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Project 52
our theme this week for project 52 is relaxation. my favorite spot at the end of any day is down by the lake. there's something about the stillness of the water and the breeze on my face. i can go down there and find complete relaxation.
please continue with our circle and see what the talented Clara Huynh of Heart Inspired Photography has for us this week...
"joy is not the absence of suffering. it is the presence of God." robert schuller
this week our theme is joy. i look into her eyes and i see so much...
please continue with our blog circle and see what the fabulous Mary Schannen l Melange Photography has to share this week...
this week for project 52 our theme is reflection. i can't wait to see all of the different ways our group will interpret this theme. i have been busy photographing our church's vacation bible school this week and was lucky to capture this image with my iPhone on a walk one afternoon. i am pretty smitten with this little fellow.
i am thrilled to welcome Mary Schannen of Melange Photography back to our group. she's been a way the past few weeks, and i am so glad she is back this week. she is just amazing, so enjoy!
we spent the week of the fourth at long boat key, fl. i cannot wait to share more images from that fantastic week, but for today our project 52 theme is 4th of July -independence. i captured this beautiful image of my 8 yer old daughter as the sun was setting. this image seems very fitting for this week as i watch her become more and more independent each day.
please continue on to the blog of Clara at Heart Inspired Photography and see what fabulous image she has this week...
happy friday. welcome back for our weekly project with my friends at the bloom forum. this week our theme is : metallic a certain little two year old found some of big sissy's old dress up shoes. ever since, they haven't come off...
and i had to share this one from later in the day....so much i just love about it!
now head on over to the blog of Clara at Heart Inspired Photography to see her metallic image.
this week our theme is night. my oldest had her cousin over to sleep over for the first time this week. i peeked in on them having some girly fun. couldn't help but capture it.
let's head on over to see what clara l heart inspired photography has captured this week...
oldness is our theme this week for project 52. why have i then included pictures of our almost 6 year old son? i look at him and i just feel like time has gone by extra fast with him. he seems so OLD to me. i look at him and feel like the years between 1 and 5 were just a blur in so many ways... is it the middle child syndrome? is it because my husband deployed when he was 4 months old and had 2 more deployments before he was 5 years old? was i just trying so hard to survive in the world of motherhood that time slipped by too quickly? or maybe it is a combination of all this. do you ever feel this way? i feel like no time is enough to share with my family. but i have to remember this:
"Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending." ~Author Unknown
i love him so much. i love the little boy he's become. a tender-heart full of compassion, his own ideas, and lots of energy for life. he's our only son and such a true joy in our lives...
please follow our blog circle and see what the talented Clara with Heart Inspired Photography has this week...
this week our theme for project 52 is innocence...
i see her and i still see my firstborn baby fresh in my arms. the most innocent of beings. i can feel it like it was yesterday. it is true, eight years have passed. i see her still so innocent even in a world that wants otherwise. yet, she is in that moment in between what she once was and who she is now becoming...
please continue on with our blog circle and see what the super talented Mary Schannen of Melange Photography has this week...
it's friday...which means it's time for this week's new theme. we were to photograph a stranger this week. when i saw this theme, i didn't know what in the world i would do. admittedly, i was a bit nervous. but lucky for me, i have a super outgoing husband. we were at a fun outdoor concert a few weeks ago here ino ur hometown at bok tower gardens. we noticed the lovely four ladies across the yard. my husband agreed that they would be perfect to use for my project. he went with me to ask them for permission to take their picture. they were so sweet. it was fun to get to meet them and learn a bit about them. thank you for letting me share your image..you are each beautiful!
now head on over and see what stranger michele has captured...
this week's theme for project 52 is power. we were at Walt Disney World last saturday. i couldn't help but notice how enamored our three children were with the race cars. they stared at them in awe. the noise of their engines intrigued them. this was the first time our youngest (who is 2) was tall enough to join us. so, we split up into two cars...the girls and the boys. this meant both my oldest daughter and our son would get to drive. they were ecstatic. they would have the power behind the wheel.
and before i go i have to leave you with this one of our sweet baby girl. she FINALLY got her own mickey mouse ears..and as you can see, she was quite smitten. love her.
i'd say they are all pretty special to this mama.
please follow our blog circle and see the amazing image mary schannen of melange photography has this week.
"my strength alone will never be enough but Your arms keep lifting me up"
this week our theme for project 52 is favorite song. i had a couple choices. do i pick a song that would make wonderful photographs? or do i pick a song that really is one of my favorites?
well, i went with the song Free by Dara Maclean because it really speaks to my heart.
often i am asked how do i do it all. we have three children. i home-school. i run a part time business. my husband is gone a lot. yet, i guess i appear too be doing it all with a smile.
i'll be honest with you...
i feel like a failure many days. i feel like i am not enough. i see the piles of laundry. i see the mess in my car. i see my body that is not as fit as it needs to be. i cry. i get lonely. the list really could go on of all the ways i see my shortcomings. i'm human. and its so easy for the devil to come in and make us feel inadequate. then you can add society into the picture. pinterest. facebook. magazines. you get the idea. its easy to look around and feel like everyone has a "picture perfect life". and yes, i may be guilty of appearing that way too at times. perhaps we all are. but i don't want anyone to think that is the case. really, i am just an ordinary girl who loves her husband and children with all her heart and strives to stay positive no matter what the circumstance...but
don't be fooled.....i don't do it all. i just have an amazing God full of grace and love and He does amazing things through me.
(if you haven't heard this song, please go check it out)
Hurting heart and broken wings Cannot stop Your love from always finding me No more days wasting away I finally realize the gift inside of me My strength alone will never be enough But Your arms keep lifting me up You tell me I've been made free You give me everything I need to walk in my dreams You whisper words that free my soul You're the reason I have hope You're everything I need and more You made me You made me free I was caged in, then You opened Every door that held me bound and You gave me the key No more pressure I can just breathe The girl I tried so hard to be, has always been me My strength alone will never be enough But Your arms keep lifting me up You tell me I've been made free You give me everything I need to walk in my dreams You whisper words that free my soul You're the reason I have hope You're everything I need and more Now I'm free to love, free to live, Free to take my life and give it all to You Oh, you tell me I've been made free You give me everything I need to walk in my dreams You whisper words that free my soul You're the reason I have hope You're everything I need and more You made me You made me free You made me You made me free
now please continue with our blog circle and see what Mary Schannen of Melange Photography has for her favorite song.
another friday has somehow arrived, therefore it's time for another week of project 52. this week our theme is temptation.
admittedly there are many temptations in life. i am grateful beyond words for God's grace, because some days i feel like i fall time and time again in to the tempations surrounding me. today i wasn't sure what i was going to use for my image and then i see this pile of laundry (yet to be put away) on my bed...and not far from it was the ipad. oh, how fitting. the ipad only represents the MANY tempations technology has brought into our lives. tempations, distractions, wasted time. YES, i think technology is fabulous and i love all the benefits, but i've fallen many times to the tempations it brings. sometimes one minute online can turn into hours of the day wasted that should have been spent otherwise (maybe putting up this laundry??!!) seriously, i pray for God's grace and forgiveness in the time i let get wasted from HIM, from my children, from my husband, and from all the important priorities of my life. and i strive to do better...
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." EPHESIANS 6:11
now please continue with our blog circle and see what Mary Schannen of Melange Photography has this week to share...
it's friday, which means we are back with another theme for project 52. album cover is our theme this week--its sure to be a fun one. in our home we listen to contemporary Christian music most of the time. we are big K-LOVE fans. we stream it through our apple tv or phones now that we do not have a local station. it's really an awesome way to keep your day focused on positive and uplifting thoughts.
anyway....for this project though, i used a jack johnson song: Better Together. whenever i hear this song i think of my amazing husband. we are apart a lot and as i hear it, it always brings back happy thoughts of us together. wonderful memories. comfort. (infact as i write this, he is once again away--working in the middle east).
so i had to decide how i would interpret my song through pictures....and my daughter and my niece came to mind. they spent the first seven years of their short lives only seeing each other on Christmas and summer break. but through these visits they have always been so close, the best of friends. now that they only live a few houses apart, they love to get together to play when they don't have other activities. i wanted to capture them being carefree, dreaming, loving life, and just enjoying the NOW. so here is my album cover:
Jack Johnson: Better Together
(click here if you'd like to read lyrics and play song)
now continue on with our blog circle and see what Clara from Heart Inspired Photography | Adelaide Photographer has for her album cover...
welcome back for another week of project 52 with my group of friends from the bloom forum. this week's theme is pastel. i took some pictures this week of my niece who just turned two. they fit the theme so well. we are all very excited that miss E will have a baby sister in a couple of months...and i'd say she is pretty excited as well. oh, how i love this little girl. i am so thankful to see her all the time now. she truly is miss sunshine...
please continue with our blog circle and see what Mary Shannen of Melange Photography has shared for pastel...
it's friday once again which means its time for project 52. this week our theme is green with envy. i admit i don't have a super creative green themed image this week.....nor anything leprechaun related :) i was thinking about how green everything is right now in florida and how beautiful it is. the weather is gorgeous and everything is in full bloom. the orange blossoms are one of my favorites right now. their scent always reminds me i am "home"....they are just lovely!
we decided to take a little spring break from our homeschooling this week...and pretty much every day has looked pretty similar to the images below. as i watched the children all week playing with their cousins and friends, i couldn't help but be a little bit green with envy as they are so carefree at their age. IN REALITY, what i feel is very thankful. so grateful for the life God has blessed us with. for the people around us and the beautiful life we have. i never want to take it for granted...
please continue on with the blog of Clara from Heart Inspired Photography | Adelaide Photographer and see how she captured this week's theme...
memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~
From the television show The Wonder Years
this week our theme for project 52 is memories. its really the every day moments that become the memories that last a lifetime. it certainly doesn't take fancy vacations, elaborate toys or anything crazy.....just simple times with people you love. i am so grateful for all the memories i have over my lifetime. they bring me laughter, tears, hope, peace....so many emotions.
as i reflect on the past week, i realize how many fun memories we make as a family on a daily basis. and what is so special when i look at the past week (and months) is that my children's' "memories" now get to include their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who they see all the time. such a treasure! this week some of our memories included gardening with mita, sharing some quiet time with pito, helping celebrate two very special cousins' birthdays, water gun fights with each other, dr.Seuss's' birthday week celebrations and some fun in the lake....
now head on over to the blog of Clara from Heart Inspired Photography | Adelaide Photographer and see what memories she has captured....
thanks for joining me for another week of project 52 with this fabulous group of ladies from the bloom forum. we've had fun already this year exploring lots of fun themes like love, newness, and refreshing. this week our theme is alone. i am in the process of taking an 8 week workshop called finding the light. and it is truly amazing. in one week i've learned so much and i am so grateful to the teachers already! they are each such talented photographers and teachers. i wanted to use some of the techniques/pictures for this week's theme.
i love when i capture my children alone and content. to find them in their own world and happy is a picture worth a thousand words. during my workshop this week we covered dramatic light shooting indoors. after much trial and error I got a few I fell in love with. and for all of these, i just loved them in black and white, vs. my usual color and sun filled images:)
next up is the super talented mary schannen of Melange Photography---go see what she has captured for alone
welcome back for week 8 of project 52 with my group of friends from the bloom forum. this week our theme is : pretend. i had lots of ideas for this theme. doesn't it seem children spend much of their time in their "own pretend" world? i know mine do. daily, i watch super mario run around our yard. i see store being played and meals being cooked in the kitchen. and of course, with two little ladies in my house, i see itty bitty mamas, tending to their little babes. its fun watching my children and seeing where their imaginations take them. oh, how blessed i feel to be a part of their daily world...
i hope you have a super fun weekend. be sure to follow our blog circle and see what the very creative mary schannen of Melange Photography has caputred for pretend.
"the greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance" brian tracy
welcome to week 7 of project 52. i am enjoying discovering this year's themes with this great group of ladies from the bloom forum. this week our theme is love. i feel very blessed to be surrounded by so much love in my life. ultimately it isn't the things we have in life, but the people we share our lives with. i am so blessed to have loving parents and in laws, a loving husband of almost 13 years and three amazing children that have taught me so much about unconditional love. not to mention the love i have of my siblings and dear friends. my life is very full and for that i am thankful.
as i was thinking of love i thought about unconditional love. i don't know if i truly felt this extraordinary feeling until i became a mother, but i certainly know it very well now. it tugs at your heart and no words can really explain the magnitude of it. this led me to think of our dog buster brown. our loyal companion for almost 13 years as well. i have written about our buster before. and it just amazes me the love our pets bestow on us. over the years buster has certainly seen his "spotlight" dim, so to speak, as we have had more children, taken on more responsibilities, and just become busy raising our family. but his love for us is unchanging and always faithful. it's beautiful. so for this week i dedicated my love session to him and my oldest daughter. to me there is something so warming about seeing these two together. both, continue to teach me so much about unconditional love..
please continue on with our circle and see what the super talented mary schannen of Melange Photography captured for love...
"the imperfections of a man, his frailties, his faults, are just as important as his virtues. you can't separate them. they're wedded" ~Henry Miller
welcome to week 6 of project 52, with my group of friends at the bloom forum. i thank you for continuing to follow our fun project. if you are new this week, please read a little about this idea. we've already done some great themes like homemade, newness, and refreshing.
this week our theme is : letting go of perfect. i have struggled my whole life with perfectionism. with wanting others to be happy. pleasing people. as i've gotten older i am starting to intentionally let go of some of this. i want to know perfect isn't something i have or need to be. it really isn't something God even designed me to be. we were designed to need God and i need to realize all of my faults and shortcomings, make me the person He created.
i love the art of photography, because what may be someone else's mess up, is someone else's art. its a beautiful thing that way. i love that as artists we all see things in our own special way. and i cannot wait to see this week how my group each decided to capture this theme. my pictures evolved as the week went on. surely there were many things in my life i could do to "let go of perfect." we were making valentine's day cards and of course before we ever started i had seen many oh, so cute designs on pinterest. i had ideas flowing through my head. but somehow things changed. my children wanted to do something without direction. something that was just theirs. their own ideas, their own creations. mom not telling or showing them what they needed to do. so i let go of my picture perfect ideas...and let them do their own. it was messy and glitter was just about everywhere. AND they loved it!!! they were proud of what they created. i am so glad i did this...
now head on over to my dear friend Gretchen Ceranic's blog Little Life Photography and see how she has captured letting go of perfect...