Project 2012 -- Week 51

Project 2012 -- Week 51

December 16-22

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time to look back over the past week, 
choose seven favorite images I've taken, and share 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!

Wow--I almost didn't take any pictures this past week!  Almost.  It's kind of nice that business slows way down for me during this time, so all my focus can be on my family, my home, and the Lord at His birth.

These biscuits will probably make it on my family blog in the form of a recipe.  They were tasty, though a little dry due to my overbaking them.

[351] Garlic parsley biscuits

This picture of me is cheating for Project 2012--Danny took it.  :)

[352] Christmas me

Sometimes the sunsets out my kitchen window are fantastic, even with power lines and telephone poles.  You have to get creative with the camera to capture them properly.

[353] Another suburban sunset

Then it was back to my beloved macro lens to capture some images from our Christmas tree.  The figurines in the manger scene below are from my grandmother; she purchased them from a Ben Franklin store a looooong time ago.  (Are those stores even around anymore??)

[354] Manger scene

[355] Snowflake sparkle

[356] Red snowflake

This year, I've been using 3M poster strips--they attach paper to wall (or other surface), then are easily removed without damaging the surface.  Yep, there's my plug for 3M Command Adhesive, lol.  It's so fun to decorate with people's greeting cards and pictures!  (Oh, and I love the bokeh!)

[357] Christmas greetings

If I don't post tomorrow, Merry Christmas!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

Project 2012 -- Week 42

Project 2012 -- Week 42

October 14 - 20

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time to look back over the past week, 
choose seven favorite images I've taken, and share 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!

I had such a busy week last week, that I took a picture just here and there.  But then Saturday came--although it was gorgeous and sunny outside, it was raining shooting opportunities inside.  Raining--as in showers of images!  Showers--as in wedding showers.  Yes--just one, but it was one of the most fun wedding showers I've attended.  Plus, it was the sweetest wedding shower to photograph.  Bar none.  I'll share a few of those images at the end, then you'll have to wait--very patiently--to see the rest.  I'm so excited about them; they turned out beautifully.

I was headed out to the bank--I love when I get paid!--and saw these clouds right before I hopped in the car.  So of course, I ran inside and grabbed my camera for a shot.  The clouds looked even cooler about 15 minutes later; the ones in the middle looked like little wavy tornadoes.

[290] Triple cloud layer

Photographically speaking, you can definitely tell the difference between a bright, sunny day and an overcast one.  I took two pictures of Jacob's tree, which is beautiful in autumn, on two different days, in two different lighting conditions.  Here's a shot I captured on October 17, a cloudy, overcast day, at about 10:00 a.m.:

[291] Jacob's tree in autumn

And, here's a shot I captured a few days later, on the 20th, with a bright sunny sky, at about 9:00 a.m.:

[292] Jacob's tree in autumn II

I definitely like the first shot better; it's softer, and although the light is flat, I love the colors of the tree and the overall softness of the image.  I do like the second image; it is very contrast-y, but with bright colors, too.  In photography, light = everything!

I took another self-portrait last week, since I've been looking for styles that work for my body type.  And although I generally do not like pictures of me, the ones I've taken have been helpful as I'm trying to decide which articles of clothing to keep, and figure out which clothes look good.  I like this teal top, found at Goodwill for less than $4!

[293] Style in teal and black

Time for a shower!  This lovely young woman lived nearby for many years, then moved with her family to Georgia.  So many family and friends remained behind, that they decided to throw her a "northern shower" when she came back into town to work with a talented seamstress on her wedding dress.

[294] Wedding shower

The cake turned out beautifully, and the colors were perfect for an autumn shower.

[295] Celebrate!

[296] Cake flowers

I've personally known this young woman for many years, and it has been a privilege to watch her grow up and blossom into a beautiful, Godly bride!  I simply can't wait to attend her January wedding (woo-hoo--Georgia in January!) to witness her marriage and to celebrate with all her family and friends.  Oh, and to take as many pictures as possible for a remembrance of the special day!

Can't wait to see what you've been up to lately!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

Project 2012 -- Week 41

Project 2012 -- Week 41

October 7 - 13

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time to look back over the past week, 
choose seven favorite images I've taken, and share 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!

Our Sunday started off in a special way:  We got to visit friends at their "new" home--new to us because we had yet to visit.  They bought a church way out in the middle of farmland, and have been restoring it into a home for their family.  We visited for a potluck dinner together, and a hymn sing afterward.  We thoroughly enjoyed both!

[283] A church is home

I like taking food pictures, and this week, although I didn't realize it until posting these images, I took many.  I've been drinking a lot of hot beverages, since I've had a sore throat that won't go away.  I didn't have strep, and I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor regarding a blood test they recently did, but either way, hot beverages are soothing and I'm so glad it's autumn so I can drink lots!

[284] Pumpkin spice

A story about the above tea is in order.  Last week Saturday, Fernando and I went to Trader Joe's to purchase some needed items.  I saw the tins of pumpkin spice rooibos, and almost purchased one.  Fernando was even okay with it.  But, we talked for just a minute and decided we'd better spend our grocery money on groceries.  So I left the tin on the shelf and moved on.

Well, on Sunday, a dear friend gave me a belated birthday gift--a gift bag filled with little goodies and treats.  I unwrapped one of the items and discovered--the pumpking spice rooibos tea tin!!  I love when the Lord shows His goodness to us, simply to bless us, and in the littlest detailed things.  I've had several cups of it now, and it is good.

[285] Dessert coffee

I had been making balsamic vinaigrette dressing all summer to accompany my daily salads, and it is really good.  But when I ran out this week, I felt like a change.  So I made a dressing I haven't made in a long time.

[286] French dressing

One last food image.  After I tossed on all the toppings, I couldn't see the soup anymore!  But I felt like taking a picture anyway.  This soup is awesome.

[287] Taco soup with the works

One night this last week I had coffee for dessert.  Another night (below), I had coffee and dessert.  :)

[288] Dessert AND coffee

Recently, I've been researching clothing that works for my body type.  It's so hard to find things that not only fit, but look good on me, too.  V-necks and tops that end at the hips are supposed to work.  The pink blouse is new; I liked it in the store and Fernando bought it for me.  :)  But I can never tell if I truly look good in something.  So I thought I'd take a photo and see for myself.  If nothing else, I like the color of the shirt, and I love the color of the trees.

[289] Autumn self-portrait

I hope you took some great photos this past week!  I can't wait to get back out there and take a few more autumn walks.  I'm hoping the rain will end soon so I can do just that.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

Project 2012 -- Week 4

Project 2012

Week 4 -- January 22-28

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

I was holed up at home for most of the week, so I got Ellie out to take some photos of food I was preparing.  Since I cooked a lot last week, I ended up photographing tons of food!  So this will be Food Week for most of my featured photos.  Drooling is allowed.  ;)


My favorite photos

I finally picked up my camera mid-week, wondering what in the world to take pictures of.  I'm tired of being cold and didn't want to go outside at all (I'm not a winter girl!).  It's not even that cold out, either!  I started making dinner, then realized I should "document" my recipes.  I'm planning on putting all the recipes and photos on my family blog.

[22] Potato leek soup and pumpernickel croutons

[23] Salad with pumpernickel croutons

[24] Whole nutmeg

One morning, instead of making my usual oatmeal, I found some brown rice in the fridge and experimented with rice "pudding" recipes.  I don't know if this is a true rice pudding, but it was yummy.  I wrote everything down and will share the recipe soon!

[25] Brown rice pudding

This cake was a special request by Jacob, who turned 21 on Friday.  The image is not composed very well, but at least it's yummy looking.

[26] Cookie cake

I captured Joe reading by the fire at our friends' home.

[27] Winter reading

Saturday night was Fernando's company awards banquet.  I got dressed up in my only black dress, and actually styled my hair.  It took only 15 minutes or so, and it turned out decently enough that I was super-tickled pink to have done it myself!  This is as fancy as I get--I usually stick a barrette in my hair and Fernando says, "Oooh!  You did your hair today!"  *lol*  In addition to my front, I took some "back" pictures, too.  My 18yo Danny pressed the shutter, but I set everything up.

[28] Fancy

I promise to post recipes on my family blog; I'll update this post with links as I post the recipes.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

Project 52 -- Self Portrait

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:  Self portrait


My photo:

My thoughts:

I checked out this week's theme; ironically, my photo from last week's P-52 Challenge was also a self-portrait.  :)

I had wanted to take a walk in these woods near my home since last Friday when it started snowing.  How cool to get some pics of these snow-covered trees; I had gotten some nice pics in this same location this past autumn.  I brought my 17-85mm lens and my 100mm macro lens along, because you never know what you're going to find.  For my macro photography, I love a very low ISO and sometimes a smaller aperture--depth of field can be tricky with a macro--so I brought my tripod along because I wasn't sure what the light would be like and shutter speed might be low.

Toward the end of my walk--and nearing sundown--I thought to myself, "Self portrait!"  (I even said it aloud--nothing like talking to yourself when you're all alone in the middle of the woods!)


The setup:

I bumped up the ISO for my self portrait so that I could get a decent shutter speed.  I set up my camera and tripod, and found a small tree I could stand next to for focus.  I set my aperture to f6.3 to make sure my face would be in focus in case I was not quite even with the tree.  I set the timer for a 10-second delay and ran back and forth a few times to test out my settings.  I ended up zooming in for more focus on my face.  I felt a little goofy smiling at the camera, all alone in the woods!


Camera Settings:

• Canon 40D
• ISO 500
• Manual mode
• 17-85mm lens at 68mm
• f6.3
• 1/80 sec. shutter speed

Here is the series of photos I ended up keeping:

Nice composition, but the focus is a little off; maybe a closer shot...

 Blah composition, plus where am I looking and what am I smiling at??

 Nice, but my head is tilted the same way as the tree; could I be falling?

 The shot I chose.

I'm feeling really goofy doing this in the middle of the woods!!

 

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

365 Project -- #22-28

#22 -- January 22; juicing the limes in the fruit bowl

#23 -- January 23; Civil War books in my living room

#24 -- January 24; hiding in my front porch garden

To read the full story on the rabbit, click here.  For a rodent, he's pretty cute.  (But he's still a rodent.)

#25 -- January 25; crumb-covered pumpkin pie

#26 -- January 26; looking into the end of my flute

#27 -- January 27; Oreo Cookie Cake

To read the full birthday story--yes, I made the cake--click here.  :)

#28 -- January 28; Self-portrait with a macro lens (lol)

I think the photo is rather silly, but come evening I was desperate to find something to take a photo of.  I'd never tried taking my own picture (as today's teenagers are so adept at), and this was one of the first attempts.  At least I got the rule of thirds down!  And I had fun editing my eye.  :)

Living life; capturing life.

Christine

visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage