26 Things #7 - Used

Today I set about my normal Sunday routine, which includes baking the week's supply of Toll House cookies. As I took the eggs out of the refrigerator and looked in the carton, my 26 Things list popped into my head and I realized that was I was looking at could be seen as somewhat loose interpretation of #7 - Used! When I showed Jim the picture and told him my thought, he looked at me as if I'd lost my marbles. (No, just an egg. Sorry... Couldn't resist.) He thought I should maybe use a picture of Erin' well-used soccer ball or something like that. But I think this is a slightly more creative and unique way to show "used." What do YOU think?

Drip, Drip, Drip!

I've always been fascinate by pictures that I've seen that capture water droplets hitting, well, water. I've always wondered, "How'd the DO that??" and figured I'd never in a million years figure it out and make it work for me. Then a few days ago, I was perusing the "How I Took It" forum at Digital Photography School, and found a thread aptly named, "Simple Water Droplet Tutorial (No Extra Gear)." Simple is good, right? And no extra gear is always a plus as well. So this morning, I set myself a goal to figure this out. My first few attempts (ha! few? try 85!) were awful. Out of focus, dark, and basically a fail. Then I went back and re-read the directions and found that I'd forgotten something kind of important - the flash! Duh. So I set up all my stuff again, grabbed some different colored paper, and tried it again. WOW! It worked! How very cool! Sure, I took over 100 frames to come up with the 10 I kept, but still, it was such fun, and the results, to me, are totally worth the effort!

26 Things #11 - Bind

Keeping up with the 26 Things theme from yesterday, today I tackled #11 - Bind. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this one at first, but then remembered the wonderful old books that we have from Jim's mother's home. These books are far too fragile to be read or handled much, but we have them on a shelf in our living room, and I love having them there. Books are extraordinary to me. Not only for the stories held within their pages, but also for the stories of their own "lives," if you will. Some of these books are over 100 years old. Can you imagine how many homes they've been kept in, how many hands that have held them? I think they're fascinating. And to look at how relatively well most of them have held up for all this time, well, whoever bound them knew what they were doing. So OK, I've taken a little liberty with the "bind" term, and changed it to "binding" and "bound." But I think I've captured the idea. 

26 Things #5 - Opening

Trying to take a picture every day (even if I'm not stressing about actually doing a 365 project) is a daunting task. My life really isn't that interesting, and trying to think of something to shoot that I haven't already shot a thousand times before can sometimes leave me wanting to scrap the whole thing. (And I don't mean "scrap" as in what I used to do with yesterday's ribbons, either.) So when I saw a post on the 2Peas Photography Board about a challenge called "26 Things: A List for Inspiration," I thought it might be a great way to get those creative juices flowing! It's basically just what the title says: a list of 26 random things to photograph in a specific time frame, in this case, during January and February. Some of the things are kind of easy (like #1 - Fuzzy - which was my picture of Lucky from a few days ago), but some of the other ones (like #21 - Frantic) are going to be a bit more challenging. It'll be fun to think outside the box, though, and see what I can come up with for each one! Today's is #5 - Opening. Yes, That's Molly snoozing on her favorite blanket. In taking this picture, I noticed that there's a piece of something inside this lens that I can't seem to get out. Bummer. But it's not showing up on any pictures that I've taken with it, so I guess I won't worry about it for now.

The Whole Nine Yards

For a couple of years, I was an avid (rabid?) scrapbooker. I'd never been much of the artsy, creative type, so my hobby surprised a lot of people who knew me. I'd always loved taking pictures, and scrapbooking gave me something to do with my photos (which have, for the most part, all been digital since Erin was born) so that they could be shared with others. I actually really enjoyed the process of working with the paper and supplies - the tactile nature of the work was soothing in a lot of ways. As most scrapbookers will tell you, a lot of the fun comes from the stuff. Yes, going to scrapbook stores, touching the papers and embellishments, and bringing them home to admire them. Oh, and yes, sometimes use them. One of the things I loved most was the ribbons. They came in (and I collected!) all kinds of colors, patterns, and textures, and I eventually found a great way to store them in a drawer so I could easily find the one that I needed for any given page.

Our first New Jersey house had a great area that I set up as my scrap room, which was right next to where Jim would watch TV at night. It was great, because I could work on my projects and not be alone. After a few years, though, we moved to a different house, and my scrap space was on the other side of the house from the mancave. Because I didn't want to be alone each evening, I slowly stopped working on my books, and I haven't done much in them since. My hobby has shifted to photography (duh), and although I still have all of my old scrap supplies, I'm ashamed to admit how long it's been since I've touched any of them. I've tried doing digital scrapbooking, but while it appeals to my geeky, techie nature, it's just not the same. So I sit in my office now, surrounded by old but not-quite-forgotten supplies, and wonder if I'll ever get back to doing something with them.

Tale of a Lucky Dog

When Erin was a little over one year old, we took her to the local mall to kill some time on a cold, weekend afternoon. As we were pushing her stroller through the Disney Store, she grabbed hold of a stuffed animal and just would not let it go. "Great," I thought. "Another stuffed animal." But Jim declared that we should buy it for her, after all, she was immediately and totally in love it with. It was a stuffed Dalmatian from 101 Dalmatians, and its collar declared that its name was Lucky. Lucky indeed!

Lucky quickly became one of Erin's favorite companions. He went just about everywhere with her, and spent every night clutched in her arms. He went to my parents' house when we'd go down for weekend visits, and he's been on every single vacation we've taken for the last nine years, including cruises, car trips, plane rides, and even a cross-country move. He's been on countless sleepovers at Erin's friends' houses. He even once got lost in a hotel in Montreal (the housekeepers had accidentally taken him when they'd taken the sheets off the bed), and Erin was beside herself with grief until we managed to track him down.

Today, just about nine years after we first welcomed Lucky into our lives, he's still just as important to Erin as he was those first few days we had him. He still sleeps with her every night, and I frequently find him wrapped in her arms when she's sound asleep. He's still carried with us on every vacation and on every overnight that Erin goes on. He's a little soft in the middle now, and eventually we may need to look at getting him some new stuffing. But Erin loves him more than any other possession that she has, and I'm sure he'll be a part of her life for years to come.

Ah... Sunday!

I love Sundays. They're usually our most relaxing day of the week, the day that we get things done around here, but can really just spend the day doing what each of us likes. This morning, Erin went off to a birthday party, and Jim and I got to make the weekly supermarket run together (ah, bonding time!). While at the store, we got Molly a real treat - soup marrow bones! Oh, how she loves them! We always make her eat them outside (because they can be kinda messy), and never cease to be amazed at how quickly and completely she can get all the "good" stuff out of the middle of the bones, using nothing but her tongue! When I say quick, I mean it. If the bones aren't frozen, it takes her less than 10 minutes. Wow!

Miss Mia was less than pleased with this whole thing. First of all, the dog got a special treat. But secondly, Molly got to go outside to enjoy said special treat. It was all too much for the Puss to bear, and she let me know it by jumping up on the counter and staring me down until I gave her some lovin'.

After all that excitement, and my weekly cookie-baking frenzy, I begged Erin to come out back with me so I could practice some more manual shooting, this time on a real, live subject. She actually let me get off a few shots before giving me the evil tween hairy eyeball and whining, "Isn't that enough?" But I'm pretty pleased with what I got, and continue to build on my love-fest with my new camera.  And for those of you who predicted that I'd quickly fall in love with manual shooting, you're absolutely right!

Ooh... I'm in Love

Today was the first day of Erin's soccer league's Winter Soccer Camp. It's really a great deal - six 90-minute sessions that are run by high school and college coaches and players for $40! Too good to pass up. It'll give Erin a chance to get her soccer legs back before the the spring season starts. Plus, I figured I'd be able to put my new camera and lens through some paces before the "real" games start so I know what settings will work best. So this morning, we packed up the car with Erin's and my respective gear bags and headed to the field.  Erin knew that two of her friends from school would definitely be there, but was very pleasantly surprised to find that a third friend was there as well. The girls all had a blast! As for me, I was in heaven. I've spent three years of soccer seasons cursing (not so silently, I might add) my crappy old zoom lens, and this was the first chance I'd had to see what the new one (Tamron's 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di VC USD XLD, in case you were curious) could do on the soccer field. I was not disappointed! I'm thrilled with how clear and sharp the pictures turned out. This is night and day from what I used last fall. I was playing around with my settings a lot (I usually shoot soccer in TV mode with a shutter speed between 1/1250 and 1/2000), and over the next few weeks, I'll be seeing what I like best. The composition's not fantastic on the ones I shot today (I wasn't really focusing on that - no pun intended), but other than that, I'm really happy with some of the shots that I got!

So, here are the girls before the fun began.

Go Erin!

And, finally, some chillin' time after the session!

Manual Labor

As I was trying to think of a subject for my pictures today, I thought I'd go out back, see what was blooming, and get some pictures of whatever I found. As I was on my way outside, I looked down and saw that my camera's program dial was set on M. Hmmm... Dare I give it a whirl and see what I could do? Sure. Why not. If they turned out as complete garbage, I'd just delete the files, right? So out I go. The light was good, so I set everything how I thought it it should be, checked the meter, made a few adjustments here and there, and voila! Success! I have to say, it's quite a feeling of satisfaction to get it right.

After these, I went back onto the patio, hoping a hummingbird would come to visit (not that I thought I'd be able to catch one of THOSE with manual settings, but hey, it's worth a shot, right?). As I was patiently and quietly standing there, I heard a scratching on the glass door to the kitchen. It was Mia, who apparently was losing patience herself with my being outside (where she is dying to go but never does). Does she look annoyed with me, or what?

Girls!

So, yesterday's post was a quick study in boys, and I had quite a few comments saying that I should really post a contrast to what Erin's shoes and backpack look like. How could I not comply? So here we go. I present for you Erin's favorite sneakers, complete with their brightly colored laces, and her black, white, and pink backpack. For Erin, it's all about style, whether it's her clothes or her school bag. You should see her collection of shirts and friendship jewelry. She's a total girl (except when she's on the soccer field, but we'll get to those pictures soon enough, with the spring season right around the corner), and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Boys

I'm a mom of a girl, and I love it. I love the pretty clothes, the great colors, the dolls, the chick flicks, and all the girlie goodness that goes along with having a daughter. (I could do without some of the girl drama, but that's for another day's post.) I sometimes look at the moms of boys that I know and wonder how they do it. Boys just seem so different than girls, in so many ways, than what I'm used to. Once in a while, I get to have a small (very small!) dose of what it's like to have little boys in the house. Today, for example, I brought home my friend Kristi's son, Jacob, after school to help her out. I adore Jacob. He's a very sweet little boy with great manners, and he's a joy to have around. He apparently really looks forward to coming to my house because he knows I always have homemade cookies (and who doesn't like THOSE?) and we have an iPad with Angry Birds on it. But just looking at his backpack and shoes reminded me of how different boys and girls are. They made me smile. Because as much as I love the girliness of Erin, this is just a really cute contrast.

My Personal Ego Booster

One of the promises I've made to myself this year is that I'm going to complete the 2 Peas in a Bucket 12 Weeks to Better Photos course. I started it last year and only made it a few weeks into the course. But this year, I'm determined to get through it, and I know the results will be amazing. I've also roped a few friends into doing it with me (thank you, Marsha and Kristi!), so there's no dropping out now! Anyway, this week's assignment was focused (no pun intended) on ISO and shutter speed, and we were to take pictures water in the kitchen sink hitting a glass to see how different shutter speeds affect the water stream in the resulting shots. I won't bore you with those pictures. But the "extra credit" assignment was to go and shoot something in the ever-feared Manual mode. Eeks! That scary thing where you have to control everything yourself?  Yikes!  The prop I chose was this little statue (it's only about 2" long). When I bought it, years ago, it was described in the catalog as a "Personal Ego Booster," because when it's facing you, it looks like it's bowing down to you. Who doesn't need that kind of pick-me-up once in a while? Anyway, she was kind enough to pose on the edge of our (really gross, thanks to the recent rains) fountain in the back yard. I set my aperture so that you can't see how gross the water really is (or even that it IS water!). And I think it came out pretty well! I guess there's hope for me yet!

And as a bonus, here's a picture I took last night. I've always marveled at photographs that I've seen of the moon, and last night I went out with my tripod and some patience, and it actually worked!

A Monday Baking Frenzy

People who love me know that I really love to bake. I always have. I haven't always been much of a cook (who am I kidding? For years, my mantra was, "I don't cook."), but since I was a kid, I've always loved the process of baking. Plus, who doesn't like the resulting homemade treats? So baking's always been my thing. When I lost my full-time job almost two years ago, I figured I could put that love to good use and make muffins for Jim to take to work each morning, instead of him stopping at Starbucks for his daily dose of yum. And I've been making them ever since. I also make sure that we always have a supply of homemade Toll House cookies (yes, the recipe from from the bag!) for snacks, desserts, and Erin's lunch each day. Every day, I pack her two cookies - one for her and one for a friend. It's usually her friend Becca that's the lucky recipient, but if she's not at school, Erin shares the other with her other friend. (And I've heard that they all love my cookies. I'm finally popular in school! LOL!)

Anyway, I usually do my baking on the weekends, but this week I saved it for today instead. Erin and I made the cookies this morning (I made a double batch so we could make a care package for a friend who's sick), and I made the muffins while Erin was at a friend's house this afternoon. These muffins are really delicious! They're from a recipe I found at AllRecipes.com, and are aptly named To Die For Blueberry Muffins. I stick to the recipe with just a few minor changes. For one thing, I use both blueberries and raspberries (and I use frozen ones - Jim's never complained about them not tasting good). For another, when it comes time to make the crumb topping, I half the recipe. It's still way too much.  Yum!

Farewell, Dear Friend

Today is a bittersweet day, the day I say good-bye to a friend that has been at my side for over six years, recording some of my most memorable experiences. Yes, today is the day that I say good-bye to my beloved Canon 20D. Although we'd planned on keeping it when I got my new 60D a few weeks ago (and Erin was going to start using it), it really is too much for her at this point, and the reality is, she's been grabbing the 60D anyway. So I figured I'd sell it. I listed it on Craigslist on Thursday, and yesterday afternoon made arrangements for it to be adopted by a new owner who sounds quite excited about getting it. Yeah! Last night I was looking at some of the pictures I've taken with the 20D, and was thinking about how far my photography has come since I've had it. For the first five years I had it, I only shot on the green box or the other pre-programmed settings. I'd never ventured into that other scary side of the program dial, the one where you actually tell the camera what to do. I also only used the kit lens that came with the camera and the really old zoom lens that we had from way back when we had a film SLR (remember those days, anyone?). And you know what? I took some pretty awesome pictures, if I do say so myself. Last year, I ventured into new territory - expanded my "glass collection" and also started learning more about how photography works. I dared to turn the program dial to AV, TV, and even the really scary Manual mode a few times. My photography (I think) improved. My passion for it definitely grew. The downside was that I started to see some limitations of my beloved camera, which is why I decided to upgrade. The learning curve definitely continues, even with better hardware. I've started the 2 Peas in a Bucket course, 12 Weeks to Better Photos, and am determined to finish all twelve weeks. I'm scheduled for a full-day photography course in early March. And I just ordered a book to help me start delving into more of what Photoshop Elements can do. So I will continue to grow my hobby. And in the mean time, my wonderful 20D will be going to a new home with Dante, who will hopefully love it as much as I have and learn as much as I've learned. Thank you, 20D, for being such a trusty companion all these years. I'll miss you!

Silly Puss! (Part 1 of no-doubt-many!)

So... I did my drop-off duty at school and went for my walk at the beach. When I got home, I came in through the garage, as I always do, walked through the laundry room, said hello to Molly, did my computer stuff, and then realized I hadn't seen the cat. Whenever that happens, I do a little panic thing, thinking maybe she got out, snuck into the garage, etc. So I looked around the house. No Mia. Eeks. I figure she must be hiding under a bed somewhere, so I decide to transfer the laundry and wait for her to come out from her lair. I go into the laundry room (which, I remind you, I've been in a few times since I've been home, and this is what I find:

That's right. The silly thing was there all along, curled up in a basket of dirty laundry. How I missed her, I'll never know. But she sure does look ticked that I disrupted her cat-nap, doesn't she?

Silly puss...

Purple Passion

Today was a l-o-n-g day. It started out with my being screamed at by a parent while I was working the valet line at school (never a good way to start the day). I got in a walk at the beach, which was fantastic. Then got some stuff at home, picked up Erin, got haircuts, and got home only to realize that I hadn't taken a picture today. Oops. Of course, I'd thought about taking the camera both on my beach walk and to Erin's haircut, but neither happened. So, I grabbed it when we got home and headed out to the back yard to see what I could capture. There were pretty slim pickin's. In fact, I'm starting to think that our watering system has some issues, because we have some mighty dry looking stuff out there. But among the dry, brown ick I found this beauty. I love these (and am blanking on the name right now), and hope you do too, because when spring arrive in full force and the yard is full of these, I'll no doubt be taking more pictures of them. For now, it's just this one lone flower, but I'll take it! 

The Kindness of Friends

This week at Erin's school is HAWKindness Week (the Hawk being the school's mascot). The kids have activities all week designed to help them focus on kindness and being nice to each other. They've had activities like writing a Pledge of Kindness, playing Being Kind bingo (where they had things they had to do during the week to earn marks on their cards), making a chain of kindness that will be presented to the whole school on Friday, and selling Kindness Bracelets, with the money raised being donated to a local charity. I know the kids have been enjoying all of the activities so far, but the bracelets have definitely been the biggest hit of the week. I think the Student Council underestimated how many students would want to purchase the bracelets, and how many they'd purchase, because when I was there today to take pictures for the yearbook, it looked like they were just about sold out. And it's only Wednesday! Erin and her friends certainly bought more than their share, giving them to their friends, making sure they had matching ones, etc. And they were more than happy to model them for me while I was there.

In other photographic happenings in my house today, I was once again able to catch Mia "going fishing." Our new computer has a touch screen and a very realistic fish-pond screensaver. It completely mesmerizes Mia, and many times, I've caught her staring at the fish and "playing" with them by touching the screen (with her nose or sometimes even her paw), which creates ripples that scare the fish away. It's totally hysterical to watch! She certainly adds some humor to our lives!

A Beautiful Start

Today didn't start out too great. Erin woke up under the weather - apparently she caught whatever Jim brought home from Vegas. So we decided that she'd spend the day at home. We came downstairs to find a most incredible sunrise going on outside our back windows. (And our kitchen and family room, which face the back yard, are almost entirely windows, so it was quite a view!) We've had some gorgeous sunrises since we've lived here, but this one ranks up there as one of the best. Who can't have a good day when this is one of the first things they see?  (And to perfectly honest, these are pretty much straight out of the camera. The only thing I did to them was resize them and put the date on them.)

A few minutes later, I looked again, and the colors had completely changed!

All I can say is, WOW!

Art Masters

Today was the first session of Art Masters in Erin's classroom. In this amazing program, the students are introduced to famous artists' works through presentations, and later have the opportunity to create their own works using a variety of techniques. I've volunteered in the Art Masters sessions for a couple of years now, and they're among my favorite things to do in the classroom with the kids. Today's session was all about Paul Cezanne. The children had attended the presentation about his work earlier, and were now going to make their own still life using tissue paper and starch (which would adhere the tissue paper to the cardstock). What fun! What started out as a pile of colored tissue paper quickly transformed into bowls of fruit that were cut by the kids themselves. Unfortunately, the final products were rather gooey and were set out to dry, so I didn't get to take pictures of them. But I can't wait to see them when they're done!