95/365 - Greece

Each of the girls in Randi's Girl Scout troop were asked to pick a country to learn about and present to the other girls. Randi choose Greece. She spent hours making sure her flag was just right, and then I helped her research interesting facts about Greece on the computer. Finally, she prepared Pita Pizza's to share after her presentation, since pita bread appears to have originated in Greece (Pita in Greek means flat/round bread).

Randi was excited to learn about Greece and do all her preparations, but when we got in the car to go to the meeting, she started crying and told me she didn't want to talk in front of everyone. She was really, really nervous. I told her I knew how she felt because I used to get scared when I had to talk in front of a class too, so we discussed alternatives that might make her more comfortable. Her scout leaders are awesome and very supportive of all the girls and had no problem with her sitting on the ground next to me while she gave her talk. She was still very shy, and I really had to coax the information out of her, but she stuck with it and got through it, and at the end became the hostess with mostest when it came time to pass out her pizza's....which were a big hit!

94/365 - From bud to blossom

Remember the flower shot I took after our rain shower the other day? Well here it is now a few days later.



“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”
Kent Nerburn

93/365 - Gardening with Gee

Gee loves all things green. She loves to garden, knows a lot about perma-culture, is always referring to her Farmers Almanac, shops at health food stores and farmers markets, lives in a sustainable house, has a plant growing out of the ground in the middle of her living room, recycles everything, reveres nature, and best of all, does an amazing job of teaching and passing her values and love of our earth on to all of her grand children.

92/365 - Gee is back!

Michael's Mom goes to Hawaii for a couple of months every year. She really enjoys it, but the kids don't like that she's gone for so long. When she came over today, it was very apparent how much they've missed her, and we're all very glad she's back.






I love this picture, but the focus on it was not good, so I got creative and did what I could to salvage it. All I have to say is thank goodness for b/w, or in this case sepia.

Thank you!

I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who left a wonderful comment regarding my Top 5, and to Amber for featuring me on her FB page. Wow! You all know how to make a girl feel good! I really just feel like I'm a Mom with a camera doing what I love to do, so I'm humbled and honored that I've inspired so many of you in so many different ways, and I'm thankful for this wonderful community that has pushed me to keep going beyond myself, even on days when I didn't think I could do it. You all are awesome, and I want to thank you for all your encouragement and support as well.
Here's looking forward to another inspiring quarter full of beautiful pictures and wonderful memories captured...

91/365 - Boys gone Wild!

Disclaimer: No one was hurt during the making of this picture, though I almost killed my DH later!

I know this picture is crazy and Ryan should have had his helmet and shoes on, but sometimes things happen and a Mom's just gotta capture the moment and not worry about dangers and perils and the fact that if CPS had driven by, my son would probably have been taken away from us. Well, at least it all turned out well, and they both had a LOT of fun!

My 1st Quarter Top 5 Pictures of my Kids

Looking back at my pictures from the last three months, I realized I wouldn't have many of my favorite pictures if I hadn't been doing my 365 project. Quite a few of the shots were taken specifically for my picture for the day, so without the project, I wouldn't have captured those moments or memories. I don't know if I've really grown a lot in the last three months as a photographer, but I do know that I'm more comfortable with the controls on my camera and taking pictures has become more second nature to me. So, without further ado, here are my Top 5 Favorite pictures of the kids from the 1st quarter of this year:

We were on the way home from guitar practice, and I still needed a picture for the day. I tried to stop at another location, but Randi didn't like it there, so I kept driving. A little further down the road I saw this beautiful field and knew I had to stop and take advantage of the magical light that was dancing across the grass.


Randi wanted to play with my camera and actually took this picture of her brother and Papa at the SA Livestock Auction. I love the look of concentration on Ryan's face and the look of joy on his grandfather's face.


This is one of the first pictures I took specifically for my 365. I'd never taken my camera to dance class before because parents have to sit outside and the window into the studio is dark and wouldn't work well for pictures. However, since I needed a picture for that day, I asked the instructor if I could come inside for a few minutes? She agreed and now I have a picture that I absolutely adore.


This picture captures Ryan and this stage in his life perfectly. It is so him, and once again, I would have walked right by this scene and gone on with the task I was heading out to do if it had not been for my 365 project. But, as luck would have it, I saw what was going on, went back in the house to get my camera and captured a moment in time that now I'll never forget.


This was my first attempt at a silhouette, again done specifically for my 365 project.