Give Me Your Best Shot #12

Hands down, this is my favorite shot of the week. Granted, it totally grossed me out that she was drinking out of a dirty, cracked bucket......but boy, did it make a fun shot! 3 days of over-90 degree weather and it was time to play with the water hose in the backyard. Ahh! Refreshing! What about you? What was your favorite shot of the week? I'd love to see what everyone else has been up to!

Foto Friday--The Key

As many of you know, I am officially on vacation as of today, so I am keeping today's photography tip short and simple. Do you want to know a secret?

You can take good (and bad!) pictures with ANY CAMERA. You don't have to have the latest, greatest, biggest, or most expensive camera to catch good shots.

The key to a good photograph is it's composition. (See my previous post about composition) A good photo is one in which the placement of elements within the scene is visually appealing and interesting--it captures and holds the viewers attention. How do you do that?

~Make sure your background is not distracting by moving your shooting position or moving the subject.

~Look for patterns, shapes, color, lines, etc that will lead the viewer's eye into the picture.

~Be ready and react quickly when good photo opportunities present themselves.

~Study photos that you like and notice what it is about them that you like. Recreate!

Now I want to hear your composition tips! The floor is yours.

Not What I was Hoping For....

I got to the airport at 5:45 tonight. My flight took off at 5:50. Without me.

My ride was late. The traffic was horrific. The 5:50 flight was the last flight of the night.

I was supposed to be on this trip to relax and de-stress.

Instead, I am back home, a wreck. My body is spaghetti.

I just found out that I didn't make the top 10 for the Mother of All Bloggers contest on Momlogic. It shouldn't matter, but it was a blow tonight.

I need some cheering up. I think I'll go watch some goldfish.

Someday when I'm feeling better, I will tell you about my exciting day in DC with fellow bloggers. But not today. 'Nite!

You Capture. Joy

I wish I could capture the feeling of a clear mind. A good night's sleep and half a day without allergy medicine is doing wonders for my head (see my previous post about that). That's joy.

So is the knowledge that I'll be heading to the airport in a few hours. JOY.

Here are a few of the joyous occassions I actually DID catch this week.

Some friends got married (and the bride dropped the purple frosting-ed piece of cake right on the grooms shirt. Oops!)


The weather was HOT and this kids pulled out the swimming suits and water toys


Kids will be kids....

Spring is officially, 100% here. Blooms and blossoms, bees and birds. COLOR!

What's in YOUR fruit punch?

Yesterday, by the time the kids got home from school, I was practically passed out on the family room arm chair. I haven't been able to figure out why I have been sooooo tired and--I don't know--simply not feeling myself. My eyes have felt weighed down. I'm not thinking straight. I have a constant ache in my head, and the fatigue....Ugh! I couldn't get myself up and moving.

So as I lay in the chair yesterday, in and out of consciousness, Twizzler came to me and asked, "Mom, what is the other flavor in the fruit punch? It's orange, lemon, lime, and what?"

I asked him to repeat the question.

"What's the other flavor in the fruit punch? It's orange, lemon, lime, and what?"

"Cheesecake," I said in all confidence.

"Huh?"

"Cheesecake," I repeated.

"OK," Twizzler said, returning to the kitchen. "Mom says the other flavor is cheesecake."

I heard him from the other room and immediately started laughing so hard I was crying. It hit me like a ton of bricks what was wrong when I heard him tell the other kids what I had said. This is not me.

It's the allergy medicine.

It's messing with my brain. I've never reacted to allergy medicine like this. It has to stop. I'm loopy. I can't stay awake. My head is all fuzzy.

I'd rather be sneezing.

I think I'll head out of town. Good thing for me, I've got a flight booked for later today. Right after my luncheon and round table meeting with a few big wig bloggers in Washington DC. Wow. I have no idea what to wear. I sure hope nobody asks me about fruit punch. Or anything else intelligent.

I'll tell you all about it once I'm safely on vacation. Yes, I will still be blogging from my mom's house.

Boy, do I need a vacation!

PS--the photo above is of AJ yesterday at the resource center. He had grape soda for lunch and had a dark mustache for the rest of the day. Heehee!

Master Gardeners (in training)

For some reason, Daddy thought that letting the kids plant the garden this year would be FUN! The kids agreed.
Why don't we try the whole packet of zucchini seeds right here?
Yeah.

Want more Wordless Wednesday? Visit 5 Minutes For Mom, MomDot , Three Peas, 3Ps in a Pod and The Not So Blog! I know there are more.....but that's all I've got for now.
And WordFUL Wednesday can be found with Angie, of course:

I ? Faces--{Reflections} Kids

I kept thinking that I would get a new picture for this week's I Heart Faces theme--reflection. But I didn't. So here's a picture, just for the sake of not missing a week! ;) I actually loved the way AJ was playing with his reflection at a friend's house on Easter. And judging by the finger prints on the mirror, many other kids have done the same.

Now go check out other reflection photos..... Love you guys!

Tuesday Tribute. 14 Years Ago Today....

I love the words to this song by Clint Black. It has been on my mind this week as I've gotten ready for our 14th Anniversary. Yep, today is 14 years since we got married.


I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
I still believe the words we said
Forever will ring true
Love is certain, love is kind
Love is yours and love is mine
But it isn't something that we find
It's something that we do
It's holding tight, lettin' go
It's flying high and laying low
Let your strongest feelings show
And your weakness, too
It's a little and a lot to ask
An endless and a welcome task
Love isn't something that we have
It's something that we do
We help to make each other all that we can be
Though we can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that you can't tell where I end and where you start
It gives me heart remembering how
We started with a simple vow
There's so much to look back on now
Still it feels brand-new
We're on a road that has no end
And each day we begin again
Love's not just something that we're in
It's something that we do
Love is wide, love is long
Love is deep and love is strong
Love is why I love this song
And I hope you love it too
I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
Love isn't just those words we said
It's something that we do
There's no request too big or small
We give ourselves, we give our all
Love isn't someplace that we fall
It's something that we do


And now for my new Story....I though it would be fun to look back in my old journals and find my first impressions of CandyMan before he was my hubby. Somday I would love to create a Cherish Bound book all about our story together--the interesting things that have happened along our way, and what brought us together.

This is something that I've never done. I am going to share something straight out of my journal--the day that I first mentioned D. Just as a little background, D and I met in August of 1994 and were married in April of 1995. We didn't start dating exclusively until the end of 1994, and in fact surprised most people we knew when we came back from Winter Break engaged. Few people knew we were even dating. Strange, but it worked for us. If you'd like to read more about our story, click my anniversary post from last year.

Friday, September 16, 1994:
Great news! On Saturday morning, I got a call from a new guy in our apartments named D, asking if I would like to go out that night. We ended up going to the movie "The Shadow" with S and K (our roommates). My roommate and I were not overly impressed with the movie, but I'm usually pretty easily entertained. After the movie, the guys came back to our apartment. K wanted to make a cheesecake for Sunday (our apartments had dinner club together)- and so D and I left to go on a walk--his sugestion. I was amazed to see how well we got along. I was completely comfortable with him. I was able to be myself. Conversation came naturally. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never been so impressed by anyone on a first date. We talked about so many things--from his mission to Russia to his childhood teddy bear, Muscle, which he wished would become real like the Velveteen Rabbit...... All I can say is that I hope he asks me out again. After last night, he's got me hooked. I'm very interested in finding out more about him. He intrigues me, and it's so surrising that we got along so well from the beginning.

Where I'm going....

At the end of last week, after not seeing my husband for days at a time, and never having a break from the house and kids, I came up with a great idea. Get out of town! I was sure that 4 days without kids was just what I needed. I was feeling a lot of stress and anxiety, and as soon as I got the go-ahead from CandyMan to take a weekend trip, my anxiety already began to melt away.

I chatted with my mom about what we could do, and came up with a short list. Way too hard to chose! Here are my choices:

a) Go to her house in Utah
b) Go hiking in Zions National Park
c) Visit my old hometown in California
d) Go to Disneyland

The poll that I put up for about a day leaned toward the trip to California. Here are my thoughts on each of the choices, and why I ended up making the choice that I did.....

d) Disneyland would be SO MUCH FUN! Can you imagine going to Disney with a girlfriend and no kids?? We could see all of the shows, take our time, and really get that "away from it all" feeling. But no shopping (at least not the kind we want to do). And not the greatest food to eat. Weather could ruin it. No friends to get together with. So no Disneyland.

c) A trip back to California would be great. Not only could we spend time with my Aunt and possibly gather a whole lot of stories for my Cherish Bound family history series that I'll be working on, but we could visit my old stomping grounds. I was also excited about the idea of meeting Francesca. But the fact is, I haven't lived there in 20 years (gosh, that makes me feel old) and without my old HOUSE to visit, there just isn't such a strong pull for me anymore.

b) I have never been to Zions, and would love to go there simply for the photographic opportunity. Talk about gorgeous! Again, I could enjoy that feeling of being completely removed from my stresses. I don't suppose that Zions had a huge list of negatives, except that I don't know the area at all, and probably would get our mother-daughter shopping bonding time.

a) So I'm going to Utah. I was concerned that going to her house there might be the most "boring" of the 4 choices, but the Pros ended up outweighing the Cons, and I'm on my way. Here's a list of some of the Pros I came up with:
~Mom has a hot tub, a great bed for me, and I know I can relax at her house
~I get to see my brother and sister in law (who's pregnant with their 1st baby), my other sister and her kids, and other extended family.
~The shopping is great, the food is great. We're set!
~I can get my hair done!! Oh! How I need to get my hair done!!
~I can meet Crew (and his Mama, my friend from college!)
~Actually, there are a bajillion people I'd love to meet up with while I'm there. If you are near Provo, send me a message and I'll try to work out a get together!
~I love my college town. My mom lives in my college town, so even though she's new there, I lived there for 5 years, got married there, and had my 1st baby there. Tons of memories. Lots of great photo opps, too.

I fly out after school on Thursday and come home late Monday night. The kids are all taken care of, and all I have to do is pack.

Can I tell you how excited I am to be getting away for a few days??

Quotable Sunday-Vacation

By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh


Only one quote for today. I'm heading out of town on Thursday. Vacation time!! Check back tomorrow for more details!

Woohoo!!

Find-Capture-Share

We have a house guest this weekend, and CandyMan is actually going to be home, so I will be spending time with my family all day. Yay! Instead of writing my stories, today I am going to be finding some new stories.

I thought I'd leave you with this short video about Cherish Bound. I just love the idea of finding, capturing, and sharing my stories. If you want to learn more, let me know!


Another way to share your stories...You can make your own Fishful Thinking story book, too! If you do, you can enter to win a $10,000 scholarship for your child!

Give Me Your Best Shot #11

I took my friends twins' pictures last Friday (after I had posted last week's Give Me Your Best Shot) and just loved the shots I caught of Professor by himself. This time (because we had a larger group and couldn't fit everyone in the spot next to my front window) I pinned my black sheet straight onto the wall in my kitchen, and was very happy with the way the pictures turned out.

What about you? What have you been capturing this week? Grab a button, post a picture, and link up! For more information, click here. :)

<a href="http://1momof5.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/1momof5/08Nov21_gmbs_1-1.jpg" /></a>

PS--Didn't KitKat do a good job on her post yesterday?? She did it all on her own, pictures and all. :)

PPS--Go enter my poll on the left! Keep in mind this would be a trip with just me and my mom--no kids! ;) Input welcome!

Fix-It Friday--Cooing Baby

It's time again for Friday Fix-Its with I Heart Faces! Today's picture is a sweet cooing newborn. Here's the original:

And here are a few things I did with the photo in Lightroom 1:

Brighter color and some sharpening:
Black and white (plus sharpening):
Sepia (plus sharpening):
Fun stuff! Now go see how everyone else edited this shot!



PS--Take a minute and answer my poll on the left! I'm thinking of taking a trip to visit my mom next weekend. No kids!

The First Kim's Kool Kolumn

Since it was take your child to work day today my mom let me take over the camera and blog to do whatever I felt like doing. So I thought I would give all of my mom's followers a list of something that they could do tomorrow. And yes, I will be doing this again. So once a month all of you readers will get to read Kim's Kool Kolumn. Enjoy!

1.Take some pictures. That's mostly all I did today. Somehow I actually enjoyed myself ( don't tell my mom)

2.Do some climbing

Even if it's just up the stairs or the jungle gym at a park. Then you too can be QUEEN OF THE WORLD, just like me!



3. Swing a little, put your head back, and believe you can fly!

Sometimes it actually works if you try.

4. Get an EVEN tan.

If you can see in this picture, my feet have a nice tan, other than the fact that right underneath my toes is an inch thick "strip" of skin that is not tanned because of my flip-flops. At least I still have a tan...right?

5. Pursue your dreams, but start small.

Ok, so maybe he wants to be a tightrope walker when he grows up, so what...I mean don't even try to tell me that he doesn't look completely adorable.

6. Start a conversation with someone.

What does it matter where it is.

7. See how many times you can catch someone smiling.





I would have only put one but I just LOVED them all. I hope you do too.

He looks ADORABLE in this picture and since I was trying to get him smile, and you can see him trying to hold it back, but he just wouldn't and wouldn't, and then he just started to smile so cutely.

8.Make someone laugh and don't hesitate to join in.

If you can see the book in my mom's hand I actually took this for fishful thinking (my mom really wants to stay at the top of that list), and then they were laughing about something and I thought it was the perfect picture for this, so I put it on.

9. Show your curiosity for something.


I just LOVE to take pictures of this little boy, even if he isn't so cooperative.

10. Be a star.

Come on, I know you can do it.

11. Show somebody something that interests you.

Not really the BEST picture, but he's still cute.

12. Have fun.



I know it is kind of random but it looks pretty cool.

This one is better. This picture was soooo impossible to take. I probably took 30 or 40 pictures and this was by far the best one because she was always waaay off to one side or the other. It looks pretty good though.

I had to do have fun for 12 because it is my favorite number and I like to have fun.


13. Paint a picture.

It was hard because he was would mix the colors in completely so I would have to take a good picture right after he changed colors. He looks so cute and grown up. I love it.

14. Start a new fashion.

Who cares if it looks fashionable. It's YOU!

15. Scare someone.

Just don't be too mean, be funny!

16. Give someone a high five.

High fives are COOL!

17.Have lunch with a friend.


Just don't eat TOO much!

18. Dance!

It was VERY hard to get him to cooperate with this shot surprisingly.

19. Show that you are strong.

I was actually shimmying in this picture and AJ was trying to copy me but it looked like I was like "Look at me, I'm so strong.", so I put it up even though it's random.

Well, that's it. If any of you actually do any of these, just remember...



...BE YOURSELF!...


Not someone you aren't! LOL


If you liked Kim's Kool Kolumn then look for it again and also try to give me other ideas of what to write, I'm not a genius after all. Thanks for reading!