Favorite shot of June

Just thought I'd take part in Paper Mama's photo challenge - favorite shot of June.  I looked through them all and I love a lot of them, but this one is my favorite.  I had dressed her up in her Easter dress (yes, I know I was late on Easter pictures).  We went over to UT botanical gardens.  I love that place.  We were walking around taking in all the beautiful flowers when Emma spied a big rock.  Oh her love for rocks goes far beyond anyone's love for beautiful flowers ;0).  She's so funny.  I do believe I will miss the days of rocks being special toys!

Check out more pictures here:

Thanks for stopping in!

Becky

Wordless Wednesday - Randomness just because

So I am just being random today.  I am still working on the crochet flowers they just aren't good enough to post any pictures yet.  I did crochet a bird applique the other night and when I get all the strings tucked in I will share it with you guys. I think it's cute. :0)

Exciting news - My friend who is pregnant is going to let me take maternity pictures of her and I get to take pictures of her baby when she's born (for free of course)!  YAY... I will be so nervous, but I have a bit to get more comfortable with my camera. 

So I was just flipping through my pictures tonight and saw this one.  It just jumped out at me.  I didn't see it before because the bubbles were so faint.

Well, anyhoo, I hope you guys enjoy your Wednesdays!  I sure will! 

Thanks for stopping in!

Becky

The One Where I talk about God

I have been inspired this week to be true to myself and to be true to God.  I have eluded to the fact that I go to church and even that I am greatful to God for things, but I haven't really shared much else about my faith here on this blog.  I have another blog that I have kind of abandoned, but it was started for that purpose - to share my faith.  I started this blog with the purpose of sharing my search for creativity.

I'm not sure why I had separated the two things.  They go hand in hand.  God was the first to "create"!  He is where I find my creativity.  He should be smack dab in the center of all things I do so I just wanted everyone to know that I have made a decision to combine the 2 blogs.  It really isn't going to change a whole lot, but I will be sharing things that God lays on my heart.  I will still be creating and taking pictures.  I will still be sharing more shots of Emma then you ever really wanted to see.  Most importantly, I will be true to God and true to me.  I hope you'll stick around!  You won't regret it!

- On a funny note -
  This picture really just cracked me up because looks like, to me, the goose is telling a joke and all the other geese are swimming away with disapproving looks like "yeah, we've heard that one before".  Poor guy, he is cracking himself up! 

Ok, so I feel sorry for the goose because that is totally me!! Hahaha

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Sort of Faceless Portrait

Had to go to the archives for this one. - Leaf Veins

Eyelashes

Paint - Emma's chalk covered footsies with the leftover nail polish from the one time she let me paint a few of her nails, but won't let me remove it!!  :0)

Window/Door - During one of the recent storms

Sorry so few words, it is late... I must needs sleep.

Thanks!  Check out more here!

Saturday Slip n Slide

I am changing up the look of my blog a bit.  Not a lot, but I've just been playing around with it so just bare with me until I can get it figured out :0).

Today I feel like I got a lot done.  Maybe it's because I mopped the kitchen floor.  Anytime I complete a task I  feel as though I've won the lottery or something LOL.  Most weekends are wasted.  Not that I think relaxing is wasting time, relaxing is so important!  Usually I end up wishing I'd accomplished something so my point is that this weekend I can think about that mopped floor and the cabinets full of groceries and know that I accomplished something  

So after I mopped we ran out for a bit and when we got back home we pulled out the sip n slide and Emma some fun before her nap.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!  I hope to pop in tomorrow for Scavenger Hunt Sunday!  See ya then! ;0)

Thanks for stopping in!
Becky

Storyboard Templates make me HAPPY! {Fabulous Friday!}

My very first attempt at a storyboard! :0)  I found some free templates online which I'm so happy about!!! Yippee!!  Anyhoo, I took Emma out on the front porch this evening before the storm so it was cool.  We did some coloring and some cloud watching.

That middle shot is my fave shot of the week!

There are a bunch of templates and this is probably the simplest one.  I thought I'd start out with something easy.  These are so easy too, they are for photoshop, but because, as I've eluded to before, Gimp is so similar, it is easy to translate Photoshop tutorials into Gimp.  Although I have seen photoshop and it is much neater looking and does have a lot more nifty things than the free one does, Gimp does the job for now. 
You can download the templates at Ginger Pixel.  They really are very easy and fun to use.  The hardest part is just finding the right picture to put in the spots.

Here is another template. It's pretty neat.

Day at the Lake

So what to blog about today?...?  Well, I will start with my trip to the lake last weekend. 

It was rainy and cool.

But we still had fun

We fed the ducks

We saw some geese

We played in the pool

We blew bubbles inside the house boat when the rain was pouring outside

I got some angry sky shots

And I got to be a little creative

*I got the texture from Kim Klassen, but I can't remember which texture it is that I used!! Sorry! :0)

I thought I'd join in on a new (to me) photo challenge this week.  Go check out more awesome texture photos and vote for your fave!

Easy little edit, can I say YAY!!?

So, I have to say... I am extremely excited about some tutorials that I have recently read and watched on Ashely Sisk's blog.  These have totally changed the way my photos can look.  I can now take a so-so picture and turn it into something that I would share with people.  I have TONS of so-so pictures. Ashley does explain that it is easier to take a good picture to begin with, but I am still learning and these tools really make a difference for me.

 The tutorials are for some version of photoshop (which I don't have).  I have found that it is usually pretty easy to follow photoshop tutorials in Gimp (a free program online).

I can't tell you what all I did to this picture.  I think I pretty much just lightened it up a bit because I knew it needed more, but I didn't know what to do.  So here is my before:

So I thought I wouldn't ever be able to use this shot for anything. Which was a shame because it's the only close up I got of Abbie in her little hat on Mothers day.

Here's after my edit:

Keep in mind that I know very little when it comes to editing.  I guess it may look a little strange with the hat shadow detail on her face, but  I think this is pretty nifty looking.  I lightened her face with the dodge burn tool and then I used the unsharpening mask to sharpen up the picture a bit (which makes no sense... unsharpen = sharpen, yeah no wonder we need tutorials to do this stuff!).  It makes me happy to think so much can be done with so little effort!! :0)  Thanks Ashley!

Favorite Day, Favorite Shot

Don't you just love that feeling you get on Summer Thursday evenings?  Maybe it's just me, but I start feeling free. 

{Monday} I feel very encumbered with things that need to be done.

{Tuesday} I feel joy because Monday is over.

{Wednesday}I feel hope because the work week is 1/2 way through.

{Thursday} I feel giddy because I only have one day left - Thursday evenings I start feeling that freedom that comes with the weekend.

{Friday} -THE DAY!!!  The one that comes before Saturday and the evening I can do what I want and know that I don't have to get up for work in the morning!  YAY! FREEDOM IS HERE!

Here's my favorite shot of the week:

So, quick thought... when did it become not embarrassing to pull out a massive camera at a local restaurant during dinner and take pictures.  At what point did I become desensitized to what other people think?  How in the world did I get to the point that I have to ask people "is this embarrassing for you?".  I say this because Sunday I reached so naturally for my camera at dinner because my daughter was standing on the booth seat beside the window.  The light was hitting her face just right and there was a nice little tree outside that would have made for a sweet picture.  I would've snapped it real quick and then put the camera away.  I looked up to faces of horror and asked "would this be embarrassing" to which my father replied "yes".  I put it away and that was that. I think it's great that I feel comfortable shooting anywhere.  I guess the question should  be "Why is it embarrassing?"

{Dodging} the {burn} by Sliding ;)

I am sooo... excited about learning how to dodge/burn to brighten and darken a picture.  I knew there was a way, but I had no idea it was this easy!  Thanks so much to Ashley at Ramblings and Photos for sharing a tutorial!                                                          

This is before

 This is after

I lightened her face and upper body was too shaded and I darkened her legs a bit.  They were a little too blown out but I didn't think I would be able to use this picture before.  :) 

Also does anybody know what I am doing wrong with my picture quality?  These pictures were very clear before I uploaded them.  Are the files too big for blogger or something?  Thanks!

-Side note, please ignore the bottom of the edit LOL... I guess I didn't realize that I missed the bottom of the picture, lol... I'm too lazy to fix it right now.

Wednesday {Bubbles}

Last night was a pretty peaceful evening.   I got to take some bubble pictures! Yay!! :0) 
Just thought I'd share a few.

Bubble Face

 

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch;

nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.

Oliver Wendell Holmes



Posting Comments {Problems with Blogger}

Ok, I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, but I sure am.  I went to comment on my own blog and couldn't because it wouldn't let me sign in for the comment box.  I had noticed that I never have problems on other blogs that have the Popup comment box so I changed mine and it worked like a charm!  I was signed in when it popped up!  YAY!  So the problem is with the embedded comment boxes.  Not sure why, but just thought I'd tell as many people as I can, which is 28 btw!!!  Yay! I have 28 followers! Yippee!!!  ;0)


Thanks!
Becky

{Emma} Written in Light

After about 50 million tries I finally got Emma's full name written in light. 

The 'a' was the hardest part.  This isn't my strongest 'E' either, but I had to settle.  I kept trying to write it out backwards so you could read it, and it wasn't working for me.  It is hard enough writing something in the air without trying to write it backwards.  Then it dawned on me that I could just write it out and flip it afterwards.  Then after a few million more tries I got this. :0) 

I didn't even know this was possible until I read the "long exposure" prompt for scavenger hunt sunday.  I've really learned a lot throught that photo challenge alone.  Very cool.  Usually I would pass on that kind of prompt because I had no idea what it was, but I'm glad I didn't.  Very neat!  I can't wait to try out the other types of long exposure.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday Fun!

Scavenger Hunt: Long Exposure, Green, Childhood Memory, Fruit, & Shapes

Long Exposure:

 I have to say, this is one of the coolest things I've done so far with this camera!  How neat!!  I want to go back into my bathroom and make the shutter speed even slower so that I can write Emma's Whole name.  :0)  Can it be done? We shall see ;0). 

Childhood Memory: Otter Pops! 

 

 I've had this type of Popsicle since my childhood, but these were actually called "otter pops".  I hadn't had those in a very long time.  I wish the box hadn't been thrown away.

Fruit:

 Well, my fruit is kind of sad - it totally needs to be eaten today otherwise it's not going to make it.

Shapes:

Green:

Well almost all of my shots have a little green in them today, but this is one of my favorite from last Saturday.  I don't know why.  I think it's the shape of the dress and her smile as she's found a huge rock that she wants to keep for herself!

Check out other interpretations here:





*I just realized that I had "anonymous" comments blocked.  I unblocked it because I am having issues leaving comments and I figure others are too.  It stinks.  I am contemplating changing over to wordpress.  I wonder if they have as many issues as blogger.

You're Always on My Mind

I keep meaning to post some pictures of my crochet flowers, but I haven't taken any yet.  I just keep forgetting.  I lost steam on that project for a bit.  I need to focus my energy on some other things.
1. Couponing - Upcoming Post
2. Cleaning - Possible Upcoming Post
3. Organizing - Possible Upcoming Post

Well, I haven't given up on the crochet flowers thingy, just need to go buy some gator clips and headbands to get some final products going.  I also for some reason just have odd colored yarn.  I need to get me some pretty colors. I'll try to remember to take a picture tonight of what I have.

What have you been thinking about lately? 
Here's a picture to look at while you think about it.

Wordless Wednesday with Words and Water

I love that Emma doesn't mind LOVES getting soaked to the bone.

  

I also love the fact that you can get some pretty cute pictures when you get out the water hose!

She's trying to get a drink ;0)

I ran across this linky party and will look at the other links later after church, but I thought my post fit into to it so I had to link up :0)
There are some pretty cool things shared at this linky party, don't take my word for it!  Go check it out!