Reflections

Sitting back at my desk on a Monday morning and just thinking about Memorial Day and all that it means. Those who have lost a loved one. Those that have passed.  Those nameless families wandering through the cemetary.  Those children carrying flowers. Those thousands of similar, plain, stark, white tombstones.  Those that have given their lives for our freedom.  Those flags.  Oh, those flags.

Those that are our part of our history.  Those who made us who we are.  Those that we miss.

Grandparents.

Dad.

Mom.

Happy Monday

How was your weekend?  Ready to face another Monday?  Are you rested?  Refreshed?

Me?  Not so much.

Here's a hint how I spent my weekend (and the last 7 days)!

Productive?  I think so!
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Want to win your very own Silhouette machine?

Since entering blogland, I've stumbled across many, many other creative blogs by very talented women.  One of these is Southern Hospitality.  I simply fell in love with her "Porch Makeover" post and am trying to replicate that effort at our house.

So, I'm officially sending you over to her blog, as she is sponsoring a contest to give away a Silhouette machine.  You need this machine!  Any serious crafter/homemaker/scrapbooker/mom/teacher/office worker/nurse (get the point?) needs this machine!  Seriously.  Stop by and view some fabulous Silhouette projects and see for yourself what that machine can do (it goes way beyond scrapbooking) my friends!  Tell her Judy sent you.

Hurry. Contest ends 5/24/11. 
It’s a Fabulous Crafty Cutting Silhouette Giveaway!
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Yes, it was...

A very happy birthday indeed.

Hello: little, cute, white iPhone 4!
Come to mama.

Look out.

Superstitious?

I'm not (really).

But, my mom was!  Growing up, we were leary of lots of things in our house.  If one of us would break a mirror, well that was a big one for sure.  I'm pretty sure this was because she was born on the 13th of April.  Many, many times her birthday fell on a Friday.  Talk about bad luck...

Black cats?  My mom hated cats so that was easy.  The nine lives?  Well, that's just freaky.

Step on a crack?  Well, let's just say, I avoided them at all costs.

I usually had a rabbit's foot...somewhere.

Apples were a mainstay.

We ALWAYS got new clothes on Easter.

We never had clover growing in our yard (God forbid), but my Grandma did...

Now, as a grown up, I still walk around ladders.

I only open my umbrella outside.

I always fear rain on the day I wash my car.

I'll only pick up a penny if it's heads up.

I secretly always wish my palms would itch.

I still blow out all the candles on my birthday cake!  And will again on Sunday!

National Photo Month!

Did'ja know -- May is National Photography Month? Yep, a whole month just for photographers! Woo hoo!  Perfect for me.  Perfect for May.  Yes it's real.  Legit.  Started by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the American Photography Celebration was only a week long at its inception (May 7-14), but now it is a full month --31 days to promote the joy and benefits of photography.

Most of you know that I'm in my third year of "Project Life" - a photo every day x 365.  Sometimes it can be a challenge to find that special photo to memorialize my day - my ordinary life, but I do it.  It has turned into my journal.  Not a written journal, but rather a pictoral journal.  I challenge you to take photos you might otherwise pass up because you aren't sure they'll work out. Take chances and remember what it is about photography that you love.

Here are a few of my favorite photography tips, as this is the perfect time to practice angles, play with your camera's settings, and try out new ways to shoot interesting objects. However, it's fun to practice your skills on immovable objects as well.  They don't complain!

• Read the manual that came with your camera.  Learn something new!
• Keep a Camera in your purse or in your car.  If you're lucky enough to have a phone that takes fairly decent pictures -- that is good enough.  Otherwise, carry your point-n-shoot.
• Get a tripod.  Nowadays these aren't expensive and are as portable as ever — keeping one in your camera bag can come in handy in lots of different situations.  I especially love my Gorillapod and the mini-gorilla pod.  Although I have been known to set my camera on lots of different objects as well:  tables, chairs, fences, poles, etc. are especially useful.  My knee comes in handy as well.
• Use your flash for outdoor photos.  This prevents unsightly shadows from appearing on your subject's faces by using your camera's fill flash setting when taking pics outdoors.
• Learn and practice the self-timer.  Indispensable.
• Ground the camera.  Set you camera on the ground, on your desk, on the kitchen counter, etc.  A different perspective for sure.  And, if you know how to use your self-timer, you can get in the shot!
• Taking some up-close pics? Don't forget to adjust your camera's settings to macro!
• In terms of composing your shot, learn the Rule of Thirds (both horizontally and vertically).  Pretend that your view finder is composed like a 3-column table.  Most people like to break rules, but this one is mandatory for a photographer and will keep your photos looking their best.  Photos are just more interesting when your subject is not smack dab in the middle of the photo.  Boring!

Celebrate photography with me!

National Scrapbook Day

Yep.  Saturday is National Scrapbook Day (NSD for those in the know). Yep, a real holiday (wink, wink).  Started by Creative Memories 17years ago.  It's always the first Saturday in May and I always spend it thoroughly enjoying this hobby of mine.

I’ll proclaim this over and over again: I love scrapbooking. I love preserving my family’s memories.  I love the notion of leaving a piece of me behind for future generations. I love telling our story. I love reliving our precious memories over and over again.  I love the creative process.  I love the camaraderie of my scrapbook friends.  I love the gathering and hoarding of supplies.
I love taking pictures.  

I love every single bit of it and every single bit of it is created with love.