Favorite Photo Friday

I'm taking a photography class.  This week's subject/homework was "portraits."  FINALLY... something I like to photograph.    I've spent the last 7 weeks photographing "stuff", which is extremely difficult and uninteresting to me.  These photos have to be "untouched" or "straight out of the camera" so I couldn't do any editing to them, which is very difficult for me because I want colors to pop, edges to blur, etc.  But still, these are my fav photos of the week because they are of my fav people.

This is my neighbor's son.  Don't you love those soulful eyes?  That furrowed brow?  He looks so serious, which belies his goofy, daredevil nature.  I also really love the freckles, which you don't notice so much when you look at him in person. 

If you notice nothing else about this photo, please note how dirty his knees are.  That says it all.

And on the same day, my daughter was clean and looking for the tiny little purple flowers that are coming up in our clover.  This photo is just screaming to be monochrome, but I can't touch it until after class! :(

My precious!

This is the brother of the boy in the first photo.  Isn't he just the yummiest?  Oooh!  And he squeals with this high-pitched delighted squeal that drives his mama insane, but secretly I think it's cute!:)  The focus is way off in this photo.  I zeroed in on his hands instead of his nose and my aperture was too large to capture everything crisply.  See, I KNOW what I'm doing wrong, I just can't seem to correct it. 

I love this photo of Liam.  I think I love it because it so captures who he is.  One of our portrait assignments was to capture the essence of the person we were photographing in one shot.  I had planned to get a photo of my friend Melanie with her daughter, Hope, because I think above all else, Melanie is a defender of children the world would discard and Hope embodies that.  But this photo, which I was just goofing around with, "accidentally" captured the essence of my son.  He looks like this a great portion of the day.  Notice how you can't tell if he is smiling or growling.  Yep, that's him!  Plus, that little cleft in his chin is not at all obvious when you look at him.  I love it! 

This was a shot I took yesterday trying to work on my indoor lighting.  But I love the composition because Connor is so intently focused on his Lego ship, which is pretty much life around our house.

Does anyone else have trouble if they put their photos on "xtra large" in blogger?  Mine get cut off on the right.  Is that because of the format I am using on my blog?  

Sorry, I told you way more than you wanted to know about what was in my brain while looking through the lens, but photography class has been pretty introspective for me! :)

TGIF!

1 Corinthians 10:10

"And do not grumble, as some of them did-and were killed by the destroying angel."

It's Raining, It's Pouring, It's Cold and It's Boring!!!!

"I've had enough of this...I'm calling customer service!"

"Yes, can you tell me who I need to speak to about this weather?"

"I'd like to lodge a complaint!"

"Listen mister, I know the bulbs need water, and the grass needs a drink, yada yada yada..."

"But I really can't do a thing with my hair in all this humidity."

"And my new spring sandals are just not going to be cute covered in mud."

"And I have a dozen new dresses that are gathering dust in my closet.  Plus, these winter clothes are just SOOOOO yesterday!"

"Are ya feelin' me?"  

"Then could you please send some sunshine over ASAP.... and I'll need at least 65 degrees if I hope have any sort of fun.  I'd like to get that immediately or some heads are going to roll around here!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Marry into an Irish family and St. Patrick's Day practically becomes a national holiday. We want to make sure our kiddos know that they have MANY different cultures to celebrate and enjoy.  So tonight, the Leprechaun will visit us.  He will most likely spill something green on the sink, leave a little "green pee" in the toilet, drink out of the milk carton, maybe even bring some kind of special snack for breakfast in the morning.  There is not telling what that rascal will get into, but it's never disappointing when the kids wake up to find the results of his shenanigans.

Dearest Anonymous

It has to be said, I can't take it anymore.  I have noticed on my blog and many, many others, dissenting opinions are always left anonymously.  I have never once had a positive comment left anonymously.

So here is my question, "If you own your opinion and your belief, why not just sign your name to your thoughts?"  I mean, I sign my name to my beliefs every single day.  I put my thoughts out there for the world to see, agree or not.  And I don't think I have ever given the opinion that if you don't agree with me, I don't welcome your comment.  On the contrary, I am happy to learn something and I don't pre-moderate my comments because I am open to dialogue.  For example, on my post about "Breasts", I had two comments, both left anonymously, who didn't totally agree with me.  The thing is, I disagreed with one of the ladies (the man is so CLEARLY NOT looking at Katie's breasts!), but from the other, I would have liked to ask some questions about what she said.  I really and truly was hoping to learn from her on the Scriptural teaching she referred to.  I really do want to know because Katie or I neither one would want to be going against Scripture in the way we dresses (believe me, my bared chest would not be cause for any man's temptation, but that's a whole other story I'll save for a Not Me! :)

I do understand that men are driven by site. I'm raising three boys, after all.  I understand alot of things about men as the mother of boys that I never knew before!  Sure they notice breasts.  But we don't make a big deal of it, in fact, we tell them that we know they are interesting to men because they are different, but then we teach them the honorable way to respect differences in men and women.  I truly believe that things that remain a mystery are more enticing than things that are not taboo.  There are very few subjects that can be broached with us that would cause a shameful or strong reaction.  Thoughts and curiosities are natural, it's the job of parents to teach their children how to deal with the "things of the world" through a Scriptural filter. My boys have all expressed curiosity, but they move on after being allowed to talk through what they are seeing/experiencing.

And I'm not trying to change America.  I want to say that my friend who wore "revealing" clothing (you all seem to have figured out that it was Katie Davis at The Journey) is very conscientious about men.  In Africa, it's inappropriate for women to show their knees.  She is very careful to always wear long skirts or dresses and keep her knees covered.  But in Africa, breasts aren't that big a deal.  She is being culturally appropriate, which, in my opinion, is the correct action.

I'm going to get off the subject of Katie's boobs because this is not what the post is about.  The post is about the fact that I want to understand the motivation behind posting anonymously.    If you are a friend of mine and are afraid I will think differently of you for your disagreement, please know that I can absolutely respect differing opinions.  I'm not always right and I'm happy to be proven wrong any time, particularly on a misinterpretation of Scripture.  But I do ask that if you don't have a blog id and therefore have no way to claim your beliefs, then just have the courage to at least sign your name to the comment. I am putting my thoughts out there for you to agree or disagree, but I find it hard to respect differing opinions when they are shared in the shadows.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love."

Not Me Monday

Being married to an Irish guy has it's benefits.  Sometimes it's fun to be Irish, even if it's by marriage.  This is a St. Patrick's version of Not Me Monday.

We did not attend the Brew Festival this weekend where there were somewhere around 90 beers to sample.

I did not go all out for the occasion and neither did my friends!  See!

We did NOT have a new babysitter, who my children loved.  They did not ask me today if I would please go somewhere so Amy could come back over.  Oh brother!  I wonder if it had anything to do with her brow piercing that they loved????  Seriously, this is one fun young lady, and VERY sweet.

Brian and I are not still in the "reentry zone" from our vacation.  I think coming back after being away is harder than staying put because you get "out of the groove" with all the schedules and routines.  My mother-in-law, of course, did NOT have all the entire house in tip top shape, only to have it wrecked by us in about an hour.  Seriously folks, I think the uncommon denominator is me and Brian.  She managed to keep the kids and the house clean and my nephew was here with her so she had 5.  Brian and I managed to let it get completely out of control in less than 24 hours.  Oh well, maybe it's 'cause we're still in vacation mode?????

We are not at all excited about Wednesday because of the Leprechaun shenanigans at our house.  Remember last year when the leprechaun peed in the toilet, drank out of the milk carton, and used up all the pop-tarts?  I am sure he will have some equally impish tricks up his sleeve this year!

On a non-St. Patrick's note, our cat is quite a good mouser.  He comes up with moles and mice about twice per week. But last week he came up with... gulp... a baby bunny.  Meg and I did NOT stand over the body of that bunny and gawk speechlessly at the poor thing.  Then Connor and my neighbors son did NOT walk up five minutes later and say, "Cool!  Let's get something and poke it to see if it moves."  I ask you, if anyone ever told you that the differences between men and women were "learned" behaviors, did that person ever raise a boy?  I think not!

Hop on over to MckMama's and see what other folks aren't up to this week.

Here's where I've been....

I realize I haven't blogged in a while, cause I was here:

Note to self, "You are beyond the years in your life where you can stand square on of the camera." 

And while we were gone, this is what I missed, but my mother-in-law experienced.  Ever heard of the old saying, While the cat's away, the mouse will play?  PLAY is the optimum word here... I'm not sure how many rules there were, but who cares, I was at the beach! :)

Even the dog was either, A) singing the praises of grandma or B) exhausted

Um, all I can say is that I WILL be using this against him later.  

Connor and my niece, Reilly, on our new sofa... finally!

I'm pretty sure these two SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN HELMETS!!!!

And this last one is not from the week I was gone, but it is the one I promised of my two moms SLAVING AWAY when they came to clean my house.  I call them Thelma and Louise because when those two get together there's no stopping them! 

Breasts

Now that I have your attention, I have to climb up on my soap box for a minute.  A good friend of mine has a blog.  On her blog, she has a picture of herself in the header.  In that picture, she is wearing a v-neck T-shirt.  It's not revealing, it's just a v-neck... not particularly low cut, just a plain old v-neck.  She is a very big blog figure, has thousands of followers.  You, in fact, probably read her blog.

Recently, on Facebook, it came out that several people think her shirt is "immodest."  One person even said that she couldn't let her husband read the blog because of the photo.  I promise you, the photo is not revealing.  In fact, I have never once noticed what she was wearing in the photo until it was pointed out. I just saw her full beaming smile and her contagious enthusiasm, the shirt was short of shocking or even noticeable.

So, my question is this.... and those of you in other countries will probably laugh about this because I think it's totally an American thing.... why is it that we sexualize breasts to the point of obsession here in this country?  Yet we segregate and shame people who are using their breasts for what they were designed to do.  I can't tell you how angry it makes me to see "nursing mothers" areas with doors.  Putting a mother in a closet, separating her from the world because she needs to feed her baby, is not sending the right message to our children or our brothers and sisters.  Worse yet, even my OB/GYN office has a "nursing closet."  YET, we tolerate Victoria's Secret parading half naked models around on commercials that are run at 8 PM.  We tolerate soft-porn bra ads on the billboards and covers our of catalogs.  We don't make the lingerie retailer at the mall wrap their windows in brown paper, even though the mannequins are in the "doggy position" and my kids always ask me why the girl is crawling on the floor in her underwear.  (To which, by the way, my response is, "She probably dropped the back to her earring while she was getting ready.")

If that is the way we live, why would we attack someone who is living boldly for Christ because she's not wearing a turtle-neck in the process?  If you can't let your husband read her blog because she's in a turtleneck, I guess you can't let him watch TV or look at the billboards on the interstate either.  Why on earth is a breast something that we should be so obsessed with anyway?  Seriously, I truly get the modesty movement.  I don't want my daughter running around in tight, revealing clothing, even at 3, much less 23.  I want my children all to be mindful of what they are wearing, the reaction they are causing from the opposite sex, and respect themselves enough to have some modesty.  HOWEVER, if my daughter chooses a v-neck over a crew-neck, I don't think I will obsess about her lack of taste or question her commitment to Jesus.

I guess this post was really spurred by a fealty to my friend.  I get my back up when someone criticizes her.  But it's also about how backwards our values have become in this country.  I could be wrong here, Lindsay and Barb please tell me if I am assuming something incorrectly, but I bet in most of the European and other countries around the world, nursing mothers are a natural thing to see in public and there's not as much fuss over a booby as we make here.

Get over it people!

Warning! The Sky is Falling!

Chicken Little here, just shouting out a warning to you all that the sky is most definitely falling.  "How do I know?" you might ask.  Well.....

1. I have not blogged NOR looked at a blog in about two weeks (thank you very much Apollo Ohno, Lindsey Vonn, and Julia Mancuso.)  
2. It's March 2 and it's SNOWING.... AGAIN!  Thank goodness the kids are not out of school this time.  
3. HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH SNOW? 
     
   
4. It's snowing again today AND we are out of coffee AGAIN today!  Grrrrrr!  (That's twice in one month.  There must be armageddon coming!)
5. Brian and I are going away this weekend.... ALONE!  Now if you need more proof than that to prove the sky is falling, then you obviously have a much more exciting life than me.  Come to think of it, you probably DO have a more exciting life than me. 

Which is the other reason I haven't blogged in a while.... there's NOTHING happening in my life. Not that I'm complaining in any way.... nope, nice and boring is just fine with me.  Seriously!  When I consider the alternative and how I USUALLY live in a life of upheaval, I'm pretty sure that boring is a vacation from the norm around here.

We have a foster dog staying with us right now, his name is Garcia.  Which got me thinking about another foster we had, a few years ago.  Her name was Meg.  (yeah, good thing we didn't keep her, right?)  Anyway, I don't think I ever posted the video of her.  She was a narcoleptic.  Have you ever seen a narcoleptic dog?  If not, then you MUST see this.  Please ignore the commentary as I am on the phone AND fussing at my kids.



VIDEO OF MEG THE DOG

Is Cosmo Real?

Or is it spelled Cozmo when it's a name?  Because it appears that Meg has an invisible friend named Cosmo.  She talks about him all the time.  She tells me if he has a fever or is crying, or just needs to be held.  The boys think that Cosmo is the character in a movie, but I don't think so.  As far as I know she hasn't seen any movie with a character named Cosmo, so it appears that she has been visited by her guardian angel and his name is Cosmo.  (I heard a long time ago that maybe our guardian angels are actually invisible friends as children.  Sounds sweet enough.)

I have been.... gasp.... cough..... back of hand to forhead..... dieting.  Sort of!  I mean, I'm not really dieting as much as I am depriving myself of all the really good food in life.  Like Girl Scout cookies.  I didn't realize when I ordered all 10 boxes that I would be trying to cut back by the time they arrived.  This is for the birds!

Now, wanted to just leave you with a few photos of the remodel we did in our attic.

Before:

The old carpet and the "tear out" portion of the redo.

This is the before before... meaning before there was ANYTHING, there was attic.

That gray door was the old attic door.  Now it's a nice four foot opening.

And Liam sleeps in here.  We call it Lego land because it's where he plays Lego.  And his cave where he sleeps! 

More shots of the cave.  I couldn't get far enough away to get a shot all at once.

This is the Lego land portion.  I know it looks like the ceiling is plywood, but it's actually bead board.

Connor's side is decorated in a cowboy theme.  Which came in handy because my dad is a cowboy so we had lots of "props" from his house.  These were his boots when he was a kid.  They are now decor on Connor's bookshelf.  The stuffed shirt (pillow) behind the boots was also my dads as a kid.

These holsters were my dad's.  The horseshoe hook they are hanging on is one my dad made a while back to use as a hat rack for the nursery, but it works out perfectly for a holster hanger too! :)

I bought this old license plate from a junk dealer.  I don't know if you can see it, but there are two little rodeo themed lapel pins on the cowboy pillow.

The curtain that is hung on Connor's bedroom entrance was actually the curtain on my dad's windows when he was a kid.  They are "Roy Rogers".  The hankie that's tied around it was also my dad's.  It's Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.  The little red chair looks so cute in there next to the Rodeo poster.  

As a result of our upstairs redo, there is NO furniture downstairs except for our dining room table.  We moved all the old living room furniture up to what used to be the shared bedroom of the little boys.  Now that their beds are in the former attic, we have a "play room" with a TV and the video games so the adults have reclaimed the downstairs!  Praise be! 

That's the last of the exciting home tour until after the downstairs furniture arrives.  Hope you enjoyed seeing how a big family can cram themselves into EVERY SQUARE INCH of a three bedroom house! :)  I really believe that if we need any more space, we'll either have to move up to the big attic (with the pull down stairs) or we will officially have to get a new house.  :(

Jack's Room

The albums tacked to his wall were up in our attic.  When we cleaned out the attic, we laughed so hard at all the junk we've kept over the years.  Why?  But turns out that a bass playing boy likes retro album covers as wall art.  :) My Ace Frehley, Loverboy, and Van Halen albums are being enjoyed by another generation... hehehe.  Yes, those hard rockin' albums were mine, not Brian's.

I saw this idea in a magazine for kids furniture and loved it.  Jack had one old skateboard that he didn't use anymore and I purchased a cheap one at the discount store.  It made the perfect space to wrangle all his trophies into a nice organized display.  I painted the little canvas with the guitar on it.  I took a sheet that had been at my grandmothers house and covered a canvas, then I did a guitar on it.  At the time, Jack wasn't playing bass, I should probably do another one with a bass guitar on it.  Sorry the photo is so blurry.

The guitar stand in the foreground is lighted and it looks super cool when the guitar is hanging there.  Plus, it keeps the guitar off the floor.  The blue chair in the background was also at my grandmothers.  I can't believe she had some pretty cool art deco style furniture, but she did! It's really neat, blue velour.  :)

These are the before photos.... the flag came from Brian's cousin in Ireland.  It was hanging in their candy store and they sent it to Jack! :)  But now the flag is looking for a new home.  We're trying to think of something really cool to do with it.  Maybe the ceiling?  

This photo is taken during the process of painting so alot of stuff is already down off the walls, etc.  But the bed WAS on the floor.

The wall was a mess from all the stuff that had been hung and rehung.

I really hated to paint over these cool denim walls, but it made the room look really small.

We still had the stenciling on the walls from when it was a nursery.  "Brush your teeth, say your prayers and kiss your Mama goodnight!"  

Next stop.... the new sleeping space for the little boys.... Have a great Thursday!

Tour of Homes

This is probably only of interest to those who have seen my house... but I have a few shots of the work we've been doing around the house.

Remember the aprons?  They are still there, in Meg's room.  These aprons belonged to my two grandmothers.  The lighting is terrible in this photo, but the walls are a soft pink and the tin panel the aprons hang from are pink, cream and green.

This is Meg's bow holder.  It's attached to her closet door, which is covered in a soft green striped toile with pink designs.  

Meg's bed, it looks red in the photo.  I hate this lighting.  It's actually a very nice bright pink color.  This bed was originally brass and belonged to my paternal grandmother and aunt.  When my grandmother died, my aunt was going to throw it out so she asked if I might want it!  :)  Well, yeah! 

Another one of the bed.

This quilt was in the bottom of a box of stuff I got from my Grandmother's house when she died.  I was actually thinking most of the stuff inside was junk, and most of it actually was.  But this quilt and a box of letters from my uncle and my dad when they were in basic training were both inside the box! :)

My mom and her friend pieced and quilted this for Meg.  I love the Holly Hobby type dolls.  I had a quilt on my wall when I was little that my grandmother made me with a very similar theme.  

This was actually also in the box from my Grandmother.  It was a bedspread, but it worked very nicely as a curtain. 

These dolls were the ones the lady gave me at the adoption conference a while back.  Remember the lady who said, "God told me to give these to you"?  Well, these are the Russian mother and daughters that she gave to me.  I love them. They now hang on Meg's door.  

So, that's it.  Meg's room... I'll show my room and Jack's room soon.  Jack's room is the biggest difference right now.  Of course, the two little boys both have new rooms, but it's hard to show you their space because it's so tiny you can't get a photo of it.  But everyone has officially got their own bed in their own floor space and that's priceless.  

Hope you are all having a great Monday night.  

Happy Birthday Vitaly Lubimov!  We love you!