I'd never been to but had to now out of necessity--my favorite local nursery went out of business.  This new nursery did not disappoint; the below photo is a teeny-tiny part of the entire place.  It was huge and they carried all sorts of flowers, vegetables, and herbs, plus trees, bushes, and other landscaping material.  I had time constraints and didn't spend a lot of time there, but I'm definitely going back!

[124] The Growing Place

I bought just a few items to supplement the vegetable order I placed with my friend Becki.  I got some onion sets, rosemary, and cilantro, and some bush bean seeds.  I also splurged and got a little pack of marigolds to plant around my bush beans.

[125] Goodies to plant

I'm so excited about planting my veggie garden this year!  I was able to quickly plan out what to plant where.  Now, I just have to wait for a sunny afternoon and guys to help work in the compost.  That's a post for next week.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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