Week Three

Week three was a really bad picture taking week.  We will just put that out there right at the start.  Steve's sister Ann came to visit, which was awesome and while it should have led to more picture taking, I seemed to get derailed instead. But, we will just work with what we have here and do our best...
Day One: Nada
Day Two: Zip
Day Three: For your viewing pleasure, a grainy phone camera picture of me and Sam first thing in the morning. Sam and I spend about 40 minutes alone in the morning as Spencer and Tyler have already left, and Syd and Carter are still sleeping. We have a bit of a routine we go through, and in the winter part of that routine includes sitting on the vents trying to get warm. (No judging here)  I used to do this when I was a little girl, and I would use my nightgown to make a warm, snuggly tent.  Seeing as I don't wear nightgowns anymore, I resort to a quilt.  Sometimes Sam and I share the vent and the quilt, sometimes we each take our own vent as in this picture...

Day Four: Family Game night with Ann...

Day Five: Um, no good
Day Six: Belgian Waffles baby! Just take a look at those pockets of sugar! Need I say more?

Just pile that sucker up with some berries and cream! Yum!

Ann helped me do a little project while she was here.  Saturday was gorgeous and sunny, so we spent a good deal of time out in the garage where I learned how to use a scroll saw.  So fun!

Day Seven: Sunday night I started to feel really yucky.  My throat was hurting and I was pretty certain I was getting sick. Steve was up and getting me some hot cranberry sipper before I knew it.  So, while it is another grainy cell phone pic, I offer it up as evidence of my sweet man.

Picture Challenge Week Two

So, I am not doing super great at my goal, but I am still trying! I haven't given up yet!!

Week Two, January 18- 24:

My kids didn't have school on Monday (Jan 18) so Tyler invited his friend Brian over and they had a "Chopped Challenge" Part two.  Part one is, as yet, undocumented, but perhaps I can get that up on the blog soon too.  The boys decided to do a dessert edition this go round and asked me to choose three ingredients that they had to use in their dish.  I chose Candy Canes, Crispix and chocolate chips.  I am super frustrated with myself because I didn't take any pictures of the two chefs themselves! What kind of photographer misses the two main characters!!! But I do have picture of their creations, and their judges.  Brian created a puppy chow/popcorn mix.  In the middle of his creation you can see his peppermint "stained glass" (made by melting his candy canes in the oven).

 Tyler attempted cookies (which is really hard without a recipe) and really ended up with more of a chocolate pancake.  In the face of that  derail he just went with it and created a chocolate sauce and sprinkled candy canes over top.  A little dollop of whipped cream can't hurt either!

 Sydney and Carter were brave enough to be the judges of this cooking challenge.  Carter's vote went to Brian and his "Puppy-corn" and Sydney's vote went to Tyler and his "Choco-cakes".  At the end of the day a tie isn't such a bad thing!

 Day two was a belated picture of Carter with his Birthday Banner.  Steve helped me make this and for the letter T he wrote:"TOP DOG".  When Carter was reading his banner he couldn't quite figure out how Top Dog was a good thing. :)

 Day Three: I was sitting working at my computer when I looked at my shamrock plant sitting in the window and thought how pretty the leaves were with the sun reflecting through them.  So this became the subject for my pic.  Didn't turn out looking like I imagined, but that is sadly often how it goes!

 Day four: Bombed that one!
Day five: Carter woke up that morning complaining of a stomach ache and while I tried to convince him that he should still go to school, his big eyes and sad countenance convinced me otherwise, especially when he expressed his concern about getting his friends at school sick.  I caved and Carter stayed home.  He laid on the couch for about an hour before he was up playing and feeling much better.  It actually turned out to be a very fun day for me! I loved having my little buddy back for the day! We spent some time playing, and reading, which I tried to capture here... (I read an article a woman wrote about taking pictures of moments in your day-with you in them- that you spend with your kids- not an easy task, but I tried)

Day Six: Flop!!

Day Seven: Sydney ended up with a song from her lessons that she LOVED!  So, of course, she has been playing it over and over again (which I love, just being clear that that wasn't a complaint).  It is kind of a fun, upbeat, repeating chord pattern that she likes to play around with, going slower, faster and even in different keys.  On Sunday night she sat down to play, and Steve decided to join her, doing a "Heart and Soul" kind of thing where he just made it up as he went.

And that is Week two.  The whole point of this challenge for me is to take pictures more, and especially to take more pictures of the moments I wouldn't normally capture. (I still need to get some of my bigger kids in these pictures!)

My Personal Photo Challenge- Week One

So here's my goal for the New Year, and just so you know it was a goal that was broken even before it was set (if that can be done).  For the year 2016 I would like to take one picture a day.  Now I know that this is not anything earth shattering, and that there are all kinds of "picture-a-day" challenges and so forth, but, I am going to go easy on myself and simply shoot (pardon the pun) for one picture a day.  My reasoning for this goal?  To continue using my camera and try to improve my photography, and more importantly, to focus each day on the little things that make life good.  I am going to try (oh how I am going to try) to post those pictures a week at a time on this blog (which no one really visits anymore, so it should be pretty safe:)).  As you can see, I am already behind, but not beaten yet!

 And the first week of my own picture taking challenge:

Day One, January 7

Day One actually gets two pictures.  I took these in the morning as I was getting my two little ones out the door.  I really wanted to capture Carter's cute, toothless grin!

I took this one because, well, how many times do we go through this little routine of getting reading each morning?   It may feel mundane now, but someday I may want to remember what this all looked like.  The backpacks, the coats, the buses and the "waiting for brother".

Day Three, January 9 (yes, I already missed a day, but I did have two pictures for the first day!) 

Mr. Carter took it all upon himself to shovel the driveway! He actually did a pretty great job too!  

Day Four, January 10

This was a bitter cold day here in Illinois. This was my attempt at showing that!

Day Five, picture two

Sydney and I tried to battle the cold by making hot, steamy rolls! YUM!

Day Six, January 12 (yes, another skipped day)

Had to capture the morning practice time, bedhead and all!

Day Six, Picture two (which will have to make up for the lack of a Day Seven)

I have always loved this little girl's long fingers and pretty hands.

Okay, there is week one.  Not perfect, but an effort.  I realized from looking through this first week that one might assume that I only have two children.  I am going to work on getting the others on film too! (Little ones are much more compliant where posing for pictures is concerned!)

My Favorite Place

The following is a Descriptive Essay written by Sam.  I love this!! 

My Favorite Place

As  I glance out my window I view the rolling green mountains and trees stick to them like moss. Cabins dot the rocky side and lights shine inside. Its summer and we only just got out of school as we make our yearly trip up to our cabin in utah. The lake gets smaller as we get higher. Rocks clink and ping against our car and four wheelers dart past leaving dust in our faces. A couple minutes later we pull into our cabin.                           

  We rush inside to see our cousins and aunts and uncles. We instantly start to get hot and try to find a fan. when i walk outside I whiff the hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and hear them sizzle. I see my cousins play frisbee golf and hear the frisbees smash against the trees. Finally at dinner as we all talk when I bite into my hotdog and taste the ketchup. Later that night when we start a fire I feel the warmth, hear it crackle and see it dance and sway.

The next day we go down to the lake and I see the mountain encompass us as if it was protecting us. I find a life jacket and try to climb into a boat but fall the water biting me and i get out and shiver. I try again finally getting in as I realize I forgot the paddles. I see the paddles on rocks and I groan. I look at the freezing water it was a murky brown and I climb out and trudge through the gunk. I slip and hear the splash as I strike the water and I hear laughing as i get back up.  We leave soon and head back to the cabin for more fun.

When we get back to the cabin we get some cousins and play frisbee golf. I hear frisbees smack and ram into trees and smell pine cones and see them scattered around. I feel twigs and branches scrap my legs and arms. Mosquitoes bite me as I try to swat them away. As it gets darker cousins start to leave and I hear engines start and the cars drive away. Later that  night we leave and I hear nothing as we all stare out the window into the forest as we drive to grandma’s house.