Team-Up Thursday: Noise

It's so cool to me to see how these diptychs come together every week. There are so many different ways to interpret a given theme....and yet every single time, the two images work together so well. Sweet serendipity takes two separate images, taken at different times in different places by different people, and unites them. They tell a story. It's not just two separate images...it's a cohesive whole that's more than the sum of it's parts.

This week is no exception.

Joanna chose noise for our theme this week, and we both ended up with pictures of our munchkins. Is it really any surprise?? We both have 4 year old daughters, and little girls are noisy little creatures. The ultimate noise makers. :o)



Jo's picture just makes me smile. Fingers in the ears, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open in a holler heard 'round the world - I love it! Plus, those long gorgeous eyelashes of Ella's. It's the classic noisy kid picture.

I'd had in mind to capture a pretty similar scene, but then another moment presented itself that was just too sweet to pass up: Nadia and her cousin sharing a single pair of headphones, listening to some music. The comp and focus aren't the best, but to me this photo proves that sometimes the technical stuff just doesn't matter. It's the moment that counts.

Don't miss more Team-Up Thursday!

An Egg-cellent Time

(Caden was incredibly focused!)










(Cole was here! HA!)




(Her egg got crushed. Life it tough.)

The Many Faces of Nadia

Love that girl and all her goofy, exuberant, over-the-top faces!

I also love my new camera lens.

I had been planning to use part of my tax refund to send my camera in for a good tuneup...but then a couple weeks ago at the park Jaimee and I were swapping cameras and lenses back and forth, and we realized that most of my issues actually were with the 50mm prime that I keep on my camera 99.99% of the time. I bought that lens used over 2 years ago and it has suffered a few falls, so it has served me very well but was really on its last legs. So, I decided to replace the lens instead of getting the camera body serviced, and the new one arrived a few days ago.

Wow. I am blown away by how much of a difference it has made. I expected that a new lens would be an improvement, but given that it's simply a newer version of the lens I already had I didn't really expect all that much difference. Well, I was wrong. The difference is unreal. Color, clarity, focus, exposure - it's all dramatically better. A huge improvement over anything I've been able to get in a long time. The photos in this post were barely edited: boosted exposure, increased contrast, and that's pretty much it. I am pretty darn impressed with that nifty, thrifty little fifty!

I also have to add Nadia was pretending to be a cougar in this series of pictures. Don't ask me what is courgar-ish about her behaviour or expressions...I haven't a clue. But that girl has been obsessed with cougars and jaguars lately. And it is seriously funny to hear your 4 year old daughter say, totally innocently, "Mama, we are both cougars!"

Wishes and Dreams

Dandelions.

There is something compelling about about that tenacious weed/flower, proudly clutched in the hands of small children everywhere.

They are so ordinary...so common...annoying even.

But they are also magical.

In fact, I think their ordinary-ness is part of what makes them so magical.

So soft and wispy and intricate.

Another one of God's miracles...and this one for "just a weed!"

Such incredible beauty is right there, waiting to be noticed - if only we stop long enough to notice.

I want to do more of that: stopping to notice and appreciate.

Learning about the complexities of life on a cellular level this semester in biology class has really opened my eyes and made me marvel at God's creation.

It. Is. Amazing!

I walk around almost in a daze, looking at everything in wonder. A single blade of grass - infinitely more complex than mankind could ever create ourselves. more complex than we can even truly understand! And despite the complexity, it almost always works, perfectly.

Wow.

Science to me, more than anything else, is evidence of the existence of a merciful and powerful God.

And the lowly dandelion is a marvelous example.

It's just a weed....but it's also just exquisite.

Plus, it's a heck of a lotta fun!

Team-Up Thursday: Negative Space

Joanna and I considered both spring and negative space as our theme this week...but decided to go with "negative space" since Dallas was buried under half a foot of snow over the weekend (March! in Texas!) and Minnesota is still desperately searching for green signs of life.

So, we found it pretty humorous that as it turns out, both our photos would have worked just as well for spring! LOL!

Regardless of the theme, I just love the way our diptych came together this week - possibly my favorite week yet. It looks like Jo's pussy willows are reaching out to my dandelion, as if to embrace it. Peace, calm, contentment, gratitude...that's how it makes me feel.



Visit Megan for for Team-Up Thursday diptychs!

Wordless Wednesday: Shutterbug

Find more Wordless Wednesday here and here .

Crafty Tuesday - My Handbag

I have a new little purse. I love it. It's pretty. It's functional. And I made it myself!

Yes folks, I am extremely proud of myself for this one. I used this tutorial recommended by Carrie, and I made myself a darling little handbag.



Isn't it adorable?! Since Nadia is older now, I don't really need to carry a big bag around with me everywhere. A big bag accumulates junk and I need less junk in my life. Plus, I get tired of lugging around a big, heavy bag. It just gets in the way. So I've been wanting a small, stylish little handbag just big for the essentials needed for day to day errands. And this little handbag fits the bill perfectly.

I'm not gonna lie - it was h.a.r.d. for me! This purse is by far the coolest and the most complicated thing I've ever put together with my own two hands. With all the seam-ripping and re-sewing involved, I probably did enough actual sewing to make two of them. I may or may not have been close to tears when I rounded what I thought was the last corner...only to realize I'd put the magnetic snap on backwards. Oy!

But it was so worth it. It's such an awesome sense of accomplishment to carry that bag around and know that I made it myself. No it's not perfect, but I did it. I really did it! And I love it. The fabric makes me so happy, and it's perfectly functional.

I followed Carrie's modification and made it with a wrist strap instead of a shoulder strap. I like that, but I think next time I will make the strap a bit shorter. And next time I will jazz it up with a ribbon decorating the front flap. There definitely will be a next time.



Please disregard the bowl of food in the background, propping up the bag...I took these photos last evening during our backyard picnic dinner.

Even the puppies joined us for dinner. :o)



I also found the perfect little mini-wallet at Target - it matches the purse like they are meant to go together and slips in there just right. (notice the puppy off to the side in the photo...Nadia's contribution to the set up)



The handbag is exactly the right size to hold all the essentials - wallet, phone, keys, lip gloss, pack of gum. Perfect!



Nadia snapped this photo for me. My hand looks strange and alien, but it shows off the bag quite nicely!



I lurve my little bag. I am ridiculously proud of it!