1.31.10

The print on my pajamas that I've worn all day today.

1.30.10

I had several friends over today to sip on some wine and sniff on some Scentsy. Of course, I didn't break out the camera until people got ready to leave. Oops.

Kacy, Kecia, & Jenn



Baby Langston, who did no sniffing and no sipping. He did, however, like the dogs.

1.29.10

I got a free canvas from Canvas People, and it's awful. It is SO BRIGHT which made me add some chalking for a little bit of definition and balance. The chalking doesn't help much. The color in this photo of the canvas looks better than it does in person! Luckily I only paid $4.95 for shipping. Canvas People = do not recommend

1.28.10

I'm so excited about my new Scentsy warmer. Thanks, Jennifer!

1.27.10

YUM! BROWNIES!

I wasn't sure exactly how to shoot this, so I just played with some settings. The brownies probably tasted better than my shot looks!

f/4, exp 1/30, ISO-400

1.26.10

Kacie vs. the box.

The amazing family of my amazing friend, Kacie, hosted a shower for her this past weekend before she enters the hospital for at least one month and must stay quarantined at home for two to three months after that. The biggest box of all proved to be almost bigger than Kacie!

Kacie is scheduled for a bone marrow transplant during the second week of February. We are all hoping and praying this will be the cure to her six-year battle with leukemia. You can join us in praying for her if you like. If attitude has anything to do with it, then Kacie is on her way to kicking cancer's ass!

1.25.10

Good Mexican food + good margaritas + good friend = a good end to a craptastic day.


Focus was on drinking, not on camera settings. :)

1.24.10

More retail included finishing out the bookshelves in our front room.

1.23.10

Yesterday sucked. Katie makes everything better though. Flowers, a balloon, and chocolate makes me smile.

1.22.10

Retail therapy included a new mat for the laundry room floor.

1.21.10

Very few leaves left on the hibiscus. Will it survive? That is the horticultural question of the season.

1.20.10

Scrapbooking scores for under $60!

1.19.10

This is my friend Kara's dog, Nico. I love his beard and funky hairz.

Anyone have tips on shooting pets and dealing with their eyes?

AF: f/5, 1/60, ISO-400

1.18.10

Confession: This shot was taken yesterday. There were so many cool things to shoot that I had to include one more!

A closed water well:

I tried to play around with some very basic editing software I have, but I still couldn't get it like I wanted. If I ever learn how to work this awesome camera of mine, I'll learn Photoshop.

Settings:
f/25
ISO-400
FL = 28mm

1.17.10

The ranch has some great colors! Even though the grass isn't green in the winter, I found awesome colors scattered throughout the acreage. I took over 100 shots around the land yesterday and today, playing mainly with apeture.

Bright orange tractor tire:


Settings:
f/29
ISO-400
FL = 41mm
SOOC

1.16.10

I did it! I finally took a shot that was not taken on auto.

The ranch where we are staying for our scrapbook retreat is full of wonderful photo opps. I was excited to finally seeing the sun after a couple of cloudy, rainy days.

Settings:
f/22
ISO-400
FL = 18mm
WB = manual

1.15.10

I'm at a scrapbook retreat with friends this weekend, and I hope there is time to learn how to shoot more than just auto shots. Hope you don't mind not seeing photos of my pets. I know it'll be hard, but I think you can handle it.


Thank goodness the place where we are staying has a good fireplace screen because we are cold and plan to have a fire going ALL weekend long!

1.14.10

They say let sleeping dogs lie. Do they also say something about taking incessant photos of your dog? I thought so.

I'm fascinated by Steve's feet. His feet have always been big, and it was fun to watch our seven pound baby grow into them.

Dirty, filthy, gross, focused feet - SOOC.

1.13.10

I learned tonight that my camera takes both color . . .

and monochromatic photos!

(both SOOC)

1.12.10

Yes, I have a cat. Her name is Mindy. She's seventeen years old, and she only likes me. Sometimes she likes Todd. Just sometimes.

1.11.10

Today was a busy and early morning, and the frost atop our grill cover looked photo-worthy. (Full Auto, SOOC)

1.10.10

I made homemade lasagna tonight. Poor photo; really good food.

1.9.10

A dog and his dirty, nasty ball sleep together.

I'm working on my perspective, focal points, and composition. SOOC.

1.8.09

Might not be cold to some people, but in Texas this is crazy cold (and before windchill is factored into it).

1.7.10

Back to the grind. Too much grading for this teacher to get done.

1.6.10

Is that a bandage on your tail or are you happy to see me?

Exactly one week after surgery to remove a fatty tumor from his chest, Steve somehow cut open his tail. After rushing him to the vet because I thought his chest was bleeding (all over the house), we found (due to the slinging of blood around the vet's waiting room) a 1.5" laceration and it was stitched up during minor surgery. One week = total of $1000 in dog repair. And we can't even ride him like a car.

1.5.10

Another expensive day thanks to Steve. Can you find the TWO vet-related changes to our dog in this photo?

1.4.10

So thankful he bought "us" a new camera.

SOOC. I know there is a TON of distraction in the background. Welcome to just a glimpse of Todd's office.

1.3.10

Nothing like the unconditional love of a precious girlfriend with Muppet eyebrows and a wispy tailfeather.

Minimal editing for B&W and contrast.

1.2.10

Mindy guards the last gift left under the tree. It is not for her.

Every year, Steve expresses his sadness that the tree is coming down.

1.1.10

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm learning that I need to learn a whole lot about my new camera! For those of you who are photography buffs and pros, I think this site will be a source of amusement for you as you watch me learn. :) Most everything I post for a while will be SOOC (straight out of the camera), probably taken on auto, and not fancy at all!

I still want to continue this blog because I really enjoyed looking back on the random photos I took in the first few months of 2009. What a neat journal I started! Now I want to complete one. On most days, I will post only one photo and won't have a bunch of text for you to read. Today I'm just posting some random stuff and talking about it some. Why? Because it's my blog.

My very first shots (shot on auto, SOOC):

#1 Pretty Pippin enjoys her new bed. She's such a lady.

#2 Sad Steve is sad for no reason. His life is too sweet to pull that!

#3 Dueling Dogs appear to be so tough. I guess they are tough for those who fear being licked to death.

#4 Sign Todd got me for my fancy, new laundry room. "Do It Yourself" is how laundry's done here!

We spent January 1, 2010 on the couches watching movies. I got to use my new popcorn set!

My stepmother gave me the set with a large popcorn bowl, four smaller serving bowls, and matching season shakers. I wanted to fill up the entire large bowl, and I ate most of it. I was almost sick, but I enjoyed using my new gift!

Although this is a tragic looking shot, I still had to post this one:

This picture frame ornament began hanging on our tree since my first Christmas living here (aka living in sin w/ Todd) in 2005. Isn't that a nice, vintage pic in the frame? You're probably wondering when it was taken, who it is, etc., right? Well, I don't have a clue who that is. It's the original photo from when the ornament was bought!!! We now hate to change it because it gives us a reason to smile every year. :)

Here's hoping that your year ahead is one in which you can make wonderful memories and capture them!